Jacob looked over the file in his hand, taking a sip of his coffee as he scanned the information before him.
He put his coffee down, flicking the page and glancing up as the door opened.
"Busy?" Sarise asked, walking into the room and Jacob smiled, lowering the file.
"Not really." He answered, watching as she walked towards him. "You need something?"
"Just some advice on..." Sarise stated as she walked forward, looking at the file on the desk.
She grabbed it, frowning at Jacob.
"Why are you looking into Kario Jefferson?" She asked and Jacob smiled.
"I'm intrigued." Jacob answered, leaning back in his chair. "He's the complete opposite of what you'd expect the son of a Regulator to be."
"You're not considering putting his name forward?" Sarise breathed and Jacob chuckled.
"You've got to admit he's interesting." Jacob pointed out and Sarise nodded, resting against the desk and looking through the file.
"He is, but..."
"But?"
"You've met him." Sarise laughed, throwing the file on the desk. "He's a jumped up, arrogant..."
"He reminds me of Xander." Jacob pointed out and Sarise's eyes went wide for a second before she burst into laughter.
"Oh, my Goddess you're right!" She laughed, shaking her head as she did. "You honestly think we need another Xander?"
"I think we need a Vengeance Alpha." Jacob stated and Sarise's laughed died off.
"Jacob you can't seriously..." She whispered and Jacob smiled.
"Yes, I am seriously considering putting his name forward." Jacob replied, nodding at the file on his desk. "It's an interesting read."
Sarise growled, picking up the file.
"He's the embodiment of what Vengeance Pack was." Jacob stated, watching as Sarise read the file. "I'm aware you won't know much about Vengeance Pack." She glanced up at him.
"Even before it was disbanded only the Alphas knew about its other dealings."
"Other dealings?" Sarise asked, looking up at Jacob and seeing him nod. "I figure it has something to do with the name?"
Jacob chuckled, pulling her onto his lap.
"While the recorded main industry of Vengeance Pack was mining, it specialised in a bred of mercenary." Jacob stated.
"Mercenary?" She asked, grabbing the file again.
"More like assassins." He added, watching her face. "They were able to get in and out without being detected." She turned to look at him. "They were highly sought after."
He took the file from her hand, flicking through it and stopping on a page, passing it back to her. Sarise's eyes went wide when she read the information.
"Kario is a trained assassin." She said lightly.
"Best they currently have according to his file." Jacob answered. "It seems even after the Packs were dissolved, Zone One continued to train assassins."
"Does anyone else know..." She started and her head whipped around. "Wait, I remember Xander mentioning Jefferson during a meeting of the Alphas."
Jacob's eyebrows went up in question.
"When I was still Amelia's Beta." She added, looking back at the file. "You all knew about this?"
"We've all used the resources available in Zone One." Jacob answered and Sarise turned to look at him. "They never leave a trace that they've been there, they even take their dead." He laughed. "None of us will mess with them. Even Merric is wary of them."
"Really?" Sarise breathed. Merric was one of the best fighters within War Pack and for him to be wary of someone spoke volumes of their skills
"The Assassins of Vengeance Pack were known for their hand to hand combat skills." Jacob stated. "The ability to use whatever was on offer to make the kill and complete the task." He shrugged.
"Of course, they always have their own weapons, but they're trained to be able to kill in any way." He looked at Sarise lightly. "Kario could kill you with his bear hands if he wanted."
Sarise shuddered at the thought of the burly man they'd met a few days ago with the disarming smile and cocky attitude snapping her neck without mercy or remorse.
"He's also the son of The Regulator." She pointed out and Jacob nodded.
"Yes, but there are reports from the guards, complaints to The Regulator that he isn't following regulatory orders." Jacob replied. "He seems to do the complete opposite of what he's ordered to do."
"He also had the balls to stand up to an Alpha." He added and Sarise looked at him, seeing his eyes flash lavender as he smiled.
"And why do you have this?" Sarise asked, picking up some of the strange dried leaves on his desk.
"Ahhhh." He breathed, leaning forward and picking up some of the leaves. "Is something I spotted when we were in Zone One. I thought it was interesting."
"It's a weed." Sarise stated, throwing the leaves in her hand on the desk. "It grows in Zone Nine too."
"A weed?" Jacob asked and Sarise nodded.
"It's everywhere." She answered.
"I've never seen it before." Jacob pointed out and Sarise shrugged.
"The apothecaries in Zone Nine stay away from it." She stated, looking at the leaves on the desk. "It smells like horse shit and no one has found a use for it."
"Does it have a name?" He asked and Sarise snorted.
"We called it Hersemed." She answered. "It's old dialect, means..."
"Horse shit." Jacob chuckled.
"Just throw it out." Sarise added, pushing herself off the desk. "I mean it's useless."
"Everything has a use." Jacob pointed out.
"You sent some of it to a lab, didn't you?" She snorted, trying to suppress a chuckle.
