by Dawn Forrest
He finished his meal and quaffed a large glass of milk. Tomorrow he would be back at The Den where he could plan his next move. All being well, he would be fully recuperated and ready to go after Katherine in time for the full moon. He would mate her and fill her so full of his seed that she was bound to conceive. Then he’d take her back to his palace in India, where her real training would begin.
He lay down on a cot and began to fantasize about what he would do to her. His shaft grew rock hard and his balls throbbed with his sick and perverted thoughts. He would inevitably tire of her after he’d broken her in and she’d spawned his heirs, but he didn’t think that would happen for a long time. No one would touch her until she’d served her purpose, served him. Later he could use her for political advantage, acquire more territory for the use of her womb and that kind of thing. He might consider letting a few of his most trusted generals and Alphas have the occasional full-moon ride. Yes, the possibilities were endless, and he felt supremely smug that he had had the foresight to tag her coat with a small waterproof locator the moment he’d grabbed her. The device used to track the signal was in the glove box of the now-missing rented car, but he had a spare one back in his room at The Den. He hadn’t completely underestimated his bitch.
* * * *
William Hawke wondered how realistic and enforceable any agreement to protect the rights of Katherine Akara would be. The best solution all around would be if she found her true-mate. Once she had formed a bond she would be off his hands and out of his mind. For that to happen, he needed the cooperation of the Were Council.
The Were Council consisted of Primes and Alphas, and in its current form was a relatively new association. Weres preferred their independence and freedom but understood the need for cooperation and the necessity for some rules to protect them all. The Council met every seven years to discuss matters of mutual interest to all Packs.
Will was old enough to recall that before the twentieth century there had been less contact among the various Packs around the world. Packs were based mainly along family allegiances, tribes, and clans, and international travel between geographical areas such as America and Europe had, at that time, been limited. Versions of the ancient Lore existed, but there was not a great deal of long-distance communication among the various groups. Any journey across a large ocean that took over twenty-nine days was a problem for werewolf males. Changing on a boat in the middle of a vast expanse of water was to be avoided. If a Were female had not found her mate locally, then she had tended to travel and visit other Packs.
The advent of air travel was a godsend. Modern-day improvements and advances in communication, technology, and transportation had greatly facilitated contact and cooperation among Packs and resulted in more Weres finding their mates. Will reflected that development was a double-edged sword. It was now much harder to keep a low profile, and society was advancing at such a fast pace that it was easy for an older individual to get left behind and eventually fall into madness. People just didn’t live the same lives as their ancestors anymore, as they had when he was a young boy.
The room was filled with chatter as the unmated Alphas returned from their excursion and were herded into the great hall. Unfortunately no one else had found a mate, but then tomorrow night was going to be eventful enough, with two sets of new mates becoming bound under the full moon, one of which would be historic. All mating bonds were recorded in a register held by each Pack, and it was a source of excitement and happiness for its members.
He made a mental note to have two of the clearings in the forest checked again for obstacles, sharp stones, branches, or anything that could injure the women. It would be cold at night, so teepees were being prepared, although Joanna probably wouldn’t need one. Being a full werewolf, he didn’t think that she would meekly wait in a designated clearing. She’d probably want to run. He’d have to think about the best location, preferably isolated, for Joanna’s mating. He’d rather not have any foolish, unmated werewolf pretenders ripped apart by the Russians for trying it on with their mate. He also needed to make sure that he was as far away from temptation as possible.
As this year’s host for the Were Council, it was his responsibility to bring order to the meeting and to broker the discussions. He could tell that the unmated Alphas were aware of Joanna’s scent and trying to figure out what it meant. He needed to explain things quickly to keep their attention and so launched into an unembellished description of recent events. By the time he had finished there was astounded silence in the hall while the men absorbed the information.
“Do you know where Katherine Akara is?” asked Jean-Paul, the mature, unmated Prime of France. It figured that there would be more than a platonic interest in her whereabouts.
“No, but her daughter, Joanna, wishes to address the Council tomorrow morning and plead her mother’s case for the freedom to find her true-mate or at least to choose whether or not to be claimed by another male and live without fear of harassment from the rest of us. She has chosen to live in my territory, therefore I will offer her Pack status.”
“Technically does she no still belong ta ma Scots Pack?” Sean Bruce’s firm brogue rang out. “I d’nay need ta tell ye we could use the lass.”
“She swore allegiance to Connor McDonald, not you,” cut in Paul Kaiteke. “If anything, she should be with her birth family and the Maori Pack. Her parents miss her.”
“No one should ‘use’ her without her consent. She wants to decide for herself which Pack, if any, she belongs to,” Will said firmly. “The problem is that relying on the protection of only a single Pack has not proven a successful strategy for Katherine in the past—not with the Maori Pack or the Scots Pack. Katherine needs collective protection. Until she finds her true-mate, it is the only way she’ll be able to live in peace.”
