by Aidy Award
Aleksei shook his head and took several more labored breaths. "There's some crazy-ass shit going down, Maxsim. They've got these three women with creepy dead eyes who made us want to drink their poison. I've never seen anything like it."
Max glanced over at his brother and then his mom. "Like Key. They may also have been forced into mated submission. We need to find out more about the women they are choosing. If they have inherent powers we need to find out who they might target in Rogue."
Max flicked his eyes to Gal. She figured they were both wondering if this had anything to do with Zara's disappearance.
"Aleksei. Where's my father?"
This injured man, who'd fought for his life looked as though Max's simple question had struck him like a death blow to the heart.
"They sent me back to give you a warning." Aleksei's took a shuttered breath. "The Crescent Alpha is claiming our territory and pack because of his defeat of your father. Which is bullshit. They took his life without honor."
Selena grabbed her throat. "Piotr is dead?"
"If they hadn't drugged me with the wolfsbane and their witchy women hadn't messed with my mind. They wouldn't have been able to make me run from them. I swear I tried to stay and fight." The big tough guy's voice wavered and he went down on one knee before Max. "They chased me through three states before I figured out how to make my way back here. I would have fought them if I could, Alpha. I have failed the Troikas and I only hope you will allow me to say goodbye to my beloved before you kill me."
Alpha? Gal was under the impression that Max's older brother would become the alpha. That lump in her stomach suddenly grew a good three times in size.
Max stumbled back and she caught his hand. She gave it a squeeze just like he'd done for her a moment ago, letting him know she was there for him. He glanced down at her, the wolf already glowing in his eyes.
He shook his head, shock straining his face, confirming her own fear. Kosta also had that look of shock and awe, and when Gal glanced over at Selena she had a tired, sad resignation to her face. Max closed his eyes and clenched his jaw, the muscles there pulsing. "You won't be killed, Aleksei. Not by my hand, nor my order. You have served us as well as you could. I will not take you away from your loved ones. We're going to need all the wolf power we can muster in the upcoming days, I fear."
Aleksei bowed his head. "Thank you, Alpha."
"If Doc clears you, go to your family now. Spend as much time with them as you can today. I'll call on you soon to get more information about Crescent turning on us. Anything you can remember might help."
Aleksei rose and Doc gave him a once over. "You're recovering fine, but I think you could use another dose of my theriac. I'd like to see your wolf heal those wounds on your back."
"I'll help you mix it up then, shall I?" Selena stood and waved the two men toward the kitchen. She gave long meaningful looks to both Max and Kosta that Gal guessed meant they would do their grieving in private later.
She would stay for Max if they'd allow that, do anything that needed to be done. For this one horrible moment, she simply held his hand tight so that he would know she was here.
As soon as the three people were out of the room, Kosta stood and paced in front Max. "This has to end, brother. We can't allow those one-blood Grimm bastards to out us to the whole fucking world. That's their plan, you know? They're fucking glad Niko offed the Tzar. It was the excuse they needed to break every goddamned law we have. While you were off fucking around, I actually did my duty to the pack gathered some intel."
In a blink Max left Gal's side and had Kosta up against the wall, his hand wrapped around his younger brother's throat. "Be careful how you talk about my mate, Konstantine."
Kosta thrashed, but couldn't budge from Max's grip. Gal's heart rate skyrocketed and an uncomfortable surge of adrenaline washed over her. Here came those consequences.
"Your mate? You can't fucking be serious. She's a human."
Oh, okay. Gal saw how it was now. Kosta was the one fucking around. Heli might say it was nothing more than a fling, but she was going to be devastated. His reaction also meant she and Max's lives were about to get a lot stickier too. She didn't a hundred percent understand what being his mate meant or why Niko wasn't the new alpha. But if most wolf-shifters felt the way Kosta did, her relationship with Max was going to be a roadblock for them all.
