Monachopsis

by Lyra Winters

  "Well, no matter—looks like we finally get to meet him." She gestured toward the door.

  As the last of the council members filed into the room and took their seats, Blaine and his higher-ups made their way over to us. A wave of relief hit me, and I couldn't help the butterflies that fluttered in my stomach at the sight of him. I couldn't wait to bare his mark.

  He kissed my temple and placed a hand on my lower back. "Hi, Darlin'."

  "I missed you." I leaned into his touch. His body was warm and felt like home.

  "I missed you too. These two didn't know where the meeting room was at." He jerked his thumb toward the two men accompanying him.

  "Well, this is a new place for you all. I'm Sophia, the Alpha," I greeted them with a smile.

  "We know exactly who you are." A man with short black hair darted his mischievous green eyes toward Blaine.

  "And you are?"

  "Cole Reed. I'm the Beta and best friend of your mate's pack." He offered me his hand.

  "It's nice to meet you, Cole." I clasped his hand with mine.

  "Likewise, Alpha."

  Blaine stepped toward a shaggy blonde, placing a hand on the man's shoulder. "This is Gabe. He's one of my best pack warriors."

  Gabe seemed a bit preoccupied though, when his eyes never wavered from my right.

  "It's a pleasure to meet you both. This is my Beta, Riley." I waved my hand toward my right side. "And this is my Gamma, Xavier."

  "Gamma, yes. Nice to meet you all." Xavier cracked his neck.

  I rolled my eyes and glanced at Riley. "My Beta is also my sister."

  Riley was staring at Gabe with an indisputable look on her face before he whispered the word, "Mate."

  I pressed a smile against my palm.

  Gabe stepped forward and Riley almost flung herself at him. "Oh my fates, I found you." Her face nuzzled into his neck as she wrapped her arms tighter around his body.

  His arms slipped around her. "I've waited so long for you," he whispered into her ear.

  This moment was all I ever wanted for her. Their expressions were nothing short of blissful and I couldn't stop the goofy smile on my face as I watched them experience the best moment of their lives.

  "Looks like I'm the last mateless one in our group." Xavier scowled, shaking his head.

  I frowned. "You'll find her soon, Xavier."

  He shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe I will."

  Blaine's hand darted around my waist and he placed a kiss behind my ear. He watched Xavier, closely. "I'm Blaine, her mate. It's nice to finally meet you, Gamma."

  Xavier chuckled lowly in response. "I'm her best friend. Nothing more than that, Alpha. I respect your matebond, and you both as Alpha's."

  Blaine gave a terse nod.

  Alphas are much more protective than regular pack wolves. It's in our blood to be territorial, especially with our mates. I expected his reaction to Xavier. Xavier was an unmated male wolf that I had been sleeping with. Honestly, I expected worse.

  "Riley," I said before she glanced over at me with a smile. "You and Gabe may leave. I'm sure you two want to get to know each other."

  She nodded her head feverishly. "Thanks, Sis!" Her arms interlocked with his as she ushered him out of the room.

  I stepped up to the front of the room to address the twenty or so pack members that made up the council. They occupied each seat around the table. "Thank you for coming this morning."

  Their heads whipped toward me expectantly.

  "All of you know about the rejection that took place two years ago between me and Nolan Albright. Because of this, we all assumed I would lead this pack mateless."

  Looks of pity crossed over their faces.

  "However, I was lucky enough to find my second chance mate at my Alpha Ceremony. He will run this pack alongside me as of now. This is my true mate, Blaine Huntington." I glanced at him.

  Blaine stepped forward and flashed a breathtaking smile that made my knees weak. "I'm Alpha Huntington. The fates blessed me with Alpha Maxwell as a mate and I'm thankful to have the chance to run this pack by her side."

  "Thank you for being the mate she deserves," one of the female elders said.

  "Just make sure you treat her right," an older man said.

  Blaine's lip curved upward. "Don't worry. I'll love her as a soulmate should."

  Smiles appeared on the faces of the council members. It filled me with pride. They had watched me grow up, and they became my family as Dad ran the pack.

