The New Wolf Ch. 05

"I would have picked up," he said. "But I wasn't expecting company. I'll work on it today."

He came up behind her and place his arms around her hips. She felt him lower his head and smell her hair.

"I liked it better when you smelled like me," he said.

Clara felt her heart skip a beat. She walked out of his arms and turned to face him.

"I can't do this, please don't hate me."

The smile on his face faded. His blue eyes bore into hers. He was about to speak, but instead closed his mouth and nodded. There was no hiding the hurt on his face.

"It's not fair," Clara continued. "You have a mate out there somewhere. It's her you should be helping with the sex stuff and her you should be making an insane amount of food for."

David's face relaxed again and his smile reappeared. He walked towards Clara as she backed up.

"It's easier if we stay away from each other. Just because my mate ended up being the guy from hell doesn't mean I'm going to go around and destroy other people's soul bonds or whatever you want to call them."

He continued to approach her and finally her back hit the wall. He still wore his casual smile and looked at her with his baby blues. He was so handsome Clara couldn't look away. He walked right up to her as close as he could get without touching her. He moved his head next to her ear and whispered.

"I met my mate twenty years ago."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"These little parties are dumb," David said as he tied his tie. "What is the point in getting so dressed up when we're all going to take off our clothes?"

"Are you referring to when we shift or to whichever random girl you're going to screw after?" Rodger sat on David's bed flipping through a book.

"Either. Who is visiting tonight and how many are there?"

"Some pack from California, I forget the Alpha's name. I think about forty. It was a high number."

"At least they're coming here. Going to the other packs sucks now that you don't come."

"No reason for me to," Rodger said. "I found my mate."

"If I'm ever an alpha I'm not participating in these."

"I don't think we have to worry about that," Rodger said. "Being an alpha means trying at everything, not just flashing those dreamboat looks around to get what you want."

David laughed at his reflection.

"I'm a valuable member. I get my shit done and then I like to have some fun."

"And there is nothing wrong with that. I was pointing out that in order to get to Alpha you either have to fight the alpha, which you suck at, or be good enough to be a beta and then have a pack break off. Neither of those are in your future my friend."

"I hope my future looks like my present."

"What is that?"

"Using my dreamboat good looks to pick up chicks." David turned and winked.

Rodger stood up from the bed.

"Have fun at the little mixer. Who knows maybe you will meet your mate and then at the next one of these you can hang back with Magda and me."

David snorted.

"Don't curse me like that. I'll be glad if I never have a mate. One woman the rest of your life? Sounds miserable."

"I've told you before and I'll telling you again. The best feeling in the world is when your mate marks you. I get hard just thinking about it. Life is better. The air is cleaner, the smells are stronger, the food is tastier. It's fucking amazing. No better feeling and I wouldn't give it up for the world."

David shrugged. Rodger was older than him by a few years and did plenty of screwing around before he found Magda. The way David saw it the moon goddess was giving him some well-deserved single time. He didn't want it to end any time soon.

"How do I look?" David asked.

"Like a ken doll," Rodger replied. "Go find a Barbie to bang."

David laughed as he walked down to the party.

"Thank you for joining us David, you're late as usual," Alpha Keith said.

The visitors mingled among the other pack members while music played in the background. This would go on for an hour before the alphas speeches and the run. David scanned the crowd.

"I like to make sure everyone is here before I make my choice for the night."

"And you're so modest too, what woman wouldn't love you?"

Something felt off. David didn't notice it at first, but the feeling kept creeping back up.

"So who is the lucky lady going to be?" Keith asked.

David sniffed the air. His heart race increased. It seemed like the crowd was a sea of faceless people. A bunch of blurs. He heard Keith laugh and looked at his alpha.

"Someone is finally here to tame our wild boy. Go. Go sniff her out."

David stared at him, but the odd feelings took over again and he had to scan the crowd. All of the faces were blurred until his eyes locked with one who wasn't. David's breath caught in his throat. She was the most exquisite being he'd ever laid eyes on. She was tall and trim, with a very curvy body. Her short black hair showed off her high cheekbones. David stared at her warm brown eyes as he made his way towards her, not caring who he was shoving out of the way.

