The guards looked rather startled when the pair emerged from the hidden passage, but after looking at each other and shrugging they closed the wall back up and lead the girls out to the front doors.Mark and Jake met them at the doors. Jake growled, but they said nothing to stop Lia from joining Zinnia outside. The scene that met them reminded Lia of an old war video. The Cloud Lake people and wolves on one side of the wide gravel drive, the Blue Moon pack lined up on the other. Two large men were standing in front of the Blue Moon side.“The one with the red coat is my father.” Zinnia whispered. “I don’t know the other.”“The other is your Alpha!” Bellowed the large grey-haired man in the black jacket.Mark placed his hand on Zinnia’s shoulder, obviously telling her not to react.“As you can no doubt smell for yourselves now, she has pledged to Cloud Lake,” Mark called across the drive.“After the death of her mother and sister, her father demands her return. She is to take the place of her older sister and wed the Alpha of the Saint-Laurent Pack near Rivière-du-Loup.”“We are saddened to hear of the death of your daughter and eldest granddaughter Alpha Jacob, but Zinnia’s father knows that her mate is here. Gamma Dylan scented her several years ago in her father’s presents and she has been living here ever since.” Mark responded.“But we know that under your wussy ass rules she won’t have mated him yet. She is now the eldest unmated granddaughter of the Alpha she was born under, so will be wed under the treaty we have in place. Her father has agreed to this. He can make this decision because unmated girls belong to their father.”“Actually...I don’t think she does.” Liana said quietly, almost to herself.“Who is this female and how dare she speak to me!”“I wasn’t speaking to you, you arrogant prick. I was thinking out loud!”“Liana,” Mark said grabbing her shoulder, “this is not a joke.”“I said who is she!”“She is our future Luna.”Lia, uncomfortable with even letting someone else lie for her, shrugged out from under Mark’s hand.“Alpha Jake says I am to be his mate, which would make me Luna, however, I am not yet eighteen. And I wasn’t joking,” she glared at Mark before turning back to Zinnia’s father and the man beside him. “A few weeks ago I was reading ‘Supreme Laws of Mates’ in the library and I’m fairly certain that this would fall under ‘the Law of Fates’ which says that a father’s claim over his daughter is void once a male pledges to protect his fated mate, whether or not they are actually mated. It was created by the Lycan King Agamemnon of Greece in the year 102CE or something like that. His son Achillies was unable to mate with his wife through traditional means, but was devastated when he found out her father was negotiating to have her mate with some Roman werewolf instead so he begged his father to create a law that that if fated pairs can’t mate for any reason, the pledge of care and protection is all that is required to make the legal union under Lycan Law.” Lia looked around and saw a sea full of stunned faces looking up at her. “Honestly, that’s what it said! It has been held up in other Lycan courts hundreds of times over the centuries since, in more countries than I can remember, most recently in the US in 1986. I think it would fit, since under local laws of the Cloud Lake pack, mating can not occur until both members of the pair are eighteen.”“If he is her pledged protector her, where is this Dylan?” A large grey wolf, even bigger than Jake, jumped down from the balcony and sat beside Zinnia. She smiled down at him, resting her hand on the back of his neck.“He’s never far from me, Grandfather. For almost three years now he has made sure I am fed and have everything I need, including protection.”“This is ridiculous!” The grey hair man bellowed. Ocean Moon wolves began pacing nervously back and forth at the tree line. “We will follow our laws alone!” The man bellowed, his face turning beat red, “Zinnia belongs to her father, and thus to me! I refuse to cede my granddaughter to the whim of some ancient Greek king. Release her or we will take her by force!”“You might want to reconsider that,” Liana said softly, “The last time a family took their daughter back by force was somewhere in Russia during the 1700s. The Lycan King Deimos punished all the warriors involved and every male member of the girl’s birth family, even the babies, by disemboweling them alive.” Every head on the Ocean Moon side of the drive snapped to look at her. “Well he did,” she said with a shrug. “It said he had them strung to poles and that he personally ripped their abdomens open with his claws and ate their guts out while they screamed. Rather gruesome but most of the punishments in there are.”
