“You scared me,” his voice holds true fear and sadness. My stomach drops at his admission. Regardless of my selfish needs and wants, he is my mate, and I don’t like seeing him upset like this.
“I’m sorry. I had to act fast,” I defend myself, but he holds his hand up to stop me.
“I just got you, Ari. I had no idea I would ever feel this way, and part of me wants to give you what you want, but a bigger part of me wants to lock you away and keep you safe. I heard those gunshots and...” his words refuse to form. He just shakes his head trying to rid the tortured look from his face, but I already saw it.
I remain quiet, giving him time to rein in his emotions.
“Now that I know you, I can’t live without you. You’re it for me. I’m not ready to just throw you in to danger just because I know you can face anything and overcome it. Something bad could still happen, even to you, and I would be the one to blame. Maybe someday I’ll get on your fearless level, but not now,” his hand holds my chin as he stares down into my eyes.
He isn’t saying never, just not now. I’ll still fight my way into the first potential mission, but the fact that he is saying he might be willing someday, is good enough to make me forgive him.
Water splashes everywhere as I pull his large form into the tub with me. Our lips find each other’s, and our hands glide over skin, finding comfort in one another after a tense day.
Chapter 16
The next day at work, Alex came by just as she promised. She decided that we needed some props, and Jerek let me go with her because I needed to pick up some items for the wedding as well.
Shopping with Alex is easy. She knew just what she wanted, got it, and got out. On top of that, she helped me pick out my own stuff, and was very honest and straightforward about her opinions. For someone like me who is so new to this, it was very helpful to have the help of an expert photographer.
Together we set up the props for the pictures, and once they are all done and loaded onto the laptop, we call Jerek over to take a look. Alex looks nervous as he inspects them, but Jerek is speechless. Not even one of his sarcastic remarks.
These pictures would sell the inventory in no time. The pieces are gorgeous themselves, but with the props, you can really picture them in your home.
After viewing them, Jerek looks at Alex with an intense gaze.
Many emotions cross his features, but in the end, he just nods and walks away. Alex tries to act like she’s not hurt, but the sting is evident in the way her shoulders pull together.
I follow him out back while Alex gathers her things.
“What the hell was that?” I snap at him, though I try to keep my voice low so that werewolf ears can’t overhear.
“What do you mean?” he plays dumb.
“You like her, and it’s obvious she likes you, not to mention did an awesome job for you, and you give her the cold shoulder?” I scold him.
“I can’t go down that road,” he sighs, and I watch his shoulders slump.
“Bull shit you can’t! You don’t have to do anything crazy right now, but you can at least treat her like a normal human being, or human-werewolf being.” He stares off into space, no doubt thinking of his late girlfriend. “I know you feel it’s wrong, but she wasn’t your mate,” he knows who I mean, “I know you loved her, but if it were the other way around, would you want her moping around remaining lonely the rest of her life?”
He ponders my words for a moment then gets up from his seat. Finally. Alex looks up when we reenter the room. I hang back to give them space.
“Thanks, Alexia. I’ll call you when I have some more projects done,” my palm smacks into my face. What the hell is wrong with him? Getting them together is not going to be easy.
“Sure, I’ll be here. I can’t wait to see more. Your work is stunning,” Alex puts herself back out there, taking the risk Jerek is struggling with. He smiles shyly in return. This Jerek is so different from the one I know him as.
“Thanks, I’ll get you some money for the pictures and props you bought,” he turns to leave, but she stops him.
“That’s not necessary. I’m just helping out,” she states, and Jerek frowns. Then he perks up just the slightest bit seeming to have an idea of some kind.
“Fine, what’s your favorite animal?”
“Falcons,” she says hesitantly. Jerek sticks me with accusing eyes.
“What?” I glare right back at him.
“You told her my favorite animal?”
“How the hell would I know your favorite animal?” I say at the same time Alex asks, “You like falcons too?”
Jerek turns to her with wide eyes and they start gushing over the bird. I leave them to talk while I deal with customers. Maybe this won’t be so hard after all. They are made for each other.
Almost the whole pack is at our property after work. Even some of the kids in the pack are here as well to observe. Thankfully, my leg is back to 100%, and nobody even knows what happened yesterday. Today we start by getting everyone pumped up with a wolf on wolf fight between Jerek and me. I asked Darien, but he said he didn’t want to hurt me in front of everyone. He is regretting those words right now.
I told him he wouldn’t be getting lucky tonight.
Everyone howls in excitement when I pin Jerek in our demonstration. They all shift and begin sparring with the partners we placed them with yesterday.
Our wolf forms have better instincts, therefore are typically better fighters compared to our human side. However, when you strengthen the human part, the wolf is a force to be reckoned with.
I can feel the frustrations in the pack as they fight. After just a single day, a select few are moving up in pack rank. You can gage each another’s dominance just by looking in the other’s eyes. Sometimes you can just feel the power and dominance just rolling off of them.
Being in a pack, everyone in that pack just seems to know where each stand in superiority through the bonds. Gabe, Alexia, and two others, Benjamin and Mindy, are all standing a little higher today. Even Jerek could be second now if he wanted that position.
