Loved by Alpha Wolf

by Sarah J. Stone

  Fergus watched Diana rub her wrist gingerly, and he stared at Gael. “So, this is how a vampire feeds. I’ve always wondered.”

  Gael just gave him a look and turned his attention to Nina. “If it was a tracker, then we should assume that Diana’s presence here has been noted.”

  Nina was lost in thought. “Perhaps. But the protection on this house has not faltered over time. It’s still there.” She closed her eyes and hummed. Those eyes opened, revealing that misty silver again just for a heartbeat before reverting to their original color. “Stronger than ever, in fact. This place cannot be penetrated. “

  Fergus rubbed his hands over Diana’s arms, her back to his chest. It felt like a possessive hold on her, one that she did not mind. She liked how he crowded her, making sure she knew he was there. It made her wonder if she had always been like this, or if this was something new.

  “Well, now.” Nina rubbed her hands together. “That’s sorted.” She looked at Gael. “I agree with you. There is probably something more sinister afoot.”

  Fergus snorted at her choice of words, and Kevin kicked him in the shin without even blinking.

  “As I was saying,” the young witch reiterated, “we don’t know much about Morbus. Which is why you are so important, Diana. Even though you were imprisoned, there must be something that you know, something that you overheard. The logs will come in handy, but–”

  Fergus fought against his nature when he felt the tremor run through his mate. She didn’t want to remember. But he knew she had to. He gave her arm an encouraging squeeze, and she turned her head to look at him.

  He gave her a smile.

  Their dormant mating bond pulsed, making his heartbeat quicken for a second.

  “The pups. I already told you that. They wanted to know about the pups. And it wasn’t just me. There were others who were brought. They were asked similar questions. Some broke down,” she recalled. “There was a young girl – a teenager, I think. She was a swan, very delicate. And on top of that, she was a submissive. Her hair was so white, it almost glowed.” A shudder. “They turned it red. From her blood.”

  She was quiet for a few seconds, trying to gather her wits and shake off the horror she was reliving.

  “I’m not…” She swallowed. “I’m not going into details of what they did to her, but she fought back at first. Refused to give up anything. And then they got creative. I was glad when she died.” Diana’s voice was empty. “There was a small slit in the middle of our doors that allowed us to see the table. She gave up everything. I scented the lies, some of them. But she also told them things that were true. They made her give up her pack. And when her hand became limp in the binds, I was so relieved.”

  “So, they killed the ones who gave up their packs?”

  It was Kevin who asked, a thrumming anger in his voice.

  Diana looked at him. “It wasn’t just them. Some of them didn’t quit. Even when anybody else in their position might have, they kept their mouths shut. The humans knew they were useless, so they were gotten rid of.”

  “Was it only shifters?” Nina asked.

  Diana shook her head, “There was a fairy they brought in once. But they couldn’t control him. He wrecked half the chamber in his desperation to get out, and they killed him.”

  Gael sat down across the desk, and pursed his lips. “Faces, names, do you–”

  “I’m sorry. I only saw three people in there. And there are parts of my memory which are blurred. I just can’t remember.”

  “We can assume that they might be waiting for Diana to leave this place and follow her to her pack.” Kevin spoke up, but he frowned. “All this for a single pack? It doesn’t make any sense. Why did they keep her alive for ten years? Why did they let her go? What makes the Tikaanis so special?”

  “We’re not the strongest pack there is in this region,” Fergus said.

  “But you are the most organized one. And the largest.” Nina pointed out. She looked at Gael, who sighed.

  “Give me your wrist.”

  Fergus stared at him and then at the witch. “Oh, you can’t be serious.”

  The vampire raised a brow. “I didn’t see your mate complain.”

  Grumbling, Fergus held out his arm and watched as Gael repeated the same process as he had with Diana.

  His face stilled and his jaw became lined with tension. “Your blood is different.”

  “Different how?” Fergus asked, snatching away his wrist and scowling. He fought off the lightheadedness. Gael could be a very dangerous opponent.

