by Wilde, Rhea
“Where are they?” I asked Vaughn.
“They took their dead with them. The clans would not allow their bodies to be desecrated. Even though they have been influenced, they are still forced to follow the laws of our people.”
“But there were so many of them… and the blood…”
“Irvine knew what he was doing. He prepared for every possibility.”
“What do you mean?”
“He picked Central Park in case the Nakas were unable to see reason. We are born of this earth and when we die, we return to it. If there were bloodshed, the blood would return to the soil. The fallen wolves are now one with which they came from…”
I looked at Vaughn and watched him as he stared down onto Central Park from a nearby building. Even though the police had arrived—most likely a response to the sound of all the wolves howling—there was nothing for them to find. It was just as peaceful as we had found it.
“Are you all right?” I asked him.
“What?” he said, turning to me.
“You were forced to kill them. A lot of them died. They’re wolves just like you…”
“I have no desire to kill. I only did what was necessary. I understand that. They did as well. Come on. Irvine is waiting for us.”
I nodded to him and he led me back to the van where Irvine was waiting. We piled inside by ourselves.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“They all returned to Sosa’s den. I’m sure they’re all waiting for us.”
We made our back to the home of the Capes where everybody was waiting for us. It was a tremendous relief to not have to deal with someone killing us as we headed through the forest. The darkness had never seemed so inviting. The wilderness had never felt so safe. I walked with my hand in Vaughn’s. When we arrived, there were some men waiting outside the cave. They were all scarred and bleeding but didn’t give any indication that their lives were at stake. The tension I would normally feel around them was gone. One of the men was Yung, whom I smiled at when I passed by him. I nodded my head then walked into the cave with Vaughn and Irvine.
The men were all gathered down in the pit of the cave. Even though many wolves had fallen, the Alphas remained standing. They were injured and looked like they had just been through a terrible fight. I was glad to see that all of them had made it all right. As I got closer to them, I saw a man who looked familiar. The brown-eyed man stared at me. He looked familiar but different at the same time. He had all of the same features. I saw the same brown eyes that were staring back at me as Zorn laid on top of me. I squinted and wasn’t sure of what exactly I was seeing.
“Zorn?” I asked him.
“Zorn is my brother,” he said. “I am Cain, Alpha of the Nakas.”
“But wasn’t Zorn the Alpha?”
“I don’t know what happened to Zorn,” he sighed. “Please understand, my brother was not acting of his own accord. He was tainted. By that man… The white-haired man… Unfortunately, not all of the Nakas were able to escape his influence. But some of us did. We fought with you. We fought our own brothers. If there were any other way…”
“I’m sorry…”
“Do not weep,” Cain said to me. “Those influenced have fled the city but the Nakas remain strong.”
“Your clan is divided,” Daric said to him. “The Shidos will rule over New York City.”
Everybody turned and looked at him. He stood defiantly and stared back at everyone. Inez smiled and held his arm, playfully brushing her hand against the side of his face.
“That is right,” Inez said. “You are my king. And now, you are king of all of the clans.”
“We are split but there are still many of us,” Cain said to him. “As the Alpha of the Nakas, I make peace with you and all of the clans. You will not rule over anybody. Just as you united and rose against us, we can do the same to you.”
Daric continued to remain indifferent to Cain’s threat. But he didn’t protest. He instead turned his attention to Inez and ignored everybody else.
“We have lost many of our brothers,” Cain said. “Too many. But where there is loss, there is opportunity. The bloody battle we waged opened the door for all of the clans to hold this meeting. And so we usher in a new era. We reiterate the peace we had between us and join together.”
“So we’re going to start hanging out together more often?” Sosa said.
He walked up to Cain and put his arm around him. In contrast to the big smile upon Sosa’s face, Cain only stared back at him. After a few moments, the gray-haired Sosa realized that Cain was not the hugging type and he pulled his arm back away from him.
“What happened here could have happened to any of us,” Cain explained. “We all belong to different clans. We are different wolves of different breeds. But this city belongs to all of us. If this threat returns, we will be ready. We will stand united.”
He looked around at everybody. The rest of the Alphas in the room nodded in agreement. The peace had been made official. The conflict in New York was over.
After Cain’s speech, the celebration began. The men all enjoyed the comforts of Sosa’s den, which included all of the candy we had picked up for him. Vaughn and I moved away from the celebration to have some time to ourselves. But before we could enjoy our privacy, Cain walked up to us.
“I saw you,” he said to Vaughn. “You fought well. You are brave. But you are not from here. This was not your fight.”
“It was my fight,” Vaughn said to him. “I am Shadow of the Rucai. My clan was influenced the same as yours. And he threatened my life and the life of my queen. I came to New York to do what was necessary.”
“Your queen is a human?”
He looked at me and I nodded softly.
“Strange,” he said. “But not unreasonable. Perhaps that is why you are a target.”
“Perhaps.”
“I thank you, Shadow of the Rucai. And your queen. I cannot bring your clan back and you cannot join mine. I have lost my brother but I have gained one as close to it as possible. I offer my respect to you for doing your part in returning the peace to this city. New York is your home.”
