Page 4 of Bonded Beyond Trickery

“I know,”I try and soothe him, even though I want to roar at the thought of a chosen mate,“I won’t either. I want our mate.”

Thankfully, he chuffs, but lets it go at that. It’s almost a miracle and the only thing that has come out of burning off some of my extra energy. No one has tried to broach the topic of a chosen mate, not for over a year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t feel the pressure of needing a Luna.

“Of course we need our Luna, but only our Luna will do,”my wolf grumbles.

There’s not much I can say to him because I agree. I know trying to appease him won’t do much, not while we continue to run the pack by ourselves and relying on our mother and Beta female instead of the mate that should have been at our side for years.

As I stalk into the packhouse kitchen, I barely look around, my focus is on the fridge to grab some water. There are a few hours until dinner is served in the packhouse, and lunch ended long enough ago that the people who work in the kitchen have cleaned up and are no longer in the kitchen.

The quiet is a welcome distraction from the disquiet my wolf brings to the table as we yearn for our wayward mate. As he snarls in my mind, I can only mentally smirk. He’s only proving my point at this rate.

“Alpha Whitaker,” is purred from slightly behind me and I whirl around to find Cassidy, a she-wolf who has tried to lure me into her bed more than once, eyeing me up and down.

“Hello, Cassidy,” my tone brokers no further conversation, but I know she won’t take the hint.

She never does. It irritates me to no fucking end. That’s not even touching on what it does to my wolf.

With the way he’s growling in my mind, it’s a shame that Cassidy can’t hear it. If she could, she would back off. Probably. Hopefully.

The hungry glint in her eyes tells me that more than likely she wouldn’t. How does a she-wolf have no sense of self-preservation?

Cassidy stalks closer to me, her hips swaying in a way that I’m sure she thinks is seductive. She pouts, “It’s been so long since I’ve seen you, Alpha.”

I narrow my eyes at her knowing full and damn well that she saw me just last night at dinner. I almost always eat in the packhouse dining room along with most of the pack. It makes me feel closer to the rest of my pack and allows them to approach me with issues when and if they need to.

Alphas who try and distance themselves from the pack, who hold themselves higher than the wolves who make up the majority of the pack, aren’t good Alphas. Those are wolves who think their position gives them more power than it does. While we have a hierarchy, it is there for the good of the pack; we are not a kingship and never will be.

At least not in Silver Howler Pack.

The only downside I’ve been able to find with making sure I remain accessible to my pack is that it has allowed she-wolves to become brave when it’s the last thing they should be.

“I was at dinner last night, Cassidy,” I try, and fail, to keep the growl out of my voice. “I saw you there with one of my warriors,” I point out with a raised eyebrow.

There’s no way for me to force the rest of the pack, especially the younger wolves, to wait for their mates, but I try to leadby example in this way. While I don’t condone having sexual partners outside of the partner you’re fated to be with by the Goddess, I don’t judge others for their choices. How can I when I won’t be the one held responsible for their actions?

All I know for sure is that I wouldn’t want to be mated to a she-wolf who spread her legs for the unmated males of the pack. Nor would I expect my Luna to roll over and not feel a certain way if I had chosen to bury myself in the pleasures of the flesh that is offered to me like a she-wolf buffet.

The thought of it being embarrassing for her when she finally does arrive, and the jealousies she would have to endure from she-wolves who forgot their place because of orgasms, makes me wince as I swallow down bile.

To her credit, Cassidy blushes at the way I blatantly, yet gently, call her out on her out-of-fated mated relations.

“It’s not serious,” she defends herself, but I keep my face carefully blank. She must think it’s an invitation instead of an attempt to maintain decorum because she steps closer to me. “I was thinking that we could have some fun together. You know,” she bats her eyelashes at me, “while we’re waiting for our mates to show up.”

She might say that she wants her mate, but my gut is telling me that she would willingly—hell, enthusiastically—forget all about her mate if she thought she could sit at my side as the Luna of the pack.

My wolf pushes his way to the surface and my eyes flash with him. Cassidy freezes in place, recognizing the predator I am and the danger she’s put herself in. Sure, she’s more than capable of defending herself against a threat, but not against me.

“How is having fun,” I snarl, “equate to waiting for your mate?”

She blinks a few times before taking a small step back. That doesn’t make my wolf relax, not even a little bit. “I just thought-,” she starts, her voice wobbling.

I cut her off, my wolf evident in my voice, “Don’t. I thought I made myself clear, Cassidy. I’m not interested in anything from you or any other she-wolf that is outside the role of packmate and Alpha. The only woman who will warm my bed, the only woman who will stand at my side, will be the Luna that the Moon Goddess has blessed me with.”

Cassidy’s mouth falls open in shock and I can see the fear in her eyes, but I don’t give a fuck about it. I can’t. Not when this has been a conversation that I’ve had more than once. With her. With other she-wolves. With far too many and far too frequently.

I turn and storm out of the kitchen, not giving a fuck about the wake of rage and annoyance I’m leaving behind. I hope everyone chokes on it.

When I make it to my office, I slam inside and come to a screeching halt when I find my father and former Alpha of the pack, Damon, waiting for me. As if I haven’t had enough to deal with in only the last few minutes?

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