Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

THERON

I never understood when people talked about finally having sex with their fated mate.

“Nothing feels the same.”

“It’s mind-blowing.”

“Like a sex coma you can’t wake up from.”

I always thought sex is sex. How different could it be? But this? My brain is reeling from the earth-shattering orgasms I’ve had, and my body refuses to stop. I need more of her, my Seren-hen.

Holding her in position, I continue pounding into her vise-like insides from behind, feeling another surge of power jolt through me as my peak nears. Her gasps, whimpers, and moans continue to spur me on, pushing me harder. My fingers work her slick slit furiously, wanting her to reach her high with me.

Titan approaches again, wanting control .

I grit my teeth, the memory of him being her first still a burning ache. Now, I want my time uninterrupted, without sharing. I want her to feel what I’m feeling.

I’ve always had a steady stream of girls throwing themselves at me, so I’ve never had a dry spell, but it’s never been like this. No one else has sparked this raw, primal need. Nothing has ever been this intense and satisfying. Energy crackles through her body and into mine, and it feels like pure fire.

“Theron.”

I’m so lost in the rhythm that for a moment I don’t hear her, until she repeats, “Theron, slower, please.” The tremor in her voice finally pierces the fog.

“Sorry,” I whisper, easing back, slowing the frantic pace to a more manageable rhythm. “Didn’t hear you.” The lie slips out easily, but I add a truth to it. “You feel so fucking good.”

She props herself up on her elbows, beads of sweat peppering the small of her back, her breath coming out in shallow gasps. I suddenly realize how exhausted she must be. Guilt burns in my gut, warring with the unfamiliar urge to please her.

Seren isn’t a werewolf. She isn’t as strong as we are.

Silently, I pull out of her and shift us so she lies on her back. Her skin is still flushed from our encounter, but I see a flicker of confusion in her eyes.

“Are you sure?” she asks, her voice barely above a whisper.

I nod, smiling. “Just get some rest.” The unfamiliar ache in my gut intensifies.

Have I never been considerate to her in the past ?

I pepper kisses all over her neck before turning her on her side and lining our bodies perfectly against each other. The need to claim her is a physical itch I can’t scratch right now. My cock refuses to go soft. So, I settle with just breathing her in and enjoying the feel of her bare in my arms.

“Are you okay?” I ask as she moves around a bit in my arms, sighing as she adjusts herself, not realizing the burn she’s stirring in me.

“Mmhmm,” she hums, and I can sense her drifting off to sleep again. And I don’t mind.

As soon as her breathing settles into a soft rhythm, I let my body relax. The frantic possessiveness and fear that gripped me earlier at the thought of her leaving dissipate now that she’s peacefully sleeping in my arms.

Kissing her shoulder again, I take a deep breath. Everything is fine.

I’m not sure what exactly she heard, but by the way her body tensed at me calling her beautiful, I have a fair idea. I’m just glad she didn’t hear the rest.

I want to kick myself for saying that crap. She could’ve left me. Forever.

Sucking in another deep breath, I pull her closer.

I’ve never really had anyone to call my own. Except Seren.

The thought of losing her now is terrifying.

Pressing a few more kisses on her skin is oddly calming, and I close my eyes, ready to fall asleep next to her. I have nothing to rush to, nowhere to go.

Suddenly, Titan, who’s been quiet for a while, stirs within me, sending a jolt of unease through my system. A low growl rumbles deep in my chest, barely audible.

Something’s wrong.

Or maybe this is how it’s always going to be, since we share a mate. Had Seren been a she-wolf, Titan would’ve had her exclusively to himself. But with a human mate, the dynamic is different. She belongs to both of us. It would be easier to share her if he and I were in sync.

Feeling parched, I reluctantly leave Seren to get myself some water. Her bottle rests by the window. As I’m drinking, I notice the moss-covered log in the overgrown garden at the back of the estate. Lilies dot the back of it like a flowery backrest.

