by Delta James
Dylan approached the dock and saw his beta, Nick Russo, waiting… not a good sign.
“What’s up, Nick?”
“They’ve started gathering. I don’t think your announcement about the decision of the Council is going to come as a big surprise.”
“How are the girls taking it? Not well?”
“So far mostly low-level grumbling, but I had to discipline Bianca this morning because of it. She’s all ‘I am woman, hear me roar’ and that we ought to be lining up behind them to defend their position.”
“This is part of what the other packs feared—a kind of female uprising.” He tossed one of the tie lines to Nick. He hopped off with the other, shaking his head. “I don’t necessarily disagree that the women of Bae Diogel should be left alone, but then I think about what happened. Even though they repelled that attack, there will be more. I think their best choice is to voluntarily disband and join other packs, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
They tied the boat off and headed up to the main house. Like many packs, Dylan’s main house was set up with three master suites for the three ranking members of the pack and then several smaller guest suites. The property also had two other houses for mated pack members and a dormitory of sorts for single pack members.
The main residence housed the largest kitchen, a communal dining room, and a large living area that doubled as a meeting spot for the entire pack. Dylan entered the house and was struck by how quiet it was. Normally his pack was a gregarious one and meetings often took longer than needed as there were lots of various conversations and points of view to be heard.
He greeted the members of his pack warmly. “All right, everybody, let’s get started. Get whatever it is you want to eat or drink, I think we’ve probably got a lot to talk about.” As he headed to the kitchen, Matthew, the omega of his pack who always looked like he had stepped of the set of a surfer movie, intercepted him with a Guinness. “I’m that predictable, huh?” he asked, laughing and knowing the answer.
“A little bit, and I think it’s going to be a bumpy ride.”
Dylan smiled at him. He thought that was probably the biggest understatement he’d heard in a while. He went to the head of the room and the room settled down. “As I’m sure most of you have heard or figured would happen, the Council voted almost unanimously to see the Bae Diogel pack disbanded.” He held up his hands as the female members started to protest. “I know how you feel. And I have similar feelings both from your viewpoint and from my own. I think the bigger issue is that if the Council can choose to disband one pack, what’s to stop them from disbanding others. I know that the idea of females being forced into packs not of their choosing and into pairings that might not have been their choice is not the most appealing idea.”
“Dylan, why can’t we side with them and fight all those bastards off,” interrupted Bianca without thinking, but then looked at her mate. “I’m sorry, Dylan. I should have waited for you to finish.”
Dylan reached out and stroked her head to assure Nick knew he’d taken no offense. “I understand your distress; I understand how all of you must feel. I do believe women are better off in a pack and mated,” he said with a pointed look to those female members of his own pack who had still not made their choice of a mate. “But I look around and see the upset and stress within our own ranks, and nothing’s been done to the women at Bae Diogel yet. They have the ability to disrupt an entire society that has functioned for centuries if not millennia. And now that it’s confirmed that there is a group of unmated females living alone, you can bet that raid from that European trash pack won’t be the last. I think those women have a choice of either having some input into with whom they are mated or falling to a larger, stronger pack of wolves and having no say whatsoever.”
“How are they to be separated?”
Dylan smiled. “That was an interesting piece of business. I think some of the Council’s leaders are getting soft and perhaps ought to step down. They don’t want more than one woman absorbed by any pack. And packs wanting to take one of the women into their ranks have to be part of the group that goes and gets them if they choose not to disband voluntarily. And from what I know of their leader, that won’t happen.”
One of the unmated males spoke up. “Will we be participating in breaking them up? Even if all the girls here got off their high horse and picked a mate, we still have more males than females.”
Dylan laughed. “That is the way of the world. With shifters there are always more males than females. And I’ve thought about that, but I also don’t want to bring a disruptive force into our lives. Some of you have never been a part of any pack but this one; you haven’t experienced the bullshit that goes on in many other packs.”
“That’s because we have a strong alpha who happens to believe in fairness,” said Nick.
Dylan smiled at him. “I try to always make decisions for the pack based on what is best for the pack as a whole. But before I opted us in, I thought I’d get your thoughts on it and put it to a vote. But before you cast your vote, I want you to think about the fact that we won’t be able to stop this from happening. All we can do is try to ensure no female is forced into a pairing she doesn’t want or is harmed. And for one of those women, she’ll get to join our ranks, and I don’t think that’s the worst thing that can happen to anyone.”
He let his words settle among his people before continuing.
“One other thing. I want you to vote your conscience without fear of punishment. I mean it, boys, I don’t care if your mate votes the way you want her to or not, I want to know what she thinks. Any woman who gets disciplined for her vote is to come see me and I will deal with your mate accordingly. Yes?”
They all nodded.
“All right then, show of hands—raise your hand if you believe we should opt in for one of the Bae Diogel girls.”
Dylan was surprised. Not one person was against it. “Bianca? Susannah?”
Bianca had been vocally opposed to the disbanding and Susannah had once been a member of the all-female pack. She had fallen in love with one of his pack members and had joined her mate as a member of his pack.