She didn't notice him at first, but then she started looking for someone, sensing he was coming. He wanted her more than anything else. He was almost to her, a few feet away when she saw him. They locked eyes and David stopped where he was.

Every feeling, every sensation was gone. It had been replaced by emptiness. The seconds that he was walking up to her were the best feelings of his life, but they vanished. His body felt empty. He was only a shell. Tears welled in her eyes and she let out a sob.

She ran to him and through her arms around his neck. She started covering his face with kisses, but he stayed frozen, not returning her touch. Too stunned to react.

"I'm so sorry," she said. "I should have waited for you."

David was so distracted he hadn't realized the music stopped and a circle formed around them. Everyone was watching. David looked as the man came closer.

"You marked someone else." David wasn't sure if it was a question or a statement.

The woman was hysterical. She was sobbing and trying to kiss David. He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back.

"I didn't know...I thought that I loved him," she babbled. "But you... you're meant for me. I can feel it. Don't you?"

"No. I don't feel anything."

Another sob broke her lips and she threw herself on David again. He wanted her off of him. She felt dirty and cheap. He tried to pull her arms off, but she wouldn't back away.

"Please. We can try. We can. There has to be a way."

"Angie?" A man walked into their circle.

David looked over at him. He was the Alpha and David's mate was his Luna. That was the only reason a marked wolf would be at an event like this. Angie backed away. The Alpha took one look at David and his face changed to pure anger. Before David could even lift his hands the alpha was on top of him. Swinging fist after fist.

There was no fighting back. David lay there taking the pummeling, hoping if he were lucky the alpha would kill him. The last sound he heard before he blacked out was his mate's screams.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"That's awful." Clara reached out and grabbed David's hand. "What happened next?"

"Keith pulled the guy off of me. Cracked ribs, ruptured spleen, some broken teeth. Then I recovered and life didn't have the same flare it once did. I couldn't have any free time or I would start thinking about her and have this black pit form in my heart so I did the unthinkable. Started working really hard and rose in the ranks."

"What happened to her?"

"Well her mate, or partner, or whatever was reported to the council. He was punished for attacking me unprovoked on my pack's land, but not removed. He stayed Alpha for another five years I think before he was made an outcast."

"What made him an outcast?"

"Apparently after she met me she became a little unhinged, not the same loving girl anymore. She tried to contact me a few times for the first three years. I didn't open her letters or return her calls. But she got it into her head that if the alpha were dead she would be free from the markings. She wanted to test her theory, so she murdered a few pack members to see if the living mates could remark."

Clara sat in shock, not knowing what to say. David went further.

"It's actually a well-known story, I'm a little bit of a celebrity in the wolf world because of it. First ever shifter serial killer was basically my fault, but anyhow. They figured out it was her and the alpha covered it up, tried to blame someone else. The council was called in. She was put to death and he was outcasted for the cover up. It was for nothing too; you can only ever give your mark to one person. If the one who marked you dies the feelings fade, but if the one you marked dies it is hard enough that some people don't survive."

"None of that is your fault. You did nothing wrong."

"You think I would have been devastated when she was killed, but I felt nothing. That's what it's like when you find your mate and they didn't wait for you. All of your feelings vanish and you're left with a black hole in your chest. Until you."

David looked at Clara. He tucked her hair behind her ears. His gaze was too intense, Clara had to look away.

"You don't even know me," she said.

"But I want to. I can't believe I am saying this out loud but last night made me realize what I've been missing for the past twenty years. Now I'm not saying you should be with me because it's convenient. So far I like everything I've seen. We can take it slow, but I'm not sure if you've noticed I'm having a hard time with that."

"I'm the one who begged you to sleep with me right after we met, so I think that goes both ways," Clara said. "But my life has been crazy the past four months. I keep finding out about stuff I'm supposed to know. Everything is so confusing right now."

