It's not an option. Though we haven't formed the True Mate bond, that comes before even my Second.
"Enough!" I growl, and both werewolves still.
That's a good sign. Luna recognizes my stature as an Alpha, even though she hasn't been bonded with the pack, which means she's submissive. And she might be diminutive, but she's tough… Although I'm
not sure what kind of person just shifts in broad daylight and attacks another person with no provocation.
The females shift back to human. Both of them now sport a few scrapes, but they're intact for the most part. They're also naked, their clothes lying in tatters on the floorboards. I've seen all my wolves without clothes before and after hunts, so nudity is hardly notable, but damn… Maybe it's because she's my True Mate, but seeing Luna for the first time makes my cock jerk inside my jeans like I'm the damn teenager. But I don't have time to admire my new mate because there's always another fucking fire to put out around here.
The shewolves scramble to their feet, eying one another warily. "I said enough," I grit out.
Ama bows her head, but Luna stares at me defiantly. I have to force myself to keep her gaze instead of staring at her sexy little tits. They're so fucking perky.
I stare her down, and she drops her gaze and ducks her head, a submissive wolf instinct that has nothing to do to with her feelings about me. Though she's not a member of the pack, and therefore can't be compelled, any wolf can sense dominance and defer accordingly.
Her manners leave something to be desired, but that will come soon enough, when she's integrated into the Jacksonville pack and learns our
ways. All the more reason to bring her into the safety of the pack as soon as possible. Tonight, I'll introduce her as my True Mate, and she'll begin to learn how we operate.
I hold the door for her, and she grabs up her clothes and skulks past me while Ama remains on the front porch.
"Ama," I say to my Second, a warning in my voice. "I trust you found my True Mate easily enough?"
She needs to remember who she's dealing with. Luna isn't just some stray pup we're absorbing into the pack. She's going to be the Alpha's mate, which is a tricky position filled with endless, delicate intricacies if said mate is less dominant than the Alpha's Second. One look at Luna shows she's as submissive as they come.
"Easily as expected, given the terrain," Ama says, a touch of frost to her voice. She jerks on her clothes as she speaks, tying her shirt in front where it tore when she shifted. "It took a bit of asking around, but once I enlisted the help of a couple panthers to find exactly where their place was, I found her soon enough." She gives me a haughty look, and I know she's proud of her sleuthing and that I should be, too. But the attitude she's sending my way is close to crossing a line.
"Thank you," I say grudgingly. "We'll talk later."
She bristles at not being invited in, included in what to her must seem like pack business. But I want a chance to meet my True Mate, to marvel at her existence. This afternoon, while I dealt with a puffed-up teen wolf who thinks he's going to challenge me in a few years, Ama found Luna. Once she located her, she checked in with me, letting me know the condition she'd found her in, but I know nothing about her. I'd like to know her personally for a few minutes before she becomes the latest pack business.
Ama grits her teeth. "Will that be all, sir?"
"It's been a long day for you," I say, trying to appease her with my concern. "Go home and rest up. Pack meeting tonight."
She stares at the porch's rotting wood, a frown on her face. I know I should replace the boards, but with all the shit I deal with on a daily basis, I hardly have time to keep my own house fixed up. It will only be torn apart by the next storm, anyway.
"As you wish," Ama mutters at last, resentment boiling in her voice, like it's my fault the True Mate mark didn't show up on her arm when I fucked her. Without another word, she pivots and strides away.
I sigh and close the door, turning to take in my True Mate for the first time without a distraction or audience. She stands stiffly in the center of my living room, her breath chuffing quick and shallow in her lungs.
"So," I say, striding toward her. "Here we are." She's pulled her clothes on, arranging the shirt to cover her tits and not much else. Her midriff is bare and almost emaciated, her hipbones jutting out above the top of her pants. Lone wolves are seldom healthy and well-fed, so I'm not surprised. A few months with the pack, and she'll fill out and look more like a woman capable of carrying my child than a mere girl.
I circle her slowly, taking in her scent. The perfume Ama applied to her can't mask her natural odor. She smells earthy and delicious, and suddenly, her age doesn't seem as big an obstacle. If I thought fucking someone was the only indication of a True Mate, now that I'm meeting mine, I know it's so much more than that. I'm instantly, unnaturally drawn to her, so attracted to her that I feel my cock stiffen from her scent alone.
I find myself hoping she finds my scent equally appealing, something I never worry about with others. As I circle her, she pivots, eying my every move.
She's got fire, I'll give her that, but it's fueled by suspicion, if her attitude is any indication. Once she's adjusted to our ways, she'll be a lovely addition to the pack, and though she's younger than expected, in time she'll grow to be a match for me, tempering my dominance with her submissive nature and cooling my impulses with diplomacy and tact, something that both Ama and I lack. Submissive wolves are highly valued,
maybe more so than dominant ones, since they can calm the storms that so often brew between hotheaded alpha types. I hope she'll be a skilled political strategist in no time, not only helping relations within the pack but between our pack and other supernaturals.
I come to a stop in front of her and tip her chin up with my forefinger. She tenses but doesn't back away. "What are you going to do to me?" she asks.
"I've been told you're my True Mate," I answer. "Once we confirm that, you'll have one of the most important roles in the pack. I'm the Alpha, which means together we'll rule our pack and maintain order in our territory." I tip her head side to side, noting the natural beauty lurking behind the makeup. "How old are you?"
"Eighteen." The word comes out in a whisper. Her luminous green gaze stays fixated on mine. "You?"
"Thirty," I say, releasing my grip on her chin. At least she's not as young as she looks. We can be mated right away and begin soothing relations with the vampires. I became Alpha when I was her age, and if I could run the pack on my own at that age, she can certainly learn the ropes at my side.
She backs away. "What do you need me to do before I go home? I already told that Ama woman that I can't stay."
I can't help but laugh. She's not just naïve to the pack's customs. She doesn't seem to know the most basic laws. "If the True Mate mark appears as predicted, you'll be staying here," I say, offering her a reassuring smile. "It's dangerous for lone wolves out there, especially young ones, and most of all for young, unmated females. You'll be safe with the pack."
Ama told me she lived in a shack that looked like it could barely withstand a windstorm, let alone a hurricane. My house isn't exactly the Knight brothers' mansion, but it's comfortable, and now that I have a reason to fix it up, to make it the home my mate wants, I'll bust my ass to do just that.
Instead of excitement, I see only trepidation in Luna's eyes.
"That's not what my mama taught me," she says, shaking her head slowly. "She says wolves can't be trusted. I might be murdered like my daddy before me. Y
ou'd best save us both any trouble by letting me go home right now."