Gypsy Wolf (Strange Lake Falls Series Book 5) (6 page)

Chapter 12

They had driven for a few hours, then stopped for lunch. “When should we arrive?”

“We’re close. The council changes the location of their meetings to prevent an attack by their enemies. We would have arrived earlier but they contacted me about a sudden change in location. One of the council’s enforcers will meet us at the next truck stop and take us the rest of the way,” Lucas told her.

She nodded and looked out the window. None of them spoke much. Ox updated Lucas on everything that had been going on since Lucas had been gone. They didn’t mention the incident with Britt, but it was on her mind.

They pulled over at a truck stop and Ox got out to check and see if the enforcer was there yet. This left her and Lucas alone.

“About earlier at the pack house, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Lucas turned to face her.

“What Britt and the others said about me is nothing new, but I appreciate you standing up for me. I don’t think anyone has ever done that before.”

He reached over the back of the seat to touch her cheek. “I don’t like this distance between us. Tell me what I can do to fix it.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “It’s good to have the distance. The council will be making a decision soon, and one way or another, you’ll be moving on with your pack. I think joining Ric’s pack is a smart move. Ox is waving us over.” She got out of the car before he could say anything else.

*****

Damn it! He really screwed this thing up with Diana. Lucas got out of the car and walked toward where Ox and Diana were standing near the back of a semi truck. Diana nodded at something Ox said and then Ox wrapped his arms around Diana in a hug. Lucas’s wolf came forward and before he knew it, he was pulling Diana out of Ox’s arms.

“Lucas, what the hell is going on?” Diana demanded.

“That’s what I want to know,” he growled out.

“Ox was letting me know the reason the council relocated and changed the time of the meeting was because Kilian was running behind. He should be arriving any time now and I was nervous and scared.”

“His arms were around you.”

“Alpha, I was just comforting her,” Ox spoke up.

Lucas glared at Ox with glowing wolf eyes. “You can comfort her without touching her.”

Diana shoved at him to break free of his embrace. He let her go reluctantly.

“We don’t have time for this, Lucas, the enforcer is waiting for us to follow him.” She pointed to the tall, bald man standing next to a black pickup truck.

“Ox, go get the car started. I need to speak to Diana alone for a moment.”

Ox left them alone, but they were still too visible. Lucas gently took her hand and led her between two semi trucks. It wasn’t the best for privacy, but definitely better than what they had before.

“What are you doing, Lucas?”

“I have made a lot of mistakes since meeting you.” Her look of hurt made him realize that he said all that wrong. “What I mean is that I have been making mistakes with you. I let old prejudices cloud my mind. You are every bit as much a werewolf as anyone else in my pack, more werewolf, really, since you can’t rely on shifting to get you through things. I made you feel like you weren’t good enough to be my mate.”

“It doesn’t matter now, Lucas.”

“It does matter, damn it! You are good enough to be my mate. I want you, but more than that, my wolf recognizes you.”

She looked at him, stunned.

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She slowly raised her arms and wrapped them around his neck. Diana opened her lips and he growled with the need to taste her. His tongue swept in and dominated her, not letting up until she gave him the response he wanted. It didn’t take long. With a sigh, she gave in and responded with just as much passion.

Lucas reached down and cupped her perfect ass, lifting her up and carrying her until her back hit the side of the truck. His wolf was howling, ready to break free and claim their mate. He had to keep him in check.

He kissed his way down her cheek to her neck, where he nuzzled her sweet scent. Her blouse was in his way so he quickly unbuttoned it and shoved it down her arms, trapping her limbs from moving anywhere.

“You’re strong, you can break free at any time, and if you need me to back off, just tell me.”

She smiled up at him, “I trust you.”

He knew it took a lot for her to trust and he wasn’t going to take it for granted. Lucas nibbled further down until he was over the rough bumpy area where the other had marked her. His canines elongated. There would be no holding back now.

He moved back to look into her eyes. Her eyes glowed, too, matching his own. He growled, “Mine.”

“Yes,” she whispered back.

Then he bent down and bit into her shoulder right over top of Kilian’s old mark. The taste of his mate’s blood, the scent of her arousal, was driving him to a mating frenzy. He reached down and pulled at her pants buttons. Then his hand was reaching between skin and her panties. His fingers found her wet and warm.

“My female, my mate, my pussy.” He entered her with two fingers, desperate to make her come. She moaned with building passion and he knew she was close. Then she arched against him and he took her mouth again as she screamed her release.

He was desperate to be inside her as he removed his hand from her panties and reached for his own waistband. A throat clearing close by put a damper on his need.

