Wolfe's Den (Wolfe Creek #1) (3 page)

“So what brings you to see me?” he asked as he poured me a cup of coffee.

I turned to look at all the books he had on his shelves. There were books of all sorts everywhere. I took a deep breath and said, “I have questions about mates.”

“My boy, you’re not the first to have to wait longer than others for a mate. Kane’s right behind you on that. Not to mention your great, great grandfather waited until he was your age to meet his mate. And I’ll tell you boys a huge secret,” he paused for effect. “She was a human.” My mouth dropped open at the revelation. So there had been a human mate before? Kane gasped deeply.

I had a million questions, but the first one was why was it a secret? “So how come I’m just learning about this? Shouldn’t we all know about it?”

“A big reason is that he wanted it kept a secret, and they pretended she came from a different tribe from the North. After that we had the great fire that killed many of the elders and most of the historical records. Tales of her existence seemed to disappear from our history and it became only a legend. Those who knew the truth kept her history from the rest of the packs because there was too much tension between them. Besides, after their first litter she became a shifter as well.”

“So she wasn’t human after all,” I whispered. That was disappointing because Catherine was definitely human. Kane looked upset, too.

“No, she was human. Her parents and the descendants all down her line had been human. It’s one of the interesting things about human mates. They shift after they birth their first pups.”

“Only an Alpha could possess a human mate. He is the strongest, and it takes the most powerful Alpha to have a human mate.”

“Why?” It was peculiar because humans were weaker than us.

“Because until she bore him his first born pups, she possessed no special abilities. She was extremely vulnerable, and it takes a mate that could handle an attack on her and their unborn pups. Before she changed, they had no idea that she would ever grow to have the ability,” he informed me.

Fear started to course through me. Catherine was going to be a target. My sudden urge not to reveal the truth about her was my natural need to protect her. How I was going to keep her a secret was a mystery. She would be hard to hide because she wouldn’t have a pack or story we could use to keep her safe. I noticed Kane was getting antsy and his heart was racing. I started to wonder if he knew something and was hiding it.

Creed tapped my shoulder as I examined his kin. “You look lost in thought. I knew one day you’d come for these answers.”

“What do you mean?” I asked earnestly.

He knowingly smiled, then asked, “You’ve found her, haven’t you?”

“I have, but please don’t tell anyone,” I pleaded.

“Hunter, I look to you as one of my own. There is no way I would tell a soul about her, but I’m afraid there will be no way to hide it. You must mark her as yours as soon as possible, the only problem is she has to agree to be yours.”

“Is it because she’s human that I have been dreaming of her for the past six months. Dreams about mating and marking her?” The instant I said that Kane turned to me with his eyes wide open. I wondered what could be on his mind and I was starting to get an idea.

“Yes, since she is not one of us she doesn’t feel the pull like you do. She doesn’t crave you like you crave her, but dreaming of her for the past six months may make her more receptive to you,” Creed added, which alarmed me, but seem to soothe Kane.

“Damn it, I have to make her want me. How am I supposed to do that? I’ve never had the urge to mate before. I’ve never tried to charm a woman into anything.”

“Hunter, it will come naturally. You mustn’t worry. No male knows what to do with a woman before they begin the mating dance. It comes to them and the mate that is meant for them, so they could never not please them. You’re fated to each other.”

“But she’s different.”

“Are you afraid that you won’t feel as strongly to her?”

“No, if anyone feels like I do at the moment, I would grieve with them. I feel like I’m in a perpetual state of longing to be at her side. I want to please her, and I don’t even know her. My heart is pounding just at the thought of seeing her.”

“Your bond will be the strongest of all. It will bring resentment from others and that’s why the Alpha is the only one to possess a human mate.” I will need to be strong for her.

“How many have there been?” Kane asked.

“Only a handful throughout our five thousand years. It’s so rare because it takes a supreme Alpha to handle a human mate.”

“Because some may want to hurt her?” Kane interjected.

“Yes, there’s that, but also the human tendencies. They possess free will. She doesn’t have to choose you. You may fuck her, but she may not accept you as her mate for life,” Creed explained.

Kane and I snarled as I stood up and asked in outrage, “What do you mean?”

“Just as I said, unlike us, most humans take more than one lover. Many human females get divorced and have children with several men.”

“That’s not happening. She’s mine,” I roared.

“Then you must make her love you, like you love her. How is she in your dreams? Does she fear you or does she welcome you?”

“She welcomes me,” I breathed, it was a bonus that in my dreams she wasn’t scared. Kane growled and rushed out the front door.

“Don’t worry about him. I take it his dream mate doesn’t like him.”

“How long has he been dreaming?”

“They just started two days ago, but as for you it’s a good sign that she’s into you because that means she’ll make it a little easier for you to win her heart,” he said before taking a drink from his coffee. I didn’t need coffee, I needed something stronger. “But do note that she’s like all female mates, if not worse. She won’t be as submissive as our shifter mates. It’s that whole free will attitude. I would recommend fucking her into submission when she gets out of line.”

