Valerian
I sat out in the field until the early afternoon. Hunger ravaged me by the time I arrived back at the pack house. I couldn't tell if I craved food or her. I had so much to consider. Her wolf had bonded to mine fully. Their desperation for one another flooded me. My wolf whined incessantly inside my head for her, the tandem shadow of her wolfs grief, his companion.
The demon would not be swayed so easily. She was undeniably part demon. That part of her resisted me, the human girl she turned to in my arms didn't. What was she? I never heard of a creature with three forms, let alone a demon hybrid of anything.
Far as I understood, demons were made in the fires of hell, soulless, evil creatures. Ardenti may have been cold and even cruel. She did just try to murder me. She wasn't evil though. That fact lived in every fiber of my being. She was fantastically, radiantly good. Her demon side may be a little tarnished but that purple wolf shined with purity.
She just hadn't found her way yet. I would help her. My mate had a great destiny to fulfill and I would fight beside her until my dying breath if that's what she needed of me. The only thing I couldn't do was stay away from her. My wolf yelped in agreement.
My beta popped up beside me. This time I was in a better place and noticed him as he approached. He was a tall man, almost as tall as me, but no Beta would outgrow a true Alpha. He had shaggy blonde curls and warm brown eyes. Happiness filled me. After everything that transpired, I was glad to see my best friend. "Are you going to fill me in on what happened last night?" He began with no preamble. His voice sounded barely interested but the tension radiated off him. He was desperate for the story.
I let out a sigh, "My mate's name is Ardenti." My voice wrapped reverentially around her name. "From what I can tell she is half demon, half wolf shifter." His long legs stopped in mid stride. I laughed at his ridiculous pose.
"There's no such thing as a demonic hybrid." It was a statement, but his doubt showed plainly. "Let alone a demon wolf hybrid. What wolf would mate with a demon? What demon can make it to earth? What being in all the realms can freely travel in and out of hell?" He talked without pausing leaving no room for me to answer him.
"These are all questions I would like answered, myself." He pulled his curls back from his forehead and scratched at the skin there.
"No demon can be our Luna?" Disbelief rang clear in his tone. "The pack would never accept her." I turned on him, my wolf springing into my eyes. I grabbed him by his shirt. If anyone other than my Beta dared to say this, it would have been their throat. My wolf spoke through my mouth. "I do not understand the meaning of it myself, pup, but you have no place questioning your Luna. You will respect my mate, or you will die. If Valerian didn't hold so much affection for you, you would be dead beneath my feet." He bared his neck to me in submission.
"I will never speak ill of my Luna again." He vowed with his wolf flashing into his eyes.
I regained control of myself and loosened my grip on him. "She is a wolf, Caden. You will all accept her." I spoke with assurance. I knew the truth. We walked to the kitchen together to eat something. The anger faded out of me and I divulged most of what I learned about my mate, saving the more interesting details for myself. Caden needed to understand what happened, to better serve me as his Alpha, but some things were too delicious to share.
After we had a hearty meal of meat and bread prepared by the Omegas that cooked the meals for the pack. I parted ways with him and went up to my office to catch up on paperwork. We lived far from other packs, so we didn't deal with other wolves or disputes over territory. Still, the overall well-being of the entire pack rested on my shoulders. There was a lot to consider, account for, budget, and plan when the lives of hundreds of others was your responsibility. It didn't help that in the wilderness supplies are often tricky to procure.
I opened the door finding a naked she-wolf sitting on my desk with an envelope in her hands. She had long tumbling brown hair, glowing tan skin, and deep brown eyes. Her full breasts rested pertly beside each other, her sumptuous thighs spread to reveal her delicate pink p***y. I once thought her beautiful. I once craved to be inside of her and to taste her arousal on my tongue.
Now, the sight of her made my wolf coil in disgust. I no longer filled with heat as I looked over her but with pity. We weren't in a relationship per se but Vanessa had served me well in the absence of my mate. She had ridden my c**k more times than I could count in the years I'd been without my Luna.
She licked her plump lips at me thinking about sucking the c*m from my aching shaft. Vanessa hoped I would mate her by choice making her my Luna, but a moon given mate is always what an Alpha needs. I felt much stronger since I mated Ardenti.
"I'm assuming that's official business you're holding?" I asked, not sure exactly how to tell her to get the f**k out after everything we'd done together.
"That's some greeting, my Alpha." She purred at me seductively. I took a deep breath, not relishing the fact that I had to hurt her.
"Vanessa. I need you to get off my desk and put your clothes on." Her lips bent into a frown.
"Why? It's been days, Valerian. I know how you get. You're so angry when you're not taken care of regularly." She licked her lips to suggest how she would take care of me.
"I mean it. Put your clothes on." I commanded in my Alpha tone. "I need to talk to you about something and I cannot do it while you're spreading yourself out in front of me." She hopped off my desk and put her clothes on, unable to resist my command. She put on a belly shirt and mini skirt, no bra, no panties. Her n*****s strained against her shirt and I could smell her arousal. Two days ago I would have bent her over my desk and been deep inside her without question. Today, she held no appeal to me.
"Well, what is it then?" She had finally grown nervous. Her hands rested obstinately on her hips.
"I found my mate." My voice rang with finality. She looked like she'd been punched in the gut for a moment. We stood in silence for a few minutes as she recovered from the blow.
"She will be your Luna?" She spoke in a disbelieving tone.
"She will be your Luna as well, and you will treat her with respect." My words sunk into her. She was crestfallen, but not defeated. A frenzied light sparked in her eyes.
"Reject her. Choose me. I would make a better Luna." Vanessa had more fight in her than I imagined.
"I wouldn't reject my moon given mate, because you were a decent fuck." I ran a hand through my tangled curls. I was hurting her. I didn't want to be angry with Vanessa but I couldn't help it when someone spoke badly of the other half of my soul. "I cannot reject her. I marked and mated her last night. I'm sorry for you to find out this way." I vaguely gestured to the desk she had just presented herself on. "There is nothing I can do, nor do I want to. Thank you for your help over the years. This ends now."
"Help?" She scoffed. "I didn't give you help, it was knee buckling pleasure. I know how much you want me Valerian." Her hands traced over her body. I had once wanted her, as she said.
"Not anymore, Vanessa." It felt terrible to hurt her. I didn't love her, and I never had, but I still didn't relish it.
"No one will ever please you like I can. I know your body better than you do. Just wait until you're f*****g your precious Luna and you're wishing its me instead." She flashed a cocky smile at me. "I'll be ready when you come calling Alpha, and I'll f**k you however you like. It will be our little secret." She slammed the letter into my chest as she stormed out of the room.
Vanessa would not give up that easy. No battle had to be fought though. Ardenti already won my heart. Vanessa would still be a problem, but I didn't possess the energy to deal with her now. I went to the window and threw it open, hoping to cleanse the air of her scent. I used to find it delicious, now it grated on me. Only one wolf's scent could affect me now. My c**k grew hard at the thought of her.
I went to sit at my desk breathing the fresh air from outside deeply. I didn't recognize the seal on the envelope. My name and title were written in calligraphy on the front and nothing more. I broke the seal at the back and pulled out a letter penned in the same hand.
Alpha Valerian,
The time has come. The gates will fall. If you save her, you will save us all.
-M
The letter shook in my hands. I couldn't tell who wrote it, but I recognized deep in my soul the "she" they mentioned was my mate, my Ardenti.