Chapter 7

Talon

“What were you thinking down there, Alpha Talon?” Aria said, closing the door, as soon as we were in my room. “That girl is a minor and—”

“And what?” I barked, making her wince. “This isn’t Portland, and werewolves aren’t governed by human laws. What I actually did was save her from those savage humans, who sold an underage girl!”

Aria took a ragged breath and put her hands on her hips. She removed the sharp edge from her voice. “I know, Alpha Talon, but you have a goal in front of you. To defeat the Viking pack. They’re a strong pack, and if you defeat them, you’ll be invincible. No one in North America will be able to challenge you. Isn’t that what you want?” She touched my arm.

I rubbed my face with my hands and walked away toward the window that faced the garden, deliberately avoiding the balcony. It was a bad idea to give Kimble a room facing my balcony. I had no idea why Kimble’s presence affected me so much. Werewolves don’t smell their mates until they’re eighteen. And I was sure that the Goddess couldn’t hate me enough to give me a human mate.

What? Hell. No. Kimble could never be my mate. Ludicrous.

Aria was right. I had to focus on my goal. We had to defeat the Viking pack. The Viking wolves revered Odin and Fenris over the Moon Goddess, often seeking their favor through rituals and offerings. Their original territory spanned the rugged Scandinavian landscapes, but over the last two decades they’d been making the deep forests of north Oregon their new settlement, and that place was impenetrable. They had no allies and were an extremely formidable enemy. That was the most powerful pack I needed to defeat to announce my supremacy.

Alpha Frode of the Viking pack was a wolf in his late fifties, and he commanded his pack with an iron fist. I foolishly challenged him when I was young, at the age of twenty-two. He was one of the best fighting wolves that ever matched my strength, with more skills than the legends said about him. Frode had five boys. His eldest, Vandil, was twenty-nine, and the youngest was twenty years old.

His pack had grown to about three hundred members. Nothing much, but very fearsome people. No rogue dared to go near the Viking pack. No Alpha had the guts to fight them.

But soon, I would challenge him again.

“Alpha Talon,” Aria’s soft voice broke my reverie. “If you like, I can handle that girl. You don’t have to talk to her at all.”

I didn’t reply because I knew she was talking sense.

“We’ve worked so hard for it, Alpha Talon,” Aria continued. “I’ve closely monitored our enemies’ every move, and we’re too close to victory. Please don’t let that girl affect you.”

I tipped my head up and let out an exasperated sigh. Aria was on my warrior team, heading my spy network. She had all the intel. My trust in her was implicit. “You’re right,” I said. “It’s better you handle the human girl and make sure she stays away from me. I don’t want to see her at all.”

“I will,” she said, grinning. “Don’t worry about her. You won’t see her again.”

Thank Goddess that Aria got me back on track. That’s why I liked her. She always brought my focus back. Kimble was like a bumble bee. A bee who would sting me, distract me.

“Come on, you need a nice rest,” Aria said, tugging my arm.

I allowed myself to be taken to bed. She sat down and opened the zipper of my jeans, then took out my raging cock, which had been like granite ever since I slammed Kimble against my chest. I needed a release.

Aria held my cock in her hands and stroked it. I closed my eyes, savoring the feel of her mouth. I fisted her hair as she sucked me. This was what I needed. To let off some steam. I thrust inside her, imagining those puffy lips, sucking me, using my penis as a lollipop. Soft hands played with my balls and my body went rigid. My thrusts grew harder, greedier. Within seconds I spilled my cum inside her mouth, roaring, “Beeeeeeeee!”

Fuck. My chest rose and fell as I slowly opened my eyes, and found Aria staring at me in confusion with my cum dripping from her mouth. “Who’s bee?”

God damn it. I hooked my hands under her arms and brought her to my chest where I pressed her to me, my confidence cracking a little. I didn’t answer her question, just sat beside her on the mattress.

While Aria slept soundlessly, I dreamed of bumblebees and humans. Of humans taking over the werewolves. Of werewolves submitting to humans.

I jolted awake from the nightmare, feeling as if sanity was slipping through my fingers. It was already dark outside. Moonlight streamed through the window, casting a silvery glow over my bed. I took a deep breath and concentrated on the connection with my pack. As an Alpha, I could sense the bond with each member. Any shift in that bond would signal an attempt to sever it or the arrival of a new member. This connection granted me tremendous power, and this bond wasn’t present in Kimble, which made me jittery and desperate for no goddamn reason.

I rolled off the bed and my feet took me to the balcony. My muscles tensed when I saw that her room was dark. Not a single light was on. And it was only 9 PM. I sniffed the air, but her scent was faint. Uncanny dread knotted in my chest.

Before I could stop myself, I jumped off the balcony and landed on all fours two stories below. Lupin sniffed the air for her scent, anger and anxiety rolling off him. She wasn’t in the Alpha compound.

My wolf tore through the forest behind the manor, a tempest of raw fury. Each stride was like an earthquake, shaking the trees as he hurtled like a wrathful comet across the terrain.