They may be upset now, but the pack as a whole will be stronger when all is said and done.
During the training, Jerek watches Alexia with pride. I smile at the both of them and wonder if Jerek will still be my guard if him and Alex end up together. Of course, I couldn’t blame him if he didn’t. Maybe then he would take point as Darien’s second and that would be that. As if sensing my thoughts, he looks over at me with furrowed brows.
Ignoring him, I go back to observing my pack. Their movements are a blur of colors and clashing of teeth. Each of their efforts is thrilling, and I want to join in the fray. So, I do.
Shifting quickly, I leap out to the center of the field and howl, calling my mate and guard to me. Trace and Asher follow Darien, and it’s five of us against at least twenty. Adrenaline pumps through my veins from the excitement and anticipation.
Unfortunately, it’s a high possibility that if we go to war with Canada, we may be severely outnumbered so this is a great training exercise. Plus, I have always wanted to try this. If all goes well, we can keep doing it to really watch everyone grow.
I can sense that Darien isn’t thrilled, but he lets me do my thing. Probably trying to get back in my good graces…aka, my pants.
My roar sounding begins the battle.
The pack rushes us, and my group dodges and counters. With how many wolves we’re up against, I expect more action, but my damn mate and guard won’t let anyone through. Together they furiously defend me, and while I’m touched and impressed by their skill, it’s unnecessary.
Mindy, Ben, and Gabe make a move towards Darien who already has his hands full. I take the opportunity to leap over him and tackle the strongest of the group, Benjamin. Luckily, I caught him off guard, but he recovers quickly, just like I taught him yesterday. Mindy and Gabe come at me from the sides, hoping to confuse me.
Smiling inwardly, I run towards Mindy, and I know the
y have no clue what to do at the turn of events. I control the situation. Because she is lighter, I slide at her feet, then use my own to kick her up and over my head, aiming for Gabe’s wolf charging me. I hit my mark and don’t waste time, making a b-line for Ben.
Like all the other males, he is bigger than me, but he has learned well not to leave me an opening. He is a strong opponent. We trade blow for blow, testing each other out. Even though I am the Alpha’s mate, he doesn’t go easy on me, and I respect him for that. I think we found Braden’s replacement. Ben is no Darien though. I soon overpower him and get my jaws around his throat. That ends our battle, and he stands down.
Two more wolves charge me, but before I can react, Darien and Jerek take them down. One is Alexia, and Jerek faces off with her. She fights well, but it’s not long before he gently nips her neck. Darien and Asher make quick work of their last opponents.
We are the remaining four. Only one casualty, but I don’t feel like I was much help in the process since they all tried to keep me out of it. Is this really how it would be in real battle? Everyone would be trying to protect me rather than fight with me? What if that would keep us from having no casualties?
There is a mix of emotions written on each wolf’s face; excitement and determination to get stronger, anger and disappointment that only one dominant was taken out, while some were simply proud of the progress they have made. I try to hide my own storm of emotions and focus on my pack.
I howl, pouring all my pride and strength into my song to cheer everyone up. Darien is the first to join in, adding in his own power. One by one they all join in focusing on the same goal, to get stronger together.
Darien spends the rest of the evening contacting other pack members from different cities and states. He wants a select few from every state or big city coming to train with us, take what they learn, and teach it to any wolf that is willing to learn back home.
When war is a possibility, it’s not unheard of for these steps to be taken. No one wants a war, but Canada is itching to make a move. They want everything for themselves, and who better to start with than us? Especially since dad, and technically Darien now too, controls part of Canada. That fact alone must irritate them most.
A single Alpha can’t control the whole werewolf population. My guess is that Alpha Flint plans to split it with his son, the son he apparently thought he would gift me to when he tried to kidnap me. They basically share control of their piece of Canada already. Of course, they have to remain on opposite ends of the country to avoid a possible challenge. I guess if both Alpha’s have the same, shared goal, and keep their distance, it’s possible to run a territory together.
I’ve never met his son obviously, but his father must be pretty confident in his abilities to rule over all the other Alphas in the world. I shudder to think of the fact that Flint was going to force me to be his bride. I know nothing about him, but If he’s anything like his father, I’d be just fine if I never met him, unless it’s his cold, dead, corpse.
I’m half asleep when Darien comes to bed. We’re getting married in a day and a half so we both have tomorrow free to make sure everything is ready.
Now I’m just waiting for someone to pull the rug out from under my feet. There’s no way someone like me can have it all. Nothing is perfect, but my life has become damn near close to it.
At that thought, Darien’s arms pull me in tight against his strong chest, and I soon drift off to sleep.
Darien
My mate proves to me every day that she deserves to be one of my top fighters. Hell, she is my top fighter, but I can’t tell her that. I can’t bring myself to allow it. The thought of her facing a real threat causes a rage in my wolf, stronger than I’ve ever felt before. My human side almost feels bad for the fools that would ever try to harm her, but I also don’t know what I’d do if anyone ever did hurt her. My perfect control would shatter. How Jerek stuck around after what happened to his girlfriend amazes me more now than ever before.
