Chapter Twenty One

I was drifting. I had no sense of direction. I couldn't feel my body. I couldn't feel anything. I had no eyes to open just an awareness of my surroundings. I was in some sort of clearing. There was a man sitting on a rock in the middle. I was pushed toward him, but I wasn't walking, I was just moving forward. The closer I got, the more I could see that he was not a man, but a wolf just as I was.

"Lenuta," he greeted me.

"Who the hell are you?" I asked.

"I am the first of our kind," he replied calmly. "I am Ulfric."

"This isn't a dream," I said.

"No, you are not dreaming," he agreed.

"You are also the first of your kind," Ulfric says.

"What do you mean?" I asked. "I am Shifter,"

"You are, but you are not like the rest of them, you hold great power." He replies.

"Because I hold two powerful bloodlines," I say.

"Not only, you do not control your wolf as the rest of them do, you are truly Wolf. A true Alpha Female. You do not need your wolf form to use its power, and your wolf holds the power of your father's line, while you possess the power of your mother's. You shift forms out of want, not necessity. You are no Shifter. You are a Wolf, as the first of us were." Ulfric says.

"But what does that mean?" I asked.

"It means child, that you possess the power to bring your enemy to his knees, you only need him to submit." Ulfric says. "You are more powerful than the imposter using my name," he grinned murderously.

"I understand," I reply.

I took a gasping breath that burned through my oxygen deprived lungs. I coughed and sputtered as I attempted to get my bearings. I was in the training room and Stefan was passed out beside me. I knew he was breathing and I waited patiently for him to come to.

It wasn't long until we were both sitting up trying to breathe normally.

"Why didn't you submit?" he asked. "I am your mate."

"The same reason you won't," I returned. "I am an Alpha."

"I didn't want to believe it," Stefan said in a whisper both of our voices too strained to say anything much louder than that.

"We can do this, Stefan, you just have to lead with me. I am not trying to order you around." I whispered. "I love you, and I don't want to go through this without you, but I will if I have to," I said finally and got up.

I was going to get a shower. I was done with this fight. I was so tired of the same fight with him. It all boiled back down to me not being what he wanted. He wanted a Luna, a submissive, complacent, helpmate to run his pack. I was no Luna.

I was almost halfway to the door when I felt Stefan wrap an arm around my waist and pulled me to his lips. He kissed me roughly and just like that we were devouring each other's passion like a couple of starved hormonal teenager. I barely remember my clothes coming off or Stefan's. Everywhere our skin touched was like an exposed nerve that sent a pulse to my sex. There was no flare or theatrics this time. It was raw, needy, and unfiltered fucking. He entered me roughly and if I had been human, I would have been injured at the force we fucked. We came quickly one right after the other and collapsed in a heap. Stefan rained small kisses over my face, neck, and chest.

"Forgive me," He said in my ear and pulled me on top of him so I wasn't crushed underneath him.

"This was bound to happen, tensions are high, things have changed quickly, there is nothing to forgive." I say and kiss his cheek, pulling away to get dressed.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"We are going to go have a shower, and go check in with the boys, before going to bed." I answer with a smirk.

"Are we going to go another round?" he asked.

"We can, but I'll probably pass out," I smirk at him as I pulled the last of my clothes on.

"I guess I will let you rest," Stefan smirked and playfully nipped at my neck sending a tightening pulse to my core.

I growled lightly and made my way back to the first floor; feeling better that my Stefan was back.

I couldn't stop thinking about the damn dream I had had when I was unconscious. Ulfric's words kept ringing in my head. I wasn't just a Shifter. I was a Wolf. Explaining what the distinction was is like comparing the differences of apples and oranges. Both are fruit, but the flavors were wildly different. Almost like all squares can be classified as a rectangle but not all rectangles are squares. I was more Wolf than I was human, and I was only now realizing that not every Shifter was like me. I could see the way Stefan fought his wolf. I know that the traditions he was raised on were very important to him, but his wolf was siding with me. I don't think even Stefan realized how much those traditions were effecting him until we nearly killed each other, and I hoped he could let them go eventually. I could see the hope he still had for returning to his pack and living a life of peace with me. I would do it to make him happy, but deep down I was still a rogue wolf that felt imprisoned by rules that I felt were unnecessary and archaic.

If Ulfric was right, I would defeat my grandfather. In doing so, I would be forced to execute him in front of his followers to send a message to all that Stefan and I were now in charge. Maybe I was thinking about this all wrong from the beginning of this dispute. It wasn't just me fighting. Stefan was sticking by me, and we would stand together to resolve these issues. I knew more about combat, but Stefan was the true leader between the two of us. He had run his pack with a just hand. He was understanding and kind; while being firm and ruthless when he needed to be. I was a fighter, but Stefan was so much more.

I looked down at him to see his eyes looking at me in awe.

