The Jaguar's Mate

TWO

Aiden, 26 years old. Northern Rocky mountains, United States. 

Aiden slammed the door of his office shut. He could not figure out how to get rid of that she-wolf. She came to his office everyday now with a new excuse, only so she could talk to him in private. It wasn’t hard to do so since he had an open-door policy as Alpha. Anyone, including all Omegas could come to his office to have a word with him, most of them did not abuse the privilege and respected him for it. But the she-wolf was absolutely relentless. 

He has one single rule when it comes to mating: no repeats and no pack members. He made the colossal mistake to do it with this one she-wolf, a pack member, and now she thought she was special because they all knew his rule. 

This is just fantastic Helios! We will have to send her to a different pack if she doesn’t quit it. I feel bad for her but I was very clear.

I told you a thousand times to stop sleeping with she-wolves that are NOT our mate! 

Helios, Aiden’s wolf, barked the words in anger.

I’m sorry buddy I just can’t stand it anymore, we have looked for her all across the country! We have visited every single pack, it's been 8 years since I turned 18 and I cannot find her anywhere! We need her Helios.. The pack needs a Luna also...after mom’s death we all feel the loss…

Aiden’s voice cracked as the memories of his mother’s death two years ago flooded his mind like it was yesterday. The image of his mom withering away from cancer broke his heart. 

Aiden, I know the pack misses the Luna, I do too. But our mate is somewhere, I can feel her soul.

So you say...but I have looked everywhere. We have covered so much land looking for her and I don’t feel her near us. The she-wolves give some temporary relief. 

Yes, but they are NOT OUR MATE! 

Helios was furious, he detested the she-wolves even though it wasn’t their fault, he just couldn’t stand their scent, they all smelled like wet-dog to him. An irony he didn’t understand. 

I know H! Trust me, I want her too. But I am not getting younger, I know the Goddess always has a plan but I am done. We need to choose a Luna for the pack soon.

NOOO!! You know chosen mates don’t work! Don’t give up on her yet. We NEED her! look at our Gamma. He found his mate unexpectedly just 2 months ago and he waited almost as long as you. And she was human!

You are right, but look at our Beta...he is struggling worse than us and has waited the same amount. He does not have Alpha blood so it's worse for him. We might need to lead by example and choose a mate...

Aiden, I swear to the Goddess if you do that you can forget about me--

For Aiden’s relief, a loud knock on the door cut the conversation short. 

“Come in Sam!”  He said as he went through the papers on his desk one last time. 

The door opened and Aiden’s Beta walked in, trying to hide a tortured face. Aiden felt bad for Sam, he was not only his Beta but his oldest childhood friend. They both needed a mate soon.

“You okay man? You look like you haven’t slept and a truck ran you over.” Aiden said with a chuckle and gave Sam a quick glance. 

“I am fine Aiden, I am just a little tired that’s all. Everyone is ready for you, and the elders are all here too. This meeting seems more important than you lead on, is everything alright? Wait... did you find your luna??” Sam’s eager question made Aiden feel pathetic. As if being unable to find a mate was his fault or even his choice. Why did the Goddess do this to him? He thought he had done everything right for his pack and for his family.

“No, it's not that. But we’ll discuss that matter after the meeting. Come on, walk with me to the conference room” He scribbled something in one of the papers and stood up, heading to the door.

Sam’s hopeful smile faded in an instant, returning to his now constant aching expression. “Ok so may I ask what happened? Why are all the elders here?”

“Remember the land we were raising funds for in the sss jungle, the jaguar stronghold in Peru?” Aiden said as they walked out of his office, shutting the door behind him.

“Yea, did we reach our goal this fast?” Sam kept Aiden's pace, looking at him sideways.

“No, but the elders said there’s an important update” Aiden shrugged and opened the conference room door.

“Must be one heck of an update” Sam mumbled as they entered the room. 

Everyone turned their heads and greeted Aiden, who proceeded to sit at the head of the conference room table. All six elders were present, including Aiden’s dad and his best friend, the pack’s old Beta and Sam's dad. His Gamma Alex was there too, and the only female present apart from the sole female elder was the Gamma's mate, a nervous human.

 As Aiden looked around the room, the excessive levels of testosterone saddened and bothered him, they needed balance and this wasn’t it. 

“Good afternoon everyone, thank you for coming on such short notice. I spoke with elder Mathew yesterday and they have some updates for us in regard to the land we have been trying to secure in Peru. Elders, please proceed.” Aiden said, flipping through the pages laying in front of him. 

