Werewolves of Manhattan Box Set

Chapter 8

Tuesday Afternoon

Sean went up the two flights of stairs to the master bedroom and sat on the end of the bed attempting to assess his new situation. He was a loup-garou and was about to be married to the man who ruled all of the wolves on this continent. The thoughts buzzed around his head wondering how fate had brought him to the alley last night.

Sean felt as if he were in the middle of a whirlwind. He needed time to think. Armand fascinated him. He never felt so fiercely about anyone. The idea of losing him sent vials of acid to his gut. Is this what being mated to a loup-garou feels like? This soul eating deep-seated need for your mate?

The door opened and Armand appeared escorting a little man with pins and a measuring tape carrying a suit bag from Barney’s. With great efficiency he took the suit out of the bag. He opened a door with a hidden latch behind a huge mirror.

“I’m James Abbott, personal tailor to Mr. La Marche.” Sean stood to greet the smaller man. “Mr. La Marche, this is an off the rack suit.” The tailor’s lip curled. “Surely you want custom for your intended.”

“We don’t have time for custom at the moment. We have to attend a council meeting. However, before you leave, please take his measurements for a complete wardrobe. Of course, he will need at least six suits and two tuxedos for more formal occasions, one immediately, and T-shirts, jeans and casual shirts for New Mexico. Get him warm clothes for the mountains, hiking boots as well as sneakers, a warm coat and a light jacket, and ski clothing. I will take him to London and have him fitted by Loeb at a later date. Anything else you can think of that he might need, buy it, you have carte blanche. Baby, put on the suit.” Sean undressed, slipped on the shirt Armand produced from a bag, then the suit, and stepped in front of the mirror.

The little man, somewhat mollified began to measure Sean. “This is all too much,” Sean said as the tailor fussed. “I’ve never needed a suit that wasn’t from the rack and the only one I even owned I wore for college graduation.”

“You’ll need all this and more.” Armand kissed Sean gently on the forehead. “I have to attend to some business, love. When you are finished with Mr. Abbott, Meg will send up some lunch. I can see you are tired, so after lunch, please try taking a short nap.”

“I’m beginning to feel buffaloed, Armand. I don’t know if I should accept all of this,” Sean gestured around the room, “stuff.”

“I need you to dress the part. You are my consort.” Sean waved the tailor away.

“Give us a minute, Mr. Abbott,” Armand said graciously.

“You have yet to tell me what this entails. I’m just a potter from the Jersey Shore. I don’t do rich. If you expect a mannequin, you have the wrong man.”

“You will need to attend some meetings with me, help me with the pack, just as one husband would do for another. You can do as much or as little as you wish. As far as the money is concerned, as soon as I marry you under the laws of the loup-garou, what is mine is yours. Please don’t fight me on this. You will give far more than you receive.”

Still stubborn, Sean said, “We’ll see how it goes. I’ll accept your help and the wardrobe for the time being, since you insist I need it, but after I start to work, I contribute. I know I can’t possibly match what you give to the relationship, but I will give something.”

“Okay, baby, in the meantime, let me spoil you a little. I’m so happy to have found you after all these years I want to give you the world. Please let Mr. Abbott do his work, unless you want to get married in jeans?”

“I concede your point.” Sean laughed.

“Mr. Abbott,” Armand said from the doorway. “You can come in now.”

Mr. Abbott finished his measurements and bid Sean and Armand good day. Meg brought up some rich cream of chicken soup and a roast beef sandwich along with pumpkin pie. Sean devoured his lunch and found he was in fact tired. He crawled onto the top of the bed and fell instantly asleep. When Meg came back for the tray she covered Sean with the comforter.

* * * *

Armand hurried down the stairs; he had much to do and little time to accomplish it. He met Pierre on the landing.

“The detective and the doctor await you in your study, Alpha. Shall I tell them you are ready to receive them?”

“Yes, but first, I have some things for you to do.”

Pierre stood at attention, pulling a small white pad from the pocket of his suit.

“First, I want a complete pottery studio added to the New Mexican house. I want it done in twelve days and will pay anything it takes. If you don’t know what is needed, call NYU Institute of Fine Arts or UNM for assistance.” Pierre scribbled on his pad.

