Chapter 4

ROMAN.

“You good?” Brock asked me, raising a single brow.

“Mhm. Just needing to get my head in the game. We need to keep our senses open. Creed feels like this mission will be important.”

He nodded in understanding and put a three-way call between us and the guys that came with us so that we could strategize and make sure that we were on the same page.

There was zero room for failure right now. We’d only get one chance at nailing Alpha Richard. He was our guy. I knew it in my gut. May the Goddess help him if my gut turned out to be correct.

‘Don’t worry, Alpha Richard. We’re coming for you,’ I promised.

Before we arrived at the pack’s gate, we had stopped to make certain that we were prepared for whatever we might encounter.

There might only be eight of us, but we were all beasts. Not to mention that there were warriors on standby in the pack who could come to us instantaneously via portal if we sent up a metaphorical flare. They would remain ready until I dismissed them.

I learned early on that we always needed to be prepared and ready for anything. We’d consider it enemy territory until a time came when we were proven otherwise. However, I had a feeling that it would remain enemy territory.

Each of us that was there was equipped with a watch that acted as alert beacons. They were spelled by our witches so that they wouldn’t break if we had to shift and would be on our wrists once again when we shifted back into our human forms.

The Blazing Fire pack was very diverse. Not all werewolf packs allow other species to be a part of them, but we hold no such elitist views. We had werewolves, humans, and witches that were all considered to be equal pack members. We cared about who the person was instead of what they were.

As Regent, it was my duty to ensure that all were protected. Many of those purist packs didn’t allow their members to mate outside their species. It always resulted either in relocation or in rejection.

Those who would rather relocate than to sever their blessed mate-bonds would be offered relocation assistance. Some came to our pack or other allied packs that we knew would protect them as well. Other times, they chose to move out on their own, having already been burned by their previous pack. I couldn’t blame them for that stance. We offered to help them get set up wherever they wanted to go and provided them with whatever support that we could.

I was twenty-five years old and had been the Alpha of our pack for the past five years. I’ve also been Regent for the past three years. Dad held both of those posts until they were passed down to me. He trained me well for my posts, ensuring that I knew how to navigate the precarious minefield of political alliances, the importance of trusting my instincts, how to handle the hard decisions, as well as how to be the person that our people and our kind needed.

Regency came with great promise but overpowering burdens as well. It was an honor to be Regent because it allowed me to be an Alpha but on a much larger scale. What I meant was that I could protect those who needed protection while also ensuring that evil deeds would never be swept underneath the rug. Obviously, I wasn’t omniscient, but I never turned a blind eye when I heard whispers, rumors, or accusations. Any piece of evidence was verified and dealt with accordingly. Everything that I did, I did for the betterment of those around me.

One day, I won’t be doing all of this alone. Well, I had a team of dedicated and trustworthy people. But I meant that one day, when the time came, I would have a mate to fight alongside me.

Many people have proposed the idea of me taking them as a chosen mate. I’d never done that because I had always longed for my fated mate, the one that the Goddess would hand-select for me. I didn’t turn my nose up to those who decided to have a chosen mate over a fated mate because that was their personal decision to make. Likewise, mine was also a personal decision.

Creed was on my side, wanting the mate that was destined for us. It didn’t matter how long it took because it would be well worth the wait.

My mate, and her wolf, would be a perfect complement to us. That was how mate-bonds worked. The parties balanced each other out. If one mate was weaker, whether it was physically or emotionally, the other mate would be stronger to help balance it. If one had a need, the other one would be able to fill it. Human things got in the way sometimes – jealousy, anger, infidelity, etc. All of that could easily complicate mate-bonds, but it wasn’t the bond itself that was the problem.

My mate may or may not be physically strong, but I had no doubt that they would have strength in other areas. I trusted in the Goddess’ decisions, believing that she didn’t make mistakes. So, I could be as patient as necessary even though I was eager to meet the other half of my soul.

‘So sappy,’ Creed teased me, flashing me a wolfish grin.

‘Yeah, yeah. You’re no better than I am. The rest see us as no-nonsense hardasses when need be and definitely jerks when times call for it. Yet, you can’t tell me that you don’t dream of having the love that our parents have. Of building a life with our other halves. Pups. Family. A future.’

His eyes softened and brightened with just the thought. We were both romantics at heart, something that nobody but our mates would know. It was a side of us that would be reserved solely for them.

I was not celibate, but I could honestly say that none of those females had ever gotten even a bit of my heart.

Blood Lake was situated in a forested area. It wasn’t anything special. The most interesting part of the landscape was the large lake that had special crystals naturally embedded in it. They were called Blood Crystals because of their crimson color. They were sometimes used in rituals but were also just nice to look at. The crystals gave the lake a red glow to it, hence the name Blood Lake.

I drove up to the guard at the gate. He was playing on his phone before he heard our approach. Wow. Just wow. That certainly wouldn’t fly in our pack. I was sincerely underwhelmed if this was a peek into the pack’s environment.

Guards, especially ones that manned the gate, needed to be alert at all times. He hadn’t even noticed as quickly as he should’ve sensed our approach.

Warriors and guards were the first line of defense in our pack. It was their duty to ensure that we were secured and that nobody took them by surprise. It was precisely why those positions required intensive training beyond the average training that all of our pack members received. Not everyone had the desire to stick it out through the hardcore training. Those who did, however, came out of it stronger than ever before.

“State your business,” the guard demanded after I rolled my window down, trying to appear intimidating or something. He failed the mark though.

“Is this the reception that all visitors get, or am I just special like that?” I asked, quirking a brow in question.

Creed was slowly releasing his aura, allowing it to creep up. Sure, he could’ve thrown the aura out, but the approach slowly built up. That move hit the mark because his body tensed up as he felt the aura pushing against him, compressing whatever little aura he had. Every werewolf had an aura but varied depending on rank. He could feel that my rank exceeded his. Those instincts were to naturally submit, to some extent, to the one who held more power than him.

We didn’t go around using our aura willy-nilly against people but had no problem putting them in their places if they were stupid enough to show their asses just like he did.

His throat bobbed as he apologized for his rudeness and asked how he could help. Creed was laughing his furry ass off at the guard’s one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turnaround. I was laughing right along with him internally but kept my face impassive.

“Regent Alpha Roman King. I’m here to see Alpha Richard,” I told him, not elaborating beyond that.

There was a brief flash of panic in his eyes before they glazed over with a mindlink. Interesting.

Was the panic there because he bucked up to a Regent, or was it because he was worried about me being there? I wasn’t certain which one it was, but I’d keep my senses peeled. Mine and Creed’s instincts were stronger than many other werewolves, bordering on a gift if I had to classify them. Our instincts weren’t as strong as our telekinesis but had certainly saved our asses time and time again.

“Go ahead and follow Phillip, the gray wolf, down to the packhouse. Alpha is expecting you,” he informed me, lowering his head in deference.

I didn’t respond, opting to roll up the window and begin driving instead.

Brock waited until we were out-of-sight to bark out a deep laugh. I cracked a smirk, chuckling along with him.