"I'd like to invite you to my home this evening, Vakkar."
My narrowed gaze cut to Edith at her words, and at the husky, flirtatious tone in her voice. A smile was on her lips, and her body leaned against the doorway of the room she had shown me to.
Her eyes were heavy with her lust, but that slowly disappeared the longer I watched her, saying nothing.
I observed the way she became uncomfortable in the silence that followed; the confident posture from her body wilted away, and the smile on her lips became thin with her discomfort.
But then I broke the silence when I spoke, giving her my back as I did,
"Your mate already invited me to your home, and explained that he will be hosting a dinner this evening. I will be there, along with my Beta. Thank you for showing me to my room- you can leave now."
I heard the intake of her breath, traces of disbelief and outrage in that sound, but I also heard the sounds of her footsteps when she left the doorway.
Abner, my Beta, chuckled dryly from where he sat and had observed the brief interaction. "Foolish woman." He stood from a chair, and his hand reached into one of the pockets of his pants.
"I'm going to take a walk around the north side of the pack to check on our warriors," Abner's eyes glinted with dark excitement, and he continued, his voice lowering, "And make sure that they are prepared."
He began to approach the door of the small, cramped bedroom we stood in, but paused when I told him,
"Be back by five."
I heard his grunt of acknowledgement before he left the room. It was only him and I in this house, so I did not need to worry about whether or not someone might have became suspicious about our conversation.
When the door below clicked shut after Abner's departure, I moved to the opened window of the room, looking out into the pack.
Some of the people of the Feldon pack walked near the sidewalks of the house I was in, unaware that they were being watched.
Children were amongst them, holding hands with adults or walking feet ahead of them. My eyes swept beyond them and went to the houses and buildings nearby.
This pack was small in comparison to the many I have visited, and there is a considerable amount of warriors present, all which could be easily defeated.
They were notorious for not quite being skilled for battles or fighting other lycans, but this did not stop Rothman from speaking of his intentions of using them to gain what he wanted.
Word and rumors travelled fast throughout packs, and when I'd discovered what Rothman had spoken of, anger had washed through my veins, and even now, still certainly lingered.
Chortled laughter made my eyes shift from the views of the houses, and I watched as several warriors, dressed in their standard uniform, walked along the sidewalk, speaking amongst themselves.
They must have eventually felt me watching them, because their heads lifted and eyes roamed around them until they rested on the window I stood behind.
I straightened, and took in the rippling expressions that moved through their features before their paces quickened and they disappeared beyond a corner.
They would be amongst the many warriors who would be killed tonight.
Anticipation coiled in my stomach, and I dragged my tongue along the now throbbing fangs in my mouth at the thought of the upcoming bloodshed.
Just a few more hours...
The squeaking of a door opening below dragged my attention away from my bloodlust. I remained where I stood, head tilted, listening as soft footsteps moved along the wooden floor.
The person, based on what I could hear, was not wearing shoes, and was moving quickly throughout one of the rooms.
I began to turn, intending to confront the person, but by the time I reached below, the front door had clicked closed.
My eyes swept around me, seeing little changes, but then fell on a tray of fruit and chocolates that had been placed on a table. A short note briefly detailed that Edith and Rothman hoped I would enjoy my stay was perched near the tray.
I might have left it be, however, a scent lingered in the air, one that made my entire body go rigid, and forced awareness to sweep through me.
Lingering thoughts of bloodshed cleared my mind as I prowled closer to the table that held the tray, and I inhaled deeply.
The same scent washed over me, roughly, the strength of it enveloping my body.
Tension uncoiled slowly from my body as I remained standing, enraptured by it, and I opened my mouth, tasting the air and the smell it held. It was sweet, but also held traces of a light cinnamon. It was certainly not unpleasant, but the discovery of a scent that aroused a strong, primal desire throughout me was staggering.
My teeth and fangs snapped together, and I took a step back, away from the tray and the scent, my gaze going to the door.
Cursing under my breath, I fought to battle down my frustration. I immediately knew what that scent meant; my mate had been the one to deliver the tray of fruits and chocolates.
The note in my hand crinkled noisily when I clenched it.
Throughout most of my life, a mate had been the last thing on my mind, and when I did allow myself the thought of a mate, I did not allow myself to dwell on that for too long.
Fighting to survive, and then fighting to protect my pack and its people had been my focus.
And now, with this discovery that I had a mate, and that she was somewhere in this pack, put a damper into my plans.
Cursing under my breath once more, I turned and began to make my way upstairs, mind-linking Abner rapidly. He was startled by the abruptness of it.
"Vakkar?"
"Get back to the house, Abner. Plans may need to change, and we need to discuss it."
