Conquering Theana (8 page)

He
pressed the heel of his palm into his dangerously hard cock when he caught the
scent of his beta approaching. The hairs stood up on the back of Rafael’s neck.
His beta’s scent was mingled with hers.
Succulent like the
sweetest of fruits.
Floral like a field of marigolds.
He growled for her.

Rafael
watched Gregori stalk toward the driver side of the vehicle. His jaw was
clenched. Gregori was pissed. Rafael understood his mood. Any wolf
who
finished mating would be drooling, tail wagging, and
lapping at their mate’s folds, but Gregori had had to leave her. Rafael had yet
to be alone with
Theana
, so he could sympathize with
his beta. Gregori could sometimes be emotional. He wouldn’t dare show it
amongst others, but Rafael knew his beta. He could feel what his beta felt.
Guilt would be at the forefront because he was ultimately loyal to his alpha,
and taking their mate alone would affect him in the worst way. He would also
have that nagging yearning to be next to her,
lie
in
her fur, mate with her again, but it wasn’t to be. Since they were pups,
Gregori always had a push and pull, ebb and flow to his moods. The mixing of
beta and alpha blood had heightened it.

When
the driver's side door opened, Rafael kept his attention focused on the matter
at hand. Gregori sat behind the wheel and started the engine, while Tim entered
the backseat. They drove in silence for a few minutes.

“Did
everything go as planned?” Rafael was the first to break the silence.

“As well as to be expected.”

He doesn’t want to talk about it
.

"Just as we thought.
Her scent trails ahead of us. She’s headed to
Seurri." Gregori deflected the flow of the conversation.

"We
will leave her be for a few days," Rafael muttered under his breath.

"Why a few days?
Theana
is right where
we want her to be, right? I did everything that we discussed. She’s ours for
the taking. She wanted the bite. I could feel it," Gregori snarled through
his rant.

He still lusts for her, and so do I
.

"Yes,
she is in a position that greatly benefits us, but we must finesse our way into
this union if we want to keep her content. Her alpha at this moment is Walter,
who is also her father. He will help us with what we need. She’ll need to be
home for a little, I'm sure. This’ll give us a chance to make preparations for
her arrival.”

Rafael
never respected the amount of force that some of the wolves used to obtain
their mate's loyalty. He wanted to be different. He would dominate but offer
her a freedom that most other alphas wouldn’t bother with. She could run, but
she would always come back to them, her mates.

Gregori
grumbled, and Rafael smirked. His beta was annoyed with him, but he wouldn’t
question him. "
‘Tis
okay, my brother, I
understand your frustration. Trust
me,
I do more than
you think. You bonded with her tonight. Just know that she’ll soon be ours to
share for life. The ultimate bond will be made. This is only the
beginning."

For
the remainder of the ride Rafael thought to himself that he was more frazzled
than he was letting on. He could feel
Gregori’s
pain
and want for her. He shared in that. If he’d had the pleasure of her body, then
he would be going crazy. But being alpha called for a level of calm. Keeping
order was his life. Not only was he the alpha of the most elite clan in the
largest city, he was the overall leader of Seurri as a whole. That
responsibility was one he didn’t take lightly. However, he was a wolf.
One with needs.
It was natural to want a mate. Once a wolf came
into contact with his mate it was like a reaction to a drug. A burn fueled inside.
The itch of need scratched its way through your flesh, and your mouth watered for
the one. The one you would mark for life.

In
order to push the visions of his personal future from his brain, Rafael began
to focus on the potentially fatal threat of a murderous individual wreaking
havoc amongst his people. Tensions would be high, but it was his duty to keep
the tide of all the wolves at a level calm. Issues like those were rare but not
unheard of. His handle on the situation was what made Rafael the supreme alpha.
He thrived off of rectifying and eradicating problems that plagued Seurri.
There was no doubt that in due time, the crazed individual would be apprehended
and his town would return to peace.

"Camden
stated that his team of trackers have cornered the suspect and should be
bringing her back soon." Gregori seconded Rafael’s personal thoughts.
Gregori’s
fog of irritation had lifted, if only for the
moment.

"Yes.
Once we catch her, she’ll be brought before the Council, and we will question
her. My ultimate purpose is to ensure that she isn’t affiliated with some type
of organization. These vigilante groups have been known to pop up from time to
time, but they aren’t anything we can’t handle. If we determine that she is
acting alone, then Isaac will deliver her fate. If by chance she is working in
a group, then I will have to form a team to attack the situation before it
becomes catastrophic. Other than that, our job is to keep the civilians of
Seurri settled and calm. This is an
Udolph
issue
right now, but if it threatens Seurri, then it’s my issue."

"You
are right, Rafael. We don’t need an uprising at this time. There are other
personal matters that we must attend to. A fucking war will not help our
plight, and it’ll delay our future goals."

Rafael
chuckled as they turned down the road that led to
Seurri's
gates. "Can you keep your nose off her tail for a moment, brother? Seurri
is our main concern. Our people will take precedence over ourselves any day,
plus I have a feeling that our plight won’t be too difficult."

Two
members of the
Convel
clan opened the black steel
gates of Seurri so the Mercedes could enter. Rafael nodded to the two on duty
then turned to marvel at his town. Since he had been alive,
Seurri's
atmosphere made his skin perk. He was his city’s biggest fan. Rafael never
wanted to travel. He wanted to be home amongst his people. Moving was out of
the question. Seurri had everything that he needed, and if it didn’t he could always
get it. The musk was thick in the air. Wolves were shifting.
Playing.
They were free to do what they wanted inside the walls of Seurri.