She should give him up. Make a promise to forget about them, their kind, and walk away. She should let Max do whatever his new duties were without her being a chain around his shoulders, weighing him down. She should. But she didn't know if she could.
"Yes. My mate. And in a few days, under the full moon, she will become the pack matriarch. So I suggest you learn how to show some respect."
Unless she wasn't around in a few days.
Kosta finally jerked out of Max's grip and snarled. His eyes were glowing, not that same blue that Max had, but with a darker almost purple light. "It's a good thing dad and Niko are dead. Because it would kill them to see you destroy this pack."
Whoa. What? Niko was dead? Zara was going to be shattered.
"Niko would understand." Max said so quietly, it was almost a whisper except for the growl beneath it.
"Niko left her, Max. He went to serve the Tzar as penance for wanting her in the first place. That's what got him killed. You know, I know it, and pretty damn soon, the whole of Wolfkind is going to find out we're not a powerful wolf pack. We're a joke."
Two pillows flew past Gal's face and right into the faces of Max and Kosta.
"No, malysh." Selena stood next to a couch with three other matching pillows. "We are the change the wolf-shifter world needs."
Max
Fuck.
If there was anyone Max needed on his side, who expected to understand, it was Kosta. He wasn't sure who else would support his relationship with Gal besides his mother. It would have been nice to have the best of the Enforcers on his side too. But his little fit and storming out when Selena had intervened was an eye-opener to Max.
Thanks the moon and stars he had already marked and claimed Galyna. He had a feeling he was going to need her to be his rock.
"Give him some time to cool off. He and your father didn't always have the best relationship. This is going to be hardest on him." His mother crossed an arm, folding in on herself.
He was such a dumbass. Her mate had just been killed, her world even more upended than his own. "I'm sorry, mother. I shouldn't have reacted to him and started a fight. The two of us should be the ones there for you right now, not the other way around."
"We all need to pull together. This pack had taken blow after blow in the past few months and everything else, family squabbles and grieving all will have to be put aside. You're the one who has to lead these wolves now, Maxsim. No one else. You are the alpha."
"What if I'm not ready, mom?" Alphas weren't supposed to question themselves. They were strong, they were leaders, their word and will were law.
"You are, malysh. I wasn't kidding when I said we were going to be the change. Your father and I have known it since the three of you were born. He tried his best to ignore it and pretend everything was the status quo, but it never was and never would be. Niko set this shift in motion, you have to take the next turn."
Gal came to stand beside him and slipped her hand into his. Her simple gesture already soothed his beast that was itching to get out. "Does what your saying have anything to do with this?"
She pulled her collar aside and showed Selena her mark. Except it sure as hell wasn't the simple red bite mark he'd worried over an hour ago. His teeth marks were still visible, but only as they were incorporated into the blue glowing design of a full moon on her skin.
Selena stared at the mark, flicked her eyes to Max, and then wrapped Galyna into a giant hug. "Yes, it has everything to do with the fact that you two are fated mates."
When Selena released Gal, she grabbed Max by the cheeks and squeezed them as if he was a three-year-old p
up. "I knew you would claim her. You just needed a little nudge."
"Mother." Max rolled his eyes, but smiled too. He didn't understand how his mother knew Galyna was his fated mate or why she was good with him mating a human, but he appreciated that she was.
"Now, let's get to work. You need to call the pack in to announce your ascension to alpha, and declare your claim on Galyna. We were already preparing for the mating ceremony in a few nights, so that is in motion. You have explained what will happen at the ritual to her, didn't you, Max?"
Oh fuck. "You really think it's wise to go forward with the ceremony?"
"What's going to happen at the ritual? Ew, is it blood? Is there a sacrifice. I'm not ripping the head off a chicken, Max."
Selena patted Gal on the arm. "No blood. Unless you're a virgin, and after the ruckus you two made last night, we all know you're not."
"Mother." This was not how he wanted this conversation to go.