********
"We are being followed." Abner's voice was a low growl as he walked beside me, and I glanced at him.
"I am aware of that."
Four of Rothman's warriors had been trailing behind us since we had left the house, to go to Edith's and Rothman's home. The weight of their gazes were heavy, and I knew that they had likely been commanded by Rothman to follow us.
I felt a burn on the corners of my lips at the bitter amusement that arose in me; Rothman suspected that Abner and I were up to something.
He would later discover what that 'something' was, but by the time he did, it would be too late for him to try and retaliate effectively.
I refocused back on the road ahead, letting my gaze move over some female lycans nearing, attempting to pick up the scent that I had smelled earlier.
None of them held it, and so I rapidly dismissed them, lengthening my pace.
When I heard more footsteps joining the ones behind me, I looked over my shoulder at the warriors, letting them know that I knew they had been behind us. Boots slowed against the road, and heads ducked, but they never slowed.
"I believe this is it." Abner came to a halt a few minutes later. A wide gate stood before us, and I popped off the weak latch, hearing it noisily clash against the bars of the gate.
When Abner and I walked through the gate, I kicked it closed behind me, hearing it slam and then click, and the footsteps from the warriors also halted.
I could hear shouting voices beyond the door of the home when I neared it, but I knocked anyway, purposely hard and loudly, interrupting the argument.
Immediately silence fell, and for several seconds, nothing happened. But then, the door's handle moved.
Rothman's eyes did not hold my own for long when he opened the door to his home. The smile he gave was forced, and I saw the way his shoulders tightened with tension before he made them drop the stiffness.
"Ah, you're a bit early." He said, and behind him, I could hear his mate, Edith, hissing out a curse, mocking him.
He stiffened at that, and sent Abner and myself an apologetic smile. "My mate and I are currently having a bit of a disagreement. If it is all right, I will have one of my-"
"It's not a fucking disagreement! My sister said she caught you leaving the shed after that whore this afternoon!" The words burst from Edith and she stalked into view.
Her face was entirely flushed with her anger, and her shoulders raised and fell. She jabbed a finger roughly into Rothman's side. "Tell me the truth. Did she try to seduce you again?"
Rothman's jaw clenched, and his gaze moved back to us. "Pardon me, gentlemen." And then, he turned, gripping Edith's arm in a tight hold as he yanked her away from the doorway.
The sounds of them arguing ensued, and it was the shutting of a door nearby that made my attention move away from them.
"Right this way." A woman, a human, stood in the doorway of a room. Her fingers were threaded together, and her posture was poised.
But the confidence she exuded did not help hide the trace of fear I picked up when Abner and I approached her. She gestured almost frantically towards a room; a library room.
"Please, make yourself comfortable here. I will come and tell you when dinner is ready." Her head dipped before she practically fled. The sound of a door slamming shut reverberated in the air.
Whilst Abner made himself comfortable, settling in an armchair, I stood by a library stand, listening to the arguments coming from above, and then growing impatient as time passed.
I was already frustrated because of the changes I may need to make, and the need to confront Rothman was strong.
When the young woman returned, some time later, a kitchen towel was in her hands, and she wiped her fingers along it.
"Please, walk with me to the dining room." Her eyes darted between Abner and myself, before she turned, walking quickly. Abner stood with a grunt, and I heard his footsteps as he walked behind me.
A table holding little food greeted Abner and myself when we entered the spacious dining room.
Edith was seated at the table, her fingers now decorated with diamond rings interlaced, and a secret smile was on her lips as her gaze traveled over my body, only for it to disappear when she met my eyes.
There were no signs that she had once been infuriated with her mate.
"Are we too early again?" Abner grunted from beside me, an eyebrow arched as he looked upon the empty table. Edith stood at us entering, and began to cross the table, speaking as she did,
"No, you're not. The slaves will be bringing out the food shortly," Edith swept a slender hand towards the chairs, and her gaze lingered on mine. "Please sit."
The chairs squeaked roughly against the wooden floor as they were moved, and just before I sat, I caught the eyes of Rothman.
He must not have been expecting me to look at him, for the scowl on his mouth rapidly transformed into a wooden smile.
However, a dark glint moved through his eyes, showing the true dislike he had at me being here. I knew my own eyes betrayed my silent wrath, and I did not try to soften it by forcing a similar smile upon my mouth.
Rothman moved to sit beside his mate, and for several long seconds, silence was all that was heard.
I observed both Rothman and Edith throughout it, watching the ways their mouths opened and closed several times, desperately wanting to fill in the quietness.
"How are the people of your pack, Vakkar?" Rothman finally spoke, and then paused to clear his throat when my gaze focused on him.
"They are fine." I answered, shortly.
