Gypsy Wolf (Strange Lake Falls Series Book 5) Page 5

  *****

  Diana grabbed her bag and headed toward the door of the house. Ox stopped her with a hand on her arm.

  “You didn’t tell me that you and Lucas were that close.”

  She frowned. “We’re not.”

  “He would have taken on the entire pack to protect you and now he’s going up against the council. I think that’s pretty serious.”

  “Look, I don’t know what happened in there except to say that I just met Britt and want to strangle her myself. Lucas has made it clear to me that he isn’t interested in a half-werewolf.”

  “Honey, you are kidding yourself if you believe that. I’m still coming to offer protection for my alpha. If he doesn’t claim you and it comes down to it, I will claim you. But know that I will have to leave my pack after that, because he won’t be able to handle us being together. I just wanted you to know what to expect.” Ox opened the door and exited the house.

  She took a deep breath and followed him out. Diana felt confused about what had just happened. There were times she wished she could use her powers to tell her future, so she would know what choices to make.

  Lucas was sitting in the driver’s seat and Ox decided to ride shotgun. They were glaring at one another. Well, this should be a fun trip.

  Chapter 11

  “Where is she?” Kilian growled at as he lifted the werewolf up by the neck. He had run into the wolf in town that scented of Diana. The wolf swore that the female would be at the farmhouse, but they had arrived to find it completely deserted, clearly a recent evacuation.

  “The Alpha told me before he arrived that they would be heading for the council meeting, but he kicked me out before I could hear anything else. He had her with him when he arrived yesterday. I don’t know where the others are. That’s all I know. ”

  Kilian let his claws extend and penetrate the wolf’s neck. Blood trailed down and he scented urine. Kilian snorted in disgust. “You call yourself a werewolf?” He threw the male down on the floor of the kitchen.

  “Should we take him with us?” Chet Wako asked.

  Kilian hated the man, but this fool would give him his mate. “No, let him struggle to survive without a pack.” He was disappointed. He wanted to catch Diana before she made it to the council. Didn’t matter, he had this in the bag. No way the council would turn down his claim. They needed more werewolves and he had a witch on the payroll that swore she could ensure that Diana would give him male pups that would shift. The werewolf nation needed this, and more than that, Kilian needed to claim his mate.

  It was true that he had made Chet Wako beholden to him and that Chet bartered his own daughter. What Chet didn’t know was that Kilian had been watching Diana since she was born. Actually, he had been infatuated with her mother, Rosanna Rhapsody. She was a powerful woman and he wanted her. Chet came into the picture while Kilian was gone, in battle with the vampires. He was furious when he returned a year later to find Rosanna mated with Chet, and then she had died giving birth to her daughter.

  At first he watched the girl out of curiosity and bit of resentment, blaming her for her mother’s death. He was probably the only one that noticed how neglectful Chet was. He knew she would look like her mother one day. This was his second chance; he just needed to wait until she was mature enough. He befriended Chet only to slowly work his loyalty to his own advantage.

  But then that damn Jaspers alpha refused to give up Diana and kicked Chet out of the pack. He had to bide his time until they could come back and reclaim what was his.

  He had almost had her. Her young teen body was beginning to fill out and his wolf wanted her. Kilian would dream often of claiming her young body over and over, only to wake and find himself in bed with some human whore.

  Diana should have been his by now. When the pack council sent her off to a commune, one with a magical spell preventing him from locating it, it nearly drove him insane not being able to even find her scent. He was tempted to kill Chet just for spite, but he thought he might have need of the male one day. He owned Chet and he would take advantage of the debt.

  He spent years acquiring the funds, the connections, and the magic needed to uncover her. He would have found the commune eventually, but by luck, she left its safety to travel to Strange Lake Falls. He followed her there, observing only. His first look of her as a grown woman had him hard and aching.

  She looked exactly like Rosanna, maybe even more beautiful. He didn’t like her around so many males. He would take her away and make sure that he was the only male she saw. He had plans to keep her in his basement for the first year, just to break her in. After he got a few pups off of her, she would be too tired to run from him.

  He walked back to his pickup truck. “Come on, Chet, let’s go get our girl.”

  Chapter 12

  They had driven for a few hours, then stopped for lunch. “When should we arrive?”

  “We’re close. The council changes the location of their meetings to prevent an attack by their enemies. We would have arrived earlier but they contacted me about a sudden change in location. One of the council’s enforcers will meet us at the next truck stop and take us the rest of the way,” Lucas told her.

  She nodded and looked out the window. None of them spoke much. Ox updated Lucas on everything that had been going on since Lucas had been gone. They didn’t mention the incident with Britt, but it was on her mind.

  They pulled over at a truck stop and Ox got out to check and see if the enforcer was there yet. This left her and Lucas alone.

  “About earlier at the pack house, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Lucas turned to face her.

  “What Britt and the others said about me is nothing new, but I appreciate you standing up for me. I don’t think anyone has ever done that before.”

  He reached over the back of the seat to touch her cheek. “I don’t like this distance between us. Tell me what I can do to fix it.”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “It’s good to have the distance. The council will be making a decision soon, and one way or another, you’ll be moving on with your pack. I think joining Ric’s pack is a smart move. Ox is waving us over.” She got out of the car before he could say anything else.

