Luca POV
I go to knock on Alpha Ryan's office door. Just as it opens, a distracted Sophie runs smack into my chest, bouncing off. I caught her before she could fall back on her cute, plump little a**. Her skin is so soft, I am instantly engulfed in her scent, jasmine and coconut. She looks up at me mortified, trying to pull away slightly. I let out a low growl.
" I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."
Her voice is so sweet and innocent. I couldn't help myself , I was wrestling with my wolf Ash, not allowing him to come forward as he is growling MINE and howling loudly in my head, prancing around like a show dog. I tightened my grip on her, not enough to hurt her but to keep her in place. I lower my head down to her hair, inhaling deeply, letting her scent wash over me, creating a calm I have never felt before. I reluctantly release her and step back, distancing myself from her.
"You can run into me anytime, love." I teased her slightly. She started to walk away, turning her head to look back at me,
"I'll try to do that more often." She says sweetly batting those thick eye lashes at me when she runs smack into Beccas' bedroom door, rushing in quickly. I have to hold in my laughter. She was flirting back with me, sexy little temptress. She may be the death of me before her birthday. I run my hands over my face before heading in the Alphas office.
"Luca my boy, nice of you to come in so early, we have a lot to discuss, have a seat." Alpha Ryan greets me, wasting no time getting straight to business.
"Alpha" I reply and shake his hand before I sit in the same chair Sophie had been sitting in moments ago. I took in another deep breath of her lingering scent. I don't think I could ever get tired of that smell as long as I live.
"Judging by what I just heard in the hallway, you are just as smitten with our little miss Sophie as she is you." Alpha Ryan gave me a knowing look with a raised eyebrow and smirk.
"So she knows she is my mate then?' I asked, shocked.
"Not exactly. She thinks you might be, but there is a lot going on that we also do not understand. Sophie has been having dreams the last few nights about a specific wolf. She described it in detail and it's not you. I have never seen a wolf like she is describing.The crazy thing is she had another dream last night, and there was another wolf almost, the mirror image of the first she described. She heard a voice in her head with two of the dreams, the first one saying good morning sunshine, and the second time last night with the two wolves, they told her their time was coming." Alpha Ryan explained, looking perplexed. I growl at the thought of another wolf messing with my girl. She is mine.
"Who are these wolves? Sophie is a witch, right?" I asked the Alpha, knowing the answer, but thinking maybe I missed something. "As far as we know, yes, she is a witch. She was born with the gift of fire, she is special, but I think we might be underestimating just how special she is." Alpha Ryan looks baffled.
"So are we just waiting for her 18th birthday to see what other powers she may be gifted?" I ask hoping he has a solution.
"She saw Dr. Carter last night and she is in perfect health, never even really been sick. He took blood to take to the geneology department." he explained. " Geneology? We know who her parents are, and that she is a witch. What else will it tell us?" I asked, obviously confused with scrunched eyebrows.
"I'm not sure, but it could tell us more about not just her parents but her bloodline to. You know who her mother is. You were in the meeting last year when she got every man in the room to push for what she wanted. Cathy Gerard." Alpha says with a knowing look.
" Oh s**t, seriously? I remember that meeting. You and I were the only ones who voted no against her. Everyone else acted like they were under some sort of spell." I responded.
"Another reason we need to keep this quiet for now. Sophie and her mother have never got along and she doesn't want her finding out about any of this." Alpha Ryan states seriously.
"So, what do we do? What is with the voice in her head?" I asked nervously.
"That is still a mystery. It could be a witch messing with her. Try not to worry to much about it for now. Spend time with Sophie, get to know your mate. She will be 18 in a couple of days. Keep it in your pants at least until then! She is a good girl, and you will treat her as such until she tells you otherwise." The Alpha says sternly with a cheeky grin at the end.
"Of course I will, I"m not a neandrathol." I respond offended.
" I meant with any other she wolves as well" Alpha Ryan gives me a pointed look.
"They are just rumors, I am not actually the man whore everyone makes me out to be." I say defeated.
Alpha Ryan just laughs.
"You are going to be Alpha of this pack very soon Luca. It's time to grow up and start acting like it. If there are any she wolves you're still f*****g around with, you better cut them loose." He says more like a warning.
That's the thing. I have had sex, of course, I'm a twenty-five-year-old Alpha male, but the she wolves I have been with never meant anything to me, they were just a good time. I have never treated a woman poorly, but I always made sure they knew it was just sex and nothing else. I want my mate, I always have. Now that I have found her I will never let anything come between us. I'm pulled out of my thoughts when Beta Noah comes in.