  “I’ve tasted blood like yours only once in my life,” the vampire said, not meeting his eyes. “A wolf from one of the northern tribes. Power runs in your blood, like it ran in hers. She looked just like you, the same hair, those eyes.”

  Diana felt Fergus stiffen. She covered his hand with hers and asked the question that she could feel burning on his tongue, “When?”

  “Thirty years ago, give or take.”

  Fergus’ body grew so stiff that Diana clenched onto his arm, a sudden fear that she was losing him.

  “She was royalty among the wolves.” Gael’s eyes were fixed on Fergus, a deep sympathy in them. “The royal family vanished at around the same time. They put up a hell of a fight. Their pack members were all killed. From what the records showed, Morbus tracked down each pack member of the royal family and failed to capture any of them alive. You’re the last of the royal line.”

  “Which means they’re after you,” Nina finished. “Diana was just a means to an end. They probably knew she was your mate and that you would come for her.”

  Diana turned her head to look at her mate and saw the guilt in his eyes. She didn’t know how to erase it. He would always hold himself responsible for what happened to her. Her feelings for him were not clear even at this point, but she didn’t want to see him in pain.

  “What happened to her?” Fergus’ voice was rough, as if he trying to control his emotions.

  “I didn’t feed on her, if that’s what you’re asking. She asked me to see if there were any toxins in her bloodstream. She looked so proud, and yet so fragile, that I could not refuse her request.” Gael looked away, “There was poison in her blood. She had also been injured. She refused my offer to help her. I told her that she would die soon if she didn’t receive the right sort of help, but she said she had to draw them off, that she didn’t have time. That was the last time I saw that woman.”

  “So, she died.” Fergus’ voice was flat.

  “I can’t say. She should have, from all of the injures she had sustained, and the amount of poison in her. There is no way that she could have survived.”

  Diana tugged on Fergus’ hand to get his attention and saw the pain he struggled to hide. Her words were soft so that no one could hear even with their heightened senses, “Your mother?”

  “Yes. It coincides with everything that I know.”

  A heavy silence hung in the room until Nina broke it. “If they were looking for Fergus, why all the questions about the pups?”

  “A contingency plan,” Kevin spoke. “Or they might also want to get their hands on the pups. It could be one, or it could be both.”

  “They will go after Diana again,” Fergus said. “I want her safe, to be able to protect herself.”

  Gael scoffed, “She’s Council. Once she’s unsealed her powers, she will be more powerful than you.”

  “So, what’s the plan?”

  Nina looked at her mate and then at everyone else in the room. “A war is coming. Between humans and shifters. The future isn’t certain yet. It depends on Diana, and on you.” She looked at Fergus. “I don’t like saying this, but there will be betrayal. Trust no one outside of this room.” She turned to Kevin, “Luke, Cassie, and the other Council members are an exception. And Heather.”

  Her mate disguised his laughter with a cough.

  However, the glare slipped off the young witch’s face, and she looked worried. “The other two Council members
have been located, and we’ll meet up with them in Shadow Claw’s territory.”

  She looked at both Fergus and Diana, and said, her voice grave, “I fear your troubles are far from over.”

  Chapter 11

  Gael’s training sessions were grueling, leaving Diana exhausted and broken. He pushed and prodded her until she attacked him physically, but there was no manifestation of the power that was so unique to the Council. Fergus could see how frustrated she was starting to become. Three days of sweating and physical exertion wasn’t easy for her.

  At night, she would have nightmares. They wouldn’t ease until he shifted and nudged her to do the same. That one moment of intimacy seemed to have relaxed her in a way that allowed her to come to him for comfort. Now that her flight and fight instinct had been driven out by his constant presence, her need for skin privileges became very obvious and demanding.

  Not that he minded.

  He, too, had been craving her touch, and that deep hole in his heart healed little by little every time they touched or even brushed by each other. But where Diana’s nightmares robbed her of her sleep, Fergus’ past stole his.

  Today, he stood by and watched Diana kick out at Gael with all her strength. He studied her form absentmindedly. She had grown stronger very quickly, and he could see the vampire putting in more effort than he had before.