The
city was a marvel for the eye. Dim light posts were sporadically placed on the
sidewalks in front of the many buildings in town. Being a shifter allotted for
many advantages, with one being impeccable night vision. The lighting was more
of an aesthetic pleasure than a need. Seurri HQ, the tallest building in the
city, was sparkling in the center of downtown. There were a few cars in the
parking lot, no doubt
Convel
.

The
market place, which was only a few feet away from HQ, was also quiet. It was
the size of a strip mall, but it provided Seurri with most necessities. Given
that the entire city was planted inside of a thick wooded area, the planners of
the city went to many lengths not to modernize it too much, so the market place
was surrounded by a thicket of brush that covered it in darkness at night.

There
was one small highway that went through the downtown area that housed the
government buildings and major facilities, which took you past an area of
smaller business and schools, ending with the residential area. Only two
businesses were stationed in the suburban area, the Seurri athletic complex and
the Seurri Medical Center.

The
eight points of the Seurri star formed at the beginning of the residential
section. Each clan had their own subdivision with huge mansions scattered
amongst the main highway. Most of the packs were set up the same way—large main
house for alpha, beta, and unmated wolves with subdivisions of houses behind
the main house that started with high ranked wolves and ended with omegas. The
Seurri Medical Center sat in the center of the star for easy access.

The
Convel
pack was the first sector of the eight pointed
star. They were set up more like a military facility. They were the closest to
the highway because the pack ran the police department and small military. Due
to their responsibility of securing the city, their wolves worked in shifts around
the clock. The other wolf packs were situated on both sides of the highway
fanning out in the order of importance.

As
Gregori drove down the highway, they began to veer to the right. Their exit was
approaching, and it would take on a new meaning from before. As they took the
exit ramp off of the highway, the
Dolphus
estate came
into focus, brightly lit and commanding. No other cars were behind them, so
when the light flashed green they didn’t move instead of turning to the left.
Her scent was strong, and they were right. She was home. The home was
beautifully constructed with care. The large white pillars and wraparound porch
gave the feel of a traditional Southern home, fashioned with black shutters and
bright windows. More of the
Dolphus
wolves were mated,
so the main house didn’t house as many wolves as the other clans. The
Dolphus
clan was a more established pack with more elders.
Rafael wanted to know what she was doing. Was she eating? Was she getting ready
for bed? The thought of her in the shower, dripping wet, made him want to run
to her.

In due time ... in due time.

One
thing that was revered about the
Dolphus
land was the
lake it housed. Lake Eros was the town's man-made fresh body of water, which served
a lot of purposes for the inhabitants of Seurri. It was a meeting place for a
lot of wolves during the night time hours and a great place to moon-gaze with
one’s mate. He longed to stare at the stars with her wrapped in his arms. To
think she was that close in proximity to him. How could he have missed out on
her for so long?
Theana
was a mystery to him, but he
loved to do
runs
around the lake during the early
morning. It relaxed him. The serenity of being one with nature right before
dawn when all other wildlife was coming to life was what cleared his mind
especially when he had important decisions to make.

“Who’s
the lovesick one now?” Gregori parked the car in front of their home then
tossed the keys back to Tim. Even though they had only been gone for the day,
Rafael was itching to see his pack. The main house was overrun with young
wolves, and he loved it. Rafael wanted to embrace them all. When they stepped
through the door, he could hear the other wolves enthralled in a conversation
about an upcoming Dolphins soccer tournament, the last of the season. They were
piled in the common sitting area that held several couches, ottomans, and
beanbag chairs. The laughing wolves, some in wolf form and some not, caught
sight of their alpha then tumbled over each other in the struggle to get to
him. He ruffed up the fur of a few wolves and growled to start friendly play.
Some of the non-shifted wolves quickly brought out their wolves to join in on
the fun.

Rafael
was partially shifted, and the wolves were tackling him while Gregori shook his
head and watched on. Tim walked in from parking the car, and Rafael faced him
while putting one of the younger wolves in a headlock.

"I
need you to start making preparations for the new alpha bitch.”

The
mansion was the largest of all the clans. The top floor was laid out like an
apartment building. A long hallway with rooms lining each side made up their
living quarters. A few bedrooms were on the bottom floor, but most of the
wolves slept in the upstairs bedroom across the hall from their alpha and beta.
To the right of the hall there were only two doors. Rafael’s suite was to the
left, right off of the kitchen stairwell, and
Gregori’s
was to the right, near the stairwell for the storage unit and side entrance of
the house.

“The
wall separating
Gregori’s
and my suite needs to be
taken down. His closet will be combined with my side, and his old closet area
will be for her. I’m sure you can figure out what else to do with his bed and
things. As mates we will share a bed.”

Tim
finished entering his notes into his tablet, and then he left presumably to
start on the arrangements.

Rafael
reached up and pulled Gregori into the fold of wolf bodies, and they both fully
shifted and wrestled with their clan. After tossing each other around for a few
moments of rough play, all the wolves shifted back and looked to Rafael for a
speech. He liked to keep communication open with his pack with any new
information that concerned them.

"Family,
as you heard me mention to Tim, we’ll be welcoming an alpha bitch within the
next few days. The search for a mate has been a long one, but she has been
found not only for me but for your beta as well. Yes, the alpha bitch will be
mated by both Gregori and
myself
.” Most men had the
look of disbelief. It was rare to share mates, but Rafael wanted to show them
that it would be a part of their lives going forward.