The one where he finds his mate

~Nikolai~

I was silent the entire ride home. Fuming...I was fuming!

I finally found my mate but she was a married woman! A married woman! Of all the...!

Blast that moon goddess! Her sense of humor was truly horrible.

It wasn't enough that she kept me from finding my mate for so many years! Now my mate was married to another man.

The thought made my jaw clenched tightly. My wolf surged to the surface, making my eyes glow.

I needed to calm down. If I lost control, my wolf, Karl, would tear the car apart, race off to find her, snatch her and carry her away with me.

I closed my eyes and tilted my head back, taking a deep breath. The heat dissipated from my eyes. My breathing became normal again.

We pulled up to the giant gate that marked the start of my estate.

An iron raven with glittering red rubies for eyes sat on top of it, the symbol of my park.

At the sound of my car, several children came rushing out of the different homes to wave excitedly at my car.

I rolled down the window and raised a hand in salute to them. Those were the youngest members of my park.

Their parents were my park members who lived within the compound. Most of them had been born here.

They ran after the car, shouting and waving excitedly. I saw some of their mothers also peeking out of their windows as I passed by.

But when we got to the twin white trees that maked the start of my personal home, the children stopped and turned back.

When we pulled closer, I saw a bunch of people gathered in front of my building. I frowned. The car rolled to a stop and I came down.

"Alpha Nikolai," they chorused and bowed at once.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked. It was unsual to have my pack members waiting for me outside my house when I didn't invite them.

Even more strange, some of the members who I knew were out of city were there.

Last I knew, we had only thirteen pack members in the compound right now with their families.

But there were twenty park members gathered in front of me now.

"Are you alright, Alpha Nikolai? We were worried that something had happened to you," one of our omegas, Carl said.

"Is that why you're gathered here? Did you come rushing down from Dul City?" I asked my lycan twins, Luke and Paul.

"Yes, boss," they answered together.

Today, they were dressed in matching black leather jackets, white roundnecks and blue jeans.

At this point, nobody even attempted to tell the troublemaker twins apart.

"I'm fine," I assured them again with exasperation. "I just ran into a bit of a surprise. That's all."

"He found his mate," Ahmad, my beta who'd been with me at the courthouse, said from behind me.

I whirled around to glare at my beta while my park burst into excited chatter.

"We're so happy for you, boss!" Leia, my redheaded female gamma said approvingly. "It's about damn time."

Leia was a small, dainty-looking woman but underestimate her at your own risk.

I'd seen her fell huge wolves in one swoop. She was a one-man army and literally the mother of the park.

"She is also human and married to a lawyer," Ahmad piped in again.

This time I punched him in the chest. He went flying back and landed on the floor, a few feet away. He pushed himself to his feet, wincing.

"That was unnecessary," he said painfully.

"You deserve it," I said calmly.

I turned to my pack members who were now whispering worriedly.

"Yes, it's true. I have found my mate at long last. And it is also true that she is human and married."

"What are you going to do now?" Leia asked worriedly.

They were all looking at me expectantly. My eyes glistened darkly.

"What do you mean what am I going to do? Claim my mate, of course," I said.

"That's my alpha!" Paul said and high-fived his twin.

"What? You can't just take her away from her husband," Leia argued.

I caught Ahmad's eye and we rolled our eyes. 'Women! Whether wolf or human, they are all the same. Too sentimental for their own good.'

"Leia, if it turned out that Ric was married to a human when you found him, what would you have done?" I asked.

Ric was her mate and husband. They lived in the compound and had two kids.

I'm pretty sure I saw one of their redheaded kids running after my car earlier.

Her face reddened immediately and her eyes glowed blue. "I'll kill her immediately," she said.

"Exactly," I said.

She huffed but didn't say anything more.

"So like I said, I'll handle it. In the meantime, start preparations to receive your Luna."

They snapped to attention. "Yes, Alpha," they said and bowed.

I turned to leave but paused and turned back.

"For now, keep this information to yourselves. As you know, we're currently at war and I don't want any complications."

"Yes, Alpha," they chorused again, still bent at the waist in a bow.

I walked into my house, leaving all of them behind. I stalked towards my bedroom, pulling off my clothes as I went.

I heard footsteps following me but I ignored them and continued to my bedroom. They followed me in.

"Nickolai," a husky, feminine voice said behind me. She laid her hand against my bare back.

"What do you want, Eva?" I asked, moving away from her touch.

"I just want to comfort you," she whispered. "I know you're probably hurting over your mate now."

"I don't need comforting," I said brusquely.

She reached for me again, this time reaching for the front of my trousers. "I know you want this," she whispered seductively.

She wasn't wrong. A part of me wanted this, wanted the relief I got in her skilled arms but the larger part of me coiled away from her touch.

Karl roared inside me, snarling, 'She's not our mate! We don't want her!'

He surged to the surface. "Get out," I roared, my eyes glowing red.

She jumped in fright and ran from the room, her gown floating behind her like a wraith.

The door she left open began to slide closed but just before it did, Ahmad caught it and pulled it back open.

"What happened to your mistress? She was running like a woman on fire," he asked.

"Shut up," I snapped.

He rolled his eyes, flopping down on my bed.

I shook my head at him. No one else in the park would dare do that but he was my best friend and beta so he got certain liberties.

"What are you planning to do?" Ahmad's voice asked behind me.

"About what?" I asked.

"Your mate, of course," he said. I ignored him. "You have a plan already, don't you?" he pressed.

I smiled. "Maybe."

"You do!" He exclaimed. "What is it? You have to tell me!"

I sighed. I wouldn't have any peace until I told him.

"Well, she's a lawyer, isn't she?" I asked.

"Yes, that's right," he answered.

I smirked. "Well, I just might have a case for her," I declared smiling.