Gal turned about fifty shades of pink, which was both adorable and disconcerting. She was probably going to kick his ass later. "Oh man. You could hear us? Wait a second. What do you mean? Do you sacrifice virgins?"
The look of utter grotesque shock on Gal's face and her questions had Max scrambling. "No, love. The mating ceremony is about claiming for all to see. I'll bite you again, where you're marked, and... claim you."
Her eyes went wide and then narrowed at him. "Why do I have the feeling that claiming me doesn't involve a speech or a simple declaration like 'I do'?"
"What Max is trying to say is that you have to have sex." How the hell his mother said that so nonchalantly, he'd never know.
Gal waved toward the bedrooms. "We already have."
There was no way around this. He'd just have to tell her quick. Like shifting. A short, fast hit of pain and it would be over. "In front of the pack."
Her jaw dropped open and slowly her lips formed a sweet little 'oh.' The pink in her cheeks and on her chest went bright red. Max would be worried, except for the flicker of lust in her eyes as her pupils dilated. The ripe fruit scent of her arousal swirled between them. Christ. She was turned on by the idea. Maybe his sweet girl was dirtier than he thought.
They never did have that discussion about past lovers. Suddenly he found himself feeling pretty damn jealous. His wolf was panting for her and wanted to re-stake its claim on her, ensure no other man could held any part of her mind or body. Max grabbed Gal around the waist and pulled her into his arms. He tipped her chin up and stared into her dark, sparkling eyes. "I will have the pack, the world, everyone, dammit, know you are mine, Galyna. But in the moment it will be only you and me, our bodies joined as one. It will be my hands, my mouth, my cock giving you pleasure. You will come for me and only me, and I for you."
She licked her lips and he felt her heart beating rapidly, her chest against his. She inhaled ragged breaths and nodded, the tiniest bobs of her head. "Okay."
Max kissed his mate long and hard, sweeping his tongue into her mouth. She groaned and wrapped her foot around the back of his leg. If their world was on the verge of collapsing he'd take her back to bed right now. As it were he was already acutely aware of his mother patiently waiting for him to get his head out of his pants. Or rather out of Gal's pants as it were. He nipped at her lip and gave it a soft lick and then sadly, pulled away.
She rubbed a hand along his jaw. "You should know when this is over, you're buying me the biggest honking diamond ring."
He would buy her diamonds and pearls and anything else she wanted. He was totally gonna put a ring on it. "When this is over, you can have anything you want, my love."
Her smile lit up her whole face and his whole life. "I just want you, Max Troika."
"Aww," His mother cooed. "You two are almost sickly sweet. Wrap that feeling up in your mind because you're going to need it. What lies ahead is going to be a bitch and a half. I promise."
Leave it to his mother to bring them back to the reality of the situation. She was right of course. That's what years of being the pack's matriarch had done. Made her the wisest women he knew.
That would be Gal someday too if they could make it through the next few battles. He could hardly wait to see her with their own children. Not that it was a good time to bring pups into the world. But someday they would. "I'm going to need you by my side for the next few days. If we're going to get the pack to accept you as the new matriarch we have to present a united front. Can you call in to work?"
If Max had his own way, he'd have her quit her job all together. He could take care of her financially. But he wasn't stupid. She'd worked hard for her education and was not the kind to want to be a kept woman. As long as he could protect her, he'd be satisfied. For now.
Gal made a cute thinking face, scrunching up her nose and pushing out her lips. "Umm. Let me see what I can do. I'm supposed to do story time this afternoon and close again this evening."
It took everything in him not to blurt out that he couldn't let her do that. "I can send a couple of enforcers with you for the afternoon, but I don't want you out after dark. If the Grimms and Crescents are going to attack, that's when they'll strike."
She tipped her head to the side and her eyes joined the array of features displaying her brain at work. "What if we let them?"
"Not a chance." He couldn't control it that time. He was not taking that kind of risk with her life. The second a wolf from any other pack got a whiff of her, they'd know she was with him.