I actually laughed, but my dick was starting ache as I thought about breeding her. The sooner she was bred, the safer she would be.

“Do you happen to know how long their pregnancy lasts?” I wanted to know how long I would need to be crazy protective. Kane should have stayed, but I knew he shifted and went on a run. That would be crazy if there were two Alphas with human mates.

“Let me see. There’s a book here somewhere,” he said absentmindedly as he started looking for it. He went back to the shelf I’d been looking at.

“Ah, yes, here it is.” He pulled out this massive book that looked very old and partially burnt. It must have been around during the fire, so it was really old.

“Your ancestor was the last one to record any information about the human female. Let’s see what she had to say regarding pregnancy and pups,” Creed remarked as he opened the book and searched for the passage on the mating:

June 21
st
, 1665

Callum is so worried about the birth of our babe. I know he’s afraid that someone will come after me, and he’ll lose me forever. I won’t let that happen. I love him too much. I don’t know if he knows it, but I loved from the start. They may believe that I have a choice in the matter, but I know I don’t. Even though he irritated me the first time we met, all I could think about was how I wanted to see him again. He is why I exist.

August 10
th
, 1665

I’m growing fast and today was the first day that I felt them move. I can sense there is more than one child, or pup as I have to get used to referring our babes as. I wonder if my time will last as long as normal humans or as short as the shifters’ three months. I have a feeling that it is longer because I do not believe they are ready to be born soon.

October 14
th
, 1665

No, my birthing hasn’t occurred yet; however, I am starting to feel very different. Callum is worried about the threat to me and our unborn pups. He senses danger, but I think he’s being absurd. No one has been cruel to me, in fact, they have been wonderful. Even his Beta, who looked at me peculiarly, has been extremely courteous.

January 28, 1666

Still heavy with the pups. I think the birth will be coming soon, I feel more pain than I did the day before. I have not spoken to Callum about it because he already seems upset about something. Tension amongst the pack has grown to new levels. Frederick Lake, his Beta is getting a little more defiant toward Callum. It scares me that he could be harmed should Frederick betray him. My dear mate tells me that it will be well, however I fear that will not be the case.

February 3, 1666

Our life changed so quickly on the 31
st
of January. We have our two pups, Callum and George, but the pack has changed in more ways than that. Frederick challenged Callum. They both nearly died before Frederick reached me and the newborn pups. Something happened when he approached; for the first time I shifted. It slowed his attack, but it was then that Callum was able to strike the fatal bite.

Those that had been loyal to Lake were forced out of the pack. We now hold their properties as our own. It was unpleasant to take their lands, but it was a part of their pack regulations. Even though Lake is gone I fear this trouble is only just the beginning.

“So it seems it takes as long as it does for a human female,” I said. Then I thought about it, Rocky’s last name is Lake. “Wait, is my Beta related to the original Lakes?”

Creed took a long drink before nodded his head. “Yes, he is. Your grandfather allowed them to return to the pack. Something I never agreed with because the Grey family still held all the Lake’s possessions as their own, and I feared the resentment. They became the Betas again when your father was born.” We sat there as I thought about the tension I had with Rocky since I’d become the Alpha. Could he still harbor hatred from the past?

He looked at me with all sincerity and stated bluntly, “Just be careful with him. I don’t know what his mentality is to the past or if he’s even aware of it.”

“I will,” I said solemnly.

“I need to call Chloe. Excuse me.” I stepped out on the front porch to breath in the cool night air just as Kane was returning in wolf form.

“Hey, Kane. Did the run help?”

“No, but I’m sure you know that already.”

“Yeah, but I hope it doesn’t last as long for you as it did me.”

“Thanks,” he muttered before he went into the house to shift.

I dialed her number knowing she was probably asleep, but I needed talk to her. “Hunter, don’t worry. I have everything under control for tomorrow,” she sighed sleepily.

“That’s not it. First, I don’t want Gage to even speak to her. Second, don’t tell Rocky, or anyone for that matter, where you’re going and keep her protected at all times,” I barked out in fear that my sister recognized.

“What’s the matter, Hunter?” Chloe asked worriedly. My fear must have woken her up completely.

“She’s human and not strong enough to protect herself,” I murmured in frustration. This was going to cause problems, and I knew that I just had to prove that I was Alpha enough to handle it.

“You’re our Alpha, who would be stupid enough to harm your mate?”

“Anyone with the wish to become Alpha,” I offered.

“I got you, but why can’t Gage speak to her?” Chloe asked reasonably, but at the moment I didn’t have the capacity for reasonable. My fear of losing her was choking me.

“Because I said so,” I snarled, my wolf ready to rip through my skin.

“Understood, Hunter,” Chloe responded dutifully.

I hung up the phone and knew I needed to get back to the Den. I couldn’t stay away from her. The pull was too intense to be away from her. Hearing her voice this morning was like a trigger. My blood rushed to my heart, and I replayed the voicemail in my head over and over again. Catherine was my mate, and she needed me to protect her.