"How about this: as your alpha I want to help you transition into the pack. That includes giving you some extra attention and teaching you about our kind. In order to accomplish this plan, we're going to have to spend a lot of time together."

Clara smiled and blushed.

"There's no label. Nothing serious unless you want that."

Clara wanted him, she did. He was so beautiful and had shown her so much kindness. But after everything she had been through with Lucas still being fresh she didn't think starting off hot and heavy was the way to go.

"Let's see where it goes," she said. "No labels."

~*~~*~*~*~~*

Right now, the only thing Lucas had was time. James told him to think about his future and that was exactly what he had done. Clara was made for him. Sure, she wasn't as hot as Roxy. Her face was too innocent, she was too short, and her figure too boyish for his tastes. But none the less she was his and he had no intention of sharing. He would have her, and Roxy too. Roxy would be disappointed because the mark would have to go to Clara, but she would still be his number one girl. He'd keep Clara locked up, much like he was now, and have them both. That was what he truly wanted.

In order to accomplish his goal, he needed a few things. First off, a pack. There was no way James would approve of Lucas' decision. That meant either waiting for the number to get too big that they needed to sever, which was years away, or challenging James. Lucas was confident he could take him, but not right now. He debated on using the knife he had to slit his throat, but that wouldn't be a challenge and while James would be dead Lucas would be no closer to getting Clara back.

The door opened, breaking Lucas from his thoughts. He sat up as James entered. The Alpha was glowing, unable to keep the effects of his mate hidden. Lucas wanted to strangle him, he was rubbing it in his face.

"How are you feeling? Any time to think things through?"

Lucas kept his arms on his legs and leaned forward.

"She slept with someone last night. She kissed me, probably triggered her heat. I wasn't there to help her out so someone did my job for me."

"Was it painful?" James asked.

"She rejected me remember? It was only a small feeling in my chest, but that's what it had to be. Clara was over reacting to my indiscretions. It was nothing."

Lucas didn't lie about the lack of pain, but he left out the rage it threw him in. For a moment he thought about killing both of them. Skinning Clara alive seemed like a fair death. But it was then he realized that his mate was a little trollop. If she was going to go around sleeping with other people, why couldn't he? It was this thought that brought him to his current plan. He would have his mate whether she liked it or not.

"We all know the story of David and his mate. Maybe the two of them can heal each other."

James was baiting Lucas, but the beta was smarter than his alpha thought. He nodded his head in agreement. Lucas knew exactly what to say in order to get James to let him out.

"Who knows? Maybe they will mark each other and then you won't have to feel anything at all." James was watching Lucas for a reaction, but the beta gave him none.

"As soon as you let me out of here I plan on marking Roxy," Lucas lied. "Assuming she will still let me."

"Then you run the risk of Roxy meeting her mate. It's easy to keep sequestered if you're not a high ranking pack member, but if you ever become alpha, Roxy will be expected at multiple events. She'll be public and her mate could show up at any time."

"What do you expect me to say?" Lucas stood up and approached the bars of his cell. "That I screwed things up so bad with Clara, but it's all my fault and I wish her well? Then on top of that I get to lose my girlfriend too and subject myself to a life alone?"

"You had so much potential Lucas, you are an amazing fighter, and you command respect and authority. But you never could understand empathy. That's why you're alone. The only person you care about is yourself."

"Enough already." Lucas pushed off the bars and walked back to his seat. "When are you going to let me out?"

"Soon. I can't leave you in there forever, but I still think you're a threat to this pack. That's why you're in here. Not because I care if you chase after Clara, but with that let me say if you step an inch off of pack grounds without my explicit permission I consider that your abandonment and you will be an outcast."

Lucas knew that was coming. He'd toyed with the idea last night of declaring himself an outcast, but that was equivalent to mental suicide. He needed a clear head and focus to get Clara back and that meant being part of a pack. He nodded in agreement.

"In accordance with my power as Alpha James Bishop I hereby revoke your title of beta."

Luca did not see this coming. He stood up and ran to the bars. James continued his speech.

"The pack thanks you for your service, but you no longer have the characteristics or skill for such a position. Effective immediately you are dismissed from your duties."

