The girl, whose name he didn't yet know, tried to stand back up, but her swollen ankle obviously wasn't fit to walk on and she yelped before collapsing back into the chair, glaring at him as if he was the cause of her injury.
"Careful Baby." Alpha Luca West reached for her, trying to support her injured ankle, and hoping he could convince her to hold still so she wouldn't injure herself further. His bright green eyes beamed as he took in the figure of his gorgeous newly discovered mate, even as she moved about, clearly overwhelmed, he thought, by everything that had just happened.Over the previous thirty years of his life he'd imagined what his mate might look like, but she was a hundred times more perfect than anything his mind could conjure. She smelled of lavender and lemon, and he wanted to gather her in his arms and carry her out to the car and drive straight back to his pack line, forgetting any and all of the business that had sent him out into the world at the beginning of the month.Every other Alpha he had business with would understand, and there was little that couldn't be dealt with in the coming weeks, once he had her marked, mated, and through her first heat, and safely back on his pack lands.He felt himself grow hard just thinking of all the things he wanted to do with her once he got her alone and away from this crowd of onlookers.She was being more difficult than he had expected. Somehow he had pictured his mate cuddled up to his side by now, in awe of him, his body, his title, and the size of his pack. The beauty before him was not reacting at all like he had expected.Maybe he had frightened her when he'd growled at Alpha Vos? He'd just been so startled when he'd caught her scent and seen a glimpse of her ahead of her pack's Alpha and Beta. And then, Lyra kept hanging on him as he tried to pull away and he'd lost it for a moment. He'd needed to get to her then and there."Baby, I'm sorry if I scared you earlier. But I promise I will never do anything to hurt you. And I will never let anyone else hurt you either."He felt someone crouch down beside him and he held in a growl. He didn't want to scare his little mate further. Glancing over he was glad that he did when he saw that it was the other pack's Luna, Emery. Even he had to admit that she was an exceptionally sweet woman."Dani, the pack doctor is on her way right now to take a look at your ankle. Are you doing okay Sweetie."Dani. That was his mates name. He wondered what it was short for. Danielle? Daniella?"Alpha West, could you give us a tiny bit of space. I think Dani is really stressed right now." Luna Emery could make the most unpalatable request sound like she'd coated it in honey and served it up for dessert, which was the only reason Luca didn't growl at her when she suggested he move away from his mate. "She's my mate, Emery.""I know she is Luca. But the poor thing is overwhelmed and nervous and in pain. Look at her face. She looks like she's about to pass out.""I do not need a mate." Dani barely managed to say the words, and Luca wasn't entirely sure that he had heard them. "I need to get out of here.""What did she say?" His voice was harsh and closer to a growl this time."Nothing Sweetie." Emery replied loudly with a smile. "And look. Here comes Doc Evans. Thanks goodness. Doc, I think Dani broke her ankle on us here wearing those ridiculous stilettos that Frank makes the girls wear, when her mate here startled her a bit. We need you to patch her up good as new and maybe give her a little something for the pain."Emery rose, looping her arm through Alpha West's and practically dragging him towards her husband."Now you can see that our doctor is a woman and she is one of the best, on this side of the country. She will make sure that Dani is fine. And while she is doing that why don't you have a seat right here by the fireplace and I will go and get some drinks for our table since we have lost our waitress for the night."The smiling Luna glanced passed back at Dani worriedly, not feeling nearly as confident as she appeared. She wished that she could give the girl an opportunity to run, but with that ankle she didn't think Dani stood much of a chance. Out of all the Alpha's she knew, she had never been that fond of Luca West. He was too blood thirsty and fond of war for her taste. And she'd heard that he ruled his pack with an iron fist."And why don't you make yourself useful Alpha and use your Alpha command and the pack mind link to get us at least a half dozen waitresses down here. I'm sure they can't all really be that busy. Poor Dani. She never should have been running this place on her own." She said the words in a teasing tone that had Alpha Vos smiling adoringly back at her as she headed across the long room back towards the bar."I need you to help me get out of here." Dani fixed Doctor Scarlett Evans with an intense gaze as she carefully splinted her ankle, sending