Lycan's unexpected mate

Mated to a Royal Guardian

Unknown person

It's been a week and so much has happened when I come to think of it. I mean, exactly a week ago I met my mate. The most gorgeous angelic being in the world. She was clad in a simple long-sleeved shirt of a dark colour and light-coloured trousers. She wore hiking boots but her hair was cutely tousled as if she had been lying down for some time.

I sigh due to the memory. I can't stop thinking about her. About her blue eyes that were dilated to see in the dark and then dilated even more when I cornered her to the wall. Her light brown hair was falling freely then, framing her face in rumpled waves. I wonder if she has naturally wavy hair or if it only happened that night.

And then there were her full lips that begged to be kissed. I was so tempted to taste her that night but I knew better. She didn't know who I was and she probably wouldn't allow it despite her almost palpable attraction towards me, her one and only mate. She couldn't smell me.

But still, her body unconsciously responded to me. Her breathing, her heartbeat, her pulse.

I rub the bridge of my nose and look down where I can see I'm fully hard. Damn it.

'I want to see my Mate,' Zeus whines in my head just then.

'I know, buddy, but we don't know where she is. And what her true name is,' I point out unhappily.

'It's not like you've told her yours, either,' Zeus huffs back.

'But she doesn't know that. And it didn't look like she was lying when we parted ways.' I give him a wry smile.

During our conversation, I try to get rid of my predicament, which is easier said than done. However, try as I might, my willpower isn't enough this time. All my life, it has been enough. From time to time, it has taken longer to force it down but I have always managed. Now it looks like I need some help. I get up from the bed a walk to the bathroom which is, thankfully, in the adjacent room. It wouldn't be good for others to see me like this.

On the way, I can't help but keep thinking about Tali. Somehow, I believe that it's not her full name but her nickname. Which means that it is impossible to track her in the archives. The thing is, I know that she isn't from the pack we attacked. She was there as the help from Silent Heights but this pack trains other packs' warriors so her home might be anywhere. The only thing I know for sure is that she is a fighter and she is bound to stay in Silent Heights. She probably isn't a ranked wolf, well, I hope so. Ranked wolves rarely accept strays, much less an Omega gone rogue . . .

I undress and wonder if I should try je*king off (I have never done that before although I have heard others talk about it) or have a cold shower. Zeus insists that we aren't ready just yet, so I opt for the second option. Damn wolf. It's enough that I'm still a virgin in all related areas. But I can still claim that I am saving myself for my mate. I wish Tali would appreciate it when we move our relationship to another level. When is always better than if.

I climb into the shower and start the cold water. We have a through-flow heating system here because we are taking water from the stream behind the main building. And it's better for moving around than big boilers. The stream also means that the water is freezingly cold. As soon as the water touches my hot log, it shrinks to the tiniest size ever and I feel my nuts travelling to my insides and hiding there. It is really painful and I bite my lip not to cry out.

I take a few deep breaths and I can feel Zeus's satisfaction. 'Really?'

'I won't let you use yourself like that. We should keep ourselves to our mate no matter what your body suggests. We've waited for so long that you can survive another few . . .' Zeus is strict but he doesn't finish the sentence. I do and do not understand him. For once, it's true that I have never been intimate either with a woman or with myself. I believe it has something to do with what my mother went through. The other side is that if I were to play with myself, I wouldn't be with a woman but I would think of Tali, so I wouldn't be betraying the mate bond in any way.

I return to my bed and check the time. It's three in the morning. To calm my mind, I resume thinking about my people because that's one of the things I have any information on.

Alpha Merdok White died but his brother Richard took over the position. Thankfully, he was and still is unaware of my pack and now I even have reliable eyes and ears in his pack who are going to warn us and also cover our tracks.

I have sent some of my people to the pack like injured wolves seeking shelter. I have discussed it with all my pack members and they themselves chose the werewolves who were either wounded or weak to survive the winter in the harsh conditions that we can await with our limited resources.

That way, we have found twenty-some werewolves. The least threatening one, a 7-year-old boy was sent as a scout three days after I met Tali. He got to the territory, was held in custody and told Alpha Richard the prepared story. We have decided to tell them that they were also attacked by the rogues, that they are hurt and they have nowhere to go because their pack had been burnt to ashes. And what's more, they are travelling through the states and people don't want to accept them because they smell like rogues.

Luna Emily decided to give him the benefit of doubt because young children don't and can't lie this well. And when he brought the rest of the group the next day, other pack members helped them and took care of them. Now, they have passed the acceptance ritual and they all are bonded to their new Alpha. They have a pack, they have a place to call home. Everybody from the group has promised to try to gather something for our pack and I trust them to bring some items to the meeting spot every fortnight. The first recovery will be in ten days, marking the two weeks since all of them entered the pack territory successfully.

