Chapter 8

<<Lucian>>

“Fuck, easy, Beta.” I growl as my Beta pulls the patch from the back of my neck; the second the scent gland is exposed, my natural scent washes over the office and finally my wolf can breathe fully. I’ve been pretending to be my Beta while I investigate the War Academies. Too many of them have been pumping out broken enforcers and Alphas like the one in the Blackthorn Pack. Males who refuse to bend the knee and I end up having to crush them under my paw. Instead of going after the individuals, I’ve decided to go to the source and cut the head of the wolf before it becomes a rabid beast. 

“You’ve got Irkwood this week. The term started four days ago and the new recruits have already started arriving.” My Beta sits across from me with a stack of files in his hands. His dark green eyes scan my face as he pushes the files across my desk towards me. Buck is a good Beta; he even helped me with the scent patches by allowing my private healers to take his pheromones. It can’t be easy on his mate having me walk around smelling like him but together they’ve managed to work it out. My Beta has been by my side since I was ten years old and even after finding his fated mate, he refused to leave. we’re bound by something deeper than blood and because of that, he’s one of the only people I trust completely. 

“Irkwood War Academy – that's the one closest to the Blackthorn Pack, right?” I ask as I pull the files towards me and start opening them; after four War Academies, all of these files are starting to look the same. Always the same type of male, strong, obedient and in need of refinement yet they leave these places broken and unwilling to follow their Alpha King. I’m not a tyrant by any meaning of the word but I rule with a fair and firm hand. My job is to protect the Packs so they can grow and thrive; for years they did just that but nineteen years ago something changed. I don’t know what it was or where the change happened but slowly I started losing control of the Packs and the War Academys. Somewhere along the line, the places intended to train became institutions of punishment and no matter how hard I dig, I can’t find the source of the rot. 

"That's the interesting thing," Buck smirks as he leans back in the cracked leather armchair and pulls one leg over the other so his ankle is resting on his knee. “Alpha Dean has sent two of his Pack to Irkwood this year, nineteen years of never letting his Pack members cross the border and now he’s let two of them out.” I started rapidly flicking through the files, my eyes scanning the papers inside just long enough to see the Pack names; when I don’t see Blackthorn Pack, I skip to the next file. Buck says nothing as I search; he knows when I’ve found what I’m looking for, though, because my eyes go wide and I place my hands flat on the hardwood desk as I stare down at the only picture I’ve ever seen of my mate. 

It happened last year. At exactly two-thirty-four in the morning I woke up to my wolf howling, it was the middle of winter and the air was cold but I was sweaty like I’d run a marathon. For too many years of life I’ve never felt the fated mate pull but that winter night I felt her reaching out to me across the Packs. I had no idea who she was, where she was or even what her name was but I knew she was out there and she had come of age. Buck helped me search through family lines and Pack archives until I found the picture that called out to me and my wolf. Morana Blackthorn. The only female Alpha in the country, eighteen and trapped in Blackthorn Pack, where I could never reach her. I resigned myself to never having my fated mate but the Moon Goddess has finally given me a chance. My mate is at Irkwood Academy. 

“Morana.” I whisper more to myself than Buck. I slowly stroke my finger over the single photograph; her bright emerald green eyes shine back at me, the freckles over her nose making her look innocent, but the set of her jaw betrays the strength she has hidden inside. The red hair is lightly curled, making it look like a fiery mane against her pale skin and her small shoulders are back like she’s forcing herself to stand tall. Her soft pink lips seem to call for me but that's not what I focus on; it's the small wrinkle between her eyebrows that catches my attention. That one detail on her perfect face always makes my wolf howl. It tells me everything I need to know without ever hearing her speak a word. She didn’t want this picture taken; she doesn’t want to be on display and she definitely doesn’t want to be staring blankly up at some random wolf she can’t see. Pain is written all over her face and it makes me want to race to her just like it has every night for the last year. 

“I already have the cars ready for Irkwood; you’ll leave within the hour and I’ve packed you some additional comforts for you to give your mate along with the family ring you had made last year.” I look up from the photograph to see Buck leaning forward with a small black box in hand. I know what's inside because I’ve had a similar one with me each time I’ve gone to a War Academy. “Bring our mate home, Alpha King.” Buck gives me a crooked smile before shooting to his feet and walking steadily from the office. Armed with my files and pheromone-blocking patches, I close my eyes and prepare myself to claim my mate.