“Ach, dear God mon, I was nay suggestin’ that we force the lassie, just that we o’ the Scots Pack would more than welcome her. We have a better claim than some others.” He glared in the Frenchman’s direction when he spoke.
“If that’s the case, she is also under my jurisdiction,” Charles Knight, Prime of the Celtic Packs, added with a tight smile to Sean Bruce before turning to Will. “No one from the Celtic Packs will be forcing the lady, you have my word.”
Will didn’t want to get into further irrelevant, petty squabbles and so tried to move the discussion along. “Joanna will address this Council tomorrow morning with a request for protection on behalf of her mother. We will discuss the matter fully then, but it is something to give some careful consideration to. At this moment my Chief Enforcer is bringing in Ashok Khan.”
“Do you have proof that my Prime was involved in the Scots Pack massacre, or only the tales of a slip of a girl and a dead rogue, neither of whom were there?” Kumar asked carefully.
“Ah, Anil, thank you for reminding me. Until such time as we have Khan here, you will be under surveillance and asked to stay within The Den.”
Kumar sat down heavily, looking anxious. “That is not necessary,” he mumbled.
“Nevertheless, that is how it will be. Prime Khan will be given the opportunity to explain himself when he arrives tomorrow.”
“There is nothing in the Lore that prevents a male pursuing his mate. It is a private matter, not for this Council to discuss,” pointed out a mated Italian Alpha.
Again the Englishman, Charles Knight, intervened. “Normally I think we’d all agree, but then we have never had cause to come between a werewolf and his true-mate before. I do not believe that Katherine is Khan’s true-mate, and his methods of courting could bring unwanted attention to us. I can tell you from personal experience that cleaning up after the Scots Pack massacre was difficult without alerting local people and law enforcement. As far as I am aware there was no formal challenge made to Connor McDonald and anyway, we need to move with the times. Gentlemen, there are some serious gaps in the Lore concerning female werewolves, and I think that it is something we need to further discuss.”
“I agree, Charles.” Will was thankful for the Englishman’s support but realized that he would have to be more forceful in his stance on the subject. “Katherine Akara has lived secretly within my territory for twenty-four years. I had, of course, heard the rumors, and while I deliberately did not pursue her, nor did I actively try to help the woman. Prime Khan has repeatedly requested that he be allowed to search for her, which suggests to me that he knew she had not been taken by another Were. I did not give permission for him to hunt her here in the USA. I will not have other werewolves from foreign Packs running around my territory without my permission. I wish to make it absolutely plain that to do so will invite my wrath”—the old-fashioned words were often the best—“and I will see it as a direct challenge to my authority.”
With that statement he firmly nailed his colors to the mast. He would fight any male who went after Katherine. The others in the room looked surprised.
“You want her for yourself,” Jean-Paul stated with a scowl.
“I will not take the female without her consent, and neither will any of you.”
He hadn’t actually denied or confirmed the statement because he didn’t want to make himself a liar.
He made no visible physical changes to his body, but his scent grew noticeably stronger. His beast paced nearer to the bars of the cage of his conscious control, and he knew that his eyes held the look of cold, dark fury. More than one man swallowed hard, and he guessed that all their bodies itched to bare their throats in the face of a more dominant male, and he was the most dominant in a room full of Alphas. Now that they all understood the consequences of forcing themselves on Katherine Akara, he could hopefully secure an agreement for her sanctuary.
Will pushed his beast down and cleared his throat. “I also strongly advise that no one go uninvited within a hundred meters of the Russians’ cabin. Vladimir and Yuri will not wish to be disturbed and will not stop to ask questions first if they detect unmated males sniffing around. They will protect their true-mate against any interloper with deadly force, of that I am sure. Now, I suggest we have some coffee or tea while Bradley tells us about the WeresRus new Web site he has developed for our community and new developments in upgrading identity documents to account for our youthful appearances.”
* * * *
Katherine jogged half a mile to the top of the forested peak behind the little cabin she had rented for six months. It was the perfect safe house, nestled in a thick forest on a steep south-facing mountain slope. Her normal practice was to have a few locations to flee to for the full moon. The years had taught her the value of a little redundancy in her plans, and she always tried to build in wiggle room. It had paid off because she was able to go straight there after dropping Khan over the side.
Reaching the tree line without gasping for breath like any normal human would do, she took out her phone and found that there was a good signal. She had already checked the emergency e-mail in-box just before noon and not earlier due to sheer exhaustion and trying to put distance between her and Ashok Khan. There had been new messages from Jo, briefly informing her of her plan to go to the Packs. Katherine had responded with a simple confirmation that she was okay. Her daughter knew that she would stick to their original plan and go to the cabin. Katherine now left another message saying that she would check the e-mail every day.
Standing on the high peak, she had a great view of the surrounding landscape. There was snow on the ground this high up, and the air was cold and fresh. Under normal circumstances it would have filled her with a moment of freedom and happiness, but anxiety dulled the effect, and she felt wretchedly lonely instead. She didn’t stay long but did another fruitless check for messages before she took her time heading down the slope.