 The stocky man with the wise eyes spoke first. “Thank you for having us Aiden, it is always a pleasure to visit your pack. I first want to commend you for the work you have been doing around the world in continuing to protect and preserve the most threatened wildlife and their lands.”

“Thank you sir. However all I have done is build a system that connects conservationists around the world.” Aiden’s response was always modest, he did not believe in placing himself as better than anyone, he couldn't say the same for other Alpha's he's met. 

“Thank you Aiden, but the extensive network your non-profit has built has saved thousands of acres of forests, wetlands and jungles. And this new project in Peru’s rainforest is of extreme importance for the shifter community.” The elder said, a hit of worry in his voice.

“Is it because of the pack of maned wolves we are working with there?” Aiden questioned, his brow drawing in slightly. The elder remained silent for longer than normal, and everyone’s attention peaked as they glanced between Aiden and the Elders.

A different elder, a tall woman with short hair, responded. “No Alpha, though the support of the pack in South America strengthens the werewolf community, it is because of the jaguar that we requested your organization’s focus.” The woman looked at Aiden intently, never dropping her gaze from his.

“Yes, ma’am I am well aware, has something changed? We are doing the best to secure the land so that the local government and the indigenous leaders in the area may be able to maintain it as a conservation, we are working on that goal currently” Aiden said, holding her gaze until a third elder spoke.

“Yes, Alpha but we must ask you to put all your efforts on this project alone.” Aiden then turned to the man with the long white and grey beard. He was completely serious. 

Aiden raised his eyebrows in question and the room fell to an uncomfortable silence as everyone waited for his response. 

“I am sorry elders, but I cannot cut all my projects short, there are other lands that have pressing needs too.” Aiden said with an apologetic smile, his eyes swept around the room and the elders hesitated for a moment. 

Finally, a man with round glasses and no hair spoke quickly. “Yes Alpha, we know, but the problem is that the were-jaguars are in danger, the land in Peru is the last stronghold for the were-jaguar and it seems now that there is a third party interested in purchasing the land for the development of a new oil pipeline. This could wipe out the were-jaguar completely and destroy thousands of acres of rainforest” The man let a hurried breath out as he finished his rant.

Everyone stared at the elder in disbelief, and the room fell to an uncomfortable and awkward silence once more. 

Aiden’s dad, Henry, spoke in a slow and astonished tone, his eyes went from wide pools to a narrow frown. “You said WERE-Jaguar?” 

The realization of another were-species shocked everyone, most of them had heard of the were-jaguars only through were-history. The room erupted into small and frantic conversation, everyone had an opinion or something to say all of a sudden.  

Aiden raised his voice a notch to bring people back to him “I thought the jaguar people were already extinct? How is this possible and why am I hearing of it just now?”  He said so with disbelief, his tone out of character.

Everyone became on edge as Aiden never spoke that way to anyone, however, his easy-going and gentle nature did not take away from the power behind his rank. It also seemed he was starting to lose his patience faster every day. He attributed to the lack of a mate, and so did most of those present in the room.  

“Yes Alpha we apologize for keeping you in the dark, but we swore the jaguar-elders that we will keep their identity a secret. We don’t know much about them either, we have only spoken with the three elders that are left. The jaguar community is very secretive and the only hierarchy they follow is that of the elders, all female, due to the lack of dependability on the male jaguar. Even the elder system is only in place for their protection against hunters, violent males, and the safety of jaguar cubs. They do not have packs or a system like we do, they don’t mate for life, and they live completely independently. We don’t know the identity of any other jaguar as their identities are kept secret, once again, for their safety. This is especially important for the females who generally avoid the males.” Aiden's pack members stared at the Elder, so did the Alpha. 

“Why is that?” Sam's question had so much worry in his voice that Aiden followed its trail. 

The elder with the beard answered “Well, umm, the female, is well, actually the male they, umm, no, well, the female they are a little umm...” The man's face reddened and he became flustered, one of Aiden's eyebrows shot up as he watched the elder adjust his jacket nervously. 

The female elder rolled her eyes and spoke with certainty, brining Aiden's and Sam's eyes to her. “They are an extremely s****l species Beta. More so than the wolf. The male can mark several females and the females can do the same. Since they don’t mate for life this tends to cause disputes within the jaguar community. The females prefer the company of human mates that are easier to dominate, and the males feel the same way, as the female jaguar cannot be easily commanded either. In fact, most jaguar’s cannot command other jaguars at all. But that’s beside the point, they are so scarce now that pure-blooded matings are extremely rare. What we must do now is protect them so that the community does not perish.” She gave them a gentle smile.

