Conquering Theana (11 page)

"What
the hell?" she yelled, as she stalked to her dresser. The point was to
not
to think about them. And here she was, imagining what she wanted to do with
Rafael. Damn, even his name was a playground.

"I'm
losing my mind," she fumed and pulled out some clothes and then headed to
the shower. Once out she put her hair into a messy bun, letting some tendrils
hang down around her ears and the nape of her neck. She stroked on some light
make up around her eyes and left her lips nude. Then she slid on a soft Versace
vintage crocodile short dress, low-rise tapered trousers in black, and topped
it off with a satin Duchesse trench in fuchsia pink. A little overdressed for
her father's home, but she needed armor. For a model clothing was armor. She
always felt better when she was wearing over five thousand dollars of clothing
as her casual wear. Really piss her off and that number could get into the tens
of thousands. Scare the shit out of her and the number when into another
stratosphere.

"Take
that," she whispered to her would-be mates and left her bedroom.

"Hello,
Theana
," a wolf called from down the hallway. The
red haired woman, Sonja, a fixture in the
Dolphus
clan for as long as
Theana
could remember, was there.
Well into her hundredth year on earth, Sonja didn't look a day over thirty.
Theana
outranked the wolf by birth, but Sonja, a statuesque
woman in the way the old world found perfect, was in her position by sheer
strength. She'd bitten, clawed, and fought her way to being
Theana's
mother's beta. She'd also been a second mother to
Theana
,
and one of the few wolves within the pack who looked
Theana
right in the face without inciting her wolf to violence.

"Hey, Mama-san,"
Theana
greeted warmly, rushing to the woman and hugging her.
Sonja had been one of
the things she'd sorely missed during her time away from the pack.

"Still
the most beautiful little girl I ever saw," Sonja said then with a smile
as they broke apart. "Why you leave Mama for so long?"

"I
didn't want to be Camden's mate."

"And
no one would have made you. We both know Camden isn't strong enough for you and
that you didn't feel the way he did," Sonja scolded.

"I
just don’t understand what got into him. We used to be so close. And my father
didn't agree with you. He was fine with the match."

"He
was fine because you didn't fight too hard. We all are used to you not liking
to do anything someone else recommends to you. We all thought that's all it
was, and then you ran." Only this woman could make her feel like a child
in the principal's office.

"My
father wouldn't have said no to Camden. Camden is stronger. He could make my
father bow to his will if he wanted to."

"You
underestimate your father's love for you, and his will to protect his pack.
Camden may be the physically stronger wolf, but our pack is stronger in the
hierarchy."

"That's
money,"
Theana
huffed.

"Money
is power. So why are you back?" Sonja asked, switching gears.

"Always
cut to the heart of the matter, don't you?"

"Why pussy foot around it?"
Sonja returned, lifting
one eyebrow.

"Because of the attack.
My father told me about it the minute I stepped
in the house. He probably figured I'd leave within minutes, if he didn't tell
me what the hell was up."

"Is
that it?" Sonja asked.

"Did
my father tell you about the alpha and beta sniffing around, from
Ulric
clan?"
Theana
questioned.

"Of
course he did. I just wondered what you were going to say about that."

Theana
laughed.

"God,
I missed you. No. I'm not going for them either. That's all there is to
say."

"Hmm."

"What's
that supposed to mean?"

"Tell
me the truth," Sonja said then, crossing her arms across her chest.
"You know you could never lie to me."

"I'm
not."

"But
you want to go with them, and that's the problem. The clothes, the make-up, I
can even bet you're palming you car keys ready to run again," Sonja said,
and
Theana
forced herself to drop her keys in her
pocket. She hadn't even realized she was holding them.

"Okay,
I'm listening."

"Don't
run. Alpha bitches don't run, and it's beneath you to try. Take it to them, and
see what happens. But don't you dare try to escape. You won't be the child I
helped raise. You got it?" Sonja asked.

"Yes,
ma'am,"
Theana
said then, hanging her head.
Sonja always knew just what to say to make
Theana
second guess herself. Was she running? Was she doing something
so
weak as tucking her tail and hiding?

"Oh,"
Sonja said then. "Good thing you're dressed. Your father has visitors.
Your mates, I believe," Sonja said, and then walked away.

"What?"
Theana
screamed.

"Take
it to them, pup. Be the woman I know you are," Sonja said, and then turned
the corner.

Could
this day get any worse?
Thena
groaned as she went
down the grand curved staircase, leading from the top floor to the main floor
of the
Dolphus
pack's home. Built like some of the
most expensive mansions of the stars, it housed about fifty
Dolphus
pack members who weren't mated. The ones that were mated lived in houses within
boundaries of their clan designations. The mansion spanned over twenty-five
acres, not to mention the woods around it that allowed for the wolves to run
free. There were five wings that all had two floors, and staircases joined them
to the first floor.
Theana
was housed in the main
wing, in the center of the mansion. Priceless artwork hung on the walls, vases
on end tables, and delicate recessed lighting lit the home. She stepped off the
marble stair, her heels clicking delicately on the floor as she moved. It did
feel like being home here, within these walls where she could smell her pack,
feel them surround her. She closed her eyes, stopping for a moment. Being home,
at least at this moment, was the best thing she'd ever done. She felt
recharged, stronger.