“No, Alpha. I got in trouble with Nick this morning, but unfortunately, I think you’re right. This is the best choice to be made out of a bunch of bad choices.”
Dylan looked toward Susannah.
“I’m with Bianca. I don’t like it, but I think if you can be a part of ensuring they aren’t raped and marked against their will, that’s the best I can do for my friends who remained.”
“Then as we’re of a singular mind, I’m going to let everybody get back to their life except for those single males who would like to be considered for whatever woman we bring into the pack. The word is those women were deadly serious about maintaining their freedom when that Euro pack came at them. There will most likely be bloodshed.”
Susannah spoke up. “Alpha, can I speak to you alone?”
Dylan looked to her mate, Matthew, who smiled.
She continued, “He knows what I want to say and is okay with it, right, babe?”
“Right as rain… on several different levels.”
That intrigued Dylan until the answer occurred to him. Dylan smiled and shook his head. Matthew was his omega and had made it known on more than one occasion that he believed their alpha needed to find a mate and settle down. “Then if the rest of you will give me a few minutes with Susannah, I’ll take her into my study.” He led her into the study.
“I know you think you know what I’m going to say…” she started.
“Don’t I? You and Matthew are of the same mind about my current unmated state.”
“Yes, but I don’t think you should necessarily claim a mate. I do think you need to take Skylar into our pack.”
“What the hell would I want with a pissed-off alpha female who still mourns her mate and has proven to be deadly on more than one occasion?”
“Who else, Dylan? Any of the other alphas
will try to force her into a pairing. She won’t be forced. She’ll kill anyone who tries. She loved Micah with all her heart. Couldn’t she just live here as one of us and stay unmated?”
“I’d be worried she’d be a disruptive force.”
“She wasn’t in Wales and she certainly wasn’t for those of us who sought sanctuary with her. She reminds me of you. Alpha, yes, and so much so that no one really questions that, but you’re both more about the responsibilities that go with that designation than the rewards. And an alpha female? You know how rare they are. Highly sought after. If it’s anyone else, either she’ll end up dead or she’ll have to kill someone else. I know I’m asking a lot, but I owe her. Please say you’ll at least think about it.”
Dylan said nothing but then realized his omega’s mate was becoming distressed by his silence. He smiled and crossed over to her to stroke her hair, starting at the top of her head and running his hand down it, tucking it behind her ear on one side. “It’s all right, Susannah, I’m not upset and I will think about what you’ve said. Do you think she could be happy here with us?”
“I don’t know, but I know she stands a better chance here than with any other pack. And I didn’t need Matthew to spank me to come to that conclusion,” she giggled, alluding to Bianca’s punishment earlier in the day.
Dylan shook his finger at her. “That’s not nice, Susannah. You behave, or I’ll tell Matthew he needs to have a little chat with you.”
She giggled more. “No, you won’t. I didn’t do anything but tell the truth.”
He laughed. “That’s enough out of you. How am I ever going to convince any potential mate I’m the big bad alpha when none of the females in my pack fear me?”
Susannah sobered. “We don’t have to be afraid, Alpha,” she said, using the formal title. “We have an alpha to whom we willingly give our respect and obedience because we know he’d lay down his life to keep us safe and happy.” She rubbed her head against his hand. “Thank you, Dylan. I will honor any choice you make.”
Dylan smiled at her. His omega had made a good choice. He walked out of the study and back into the meeting area. There were only five unmated males in his pack. There were three unmated females. Dylan was fairly sure that within short order, there would only be two unmated males and no unmated females. They were going to have to start thinking about turning the dormitory into another house for mated pairs.
“Well, boys, I know I said we needed to talk and we do, but I’d like to take the evening to do some thinking, and I’d like you to do the same. I won’t ask anyone to go who doesn’t want to go. It won’t be easy. Those women aren’t stupid. They know that we’re coming and that they’ll have a fight on their hands. They’ve proven themselves to be capable fighters and won’t shy away from killing. Before forming her pack here in America, Skylar hunted down the men who killed her mate and made short work of them. That pack of euro-trash wolves that came raiding? Not all of them went home and none of them went home in one piece.” He held up his hand to ward off discussion. Dylan knew he needed to make a decision about Skylar. He had some concerns about the disruptive influence he knew she could be, but he also felt Susannah had made a valid point.
Dylan walked out of the house and headed down to the shoreline. He looked up and saw the full moon. He wondered if Skylar would be building her bonfire to mourn her dead mate… most likely for the last time. Dylan had seen pictures of the alpha of the all-female pack. She was spectacular. A rare woman—a tall redhead with an independent and fierce spirit. Her long hair was a mass of waves and half-formed curls. She had catlike green eyes, framed by long lashes set in a strong, but very feminine face. He smiled as he remembered looking at her picture and thinking that she’d never be mistaken for anything but female. She possessed a true hourglass figure set atop a pair of long and shapely legs.
