Lycan's unexpected mate

Strawberries with heavy cream

Unknown person

It is almost nighttime and I am sitting in my office reading through the documents concerning our budget when the door burst open and my right hand David comes in. More like runs in. What has got into the man?

He bows to me, gasping for breath. He looks unfit for a werewolf but I know better. Ever since he lost the fight for the Beta position in his former pack and was declared rogue, he wandered through the country with untreated infected injuries. No pack wanted to take him in because he was a rogue and rogues are supposed to be deadly and vicious. I found him on the verge of dying of pneumonia, which is unheard of in cases of healthy werewolves. I brought him to my place, cured him but his wolf couldn't do anything with the lungs. Therefore, he still has some problems breathing and he gets short of breath easily.

Soon after his health was restored, we became friends. He still thinks he owes me for his life but that is long paid back. When my group of people started to expand, I made him my second in command, my Beta so to say. You see, we aren't an official pack, and my people are all still technically rogues and we all smell like them as well. That's why all crimes committed by rogues are associated with all rogues, not just a group of them. And this irks me to no end.

I wait for David to catch his breath and motion for him to sit down in front of me. He plops down on the chair and it creaks. Damn, we need new furniture but we barely cover the costs of foodstuff, clothes and the winter is coming again! I need to find some way to earn more money for us.

"Alpha, I have . . . information about the . . . the attack you send on . . . White's pack," David starts, his breath still wheezing. It stops my thoughts for a moment.

I silence David with my hand. I normally wouldn't order any attack but this was the only way how to avoid direct conflict with the pack because that Alpha wanted to eliminate us. The Alpha was getting on my tail and I wouldn't dare risk the lives of the more than five hundred people in my so-called pack. Furthermore, our witches made sure that nobody would remember the faces. It was supposed to be a quick easy mission!

"How are the men?" I ask despite the feeling that they aren't back, that the plan failed.

David looked at the ground. "All dead, Alpha."

I close my eyes and inhale sharply. On the one hand, this is worse than I have predicted because it means we've lost many good people who were able to fight. On the other hand, we don't have to worry about anyone associating the attack with us because only the men who went on the mission and me and David knew. It is going to bother both of us but we will manage. We have to for the sake of our pack.

"And the mission?" I ask, trying to keep a stony face and failing. I knew the men personally, I chose them, I sent them to their death. Maybe if I had sent a witch with them, or a vampire . . .

David can sense my turmoil when replying: "All ranked wolves are dead. Even the children. And a while ago they have appointed a new Alpha and a new Luna."

"Wow, they are fast," I utter in surprise.

David shakes his head and wonders. "What are we going to do now?"

"I need to see how much damage we have done and if we can profit from it somehow. We need to think of our people."

"Alpha . . ." David tries to interrupt me but I don't allow it.

"Don't, David. I will go see myself. Omegas know how to go unnoticed almost anywhere. And I was born one," I calm David down as I get up and walk over to him. "Be so kind and send Daniel to my office. I will need the cover potion."

David nods and gets up as well. "Yes, Alpha." Then he pats my shoulder and adds: "They all knew what the odds were and they agreed. Do not beat yourself up. If we are to survive, we will have to make more decisions like these and their outcome will be as improbable as this one."

I send him a sad grimace. Sometimes I forget that we are both the same age when he starts lecturing me on something. He could go to school and was loved by his pack until the fateful fight. Me, as an Omega, had no such privilege and almost all I know, I have learnt myself. My mother was abused as the pack prostit*te and she didn't even know who my father was. Maybe I am lucky I managed to escape the pack. But at what costs?

I walk David out of my office and pat his shoulder. "Tell Daniel to hurry up, okay?"

"Yes, Alpha." David turns to leave but then chooses otherwise and looks me straight in the eye. "You should know that they had help from the Silent Heights Pack."

"Hmm . . . I know that name but I can't place it," I reply, rubbing my chin in thought.

"They are the warriors of the Royal Pack. They come to help packs and maintain peace between rogues and other species," David explains, shedding more light onto the subject. "They must have been the ones to kill most of our team."

I nod in understanding. "Well, I will pay more attention in that area then. But I'll be fine - Daniel's potions work magically."

David snickers at my attempt to lighten the mood. I am glad to bring a tiny smile to his face. David gives me a once-over and then he leaves my office. As soon as he is gone, I close the door and walk to my chair stiffly.

'Did you really think that the outcome would be any different?' Zeus prods.

'Not now, Zeus,' I shoot back as I bang my head on the table.

'But you need to realise that this isn't the way things work.'

'Why thank you, Zeus, for reminding me. As if I didn't have enough on my plate,' I growl at him. 'If you have any ideas how to provide for our pack, be my guest and tell me what to do. I am running out of options here.'

Zeus yowls unhappily.

'Look, Zeus, we need to see what happened there in the pack and I need you with me. We are one team, you and me, right?' I try to coax him to stop blaming me. I can blame myself well enough, thank you very much.

