Mated & Blooded, A Blood Ties Novel, Book 1

by Kalalea George

  “Feed. We don’t have to talk about this anymore”

  Nikoli’s POV

  I took my sweet time walking back to my house, I wasn’t in any rush to feed my guests and I was even in less of a rush to go back to the pack house. I was mentally and emotionally exhausted. I knew that this was going to be hard, I just hadn’t really understood how hard.

  I wanted to be near my beloved, I didn’t want to be tortured. Why is it that they never seemed to stop touching? Every moment they were together some part of them was touching. It was driving me insane to watch them. It took every single ounce of energy I possessed and my two hundred and eighty seven years of wisdom not to just reach out and snap that dog’s neck.

  It would make things so much simpler if I killed him before they ever had a chance to mate. I bet with him dead her friggen wolf would back off and let me touch her. Then, I wouldn't have to stand by and watch my beloved get manhandled by that addled brained dog.

  He would never know just how lucky he had been today. If I hadn’t respected Kalli’s wishes I could have easily killed him and taken her as my own. I may not be able to blood her, but we could have had many years of happiness together.

  I arrived at my house still pissed off. I grabbed the door knob with the intention of flinging open the door and instead I accidentally pulled it off the hinges. I stared at the broken door in my hand for a moment then tossed it off into the woods.

  Oh well, it’s just a door it would be better if it was the mangy dogs head. I stomped like a three year old up the stairs into the guest room that I’d left Lidia in. I was careful not to tear her door off the hinges. I gave a light knock and waited for a response. I heard a whimper and took that as an invitation to go in.

  I found her in the same spot I’d left her in the night before. Still crouched on the floor sitting in her own bodily waste. Her body was shaking violently and her eyes were unfocused and cloudy. I found myself suddenly feeling sympathy. I put the tray of food down on the end table and leaned down and gently lifted her to her feet. I walked her into the bathroom and helped her to remove her disgusting clothes.

  I treated her like a mother would treat a sick child. I murmured words of encouragement as I placed her into the shower and washed down her filthy revolting body. I removed several weeks’ worth of dirt and filth.

  Once she was clean, I walked her back into the main room and turned down the blankets. I lifted her gently in my arms and laid her in the bed. I knew that she’d had a full mental break down. It was clear that her husband and alpha had been mind screwing her for years. I’d managed to break his hold, but left her defenseless against the emotions that assaulted her.

  It was clear she was experiencing too many emotions at once. I gently touched her face and forced myself into her mind. Once there, I encouraged her to find herself and come back to reality. I promised her that if she fought to get healthy I would help her have her revenge.

  Her eyes briefly shone with clarity before they became murky again and closed. I moved around the room silently cleaning up the soiled floor and laying out clean clothes for her and left the room.

  I knew I should head to the cave to feed the alpha but didn’t really feel like it. I’d had enough of wolves for one day. I wasn’t going back to the BlueRidge pack house today, and I wasn’t going near any more wolves. I would call Kalli after I fed and let her know how to gain access to my cave. Then it would be up to her and Lucas to decide what his father’s care and or punishment would be.

  I needed to have some time on my own to come to grips with this situation. I was a fool to think that I would be okay sitting on the sidelines watching my beloved with another man. The sight of them together infuriated and repulsed me.

  With slow precision I found myself moving towards the comfort of my bedroom. I started to strip myself of my clothes as soon as I crossed the threshold. I moved into the bathroom and turned the shower water on as hot as it would go and climbed in. The water was hot enough to scorch my skin. I leaned in and arched myself so that my face was fully exposed to searing water and let myself cry. I knew if I looked down I would see a stream of blood stained water disappearing down the drain just like my dreams.

  Chapter 22

  (Rob’s POV)

  I couldn’t believe my luck. Lucas left pack territory without a reigning alpha in charge. It was better than I had planned. Everything I had been working towards was coming to fruition. My father and Lucas were both gone. The best part was Lucas had already gotten the council to agree that a new alpha could be named without a challenge.

  All I needed to do now was call a pack meeting and name myself Alpha. This past week had been a terrible strain but it had all been worth it. I’d had to act like I gave a crap about Lucas’s pathetic excuse of a mate and fake trying to locate the bitch. I was so happy that things were all working out way better than we could have planned it. We didn’t even have any blood on our hands. I thought about how it had all come together while I pulled out my clothes and get dressed for the event of my life.

  I spent the week Lucas had been away with her rallying the troops. Every one of the bro’s but my twin Ryan agreed. Cody, Joel and Lance were with me. I knew Ryan would come around. In the least he would never betray me and alert Lucas or Logan to the plan. The bros and I approached the pack two days before Lucas came back with the blood sucking bitch.

  I took the stage and told the crowd it was time for new leadership; it was time to retired Logan and a new generation to rule the pack. The pack agreed, the freak could not be allowed to become our Luna, therefore he could not become are alpha. I convinced the crowd that I was their savior. Now, I am going to be the next Alpha of the Northern Star pack.