When she arrived back at the cabin she surveyed the immediate area again and pinned paper onto trees for later target practice. Having done all she could, she sat in the cozy, warm cabin, feeling chilled to the bone. She couldn’t concentrate enough to write or even read. Instead she decided to check her weapons again. Her crossbow was on its stand where she had already set it up, the silver-tipped arrows in a quiver next to it. Her gun was tucked comfortingly in the shoulder holster she was wearing.
She knew that Jo had intended to meet with Prime Hawke from her brief e-mail sent yesterday, but since then she had heard nothing. Why had Jo not left another message? Did she manage to get to the Pack? Was she frightened and alone somewhere, held against her will? Was she at this moment being raped? With the heel of her palm she frantically wiped at the grub-like tears that had begun to hatch in her stinging eyes and had wormed their way down her cheeks. She suddenly stopped her body’s rocking motion when she realized she was doing it. It all proclaimed a weakness and vulnerability that she couldn’t afford. She fought to turn her pathetic worry and panic into a more useful emotion, something more productive, like anger.
If any bastard werewolf was holding her daughter against her will, she would slaughter the son of a bitch. He wouldn’t live to regret it. Her beast began to rise, and as claws extended from her fingers she found it hard to hold and re-check her special clips of silver-nitrate bullets. She’d had them specially made and fully intended to pump them into any werewolf stupid enough to come between her and Jo. The bullets were designed to shatter on impact, and the liquid silver would enter the bloodstream and have a much greater impact than solid silver bullets. A mother’s righteous rage burned hot, vanquishing the cold misery that had seized her. Yes, like a demon of retribution, she would see them all in hell.
She made a conscious effort to retract her claws and slapped home a cartridge of regular bullets into her gun. It was time for a little target practice. She went outside and with renewed energy and purpose she squeezed off round after round. Each projectile thudded with precision into the paper. She resolved that she wouldn’t wait. Regardless of the coming full moon, if she didn’t hear from Jo within the next twelve hours, then she was taking the fight to the Packs. For too long she had acted against her nature and taken on the role of prey, but Katherine Akara knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was a predator.
Chapter 9
Jo awoke slowly with the delicious scent and warmth of her mates permeating her body. It was both arousing and comforting. She lay on her side with Vlad behind and Yuri facing her and their bodies touching in several places. Her head rested on Vlad’s big bicep, and he gently stroked her hip and butt. Yuri had one hand entwined with hers while the other absently played with her nipples. The palm of her hand rested against his firm chest. His eyes never left her face, and he watched her intently, as if he didn’t want to miss a thing. She gave him an unpracticed slow, sexy smile and knew that the delight she was feeling must surely be showcased in her eyes for him to see. His lips moved only a fraction—a veritable Cheshire-cat grin for him—but his eyes shone with mirth and satisfaction, and her heart danced an erratic flamenco, thumping in her chest. The romance of the moment was interrupted when her stomach grumbled loudly, announcing her hunger.
Vlad chuckled behind her and shifted so that he kissed her neck and his warm breath teased her ear.
“We have hunger and must eat,” he murmured between kisses.
“Mmmm,” she agreed. She was hungry all right and not just for food.
“What would you like to eat?” Yuri asked.
Beef, lots of male beef. She almost giggled, but she did have a hankering for a juicy, rare steak and suggested that, with a side salad and fries.
“I order from main house,” Yuri announced as he jumped off the bed with a swiftness and grace of movement that she had never seen before.
She was unfamiliar with male werewolves and their capabilities, but she understood with certainty that the twins were formidable and possibly physically outclassed her. That was something no man she’d ever known could do, and it emphasized the fact that they were something else entirely beyond her meager experience and knowledge. She would have to start learning fast, in fact they all wo
uld, because she knew they had never met a woman like her either.
Yuri first checked the contents of the small fridge in the kitchen. With a pleased sigh he liberated a bottle of vodka, a six-pack of Cokes, and a large bar of dark chocolate. There was also some bread, crackers, cheese, and a variety of fruits, altogether the makings of a hearty snack. He then picked up the phone and ordered six large rare steaks, one salad, roasted vegetables, and fries. She smiled, thinking that it was great to be around people with a similar high metabolic rate and appetite. When he had finished the food order he asked for it to be delivered by a female or mated male. She had the feeling that any unmated male would end up on the menu.
Yuri moved back to the kitchen and busied himself cutting bread and piling goodies onto a tray. She sat up with her legs curled underneath her and watched him move. He was a splendid specimen of male beauty, completely nude and unselfconscious. He didn’t look naked or vulnerable with all that solid muscle and free, long, straight white hair that ended at his waist. His skin was all over the same translucent white as his muscular, taut ass, with no blemishes except for the odd scar. He looked every inch the mythical warrior that he actually was, though maybe more vampire than werewolf. She licked her lips and heard Vlad chortle.