The overload of information was spinning in everyone’s head, especially Aiden, who now felt like the weight of a whole species was placed on his shoulders. 

“Alright. We will do everything possible to safeguard and aid the species and their land. I will not leave other projects aside but I will focus all of my personal efforts on this one myself.” Aiden's mind was made up.

“Thank you Alpha, we ask that you travel with one other member of your team and connect with the pack in South America. The pack only knows of the elder jaguars as well, but they are aware others live hiding in plain sight. Once you arrive we need you to find the elders and set a plan of action to avoid the development of the pipeline. We have spoken to the pack and the jaguar elders, plus the Alpha of the pack in charge of your project there knows you will be coming. The pack has swore to protect you and whoever you choose to accompany you. You must travel this week and leave someone temporarily in charge.” The female elder looked around the room as she finished talking. 

Aiden audibly sighed and nodded slowly “Alright. Sam you will be coming with me. My Gamma Alex will stay in charge with the aid of my dad, the previous Alpha”

Aiden’s dad frowned, speaking right away. “Aiden wouldn’t it be best to leave the Beta in charge?” 

Aiden did not want to approach this subject but he had to, so he sighed and addressed the room, especially his dad. “I was trying to avoid this as much as possible, but I have decided to take a chosen mate for a Luna.”

AIDEN!! 

Helios' warning to Aiden was fueled with anger, but Aiden had made up his mind. The room stared at Aiden with a mixture of pity and feigned optimism. So he continued, more so to avoid their fake smiles than really wanting to explain further.

“As much as this angers Helios, it is extremely important for the pack to have a Luna. My mom was an amazing Luna and she was able to continue her Luna duties as I searched for my mate. But her loss was painful to the pack and we need the unity and strength a Luna brings.” 

Aiden stole a glance at his dad whose eyes had watered at the mention of his dead mate, but he imperceptibly nodded in approval. He knew the importance of a Luna for a pack. 

“With this decision I want to ask my Beta to consider to do the same. If he agrees, we will each choose a mate after we return from South America.” Aiden's words brought him to Sam, and everyone’s gaze went to the Beta as well. His pained expression changed to slight optimism. 

“If that’s your advice Alpha, I will be glad to do the same”. Sam had been considering the option, and he was glad the Alpha approved. The loneliness was consuming him bit by bit. 

The elder with round glasses spoke, compassion in his voice. “Alpha, you are a wise man. The pack needs a Luna and we understand how hard this choice is. The Goddess has a plan always, and I’m sure you’ll find a great chosen mate.”

“Ok but be careful on that trip Aiden, be sure you don’t bring a were-jaguar as a chosen mate! Imagine that poor cat surrounded by a pack of wolves.” Alex said so with amusement in his tone, always bringing sunshine to any dark situation.

Everyone’s laughter filled the room, the preposterous idea was funnier due to Alex's pretend-meowing. Aiden chuckled too, but his laughter ceased when he saw the unreadable and untouched expression of the female elder, who cleared her throat loudly. 

When the room quieted down she sternly spoke. “Perhaps it is the wolves who should be afraid Gamma. The jaguar is an apex predator and the female jaguar is nearly the same size if not larger than a regular male-wolf. The jaguar has the fifth strongest bite in the world and its bite is the strongest among all large cats. Certainly stronger than our Northwestern wolf.” She crossed her arms and everyone quit laughing, instead they looked at Aiden, suddenly worried for his safety. 

Sensing the room’s worry and his dad's nervous look, Aiden attempted to ease the apprehension.

“Listen everyone, I will be fine. We will study the jaguar’s nature in the days before the trip and we will approach them with the respect they deserve. And most likely we will only meet the elders. Let’s move on with the details for this trip, who is in charge down there?” He said, trying to bring the attention back to the matter and sending Alex a brief warning look.

“As you know Alpha, the leader of the organization down there is also the head of the pack in the area, his name is Ramiro. But he has told us that you will be mainly dealing with the head of this specific project, especially because she knows the jungle well since she grew up there. Her name is Olivia.”

Helios stirred in Aiden’s mind, rising unexpectedly to the surface. 

That’s a pretty name I wonder how she smells like...