Alpha Zane of Midnight Moon POV
Claw has been restless all morning. He sniffs around, dances merrily and sometimes looks at me with his eyes flashing. He's clearly upbeat, and if I were a gambler, I'd swear I'd hit the jackpot today.
But since he and I are one, his enthusiasm affects me very much. After days of hard work preparing for this conference, I could really use some positive motivation to start this day. So, I drain some of Claw's energy to fuel my human body.
I am dressed to the nines as I leave my suite in the packhouse. My mood is at its best thanks to my wolf, and I know I am ready for anything that might come out of this meeting. All the Alphas are present, some of them having brought their Betas, against the rules. Alpha Gorgio is sending his Luna, Eclipse Howl is dealing with the humans who are about to destroy their forests and contaminate the sources of fresh water in their lust for the precious metal.
The King and Queen are also back this year.
King Jasper is an authoritarian perfectionist. It is hard to please this Lycan. But no one can deny his reign over the packs, and the progress in social and financial policy is clear for all to see. The werewolves are much happier now and are seizing the opportunities for personal development with both hands. Pack members are now less dependent on humans for their health and education.
When I arrive at the hotel where the conference is due to start in a few hours, Claw jumps up straight away. He stares through my eyes, intently watching every movement around us.
"What's up, wolf? You've been up all morning. May I help you with anything? A she-wolf, perhaps? We haven't got any for ages," I teasingly say.
‘No! Thanks. Keep it in your pants,’ he growls at me. For all your life!
Claw and I are best friends, he is a real advantage to my leadership. I owe my success to him, and I am not afraid to tell him so. But for several months now, he has refused to cooperate on sex. He thinks we should stop having so many bed partners if we don't want to get into trouble.
I've reluctantly agreed to that because having sex without my wolf also enjoying it doesn't make much sense. Fighting Claw and trying to work on a pussy at the same time is impossible. So, here we are, celibate for several months and I suspect it is starting to break Claw. I smile at him, thinking of Sybille, who just last night threw herself at our feet, but I had to turn away.
‘What!’ I growl back.
‘Human. Much more beauty awaits us than these sluts. We're going for a gem'. My smile becomes a frown at his words. 'When you enjoyed them all these years, I didn't hear you complain that they were sluts. Are you a paranoiac now?' I scold him.
But he doesn't even bother to answer, staring ahead again, greedily taking in the surroundings as if he were coming here for the first time.
I roll my eyes and step into the lobby. The receptionist rushes towards me. But this time I sense a scent with her, Goddess, it is exquisite and makes me stagger for a moment. I, Zane Mancini, the most feared Alpha in this hemisphere, am momentarily unsure of myself. I take another sniff at the scent of the woman standing in front of me.
"Alpha, welcome. The last guest has just arrived. Now all the packs are present and the activities can begin on time." Adoringly, she raises her eyes to me, lowering them seductively to my lips. I know what she wants, this is not the first time she has offered me her services. But this time she has captured my attention, there is something about her that I want.
Of course, I know that this exotic scent is not hers. Its owner must have been near her, it is still fresh, so the person must be among the guests. I grab her wrist and pull her toward the desk.
"Which unmated she-wolf showed up here? Where is she?" I don't know where the words came from, how I could have come up with the idea that the scent belonged to an unmated she-wolf. Claw must be responsible.
"I'm the only unmated she-wolf here, and you are the unmated Alpha," she tells me in a low voice as she blinks her eyes. "Is there something you want, my strong Alpha?"
Reluctantly, I tear my eyes away from the lobby they were so intently inspecting and land them on the receptionist. "I don't have time for your nonsense. Check the guest list and tell me which unmated woman has checked in here in the last two hours," I order her in an Alpha tone.
Fear flashes in her eyes, she swallows hard and runs behind the counter. She consults her desktop for a few seconds and then turns back to me.
"Luna Ariel is the only female registered as a guest. But she is fully mated to Alpha Gorgio of Eclipse Howl and obviously deeply in love with him," she fills me in. "The other women are waitresses and workers.