“Sorry, Alpha. The enforcer was going to come for you, but I told him I would find you. We need to get going.”

“We’re coming.” Lucas looked down at Diana. “I’m making the second claim.” He licked her juices from his hands and let his eyes glow.

Chapter 13

Diana sat in the passenger seat. Her body was still humming from her orgasm. Lucas could rev her up like no one else. She touched the still-tender mark he had left on her. It covered Kilian’s mark completely. He couldn’t mean to truly mate her. He wanted pups that could shift and be alpha one day. What had he done?

The car came to a stop. She looked over at Lucas behind the driver’s seat. He did not look happy. He was probably regretting his rash actions. She had to make this right somehow, even though the thought of being Lucas’s mate was every fantasy come true. It hurt to consider it never happening.

“We need to get out and follow the enforcer on foot the rest of the way.” Lucas told her as he opened his door.

Before she could open her side, Lucas was there, opening her door for her and taking her hand to help her out. The look of heat and desire in his eyes, combined with the possessive way he held her hand, excited and confused her.

He bent and kissed her knuckles. “I know what I’m doing, baby, trust me.”

Diana was glad he was holding her hand and when he wrapped an arm around her waist. Her knees felt like jelly. She took a deep breath. It was time to face Kilian and her father. She was glad that Lucas was there with her.

*****

“Come forward and wait to the right, in front of the council table.” The enforcer showed them to an open, cleared area in the woods. A table had been set up, and sitting on the other side were seven men and one woman. There were four enforcers, two on each side of the council's table.

“I guess they don’t want us sitting down,” Diana whispered nervously. There were no other chairs and they were instructed to just stand in the center. She was grateful she was wearing her tennis shoes.

She felt goose bumps on the back of her neck. He was here, Kilian was here. She hadn’t seen him since she was a teenager. Diana turned her head and looked to the side. She watched him moving forward as a wolf. Two other wolves flanked his side. The one with a grey streak she knew to be her father. They stopped on the left side facing the table and shifted. They stood there completely naked.

“Give them robes, I do not wish to hold this hearing staring at a male’s protruding body parts,” the councilwoman said.

An enforcer stepped forward with three robes and handed them to the men. Her father was there, next to Kilian, who was the tallest of the three with wide shoulders. She didn’t recognize the third male, but the way he looked at her and licked his lips made her feel sick inside.

Lucas reached down and took her hand in his, squeezing it for support. “I’m with you, beautiful.”

She nodded, but was too nervous to say anything.

“Miss Rhapsody, step forward please.” The councilman sitting in the center motioned to her.

She let go of Lucas reluctantly and moved forward. She took three steps and stopped.

“Miss Rhapsody, I am councilman Dolf and will be presiding over the ruling here today. The council has been petitioned to demand your submission to your mate, Kilian Dorn.”

“I refuse. He tried to claim me when I was only fifteen years old.” Diana was shaking. She could hear Lucas growling behind her and Ox trying to keep him from shifting to wolf.

“Come now, girl, I promised you to Kilian a long time ago and it’s high time you stop your running and submit to your mate,” her father said in a condescending, scolding tone.

The councilmen didn’t look thrilled with him speaking without being spoken to. “Who are you?”

Her father stepped forward. “I am Chet Wako, Diana’s father. I arranged the mating for my daughter and Kilian. I found him worthy. It is my right as her father to ensure a prosperous future.”

The council looked at Diana. “Was this a pre-arranged mating?”

“He sold me to cover his debts. My foster parents and alpha kicked my father out of the pack because of his destructive behavior.”

The second oldest councilman leaned forward. “Wait, was this years ago in the Jaspers pack, the soothsayer?”

“Yes sir, I’m the soothsayer.”

“I remember that case. We ruled in favor of keeping them separate because the girl was too young for a full mating.”

Councilman Dolf glared at his colleague. “Shamos, the girl is clearly of age now. She needs to do her duty for her people.”

“We can’t force her to mate someone she doesn’t want to,” the councilwoman said, looking sympathetically at Diana. She might have an advocate. Maybe there was hope after all.

Kilian growled as he stepped forward. “Diana needs protection as a soothsayer and I am an alpha who can provide her with both wealth and protection. I will also provide future soothsayers. I am invoking the mating law.”

Shamos sighed. “The mating law is outdated and hasn’t been used in centuries. It was established during a time of battle, when we needed to create treaties with other packs. The pack alphas would arrange a mating with their children to other pack alphas to seal the treaty and bind the packs together. This practice was stopped when we lost many of our numbers to the battles with the vampires and the packs spread out over the world.”

