Mistress of Blood and Fur

Chapter 4 - Sniffing Dogs

Onyx

So, this is Grace. She looks too young to be in this s**t. Does she even know why she’s here? I hope she does, because I’m not in the mood to teach anyone how to do things, unless it’s to connect one wire to another. Then again, s*x is like that too, isn’t it? You plug one thing into another. I’m not amused with my own analysis. I just want to get it over with. So, maybe she’s going to know me better, but she may also be expected to talk to the other wolves.

“That’s right,” Blaze says, sounding weary. “But you’ll have to claim her. She’s a scent wolf like you.”

Even Blaze isn’t up to the task of believing in antiquated traditions such as finding mates. He’s too posh to be panting excitedly over a female. He’s my voice of reason. If he starts yelling “Mate” in my head, I’m out of here.

“Okay, Blaze. Down, boy,” I say in my head, as Grace’s scent continues to invade my senses.

“She doesn’t have a wolf,” Blaze adds, before shrinking into that corner of my mind where I often push him. He’s sometimes hurt that I often want to deny that he’s a part of me, but the blood on my teeth at the moment shows that he still sometimes reigns supreme.. He hates that I go for human women. I am still at a loss at how he sees a woman descended from scent wolves and witches to have not a wolf in her. She’s damn lucky.

“She isn’t,” Blaze insists, but he has an ulterior motive. He wants me to keep him. He knows I’ve been reading up on suppressants, drugs that can keep the wolf at bay. A part of me, however, wants to keep him there.

“Hi,” she says, sounding meek. I’m disappointed. She almost sounds like Justine. Still, there’s something more about her, as I keep on inhaling her scent. To my surprise and gratification, her nose twitches as if she’s inhaling me back. She stirs something in me - something that makes me want to bare my teeth.

“Scent wolf,” I growl softly, the urge to kiss her lips growing strong. I hold myself back not because she’s not attractive, but because I don’t want to descend into the pathetic mess I don’t want to become. My human self protests the mating thing.

“Yes. I’m supposed to find my mate here,” she says, her voice growing more certain. Her chin tilts higher, and her cheeks blooms pink. Is she feeling what I’m feeling? My c**k hardens, and I’m about to embarrass myself here. I remind myself of the fact that I’m being forced into this. My real life awaits in the city.

“How do you think you’ll recognize your mate?” I challenge.

“I have no idea,” she admits, and I almost tell her to leave Opium Hills and go back to her innocent life. I’ve heard of what happened in the Dark River pack. They also lost most of their women, and the mating search wasn’t pretty. One out of the six women recruited for the task ran away, but she was traumatized. She may be a stranger, but I don’t want her to feel that way. Surely my dad has a way to make the process simple, unthreatening.

“It’s not going to be a fairy tale, sweetheart,” I tell her, fighting the urge to run my thumb on her lower lip. “How old are you, anyway?”

“Eighteen,” she says. “And you?”

She’s still too young. What is Domino thinking? Grace is her grand-niece!

“Twenty-two. I shouldn’ t be f*****g here,” I mutter.

“I see the two of you are bonding,” my father says, looking pleased.

“Are we?” I ask, as I stalk out of the room.

It may be my imagination, or maybe I’m just trying to fool myself but I feel like her eyes follow me as I leave the room.

**

“I want to claim her. This way, she doesn’t have to go through the whole frustrating and dirty process of looking for a mate in a community of Alphas.”

“What do you know about the process, huh, Onyx?” my father asks.

Everyone is now asleep, and I share a drink with my dad in his home office. The whiskey burns my throat more than it usually does. It blends with the lingering taste of blood, and I can’t help but lick my lips at the thought of my prey.

“Which one? The deer or Grace?” Blaze taunts knowingly, aware that though I deny his presence, I will always crave the hunt.

“Both,” I think, and to my father, I say something else. “I’ve heard of what happened to other packs. The multiple claiming. The traumatized women.”

“You know that not all of them were traumatized? Some remain and are happy. Some still have multiple mates.”

“I can’t imagine that for women,” I say weakly, knowing full well that it’s not true. I’ve known some college women who have hopped from one bed to another. It’s normal for them. Even after several bedmates, they may still not end up with a spouse.

With the wolves, it’s different. We are expected to settle down. If one settles down with two or more, they still form a unit. I just can’t imagine it for someone innocent like Grace.

“Oh, do you? Do you want Grace for yourself?”

“I do. That’s why I’m asking. She’ll be thankful that I’m keeping other men’s paws on her,” I say.

“Are you sure about that, son? The thing is you don’t get a say. She comes from a family of strong women. Domino has made me promise that she gets to choose. So, not you. Not any of the Alphas. If she chooses more than one mate, you can’t do anything.”

Anger boils in me, but I talk myself into some sense. At least, she’ll get what she wants, but what if she doesn’t want me? Before I made myself known, I saw how Dash and Fox looked at her. They want her, and she gave them smiles of encouragement while she merely watched me with some fear.

**

I wake up groaning, feeling the warm sunlight on my skin. It must be late. Dad and I talked and drank until almost dawn. I hear the sounds of laughter from outside. As more memories of the previous night return, I fling myself up and take a quick cold shower. I don’t want another scent wolf to smell the whiskey and sweat in me.

“Are you trying to impress somebody, Onyx?” Blaze asks.

“What if I am?” I say aloud in my empty room as I put on a black T-shirt over black jeans. “You know how I hate to lose.”

“Is it just a game for you?”

Is it? Maybe. I should be hoping that Dash or Fox will be getting the girl so that I can get the hell out of Opium Hills, but Grace is intriguing enough to fight for.

“I’m not sure,” I admit, sighing.

“What if she wants more mates?”

“Is that her nature? Doesn’t she come from a traditional family unit?”

“She does, but let’s get to know her to find out,” Blaze advises, and I know he’s right.

I leave the house and go down the hills to where the sounds of laughter come from. Justine, Grace, and the other young Alphas are there. The guys are playing tug of war, no doubt trying to show off their strength in front of the girls.

“Go, go!” cheers Grace as Justine covers her mouth, while laughing. It looks like another college scene that I don’t belong to, except I should be already past that.

Dash’s team wins, and he immediately saunters toward Grace. I know what she sees. He’s like the boy next door. The medic. The good son. He’s easy on the eyes, and is also easy to open up to. I know he smooth talks women and isn’t quite the saint he appears to be, but he’s not scary like me I guess.

“You all started without me,” I say, hating how the accusation weighs heavily on my tone.

“What were you doing last night, huh, Onyx?” Fox asks. “There are no women aside from these two here, and you had your fill last night. We smelled the deer from you.”

“Had a talk with Dad,” I decide to stick with honesty.

“Well, join us now,” Fox urges, and I wish that he isn’t quite the good guy he is. I wish he’s like Dash, who narrows his eyes at me as soon as he sees Grace is distracted by something Justine whispers into her ears.

I tilt my chin up at Dash, issuing a challenge. He grins widely, looking more like the dangerous wolf he is. I make a bee line for Grace, who is startled when I touch her bare arm. She’s wearing a sleeveless shirt and a pair of jeans. She’s even more beautiful at daylight.

“You shouldn’t be here,” I whisper.

“Why?” she asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Because you’re a good girl,” I say, meaning one thing but feeling another, making heat rush all over my body.

“I don’t have to be,” she says, looking into my eyes.

Oh, but I want you to be, I think, when the heat rushes to my groin.