"I had no idea you thought that about me," Stefan said rising up to kiss my cheek before wrapping me in his arms.

"When this is over, I am going to need you to help me navigate through the political mess that will be left behind." I sighed and relaxed into his chest. "I don't think we need a supreme ruler anymore. We need an Alpha's congress." I thought aloud.

"What do you mean?" he asked intrigued.

"The Spartan's had an oligarchy to put forth laws, and a king to lead the soldiers." I explained. "It was efficient and the only way you could serve in the council was to serve so many years in the military. I think that when we overthrow the King, we should establish a council of the retired alphas to handle the disputes between the packs. I'd like to make Lucas and my mother the king and queen if they accept."

"And you say I'm the leader, but you have all the great ideas." Stefan nipped at my neck playfully making me giggle.

"I'm being serious," I scolded.

"So am I," he growled. "We should lead them." Stefan protested.

"No," I refused. "We couldn't produce an heir, and then all of our hard work would be ruined in the coming generations."

"And you think that your mother and Lucas will produce another heir between them?" he asked. "Your mother is already mated to another."

"And she is unhappy, I could see it in her eyes." I argued.

"I want to get Jason his mate back too," I added.

"You can't fix everything Jez," Stefan reminded. "Just focus on one issue for now, how are we going to defeat the Ulfric."

"He is unworthy of using the name Ulfric," I griped. "Ulfric is displeased with him for bastardizing his name."

"How do you know?"

I opened my mind and replayed the conversation I had with Ulfric in the spirit realm. Stefan's eyes glazed over with a mixture of shock and then understanding. It was as if he finally understood me and the situation. Wolves cared nothing for traditions and ritual. We cared of survival of our mates and ourselves. I would not fare well in politics; I preferred my battles to be more physical instead of exhaustingly civilized and pretentious.

"I always knew there was something special about you," Stefan smirked. "You are no mere shifter fighting your beast, you are your beast."

"We need to get down to the ops room and coordinate our moves for this dance." I said as I disentangled myself from the bed and went to start my morning routine.

A few minutes later Stefan and I found ourselves in the ops room. I had a cup of coffee, while Stefan was sticking to water. I don't think he was ready to convert to the godly nectar that fueled my stamina.

"I have confirmation that the Ulfric was funneling money into Brignoff's accounts for years. I also have traced back and found out that your mother did not put you up for adoption, your wet nurse did. I am assuming it was because she was ordered to kill you." Tommy started off with the full reports.

"I went over the blue prints of the building and with the help of Lucas, I have a way in." Jason added.

"I've got enough firepower for one hell of an entrance and a Hollywood worthy getaway." Dean nodded.

"I've narrowed down the major political players we need to keep an eye out for. The Ulfric's favorite advisor, the leader of his personal guard, your mother, and the Ulfric's accountant, and while they all have very technical names, this is the gist of it and what is really important." Carlos offered up.

"Great work guys," I nodded my thanks. "Now, we need allies because we are going to need muscle and backing to pull this off and make a good enough show to even be considered for what we are about to do." I started.

"Stefan, I need you to get on the phone with the other packs, tell them what we have and ask for their support. Jason, I need you to put the word out that we want a meeting with Mr. and Mrs. Brignoff in regards to their granddaughter. If we can appeal to their sense of justice, we may be able to get their support too. Carlos, call in the reserves, the backup, any rogue we know and trust. We are calling in those favors now, and maybe, we won't need to return them when we finally have peace." I finished and they all looked at me with a deep look that I couldn't understand.

"What?" I asked.

"It's just__" Carlos started.

"They grow up so fast," Jason finished and kissed my forehead before exiting the room.

I felt like blushing but kept it together.

Lucas approached us and his eyes gleamed with pride.

"Let me be the first to offer you my loyalty, service, and strength as the future leader of the Shifter's." he said and knelt before us.

"No, father, I will not be leading the Shifter's, I will be leaving you and mother in charge of overseeing the new government Stefan and I establish." I tell him and make him stand. "Our people do not need a new leader, they need a new system."

Lucas smiled at me. "You are truly too wise for me to take credit for it. Your mother will be proud of you."

"Thank you," I smiled back. "Now, let's get to it so we can finish this." I nodded before Stefan and I exited to meet up with Carlos and Jason to help spread the word.

"Carlos, Jason, you guys call the elite, no bums or free loaders," I said as I picked up a phone and my old school address book. As many times as I switched pre-pays I needed a hard copy of all of my contacts. I had my own contacts that weren't necessarily wolves, and they owed me.

We had fallen into our usual routine and Stefan picked up on it quick. We started our mornings together. Jason cooked breakfast before we worked on intel. Mid-morning we trained until lunch. Lunch was a lighter meal because we trained after with weapons training and then I moved on to training with Lucas on my control. I had spent years containing it so I could pass as human or even a regular wolf that wasn't an alpha. Now I had to let that power out and I couldn't just ride it, I had to steer it. It was a grueling process. I kept passing out when I would get overwhelmed from it. Stefan freaked out when it happened the first time so we sent him out to train with Dean.