“Second, call Jacques and have him add Sean to all of my personal bank and brokerage accounts. Have him call the credit card companies and get put his name on all cards and ask the representatives to send them overnight. Put them in the name of Sean Lucien La Marche.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

“I also wish you to find out if UNM has a Master of Fine Arts Degree with a specialization in ceramics and if Sean’s Master of Fine Arts credits can transfer in full to UNM. I do not want him to put away his dreams because he is my mate and needs to be protected from the Russians. This city is neutral territory, but I want him safe on our pack lands.”

Armand turned to go into the study, stopped and called, “Pierre, one more thing, can you find out what times City Hall is open for obtaining a marriage license? Then put in a call to Judge Booker and ask him if he would be available for a ceremony here the Saturday after next? I think twelve days are sufficient to prepare. We will go for the rings and the license tomorrow. Tell Meg to expect about fifty people. You know who to invite, the whole council and any others here in New York. I’ll ask Sean if he has anyone. Meg should spare no expense and can hire whoever she needs to help her prepare.”

Dr. Artis stood and said, “I have begun inquiries as to the lineage of your mate, Alpha. I will have more information once I am able to go through the genealogical database. If I could be excused, I will see to it immediately.”

Armand nodded to the doctor and turned his attention to Murphy. “Do we have any information as to what sewer the Russian rat inhabits?”

“I’m afraid he has run to ground. I’m betting he knows by now that the boy is here and is making plans. He must know we’re protecting the witness. The boy smelled like garbage so Dimitri couldn’t identify the faint scent of Sean’s heritage. But he knows he is a dead man because he killed a human and we have a witness. He has no hope because Sean has identified him,” Murphy stated.

“Yes, there is all that, however, please do nothing until I consult with my Betas.”

“Yes, Alpha. In the mean time I will see what I can find out.”

“Good day, detective.” Pierre was showing the doctor and the detective out the door when Armand’s Betas arrived. They immediately joined Armand in the study.

“Alpha, can we be of service to you?” Rene, Martin, and Martin’s Mate, Edward, stepped up to Armand and bared their necks. Armand took obeisance from the pack members in the room and made his way to the seat behind the huge desk.

“I have news to share, gentlemen, take a seat.” Edward and Martin took the sofa and Rene the chair in front of the desk. Armand sat on the other side.

“I have finally found my mate.” The men in the room smiled and offered words of congratulation.

Rene asked, “Will we be meeting him soon?”

“Yes, he will be coming down to the study as soon as he finishes his nap. He was in bad shape when I found him. He needs food as well as some rest.”

“This is the boy Artis examined last evening?” Martin asked.

“News does travel amidst the staff very quickly.” Armand frowned. “However, in this case we must be extra cautious. He witnessed Dimitri Petrovich murder his friend.”

“Petrovich is dangerous, he has gone rogue from the Russians because he’s wanted for r**e and the only reason we can’t put him down is that New York, like Paris, London and Moscow are all neutral cities.” Martin brows furrowed in thought.

Armand tented his hands. “There is something else I need to tell you. My mate is an Omega. I have no idea as to what gift he carries but I sense it is rare.” Armand noted the stunned expressions across the room.

Rene ventured a question, “How has he gone unnoticed by the council? An Omega with Talent would be immediately found and nurtured within whatever pack he was whelped.” Rene stood and walked behind the couch as if being closer to his brother and his brother’s mate would make the news more palatable.

“He didn’t come from a pack. His mother was impregnated by a wolf and there was another wolf line in her ancestry. We know his father was a Lucien but we still need to trace his tree and that of his mother’s family.”

Martin spoke up, “I’ll go to the council archives and make an extensive search. For this we’ll need his mother’s maiden name.”

“Dr. Artis is taking care of this. I have other things that I need you to do. I want Jacques to buy the building at 216 West 16th Street and immediately evict the tenants in 2-A. I don’t care how he does it I want it done. Make sure they are on the street by the end of the week.”

“Alpha?”

