Gamma's Game [ShadowPack #3]
Chapter 5: The Instinct

Diana was looking outside the window of her bedroom when she saw that her mother was going out to get some stuff for their house. She sighed before she was trying to make sense of anything that Arthur has been saying to her last night.

Don't be ridiculous. He does not know what he was saying. He would not have to tell you anything after all. He likes to bluff and this is all a game to him, she concluded before she was sighing, and then she was looking at the morning light.

'Perhaps I should go for a run,' she thought before her wolf agreed.

'That would be terrific. It has been a long time since you let me run,' she said as Diana was shaking her head.

'I just let you ran last week. It was not that a long time ago,' she said before she was opening her balcony as she was taking in the sight in front of her. she smiled before she was feeling the breeze on her skin.

'This is nice,' she thought before her wolf snarled at her.

'You literally feel this every day. Can we just hurry up and change? I have been wanting this for long now,' she said before Diana sighed.

"Party-pooper," she mumbled before she jumped like that night when Arthur was coming to her house. She shifted in the middle of the jump before a big, brown werewolf with grey eyes were on the ground as she landed on four paws.

'Let's roll!' she said before she was running through the forest and was excited for the first time in her life to be running out in the free wild forest of Paphos after so much was happening lately.

Her brother will be going to Italy.

Arthur was playing games with her, like always.

And she...she was supposed to be mad if she did not mate with her true mate and Arthur refused to reject her. Bloody males and their pride.

Diana was running through the forest as she was enjoying the winds that were splaying all over her face before she was running into a territory that she would not have to go. She did not realize that she was outside their safe territory until she heard the guns.

And it was too late for turning back now.

*****

"Forward," Arthur shouted and the warriors were moving forward.

"Back," and the warriors were moving backward.

"Thrust," and they punched their fists.

"Parry," and the warriors blocked their opponents' advances.

"Move out. Make into two groups and you guys will be spared," he said as the warriors were teaming up as they were moving. Arthur smiled before he was listing all the rules like they have done it a million times and there was one male that raised his hand.

"Yes?" Arthur asked him before the guy spoke up.

"Will you be joining us today, Gamma? Perhaps show us some of your moves," he said before the others were smirking and laughing and snickering. Arthur was looking around before he chuckled lowly.

"I'm afraid I will not be doing that when you guys are barely even the master level. Now, spare," he said before he was making some notes of the warriors that he was training. They were the new recruits that have reached their ages and will be getting ready to fight for their pack.

"Busy mornings, I see," Xavier said as Arthur was turning around to see that the Beta will be leaving the island later that day.

"Yeah, and I am sorry I could not come. I wish I could but I have a tight schedule here," he said before the Beta smiled at him. He patted Arthur's back before he was nodding at him.

"Don't worry about it. You have your stuff to be done and I have mine. We all got our priorities," he said before Arthur smirked at him.

"And I can say that you are getting your priorities really tight these days," he said before Xavier was punching his stomach. They laughed before Xavier excused himself to get ready.

"Wait, one more thing," he asked before the Beta was turning to look at him.

"Are you sure my brother can handle the job that you gave him?" he asked before Xavier smiled as he was walking backward from Arthur.

"Trust me, no one got the skills as he has. Not even Caleb," the Beta said as he was retreating from the training field, left Arthur wondered what he was telling him about his own brother.

*****

"It's a nice pleasure to do business with you then, Mr. Papadopoulos," Zack said before he was shaking hands with the old man. He was being pleasant with the new price that Zack was asking from him and did not even have a complaint about it.

This is the best job he could ever have in his life.

Zack left the premises before he was walking away with the fat check that he promised Xavier that he will get today. And he finally did it. He got the money that was being denied for so long as Zack was staring at the check.

Damn, I am good, he mused before he slipped the check away and turned to look at the road that was in front of him. He has told his team to get home early and he will wrap things up that day before he spotted the familiar brunette that was walking outside of the famous café that Xavier found his true mate there.

Samantha Lykos, the Ultima's little sister.

Zack has been wondering about the attraction that he felt for her since he met her on that night of the Folk Festival last week and it has been weeks since he saw her again. His wolf was yearning to be in her presence but right now, Zack was keeping off his distance from her.

After all, she was sacred and he was expendable.

He sighed before his steps were following Sam's as she was making her way through the town square and talked to some people. Zack was trying to keep a low profile before she turned around a corner. Zack followed her and then, she vanished.

"Where did she go?" he asked himself before Zack felt the tip of a dagger was at his throat as he was backing up, holding his hands up before Samantha Lykos was in front of him and her red eyes were burning into his.

"Who are you?" she asked him and before he can say anything, the imprints began on their own.

The two of them together.

They laughed, smiled, and whispering.

The low moans and the heated bodies tangled together.

The claiming.

Everything was so fast that Zack was blinking his eyes before Samantha was widening her eyes. Then, she punched Zack and took off. He wiped his mouth to see there was some blood before he smirked.

I think I would like to get to know you better as well, Samantha Lykos, he mused before he was looking after the female that soon will be his.

*****

Arthur was cleaning up some spears and swords before someone was knocking on his office's door. He stopped what he was doing for it was already evening when there might be no one around. He went to open the door and was frantic to see that it was Mrs. Marchand.

"Mrs. Marchand. Can I help you with something? why are you pale?" he asked before Xavier's mother was looking at him before she cried. She was wailing and Arthur, being the gentleman that his mother wanted him to be, held the old woman before he was asking her what was happening.

"Diana...Diana...she's...she's gone. Gone!" she said before Arthur's heart was beating so loud. Gone? What does that mean? Surely she would not...Arthur did not want to think the worst of this.

"Gone? Gone where? I'm sure she was somewhere around in the territory..."

"I have asked everyone and no one knows where she went. I don't want to be a burden but I think..." she sniffed before Mrs. Marchand turned and looked Arthur in the eyes with that knowing glint in her eyes.

"I just thought that you should be the one to know first, Arthur," she said before something went silent. His heart was not beating and he felt something inside him. Something that demanded that he does something to replace his mate. His Princess. His Diana.

"Why don't you tell me from the beginning and I will be getting some stuff ready to get on with the search for Diana," he said the last word with a lump in his throat. Please let her be okay, please let her be okay, Arthur prayed before he was listening to what Mrs. Marchand said before he was sending out some signals for his warriors that will be patrolling tonight.

He gave them some instructions and let them replace the missing woman before he was getting ready to join the search group as well.

"I know her mate is you," Mrs. Marchand said quietly after everyone has left. Arthur turned to the old woman before she smiled at him. She called him to come closer before she grabbed his face and kissed his forehead.

"Bless you be and replace my daughter, your soon to be wife, and bring her back so you could marry her," she said before Arthur was stunned by her approval. He smiled before he squeezed her hands.

"I will not let anything happened to her. I promise you that, Mrs. Marchand," he said before the old woman smiled.

"Please, call me Mama," she said before Arthur shifted and a black wolf ran on his four paws to the place where his instinct was telling him to go.

North, he must go north. Arthur did not know why but he will not wait around to replace out why because his mate was in danger and if anything happened to her, so help God, he will not lose control.