Cain bowed his head to the both of us. As he walked away, Irvine slowly walked toward us with a smile on his face.
“So, how do you like New York, Ms. Everhart?” he asked me.
“I don’t know,” I chuckled. “I didn’t get the chance to really enjoy it very much.”
“Well, you should. Ms. Everhart… I’m afraid that you can’t go back home. Not while he’s still out there.”
“I-I know…”
“But you are safe here. The tainted Nakas won’t attempt to return as long as all of the clans stand united.”
I looked up at Vaughn. I didn’t plan on staying here in New York for very long but now it looked like we didn’t have a choice. I took Vaughn’s hand into mine and held it.
“I don’t care where we are,” I said to him. “Just as long as I’m with you.”
I turned back to Irvine and he had a slight smile on his face.
“The Agency paid me very well for this mission,” he said. “I have access to all of their resources. The van they gave me… Well, it’s not really my style.”
He reached into his pocket and threw a set of keys at me.
“Take a break,” he said. “You’ve earned it. The both of you. New York isn’t as dangerous as they say it is.”
“What about you?” I asked him. “Will you be all right?”
“I’m sure The Agency will have more work for me when I get in touch with them.”
“Another mission? But you barely just finished. Why don’t you take a break?”
“I assure you, Ms. Everhart, that I am used to this. My job never ends. It’s okay. They pay me.”
He winked at me and I smiled back at him.
“My work here is done,” he said. “I’ll be on my way now. Vaughn…”
He nodded to my boyfriend, who did the same. We watched Irvine wal
k out of the cavern.
“Oh, and make sure you check the glove box,” he shouted back to us. “I left a little something for you to make you feel at home.”
I was curious as to what he was talking about but the thought quickly left my mind when I turned to my boyfriend. Finally, Vaughn and I had a moment to ourselves.
“So, now what?” I asked him.
“Well, he gave us a car to travel around the city in,” he said. “We should start looking for a place to stay.”
“What about here? You’re used to living in a place like this, right?
“There will come a time when I will take you out to the forest, just like before. But for now, I’d prefer we spend our time in a place more… human.”
“What did you have in mind?”
He looked at me in a way that only he could. His blue eyes narrowed and I started to blush. I couldn’t fight the devious smile that was growing upon my face.
“Your eyes,” he whispered to me.
“What about them?”
“They’re still a little red. But not quite red enough.”
He smirked at me and I looked down to hide my face from him. Just when I thought he couldn’t make me blush any further, he did. I turned my head and looked out into the cave.
“I think Sosa might let us use the springs in his den,” I said to him.
“I’ve got another idea,” Vaughn said to me as he took my hand.
Curious as to what was going through his mind now, I followed Vaughn out of the den and away from the celebration of all of the clans.
Chapter 25
Vaughn and I headed back to the van Irvine had given to us. It wasn’t perfect but it was more than I had back home. I got into the passenger seat and turned to Vaughn as he started the engine.
“I thought you had something planned for me,” I smirked at him.
“I do,” he said. “But not out here. New York is a big city. What do you say we see if we can find… a spot… just for the two of us?”
He winked at me and I began to blush. Vaughn drove away from the trees and back to civilization. New York City was still alive tonight. Nothing had changed since we first arrived. Despite all we’d been through, the city didn’t stop for us.
As I waited for Vaughn to take us to our destination, I remembered what Irvine had said to me. In my boredom, I opened the glove compartment. It plopped open and I stared at it. I squinted my eyes, not sure if what I was seeing was real.
“Vaughn…”
“Yeah?”
I saw a single envelope sitting inside of the glove box. I leaned forward and slowly pulled it out. It was thick and had a weight to it. I still couldn’t believe what I was seeing and when I opened it up completely, I fell back into my seat dumbfounded.
“What is it?” Vaughn asked me.
“It’s… money.”
“What?”
“Money,” I said as I flipped through the bills. “There must be thousands in here.”
Vaughn turned and looked at the stack I was holding in my hands. We then stared at each other, the smiles suddenly forming on our faces.
“Are you sure we can use this?” I asked him.
“Irvine did give us the van. And that was part of it.”
“Hmm… The Agency does pay pretty well, apparently.”
“I guess this changes my plans…”
“What did you have in mind?”
“I was gonna park the van somewhere secluded and have my way with you in the back.”
“Vaughn!”
“What?” he laughed as I slapped him across the arm. “It’s really spacious back there. There’s a lot of room for us to do things.”
“Well, it’s not very romantic.”
“Yeah, I know. You deserve more than that. Now I have the chance to take you somewhere nice. Let’s take a bite of the Big Apple, shall we?”
I nodded to Vaughn with a smile on my face.
“You know, I wouldn’t mind,” I said to him.
“Wouldn’t mind?”
