by T. S. Ryder
"So?" Will reached for his cigarette back. "Give that back."
"Not around me. I don't want cancer from second-hand smoke, thank you very much. My mother died from lung cancer. You want to smoke, you can take it outside."
Will opened his mouth to remind her that a little second-hand smoke was nothing to worry about compared to the Geisterwolf coming after her, but stopped. So what if she wasn't his mate yet and Lukas was going to perform his little ceremony with her. It would be beneficial to the packs to combine River Basin and Cedar Grove, and she would be his mate. He didn't want to start off their relationship fighting.
And he'd enjoy putting a baby inside their shared mate before Lukas did. But for that, he had to be smoother. Yes, this had thrown him for a loop, but that didn't mean he should give up on what he wanted. He put his pack of cigarettes back in his pocket.
"Sorry. It's just nerves. I know it's a nasty habit, but Wolves don't suffer the ill effects. Guess I'm not used to having to worry about it."
Elena's expression softened. "Maybe I shouldn't have been so snappy. But it's a terrifying situation for me. And you heard Lukas. He doesn't want me for a mate any more than I want him. Will he really fight for me?"
He could have told her that yes, of course Lukas would fight for her. He could have told her that even if Lukas didn't have any strong feelings for her, he was an Alpha, and Alphas always put their mates first. But he didn't. He squeezed her hand. "I'll fight for you."
She smiled hesitantly, and he smiled back. Yes, this was what was for the best. But thank God he'd already called off things with Harriet and Catherine.
Chapter Five – Elena
The wall was perfectly even. Elena shifted her level to the next stud, nodding in satisfaction. She and Lukas had both moved into Will's house for the duration of this whole Geisterwolf Month, as she had taken to calling it, and the construction in the house was driving her crazy. It wasn't that it was badly built, just fairly old and in need of a few updates. Which was odd, considering Will was so rich. But apparently that was fairly recent, so maybe he just hadn't taken the time to get a new place yet.
Elena stepped back and admired her work. She was glad that Will had authorized her to do whatever she wanted with the house during the nights that he and Lukas were fighting off the Geisterwolf. Otherwise, she thought she might just go insane.
Drywalling and plastering was done. She wasn't sure what color Will had ultimately decided to paint it, but in the meantime, she could move to the next room.
A howl from outside the house had her running to the window. All around the house were dozens of Wolves, both from Will's and Lukas' packs. The Geisterwolf always followed the same routine every night. First, as soon as the sun set, it would appear just outside the house and go after Elena. Lukas and Will, together with a few Alphas from other packs, would drive it off. Sometimes it shook them of its trail and returned to the house, in which case the patrol would hold it off until morning.
As soon as the sun rose, the Geisterwolf disappeared. But in just a week that they had been following this routine for, Elena could see that it was a powerful creature. It took all the Wolves to protect her.
Every night when Lukas and Will disappeared into the darkness, chasing the glowing white specter, her heart nearly stopped. She told them she couldn't sleep because of the threat of the Geisterwolf, but the truth was that if she didn't keep herself busy, she would go mad with worry for them.
There was no sign of either the Ghost Wolf or her two Alphas–the, she reminded herself. Neither she nor Lukas had much of a choice in the matter (something that caused Elena's heart to twinge with a feeling that wasn't quite a pain and not quite despair, although it was close), but whether they could actually be 'real' mates was to be seen. It wasn't like he wasn't attractive, but she didn't want to be with somebody who didn't want to be with her.
And then there was Will.
Elena turned at the sound of footsteps and scowled when she saw the two Wolves who entered, both carrying a tray of food. One was blonde, the other a redhead. Will's old girlfriends.
"We thought you might want something to eat," the redhead said.
When Elena first found out about Catherine and Harriet, she'd nearly flipped her lid. In her rage, she told Will in no uncertain times that she wasn't going to be his mate, regardless of the politics or his insane amount of wealth, if he was going to have girlfriends on the side. He apparently broke up with them before that on account of her… But how long was that going to last?
