Blood Type R

Chapter 5

A man walked in that resembled Roman, except his features were more refined and his hair was paler. His eyes were the dark brown of Roman and Gally. She guessed he was at at least six feet tall, and he was quite muscular. She wondered if they all were. It would make sense, since they are physical beings.

He walked slowly, hands in pocket until he stood in front of her.

"Are you going to stand at all or should I just begin?"

She looked him up and down, not replying. He had on a white long sleeved shirt with leather pants and boots. He had tattoos up his neck. His hair was shaved on the side with a single braid down the middle going to his shoulders.

"Just tell me what you have to tell me," she said.

He took in a dramatic breath, "Fine. I understand. You don't know the rules or the manners owed to someone in my family's rank. You'll quickly learn that it won't last." His eyes were harsh as he looked at her.

She looked away. He brought of sense of unease with him that Cora didn't like.

"I am going to go over the basics so that I know you know everything to be required of you." He leaned against one of the three wooden pillars in the room. "Ludovic is looking for a mate. He is leaving it up to each of his beta's family to pull together a female worthy of being his Luna. Our family recently had a f**k up, went rogue for a bit, and we are now trying to get back into his good graces...Ludovic also has a thing for Native Americans," he said smugly.

Cora just rolled her entire head and looked up at him with the most incredulous eyes that she could muster. "Really?"

"Native Americans are something of a curiosity for us. They, along with so many others, are essentially gone now. But we can still feel their energy, lingering in these lands. They respected mother nature, just as we do. We would have gotten along with that culture, Ludo especially thinks so. It reminds us of the Vikings in Europe. I don't know if you are full Native American, but you look like it."

"Isn't that lovely to know," she said scornfully.

"And you're a blood type R. You are hard to pass up."

"Your brother said as much," she said with a flippant wave of her hand. "So does this alpha know that I'm his type? Is that why you singled me out? Because I'm a little f*****g fetish or something?" She felt sick to her stomach at the thought.

"No, that was my choosing. I just know he likes the look you have. It's my way of, how humans like to put it, adding a cherry on top." Oren looked at Cora for a moment, but she glared with disdain at this lycan.

"So, now," he continues. "With that is aside, we need to discuss your role. You are going to make him choose you," he said calculatedly.

"You see, everyone keeps saying that. But...how the f**k do I do that, especially when I don't want to?" Cora was breathing heavily now, her eyes swollen and painful. Did they really just expect her to accept this fate?

"He has to choose his mate, and vice versa. You just have to fake your willingness. My family cannot become rogues, not with the vampires putting such a heavy presence around us, and the hunters are becoming troublesome. We need the pack. You perform for my family, and yours will be safe."

Cora thought he was slimy. After Roman lying, she did not trust his apparent older brother. Gally at least had the decency to seem genuine.

"So you want me to go in there and stroke a man's ego?"

"Hopefully you'll eventually stroke more than that. And you don't have to do anything...but there are consequences."

"What if he simply just doesn't choose me?"

"That's still against our bargain. Make him choose you. If he chooses you, then we have good reason for him not to abandon us...Oh, and he doesn't speak English."

She actually laughed.

"Yeah, Gally told me. I am also currently learning how to fly, just in case it's needed," she said with heavy sarcasm. She raised a brow at him before looking off. "You want me, a human, to make a lycan, choose me as his mate when I literally cannot speak his language...all the while actively competing against other female lycans that I am sure know how to get an alpha more than I do. Or my family and I die?"

"I am glad we understand each other."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, so are we just going toss me into his presence and hope my dashing good Native American looks win him over?"

"Gally will help you...and then tomorrow he is going around to the beta homes to see his potential mates. He will come here tomorrow, as we are representing you."

She pinched her nose and closed her eyes real tight before opening them and looking back at him. "I am sorry. I don't agree to this."

"You don't have an option," he said and his voice lowers in a way she has never heard before. It wasn't demonic, but just low, like a growl. She was starting to become familiar with those sounds. "By not partaking, you risk your family. But not winning, you risk your family. You have to win him. That's it."

"What if I run away?"

"You'll get eaten by the wolves. And I know where your family lives. If you somehow stammer back to them, you will only find their graves...How about this," he began. "There is a potential that one of your siblings are on their way right now. To use as collateral."

"What? Roman and I were alone." she said. Her heart beat with a different kind of panic at this news.

"You were, but we came just before and took a different, longer route. It's private, so Ludovic doesn't need to know. That's why he has betas, so we can delegate other matters for him. If your sibling arrives, you can bet that I will use them."

"What do you mean if?"

"You better hope they come. If not, it means they died. I will keep them locked up, and may even torture them if you make me, until Ludovic and you come to an agreement of mating, to which they'll be freed."

"You sick f**k," she blurted out before she even thought about it. She stood up ready to fight him, white knuckles forming as she wanted to clobber his face.

He smiled darkly. She'd find a way to murder these people. Oren, he would die slowly. She thought about making him swallow liquid silver.

Fuck...when did I get this dark?

Someone came walking up the stairs. It was Roman. "Brother, the boy is here."