Jake turned to look back at his mate. She was gorgeous in that soft, flowing dress with her hair flying out around her in the wind. She was so confident too, as though she had no doubt in the law she was discussing even though she couldn’t have done more than reading through it once. He didn’t even doubt her veracity, there was no way the Ocean Moon warriors wouldn’t believe every word she was saying. Disemboweled alive? Jake shook himself and turned back to face their challengers.It appeared he was right. More than half of the warriors who had been in wolf form were slipping quietly into the bushes. His lookouts were sending images back to him of their retreat. They were definitely heading back the way they had come, not fanning out to attack. Suddenly there was a shifting in the ranks alongside the house and Jake turned his head to see ten of the visiting Highland warriors stepping out of the group to make their presence known. The red-haired one stood in front of them and proclaimed loudly, “I am Beta Patrick of the Highland Pack. On the authority of our Alpha we support Cloud Lack Pack’s claim that, in accordance with the Supreme Laws, the female pup named Zinnia belongs with her fated mate.” The ocean Moon warriors began to flee more quickly and their Alpha took note of it.“We will be back!” He bellowed, the threat nearly making the Cloud Lake werewolves laugh as the entire band of Ocean Moon warriors were literally tucking tail and running.The Cloud Lake warriors began to head back to their homes or back into the pack house. The watch would be doubled for a while, but the other pack members would be going at least somewhat back to their plans.Jake turned around to see Zinnia wrapped around Liana’s waist. “You did it! You saved me!”“Well,” she answered, “I at least got them to go home and think about it for a bit. They might not be convinced though. You need to be extra cautious okay? Don’t go anywhere alone. Promise me?” Dylan growled and nipped gently at Zinnia’s fingers making her giggle.“It looks like Dylan agrees with you. I think he’s planning to spend the night where he can keep an eye on me.” Zinnia held Lia’s hand as the group walked back into the pack house.“You were very well spoken and informed,” Mark said to Liana, which Jake knew was high praise given his Beta’s opinion of the girl. “You protected a pup even though you have not pledged to our pack. You will make a good Luna.” He looked down at Jake after he finished talking, then nodded to the group and left to organize the extra watch.“I can’t believe you knew all that stuff! “Zinnia chirped excitedly, “You sure are smart! How did you remember all that, with dates and names even?”“I don’t have any little tricks to pass along or anything like that, I just study a lot so my brain is in the habit of remembering.”“I would have thought all those laws and stuff would be super boring to read. I’ve never even taken those books off their shelves!”“Well, I believe the laws of a people are a great way to learn about them. There are other books are that are definitely more fun, but the laws of a people give a more accurate picture than either the storybooks or the history texts.”“Why? How?”“Well, they just… they are just laws. They aren’t told from a particular point of view. They can be just or unjust in the reader’s opinion, but they aren’t subjective in themselves. They tell you the things that really are or are not permitted in a specific society at a specific time.”Jake plunked down on his hindquarters and watched the girls disappear with Dylan at their heels. She would make a good Luna if she would accept being a werewolf and agree to be his mate. He couldn’t imagine himself choosing to belong to a group of people who listed live disembowelment as a punishment though. It seemed unlikely that Liana would either. Gruesome was how she felt about their laws. He had been right there through all of that, and she hadn’t even looked at him once. Hadn’t even glanced in his direction. He turned to the stairs and padded up to the Alpha’s quarters. His wolf was demanding a nap, but before he could do that he needed to get dressed and thank the Highlanders for voicing their support in the protection of the Cloud Moon pup. It had certainly sped along the peaceful end to today’s hostilities. He’d also need to talk to his mother and his warriors about letting Lia outside unchaperoned. She never should have been allowed out of the safe room. On the other hand, if she had stayed below the morning may have ended in bloodshed. The death of even one werewolf was one death too many. If she were going to have that sort of information at her fingertips it would be very useful to have her closer to him.Was she planning to study law? Maybe she wanted to be a lawyer. A werewolf versed in both human and werewolf laws could be very useful indeed. He shook his head sadly and transformed back into human form, and walked over to the closet for some clothes. Liana wasn’t going to become a wolf. She wasn’t going to be his Luna. The goddess had chosen well, Liana would be perfect for him, and for this pack. Unfortunately, the goddess hadn’t planned it in time. Liana’s mind was too firmly set, her beliefs and feelings about werewolves too deeply entrenched for her to accept that part of herself and join with him. Fatigue and depression washed over Jake and waves and he gave up trying to get dressed. He collapsed naked onto his bed and fell asleep with his face in his pillow.Liana had wasted no time in calling Ellie and Elsie back. Since the triplet's car was still here, David had given them a ride but stopped in to talk to Beta Mark, probably to get the full story about what had happened. Eric, who had been tasked with protecting them, had dashed off on his own as soon as their father was out of ear shot. The three girls had decided to hang out in Liana’s room. She knew it was a mistake as soon as they arrived on the top floor. Her head started to pound again and the humming noise was nearly deafening. “Maybe the library would be better,” she suggested quietly, “Jake is here.”“You can tell where he is already?” Ellie asked. “She can smell him you dolt.” said Elsie.“You’ve been reading historical fiction again Elsie, you’re cursing like an old man.” The girls bickered good-naturedly, completely forgetting about Lia’s preference for the library as they walked through the sitting room towards the bedrooms. Lia followed slowly behind, watching her feet an