"Thank you." Elena took the tray from Catherine. "Have you heard anything?"
Harriet was silent, the way she always was around Elena, but Catherine shook her head. "Not yet. But they'll be back soon. It's almost morning."
Elena sighed. She really didn't want to like either of these two, but Catherine was so shy and sweet that she couldn’t help herself. Harriet on the other hand… Well, she didn't say what she thought, but Elena knew the blonde didn't like her. Although there was something very satisfying about seeing that both of them had the curvy, maybe a little too curvy, figure that she herself had. Will's professed attraction to her wasn't a farce.
Although why they had to stay with her at night, she didn't know.
"Elena, I just wanted you to know that I don't bear any ill-will towards you," Catherine said. "About Will, I mean. I'm glad he found a mate. I always knew he would never choose me."
Elena flinched. She opened her mouth to remind the Wolf that she wasn't Will's mate, but Harriet beat her to it.
"She hasn't accepted him as her mate yet, Catherine. Who knows, she could be using him like he was using us."
For some reason, that rankled Elena. Not the accusation that she was using Will, but that he was using the two females. She set the tray aside. "As if you weren't using him. You look at him like a piece of steak. You don't love him. I don't think you even like him. You just wanted him for his position."
"That's not true," Catherine protested.
"Not you, maybe, but definitely Harriet."
Catherine shook her head.
Harriet's eyes narrowed. "I served the Alpha as was my duty. If I thought that perhaps I might one day be Alpha Female—"
"I bet you were just waiting for the other Alphas to start really bringing the pressure down on him to mate before you threatened to leave him if he didn't. How long was it going to be before you forced Catherine out?"
"She would never do that!" Catherine cried. "You don't know us. I'm willing to overlook this because from what I've heard your father is horrid, but you have to right to talk to Harriet like this."
Elena opened her mouth to snap at the redhead, but at that moment the door downstairs banged open and Will's voice came up the stairs. Elena's heart jumped to her throat and she raced from the room. She had to resist the urge to jump over the banister when she ran down the stairs.
Both Will and Lukas were in the sitting room. Will was laying on the couch, Lukas sprawled on the floor. Vivid black bruises were raising on various parts of their bodies. A third Alpha was with them, slumped in a chair. Xavier Knight, his dark skin gleaming with sweat. All three parties were stark naked, but Elena didn't care. Nudity seemed part of the parcel when dealing with Shifters and she was getting used to it.
"You're back," she said, standing awkwardly in the doorway. "Do you need water? Something to eat? I can throw something together quickly."
"Water," Lukas rasped. "Room temperature, please."
"Same," Will grunted.
Elena glanced at Xavier. "And you?"
"Please."
She hurried to get them all water, although by that time Catherine had joined her. Harriet was gone, presumably off to pout, but the redhead helped Elena carry the water back to the three Alphas. She took her glass of water to Xavier–showing Elena she wasn't stepping on her toes. Elena was grateful to that. All three had covered themselves by this time as well.
"How did it go?" Elena sat beside Will and he swung up to
drink his water.
The tattooed Alpha grunted. "Could you head back upstairs? I really need a smoke… Ah, hell. Maybe I ought to give that up."
"You really are a miracle worker," Catherine said to Elena. "I always tried to get him to stop, but he never would."
"Thank you," Will gave her an annoyed glance. "You can go now, Catherine."
She nodded and skirted out of the room. Xavier stood. "I should be going as well. Amelia and Timothy are waiting for me. Apparently, the baby cried all night, asking for me. But as for you two, you have to remember that the Geisterwolf will only get stronger the closer we get to the time for the ceremony, and I won't be able to help you during the actual ceremony."
"Yep," Lukas said. "Thanks."