"What boy?" Cora asked and moved to face Roman fully. Her voice was full of pain. Ben. No, please don't be Ben.

Roman looked at her and his eyes widened before looking away. "Thought you should know, brother." He left.

"What does he mean?" she asked and looked to Oren with tears in her eyes.

"It means you better get cleaned up and ready to show."

"How do I even know you have him? You're a bunch of liars and manipulators."

"Well, look out the window. If he's here..."

Cora ran over to the window that Oren was nodding to. She put her palms on the glass which slightly fogged with her panting. She scanned the area until she saw a group of lycans walking. Among them was a smaller individual. "Doesn't mean it's him," she said with a shaky voice, more for herself than to spite Oren.

She could feel Oren behind her, watching himself. As the group slowly walked past the house, Cora let out a slow, low groan, her face contorting to sorrow and anger.

It was Ben alright.

"Now get away from the window, we don't need a scene." He put a warm hand on her shoulder and she yanked away, moving on her own.

"f**k you," she said with harsh articulation, hot tears welling in her eyes.

"Not me, dear. Ludovic. And with luck, he'll take to you and you'll enjoy the passion that he is known for." Oren looked at her with a sadistic twist of his face, knowing he won.

Cora wanted to scream, she wanted to hit him. She wanted to find some broken glass and cut his heart out. She wanted to run to Ben. What could she seriously do to help him, though? Should she run back over and shout to him?

She locked her eyes on Oren, her lips trembling with rancor, contemplating her next move.

She'd kill this lycan the second she got the chance.

____________

She was up before the sun and Gally was braiding her hair. Cora yawned, her eyes watering. She barely got any sleep.

"I know you are only yawning, but please do not cry in front of Ludovic. You cry a lot."

Cora did not reply. No s**t.

"You are aware of your circumstances?"

"I won't cry," she said dryly. "I cannot afford that right now. Your sadistic brother kidnapped my Ben. He is only nine years old. I'll f**k that alpha while doing a handstand if I must. It's not like I have a choice."

"My family is also on the line here, so you're not the only one," Gally warned, turning to face Cora. "Cut the self-pity s**t out. Get over it. Life sucks sometimes. You can't change that. You can only change how you react."

"Well, you are all definitely related. There's a linked disconnection with the world on how one should react to something like this. "

"Not really. It makes f*****g sense. You stop complaining and do what has to be done. I would reverse my lycan gift, marry a human and father his children if it meant keeping my family alive. You act as if we are giving you to a gamma. This is an alpha, Cora. Don't forget his rank."

Cora took in a deep breath. She had spent the previous day and night unfocused and emotional, with every instruction from Gally slowly chipping away at her spirit. Cora had made a move for the window, in the end, but Oren stopped her. He instructed that she wasn't allowed to interact with Ben, or the boy would see punishment.

An instinctual reaction to do whatever was necessary came to her. This was no longer a discomfort for Cora. This was her baby brother's life.

So fine, she agreed to play by their game. She would try. She would give Ben that much.

An hour later and the sun began to rise. Cora was wearing a nice cotton dress that was cinched at the waist with a long, thin black leather strand that was tied in the back. The dress broke apart just under the breasts, two thick cotton strands formed that went over her breasts and tied in the back. All one had to do was untie the leather and the part around her neck.

That part made her nervous.

"Good, you look good. You've got good breasts, good hips, and nice legs. This will work well. The white looks good on your skin," Gally said.

Gally did one last look-over, nodded to Cora and left her in the home.

Cora stood there with clenched fists. She was in their common room, in front of the door that Ludovic would walk through.

If she wanted to save Ben, let alone her own life, she had to become something else today. She tried to get into the mindset of meeting Ludovic as another lycan, excited to be mated with an alpha.

It was harder than she thought. She didn't care about alphas. She also didn't care about lycans.

She thought about him being a prime hunter. She always liked the hunters, so handsome and rugged as they moved by when they seldom came to visit. So many girls in Kamas fantasized over them and their luxurious colonies. They were the ultimate fantasy.

Okay, I can work with that. He is like a lead hunter in the Van Buren order.

She shook her head. f**k, it still doesn't work.

She remembered her mother. Of all the things, she wanted her mother right now. She would know what to do. Her father would just try to kill them while telling Ben and Cora to flee.

All of her self-pity left her when she saw her parent's faces in her mind. This was Cora's duty. Protecting her family, at all costs, was her duty. Her mother had tasked her with that job, and her father trusted her with it.

Cora felt ready. She had to be.

She now saw her entire predicament differently. To protect her family, she had to win the alpha over. To win him over meant that she may indeed become a lycan, which meant she would probably never leave Reiger. She ignored the immediate weight in her chest at thought and focused on the now.

Her eyes felt open. She was vying for her permanent place here. It gave her something else to strive for. If she was going to be forced into this, she wasn't going to let them win and discard her to the lamest beta.

She would not be their victim. She was going to take their alpha and use that against them. Do I have power as his mate? Oh I so hope so. Oh that alone makes this all worth it. I'll f*****g disown Oren. Then kill him.