"Concentrate!" Lucas yelled. "You are better than this!"

I pushed the storm around me and felt my eyes turn. All I needed to do was ride the wave, but I needed somewhere to put the power. Lucas was adamant that I should be able to reel it in and out at will. I tried to reel it in and my wolf side surged forward and I had clarity.

"You presume to tell me what I am and what I am not?" My voice was a rolling growl and you could hear the power in my words. "I am the authority, I am the warrior of the wolves, and you will learn to temper your speech before speaking to me!" I pushed the power into him. "I am the champion, I am Wolf, I carry the blessings of Ulfric." Lucas' skin shivered as he fought the waves flowing through him. Lucas fell to his knees and I felt my control slipping. This was usually the part where I became unconscious.

I imagined the power as blue waves around me like ribbons that could slice or caress. I knew I could push it even further when I blocked out everything and I sent it to Stefan and let it envelope him and it absorbed into him. The storm ebbed and I opened my eyes as it flowed out. I could see through Stefan's eyes, feel his curiosity and the high he had from the power. He was coming, racing to get to me. The door of the interrogation room we were using flew open and for a moment I saw myself in Stefan's eyes. My hair was hiding half of my face and I was slumped over sitting Indian style on the table.

"What the hell was that?" Stefan asked and snapped me out of the trance.

"Stefan gets to stay tomorrow," I announce and glare at Lucas to object. "He is my balance," I state.

"I don't think that's going to help you control the power," Lucas objected.

"I really don't care what you think," I replied and left the room with Stefan wrapping me in his arms.

"Why do you provoke him like that?" Stefan asked with a grin.

"He disrespected me," I replied.

"I'm sure he was just trying to help you," he chuckled.

"And I'm sure that he was, but the only person who gets to berate me in training is Jason," I smirked.

"Why does Jason get to berate you?" he laughed taking my hand as we walked down the hall toward the kitchen for dinner.

"Jason is the only one who can beat me, one on one," I smiled at him and leaned my head on his shoulder.

"Really?" he asked. "How could he have the_"

"Jason is an Alpha's son," I tell him and I felt the shock seep out of Stefan.

"I had no idea, he hides it well," Stefan replies.

"That and Jason knows me, he knows me in the way that he can tell when I need to be pushed and when to back off. That and I trust him," I said. I trusted Jason more than I trusted Stefan in some ways. I could trust Jason with anything and I knew he would be there to support me without judgement. He loved me unconditionally and I felt that Stefan was still trying to mold me into what he envisioned his mate to be and not who I truly was. Sure, we had the pull, the bond; we could hear each other's thoughts and feel each other's feelings and I know that he loved me, but he didn't love all of me, yet. I loved him, but I didn't love the fact that he wanted to change me.

"Lenuta," Lucas called catching up to us.

I turned and grabbed Stefan's hand and what would normally be a storm raging around me was just a force of power that encircled us. Lucas paused as he felt it and didn't come any closer.

"I don't have any right to ask you, but I would like it if we could spend some time to get to know one another. I would like to know you." Lucas said failing to ask a question out right, but it was there. I knew he was nervous to ask me this. Everything that he had done was trying to support me and gain my trust. I didn't know the first thing about how to deal with this situation.

"I thought that was what we did in training," I replied.

Lucas looked at me as if I had grown a second head. "I want to know what you like to do, not how strong you are. I know you are exceptionally trained, what I want to know is what you do other than train, work, run, and fight with your mate."

"I'm into cars," I said simply and walked into the ops room to get an update on the job. That's what I did really. I retreated into my work when things got rough. I could hear Stefan saying something to him but I tuned it out. I couldn't think about my relationship with Lucas now. Focus on the job.

"Where are we?" I asked to no one in particular in the room.

"I've heard back from the reserves, they are on their way," Carlos called while on the phone. He turned back to his conversation, "We'll see you when you get here just call and we'll open the door." He paused for a moment and then replied. "Yeah, we'll talk more about a key when you get here." Then he hung up.

"Any word from the Brignoff's?" I asked Jason.

"Not yet, but the girl is getting worse," he replied.

"I'll go check on her," I nodded.

"What about your contacts?" Jason asked.

"Tomorrow," I nod to him, and grin. "Dean your girlfriend is coming," I tease.

"Shit," Dean swears. "Keep her away from me, that bitch will kill me."

I laughed. "Don't worry, she gave her oath to not kill you."

Dean just glared at me, "I can't believe you called her in, this isn't even her type of job."