  Word of Lucas’s departure had spread quickly through the pack today. The time was ripe, my pack is ready for me to name myself alpha. Lance popped his head into my room and told me it was time to go. The pack had assembled in the town square and was awaiting my arrival. I looked at myself in the mirror taking in my black silk button up top stretched tight against my chest and my designer jeans. I smiled at myself one last time and went to join them.

  I left the house surrounded by my closest friends. I was missing only my brother at my side. No biggy I thought to myself. He will show up. Once I reached the town square, I positioned myself in the dead center so that I was surrounded by my pack on all sides. I lifted my hands into the air and shouted with my loudest alpha voice.

  “Here me now Northern Star pack. I Robert Madison do hear by claim myself as Alpha of the Northern Star pack. Any who oppose me say so now and prepare for a death challenge. Otherwise bow now and pledge allegiance to me!”

  I knew everyone present would accept me. Those pack members who didn’t want me to be alpha had already left. I believe most of those were old members of BlueRidge and Rockledge. I believe even now they are hiding like scared puppies in the mountains.

  As expected, all members bowed down and tilted their heads exposing their necks to me. I growled loudly and howled. My pack howled back. As was tradition, we all shifted and ran our territory boundaries.

  (Ryan’s POV)

  I can’t believe this is happening this way. I watched as Rob proclaimed himself alpha of the Northern Star pack. This wasn’t right, it was Lucas’s birthright. I would have called and warned Lucas but when I got back from checking on the deserters it was too late.

  Things are really getting out of hand. My dad and the Luna are missing. I have been playing pseudo alpha for a bunch of deserters, and Lucas the next true heir is back at BlueRidge playing house with his hybrid mate.

  I love Rob, but he wasn’t meant to be the alpha of the Northern Star pack and I have no intention of bowing down to him. Things have already gone to hell. I guess I am just going to have to live with the consequences. I looked to my left and right. No one was paying attention to me so I cautiously stepped back into the woods. The moment I was out of eyesight I turned and bolted off for the mountains.

  I app
roached our temporary camp with caution and looked around me. I watched them mill around the tents and campfires. It was hard to believe that only a few weeks ago all of these people had what I thought were normal happy lives. The past few weeks had really opened my eyes and changed my realities.

  I can remember clearly how things happened. It was Rob that inadvertently opened Pandora’s Box. It started the night after Lucas called us and said that he’d found his mate. Rob called a private pack meeting and announced Lucas’s mating to Kalli the hybrid. He spoke of the danger she represented and manage to incite half the pack to agree with him.

  He then questioned the crowd on what would happen if Lucas challenged Alpha Logan? He poked and prodded the crowd to answer. Most believed Lucas would win the challenge. Then he alleged that if Lucas became the new Alpha of Northern Star he would force the pack to accept Kalli. He kept at it until everyone was riled up and petrified that death, destruction and disaster were but moments away.

  Then he did the unthinkable. He offered himself as a solution. He started to come up with a strategy on a coup d'état. He actually proposed overthrowing Logan and removing Lucas and Kalli as a threat permanently. This wasn’t just a takeover this was going to be murder.

  I was in shock as I heard the pack murmur in approval. I looked around expecting the voice of reason to come from the crowd. Suddenly I realized I had to be that voice of reason. So I opened my mouth and protested the plan. I was firm in my conviction that Lucas’ should be given a fair chance to be alpha. I supported his choice in Luna even going as far as saying that Kalli’s bloodline was as pure as the rest of us. I was booed into silence some pack members even chose to push into me and threaten me with violence.

  Shortly after the meeting however, several wolves approached me. Ones that hadn’t shouted approval of the new plan, ones that had silently listened and quietly left afterward. They were smart wolves that were afraid of consequences of Robs plans, ones that feared what would happen next.

  They spoke of the past and how my father had forcibly pulled them into the pack. They told me stories of deception, rape and murder. They spoke of their true last alphas and their ancestral lands. They feared that history was about to repeat itself and they wanted their mates and pups as far from the danger as they could. They begged me to lead them out of Armageddon.

  So here I was, helping and protecting more than one hundred and fifty wolves in the middle of nowhere. We had no homes, we had no income, and we had no real source of food or shelter. Worse, we had no real plan on what to do next.

  As I entered the camp, my presence was quickly noticed. I was approached by one of the elderly wolves.

  “Alpha Ryan” he said

  “Why have you returned tonight? Has it happened is the war about to begin?” he questioned.

  “It has” I said in a quiet voice

  “Rob has declared himself Alpha of the Northern Star pack.”

  “Where is Alpha Lucas?” Someone shouted towards me

  “I think he has been reunited with his mate and they are currently at the BlueRidge pack house”

  Most nodded sadly and started to go back to what they had been doing before I arrived. I felt myself getting more tired by the moment and sat down next to one of the fire pits and rested my head in my hands.

  I sat there for well over an hour not moving just thinking about what our next steps should be. I was jostled out of my thought when I heard a collective gasp. I shot to my feet and caught sight of several wolves I had never seen before walking into our camp.