Before he can answer my question, there is a knock on the door and Daniel comes in. "You called, Master?"

I sigh and look at Daniel firmly. He is a sorcerer and he never calls me Alpha like the werewolves, but Master as the head of the coven. "Yes, Daniel. Thank you for coming. Has David told you . . .?"

"Yes," Daniel says and fishes a vial from his pocket. At my questioning look, he adds: "Ever since you started asking for this specific potion on different extraordinary occasions, I carry an emergency vial with me all the time."

"Wow," I breathe out in awe. "Thanks."

I take the vial and uncap it. I steel myself for the burning sensation and drink it in one go. I shake due to the nasty taste like always. Daniel looks at me questioningly.

"I need to check on some things. Tell Mary that I won't come for dinner today. Do I have four hours like always?" I ask in the end.

"Yes," Daniel replies. "Use them wisely. I won't allow you another potion this week. It could do more damage than good, Master. And I don't want to see you hurt."

I nod and undress. Then I run out of the building, shifting midair. Zeus dashes into the night in the direction of White's packhouse to assess the damage my people did. Nobody notices us as we cross two borders, the second belonging to White's pack. We run in the direction of the packhouse when suddenly Zeus turns to the left sharply.

'Come on, Zeus, why are we taking a detour?' I complain in our mind. I am still counting the time and we have already lost an hour on the way here. Only about two hours remain before we have to return. The night has fallen and my fur isn't helping with the cover at all because my wolf is blindingly white. It's a great cover in winter, not in autumn. But I still use it to my advantage as some people who encounter my wolf think that they saw a ghost, a reflection of the past. These beliefs might be enhanced thanks to Daniel's potion.

Zeus huffs at me and continues deeper into the woods and I can't help but wonder why he's so relentless in going there. 'I don't know, I just feel that I should be here,' he answers back and scans our surroundings.

Suddenly, the trees give way to a clearing. Zeus sniffs the air and looks around the place. We walk around the perimeter and I can feel my wolf get agitated.

'What is it?' I demand.

'Do you smell it?' Zeus retorts with a question.

We sniff the air profoundly and I catch a faint smell of strawberries with heavy cream. I start to salivate. It is such an intoxicating smell and I can't get enough of it. I turn my head around but it doesn't get any stronger. I desire to find the source and like right now. I walk around the treeline and search. 'Zeus?' I finally whisper in our mind.

No answer. Well, I may walk around some more. The scent is driving me crazy. The good kind of crazy, though.

I look to the right where I can hear a noise. When I get ready to set off in the direction, I spot a mouse rushing away from a tree. I lick my snout and try to get a whiff of the smell from earlier. I am so preoccupied with my thoughts that it takes me a while to acknowledge Zeus who's chanting merrily in my head. 'Mate, mate, mate!'

'What?' I cry out. No way, this is not happening! How could my mate be here?!

'I recognise the smell. It's our mate!' Zeus answers in an elated tone.

'But she isn't here,' I state bluntly just as Zeus barks at me: 'Hope your minions didn't kill her.'

The realisation dawns on me. She could have been among the victims of the attack! Oh-oh!

'We would feel her death, Zeus,' I try to reason with him.

'You dimwit, you have drunk the potion! That means nobody can smell you and you can't smell anyone clearly unless they are in front of you. And her scent is too weak,' Zeus points out the obvious.

'Well, we couldn't have foreseen that,' I argue with him.

'No, but she may be dying as we speak, you fool!'

'Surely not.'

'Really? I'm not convinced, dunderhead.'

'Oh, shut up, mutt, and let me think!' I yell at Zeus because his insults, although harmless, undermine my ego. At my yell, Zeus whimpers and pulls his ears down dejectedly.

Too late do I realise that I've hurt him. As fierce and mighty warrior as he is, Zeus is pretty sensitive to insults concerning who he is. Quite the opposite to me who has been insulted almost all my life. I know that Zeus isn't a dog, much less of mixed heritage, but I am on the edge not knowing if what he told me is true or not, and he also provoked me.

'Look, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have insulted you. I am just scared that you might be right.'

I sigh and try to hug his mental image. Zeus doesn't budge and I can feel how saddened he is. 'Zeus, boy, I am very sorry, I didn't mean to.'

Zeus whimpers and looks away from me. I make up my mind and try to cheer him up. 'Let's go to the packhouse and the buildings around to see if she is there and how she's doing, okay?'

At this Zeus waggles his tail slowly and licks my mental face. Gross, but I wouldn't want him any other way. I'm just glad that he doesn't seem to hold a grudge against me.

I let out a sad howl and rush to our destination, hoping dearly that I wouldn't have to force-mark my Mate so that she survives her injuries. I hope she's faring okay and I will be able to make a connection with her before taking her to my "pack". Well, I hope to overthrow the current werewolf kingdom regime before that so that we can live in peace without the prejudices that are thrown at all the rogues. But once I am done, I'm taking her to my pack as my other half, my Luna.