“They hurt my mate.” Armand expression was implacable. “I also want to see Edward to do something about his bastard of a stepfather.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

“May I ask how did he came to your attention?” Edward requested.

“He was running after witnessing a murder and my car was the first he saw.” A hush fell over the room.

“He was the one who witnessed the murder?” Rene asked. “I felt a great sense of unease about this.” Armand growled. “Excuse me Alpha, I wasn’t clear in what I was trying to convey. I am happy you have a mate, but the security concerns until you are mated are great.”

“Yes, you are correct, security will be a problem.” Armand sighed.

“We need to triple security and we need to alert the Russian Council of Dimitri’s whereabouts now that we know for sure. Courtesy requires that we tell the other Councils that our Alpha has found a mate but we must do this without letting them know that your mate has a Talent.” Martin said.

“Alpha, as the head of your security, I must respectfully ask that you make plans to travel immediately to pack lands in New Mexico until we can flush Dimitri out.” Rene said.

“Murphy knows and is already working toward that result. However, I do not take your warnings lightly. Sean and I will be married a week from next Saturday and we will retire to New Mexico after the wedding. I’ll leave Alpha La Farge, my second in council, the reins until we get this straightened out.”

“Alpha, if I may interrupt you for a moment. Your mate is not safe until he is mated to you by pack law and I’m not so sure about Alpha La Farge.” Martin looked nervous. One did not indicate that the Alpha was not on top of the situation.

“You point out the obvious. I want private security twenty-four seven on the whole square. If someone coughs, I want to know about it.”

“Does Dimitri know that the Alpha Mate is an Omega with Talent?” Martin asked.

“I am sure he knows that Sean is here and that I have recognized him as my mate. He doesn’t know Sean’s ancestry. The only people who know that are in this house and Dr. Artis.” Armand told them.

“That type of news won’t stay safe for long. Any wolf that gets within three feet of him will smell the scent of a loup-garou. I’m surprised that Dimitri doesn’t already know. But only another Alpha or an Omega’s mate can sense an Omega who hasn’t undergone the change—there are Alphas who won’t keep this kind of news to themselves.” Martin got up and walked to the cart that contained the brandy. “May I?”

“By all means. Rene, Edward?”

“Yes please, Alpha.” Martin poured and handed a snifter of brandy to Rene and Edward.

“When Dimitri came near my mate, Sean was covered in the smell of week-old garbage from the docks.

“If we don’t mate until we are on pack lands, only the Alphas will know he is an Omega or that he has Talent.” Armand took the snifter from Martin.

“Dimitri will try to use the Alpha Mate to buy his way back into the Russian Council. For such a prize they may disregard every treaty their council has ever signed.” Rene swirled the liquor around the glass.

“However, once we are mated, he can’t do a thing.” Armand stood.

“You aren’t going to take him for twelve days? He’s your mate.” Rene was aghast.

Armand ignored Rene’s comment. It was hard enough to do, but to discuss it was untenable. He abruptly changed the subject.

“But what is the problem with La Farge besides the territorial dispute?” Armand took a sip from his glass.

“I have a bad feeling about him, Alpha. I can’t explain it, but you can’t trust him.”

“Investigate this feeling of yours.” Armand snapped.

* * * *

Sean approached the door of the study and heard the last part of the conversation. He entered the room.

“Ah, there you are, baby. Did Mr. Abbott tire you? Have you eaten?”

Sean smiled. “Mr. Abbott is finished, Meg gave me a wonderful soup and a roast beef sandwich, and yes, I slept.” He stepped further into the room and perched himself on the arm of Armand’s chair.

“Sean, these are my Betas, Martin and Rene DuBois, and this is Martin’s mate, Edward Keller.”

Sean stepped up to shake the men’s hands.

“It’s a pleasure to welcome you to the pack, Alpha Mate. It is a fortunate day that an Omega with Talent comes to our pack.”

Sean gave Armand a quizzical look. “Omega? Talent? You’ve got to keep me up to speed, my head is spinning, Armand. What haven’t you told me yet?”

Rene chuckled.

“Yes, Rene, my mate is a bit of a smart-ass.”

The room burst out in laughter.