  I cleared my throat. "Now down to business, I called this meeting today to discuss the Lockhart pack. They've been quarreling with us for some time now over the territory in between us."

  They nodded their heads. This wasn't surprising. Alpha Lockhart and my father had an obvious dislike for each other.

  "There has been talk of them launching a full-scale attack on us. Now, this may be just talk, but my gut is telling me differently." I paused, wondering how they would react to what I was about to say. "I want to double-up patrols. Nobody patrols alone. Always have a buddy when scouting pack lines."

  The room broke out in agreements before quieting again.

  "Are there any other concerns or comments anyone wants to bring to attention?" I asked.

  "No, Alpha Maxwell," an elder spoke up for them. "We are confident in your abilities."

  "Good. If anyone needs anything you know where to find me. You are all dismissed. Remember what I said. And please—be careful." I waved them off.

  I followed everyone toward the door and acknowledged the pack members who had come, thanking them for their time. Xavier and Cole were the last to leave.

  Once it was just us, Blaine slammed the door.

  I let out a gasp as he pinned me against the door tightly, both elbows rested at each side of my head. The closeness of our bodies set off an explosive sensation through me all the way down to my toes.

  A smirk lingered on his features as I heard the door lock.

  "What're you doing?" I mumbled, his face inching toward mine slowly.

  "What I've wanted to do since I first met you." His voice was husky, and his hand slid behind my head.

  I closed my eyes and arched into him at the contact of our lips, kissing him with everything I had. My arms went around his neck as he hoisted me up by my thighs while I wrapped my legs around his waist. He walked us over toward the oak table and laid me down softly, breaking the kiss.

  His eyes stared into my own. "Let me mark you." His voice was hoarse.

  My heart skipped a beat. I'd been waiting for this moment my whole life and I couldn't believe it was about to happen.

  I closed my eyes and leaned my head over to one side, exposing the flesh. "Okay. Mark me."

  He said nothing else; he didn't need to. The only thing I felt was his canines biting into my soft flesh. The pain lasted only a second before pleasure invaded my body like an upsurge. I grabbed his hair and small moans escaped me. He held my body down as I convulsed. It was a feeling of pure electricity and I couldn't get enough of it.

  He withdrew and kissed his mark, breathing heavily. "Sophia."

  I buried my face into his neck and kissed him where I wanted to place my mark. I loved the thought of bearing his mark, but I craved to do the same to him.

  "Make me yours, as you are mine," he said.

  I flipped him over onto the table to straddle him. His eyes went wide as I pinned his arms down. I bent forward and extended my canines, biting him in the crook of his neck. My teeth pierced his flesh like butter, and another wave of desire hit me as I heard his moans of pleasure from my bite. The blood tasted of metallic, but it couldn't bother me.

  I pulled myself away from my mark and kissed it softly. I slumped over on him and closed my eyes. Our panting synchronized as we lay tangled together.

  "I didn't know marking was so exhausting."

  He yawned, holding my body to his. "Let's sleep then."

  "In the meeting room?"

  "You're the Alpha. You can do wha
tever you want with your meeting room," he said as he stroked my hair.

  "You have a point."

  "I always do."

  I nuzzled my face into his chest and fell asleep to the soothing sound of his heartbeat.

  The wind glided through my fur as my paws carried me forward. Trees passed by in a blur of greens as the scent of foliage swamped my nostrils. Blaine kept up with me as we patrolled the edge of our territory.

  His stunning silver coat matched his eyes perfectly. The man was born for the Arctic. His wolf form was eccentric here, standing out from the plant life around him.

  'You're beautiful,' his voice echoed in my mind.

  'I was just thinking the same about you.' I nipped at the fur on his neck as we ran and treasured how comfortable I was with him. My lover and best friend; a bond I thought I had been robbed of.

  'I loved your scent before marking you, but now that you smell of me, it drives me crazy.' His eyes bore into mine.