"Followed your girl out here huh?" Beta Noah teases.
" I'm here because of her, yes, but Alpha Ryan needed to fill me in on everything." I respond matter of fatly not missing the fact that both men are busting my balls already today.
"Lets go get some breakfast and we can talk more." Alpha suggests.
We head out to the dining hall and take our seats, filling our plates. Gamma Casey joins us.
"When are you thinking of staying here for good Luca?" Gamma Casey asks.
"When the big bad Alpha here is ready to let go and retire." I joke with the men.
"August 20th" Alpha Ryan let the words roll off his tongue with no hesitation.
"What?" I responded, Orange juice almost came out my nose,and I'm silent, not knowing what to say.
"Luca, it's time, I'm not getting any younger and now you have a reason to want to stick around here." Alpha Ryan busts my balls some more.
"Congratulations Alpha Luca." The men say in unison.
I knew I would be taking over Alpha of this pack, but I really thought it would be a few years down the road. I'm stunned, but happy at the same time.
"Start figuring out who you want ny your side. You will need a strong Beta. I know I wouldn't have lasted this long without Beta Noah. Make sure it's someone you trust wholeheartedly." Alpha Ryan offers the advice.
"I already know who will be my Beta, and I would like Gamma Casey to continue as my Gamma." I say with conviction. I didn't miss the smile on the gammas face as he looked up at me shocked and thanked me.
I smelled Sophie's scent before I saw her walking up to the table with Becca. We all say our good mornings as the girls load up their plates and dig in.
Sophie has quite the appetite to be such a small little thing. Becca said she hardly ever eats anything, so this is new. I grilled Becca through text message, trying to learn anything and everything about my perfect little mate. It has helped since I first saw her yesterday. I haven't been able to think of anything else.
I decide to be brave with my girl.
"Sophie, would you mind having lunch with me today? I will be in the quarter around 1130 after a few meetings this morning." She stops mid bite of her pancake and looks at me with her eyebrow raised, shock on her face.
"Sure." she answers me hesitantly. I let out a big breath I didn't realize I was holding in. Surprised she said yes.
"I'll pick you up at the training facility around 1130." I give her a cheeky smile and returned to my food.
Becca stands up, announcing they need to get to work and takes her and Sophis' dishes to the kitchen. Sophie gets up and thanks us for breakfast and heads toward the foyer. I'm feeling a little cocky," See you soon, love." I holler at her, looking back at her over my shoulder, taking in her hips swaying as she comes to a complete stop at my words. She turns to me giving me the most gorgeous smile I have ever seen. I wink at her.
"Sooner rather than later, loverboy." She responds sweetly but with some sass in her voice and winks back at me. My dick twitches at her cockiness. I don't take my eyes off her until Becca zips by me chasing after Sophie.
I know I love this girl. I know it sounds fast, but I am a wolf and mates are no joke. I have always watched mated couples and longed to be just like them. A few more days and she will be mine forever.
"Our women need to hurry the hell up and come home." Alpha Ryan grumbles."I miss my Isabella to Ryan, the girls will be back on Friday. Only two more nights with the boys." Beta Noah sighs.
"Where are your mates?" I ask really not even realizing they were not here.
"The girls took a beach trip to Florida. They get the same condo for 7 days on 30a close to all of their favorite restaurants every year.. Ivy and Isabella have gone every year for the last five years. It's their girls trip." Alpha Ryan says flatly.
"How in the h**l did Aunt Izzy get you to agree to a week without you?" I ask, looking at Beta Noah in shock. Mates can't bare to be apart for more than a day.
"We lost a bet five years ago and they hold us to it." Alpha Ryan growls out. We all laugh at their expense.
"What was the bet?" I ask curious. "The girls decided one night that they could drink us under the table during one of our card game nights. We said there was no way and they bet us a week-long trip to Florida every year. We lost horribly. Our wives look innocent and sweet, but I can now guarantee either one of them could drink anyone under the table. We were wasted and they acted like they hadn't even drank a thing. We took shot after shot until your uncle over here blew chunks, and they won." Alpha Ryan tells the story.
Gamma Casey and I bust out laughing at the two mens expense.
"Remind me never to make a bet with my girl." I joked with them.