I sigh. I haven’t been there in years. The last time was probably Seren’s eighteenth birthday, when I gave her the necklace that Vanessa had wanted. Vanessa had been hurt at not being gifted a family heirloom since she had “gifted” me her virginity, but I had already given it to Seren instead.

I gulp, realizing if Seren ever finds out about that, it would hurt her feelings.

But maybe I could make amends.

Suddenly one of the border security guards mind-links through the pack, screaming: “Rogue attack. Northern border. Code two.”

Shit! Code two means no weapons, but more than ten wolves. We generally only have three guards patrolling the border at this hour.

“On my way,” I link back, dropping the bottle and pulling on my boxers, adding, “Security from the other borders will not move. All the other warriors need to get their asses to North, ASAP.”

I take one last look at Seren before jumping out the window. “Whoever it is, is going to regret this.” The drive to the forest takes a few precious minutes but the moment I reach the creek, I leave the car and shift into my wolf form, letting Titan take over.

Adrenaline floods me as I launch myself into the chaos. Luke, Phil, and Jake arrived ahead of me, but we’re still outnumbered. It’s six of us against fifteen snarling rogues.

Luke’s voice explodes in my head, laced with urgency. “About time! Others are coming. I’m holding off these two at the back. Can you flank Phil? He’s hurt.”

“I’ll get him,” I snarl back, scanning the chaos. Two brown wolves claw at Phil, his right arm hanging limp at his side. With a guttural roar, I launch myself at the attackers, sending both rogues sprawling. The raw power coursing through me from mating with Seren packs more strength behind each punch.

I take them both down with bites to their carotid arteries, leaving them to bleed out while I sprint toward the largest rogue, who’s warring with one of my grizzled patrol guards.

Scars map the rogue’s body—this one is clearly a seasoned fighter. This won’t be a quick brawl.

As we’re clashing, I realize this attack reeks of something more orchestrated, a deliberate strike. They wouldn’t dare hit our territory with such force unless they had a bigger plan.

Well, not on my watch. Especially not with my parents gone. If there’s even one casualty on our side, my capabilities will be questioned before I’m even an alpha .

“I need reinforcements at all the other borders. At least three additional warriors at each. Get the veterans if needed,” I mind-link to the gamma back at the packhouse who manages resources at Blackwood.

A blur of red fur streaks past as Luke takes down a rogue with a practiced sweep of his leg, but another one snaps at his heels. It clamps its jaws on Luke’s neck from behind as another lunges at his front. I barely react, charging my own attacker, when a chorus of howls rips through the air. Within moments, at least ten of my warriors surge into the clearing.

They all erupt into a practiced war cry before charging.

“Alive!” I roar, the command cutting through the frenzy. “Keep them alive! We need them breathing until we get some answers!”

It takes a little time, but we overpower the rogues, managing to capture two unharmed and three barely clinging to life. The rest, despite my warning, are already dead.

“Take them to the dungeons,” I bark, then signal Luke to join me.

After ensuring Phil and the other injured receive medical attention, Luke and I head to the dungeons where we keep all non-pack criminals at Blackwood.

The stale scent of wolfsbane is thick and acrid as we walk to the underground cells. The screams of the new arrivals already echo against the bare stone walls.

With my narrowed eyes focused on the men in chains, my jaw clenches as I approach the gamma in charge. “Have they talked yet?”

“One refuses to speak, and the other claims they were just passing through when our patrol attacked. ”

I chuckle. “They must’ve taken more than one wrong turn to get so deep into Blackwood territory.” I turn to the gamma, my voice dropping to a low growl. “Give them the traditional Blackwood welcome and see if it jogs their memory.”

“You can’t do that!” One of them struggles against his chains. “We need to talk to your alpha.”

I roll my eyes and watch the pack enforcer approach the whimpering rogue, a pair of glinting silver claws held loosely in his hand as I leave the cell.

The rogues must be trained to withstand torture, since it takes a while for them to break.