'You think that we've done a good thing?' I ask Zeus suddenly.

Zeus lowers his gaze and seems deep in thought. I know he can hear my thoughts and I need someone to tell me that I'm not foolish. Zeus shakes his head slightly and looks me back in the eyes. 'I would say yes. We couldn't provide for them and we didn't separate families. This is the best we could have done.'

I sigh. 'I just wish there was another possibility.'

Somehow it feels as if I had failed those who were sent to White's pack. But on the other hand, I have given them the security of the real pack which they deserve. So, who am I in the end?

'The one who gave them hope and believed in them when they were lost,' Zeus supplies. 'You can't doubt yourself all the time. You're doing what's best for your people, and it is sometimes necessary to let them go.'

This makes me think even harder and I realise that I won't be getting any more sleep tonight. My alarm clock shows that it's four a.m. I slept for four hours only but it has to be enough.

I get dressed because I have already had a shower, albeit a freezing one. I am brushing my teeth when I feel as if someone knocked the air out of me. I clutch the basin as I try to take a deeper breath but I can only gasp frantically. The feeling disappears in a moment but leaves unease in its wake.

"What the hell was that?" I whisper to myself.

Zeus is shaking in my head which means that he was affected, too. 'Zeus?'

'Our Mate has been hurt,' he answers flatly.

I collapse to the bathroom floor and try to overcome the heartache because I know nothing about the whereabouts of my mate and what is happening to her.

I don't know how long I have spent in that position when I feel a hand on my right shoulder. I look up to the concerned face of my second-in-command. David looks me over and asks: "What's up? Can you get up?"

I stare at him blankly for a minute, then I nod and attempt to stand up on my own. I manage and lean on a cupboard.

David comes closer and watches me warily. "You are behaving strangely. What happened in that pack? I want to hear the whole truth."

I gulp. "Nothing happened. I told you everything last time."

David just shakes his head ruefully. "Look, we're off duty now and I am speaking to you as your friend, not your Beta," David tells me seriously. "You seem distant. You work longer hours and you've spent an awful lot of time in the archives." He looks me straight in the eyes hesitantly. "I know something did happen and it is affecting you. Don't let it grow over your head. I can help you. You're my best friend."

I open my mouth to speak when he interrupts me once more. "And I don't want to hear your excuses. You have even forgotten that we have agreed to meet half an hour ago. I waited for fifteen minutes before I went to look for you and look what I have found!" he reprimands me in the end.

I sigh and look at my feet.

"Come on, don't let me plead, Carson," he almost whispers, his voice hoarse.

"Alright, fine, but it has to stay between me and you."

"You can't order this to me, do you realise that? If it's something concerning your health . . ."

"I know, David, I know. But I beg you, no-one can find out. And no, it's not about my physical health," I try to calm him down.

He nods and I motion for us to leave the bathroom. I sit down on my bed while David takes a chair. I fiddle with my fingers, wondering how to tell him about Tali.

"Spit it out already," he prompts impatiently.

"OK. So . . . Um . . ." I sigh but David still watches me kindly and I admit the whole truth.

"When I arrived at White's pack, Zeus felt agitated. But I didn't know why because I had drunk that cover potion. So, I went to the packhouse, discussed their situation with a doctor and when I was leaving the hospital, I came across a woman."

I let out a breath and wait a minute before continuing if, by chance, David gets the hint. Well, even if he did, he blinks at me and waits for my further explanation. I look him in the eyes, wishing he would understand and let me know. Instead, he says: "And what is it with the woman?"

My shoulders sag a little. A different approach then. "Do you remember how we talked about finding our mates?" I demand David.

He bobs his head and glances at me quizzically. Then his face contorts in a frown as he thinks deeply. "So, you're hinting me that . . ."

"Yes, I'm telling you that I've met my Mate."

David yelps in astonishment and laughs cheerfully. "WOW! Congratulations, man. Who is she?"

I lower my gaze to the ground. I would love to share David's excitement but I can't. Not now. David is surely studying me now because his laughter dies down.

"She didn't reject you, did she?" he wonders carefully, to which I shake my head no. "So what . . .?"

I silence him with my hand. "She doesn't even know that I am her mate due to the potion. And to answer your previous question, I don't know. She told me her nickname and from what I've gathered, she's from Silent Heights."

"Holy sh*t!" David exclaims.

"No kidding," I agree. "So here I am, a rogue Alpha mated into the Royal Guardian pack."