  *****

  Damn it! He really screwed this thing up with Diana. Lucas got out of the car and walked toward where Ox and Diana were standing near the back of a semi truck. Diana nodded at something Ox said and then Ox wrapped his arms around Diana in a hug. Lucas’s wolf came forward and before he knew it, he was pulling Diana out of Ox’s arms.

  “Lucas, what the hell is going on?” Diana demanded.

  “That’s what I want to know,” he growled out.

  “Ox was letting me know the reason the council relocated and changed the time of the meeting was because Kilian was running behind. He should be arriving any time now and I was nervous and scared.”

  “His arms were around you.”

  “Alpha, I was just comforting her,” Ox spoke up.

  Lucas glared at Ox with glowing wolf eyes. “You can comfort her without touching her.”

  Diana shoved at him to break free of his embrace. He let her go reluctantly.

  “We don’t have time for this, Lucas, the enforcer is waiting for us to follow him.” She pointed to the tall, bald man standing next to a black pickup truck.

  “Ox, go get the car started. I need to speak to Diana alone for a moment.”

  Ox left them alone, but they were still too visible. Lucas gently took her hand and led her between two semi trucks. It wasn’t the best for privacy, but definitely better than what they had before.

  “What are you doing, Lucas?”

  “I have made a lot of mistakes since meeting you.” Her look of hurt made him realize that he said all that wrong. “What I mean is that I have been making mistakes with you. I let old prejudices cloud my mind. You are every bit as much a werewolf as anyone else in my pack, more werewolf, really, since you can’t rely on shifting to get you through things. I made yo
u feel like you weren’t good enough to be my mate.”

  “It doesn’t matter now, Lucas.”

  “It does matter, damn it! You are good enough to be my mate. I want you, but more than that, my wolf recognizes you.”

  She looked at him, stunned.

  He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She slowly raised her arms and wrapped them around his neck. Diana opened her lips and he growled with the need to taste her. His tongue swept in and dominated her, not letting up until she gave him the response he wanted. It didn’t take long. With a sigh, she gave in and responded with just as much passion.

  Lucas reached down and cupped her perfect ass, lifting her up and carrying her until her back hit the side of the truck. His wolf was howling, ready to break free and claim their mate. He had to keep him in check.

  He kissed his way down her cheek to her neck, where he nuzzled her sweet scent. Her blouse was in his way so he quickly unbuttoned it and shoved it down her arms, trapping her limbs from moving anywhere.

  “You’re strong, you can break free at any time, and if you need me to back off, just tell me.”

  She smiled up at him, “I trust you.”

  He knew it took a lot for her to trust and he wasn’t going to take it for granted. Lucas nibbled further down until he was over the rough bumpy area where the other had marked her. His canines elongated. There would be no holding back now.

  He moved back to look into her eyes. Her eyes glowed, too, matching his own. He growled, “Mine.”

  “Yes,” she whispered back.

  Then he bent down and bit into her shoulder right over top of Kilian’s old mark. The taste of his mate’s blood, the scent of her arousal, was driving him to a mating frenzy. He reached down and pulled at her pants buttons. Then his hand was reaching between skin and her panties. His fingers found her wet and warm.

  “My female, my mate, my pussy.” He entered her with two fingers, desperate to make her come. She moaned with building passion and he knew she was close. Then she arched against him and he took her mouth again as she screamed her release.

  He was desperate to be inside her as he removed his hand from her panties and reached for his own waistband. A throat clearing close by put a damper on his need.

  “Sorry, Alpha. The enforcer was going to come for you, but I told him I would find you. We need to get going.”

  “We’re coming.” Lucas looked down at Diana. “I’m making the second claim.” He licked her juices from his hands and let his eyes glow.

  Chapter 13

  Diana sat in the passenger seat. Her body was still humming from her orgasm. Lucas could rev her up like no one else. She touched the still-tender mark he had left on her. It covered Kilian’s mark completely. He couldn’t mean to truly mate her. He wanted pups that could shift and be alpha one day. What had he done?

  The car came to a stop. She looked over at Lucas behind the driver’s seat. He did not look happy. He was probably regretting his rash actions. She had to make this right somehow, even though the thought of being Lucas’s mate was every fantasy come true. It hurt to consider it never happening.

  “We need to get out and follow the enforcer on foot the rest of the way.” Lucas told her as he opened his door.

  Before she could open her side, Lucas was there, opening her door for her and taking her hand to help her out. The look of heat and desire in his eyes, combined with the possessive way he held her hand, excited and confused her.

  He bent and kissed her knuckles. “I know what I’m doing, baby, trust me.”

  Diana was glad he was holding her hand and when he wrapped an arm around her waist. Her knees felt like jelly. She took a deep breath. It was time to face Kilian and her father. She was glad that Lucas was there with her.

  *****

  “Come forward and wait to the right, in front of the council table.” The enforcer showed them to an open, cleared area in the woods. A table had been set up, and sitting on the other side were seven men and one woman. There were four enforcers, two on each side of the council's table.