"Why are you torturing me like this? I'm the best fighter here. I won that title, I deserve that title."

"It's more than being a skilled fighter. The Beta is the person the Alpha believes the pack will be in the best hand of if he leaves. You have shown poor judgment too many times. Also, trying to command the pack to attack without my permission is treason unless I am unavailable which I was not. You're lucky I'm not making you an outcast."

"Fuck you. You're giving me a hard time about marking Roxy because I might be an Alpha one day and then you demote me? You make me some regular solider?"

"No. Not a solider. When you get out of here you will work on the lodge duties. If you prove yourself, then you will move up the ranks again. I'm hopeful you will return to beta by the time our numbers are too high and the pack needs to split."

"That could be a decade."

"Then you have plenty of time to improve your attitude."

"You can't do this to me; I'll abandon the pack if you do."

"That is fine with me. A large part of me wants to throw you out right now, but I am doing this as a favor to you. I realize that this mess is not entirely your fault and I am giving you the opportunity to atone for your mistakes. You have twenty-four hours left in here. Then you can either accept your punishment or abandon your pack. Trust me when I say I don't care what your decision is either way."

Lucas let out a scream of frustration. He lunged at the bars and went for James, the Alpha was way out of distance. He started leaving the room. Lucas hurled insults at the man, but he didn't turn or respond. Once he was gone Lucas started pacing the cell again, forcing himself to calm down. He planned on giving himself a month to train and gain support before challenging James, but it hadn't occurred to him someone else might be willing to mark Clara or James would find a way to put him down in front of the pack. Lucas calmed his breathing. The challenge would happen as soon as he was released.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Clara waddled like a penguin in the snow. David was a few feet ahead of her, he glanced over his shoulder and started to chuckle.

"Don't laugh at me." Clara stuck her tongue out.

"Tomorrow I'll take you into town. We'll pick you up some essentials."

"So you mean I won't have to wear your old coat and boots forever?"

"As entertaining as it is to watch, I think you're better off with things that fit." He held out his hand and Clara grabbed it as he pulled her up the hill.

"Where are we? South Dakota I know, but where?"

"We are in the black hills," David said. "A private piece of property about two hundred square miles, which is really nothing considering the black hills are five thousand square miles. It's a beautiful piece of land. I really love it out here."

"So how far is the nearest town?"

"Hour, in this snow maybe two. We get a lot of snow out here, but it's not as cold as people think."

"I noticed that, it feels a lot warmer than Laramie did."

David continued to step forward and help Clara as they walked through the snow.

"We're almost there." He pointed to a building, but Clara was more excited when she saw the plowed path.

"So thirty-four members and no group housing? That's pretty much all I know."

"We've only been around for five years. I'm not a fan of pack houses, too much drama. And I like building things. So we have twenty single members, seven mated pairs, no children."

"So you built twenty-seven houses?" That sounded crazy.

"Currently there are fourteen houses and one community building. Some people like roommates, but honestly when the spring rolls around I'd love to build another one."

"How did you get the money for all this?"

David's one-bedroom home was small, but she was assuming not all the homes were that tiny if multiple people lived in them. The community building looked like a decent sized church on the outside. She understood the self-sufficient philosophy of her old pack, but this wasn't making sense.

"Alright, so little shifter lesson for you. We are all governed by a council. The council is all retired Alphas. They look about eighty but most of them are more like two hundred. They live together in Northern Wisconsin. They make the rules, handle major disputes, approve new packs, they're pretty much our presidents. The only criteria to be on the council is having served as an alpha and being one of the five oldest wolves. So when one of them dies they know who's coming on board next."

"So our grand overlords are old men?"

"Wise old men, there's no rule that a female cannot be an alpha, it's just never happened. I know where your head it going miss master's degree. Yes, it is sexist, but the main duty of any alpha is protecting their pack. So if a woman was super strong and kicked a ton of ass she could be alpha if she wanted to. So if you decide to go for alpha you'll have to bulk up and maybe try and grow another five inches at least."