Xavier looked a little troubled, but nodded and took his departure. Now that they were alone, Elena started to feel a little shy about the Alpha's nudity. It wasn't that she didn't like to see what they had to offer–the problem was she liked it a little too much. And yeah, she was a virgin but that didn't mean she wasn't a sexual person. Whenever she started thinking of them and her, whether one at a time or both at once, a deep, aching heat began to build in her lady parts.
Kind of like it was doing right now.
But it wasn't right to act on it, not when the question of whether they were mates or not was still up in the air. Lukas didn't have a choice, but that didn't mean they couldn't find a way around it. And Will… well, it was hard to read him.
"Did either of you get hurt?" she asked.
"Just bruised. But they'll heal up in half an hour." Will set down his glass and gave her a cocky grin. "So now that we've returned victorious, is our lady fairy going to reward us for a job well done?"
"Reward—" Elena's jaw dropped. "You can't possibly have fought all night and still want to… you know."
"Claim you?" Will seized her around her waist and pulled her into his very naked lap. She gasped. "What do you think?"
It was obvious that he wanted it. His mouth caught hers hungrily, hands roaming her body. The spark that was already there flared, and she leaned into his touch, moaning with desire.
Chapter Six – Lukas
If the sight of Will embracing Elena felt Lukas shaking with anger, the sounds of her moans lit something else entirely inside of him. She held nothing back from the other Alpha, wrapping her arms around his head, bringing her body as close to his as possible. The dust on her pink coveralls smeared onto Will's chest, but neither seemed to notice.
Lukas' grip on his glass of water tightened. He didn't have the same experience with women that Will did. He'd never strung along girls like the other Alpha; he'd been completely faithful to the mate he never met. But now watching the two of them, he couldn't help but wonder–could a virgin like him really please her?
He'd been ecstatic when she accidently revealed she was a virgin as well because he thought it put them on the same footing. Now, however, he couldn’t help but wonder if she wanted somebody with more experience for her first time.
Elena's head fell back, her eyes sliding half-shut with ecstasy. Will unbuttoned the first few buttons on her coveralls, kissing the delicate skin that was revealed. Lukas jumped to his feet. Enough was enough! He marched over to them and easily pulled Elena away from Will. He didn't bother with buttons, merely grabbing either side of her coveralls and tearing them apart.
"Whoa," Elena gasped, but when he buried his face in her cleavage, pushing her lacy bra out of the way, she moaned again and wrapped her arms around him.
"Let me have some," Will growled.
Elena's body was pushed against Lukas', letting him know that Will was pressing on her from behind. His hands got in Lukas' way and the Alpha glared up at him. He tried to pull Elena away, but Will wouldn't let him.
"You get to give her her first baby," Lukas growled. "It's only fair that I should get her virginity."
Elena stiffened. She shoved at his chest. "What did you just say?"
A look of alarm passed over Will's face, and Lukas felt his own heart seize with dread. So far he had been surprised with how well Elena had taken everything, but there was pure fury in Elena's voice. She pulled away from the two Alphas and clasped her coveralls shut.
"I asked you a question. What's this about my babies and virginity?"
"I… part of the deal I made with Will to join our packs was that he would give you a child first." Lukas never thought he was much of a coward. If anything, he took to fighting too quickly at times. But right now under Elena's furious gaze, he felt himself quailing.
"You think you can just auction off my babies and my virginity just like that? As if I have no say in the matter? At the moment I'm not sure I want to have children with either of you. I'm not your property, I make my own choices when it comes to who has my body and when I'm going to have children. Not you!"
Will put a hand on her shoulder. "Elena—"
"No." She held up a hand and shook her head. "I don't want to hear either of your excuses. This is unacceptable."
"I'm a virgin, too," Lukas blurted. "I only wanted—"
"I said I don't want to hear it." Elena stormed from the room, leaving the two Alphas behind.
Lukas stared after her, his stomach knotting in on itself. This wasn't what he wanted. This was so beyond what he wanted that he wasn't sure what to do now. He could go after her and beg for her to listen, but he somehow doubted that it would be at all useful.