  There were five in total, three shewolves and two males. The women were beautiful, but one in particular held my eyes. She was the most angelic woman I had ever seen. She had the darkest black hair that hung below her waste, a gorgeous heart shaped face and the most perfect kissable lips that I had ever saw.

  They walked calmly but resolutely into our camp without any fear. They looked left and right as they continued to move closer. Then, her scent was carried on the wind to me. She smelled of apple blossoms. Not just any apple blossoms but the sweetest apple blossoms in the world. That’s when I realized I was standing in the presence of my mate.

  The woman next to my mate took another step forward and blocked my line of sight to my mate. I didn’t mean to, but I growled low in my throat. The woman’s eyes opened a bit more before she stepped aside and I could see

  my mate again. Then she started to speak.

  “Good evening all, I recognize many of you so I am sure you recognize me. For those who don’t, I am Anita of the Rockledge pack. She pointed left to a woman who also looked very much like my mate and said

  “This is my sister Alice” then she pointed at my mate and continued with

  “and my daughter Lily” Then nodding in my direction she added

  “and I believe your mate”

  Chapter 23

  (Lucas’s POV)

  I looked down at my mate who was sprawled out on the floor. Her face was covered in blood. If I had to guess I would bet her nose was broken. My wolf whined inside of me. He knew it was our fault and didn’t like the idea that we’d hurt our mate.

  I pulled off my tee shirt and wiped some of the blood off her face. I tried to apologize, but I knew Kalli didn’t really want to hear it. I am sure she felt like I was being immature about this situation. I guess she was right. I thought back to her comment about how he smelled. Then I felt something deep inside of me crack.

  In those few moments all of my hopes and desires started to vanish before my eyes. I was broken now and I knew it. She admitted that he smelled of spring after a rain not a rotten corpse. That meant it was true. She had to be his beloved. Everyone knew that a blooded vampire stopped decaying when they bonded with their beloved. He still smelled like he was decaying to me but not to her. That meant she was his beloved.

  I hadn’t wanted to admit it. I wanted Kalli all to myself but I couldn’t deny it anymore, Nikoli was her beloved. She would need him in her life as much as she needed me. Her soul would fracture and dissipate if he wasn’t part of her life.

  I wasn’t sure how much of a role he needed to play in her life, but I knew he would have to have a role. I was going to need to speak to one of the old members of the BlueRidge pack. If I remembered correctly they once lived with a vampire and had a real good understanding of how the blooding worked. In the meantime, I was going to have to try to play nice. In the least I was going to have to stop fighting it.

  I sat Kalli on the couch and told her to feed. I closed my eyes the moment her fangs pierced my skin. The sensations invaded my senses almost immediately. It was so erotic and wonderful. I loved the way my blood heated. I felt myself getting very excited. If it wasn’t for the fact that the vampire was going to be back shortly, I think I might have pushed the issue and finally bonded with my mate.

  I rolled the situation over and over again in my mind. Could Kalli and I still bond? Would their relationship be physical like Kalli and mine? Was his claim to her stronger than my claim? Would I be expected to live my life without her or worse share her in all ways? I wish I had been calm enough earlier to listen to what this all meant.

  On the good side, for now her wolf wouldn’t accept him so maybe that meant I had a real chance to keep my mate. I wanted her so badly and couldn’t image having to live life without her. I was going to have to stop thinking of him as the vampire and start thinking of him as Nikoli. All I knew was I wanted Kalli in my life in any capacity even if I only got second best.

  It was all so damn confusing. The only thing I was really sure of at the moment was that Kalli, Nikoli and I were moving into uncharted territory. To my knowledge no one had ever been in our situation before. It was going to take all of us trying to work together to do what was best for Kalli.

  It also meant that I would have to leave the pack behind. I was going to have a hard time getting the pack to accept Kalli as my Luna, there wasn’t a prayers chance in hell they were going to accept her vampire beloved as
well. I would have to call my brother Rob later tonight and ask him to step up to the plate and become alpha of the Northern Star pack. I was going to live with Kalli wherever she was and that meant her and Nikoli were now my new pack.

  (Kalli’s POV)

  I made an excuse to get sometime alone once I was finished feeding. I decided to go up to the master bedroom and call my mom. I found myself choked up in tears the minute she answered the phone. I cried off and on the entire time we talked.

  I was so confused about what was supposed to happen next. I’d been so angry earlier today that I hadn’t even gotten a chance to think about how I felt about what was happening. My life was getting out of control fast.

  Mom just listened while I ranted and raved about everything that had gone on. Every now and then she would throw in an

  “Oh that’s a surprise, how do you feel about that?” I wanted to scream

  “How do I feel?”

  Then I found myself really thinking how do I feel? That’s when I realized I had no idea. I had just accepted Lucas because he was my true wolf mate. My wolf said he was ours and I since it is tradition to bond and mate with your wolf mate I was going to just do what was expected. I knew that I didn’t really love him yet but I thought with time I was sure to love him. Right now, I barely knew him but I know my wolf loves his wolf already and she’s very fond of Lucas. She’s probably had been his mate many times before this current life. I on the other hand had only met him a few weeks ago.