And then I lose my patience. The scent is real and I want more of it. I must have more of it, it is my life preserver to stay alive. I bang my fist hard on the table, everything on it falls to the floor.
My Beta Eric comes running, probably warned by someone in the mind link that I was about to lose it.
"Zane, Zane, no! We don't do that, man". My best friend and confidant grabs me over the shoulder from behind and pulls me away, into the lift. "What happened? What are you looking for?"
"A scent. Eric, I am telling you, I think my mate is here. And that stupid receptionist is slowing me down and tries to get laid. I should have ripped her head off, the idiot," I pant angrily.
"Your mate? Zane, there are no women here except for the hotel staff you have known all your life," he grumbles. "Or yes, the Queen and Luna Ariel are present. But they can never be your fated. They both already have a mate". He looks at me as if I have gone mad.
"Are you saying I am seeing ghosts? Your Luna is here at last, and you don't believe me? Did you forget that we waited three years for her, that we need her for the pack?" With flaming eyes, I look into his.
"Believe me, Zane. I think I am more excited about her than you are. But I don't want you to be disappointed. Come, let's make a final inspection tour. If she's here, you'll meet her at the conference in an hour, you can't miss her.”
I take a deep breath, Eric is right. I need to be patient. A little distraction will help me sort things out.
So, we head back to the meeting room, ready to receive Midnight Moon's guests..
Alpha Zane’s POV Even before I see her, I know she is on the other side of the door.Her scent hits me in the face like a warm blanket, I can't wait to see her face, to walk up to her and take her in my arms. My mate!I still can't believe that finally, after three years of waiting, she is here. With me, where she belongs. My pack longs for her, like my subjects, I want my fated and no chosen. A fated mate makes us much stronger, mentally and collectively. And tomorrow I will make them happy when I announce that the Luna has arrived. I know this party will last a whole week and Eric is already making preparations.Claw howled with joy to the wide door, waiting for her appearance to tell me the good news. She must appear quickly now before I suffocate here with my bated breath.'Zane, what's taking her this long? Maybe you should face her, this is taking too long,' my wolf complains. But Eric is right in front of me, obstructing my every mov
Still Alpha Zane's POV Desperately, I break the door open.I can't believe what Claw is telling me, we're mates and she needs to be with me. I need her, my pack needs her. "Eric, Claw says she's not here anymore, she's gone." I can't keep the frustration out of my voice. We run inside. The bed is neatly made, probably by the cleaners. In the walk-in closet were two complete sets of official clothes and shoes. When I opened the drawers, I saw underwear lying around. I take a blazer off the hanger and smell it. Yes, this is the scent I've been craving, she's my mate. Back in the bedroom, her toiletries are still on the dressing table, as well as a small jewelry box."Eric, she is definitely my mate. But I don't understand how I could pick up her scent so strongly when she's already mated to Gorgio. I can't imagine that she hasn't waited for me and accepted to be someone else's chosen mate," I explain pained. "She
Still Alpha Zane's POVWith the breath of the Council now on my neck, my position within my own pack is becoming increasingly stark.Never before in the history of werewolves has a fully mated wolf appeared to have a second mate. Once marked and mated, it should be final. But the Moon Goddess has clearly decided otherwise today, and everyone in this room will have to come to terms with that. Because if there's one thing I know for sure, it's that I'm not giving up on Ariel. Gorgio will just have to find another mate, but Ariel is mine, marked or not.So here I am, with the Council and the King and Queen surrounding me."She went missing from your pack, so it is your duty to inform Alpha Gorgio of what has happened. And avoid escalation, this conversation will not be easy," warns the Council President, Alpha King Petric, who is also Ariel's father. I put my phone on speaker and dial Gorgio's number. We have never been friends, even though the Council forced us to sign a