"Well, since I only have a couple of weeks left before I take over, I need to go make some phone calls and get to my morning meeting.. I'll have Jax go ahead and start moving our stuff here, If that is alright with you Alpha Ryan." I ramble off my thoughts. "Jaxon Deveroux?" Alpha Ryan asks. " Yes sir, he will be my Beta." I respond proudly.
Jax has been my best friend since we were in the training facility in Shreveport. He is young but has proven himself time and time again. My father, Levi is the Alpha of the Red River pack in Shreveport. I am his second son. My brother Darius will take over his pack next year. His Beta is Jaxs father, Beta Cade. He became my father's Beta when my father's best friend and Beta were killed in a rouge attack about 17 years ago. Jax was just a baby.
"Has Jax turned 18 yet?" The Alpha asks, obviously taken back by my choice of Beta.
"His birthday is actually Friday, he will turn 18. So no, but he has already been speaking to him. He has tried to come out a few times, but Jax is able to keep him under control until his birthday. I assure you he is the best man for the job." I explained my choice.
" It sounds like he will be fine by the time you take over Luca." Beta Noah looks at me reassuringly. " I have no doubts about it." I retorted.
We all got up from the table. "Ready to go Casey?" I ask not really asking but being nice since I don't know him that well yet. "Ready when you are Alpha." He responds. "Just call me Luca when it's just us, no need for all the formality of it all." I instruct him. He gives me a small smile, obviously not sure how to respond.
I get to know Casey a bit better on the drive.
The meeting went well. I had trouble concentrating on the tasks at hand because I couldn't get Sophie out of my head, and I may have rushed it slightly wanting to see my girl. When we are finally done, I text Becca asking about Sophie. It's nice having my cousin be her best friend and work with her.
Luca: What is Sophie's favorite place for lunch?
Becca: She loves gumbo. Just pick one.
Luca: No! I need specifics. I want to make her happy :)
Becca: You better make her happy or I will kill you!!
Luca: Then help! I don't date! I don't know what I'm doing. PLEASE!!!
Becca: You have never been on a date?????
Luca: No! Help!
Becca: Take her to Monty's on the square! Its beautiful and the food is bomb. Great scenery too.
Luca: Thank you Becca! I owe you one!
Becca: You bet your ass you do!! lol
Luca: What about after?
Becca: I thought it was just lunch?
Luca: I'm keeping her all day. ;)
Becca: Get an uber to the garden district and get ice cream, then take her to Lafayette Cemetery No.1.
Luca: Ok....
I have Casey drop me off at the training facility. "Go head and head back to the pack house Casey, I don't plan on coming back until late tonight." I instruct my new gamma. Casey gives me a cheeky smile, and takes off in the suv. He is way closer to my age at 23 than Alpha Ryans, so I think we will all make a great team. I know him and Jax will get along.
I go into the facility and start taking the stairs two at a time once I get a whiff of my favorite scent in the world, trying to get to her as fast as I can. I actually miss her already.
I get to Sophi and Beccas' office and stand in the doorway taking in my girls beauty. She looks up startled at first, then smiles wide and a slight blush creeps up her face.
"Hello, love." I say softly. Her blush magnifies. Goddess she is stunning.
"Ready to go?" I walked over, extending my hand to help her out of her chair. Really I just want to touch her already. The moment she takes my hand, sparks shoot up my arm, covering my entire body. I pull her up to me and she gasps. I let her scent wash over me again, taming my inner beast. Ash is doing summer salts in my head, howling. I wrap my arm around her waist escorting her through the door.
"See you later Becca." She hollers back into the office when she realizes we just ignored her best friend.
"Have fun you two." Becca almost sings back.
I intertwine her hand in mine. She looks down at our hands like it surprised her, then looks up at me and smiles, her cheeks blushing again. We continued out into the quarter.
"Where are we going, Luca?" she asks sweetly, drawing my name out.
F**k! I want to hear her say my name again. "Montys on the square. Have you ever been there?" I asked, knowing the answer.
"It's one of my favorites!" She bounces a little when she walks as she says this and smiles widely.
We continued to the restaurant hand in hand. We go in and are seated at a table by the window. I didn't want to let her hand go but also did't want to creep her out, so I took my hand away from hers and pulled out her chair. Once seated, I wanted to get the conversation started.
"So what's your favorite thing about being a witch?" I asked her, dying to know more about her.
"To know that I am part of something bigger. That I help save people." She says innocently. Goddess, she is precious.