  A jolt of desire rippled through me. A sharp intake of breath was all it took for his arousal to flood my senses. I craved him. Thoughts of him mounting me in the middle of the forest engulfed my mind. I didn't care if we were on patrol or that it was considered obscene to humans. We were wild animals, and this man drove me to my wildest impulses.

  'I know what you're thinking.' He gave me a sideways glance. 'And I'll be happy to entertain your thoughts after our patrol.'

  I whimpered in response. Despite my arousal, something tugged at me. As the wind gusted again, it chilled me to my bones. The smell of putrefaction lingered in the air.

  My ears laid flat as we followed the scent and I lowered myself closer to the ground. The wildlife was silent as we stalked up to the clearing, where our territory ended, and discovered the source of the smell.

  Just inside our border lay the carcass of a grey wolf, stained with blood. Flesh was torn into gut-churning chunks. It stunk of decay and didn't have the smell of any pack I knew; it was a rogue.

  Our pack was known for kindness to rogues, the wolves who didn't have packs. My father would have them visit his office. He'd investigate their backgrounds to find out why they were rogue and what type of person they were. If the investigation cleared, they'd become part of the pack. Most rogues knew this, and the other packs. For a rogue to be dead on our land, meant trouble.

  I sent a mind link to my sister. 'Riley, I need you on the East perimeter. Bring Xavier, and the coroner. Keep this quiet.'

  Blaine and I morphed back into human form. We investigated the area around the wolf but couldn't find anything useful.

  I stared at the scene in front of us; the wolf was in shambles but there was no sign of struggle. "This is fucking gruesome. Who would do something like this?"

  He shook his head. "I don't know, but we will find out."

  "This will ruin our reputation with the rogues if this gets out."

  "We won't let it get out. Maybe this was a message. It has Lockhart's scent around it."

  I lifted my nose and sniffed for Lockhart's odor. Sure enough, it was there. "Are they trying to make us a target?"

  "That's a possibility."

  I huffed. "The rogue wasn't killed here."

  He nodded, staring at the wolf. "It's too much of a messy kill for the grass around the wolf to be clean."

  I turned toward the sound of crunching leaves. Riley, Xavier, Gabe, and Caroline, the pack's coroner, all jogged over, their eyes fixed on the dead wolf.

  "Someone killed this rogue and planted it here. The wolf is so mutilated that we can't even tell the gender. It has Lockhart's scent," I said.

  "Interesting. I can't smell the gender either." Caroline pushed her glasses farther up her nose. She shook her head in disbelief as she approached the wolf, her auburn curls shaking back and forth.

  "Figure out everything you can on this wolf," I said.

  "Absolutely, Alpha. I'll need to have the body transported to my lab. I should have all the information by tomorrow morning."

  "Thank you."

  "Of course."

  "Riley, have a few of the pack warriors help transport the body to Caroline's lab. Xavier, set up a meeting for the higher-ups tomorrow at noon," I said.

  "Yes, Alpha," they said simultaneously.

  "I'll see you all tomorrow." I turned to Blaine as we walked away from the perimeter. "I'm pissed Lockhart waited until I took over to pull this shit."

  Blaine nodded. "Let's figure out a game plan."

  A game plan sounded easy enough, but we had been at odds with the Lockhart pack for decades. My father refused to associate with them. Of one thing I was sure; Lockhart would be a royal pain in the ass.

  "Alpha Maxwell!" Holly rushed up to me, her hair soaked from sweat.

  "What's going on?"

  "We have a rogue. She's requesting to join the pack, asked to speak to you." Her chest heaved as she caught her breath. "Jason is watching her until you arrive."

  That couldn't be a coincidence.

  Blaine and I entered our office to find Jason seated beside a girl who appeared to be our age, if not a couple of years younger. Her head whipped towards us as we took our seats across from them.

  She was skinny—almost malnourished. Her collarbones stuck out, and her sternum was visible through her pale skin. She had blonde hair that hung to her shoulders and swollen green eyes.

  "I'm Alpha Maxwell and this is my mate, Alpha Huntington," I said.

  The girl lowered her head. "T-Two Alpha's?"

  I nodded, giving the girl a small smile. "Yes. What's your name?"

