My lip curled in undisguised contempt at the trembling excuse for a wolf standing before me. He shook violently with fear at the border of what they called the Azure Crescent Pack territory. This pack was once known for its strength but complacency had devoured them. Their drive for dominance had vanished and with it my last shred of respect.
I resented having to visit this pathetic group but it was the only place I was destined to find her. My mate.
The very thought of the word set my beast on edge. I let out a low warning growl as the spineless werewolf continued to block my path forcing my blood to boil. He was clearly attempting to stall buying time for Alpha Dalton to appear and compensate for the utterly disrespectful lack of preparation we had received so far. The mate bond I was supposed to feel was a frustrating dull ache nowhere near the primal pull it should be.
The guards eyes darted over my form his body vibrating with magnified terror at the sight of my Lycan state. We preferred to run in our true form saving the full feral shift for battle. The Goddess granted us the ability to stand tall and walk upright even as a beast.
This pathetic canine was wasting my valuable time a transgression I rarely permitted.
"Move along little wolfie" Joselins airy voice sang out as she appeared instantaneously beside the guard. Her long stark white hair drifted around her face exposing her glossy sightless eyes and the intricate black etchings that marked her skin.
The wolf yelped staggering backward and tucking his tail between his legs as he stared wide eyed at the Fae. The sudden pungent odor of urine confirmed my worst fears about this packs warriors. They were untrained incompetent. One minor Fae could likely wipe out their entire defense force.
"Be gone!" she whispered lightly and the wolf immediately bolted fleeing back towards the main pack house and leaving the border completely unguarded. Joselin twirled a strand of her white hair casting a glance over her shoulder with an air of mock innocence. "I dont think he liked me."
I simply rolled my eyes at her before she dipped her head in appropriate submission. I then strode past her leading my personal guard onto the pack lands.
Joselin was the only reason I was here. Her vision had demanded that I find and protect my mate. It had been a glimpse of my own premature death—a fate I would not accept. According to my witch my mate was the only one who could ensure my survival in the coming war and that solitary reason was why I tolerated this distasteful annual trip.
As the trees began to thin Alpha Dalton finally jogged into view his head dipped low in a clear sign of submission. It was too late. He was lucky I didnt snap his throat immediately for the insult.
Loud gasps and the sudden sobs of several women joined the ambient noise as they were forcibly herded and dropped to their knees in a ragged line. Their protests turned to louder cries of horror as my men emerged from the forest in their towering Lycan forms.
I took a deep steadying breath walking past their Alpha without so much as a glance. He had already insulted me once and I had come for one reason only.
"Tsk bad puppy!" Joselin hissed behind me as she sauntered past the disgraced Dalton.
A younger male whom I immediately recognized as the heir by the familiar thrum of Alpha blood in his veins stepped forward.
"Welcome" he said offering a deep bow. The female clinging to his side stared down at him a flicker of pure disgust crossing her features at his act of submission. I sensed a ravenous demand for power radiating from her coupled with an underlying toxicity that leaked from her very presence. I snorted in clear disdain at the pathetic pair as I glared directly at her forcing her to finally lower her head in respect as well.
I caught a faint yet metallic scent emanating from the young Alpha and the female beside him. It was a fresh sweet tang of human blood an unsettling mix with their wolf musk. It was a recent injury or attack that felt both significant and strangely out of place on such an important day.
The rest of the pack quickly assembled but I dismissed them with indifference. Their delayed pleasantries were meaningless now.
The sheer lack of readiness amplified the original insult they had failed to prepare for our arrival even with ample notice. The combined stench of stale liquor and body odor was offensively strong causing my lip to curl further.
Yet there was another scent in the air subtle and intoxicating linked tangentially to the couple kneeling before me. It made my beast surge roaring with the primal urge to tear down every wall and wolf in the pack until I found its source. My mouth watered with pure animal instinct. She was here and I would find her.
The moment the last female was shoved into the line I released a low commanding growl. The loud sobs and desperate begging instantly ceased leaving only the annoying sniffling of the terrified women. They had nothing to fear if they simply demonstrated the respect we had fought for earned and now demanded.
My men shifted restlessly on their feet eager to find their own mates but they knew they must wait for my selection process to conclude. I moved slowly stopping before each female one by one inhaling their scent as they visibly cowered from my immense size.
Only one stood out: a female who sat back on her heels with a straight spine and a hint of defiance in her posture. Her chin was lifted but she was smart enough not to make direct eye contact with me.
After surveying the first row I turned sharply to Joselin who stood behind me her brow furrowed in confusion. I could see the same uncertainty on her face that I felt.
"Where are the rest?" I demanded my deep voice causing several of the terrified women to flinch violently.
Alpha Daltons eyes widened as he looked back and forth between me and the line of unmated females. "This is all of them."
The subtle pleading shake of his head—a silent prayer for me to believe his inadequacy—only fed my rising fury. I lunged forward my Lycan form towering over the kneeling wolves. I wrapped my hand around his throat effortlessly lifting the weak Alpha off the ground. "Do not lie to me. You are already on my thread of patience."
My men began releasing low excited growls of encouragement. The scent of their anticipation and the need for bloodshed filled me with dark pride.
"Thats all of them I swear!" His desperate plea made him seem even more pathetic. His warm blood dripped over my fingertips as my sharp nails bit deep into his throat.
I stared into his eyes eager to witness his final moment. I wanted to see the light fade the soul depart as he was returned to the Goddess in disgrace.
"Wrong answer" Joselin sang out gleefully from where she stood with my pack. Her twisted joy was immediately followed by a chorus of excited howls as I completed the action ripping his throat out. Alpha Daltons corpse crumpled to the ground. The surrounding wolves screamed and cried out in shock and despair as their leader fell.
I lifted my hand watching the blood stream down my forearm and addressed my waiting men. "Find her."
The torn flesh and tendons dropped to the dirt like a gruesome flag. My pack instantly scattered eager to tear down any building or person who dared to obstruct their path to finding their Queen. I stepped over the Alpha's cooling corpse toward the spot where the scent was strongest near the border. There I spotted a small broken piece of white plaster and a smear of dark red blood near a bush that wasn't wolf blood. It was a human's blood. Joselin's vision had been vague but I never expected the mate to be unshifted and now shes running. callvinger