Wolves
were not solitary creatures. They ran in packs in the wild. Even young males
who were not strong enough to be alphas could be rolled into other packs. They
hunted, moved, and lived as one. Their half human counterparts weren't much
different. Shifters needed each other, their pack to feel whole, to feel at
home.
Theana
had been living without that for a few
years, and she hadn't even realized how much she missed it until this moment.

"It's
good to see you home," her father said, and she smiled, opening her eyes.

"At
this moment, I could totally agree," she said with a smile. But then
Gregori and Rafael stepped up behind her father, and her smile disappeared,
even as her heart sped up.

"I
see Sonja was telling me the truth. We do have guests,"
Theana
said.

"I
believe you know Rafael, alpha of the
Ulric
pack, and
Gregori, his beta?"

"Yes...I
believe we're acquainted."

"Rather
nicely," Gregori said under his breath.

"Why
are they here, Father?"
Theana
asked, choosing
not to show them she was sweating. So what if her body was heating, her nipples
hardening, and her pussy moistening? It was none of their damn business.

"For pack cohesion.
They've made a request," Walter said then.

Rage
and jealousy streaked through her. Her wolf howled. How
dare
they?
She
was their mate.
Her.
What would they have to do with
some pathetic bitch? Before she could stop herself she was leaping into the
air, teeth bared, and claws drawn. Her father stepped out of the way as Rafael
leapt forward to meet her in the air. He gripped her wrists, slamming into her.
She struggled against him, snapping at him.

"Who?" she screamed.
"Who are you taking? I'll kill her. I'll
rip her apart."

Gregori
came up behind her, she could smell him, feel his growl even though she could
barely hear it. He gripped her thighs in powerful hands, stopping her flailing.
They sandwiched her between them, forcing her to be still. She growled and
snapped where she could, but she couldn't do more than that.

"Who?"
she roared before Rafael looked at her and gripped her wrists with one hand. He
gripped her chin with his now free hand staring into her eyes.

"Tell
her, Gregori," he said, and his voice, in person, rolled over her like a
wave. Her wolf whimpered
,
hurt that he would want
someone else, that her mate would need someone else. The pain angered her.
Rioting emotions swelled through her. The need to lean into his touch, the urge
to kiss him and mark him, the want to hide him away where no one would see him,
and the knowledge that killing him would make her feel better.

"You,"
Gregori said then, and it took her a minute to register his word. "We
claim you as the pack cohesion wolf."

"I
accept," her father said, and
Theana
didn't know
which one of them she wanted to kill first.

Chapter Seven

Theana
began to slam articles of clothing into a suitcase for her week
away with the
Ulric
clan.
I can’t believe that I
wigged out like that, in front of them no less. Now look at the position I’m
in.
She knew that pack cohesion would involve a lot of the wolves being in
close quarters with her, so her defenses would be in full force while on their
land. She heard the creak of her bedroom door open, and the warm eyes of Sonja
poked in through the crack. She offered a friendly curl of her lips, and
Theana
blurted, "I know you have something clever to
say. Come on, give it to me. What should I do?"

"Have
fun," were the words that escaped Sonja's lips as she retreated from
Theana's
room.

Theana
huffed, opening her closet, snatching a few pairs of shoes to put
in her suitcase. She grabbed her purse and keys, checking herself in the mirror
before she stepped out into the arms of another pack that wanted her as an
alpha bitch. As she descended the stairs, she twirled her keys in her hand
thinking,
no way in hell am I riding over in their car
. She stepped into
the meeting area. The same young wolf from the hotel greeted her with a smile
and took her suitcase from her. Rafael approached her with a sly grin on his
face like he had won a prize using only his wit. Memories of the dream run came
flooding back. Her stomach rumbled for his touch.
His scent.
He was so gorgeous in the grey slacks and button up he donned. She closed her
knees tight and heightened her strength. She had already made a fool of herself
once that morning. She hoped she could make it to lunch without any more lapses
in judgment. Her nostrils flared.
The forest.
Who
am I kidding? I won’t make it through the next hour without drooling on myself.

"We
will meet you at the main house," he announced in one breath then walked
away from her.

That was it?

"Wait.
You’ll meet me? What is that supposed to mean?"
Theana
was dumbfounded at his brush off.

Rafael
stopped and faced her near the doorway.
"Yes,
Theana
.
We will meet you. I am sure that you will be
more comfortable taking your own vehicle. Was I wrong in deducing that?"
He waited on her response.

"Right,"
Theana
stammered in awe. When she was in her room,
she had every thought in her mind to drive over in her own car and was willing
to fight it out if needed, but here she was fussing again from his blasé
manner.

Rafael
chuckled and walked outside. The other members of his pack followed close
behind him, but Gregori lingered a bit. The two caught each other's sight, and
her insides burst into flames needing to rub her flesh against his. Gregori
shoved his hands inside of his pockets, then threw a wink her way before he
exited, closing the door behind him.

Walter
grumbled his throat. "
Theana
, I want you to
spend this next week relaxing with the
Ulric
clan.
Don't put so much thought into it, my child. Not every alpha operates the same
as Camden, and I hope Rafael will show you this. Remember I’m only a few feet
away if you need to talk."

Theana
quickly shook the hardened shell of her exterior away for a brief
moment to embrace her father. "I promise, Father, that I will keep an open
mind."