Two short days and she has my pack pumped up and ten times the fighters they were when she arrived here. My mate is the damn God of War herself. Is this her power? Is it just her strong blood that draws people to her? They must sense her strength, and she can train them in a way I’ve never been able to.
As an Alpha, we just take those who are already strong, make them battle ready, and call it good. We don’t concern ourselves with much training. We expect them to train on their own time. I’ve lost a lot of wolves in my quest for taking out the Alphas that have abused their power.
No one has ever stepped up to train the pack. Dominant wolves typically don’t have the patience or skill set to teach. Ari fills that role perfectly, and I’m 100% on board with it. Jerek’s support of her gives him the ability to help train without any issue. This method of training could save a lot of lives.
I need to get the rest of the pack from our other territories in on this. I’m waiting on finalized lists of how many wolves we have all together, but so far, we are guessing around 1200. However, about 200 of them are just teens or younger. Also, another 200 of them are women, so in all actuality, we have maybe 800 fighters, and I would guess that Alaska alone doubles us in fighters as well. I’m hoping that we have more than it seems.
Alpha Flint alone has his hands full with the number of wolves he has. Canada has at least twice the amount of wolves than mine and the Alaska packs wolves combined. It’s a shock that Canada hasn’t taken over already, but an Alpha can only control so many wolves at once.
When his son became of age, instead of sending him out to another pack, he gifted half of Canada to him, and together they share the territory. The whole thing was an experiment for something much bigger though. Once they learned that they could share, they also realized that they could increase their territory. And where is a better place to start other than the bordering territories?
Other packs along their borders have joined forces as well, but if even one territory is taken out, we are all doomed. I’ve never feared death. I have always assumed my end would come quickly, which is why I have gotten where I am so fast, I didn’t want to die before my mission was complete.
Now that I have my mate, my reason for existing, it’s going to take one hell of an army to put me in the ground. No one is taking us from each other without a fight, and we don’t go down easy. Maybe it’s selfish, but increasing the pack’s power will also serve in helping protect Ari. My woman is strong, but she’s not invincible, yet she insists on putting herself in danger.
She’s asleep when I crawl into bed with her. Snuggling up beside her, I breathe her in. That cool mountain air and wild berry scent fills my nose, and I am instantly at peace. Watching over her while she sleeps is one of my favorite things to do. Listening to her breathing and her strong heartbeat calms me. There’s something about her allowing herself to be so vulnerable with me that gives me more pleasure than I ever thought possible.
The need to protect my pack has always been fierce, but protecting Ari is something else entirely. Something tells me that if anything ever happened to her, I wouldn’t survive, nor would I want to without her.
My wolf growls at my thoughts. The wolf half thinks some things differently from the human half. Wolves don’t typically have negative thoughts, or at least dominant wolves don’t. In his eyes, we are invincible, and no one can take or hurt what’s ours. Sure, it makes us selfish and egotistical, but it’s also what makes us strong. It’s how we survive in a world where humans grossly outnumber us. The only greater risk than war with wolves is exposure.
The few who are mated to one of us know of our existence, but they are sworn to secrecy. Some humans can handle the truth, but the majority would either hate or fear us, which would lead to riots, death, and most likely experimentations. We would be wiped out, or be forced into hiding at the very least. Thankfully the world is currently oblivious to us, and hopefully that will continue to be the case.
Drifting off to sleep, I dream of my wedd
ing. My mate is beautiful as always. She is happy and so am I, along with everyone else in the pack.
In the next scene of the dream, Ari is mad at me and looks at me with disappointment in her eyes. My happy dream turns into a nightmare when I smell Ari’s blood, but she is nowhere to be found. As I search for her, I find my pack. My men, women, and children all slaughtered, and somehow, I get the feeling that it’s my fault.
Something hits me, and my eyes open to darkness. Ari’s voice shouts my name. I let my wolf peer out so that I can see her better in the dark. I need the reassurance that she’s really here with me.
“What’s wrong Darien? You were starting to shift,” the panic is obvious in her sleepy, but alarmed eyes. She must have been trying to wake me for a while. I wish she had gotten through to me sooner.
“Sorry for waking you. It was just a bad dream,” I say, not sure if I am trying to reassure her or myself as I caress her face.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Fuck no, I don’t want to talk about it! I could never repeat what I saw aloud. I pray those images don’t haunt my vision ever again.
“No, it’s fine,” I lie, “Let’s get some sleep, baby. We have a big day tomorrow.” I pull her in tight and kiss the top of her head. She snuggles into me, trailing her fingers over my bare skin. After the nightmare I’d just had, I was prepared to not get any sleep the rest of the night, but Ari’s soft and sweet touch makes my eyelids heavy.
The next thing I know, the sun is shining through the window, and my arms are empty.
I try to reach for Ari, but the bed is empty. Terror shoots through me, and like lightning, I am down the stairs in a flash. Bacon and other familiar scents tell me that she is in the kitchen, but I’m not believing anything until I see it with my own eyes. When I find her, I pinch myself to see if I’m still dreaming.
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