“He’ll keep you grounded in reality, Alpha. I think I’m going to like you, Alpha Mate,” Rene said.

“I hope so since it seems that you’re in charge of keeping me safe.” Sean turned to Armand, “Talent?”

“I’ll explain this to you in a bit. Rene, Martin, you’ll take care of the extra security? I expect to see all of you at the wedding on the Saturday after next and make sure Jacques takes care of that other matter.”

The gentlemen stepped to the study door as Pierre appeared.

“Pierre, will you see my guests out?”

“Of course, Alpha.”

“Oh,” Armand spoke, everyone stood still. “Edward, see to changing my will, Pierre has Jacques seeing to my accounts.”

“Immediately, Alpha.”

“Pierre, get the invitations engraved and out by tomorrow.”

“Engraved, sir, not printed?”

“Yes, engraved. It wouldn’t suit my position on the council if we laser printed the invitations. Spend whatever you must.”

“Yes, Alpha, immediately.”

Armand closed the study door as Pierre saw the gentlemen out.

“Engraved?” Sean asked. “You’re talking to a Kinko’s guy here.”

“Yes, love. I want nothing but the best for you. I want to show the world how much you mean to me. If we can’t have a large, all out wedding, I wish to make sure that the council and all of the pack know where you stand in my affections.”

“I’m definitely going to have to teach you about saving money.”

Armand laughed in delight, “And I you about spending it.”

He pulled Sean into his arms for a searing kiss. Sean responded in kind. Armand traced Sean’s lips with his tongue and Sean’s mouth opened for him. Sean let his lover explore the inside of his mouth. His shaft hardened against Armand’s leg.

Armand put his arms around Sean waist. “We have to go out.”

“That’s disappointing.” Sean put his arms around his soon-to-be lover and begged another kiss.

Armand pulled away from the kiss and lifted Sean off of his lap as he eased them out of the chair. “I need to give you an explanation.”

“Yes, I think you do, although your kisses are a soul-searing distraction.”

Armand laughed and pulled Sean closer into the curve of his arm.

“Do I call you Alpha?” Sean asked.

“No, my love, you can call me anything you like,” a smiling Armand answered.

“Well, tell me what I need to know so we can get back to the good stuff,” Sean said placing his hand under Armand’s shirt and twirling his fingers through his soft chest hair.

“If you keep that up, I’ll never get to the explanation.” Armand’s eyes were black with passion. “My wolf will come out and mate you here in the study and I’m old fashioned enough to want to be wed before we bed.”

“I’ll just rest my hand there if you don’t mind. I like your skin exposed to my touch.”

“My little Omega is feisty.” Armand laved at a spot on Sean’s neck that drove him crazy with desire.

“There is that word, again. An explanation, please.”

Armand lifted his head reluctantly from his mate’s enticing neck.

“The sofa?” Sean asked.

“Yes, the sofa.” Armand smiled. “Omegas are the smallest wolves in the pack and are naturally submissive. Because of their perceived weakness, the goddess sometimes gives them a Talent. Some have the gift of healing, some are empaths. The gifts run the gamut of human psi. The gift never manifests itself until after the mating. I can feel you have a great Talent, yet I don’t know what it is.

“As soon as an Omega meets his mate, the Alpha of the pack is immediately made aware if there is a gift, because not all Omegas have one. But this gift puts you in great danger, especially from rogues like Dimitri. He wanted to use you to get back into the Russian Pack because the Russian Alpha loves men with your looks and Talent is the icing on a very handsome cake. Every man the Russian Alpha f****d while we trained to be Alphas together looked exactly like you down to the green eyes.”

“I’m in trouble because I’m a blond? There have to be a lot of blond Russians.”

“But not blonds who have no one that could complain if he went missing. Dimitri thought you were a street kid. He probably now knows you are a were. The gossip goes quickly from house to house on the square and the Russian Council has spies in the city. Weres with your color hair and eyes are rare. If Dimitri finds out you are an Omega, you would be irresistible to the Russian Alpha. As I said, though we trained to be Alphas together, he is not my friend.”

“Irresistible?”

