Heart of Lamar

Chapter4

Consciousness graced William gradually, starting with a few sporadic thoughts drifting listlessly through his mind and ending once he recalled the salacious memories of the night. The moment his mind recalled the image of Kora’s bare body he shot up from his position, eyes springing open in shock. He glanced around, quickly taking stock of the room around him. What caught his eye first was the table in the corner sporting a new slightly curled piece of paper and a golden coin. Immediately his heart sank when he grasped what it meant.

Slowly he rose from the bed, now cold where his mysterious midnight paramour had lain. His heart twisted painfully as he approached the table and grabbed the letter.

William, I am sorry to leave you after such a passionate night but unfortunately I have loose ends to tie up. Were fate different, perhaps I would have stayed around to see where things went. After all, our wolves certainly had their own ideas for our future. When I’m done accomplishing my goals I’ll find you again and we can address… Our actions. And the consequences of them. Until we meet again, my dear lover.

P.S. I’ve left my pack seal as a token of my sincerity, do not under any circumstances show it to others. I mean it. Yours, Kora.

So she had left sometime in the night. Based on the scent left behind, it had been a few hours at least. His heart ached at the thought, but he pushed his sadness aside to grab the palm sized golden seal that lay beside the letter. Turning it to and fro he noticed the markings, a wolf standing in a tundra, steep mountains behind it with a full moon poised above was on the front. On the back was simply the image of a flower, one he didn’t recognize. There was nothing particularly special about it, but considering her origins it made sense that there was no pack name etched into it. Before he could return to the letter a quick knock sounded at the door.

“This had better be an emergency.” He growled under his breath before yanking the door open. He was met with an unkempt Beta, his unkempt Beta.

“What do you want Leonard, I’m not particularly in the mood for your level of antics today.” He grumbled, rubbing at his face as if that would shake away the fog muddling his mind.

“Uh… Fun night boss?” Leonard sounded pensive, and a little uncertain. That was unlike him. William glared from between his fingers only to see Leonard point towards his shoulder with an expression of delight and mischief. Wasting no time William sprang for the mirror.

To his absolute shock and horror there was a fresh mark clearly placed on his shoulder, the one place only his fated mate was supposed to claim. Quickly he waded through his murky memories, recalling the heated passion he felt as he devoured that woman. He recalled scenting her, licking her, and… His eyes snapped open.

‘Oh goddess…. Oh no. I can’t believe I marked her. And… Obviously she… This can only mean one thing.’ Shaking his head he grabbed his shirt off the floor and pushed past Leonard while shoving his arms in and buttoning it up.

“So… I don’t see the Luna. She an early riser?” His beta followed with his usual lopsided grin, it unsettled William to see how happy the man was to see him claimed. But how could he explain that he had met his fated, didn’t realize it, got drunk and marked her in a blackout session of s*x? His memories were muddled at best, and simply missing in certain parts. That was just the tip of his problem iceberg. They had marked each other, sealing an equally strong yet tenuous bond that was still trying to settle. She had left, and he had no idea where she had gone.

“Leonard, I need you to grab Isaiah and the two fastest horses we have. This is blackout, you got me?” He didn’t stop walking as he made his way to his office. He stormed through the double oak doors and approached his cherrywood desk which was stacked with books, papers, raw ore, and some silver coins that had been created from his mines. He shoved aside the useless litter until he found a bare piece of paper. Quickly he unstopped his inkwell and dipped a pen.

“Blackout? What’s going on?” Leonard’s voice went from playfully casual to deadly serious as he crossed his arms and planted his feet. His green eyes shimmered with his wolf rising close to the surface, he was in full Beta mode. Good.

“My mate… This isn’t known to anyone yet, we marked each other when blackout drunk. I guess our wolves saw the writing on the walls so to speak and made the connection for us. But she’s gone Leonard, she said she had business to wrap up. I don’t know what it is, but if my gut instincts are telling me anything it’s that she’s riding straight into danger. I need you and Isaiah to find her.” He didn’t continue his orders because he didn’t know what else to say. Bring her back? He got the clear sense that she would not come willingly until she had accomplished her goals. He raked a hand through his hair as anxiety built like a storm in his stomach. Why did they have to meet like this?

“Do you need us to bring her back?” Leonard sounded uncomfortable at the prospect, as a Beta his job was to protect the pack’s interests. But if his Luna refused to accompany him back to the pack he couldn’t deny her, she outranked him.

“I don’t know Leonard. Have you ever had a mate mark you in the heat of passion, then disappear into the night with a promise to return upon tying up the loose ends?” He shook his head at the mere prospect. How could things get so crooked so fast? He had to wonder if any other mated pairs had rocky starts like this, or if he was just exceptionally unlucky?

“No. If she doesn’t want to return then just… Protect her. I’ll keep things on track here. But mark my words Leonard, one year. Tell her she has one year to return, or else I’ll come hunting myself.” Wolves were notoriously primal about their mates, this was especially true for wolf shifters. He would be in dire straits if he spent too long without her, and it could potentially bring the pack to destruction. On the flipside, she would also begin to suffer the effects the longer they were apart. Whether she finished her business or not, the most time he could buy for them was a year. At least, that was the hope.

“How are you going to keep the Elders off your back? You can’t keep that hidden forever.” Leonard motioned with his hand at William’s shoulder. The shirt covered most of it, but with the collar down the top quarter could easily be spotted. He slapped his hand over it and winced, it wasn’t like he could don a scarf and explain it away as brisk weather. He could don a Wild Rag, but it would be a tricky new fashion statement to explain away considering he’d never donned one before. But that was another problem for another time.

“I’ll deal with that, first thing’s first. You and Isaiah need to hit the road. Check with the stableman if he saw which way she went and do your best to stick close once you find her. Mind link me with any information you can find, in the meantime I have some loose ends of my own to tie up.” He looked down at the most recent letter sent by his ‘Chosen Mate’ Charlotte.

Charlotte belonged to a pack by the name of Lake Winds Pack. It was at one time closely allied with his parent’s pack, but that pack had long since been destroyed. He had rebuilt what little was left over the years, moving far west and cutting off all contact. But Charlotte had found his whereabouts a few years ago and had started to press again for a political mating alliance. His parents had made the agreement with Charlotte’s parents long before he was born, and while usually he would have obliged he had always held out hope for his fated mate. He viewed political mateships as a farce, and inferior to the gifts of their goddess. Of course he hadn’t anticipated his own mate being so… Complicated.

“Right, that little skeleton in your closet certainly won’t make the Luna’s return any smoother. I suppose perhaps it’s a boon that she’s left, I can’t imagine meeting Charlotte would have gone over well.” Leonard responded with a chuckle and shake of his head. The entire pack knew how power hungry and twisted Charlotte could be, and she played by different rules than they did. He couldn’t say he was disappointed to be sent on a search and protect mission rather than sticking around for that fallout. So without further ado he dismissed himself and disappeared to find his partner and the horses they’d be using leaving William alone to make his plans and preparations.

Once Leonard was gone William turned back to the letter he had been writing, the letter to Charlotte telling her to refrain from her visit and that their connections were now and forever severed. But he couldn’t find the right way to word it without sounding suspicious. If she decided to go to the Elder Council she could demand that he honor their parents contract, despite the fact that his parent’s pack was gone and he was now the alpha to a new pack in a new land. He could claim that he had found his fated mate, but for that to work he would have to have his fated by his side. He crumpled the papers with his chicken scratch and tossed them into a waste bin. He didn’t need this bullshit right now, what he needed was a good hard run in his wolf form. So that’s exactly what he did.