“Both have clearly named Alpha Landon,” the enforcer reports a few hours later. “Said all fifteen were hired and told to have at least ten fatalities before returning. One overheard some talk of other attacks planned, but they don’t know the details.”

I grunt. Ten fatalities on my watch would’ve been disastrous.

“See if the nail gun manages to extract more information. I’ll talk to Alpha Dan and see if he has more instructions for us.”

My father, though handing over the reins in two weeks, is still the alpha, so I fill him in through the mind-link, bracing for his usual fire. His nonchalance when I drop Alpha Landon’s name surprises me. “I suspected as much,” he rumbles. “The question is, how will you handle it, son?”

I scowl. I hate being treated like a pup who needs every move scrutinized by my father.

“Killing them here solves nothing,” I growl, asserting myself. "And war with Landon would be a waste of resources.” I take a deep, steadying breath before suggesting, “We should take them to the king’s court and let King Ares decide the punishment.”

Silence hangs heavy in the mind-link. “Get moving then,” my father finally replies. “King Ares leaves for Europe first thing Monday morning.” Before I can respond, the connection snaps shut.

I glance at Luke with a frown. There goes my Sunday.

A few of us spend the night in the packhouse office going through the CCTV footage, checking if we can find any more clues, while the gamma reaches out to the king’s courtier to let them know about our visit.

The moment the sun is up, Luke and I begin our five-hour-long drive, with two of the rogues sedated and bound in the trunk.

While Luke connects with his mate, Pema, over the mind-link, I drive on. With my phone at home and no one to mind-link with at this hour, the raspy breathing of the rogues in the back is my only companion. But after the chaos of the last ten hours, silence is a welcome change.

An hour or so later, Luke throws a quick glance my way, letting out a frustrated sigh and adjusting his seat.

“Is everything okay?” I ask.

He hums. “She’s restless,” he replies eventually with another sigh. “She keeps asking about the rogues."

A knot tightens in my gut. Seren. I haven’t had a moment to think about her yet. After the way I left her asleep in bed—with no note, not even a text—I don’t know what she’ll think. I should’ve talked to her before I left.

Soon the sun gets brighter and I sense plenty of movement in the forest on either side of the narrow road. Having taken this quieter route instead of the highways, we’ve saved at least an hour and should be in King Ares’s territory in twenty minutes at most.

“Can you pull over for a minute? I need to take a leak,” Luke says.

“Sure, go for it,” I reply, bringing the car to an immediate halt. I check on the rogues in the rearview mirror before fiddling with the radio dial, wondering how things will go with the king.

I’ve just settled on a channel when Luke reappears by the door, but just as he’s getting in, bullets rip through the glass window above the trunk. The sudden crash almost jolts me out of my seat. My ears ring.

Fuck! They’re here for the rogues, not us.

Luke dives inside, scrambling for cover. As another round of shots is fired, adrenaline surges through me and I slam my foot on the gas, yelling, “Get down!”

The firing stops as abruptly as it started, but I don’t stop until we enter the king’s territory. I’m just hoping the rogues are still alive.

I exhale once the guards let us in, giving us directions for the pack infirmary. I curse when I glance to my side and notice Luke’s arm is bleeding.

“Shit!”

He groans, clutching his arm. “I’m fine. The rogues…”

I glance back. The rogues are slumped over, blood all over their faces. “Damn it,” I curse, finally realizing they’ve both been shot multiple times in the head .

The road blurs as I push the car to its limits, my mind racing. Who could’ve known our route? The thought gnaws at me, but I shove it aside. Focus. Get to the infirmary first.

As the massive plus sign comes into view, I skid to a halt and guards rush to our side. “He needs medical attention,” I bark, pointing to Luke. “And check if they’re breathing.” I point to the two clearly dead rogues in the trunk.

The three of them are transferred to gurneys and wheeled inside. Now there’s nothing left to do but inform Alpha Dan that our witnesses are dead.

Great! Just great!