“Seriously, they would slay me before your gift manifested. An unmated Omega is fair game. They would force you to mate with one of their own. A second mating would be possible if I were dead. Should he find out that you have a great Talent, he will redouble his efforts to find you and use you to buy his way back into the Russian packs.”

Sean thought for a moment and asked in a quiet voice, “Is that why you want me?”

Armand moved Sean closer so that he sat on the Alpha’s erection. “No, my love. I knew you were my mate before I was aware you were loup-garou. It wasn’t until you got close to me I knew. You were fragrant at the time.”

Sean laughed.

“I would have loved you no matter what you were, wolf or human, Beta, pack member or Omega, it made no difference. You are my fated mate.”

“Is all of your pack gay?” asked Sean trying hard to pay attention despite sitting on his mate’s rock hard erection.

“No, just the Council and all of the Alphas.”

Sean looked at Armand with surprise. “Why? In the human world gays are despised and we have to fight hatred and discrimination.”

“In a wolf pack the Alpha must be neutral in all his dealings. We can’t even sire male pups, bitches, yes, pups, no. If we could have boy pups, we could favor them over other more talented wolves. We have had this system in place since time immortal. All of the pups are the responsibility of the Alpha and we care for all of them in turn once they can leave their mother. The bitches and sires help but the Alpha has the final say over where in the pack hierarchy a pup is eventually placed.”

“I can see where that would be a problem if you have children of your own,” Sean said seriously.

“In the pack, the Alphas and the Betas must fight for their positions with intelligence, cunning, and might. Since few pups are born into a pack, and fewer of those pups prefer their own s*x, the violence is kept to a minimum. I believe you have a great Talent for empathy in addition to any Talent that is gods given. This Talent would temper any decisions I make in anger. It can also help to soothe bitches about to whelp.”

Sean looked directly into Armand’s eyes. “Since you are the head of the North American Council and your own pack, I can be very useful in preventing usurpation of authority.”

“Yes, my love, as you would also be to the Russians. Do you see now why I must keep you safe? Your gift will manifest itself as soon as we make love and you take my mating knot. You are bound to me by pack law only after you take my mating bite and show it to the pack in New Mexico. I must keep you safe until then. Since you accepted my proposal of marriage, will you also accept this aspect of pack life? Will you still agree to be mine?”

Sean sighed putting his arms around his soon-to-be husband. “I would have told you earlier this afternoon but you were busy. I love you and I will take you any way I can get you. I don’t know how this happened so fast. I have no idea where these feelings came from or have any control over them.” Sean shrugged. He thought for a moment, “I guess we can never have children. I always thought that I would adopt or hire a surrogate to have a child.”

“We will be blessed with children. If you are gay and a werewolf you are an Alpha. Alphas have only produced bitches from time immortal. You wouldn’t mind a little girl to spoil?”

The furrow in Sean’s brow disappeared and his naturally sunny disposition returned. “I would love to spoil a little girl. I might even prefer it.”

Sean’s hand began to move again, and Armand lightly slapped it down. “Tomorrow we have to go to City Hall to obtain a marriage license and to the jewelers today. So go upstairs and straighten your clothes and I’ll call Rene to bring around the car.”

“I thought Pierre drove.”

“From now until we get to New Mexico, we will be under constant guard. It will ease once we are with the pack. Trust me on this, it is for the best.”

Sean rose up and started to leave the room when he had a thought, he turned back to Armand. “Will I be able to finish school?”

“Oh, my poor baby, you said yes to me without even knowing…I’m honored to have you as my mate. Yes, of course you will be able to finish school. Once we are mated and the danger from Dimitri has passed, we can come back to New York and you can continue on at NYU Institute of Fine Arts or you can transfer your credits to UNM, the University of New Mexico, or the University of Colorado at Boulder. If you decide on New Mexico, you will have access to the artists who make the fine Native American pottery you wish to study.”

“You have handed me everything I’ve ever wanted without me even having to ask. I only hope that my love suffices as my gift to you.” Tears formed in Sean’s eyes. “I have nothing else.”

“You are my mate. After all this time I never believed I would find you. You have given me everything.”