"Wow, that is a very selfless answer," I say as I cocked up an eyebrow at her.
"Okay, I like that I get to blow s**t up to, but I really do feel blessed." She chuckles. I laughed, mostly because I didn't expect that answer. "Ok, now we are getting somewhere." I tease.
The waiter interrupts us to get our drink order and we both order sweet tea. He tells us the specials but we are both to busy staring at each other smirking to care about what he is saying. He finally leaves.
"What is your favorite thing about being a wolf?" she replies.
"Everything. What's not to love? I have speed, agility, and Ash. My favorite part of me is my other half, my wolf Ash." I finally say realizing the answer myself. Ash purrs in my head letting me know he heard that.
"Can I meet him someday, like today?" She asks batting her eyelashes at me.
"No, not today, but soon." she looked defeated at my words.
"What is it love? You were so happy then your face just fell." I asked, concerned, if I had said something wrong.
"I'm just really sick of hearing the word soon. I'll have answers soon, blood tests back soon, find out about Luca soon...I'm just sick of soon." she looks at me with sad eyes realizing what all she said. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to dump that on you." She was almost shouting at first , but now seems much more calm.
"Can I help with answers?" I ask cautiously. I don't want to frighten her.
"Will you be honest no matter what?" She asks, giving me a stern look.
"Alpha Ryan filled me in on what has been happening. Maybe I can give you some insight if you have questions." I asked, hoping she would let me be her confidant and tell me everything in her words. I need to hear it from her to understand. But I don't want to push her. She looked at me for a few minutes assessing me before she finally answered.
"What do you want to know?" she asked, sounding a little less apprehensive than before.
The waiter interrupted again to take our order. I haven't even looked at the menu when Sohie orders the Cajun trio and I just say same to get him to leave again. Sophie chimes in ordering crab cakes and firecracker shrimp as appetizers. She is hungry. Finally, the waiter leaves.
"Everything that you can think of, then I will answer any question you have." I say trying to reassure her.
She started telling me about her first dream, and shushed me when I tried to interrupt to ask a question. She continued through her entire story, only stopping a few times to take a drink and finally finishes. I wait until she takes a drink and puts it down again not to interrupt her. "So, what do you think," she asks, like its no big deal.
I have to admit, I am shook by everything she has just shared with me.
"How about I answer what questions you have and then I can answer yours?"
The waiter brings us out appetizers and refills our drinks, asking if there is anything else we need, before leaving us again. I don't miss the fact that he was eyeing my girl the entire time either. I can't exactly blame him.
"Am I your mate?" She asks the question confidently, looking me straight in the eye. I can't lie to her.
"Yes." I respond matter of fatly studying her reation. She smiles wide and my heart melts;
"What is the deal with these wolves in my dreams?" She asks as she takes a bite of shrimp. She makes a low moaning noise as she chews and I can't help being turned on instantly. I take a deep breath and sigh.
"I have theories, but you may not like any of them." I answered her honestly.
"So spit it out." She waves her hand at me to continue. She is feisty.
"You are either being spelled by a witch to see what you are seeing in your dreams, you could have a wolf but that one isn't plausible, or you are seeing something that you are supposed to see as a warning." I explained.
She looks like she is about to blow a gasket. "I swear if a witch is f*****g with me I will make her wish she was never born." the words sound toxic coming out of her sweet mouth. Note to self, do not piss her off.
"It's just theories love, calm down." I reach my hand across the table to grab hers and she calms almost instantly.
"Is that a mate thing?" she asks curiously as I brush my thumb back and forth over the back of her hand.
" Is what a mate thing?" I ask wanting her to express how my touch makes her feel.
" The sparks, and the sense of peace that I get when we touch." she asks, looking at our hands in wonder.
"Yes," I say simply.
Our food arrives and Sophie breaks our hands apart first. I have to admit it looks delicious.
We both start eating our food and Sophie moans slightly with almost every bite. We continue our conversation, keeping it lighter, just getting to know one another. Once Sophie is finished eating, I ask for the check and we leave the restaurant.
Once outside, before she can go towards the direction of the training facility I pull her back to me and kiss her cheek, holding her close to me, enjoying her scent. I pull my phone out and text Becca quickly thanking her for the advice before getting an uber.
"You are done with work today, love." I tell her.
"Luca, as great as that sounds, I have a lot to get done before Friday."