the words through the pack mind link to the doctor."Girl, on this ankle you aren't going anywhere without a pair of crutches or a wheel chair. Or in the arms of that young alpha there." Doctor Evans frowned as she said the words softly, reaching for the bag that she had brought with her and looking for the pills that she was going to give Dani that would at least lessen the pain while her wolf began to speed along the healing process. She wasn't quite sure why it hadn't begun already. The break felt straight enough. Dani should have already healed quite a bit more than she had."When you get back to his pack you should have x-rays done. And have a complete physical with blood work.""How long until I can run?" The Doctor saw the desperation in her eyes and turned, looking back at Alpha West before meeting the girl's eyes for a second time."If your wolf does her job and you heal on schedule it ought to be as good as new by morning." She paused and shook her head ever so slightly, her next words coming over the mind link, "I wish you luck if you're going to try to outrun that young man, but even with your leg healed I think your going to have one Hell of a time of it."Dani raised her eyebrows and shrugged. "I'll need those crutches tonight. I need to go take care of my Momma after this. She's probably already worried sick about where I am. I should have been home an hour ago.""I can look in on her Dani. I'll go right now." Doctor Evans reached for her hand reassuringly, but Dani pulled away. She didn't see Alpha West turn his head and listen to every word that they were saying from his place next to Alpha Vos, far more interested in his new mate than in the interpack politics being discussed at his table."No. Thank you. But I can take care of her." Dani shook her head."Dani, when you leave..." Doctor Evans voice trailed off."I'm not leaving my Mom. It's not an option. She wouldn't survive a week without me."Which was really the reason that Dani was beginning to accept that she couldn't outrun her new mate. Not then and there anyways. She needed to think this whole thing out carefully. She'd have to get her Momma first and then once they were together they could go and build a new life on the other side of the country.Or maybe they would throw a dart at a map and choose a totally new country. Someplace warm. Someplace with palm trees. The pain pill that Doctor Evans had given her was kicking in and Dani's ankle felt blissfully numb. If she hadn't known better she would have thought that she could walk on it. She saw Alpha West rising from the table and wishing Alpha Vos and Luna Emery goodnight. Emery looked over at Dani and gave her a sad smile before standing, and carefully pasteing her perfect, happy Luna business-as-usual smile back in place. "Thank you Doctor, for healing my mate." Alpha West said smoothly as he bent and scooped Dani up into his arms, as if she weighed nothi
Dani insisted that he put her down, despite his protests and then she hobbled on one leg over to the living room couch where her mother had been laying since she left at a little before eleven that morning. The TV was blaring, and Dani turned it down, as she surveyed the dimly lit room, feeling the heat rising in her cheeks and refusing to look back over her shoulder at Alpha West.The room was neat, Dani made sure of that. There was a couch that was threadbare and worn. It had come out west with her father when he had moved out from Texas, which meant that it was quite a bit older than Dani. On either side of the couch was a chair, and each of those had an afghan thrown over it to cover how worn they had been after decades of use. The coffee table in front of the couch was littered with bottles of medication. There was a plate with a half eaten piece of pizza remaining on it, and a half filled glass of water next to it. Dani had also left a full pitcher or water on the coffee tabl
Dani didn't have to look at him to know that he was staring at her, and that he was probably shocked. She knew that she must not be like anything that he had expected, or maybe even wanted. He'd probably been expecting someone like Emery, who was graceful and classy, but also especially ready to throw herself into his arms. He had expected a Luna. And Dani didn't see herself as a Luna. "We could change that pretty quickly, Dani." His voice was teasing and he reached out and ran a finger across the gap between her shorts and the bottom of her tank top, where the fabric had crept up. Quickly she tugged the fabric down and pulled away from him, half gasping in pleasure at the way his finger tip had felt when it trailed sparks across her skin. "We are not having sex!" She said quickly."Because I'm your mate?" She was facing him now, staring up at his wide green eyes, watching as he ran a hand through his golden brown hair. "That makes absolutely no sense Dani. What is it that you'