Stubborn AlphaStill Alpha Zane's POVI am by no means a coward. Gorgio will find in me a formidable opponent.But I cannot make the same mistake he did. In fact, I am taking advantage of his grave miscalculation to declare war on me now that the King and Queen are in my pack.And judging by the look on King Jasper's face, the Alpha will not get away with this shown disrespect so easily. I bolt from my seat and walk out of the hotel with great strides. I leap behind the wheel and Eric quickly throws himself in the passenger seat. At high speed, I race to the gates of my pack. Behind me, I see the Limousine with the Royal couple and some Council members, followed by the Alpha King in his Maserati.As I arrive at the gate, I see my Head Warrior Kensley waiting there. Concerned, he comes over to me, obviously unaware of what has happened in the conference room. "Alpha! Thank God you're here! There is increased activity just outside our border. It looks lik
Again from Alpha Zane's POV "You're a liar!"Gorgio yells in my face, hurling all sorts of accusations at me. Since we arrived in my office, his temper has been all over the place. He seems unable to control himself, and his wolf often gets the upper hand. It is the King's Lycan aura that keeps him from shifting. "You've been eyeing my mate for a long time, it seems. You're jealous of our relationship because you can't find a fated yourself. And this is your trick to steal her from me," he shouts furiously. "You know my wolf will weaken without her. And then you think this is your way into my land. But you are in for a surprise, Alpha Zane. Promised!"My confession that Luna Ariel is also my fated mate only meets with resistance from the man.He cannot fathom that he must now share his Luna with me. Many of my attempts to come to an arrangement as grown men failed. Alpha Gorgio continues to grumble, and the Alpha King and King Jasper become despondent. Qu
Alpha Gorgio's POVI can't believe an Alpha is trying to steal my mate.I cannot allow this, it must never happen. There must be something this scum has pulled out to manipulate my Ariel. Maybe he even hired a witch to take her away from me to weaken me.Never before has a fully mated wolf, still active in the relationship, been paired with another wolf. There are cases of up to three males having to share a she-wolf, but they were all unmated. Damn sure, Alpha Zane is playing dirty here. And I won't let it go on, I'll go to war if I have to. In any case, I feel that the King is not unwilling to understand me, he also loves his woman with all that is in him. Ariel! My only love.No man will ever touch her as I do. She is mine, all of her. Her heart, soul and body. The Moon Goddess sanctioned our bond at our joining ceremony and I will hold her to it. And I am sure Ariel will never deceive me, we are one body and soul and there is no room for a third mate. We don't need
Luna Ariel's POV Tears blur my vision as I make my way through the heavy traffic. I’m so unhappy. My betrayal of Gorgio holds my heart in a painful grip. How could I have allowed a bond to form between Alpha Zane and myself? This strong attraction, which I could hardly resist, I should only feel for my mate. And my mate is Gorgio and him alone. Just a few hours after I swore to him that my heart belonged only to him and that I would love him forever, I start to have feelings for another man. And not just any man, but Gorgio's arch-enemy, the Alpha who constantly challenges our pack. I have never met him before because my mate protects me from the evil world. Midnight Moon is bad news. Gorgio only allowed me to represent him at the council meeting because it was important for our pack. The deals I had to offer were lucrative, and it took a lot of persuading to get Gorgio to agree to let me go. And look where that got u
Luna Ariel's POV "Dad! I'm so sorry I let you down." Once again, tears streamed down my face in buckets. The feeling of shame is overwhelming, I am the daughter of the honored Alpha King and I have only caused him trouble. I must be the most talked about she-wolf in the werewolf community by now, and not everyone will sympathize with me. Dad was overjoyed when Gorgio turned out to be my mate, proudly giving his approval at our joining ceremony and expressing his deep appreciation for my mate in his speech. And what daughter is not happy to bring her father nothing but joy? I was also proud of myself at the time. Now I had entirely ruined that. My run must have embarrassed him, and now that it turns out that I have more than one mate, even enemies, I know that his life has hit rock bottom. And then it all happened in front of the King and Queen. "No, no, my daughter. There is nothing to apologize for. This is the will of the Moon Goddess. And she do