  No matter what Gael said or how he attacked her, he wasn’t able to drive Diana to the edge and to bring out her powers, to manifest that energy inside of her, she needed to dip into it in desperation. His mate had learned how to deal with her anger in the past ten years. When she fought now, although she looked angry, she held back most of it.

  Today, however, Gael looked smug. As if he had something up his sleeve, and that made the female wolf very wary and on her guard. But Gael had years on her. That smile just pissed her off, and he drew her into their fight.

  As Diana attacked and he dodged, Hill commented from his side, “She’s gotten better, hasn’t she?”

  Fergus didn’t even know what this human female did in the house. Her role was undefined. All he knew was that she had access to every area in the house. Diana liked her, and she had started to build a bond of friendship with the young orphaned woman.

  Hill smiled up at him, a dimple in her cheek. “You look confused.”

  “Sorry. Just tired.”

  She looked concerned. “What’s wrong?”

  Fergus shook his head. “Nothing to worry about.” A grin. “How long have Gael and you been–”

  A knife flew in his direction and he ducked, missing it just in time.

  The wolf swore.

  The damn vampire hadn’t even taken his eyes off Diana.

  Hill’s blush and Gael’s glare as he turned his head gave Fergus all the answer that he needed. He tucked his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants and just whistled, “Never mind.”

  “Pay no attention to him.” The woman threw a hard look at the master vampire. “Gael is just intensely private.”

  “It’s odd to see a human so comfortable among vampires.”

  Hill smiled and watched Gael. “I guess when you grow up in a place like this, it doesn’t seem strange to you. It’s just home.”

  Fergus felt her hesitate, and he looked at her. “What?”

  Hill’s voice was low so as not to be overheard. “Yesterday, Diana asked me what a sleeper was. I didn’t…I don’t know what that was, but she seemed pretty upset. I just thought you should know.”

  Fergus didn’t let his face show anything, but he wondered why Diana hadn’t told him she had overheard his conversation with Raoul. He had talked to Kevin and Nina about it. Nina hadn’t said anything, but Kevin had taken him aside and told him to take Diana to Shadow Claw if things got too out of hand.

  So lost in thoughts, he didn’t register the sudden movement in his direction. His body responded automatically, though. The two whips of green energy that slashed at him had him jumping back. Fergus blinked as he saw his mate pinned to the wall, and Gael approach him, his eyes cold.

  “Maybe if I were to kill you, that would upset her enough to bring out her power.” He mused to himself. “Hill, move away.”

  The human woman scrambled for safety, and she watched, more than a bit terrified. “Gael, what are you doing?”

  The fear in Hill’s voice had Fergus understanding the gravity of the situation. He didn’t move from his spot as Gael approached him. Within the coldness of the vampire’s eyes, Fergus could read his death. The bastard actually meant to kill him.

  Diana struggled within the grip of the green energy that seemed to tighten with each movement. The fear in her eyes was not hidden, and Fergus snarled when he saw Gael approach him, that cruel smirk in his eyes.

  He had fucking caged her!

  He jumped back when the green whip slashed at him. Where the fuck were they even coming from?

  Hill screamed when Gael moved so fast that he was a blur. He was standing in front of Fergus now. “Sorry for this, wolf.”

  His hand moved toward the wolf alpha at a speed that was too fast for the naked human eye. However, Fergus grabbed his wrist just as it reached his chest. “I’m not alpha because of my good looks, asshole.”

  Twisting the wrist, he pushed the vampire back with his foot.

  Gael simply flipped in midair, and landed on his feet. “Pitiful, even for you.”

  He rushed at Fergus, and the wolf was startled when he saw that Gael wasn’t holding back. The focus on the vampire’s pace had him quickly executing a neat jump, by grasping onto his shoulders and using him as leverage.

  However, Gael wasn’t born yesterday. He grabbed Fergus’ foot and threw him onto the marble floor.