The sound of someone banging on the door woke Dani with a start, and she opened her eyes to find herself pressed against Luca's chest, his strong arms encircling her waist. It was the best sleep she could remember having in years. She felt him tense beside her, and she quickly held onto his hands, panic rising in her chest. "No, Luca. It's okay. Really." He could hear her pulse rising rapidly, and the scent of fear was clearly radiating from his little mate. "Who the fuck is banging on your door like this at six a.m?""It's probably just one of my mom's friends. Ignore him. He'll go away.""Why the fuck is he banging on your door?" Luca growled the words, his canines lengthening."People get drunk and-" Dani voice trailed off for a moment. Pausing she took a deep breath, "lost, they get lost in the house. So I have locks. Lots of locks. To make sure no one comes in here that I don't want in here." She shook her head as if clearing it of the absurdity of the situation. He bega
"Kitten?" He dropped his phone down onto the floor next to the bed, his eyes turning dark as he stared at her. "Let's not start anything that you don't want to finish just yet." Luca's voice was playful, but Dani heard the warning in it. "Or what, Alpha?" She climbed up the bed towards him, knowing exactly how good she looked, while he mulled over her insistence on using his title in such a blasphemous way. He was definitely going to have to nip that in the bud before she tried it in front of another pack member. Teasing in private was one thing. In public she needed to at least maintain a facade of respectfulness. He rolled his eyes in response and lay back, ignoring her and putting his arms behind his head. "Andraste. We need to get you and your mother packed, and if you want to take a shower you should probably do it now. My people are getting ready to move north at the moment and I have business I need to take care of as soon as possible." "Do you, Alpha?" Luca watched her slin
"What did you mean about expanding your territory?" She was holding up a blue bikini and trying to decide whether it should go or stay, while purposefully not looking at him. "Just that. My territory has gotten bigger over the years." Dani dropped the bikini into the suitcase and turned to look at him. "How?" She asked seriously. "What do you mean how?" His lips curved upwards in a half smile. "Exactly that. How did your territory 'get bigger?'" She said the last two words in a mocking tone, making it clear that she wanted him to lay the explanation out in simple terms. "Well, when I see something that I want, I take it." He pushed her back against the bed as he said the words, leaning over her slowly and breathing in the clean, delicious scent of her skin. His body ached for her, and his wolf paced inside of him, begging to take her, but he refused, instead only reaching out and tracing her cheek lightly with his finger tip. "I've wanted a great many packs that I have come acro
She saw Luca's shoulders tense. He turned, his eyes entirely black. "I told you to wait with Lars." He growled the words. "And you should know that I don't do what I'm told. Even by you Alpha." "Oh she's perfect for you, Luca." An absolutely gorgeous blonde, in a tiny blue satin teddy appeared in the doorway next to Luca. She ran her hand across his chest and he flinched away, a growl escaping his lips."Enough Lyra." "You must be the famous Dani. I am Lyra Harding of the Bear Moon Pack." She smiled sweetly, looking at Dani with enormous blue eyes through her long dark lashes. "Lyra." Dani said her name in the exact tone that she usually reserved for Luca's title and Luca laughed, meeting his little mates eyes. "Now that you're here Dani," he said, holding out his hand to indicate that she should come to him, let me show you our quarters for the flight, if we want privacy. I'm going to have to get one of the flight attendants to change the sheets," he frowned at Lyra and turn
"Don't call me that." Dani snapped, keeping her voice low and pushing her hands further down into the soft lining of her jacket."What, Kitten? You don't like that name that now?" He reached up and touched a strand of hair that had fallen free when she was struggling in the arms of his third in command and he didn't miss the small, involuntary movement when she winced away from his touch. "No. I don't. I think Lyra does though." Luca's eyebrows jumped up a fraction. "She used it when she was mocking me earlier. I don't need a second hand pet name." "Don't let Lyra play mind games with you, Baby." He drew in a deep breath and frowned. "Are you hurt? Did Teo do something to you?" Dani turned away, looking out the window as Luca's eyes turned black.She shook her head. "No. He just kept me from going out after you." "I can smell blood. Please, Dani, let me help. Show me what happened." Slowly she pulled her hands from the smooth lining of her jacket, exposing the cuts were her