She heard everyone outside.

Her new mental armor crumbled immediately, as most of it was survival talking. No, no remember, Cora...no matter what, this is for Ben.

She got on her knees, placing them together and placing her hands in her lap. She bowed her head down as had Gally showed her. This was an act of submission. Everyone was submissive to the Alpha.

The door opened.

She felt a nervousness, a tingling in her body. Adrenaline.

She heard someone walk through and she could barely see through her peripheral. It was important to look directly at the ground. Calculated footsteps walked over the worn wooden surface, being the only sound in the room. He was finally close enough that she could hear him breathing. She heard him sit on something, or she thought he did.

Her heart was beating so fast that she worried it might jump out of her mouth.

"Ditt hjärta är högt." (Your heart is loud) said a deep, smooth voice that was so much more pleasing to her ears than she would have ever guessed.

She gently twiddled her fingers in search of what to do. She didn't understand a word he said. Does she say something, or continue to wait?

Oh, f**k, what if he told me to rise?

"Rise," he said with the thickest accent.

She looked up at him eagerly, his word in English such an odd source of comfort. She pulled her body back gently when she met his eyes. They were a light gray, his skin lighter than hers but not pale. He had long ash colored hair that was braided down the middle in three rows, the sides of his head freshly shaven with an even strip of tattoos lining next to his hair in an ornate pattern. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and she hated herself for enjoying the way he looked.

His muscular body breathed slowly with a powerful rise and fall of his large chest. His eyes were hardened and dominating, his nose large but fit his face well and he had nicely shaped lips. Stubble lined his cheeks. Starting somewhere behind his shoulder, going down his elbow and snaking up to his wrist was a long, linear stripe of very intricate tattoo work. Their tattoos seemed artistic and with purpose.

She would need to ask about that later.

He was watching her with calculating eyes, not an ounce of warmth to be found. So much for my dashing looks. I can't tell if he is pleased or not.

Her eyes went wide as she realized she was just staring. She quickly stood up and bowed her head to him before straightening her back. That was very rude of her to stare at him like that.

He broke his posture to look her up and down. He stood up and she came up to his chest, the sound of the obsidian jewels clanking from their steel rings around his arms and neck. He walked around her, his body interrupting the ambient noise of people talking outside.

He was intense and she was surprisingly grateful for that. It made it easier to focus on the task at hand, leaving little room to think about anything else.

He was behind her now, an ominous sense of utter control to her back. She could smell him. He was woodsy with an interesting musk she didn't mind, and a hint of leather.

She heard him smell her with a slow intake.

"Um...hello," she said.

She felt one of his hands grab a braid. "Jag gillar din lukt men." (I like your smell.)

He came back to her front, his eyes slowly taking her in. His eyes were smoldering, and she felt ridiculous for thinking that. She could see a fierce intelligence in there, along with a primal look. She nodded her head in response to his foreign tongue. Gally had told her that usually a conversation took place about one's role as a Luna, bur Cora would need no conversation. She just needed to make him desire her. Gally went over the sensuality, but Cora couldn't imagine herself doing that right now.

She was attracted to him, and she was more terrified to give into that than to worry about Oren.

She didn't fear Oren at all when in this man's presence.

She was busy looking at his face, the little scars lining his body. He had reached for her wrist when she was focused on the tattoos on his head. She jumped back when his rough hand touched her skin, her nerves through the roof. He growled lowly.

His eyes sharpened and she could see his muscles tense, another growl that was barely audible came like an aftershock. He didn't like that reaction.

"Du måste gilla min touch. Detta fungerar inte annars." (You must like my touch. This does not work otherwise)

"I am sorry...I am just out of place here," she said with a small, forced smile. Manners. Respect. She had to harness that, as Ludovic had little patience for otherwise.

He moved toward her and her body stilled as he smelled her from the crevice of her neck up to her ear, his mouth stopping there. She deeply exhaled out of her mouth, the warmth of his body encompassing her entire right side. His voice rumbled in her ear as he said, "Din doft förändras från rädsla till upphetsad. Hur nyfiken." (Your scent changed from fear to excited. How curious.)

He went to untie the back of her dress and that panicked her, her instincts jolting her away from him. "Excuse me!"

His eyes were reprimanding.

" Nakenhet är vanligt här ... Jag behöver se vad som är under. Har du bra höfter? Du måste bära mina avkommor. Det här är viktigt, mänsklig," he spat at her. (Nudity is common here...I need to see what's underneath. Do you have good hips? You will need to carry my offspring. This is important, human.) This felt different than when Gally saw her naked body. This felt private and erotic. Perhaps lycans were more open and ready to receive such a gesture, but she certainly was not.

"I cannot understand you...I am sorry, I don't want my naked body being touched...not yet at the very f*****g least."

She simply wasn't ready.

She knew that he could not understand her, but he seemed to get the tone. He looked her up and down, snarled his face and languidly turned to leave. When the door shut she felt an assortment of emotions.

Reality gripped her the second he was gone.

Ben.

Fuck. What is Orren going to say?