"Now, hear me out. Selena said you need to call the pack in to tell them all you're the alpha now. Wouldn't be all intimidating and stuff if you did it right in front of them. Show them you aren't scared and that their harassment of the Troikas won't be tolerated."
Shit. It was a good plan. "You didn't happen to study military strategy along with your librarian degree, did you?"
"No. But I have read a lot of books. Including The Art of War. I have a few favorite quotes from Sun Tzu that I certainly never thought I'd apply to anything but learning how to get along with my dad. Definitely not for an actual war. But if the book fits, wear it."
His mother nodded with an eye trained on Max's very smart mate. "I like it. Let them follow Gal from the library to Sleepy Folk. They won't suspect you even know about your father yet if we keep to our regular routines and hide Aleksei. I'll call Doc and your brother. Kosta could use a task to keep him occupied."
Max wondered if his father had gotten run over by the women in his life like he'd just been. Maybe that's what being an alpha was like. Listening to the good ideas of the people he trusted and letting them do what they do best. He had no doubt that with very little intervention from him, every wolf in Rogue would be at Sleepy Folk tonight already in on the plan.
"I have one other suggestion." Gal raised her hand like a kid in class who wasn't sure they had the right answer.
"You're on a roll. Lay it on me." She might not be confident in her idea, but Max already was. He already understood why having a strong matriarch for a pack was so vital.
Gal glanced over at his mother who gave her the go ahead nod. "I think you should let the other wolves who are in love with human women or men bring them tonight too."
Selena stopped in her tracks, but didn't say anything. She waited silently, telling him without words it was his call. He rubbed his jaw, stalling. Gal wasn't simply asking him to allow the wolves he already knew were seeing humans the same freedom he'd taken with her. She wanted him to take the next step.
They weren't ready. Kosta was proof of that. But if he brought Gal and presented her as his mate he would already be crossing the line into outlaw territory. He'd broken every law, rule, and taboo with her. When his mother had spoken of their world changing, Gal was the catalyst.
The plan was to present a strong united front. If he and Gal showed up together, with her marked and claimed to the new pack alpha, there was going to be dissent. More than that. Wolves weren't exactly known for polite disagreements. By a quick calculation in his head, he cou
ld lose a good half of the pack over this.
Instead of presenting an unassailable front to the other packs, he could be gifting them with a truckload of new members. That would put the pack in volatile jeopardy.
The wolf's intuition was much stronger than Max's alone. It knew what it had to do, Max simply had to let it. His gut told him that allowing his wolves to be the first to be able to claim their true mates, he would make the pack stronger. Wolves across the world who had been denied the same would come to be Troikas.
But the ones opposed, like the one-bloods, would declare all out war.
An alpha always did what was best for the pack, even if it wasn't what he wanted. "I don't think we're ready to let the entire town in on our secret."
"But--" Gal's face fell and she took a step away from him.
She had to understand the consequences of being a part of the pack. "Gal, I never had that same confidence that Niko did to outright defy my parents. I had my own rebellious streak, but it was tame human stuff. Until you. You bring out the best in me and that's fucking scary. I need you on my side if any of this is going to work."
She nodded, but he could see she was still upset.
"The world isn't ready to know that werewolves exist side by side with them. But I'm betting there are more humans in Rogue that have already been entrusted with that secret and have proven themselves worthy. We're going to need them to stand as evidence that this shift in our culture isn't a mistake. We need you to be the first among them to step forward and give your fealty to the pack."
"You know that I will."
He never thought otherwise. His wolf had always known she was right for him, and the pack. "I do. I'm counting on that it will be enough to show those that will doubt us that love isn't our enemy. Let's make the calls and find out who has human mates."
Gal's face lit up. "I know who to call."
Max wasn't aware she knew any other men or women in his pack. Which meant she must know some other women who were seeing wolves. Some heads were going to get busted if his wolves hadn't impressed upon their partners the importance of secrecy. Maybe this wasn't a good idea.