Councilman Dolf cut him off and smirked at Diana. “As presiding councilman, I agree to the mating claim of Kilian Dorn to Diana Rhapsody. Do I have a second?”

Before any other councilman could answer, Lucas stepped forward. “I claim the second mate claim, the true mate claim!”

Chapter 14

Chaos erupted as Kilian made a dive for Diana, but Lucas blocked him. The enforcers pulled the two males apart. Lucas glared at Kilian.

“What are you trying to pull?” Diana’s father growled at Diana.

“Settle down, everyone. We’ll get to the bottom of this.” Councilman Shamos motioned for the enforcers to release Kilian and Lucas.

“What lies are you telling?” Kilian glared at Lucas.

“No lie, I have mated Diana. She bares my mark.”

“Impossible, she bares
my
mark!”

“Bring her forward, we will inspect the mark,” Councilman Shamos ordered.

The enforcers stepped forward and took Diana’s arms, pulling her toward the councilman. Lucas lunged when they forced her to her knees and shoved her hair to the side. Ox held him back.

“Easy, Alpha, they need to check her mark. They’re not hurting her.”

One by one the councilmembers came to lean over Diana, inspecting her mark and smelling her. The enforcers helped her to stand back up again. Once all of the council members were seated again, Shamos was the one to make the announcement.

“There is an older mark that scents of Kilian, but a newer claiming mark is present, Lucas’s. There is also scent of sex on the girl mixed with Lucas, so they have bred.”

“What? That’s impossible!” Kilian shoved forward and grabbed Diana, moving her hair out of the way. “You slut!” he spat and his claws came out, cutting into Diana’s arm.

“Ow! Let me go!” Diana yanked free of his hold and clutched her bleeding arm.

The enforcers dragged Kilian off of her and Lucas pulled her into his arms. He would kill the other male for touching his mate.

“Settle down!” Councilman Dolf yelled. Once everyone stopped and was focused again on the council, Dolf continued. “We will take a vote of the validity of the second mate bite.”

Lucas pulled her further away. “Are you okay?” He checked her arms and the cuts. They weren’t too deep. He wiped off the trail of blood and put pressure on the ones that were still bleeding.

“I’m fine, Lucas. You didn’t have to do that, you know.”

He cupped her cheek and rubbed his thumb across her bottom lip. She had the most amazing mouth. “Of course I have to, you’re my mate, Diana.”

She frowned. “Since when?”

“Since the beginning. I’ve just been an idiot about the whole thing. I won’t be again. You are mine and I won’t let anyone take you from me.”

“You may not have a choice in that.”

“There are always choices.” He let her go and pulled Ox to the side.

“If this doesn’t go my way, you take Diana and head to Alpha Ric’s.”

“Alpha, I can’t leave you unprotected.” Ox shook his head.

“She’s your alpha female to protect. I am entrusting you to see her safely away from here.”

“Alpha—”

“Step forward, Diana Rhapsody, Lucas Danvers, and Kilian Dorn,” Councilman Dolf ordered.

Lucas held Diana’s hand as they stepped forward to hear the council’s verdict.

*****

Diana was shaking, she couldn’t get her breathing under control, and her wolf was growling with desire to tear into Kilian. She held onto Lucas, afraid to let go. If things did not go their way, Lucas would fight Kilian and could get killed. She didn’t want that. She couldn’t imagine anything bad happening to Lucas; it would devastate her.

“The council has voted on whose claim is the more valid. Normally the first claim would be considered the legitimate claim, but there was not sexual component involved with that one. Since the second claim has a sexual element, it is more prominent. Since the two claims are both strong, the tie will be decided by a show of strength. The two challengers will face each other, one on one, no weapons. First you will fight in human form, then you will fight in wolf form. If at any time one of the challengers gives up their claim, the match will end. Avoid death, if possible; we have enough of a population problem without killing one another needlessly. Both challengers have two minutes to prepare.”

“No.” Diana shook her head. “No, Lucas, you don’t have to do this for me.”

He pulled her away from everyone and leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I have to. As your mate, I will fight for my claim to hold you.”

“We’re not really—”

“Yes, we are. Ask your wolf, she should know I’m yours.”

Diana sought her inner wolf. “He’s wrong, he has to be.” Her wolf answered, “He’s our mate. We will fight for him like he is about to fight for us. Be strong.”

Lucas started to remove his shirt. She was desperate to keep him safe. “Please don’t do this.”

He leaned down and kissed her deeply, uncaring that others were watching them. “You are mine and I won’t let anyone else take you from me.”

Damn stubborn alpha
. She shook her head at him.