"Like I said, I've never seen it before." Jacob stated, putting the leaves back on the desk. "It's my job as the Intelligence Alpha to..."
"Don't blame me when you find out it's nothing more than a useless weed then." Sarise laughed, reaching over and giving him a kiss.
"You came in here for something." Jacob pointed out and Sarise rolled her eyes.
"Right I forgot." She laughed, blowing him a kiss when he frowned at her. "The ball tomorrow night..."
"Goddess, do we really need to have one." Jacob grunted, leaning forward and grabbing the file on Kario again.
Sarise pulled it from his hand, frowning at him and slapping his thigh with the file.
"Jacob Nathaniel Marcon." Sarise snapped, pulling the file out of his reach when he went to grab it. "I've spent weeks planning this bloody thing! We're having the damn ball!"
"Thought it was a display of decadence." Jacob pointed out with a grin and Sarise frowned, slapping him with the file again.
"Goddess you're an asshole sometimes you know that!" She snapped, throwing the file in his lap.
"We don't have time to be throwing parties." Jacob growled, frowning at her.
"Don't have time for much of anything love." She added, reaching over to give him a kiss before stepping away from him.
"I've had your tux cleaned by the way." She added as she walked to the door. "I want you ready by six o'clock."
Jacob growled as she walked out, pulling the file opening and staring at it angrily.
*꙲꙲ ꙲꙲*꙲꙲ ꙲꙲*꙲꙲
Sarise walked from the kitchen, satisfied with the last-minute changes to the menu and headed towards the ballroom.
She wouldn't admit it to Jacob, but she hated these things more than he did.
She walked into the ballroom, frowning as she spotted Regulator Dralos from Zone Eight standing talking to Noah, waving a canape around theatrically.
She giggled at the look on Noah's face and kept scanning the crowd, seeing the Alphas had arrived and were conversing with Jacob.
She smiled, scanning the room more and stopped when she spotted a lone figure standing against a column, sipping a flute of champagne.
As if knowing she was looking him, he turned his head lazily, a smile crossing his stunning features as he raised his glass in salute, aqua eyes sparkling in amusement.
Sarise frowned as he threw her a wink before looking back at the mass of people in the ballroom and she slowly began pushing her way through the crowd, walking towards the man.
"Took you long enough to get here sweety." He stated in smooth tones when she reached his eyes, sipping his drink again.
"I don't believe we're acquainted." Sarise pointed out sharply, standing beside him and scanning the dance floor. "Who are you here with?"
"Oh, I'm always unaccompanied." He answered, turning his head to look at her. "But I must say, you've fitted in quite well haven't you."
"Do you know the King? I remember seeing you before Amelia's coronation." Sarise asked and the man chuckled.
"I know all of you darlin." He answered, finishing his glass and putting it on a table beside him. "I was just checking to see how you were all doing."
Sarise turned to look at him, her eyes scanning him slowly as she tried to remember if she had ever met this man before.
"Oh sweety," He stated and she looked into the stunning aqua eyes as he leant forward to whisper in her ear. "I'm flattered, but I don't swing that way." He pulled back, glancing over her shoulder. "Your hunk of a mate however"
Sarise turned to look over her shoulder, seeing Jacob laughing with Xander and Merric
"Him, I'd definitely do." He added and Sarise turned to snap at him, but he chuckled, shaking his head at her.
"Calm down darling, no need to get all antsy." He laughed, looking over her shoulder again. "Well, well. Who is that?"
Sarise turned to see a strange woman standing beside Jacob, smiling up at him as she giggled at something.
She turned to speak to the man again but he was gone.
She scanned the ballroom, trying to find the strangely handsome man with aqua eyes and blue-black hair, but he was nowhere in sight.
Frowning she turned, seeing the stunningly beautiful woman batting her eyes at him as he spoke to her.
Sarise growled, feeling his wolf rise as she moved through the crowd, finding Amelia chatting with Carmen.
"Sarise, I was wondering..." Amelia began but stopped when she saw Sarise's gaze fixed on her mate. "Sar? Are you okay?"
"Who is that?!" Sarise whispered through gritted teeth and Amelia turned to look across the room.
Sarise struggled to control her wolf as Jacob lowered his head, offering his cheek to the woman, her bright red lips laying a kiss gently on his cheek before she lay her hand on his forearm, squeezing it.
"I've no..." Amelia started to say and beside her Carmen whimpered.
"That's Estelle." She breathed, tearing her gaze from Jacob to Sarise. "The woman who used to entertain my brother before he found you."
A growl erupted from Sarise, rumbling around the room and it instantly fell into silence, all eyes on Sarise as she glared at Jacob, her eyes turning a vibrant aqua.
Jacob's eyes began to change, glowing lavender, the woman on his arm looking at Sarise with wide eyes, gripping Jacob's arm as she hugged into him.