  “Let him go!” Diana screamed, and her fear made Fergus see red. “Calm the fuck down, you crazy bloodsucker!”

  He grabbed Gael in a chokehold and was thrown halfway across the room with a burst of energy. Landing next to Diana, he jumped to his feet and tried to rip away the cord of green energy that tied her to the wall. Hissing when his hand started burning when it came into contact with the energy, he scowled. “What the fuck is this?”

  “This is raw power.” Gael stalked him, a cruel smile on his face. “You may be strong, wolf. You may be smart. But I have been around for centuries. I will always be better than you.” He kneeled down, touched his fingers to the ground, and looked Fergus in the eyes. “Always smarter than you.”

  The green energy raced across the floor, and before Fergus had a chance to react, they twined themselves around him, starting from his legs.

  Gael gave the wolf alpha credit; he did not scream as he was electrocuted in front of his mate. Instead, he bit his tongue as his body spasmed, his eyes glaring with hatred at the vampire.

  “No!” Diana screamed, and her struggles increased tenfold as she saw the pain reflected in her mate’s eyes. “Fergus!”

  Something insider her pulsed.

  One beat.

  Two beats.

  Fergus’ eyes rolled to the back of his head.

  Something inside her weakened, and the anger and the fear became too much to control. She threw her head back and screamed, “Fergus!”

  It was beautiful.

  What pulsed inside her was a beautiful, silver thread, around which was entwined a golden thread. Diana didn’t have time to wonder at the vision of it. The full force of the mating bond was like a kaleidoscope of colors. She struggled to emerge from it, but feelings and emotions bombarded her. Fear, guilt, love, pain.

  She couldn’t breathe.

  A warm presence, a familiar one, wrapped itself around her, holding off the onslaught of emotions. She focused. She took a breath. Her eyes opened, and she heard a female scream that wasn’t hers.

  Snarls.

  Her vision cleared and she ripped off the binds that held her against the wall. The energy dissipated, and she scrambled toward Fergus who lay still on the ground.

  Somebody clapped, and she looked up, her eyes
feral.

  Gael was smirking. “Good job. Now, I’d suggest you call off your pets. Before I’m forced to kill them.”

  Hill stood on a table, her face white with fear. Two wolves bared their teeth at her, but showed no other signs of aggression, otherwise. The rest of the pack was focused on the master vampire who eyed them with distaste.

  “Am I…?” Diana asked, bewildered.

  Gael cut her off. “You allowed them entrance into the mansion, through the time loop. So, yes. Nearly losing your mate was all it took for you to tap into your reserve.”

  “That was a very asshole move,” Fergus groaned as he sat up, rubbing his chest.

  “Yes, well, I was running out of options. And you are not that badly hurt. Stop whining.”

  The wolves snarled at Gael, and he gave Diana a look.

  She still looked visibly shaken. “Were you really going to kill Fergus?”

  Gael moved toward Hill who was quivering with fear, and he picked her up by her waist and gently deposited her on the floor. “That depended on you.”

  Fergus wrapped a hand around his mate’s nape and lowered her to him, his lips gently brushing against hers. It took her a moment to return the kiss, and his tongue touched her lower lip, begging for entrance. She parted them, and he took advantage of her vulnerability, his tongue playing with hers as he drew her into him.

  She relaxed.

  A soft whine and the wolf batted its head against Diana.

  Fergus groaned.

  “You are welcome,” Gael tossed her over his shoulder as he led a terrified Hill out of the room. “You have managed to become more.”

  “Ignore him,” Fergus told his mate when she stared at Gael’s retreating back. “He likes being an asshole to people.”

  “I thought you were going to die.”

  Fergus rubbed his jaw and winced, “Nah. For a second there, I thought he planned to kill me, but,” he pushed a wolf away that was trying to wedge its head underneath Diana’s arm, “not in front of Hill. He wouldn’t have made her watch. Gah.” He stretched his jaw, feeling his muscles flex. “I hate getting electrocuted.”

  Diana stared at him as he stood up. “You make it sound like this is not the first time.”