“If we did it in the back of the van. It doesn’t matter to me…”
I looked down at the ground in embarrassment as I said it to him. It was hard to tell him exactly how I felt. This entire trip wasn’t perfect, even if things ended up that way. I felt like I needed to apologize to him. Even now he was still finding ways to make me feel special.
“Nothing is too good for you. That’s a lot of money,” he said to me. “Let’s spend some of it.”
Vaughn eventually pulled up to one of the nicer hotels in the city. Our van looked out of place among the other cars but the hotel staff treated us just the same. They were more than happy to accept the money we brought with us.
When I stepped into the penthouse suite, I looked around at the luxury before us.
“Wow,” I whispered. “This place is twice the size of my apartment.”
“I think it’s bigger actually,” Vaughn joked.
“Yeah, you’re probably right.”
I walked forward and immediately looked out of the large window walls of the room. We were on one of the highest floors, looking down onto the city.
“So many lights… So many buildings… So many people… It makes you realize just how small you are.”
Vaughn walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around me.
“And it makes me realize just how much of a blessing you are to me,” he whispered into my ear.
His lips trailed on my ear, kissing me softly. I shuddered from the way his mouth felt upon me. I wrapped his arms with mine as he held me, still in amazement of what New York looked like.
“There are millions of people in this city,” he whispered. “But there’s nobody else I’d rather be with, human or otherwise…”
I turned around in his arms and looked up at him. He stared down at me with his beautiful blue eyes. Just looking at him and being so close made me blush. I bit my bottom lip in embarrassment, barely able to look back at him.
“Ariel, the only thing that matters to me is that you’re you. I wouldn’t change a single thing about you. I know that you want to make me happy. And what would make me happy is to be like this, just like this, with you. Forever.”
Forever…
“Wolves breed,” he whispered to me. “They mate. They have to satisfy their lust in attempt to pass along their seed. You know what the problem with that is?”
“What’s that?”
“The female only knows one type of pleasure: pleasing her Alpha. Humans are different.”
“What are you saying, Vaughn?”
“Let me show you…”
He lowered his head and kissed me. The venom took its effect quickly as I swallowed him. My body was tired but found a renewed energy from Vaughn’s touch. I reached up and wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders. His long blonde hair tickled me as it cascaded down onto my forearms.
My thoughts quickly became hazy. I found myself having trouble holding onto him. Vaughn pushed me up against the glass as he started to lower his head, kissing me down on my chin and neck.
“I need a shower,” I giggled.
“I can’t wait.”
He inhaled my neck strongly. I could only imagine what I smelled like at this point but he didn’t seem to mind. He lowered his head down even more, massaging my breasts through my shirt. He pulled away from me for just a moment so that I could lift my top off. I tossed it to the side and quickly went to work on my bra. The hooks came undone and I lowered my arms to let it drop down the rest of me. Vaughn took his breasts into my mouth. The fleshy mounds of my nipples became stiff between his lips as he sucked on them. I moaned my approval, my eyes closed as I braced myself against the glass.
“They can see,” I whispered to him.
“I’m a wolf… Let them see my mate.”
He looked at me for a moment. I was barely coherent enough to see him smirk. He then slowly lowered himself down to his knees. I pushed my back against the window as he tugged my je
ans down past my knees. He kissed the inside of my thighs and forced me to groan. My body jerked against the glass. The way Vaughn magically worked his tongue on the inside of my legs made me want him even more. My thumbs rested on the inside of my panties, my center aching for him. My body began trembling with anticipation.
When his hands finally joined mine, my body crumbled with excitement. He slowly rolled my underwear down past my legs. With my panties and pants resting around my ankles, I waited for Vaughn to work his way up. But he only continued to tease me. Tender kisses on the inside of my thighs forced my legs open wider. I was dripping wet and waiting for him. My eyes were shut tight and my body was shaking violently.
“Vaughn…”
I moaned his name and finally he gave me what I wanted. His mouth made its way up between my legs. His tongue pressed against my clitoris and I let out a slow and stuttered sigh. He lavished me with his tongue. I could feel myself beginning to spill into him. The poison was taking its effect. I lowered my hands and ran them through his hair. My ass pressed up against the glass behind me as if trying to get away from him. It only made Vaughn work even harder. He dug his mouth deeper into me.
Vaughn’s face was buried between my legs. He worked his way from my clitoris down to my opening and back. His tongue felt as if it had grown several inches with how much space it covered.
I couldn’t handle it anymore. My body was shaking violently. The feeling intensified. The way his tongue swirled against me was like magic. I tightened my grip upon his hair and braced myself up against the window behind me.
“Vaughn, I…”
I moaned and started to convulse as the orgasm hit me. The feeling surged through my stomach and spread through my body. Vaughn didn’t stop. My legs tightened around his head. My muscles contracted and I spasmed with each pulse from my climax. I could feel the glass vibrating underneath me from all of the pleasure I was feeling.
The ecstasy didn’t subside. I was gone. The passion that only a man like Vaughn could give me consumed me. My knees were buckling. My legs were barely able to hold me up. But it didn’t matter. Vaughn wasn’t finished.