Sarise growled again as Jacob wrapped an arm protectively around the woman, bending down to speak to her and she tore her gaze from him, turning and looking at Amelia.
"I can't stay here." She growled trying to force her wolf back as she stormed from the deathly silent room.
The doors crashed against the wall when she flung them open, rebounding off the wall and slamming shut behind her.
She struggled to get her wolf under control, feeling her clawing to the surface as she stormed down the hallway, throwing a door open and storming in.
She was in an office, a desk of light wood sitting towards the back of the room, couches of red within the centre.
Rage coursed through her as she thought about that woman with her red lips touching her mate, her hand on his arm in such an affectionate manner.
She could feel her wolf clawing forward and growled, closing her eyes and hanging her head as she took deep breathes, trying to get herself under control.
"Green looks good on you." A voice stated and she turned, seeing Jacob walking into the room, flicking the door closed behind him with a slam.
"Why is she here!" Sarise demanded, her voice distorted by her wolf as he walked up to her, his eyes blazing lavender as his wolf come forward to counter hers.
"I invited her!" He snapped and Sarise growled at him. "Get your fucken wolf under control Sarise!"
"I don't want her here!" She yelled, her muscles straining as her wolf tried to force a shift.
"I am Alpha and will do as I please!" He growled as he leaned into her. "You are not Luna yet!"
Something in Sarise's mind snapped, nearly shifting as her wolf snarled at Jacob and without thinking she threw him onto the couch, hitching her dress and straddling him before he had time to realise what had happened.
She claimed his mouth with hers, pushing her tongue into his mouth as she ravaged him in a dominating way.
Her wolf huffed in satisfaction as Sarise put her scent all over him, continuing to dominate the man beneath her as she ripped his shirt open, dragging her claws across his chest.
Sarise heard Jacob groan, felt his hands run up her thighs, claws dragging across her skin as he ran his hand up her back, pulling the zip of her dress down.
She ground against him as he pulled her dress down over her arms, exposing her breasts and nearly tearing it in the process.
He pushed her back, taking one nipple in his mouth, biting at it as he rolled the other between his thumb and index finger.
Sarise groaned, grinding against him, threading her hands in his hair and pulled him roughly from her as she claimed his mouth once again.
He ran his hands up her thighs, gripping her underwear, tearing them from her then pushed a finger into her.
She cried out, throwing her head back at his lips ran down her throat, his tongue massaging her mark, another finger slipping into her as she rocked against him.
She grabbed his hand, pulling it from her as she reached down undoing his pants and pulling him free.
He went to grab her hips, but she growled, grabbing his wrists and pinning them against the back of the couch, claws digging into his skin as she lowered herself onto him.
She cried out as he filled her, rocking her hips violently against him as he moaned beneath her.
She released his wrists, putting her hands on his chest and digging her claws into his pectorals as he grabbed her hips, pulling her harder against him.
She could feel her orgasm building, the position they were in slamming against her sensitive spot as she rode him.
She leaned into him, her lips at his neck as she roughly drove her hips against him, her vision exploding with white as she came.
She felt him thrust under her a few more times before he too found his release.
She panted in the hollow of his neck; her hair stuck to her face with sweat, pain shimmering across her skin as the claw marks he had left on her body slowly began to heal.
Jacob's hand ran up her back, pulling her body flush with his as they basked in the afterglow of their orgasms.
She lifted her head off his shoulder, turning to look at him before resting her forehead against his, feeling his left hand come up and cup her face, brushing away the tendrils of hair that stuck to her skin.
"Oh!" A voice gasped and they looked around, seeing Estelle standing in the door, her eyes wide as she looked at the two of them.
Sarise growled when she saw her, feeling Jacob holding her against him as her wolf came forth again.
"I was merely coming to see Jacob was okay." She said lightly, looking at Jacob.
"The Alpha is fine!" Sarise snarled, baring her teeth at the woman.
She backed out of the room, pulling the door closed behind her and Sarise heard Jacob chuckle.
She turned to him, glaring at him and climbed off him, pulling her dress up around her shoulders as she walked towards the desk.
"You find it amusing!" She snapped, turning to glare at him.
"Very much so." He answered, slowly standing and tucking himself back into his pants, jumping lightly to adjust himself before pulling the zip up.
"I think I may need a new shirt." He added, holding the sides open and Sarise glared at him, seeing the claw marks she had left on his chest healing.
"You should get jealous more often." Jacob added, his eyes flashing lavender. "Jealous sex seems to be quite amazing."
"I'm glad you're so fucken pleased with it." She snapped, trying to grab her zip on the back of her dress before she turned to Jacob. "Some fucken help!"
She felt Jacob brush the skin at the base of her spine, the zip slowly going up as he closed the back of her dress.
"Green really does suit you." He breathed, nipping her shoulder.
She shoved backwards with her rump, trying to push him away but he grabbed her hips, pushing her against the desk, dragging her dress up her legs as he unzipped his pants and drove into her again.