"I called her in because she is the best damn grifter I have ever worked with. She's knows how people work, how they think. This job is one big con. The only difference is that we are stealing a government instead of guns, cars, or munitions," I gripe. "Part of this job is getting the court to agree to what I am bringing to the table."

"Fine," Dean growled. "I thought we were a team, not a pack,"

"Shut your mouth Dean, and quit acting like an insolent child," Jason growled. "Packs don't get explanations, and you are the one that didn't call after playing with that girl."

Dean grit his teeth before looking back down at his computer.

"Dean, do you mind showing Stefan the ropes on sniper rifles?" I asked.

"Yeah, I mind, you do it." He griped. Someone's a little sensitive when they don't get their way. I rolled my eyes and started sifting through the paperwork again; hoping that maybe this time I could actually find something useful.

The Ulfric's entire system was built on fear and respect. It was like the mafia. People paid him to do favors or when they had no one else to turn to. If you step out of line then you get whacked or someone you love does, so you either disappear on your own or they do it for you. If you didn't do what he said, he had the money, the backing, and the power to do what he wanted. He wasn't out for the best interests of the Shifters, he was out for himself. When things were peaceful and people weren't asking for protection anymore, he started paying the stray hunter's groups to attack packs all over the world so that they would turn back to him.

"This is some seriously fucked up horse shit," I swore.

Jason just glanced at me before chuckling and shaking his head.

"Just look at him like any other mark," Jason says calmly.

I sighed and face planted over the piles of files.

"This is impossible," I groaned.

"No it's not," he said calmly and poured me a cup of coffee. "Remember the job we pulled a couple years ago in Sydney," Jason reminded and sat down next to me putting an arm around the back of my chair.

"Yeah," I mumbled with my face still in the paper.

"That aboriginal tribe with the racket over the local pack." He prodded some more.

"Yeah, they were milking the pack for all of their profits from the kangaroo skins and beef market, because they thought they would put a hex on them or voodoo or whatever if they didn't." I said raising my head and sipping the coffee.

"There's a shifter pack in Australia?" Stefan asked sitting down on the other side of me.

"Yeah, they aren't wolves," Jason said, "They're dingoes."

"Dingoes?" Stefan clarified.

"Yep," I answered.

"So how did we deal with the aboriginals?" Jason asked.

"We proved the leader wasn't as powerful as he thought he was, provoked him in public and then put him down. We stole the money he had stolen from the Dingoes and then herded all the cattle back to them." I answered.

"Okay, so how do we prove the Ulfric isn't as powerful as he thinks he is?" he asked.

"Challenge him in front of the court," Stefan piped up.

"What?" I asked.

"No, it's totally legal for you to Challenge him, any alpha can challenge for the position of Ulfric, it's just no one has actually done it in a hundred years or so." Stefan says.

"That would be a good diversion while we seize his assets," Jason pipes in.

"I'll need a show of force if I'm going to do something like that," I think aloud. "I'll bet if we can get enough mercs on board maybe even some pack wolves to show it's not just rogues the court will listen."

"Well our pack warriors could be called in," Stefan says.

"If Erik doesn't show up himself with all of them," Jason comments.

"What?" Stefan asks.

"When you called, Erik was ready to take the warriors straight up to the Ulfric's court until I talked him out of it." Jason said.

"You're right he would probably show up if I asked him," Stefan nodded and ran a hand through his hair. It was getting almost too long.

"You need to call him and check in" I leaned in and said lowly. "Ask him to come out if you want." I laid my head on his shoulder.

"So now we are letting pack wolves into the safe house too?" Dean chipped in his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Dean, take a walk before I kick your ass all the way out the door," Jason yelled slamming his hand on the table. "I don't wanna hear another fucking word out of you with that bullshit!" It took a lot for Jason to snap, and when he did, you get out of the damn way. "So shut the fuck up before I punch you in your goddamn mouth," He ranted as Dean just left the room averting his eyes.

"Yeah you better walk away, you little bitch," Jason continued following him out the door.

"We really need to go for a run as a group," Stefan thought aloud.

"Is that what your pack does when tensions get high?" Jason mocked.

I stood up and put a hand up to Jason. "Don't start with us Jason, we are on your side," I said calmly. "Let's go spar for a bit, hit the bags."

"Fuck all you," Jason said and slammed the door on his way out.

"Damn," Stefan said breaking the silence.

"He'll be okay," I reassure and sit down in Stefan's lap.

"I've never seen Jason so pissed," Stefan says, worry lacing his tone.

"I have," I brush it off. "When things get stressful, or tensions raise, sometimes he just snaps."

"And that's normal?" he asks.

"For Jason it is," I laugh.

"I can't believe__"

"I don't want to talk about Jason," I whisper before pressing my lips to his effectively cutting him off and shutting him up.

"Let's go back to our room for a bit," Stefan suggests.

I found myself nodding as he picked me up and we moved out the door.