  “I guess they don’t want us sitting down,” Diana whispered nervously. There were no other chairs and they were instructed to just stand in the center. She was grateful she was wearing her tennis shoes.

  She felt goose bumps on the back of her neck. He was here, Kilian was here. She hadn’t seen him since she was a teenager. Diana turned her head and looked to the side. She watched him moving forward as a wolf. Two other wolves flanked his side. The one with a grey streak she knew to be her father. They stopped on the left side facing the table and shifted. They stood there completely naked.

  “Give them robes, I do not wish to hold this hearing staring at a male’s protruding body parts,” the councilwoman said.

  An enforcer stepped forward with three robes and handed them to the men. Her father was there, next to Kilian, who was the tallest of the three with wide shoulders. She didn’t recognize the third male, but the way he looked at her and licked his lips made her feel sick inside.

  Lucas reached down and took her hand in his, squeezing it for support. “I’m with you, beautiful.”

  She nodded, but was too nervous to say anything.

  “Miss Rhapsody, step forward please.” The councilman sitting in the center motioned to her.

  She let go of Lucas reluctantly and moved forward. She took three steps and stopped.

  “Miss Rhapsody, I am councilman Dolf and will be presiding over the ruling here today. The council has been petitioned to demand your submission to your mate, Kilian Dorn.”

  “I refuse. He tried to claim me when I was only fifteen years old.” Diana was shaking. She could hear Lucas growling behind her and Ox trying to keep him from shifting to wolf.

  “Come now, girl, I promised you to Kilian a long time ago and it’s high time you stop your running and submit to your mate,” her father said in a condescending, scolding tone.

  The councilmen didn’t look thrilled with him speaking without being spoken to. “Who are you?”

  Her father stepped forward. “I am Chet Wako, Diana’s father. I arranged the mating for my daughter and Kilian. I found him worthy. It is my right as her father to ensure a prosperous future.”

  The council looked at Diana. “Was this a pre-arranged mating?”

  “He sold me to cover his debts. My foster parents and alpha kicked my father out of the pack because of his destructive behavior.”

  The second oldest councilman leaned forward. “Wait, was this years ago in the Jaspers pack, the soothsayer?”

  “Yes sir, I’m the soothsayer.”

  “I remember that case. We ruled in favor of keeping them separate because the girl was too young for a full mating.”

  Councilman Dolf glared at his colleague. “Shamos, the girl is clearly of age now. She needs to do her duty for her people.”

  “We can’t force her to mate someone she doesn’t want to,” the councilwoman said, looking sympathetically at Diana. She might have an advocate. Maybe there was hope after all.

  Kilian growled as he stepped forward. “Diana needs protection as a soothsayer and I am an alpha who can provide her with both wealth and protection. I will also provide future soothsayers. I am invoking the mating law.”

  Shamos sighed. “The mating law is outdated and hasn’t been used in centuries. It was established during a time of battle, when we needed to create treaties with other packs. The pack alphas would arrange a mating with their children to other pack alphas to seal the treaty and bind the packs together. This practice was stopped when we lost many of our numbers to the battles with the vampires and the packs spread out over the world.”

  Councilman Dolf cut him off and smirked at Diana. “As presiding councilman, I agree to the mating claim of Kilian Dorn to Diana Rhapsody. Do I have a second?”

  Before any other councilman could answer, Lucas stepped forward. “I claim the second mate claim, the true mate claim!”

  Chapter 14

  Chaos erup
ted as Kilian made a dive for Diana, but Lucas blocked him. The enforcers pulled the two males apart. Lucas glared at Kilian.

  “What are you trying to pull?” Diana’s father growled at Diana.

  “Settle down, everyone. We’ll get to the bottom of this.” Councilman Shamos motioned for the enforcers to release Kilian and Lucas.

  “What lies are you telling?” Kilian glared at Lucas.

  “No lie, I have mated Diana. She bares my mark.”

  “Impossible, she bares my mark!”

  “Bring her forward, we will inspect the mark,” Councilman Shamos ordered.

  The enforcers stepped forward and took Diana’s arms, pulling her toward the councilman. Lucas lunged when they forced her to her knees and shoved her hair to the side. Ox held him back.

  “Easy, Alpha, they need to check her mark. They’re not hurting her.”

  One by one the councilmembers came to lean over Diana, inspecting her mark and smelling her. The enforcers helped her to stand back up again. Once all of the council members were seated again, Shamos was the one to make the announcement.

  “There is an older mark that scents of Kilian, but a newer claiming mark is present, Lucas’s. There is also scent of sex on the girl mixed with Lucas, so they have bred.”

  “What? That’s impossible!” Kilian shoved forward and grabbed Diana, moving her hair out of the way. “You slut!” he spat and his claws came out, cutting into Diana’s arm.

  “Ow! Let me go!” Diana yanked free of his hold and clutched her bleeding arm.

  The enforcers dragged Kilian off of her and Lucas pulled her into his arms. He would kill the other male for touching his mate.

  “Settle down!” Councilman Dolf yelled. Once everyone stopped and was focused again on the council, Dolf continued. “We will take a vote of the validity of the second mate bite.”