Mates Conquer Everything, Right?
41 First step in mating

My mind is screaming this shouldn’t be happening, but my soul has a better idea. Feeling his love is the most joyful experience I’ve ever felt. Being accepted and loved, so loved… I can feel it coming from him, all for me. He is the best thing that’s happened to me, that will ever happen to me. I kiss him back with no care in the world. The eyes of the pack are pricking a hole in my head, but I don’t feel it anymore. I am being consumed by Igétas.

He is clinging to me, afraid that if he lets me go I will disappear. His arms are holding me so close it almost hurts. The only time he held me like this was the day he first laid eyes on me, claiming me as his. It wasn’t that long ago, but it feels like a century. I didn’t know him then and I was afraid of him. But now he is my world, my male, my mate.

His lips move against mine, tasting me and holding me tightly. I want our little love spell to last forever... But it ends up finishing soon, because I hear the Alpha’s voice booming.

“Enough!”

Igétas takes a step back holding my hand, still seeking the connection we just shared.

Tharros doesn’t take our little love outburst lightly, and we see him making his way over to us. Alpha energy is rolling off, so strong even I have problems with not sinking to my knees. Everyone falls to the grass, baring their necks. With every step he takes, I feel the Alpha strength pressing against my body. His face says it all: “How dare you! You broke a command! How could you disobey me in front of the pack!”

I feel a different Alpha presence in the air, and it is coming from my mate. He is unbothered by his brother’s outburst. “I tried to follow your bullsh*t order, but you can’t keep me away from my mate. Come at me if you want, I will destroy you!”

I take my hand from his, rubbing his arm instead to calm him down. A mate’s touch can do such a thing, I read it somewhere. But tension doesn’t leave his body, he is too worked up.

“Brother, I told you not to start the mating process with your human.” Tharros growls and I look at Igétas.

Calling me human with a despective tone isn’t respectful, and commanding a werewolf not to mate is inhuman, not to mention it’s impossible to follow.

“Brother,” Igétas snarls back, not calling him by his title. “It’s never been documented in history a couple that lasted as long as us not starting the process. We’ve certainly lasted more than you did. At one point a wolf has little control and needs to act.”

“A wolf without control is dangerous in a Pack.” Tharros grunts. “Maybe your wolf isn’t developed enough to be Beta.”

A growl leaves Igétas’ lips. “You know I have control. And I’m telling you now, my wolf has grown a lot since Violet came into my life.” He almost whispers the words.

He takes a step forward, leaving my touch. “You want to test how much? Would you like to duel for your title? Or should I say my title.” His eyes darken. I know he’s getting to his limit.

I look around and see the pack react. Their eyes are big and still staring at the grass, their ears pricked up. Before I could say anything, Oliver breaks through the energy waves of his Alpha and Beta. Raising from his knees he’s sweating from the effort, breaking the commanding force of his Alpha.

“My leaders, we the pack,” he is gesturing around him, “need strong leaders to help us through the current threat. We can’t lose one of you to the pack’s hospital or worse. Please, as your Gamma, I ask you: Put us first.”

My eyes go wide. This is not how you speak to the Alpha. In my time with the pack, nobody ever spoke back to him. Of course, I am not always around to see everything, but to go against leadership in front of the whole pack is a big deal. Yes, Oliver is part of the leadership of the Red Woods Forest Pack, but as a Gamma who isn’t related to the Alpha and Beta, he is very brave.

“How dare you say that to me? Are you implying that I don’t put the pack first?” Tharros booms to him. I see Oliver physically shaking.

“I’m not.” he answers, holding his ground. “I just want to point out that we need strength during this time after the attacks, and two of our strongest members fighting isn’t going to help.”

“A Beta who doesn’t obey a command isn’t helping either.” Tharros is trying to stare Igétas down, while Igétas is looking at Oliver with admiration. Proud, that is the word I am looking for. He is proud of Oliver for standing up for the good of the pack, while the Alpha is irritated he’s been corrected.

Igétas speaks: “You’re right Oliver, with the current threat it is dangerous to put the Alpha position up for discussion.”

He turns to Tharros. “Brother, stop interfering with my personal life. I will challenge you when the threat has passed.”

“Your personal life is interfering with our pack life.” The Alpha spits back.

“It’s not. Violet isn’t the threat we are dealing with and you know it.”

“She is a threat, we don’t know why a human is your mate, it can be a trap!”

“She is my mate, the Goddess made her for me!”

I look at the two brothers, making a scene in front of the pack when they should be a united front to lead them.

“Then tell me why she is human.”

“We don’t know! But she has Luna-courage which means she is destined to be a Luna!”

“She must be lying about that.”

“How can you say that when she showed her skills in the last attack and rescued us all.” Igétas is looking angrier with every word coming out of his brother’s mouth.

“She is human, humans don’t belong in packs!”

This is going nowhere. I search the field and replace the Luna watching us from a distance. I wave her over, we need to get our men in line, for the pack’s sake.

She comes to me, and while the brothers are still talking about me, I turn to her.

“We need to get our males to drop this.” She looks unsure to intervene.

“You talk to Tharros and I will get Igétas to back down.” She eyes her mate, watching him getting angrier by the minute.

“I-I don’t know if I can.” She says timidly.

“If someone can do it it’s you.” I give her an encouraging smile. I touch her arm, intending for it to be a supportive touch, but as soon as I touch her Tharros swings to face me before I can do anything else.

His eyes are flashing with his wolf on the front.

“Keep. Your. Hands. Off. My. Mate.”

He growls loudly, coming right at me.

All I can think is: He lost it, I’m dead.