"Why did you have to go and say that?" Will snatched a pack of cigarettes from the table. "Just when things were looking up. Don't you know women at all?"
Lukas whirled on him. "Well, I'm sorry that I'm not as good a liar as you are."
"Liar?"
"You said you were going to quit smoking just for her to like you better, but here you are, already lighting up again!"
Will glanced at the cigarette and lighter in his hands. He looked stunned, as though he hadn't realized that he was holding them, but Lukas wasn't fooled. He clenched his hands. A growl rose up his throat, and it took all of his strength not to start beating the other Alpha on the spot.
"Why do you think you own everything? I've made compromises for this partnership, but you act as though you're king of the castle and deserve it all. Well, you don't. You're nothing but a sad, arrogant, useless man who has never done anything in his life! Why do you have to have Elena, when you already have two beautiful women who are more than willing to share you? If two Alphas can share the same Alpha female, it's not like two Alpha females can't share the same Alpha. Why don't you just go back to them and continue on with your self-indulgent life?"
Will's face was expressionless by the time Lukas was finished. He snorted. "You're the one who offered her to me, remember? You're the one who was willing to sell off his mate because you were so desperate for money. I know why. Your father embezzled millions from the pack to spend on his gambling habits and his prostitutes."
Lukas lunged, howling, but even as his fist connected with Will's face, a scream broke the air. Lukas' heart stopped. Elena.
Both Alphas raced towards the sound of the scream, stumbling a little from the punch Lukas had thrown. Elena's scream cut off abruptly, replaced by another feminine cry. Lukas' heart pounded in his chest. Why had they sent the patrol back to their families so soon?
Will got through the door first, Lukas following close behind. There was nothing in sight. No sign of Elena. Only Catherine laying on the ground, clutching her arm as blood seeped through her fingers. The female trembled where she was, and when Will rushed to her side, she grasped at him and began sobbing.
"I couldn't stop him. He took her. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"Stop who? Who took her?"
Catherine shuddered as Lukas joined them, standing over the female and other Alpha. He had to resist the urge to drop to his knees and shake her. She was still sobbing.
"Where is Elena?" he roared.
Catherine flinched.
Will gave him a black glare and put an
arm around the female. "Catherine, please. Tell us what happened."
"It was a man. He just… appeared out of nowhere. He grabbed her and said that he would have his love again, and then he transformed into a giant white wolf. It was the Geisterwolf. I don't know how, but the Geisterwolf took her."
Chapter Seven – Will
Catherine shook like a leaf, but Will was too consumed in his own mind to pay much heed to her. As soon as she had told them what happened, both he and Lukas had transformed, searching for any sign of the Geisterwolf and Elena. Just like during its nightly attacks, it left no scents and no trail to follow. There was a faint scent of Elena, but even that disappeared shortly after it got into the forest.
And so they had come back to the house, to get as much information as possible from Catherine. Not that she was being much use. She was as distraught as they were, and just kept repeating what she had already told them.
"He appeared as a man first. What did he look like?" Lukas asked, his gaze intent on Catherine's face.
"Tall. Brown-haired. He had a scar on his cheek."
Will picked up the cigarette and lighter that he had dropped before they ran out at Elena's scream. His hands shook as he lit the cigarette and pulled in a deep drag. Lukas shot him an annoyed, angry glance, but the other Alpha ignored it. Knowing what the Geisterwolf's human form looked like wasn't going to help them at all.
"Call Xavier." He strove to keep his own fear from his voice. "He should know why the Geisterwolf was able to attack after sunup. It's never done that before."
"How can you be so nonchalant about this?"
"What?" Will glanced up to see Lukas now glaring at him. "You think I'm being nonchalant?"
"You are being nonchalant." Lukas stepped forward, fists clenched. "You're sitting there smoking as though there is nothing wrong! I should never have approached you to join the packs, it's clear that you care nothing for Elena!"
Will got to her feet, a growl rising in his throat. "I care nothing? You're the one who said to her face that he'd rather have another mate!"