Jake surged up up out of his armchair and lunged at Mark, deciding at the last minute to drop to the floor beside Lia. Or maybe he hadn’t had a choice. He had woken up, got dressed, walked the short distance to the sitting room and dropped into his favourite armchair. Since then he hadn’t had the energy to move. Even the knowledge that he needed to find the Highlander Beta or risk offending the pack hadn’t been enough motivation to get him to his feet! But the anger that surged through time at the sight of his mate in agony on the floor had given him more strength than he’d had all week. He’d intended to pummel his Beta and was somewhat surprised to find himself on his knees less than a foot from Lia. He wasn’t sure if it had been a subconscious decision, something his wolf had chosen, or his energy starved muscles had simply given out beneath him. “What the devil did you do to her!”“No idea.” Mark said. Jake scowled up at him. “I don’t know Jake! She was fine a moment ago. Elsie poin
Jake woke slowly, the inside of his eyelids bright red with the heat of the sun on his face. Turning away from the sunlight that was streaming through the window, he cracked his eyes open to look around. His mind was groggy for a moment and he couldn’t quite remember why he was sleeping on the floor. The smell of mint and fresh roses had a contented smile spreading on his face before he even registered the weight of Liana’s head on his shoulder. She sighed sleepily and snuggled in close to his side. Jake brought his arms up to hold her to him more securely just as he heard the door to the Alpha level crack open. A picture of a breakfast tray flashed into his mind through the link and he replied accepting it. Zinna walked in shyly, her eyes down, her bare feet making little noise as she walked the tray over to the table, put it down softly, and turned to leave without even glancing at the pair.“Thank you Zinnia,” he said softly. He loathed to wake Liana and lose this contact, but hot
Lia looked cautiously up. She let her eyes travel over the floor until she saw his feet. How was every part of him so beautiful? Even his feet! She licked her lips subconsciously as her eyes traveled up his legs, feeling oddly disappointed that he’d left so much of himself covered. Goodness. She really wanted to be in a room alone with a naked man that she barely knew? A flush of heat washed over her and she knew she was as red and warm as a freshly washed r****h. Lia swallowed hard and kept her eyes moving past the mass of denim on his lap, up his abs, and the soft smattering of red and brown hair on his muscular chest. When her eyes finally met his she could see so much passion in their brown depths! Heat pooled between her legs and she noticed his nostrils flare a bit. Somehow she knew that he was aware of how seeing his body had affected her. “how…?”“Your pulse sped up and your body heated, which makes your scent stronger.”“oh.”“and you got damper between your legs, that has a v
The door closed and Jake lay still on top of her, resting his muzzle against her neck, his chest panting. Slowly she felt the shape of him changing. The soft, silky feel of his fur was replaced by warm skin as his bare chest met hers for the first time. He kissed her neck and then spoke softly with his lips brushing her ear lobe. “My wolf can mind link with yours. You heard him speak, even though he was really only speaking to me. Then he warned your wolf we were going to bark, and she got you to cover your ears. Soon you and I will be able to communicate that way anytime we want to.” He sat, pulling her onto his lap. The size of his erection against her hip made Lia tense. “You’ve never had a human boyfriend either.” It was a statement, not really a question, but Lia answered anyways.“Well, yes I have. But he knew I wasn’t going to be intimate with him unless our relationship got more serious, which it never did. We were just friends who liked hanging out together and we started hol
A mental image of three very large wolves standing in the entrance hall was the first alert Jake had of strangers on his land. He was not impressed. There would be consequences to whoever had neglected their post. The snarl hadn’t even left his throat before Mark, Dylan and a few other men leaped from the table, shifting to wolf as they went, their clothes torn to shreds before their paws hit the floor. The next mental message was sent to every werewolf in the pack but was not a pack link. The wolves all lay down on the floor, their necks bent in submission. The werewolves who were still in human form all knelt down facing the door and bowed their heads. Jake caught Lia’s hand and gave her a small tug and she knelt down too. He tried to share the idea of a Lycan royal family visit with her and hoped her wolf could get the message across. They really had to find a way to get more free-flowing communication. No sooner had Lia copied the others than the three large wolves and a tall-ro
The few remaining days before the Wolf moon had flown by. Selene was still unconscious, but the silver was removed from her blood. She had fully shifted to her wolf in the middle of her first night sleeping in the moonlight. Seeing a scruffy white wolf on the cot made everyone much more confident that she would heal well as soon as she got enough hours with the goddess. Every morning her coat seemed to have filled in some, which was a good sign. The lycan appeared to have left, but the guest houses still smelled recently used, so nobody in the pack was quite as comfortable as they would normally be. Jake had fallen back on his traditional pack party plans, omitting most of the birthday and mate announcement plans he’d been making. He really wanted to count on both Lia’s shift and their mating, but he understood Lia not wanting attention from a bunch of werewolves who were still mostly strangers to her, so he’d agreed to keep those things just between them for tonight. Knowing most of
Lia dove onto her bed and spun around, her knees bent up to hide her chest and her hands over her burning red cheeks. Had she really just done that? Had she really felt him up like that and then stripped naked? What had come over her? She heard Jake following her and buried her face behind her knees.A large hand wrapped around her ankle and tugged her leg out, hauling her to the end of the bed. She squealed, then burst out laughing as Jake ran his tongue up her leg. His shoulders stiffened and he stilled for a moment, cursing softly. “Come here Lia, our wolves need to have a chat before we do anything else.”“Why?”“’Cause yours is sending out messages when you have strong emotions or sensations. David doesn’t want any more glimpses of me licking your bare legs and apparently, he heard a couple of giggles from Ellie and Elsie’s room a few minutes ago so they’re probably seeing or feeling something too. Dylan also says that Zinnia just asked him some interesting questions about tingly