Unfortunately, this is one of them.
Sighing, I close down my computer and stand to stretch my arms over my head. I sent out a message to Alpha Duncan—one of the few who didn’t attempt to challenge me earlier today over Clove—to call for a midnight meeting on the beach.
I’m going to address the pack and tell them what’s happening with Clove.
Then I’ll address the challengers, most of whom should be awake by now and healing.
I’ll forgive them for their actions because I felt the rutting pull threatening to overtake my wolf and understand why they gave into it. But I’ll expect a show of respect from them.
Which will begin with them attending tonight’s meeting.
Anyone who doesn’t will be sternly spoken with and, depending on their response, permanently removed from the island.
I won’t kill them.
But I will exile them, something I’ve only ever done once.
Since most of the wolves here are not true rejects, they’re not relegated to the island. Most of the paperwork is all falsified as well, giving me jurisdiction to do as I please.
I don’t particularly enjoy the authority. However, it is a natural skill.
Clove screams Caius’s name, pulling me from my thoughts and making my lips curl. I wander toward them, wanting to grab a pair of fresh jeans and a pair of boots from the closet in the den bedroom.
The erotic display on the bed momentarily arrests me, making me regret having a meeting to attend in ten minutes.
Clove’s luscious brown hair is spilled across the silky pillows, her plump lips swollen and parted on a moan that goes straight to my groin.
Volt is lounging beside her, naked, and lazily stroking his shaft as Caius devours the sweetness between her legs. I swallow, her decadent perfume an allure that makes my wolf stir with need. I knotted her twice this morning, yet it feels like I could go a dozen more times and still not be satisfied.
She’s beautiful.
And the way she’s following her animalistic instincts right now is a divine sight that makes my wolf rumble in approval.
Her midnight gaze meets mine, her cheeks a stunning reddish shade. I walk toward her as though drawn to her by an invisible string and lean down to kiss her like I already own her.
Mine, my wolf says.
But I don’t let him bite her.
Not yet.
Not until we know for sure that she’s the Omega we should claim.
However, I purr for her, the sound one that comes from my wolf, demanding to be heard. He’s already chosen her. He wants to worship her. He wants to give her comfort and prove himself worthy.
Alas, I pull away, the purr in my chest intensifying as I fight my inner beast.
Volt meets my gaze, his expression knowing.
I shake my head, telling him not to comment.
Thankfully, he doesn’t.
I exchange my jeans and pull on a pair of socks with my boots just as Clove comes undone again on the bed.
Her scream is hoarser now, her body tensing in a way that suggests this orgasm was a bit more painful in nature. Caius notices and slowly stops his sensual torture, kissing a path up her abdomen to her breasts before reaching her lips.
She’s still shaking from her orgasm, her body painted in goose bumps and shades of pink. “Give her a bath,” I suggest from the doorway. “Help her relax.”
Volt has already stopped stroking himself, clearly putting her needs above his—an action I’ve never seen him do for anyone other than his clan.
That gesture tells me so much about how sure he is that Clove belongs to us. He controls his wolf almost as well as I do, but on this, he’s giving in to that urge to claim.
I envy him for that.
But it further proves that I need to be the one with the level head here, the one thinking about our future and what taking Clove may mean for our clan and our pack.
With one final wistful look at the bed, I leave and make the long jog through our underground cave to the surface. There are a series of traps here, all of which I know by heart, making it an easy ascent. But anyone trying to follow us down here would be in for a world of hurt.
Fortunately, no one attempted it earlier.
I reach the surface and continue my jog toward the beach, the moon illuminating my path through the trees. Most of the branches have lost their leaves, leaving only the fir trees to provide sufficient ground cover.
The scent of pack welcomes me as I enter the beach a few minutes later, the shifters all standing around in human form. I do a brief count, surprised and pleased to find everyone here. Even the three females are present, their partners standing nearby.
Alpha Ebony is a rare female Alpha. She joined Alpha Duncan’s Clan shortly after her arrival on the island. Most Alpha clans are not intimate with each other, waiting instead for their Omega to join them, similar to what my own clan has done. I’ve seen Caius and Volt in action several times, but we’ve never shared. Not until today.
However, Alpha Ebony is intimate with both Alpha Duncan and Alpha Pan, creating a unique dynamic in their clan. One I suspect an Omega will very much enjoy in the future.
Just not Omega Clove.
She’s mine.
Assuming she can fall into a true estrus, I remind myself.
Clearing my throat, I focus on the task at hand. “Thank you for joining me tonight,” I say, addressing my pack. “I’m sure it comes as a bit of a surprise considering this morning’s events. However, my Omega is no longer in heat.”
Omega Clove, not my Omega, I correct with a thought. But I can’t bring myself to say it out loud, so instead I continue by saying, “Clove is of mixed heritage. She comes to us from the Nantahala Pack, her mother having been a Nantahala Wolf, likely of mixed origin.” As there is no other way to explain Clove’s existence.
A few of the wolves bristle at the mention of the Nantahala Pack, but I ignore them. If I can forgive Clove for her origin, so can they.