  "Olivia." Her eyes were downcast as she fiddled with the hem of her dress.

  "Nice to meet you, Olivia. I've been told you want to join our pack." I tucked my hands under my chin.

  "Yes."

  "To accept you as a member, we need to ask some questions. I'll run a background check on you, and we will determine if you'd be a good fit. If you are, we can fill out some new member forms, send you to the pack doctor for a physical, and we will accept you on a trial run."

  She nodded. "Okay. That seems fair."

  I smiled. "Let's start off with the basics. Why do you want to join the Maxwell Pack?"

  She hesitated, bouncing her foot. "I don't w-want to be alone anymore."

  "Why are you alone?" Blaine asked.

  She sniffled, her shoulder shaking. "M-My family abandoned me when I was seven. I've been alone ever since."

  "Do you remember your parents' names?"

  She shook her head. "I've r-repressed almost everything about them."

  "Any other wolves or humans that you've been hanging around since you were seven?" I asked.

  Her body went rigid before she shook her head. "N-No. I've been completely alone. In the w-woods, mostly in wolf form to survive."

  I nibbled my bottom lip, something just wasn't adding up. "What's your last name? I need something to go on here."

  "I don't have one."

  "Where did you live with your parents?" Blaine asked.

  She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know."

  "How do we check your background with no information on you?" His eyes narrowed at her.

  "I d-don't know." She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand before standing up and bowing. "It was stupid of me to come here. I don't mean to trouble either of you."

  I frowned. "If we don't have any information concerning your past, I feel it's unwise to accept you into the pack."

  Something lingered behind her eyes, something I couldn't put my finger on. Her lips pressed into a thin line before she spoke. "I thought your pack sympathized with wolves like me. I must've been mistaken."

  My eyebrows raised. "Rogues with pasts that can be looked into. You have nothing backing your story," I clarified. "You could be a spy, or you could be a murderous wolf. How would we know?"

  She shuffled her feet. "Why would I lie?"

  "You tell me." I crossed my arms, meeting her eyes.

  Blaine placed his arms on the des
k, leaning forward. "Maybe you can help us with something, Oliva."

  Her gaze shifted to him; she straightened her posture. "What's that?"

  "We found a rogue, like you, mutilated on our land just before you showed up. Know anything about that?"

  Her eyes widened before she broke his gaze, looking down. "A r-rogue? Mutilated?" she murmured.

  "It can't be a coincidence. Care to explain?" I asked, crossing my arms.

  She shook her head. "I swear, Alpha's, I don't know what you're talking about."

  Xavier opened the door, slicing the tension in the room. "Sophia, I set the meeting for tomorrow like you asked." He paused and sniffed the room. "What's that smell?" His eyes glazed over as he stared at Olivia.

  Her eyes widened as she stared at him, taking a small step back. "You're m-my—"

  "Mate," he said, taking long strides over to her and taking both her hands in his.

  Her body trembled as she stared at him. Her lips parted and her expression softened.

  "What's your name?" He reached up and placed a hand on her cheek.

  "Olivia, b-but you can call me Liv." A ghost of a smile came across her features.

  Xavier was smitten with her, his look said it all. Olivia seemed to have gotten her wish, being mated to my pack member meant we automatically accepted her into the pack to be with her mate. Pack law required mates to have every opportunity to be together, and that nothing were to restrict that.

  I cleared my throat, gaining their attention, before crossing my legs. "Since you and my Gamma are mates, we must accept you into the pack." I said, reaching into my drawer and pulling out new member papers. "However, Xavier is taking responsibility for you from this point on. It'd be wise to be open about your previous experiences. I'm not exactly thrilled about accepting a rogue whom I have no background information on. Make no mistake, eyes will be on you indefinitely."

  She nodded, fixing her gaze on her feet.

  "Jason, you and Holly did great today. We dismiss you. Thank you." I glanced over at him.

  "Thank you, Alpha." Jason bowed before leaving.

  "Olivia, Xavier, please take a seat. We need to go over a few things before you two can get to know each other." I gestured to the seats in front of the desk.