He could feel the beginning of the telltale knot of an alpha male. That made no sense. The knot would begin to form in response only to three scenarios: the aftermath of a dangerous conflict; the abstinence from sex for a prolonged period; or when an alpha was mated or was in the presence of a woman who was a viable candidate for a fated life mate. In the latter, only when that mate or potential mate was primed and ready to be taken. Like their wolf counterparts, alpha males would, unless they strove to suppress it, form a hard knot an inch or two above the base of their penis. A strong-willed alpha shifter could suppress the level of testosterone and desire that was needed to sustain the knot through mating. This would not, however, adversely affect his erection and thus a male could still please himself and his mate without the knot.
It was painful for an alpha to allow a knot to form and fail to knot and tie his mate to him. Once he’d knotted his mate, the alpha would be tied to her until the knot dissipated. For the female, it was painful to have her mate force the knot into her sheath regardless of how aroused she was. Often when first knotted, an alpha’s mate would fight and try to dislodge him. It was the alpha’s responsibility to ensure that she not be allowed to injure herself before her body relaxed and accepted the knot. After she’d settled, her mate would feel her cunt tighten around him, steadily drawing him forward and driving his knot into the floor of her pussy until the knot was seated within her core. The knot would then swell to seal her to him. Trying to disengage at that point was exceedingly painful and could be dangerous.
There was little room between the knot and the base of the penis, so a man couldn’t stroke his mate in the usual way. He could, however, use a kind of rocking motion to get his cock more deeply embedded, causing her to have multiple orgasms before he released torrents of his seed into her womb. As he filled her with his cum, her pussy would rhythmically pulse of its own accord to wring every last bit of his essence from him and bring it deeper within her body.
Once the semen had been completely discharged, the couple would be bound together, or tied, for anywhere from one to three hours. Those who experienced this level of intimacy described it as the most intense and sensuous act of lovemaking.
Alpha males wanting to ensure a pregnancy resulted from the breeding of their mate often knotted and tied them daily during her peak ovulation. It was said that a female bred in such a manner would almost always end up with child.
The knots only formed in alpha males. It was thought to be a holdover from both their DNA as wolves and from when they had been warrior knights tasked to protect the pack. Their strength and virility were vital to a pack’s survival.
But Dylan had no mate. As he meditated and sought to suppress his unruly cock, it occurred to him that the knot had only started to form when he had begun to think about Skylar Owen.
* * *
Skylar put the last piece of wood on the bonfire and lit it. She stood back and watched as it methodically caught fire. She hugged herself and wished again that it was Micah whose arms she felt around her. She couldn’t help but wonder why her dreams of late had been so broken. Since his death, Skylar had become accustomed to feeling him make love to her either in the morning or somewhere during the night as he had when they were married. She missed so many things about Micah… not the least of which was the sex.
But lately her normally very satisfying dreams had been interrupted. She hadn’t dreamt of Micah knotting her in months. The dreams she had were now more sporadic and of the less intense sex they had shared when a knot wasn’t formed. It wasn’t that she didn’t orgasm in her dreams but previously only after she could feel him either deeply stroking her without the knot or rocking her when she dreamt of being knotted once again. Lately her dreams ended in frustration. Each time just as she felt the head of his cock pass the opening of her pussy, she would hear him whisper ‘son of the wave’ and then the dream would cease. She knew he was trying to tell her something, but she had no clue as to what it might be.
When she’d mentioned it to Roz, her friend had suggested that she Google the phrase. She had done so and all she’d found was a reference to a Welsh God of the Sea. She shook
her head and watched the fire burn as the full moon reached its zenith. Normally she was compelled to let loose a mournful howl, but tonight all she wanted was silence. She sat alone and watched the bonfire burn.
* * *
Dylan had been restless and decided to take one of the power boats down the coast to see if he could locate the Bae Diogel sanctuary and do a little general surveillance. The wind had died down and he was glad he had opted for power over sail. He was weaving throughout the small chain of islands and spits of land not big enough to be classified as an island. So far, he had seen nothing that made him think he’d found it.
Then as darkness started to fall, he saw a light. Not one of the many lighthouses that kept this stretch of water known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic safe, but a more organic light source. Perhaps Skylar’s bonfire for her mate. He made his way toward the light. As he got closer, he cut the engine, turned off all the running lights, and drifted.
Dylan found the pair of night vision goggles he’d brought on board. He located the bonfire and the woman who sat on the beach staring into it. She appeared to be quietly contemplating both the night and the fire itself but he could hear no sound. Because of the way she was sitting and the dim light, Dylan could only make out that she had wavy red hair that fell past her shoulders and long legs that appeared to be strong and shapely. He was certain it was Skylar. He idly wondered what she looked like in wolf form.
He could feel both the power and the grief radiating off of her. But more than that, he could feel himself being drawn to her. A pull he had been waiting for his entire life. This must be a mistake or fate’s idea of a cruel joke, for him to be feeling the call of a life mate coming from her. He stilled the disquiet he so often felt and examined the feeling. There was no doubt in his mind. Skylar Owen was his life mate. He shook his head. “Fate, you fickle bitch,” he said quietly.