"Sophie," I elongate her name as she did mine," what is it that Becca can't handle? I can get her some help if she needs it. You shouldn't be planing your own birthday party." I tell her flatly.
"Well, it's not just my birthday party, It's way more important than that." She explained all of her and Beccs plans.
"S**t Soph, I'll get Becca some help to finish the decorations. It sounds like everything else is done." I try persuading her.
"Okay," she says with her hands up defeated.
That was a little easier than I thought it would be. "So, you are mine for the day." I state because it wasn't a question.
"According to the mate bond, I'm technically yours forever, right?" She asks curiously.
"Yes love, You are mine forever, and I am Yours always." I say adoringly, looking her in the eyes to make sure she knows I mean it.
I am shocked when she grabs my shirt and pulls me down to her lips and kisses me. Her arms snake around my neck, and I wrap my arms around her waist, lifting her up off the ground. I deepen the kiss slightly when she allows my tongue access to her mouth. I have to hold back. I put her down gently and slightly pull my head back from hers. I love that she did that. I cup my hands on both sides of her face and lean in for one more kiss and pull back before I lose control.
My dick is painfully bulging in my jeans. I inhale her scent again hoping to calm my painful erection, but it just makes it worse. I break our embrace and take a deep breath.
"We have to slow down love." I try to warn her. She takes the hint and snakes her arm through mine and I feel calm again.
"So, where to now?" she asks sweetly.
"I was thinking maybe the garden district, and get some ice cream, if that sounds good to you."
"I love the garden district, and ice cream." She smiles brightly.
Our uber suv shows up and we hop in. She points out lots of different places talking to the driver like she knows him. She is definitely a people person. I make a mental note of all of her favorite places. The driver lets us out and we walk through the beautifully landscaped homes and ornate objects along the way.
We stop at Parish Parlor for ice cream and continue walking. I let her lead the way as she tells me all about her city. I can really see how much she loves it. We kept walking holding hands and asking questions when she stopped in front of a cemetery. Lafayette Cemetary No.1. Becca really knows my girl.
"I guess I'm a creature of habit, I always come here when I'm in the area. It's one of my favorite places in the city." She says looking at the cemetery adoringly.
I go ahead and text Jax to pick us up at the cemetery in an hour. I know he is already at the pack house, so that should give him plenty of time to get here.
She opens the gate and leads us inside. We walk through the cemetery and once again she is pointing out her favorite things about the place when she stops in front of a large tomb with stairs leading up to a large cement table. She takes my hand and leads me up the stairs.
"I want to share something with you." She says softly.
Sophie leads me to the actual tomb behind the sacrificial table and puts her hand on the wall of the tomb whispering something with her eyes closed. The tomb abruptly opens, startling me and a growl leaves my chest. Sophie chuckles "Come on big scary wolf, I won't hurt you." She gives a menacing laugh before snort laughing at herself.
She pulls me into the tomb. Candles light before we get to them, showing us the path and I know Sophie is doing it. She takes us back further where there is a large room and candles light up quickly showing the make-shift little witches' den.
"Welcome to my special place. No one else has ever been here, so keep it to yourself." She says, giving me a pointed look. She leads me over to an old worn out leather couch and we sit.
"I created this place when I started watching the Originals", she confesses. " I know lame right? I liked the idea of having my own special place like Davina did, so I created my own." She says blushing.
"Its really neat Sophie, not at all what I was expecting." I say honestly.
I can see so much of who she is in this cave-like room. I cup her cheek and lean in to kiss her. Once our lips touch, the kiss turns almost feral. She moves closer and straddles me on the couch. My hands are in her hair keeping her mouth on mine. Her hands are roaming my body, traveling down. My dick feels like its ready to explode. I can smell her arousal, turning me on even more. A low growl leaves her chest and I pull back shocked. She put her hand to her mouth, surprised at what she had just done. She climbs back off of me, back onto the couch when my phone chimes. Still catching my breath, I pull my phone out of my pocket and look at the message.
Jax: I'm here ready when you are boss.
"Stay with me tonight Sophie." I ask almost sounding desperate.
"I don't know Luca. I don't want to do anything too soon." She blushes
"We don't have to do anything you are not ready for." I give her a reassuring smile.
" OK, but I need to go home and get a few things first," She says flatly.
"Whatever your little heart desires, love. Jax is here to pick us up. We can go to your house before we head back to the pack house.
We head back out and got into the SUV. I introduce Sophie to Jax. They both give each other a strange look but say hi.