Silence settled in once again, and I felt a pricking sensation from Abner as he attempted to mind-link. I knew what he intended to ask, and told him through the method of mind-linking,
"Not yet, Abner. Soon."
Abner glanced at me, his lips in a frown, but said nothing.
"I'd like to apologize about my earlier behavior," Edith said to Abner and I, even though her facial expression suggested she held no true remorse,
"There has been an issue with one of my slaves here in the pack. My mate has been trying to reject her advances, but she is persistent."
"Is that so?" My eyes went to Rothman, who was now blatantly refusing to look at either Abner and myself.
Rothman and I had been in several meetings in the past, and he had been forced to, each time, leave because of the way he harassed the female lycans that were present. It did not seem Edith had caught wind of this; either that or she had ignored it.
"Yes. She's a little whore, that one." Edith said, her voice darkening with her distaste, and Rothman sent her a sharp look which made her mouth snap shut.
Clearing her throat, she shifted in her chair, straightening in it, appearing as if she intended to speak again, but footsteps came from nearby.
Men and women, all of them human, entered the room, holding various hot dishes and empty wine glasses. None of them spoke, except for the occasional 'pardon me' as they put down what they held upon the table.
Their clothes were white, spotless and well put together, but the expressions on their faces were haggard and tired.
Throughout them setting down the items and food on the table, they kept their heads bowed low before stepping backwards, moving to line up against the walls on both sides of the room.
The entire ordeal was odd, and I exchanged a look with Abner.
"These are my human slaves." There was a proud note in Edith's voice as she said this. Her glittering eyes looked between Abner and myself. "Do you have any of those in your pack?"
I answered. "No."
She made a noise with her tongue, and the steam from the meat on her plate lifted into her face. "You should get some. They might be a bit stubborn at first, but that can be whipped out of them."
"Hmm." Abner's tone suggested he was bored, and Rothman, strangely, remained silent throughout it all, a sly smile on his lips that grew when he saw that I watched him as he now appeared to grow confident.
"I have one human slave here in particular that I'd like to introduce you to, Vakkar." Rothman said as he lifted a fork and knife. "Her father is a man I believe you have met before."
The slyness no longer was just on his lips, but now could also be heard in his voice. I said nothing, giving no reaction away, but watched, and waited for him to continue.
The glint from earlier moved through his eyes once more, and my fangs began to burn as irritation sparked in me.
"Oh yes, her." Edith clapped her hands, once, and looked at one of the humans standing quietly by the wall. "Where is Leora?"
"Getting the wine bottles, ma'am. She should be here shortly." The answer was provided quickly.
Edith's smile was entirely wicked as she looked at me. "She's also the whore I spoke of earlier as well, Vakkar."
I grunted and eyed her for a moment before shifting my gaze away, towards the doorway of the living room, where I could hear approaching footsteps.
And when the woman, Leora, came into view, immediately I recognized her scent.
Sweet, and with a very faint hint of cinnamon, it surrounded me entirely, and my gaze focused solely on her as I breathed it in.
One by one, each person in the room faded away, except for her.
Surges of heat ripped through me, the feeling of it both delicious and painful, and silence was all I heard as my gaze held her own before moving along her body when everything about her seemed to sharpen and brighten as I recognized her as my mate.
The heavy weight moved through my chest, and the heat strengthened throughout me as I never took my eyes off of her, even as the brightness of her became almost painfully so.
And then, briefly, for an electrifying moment, it was as if she herself was light.
But just as quick as this happened, this sharpness and brightness disappeared, leaving everything as it had been before.
But even then, I found it difficult to look away from Leora, and the strong feelings that had arisen in me when I had first looked at her, still remained.
I had heard, briefly, of what male lycans experienced when they discovered their mates for the first time, and how those experiences differed.
Discovering and recognizing Leora as my mate, and the intensity of what I experienced throughout it, was both unsettling yet utterly intriguing.
"This is the slave who tried to seduce my mate." Edith's hissed words jerked my gaze away from Leora, who I was faintly aware had been standing still throughout the entire time I had been watching her.
Cold anger suffused my veins at Edith's words, and I looked at Rothman. His eyes were strained and focused on the plate of food before him, and he refused to look up.
Immediately, I knew then that Rothman had lied to Edith.
"Vakkar, you've heard of her father, I believe," Edith continued when I said or did nothing. She paused, and then leaned forward, hissing the words, "Rhyan East."
Rhyan East.
The name brought back dark, painful memories that burned my mind, and a wave of both surprise and fury so potent made my vision go dark. His name echoed in my head.
Rhyan East.
The commander who had slaughtered my entire family.
**********
I hope you enjoyed this chapter!