The Alpha’s Heir
Chapter 8

*** Xavier ***

Elder Tabbatha gives me enough warning that I manage to get protection in place for my mate before closeting us both into our chambers where we will stay until the whole territory is searched. I try to call Aiden and Eva to warn them but there is no answer.

The council officials turn up in their dozens, all looking for Junior and then questioning me regarding Evangelina. The allegation of a Dire Wolf is put to me as her father. I continue to deny any knowledge of a Dire Wolf, but I suspect the complaint about Eva has come from Nikki because of the vague information they have and the speed at which they respond.

Lydia and I stay in our quarters, we go about our regular daily tasks, and take our meals there. Slowly but surely, I feel my bond with Lydia stabilise. However, I don’t want to push her,so I keep the conversation light and avoid talking about my daughter.

Lydia has other ideas though. In between her worried ramblings about our son, she asks me about my daughter. “She already has a child. You’re a grandfather, Xavier!”

Wow. A grandfather. It is the first time I have thought about it that way. I am desperate to get to know Eva, and to be a part of her life, but I am also trying to respect her boundaries regarding her little girl.

There is so much I want to share, so much I want to tell Lydia, but I feel unable to because my joy comes from the same place as her feelings of betrayal. It is bittersweet and the person I love is the person I want to share it all with, but she is also the one person I can’t open up to. I can’t share it because I feel bad about lying to her.

“Let’s talk about something else, Sweet Cheeks.” Her crestfallen face shows me the degree of disappointment she is feeling.

“I am really trying here, X. I don’t know what else I can do. You lied to me, remember? I don’t want our bond to sever, and I don’t want to lose you, so you either need to start sharing this and letting me in again or we cut our losses now.” My Lydia is fighting for us, and my heart swells with pride that she is.

Without much thought of our current predicament and guests, I push Lydia up against the wall and smash my lips over hers. “MINE!” I shout at her. “You are mine, Lydia. I want to fight for us, but I need to know that I’m not hurting you by sharing my daughter with you.

Lydia is no pushover. With a flick of her wrist, she has me on my knees. “No, X. You are mine.” She grabs me roughly by my chin. “I’m trying, X, because I know you are sorry for hurting me. Let me in or this won’t work.”

“My daughter, your stepdaughter, is called Eva. And yes, she has a child, so technically, I am a grandparent. And so are you if you accept them.”

“A grandchild? Oh, X, you know I am ready for a grandchild.” We touch foreheads. Lydia is overcome with emotion but also appears stunned. This may be our only chance now. Junior is in shit up to his eyeballs, so will either be dead or imprisoned by the time this all unfolds.

“I’m sorry I lied. I was wrong. Very wrong. I am trying to be a better man, the kind of man that you and Eva can be proud of.” She nods before accepting my k!ss. This time, the bond is not only completely healed, but also stronger, more resilient and robust. Together, we will overcome anything.

Eva is by no means a replacement, but a bond with her could help bring joy back to my mate’s life. She always wanted more children and has looked forward to becoming a grandparent since we realised she wouldn’t be able to have another pup. We all need a light in the dark and I have a feeling Eva and her child could be that to Lydia and me.

“Alpha Xavier. Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude.” Elder Tabbatha is back. She whispers to us. “X, they are on their way to Onyx River to arrest your daughter. Alpha Aiden was spotted returning to his pack yesterday. He failed to notify the council this morning and now they have enough to arrest Eva.”

“Are we under arrest?” Lydia asks, and Elder Tabbatha shakes her head. That’s all Lydia needs to know. “Come on, X, we have to warn them. If we shift, we’ll get there faster.”

“Thanks, Tabs.” She gives me a nod as I run after my mate so we can warn Eva that the council are on their way to arrest her.

I am happy to see when I arrive that Aiden has a full contingent of wolves protecting his packhouse. I present myself first and ask for clothes for my mate so she can shift too. Aiden comes to personally greet me.

“We don’t have time. Nikki reported Eva for having a Dire Wolf. The council are on the way to arrest her.” His roar of indignation pleases me. We will both stand shoulder to shoulder and protect her. No fvcker is going to lay a finger on my daughter.

“Onyx Moon, It’s time to defend. The council want to arrest your future Luna. They want to excise her wolf because it manifested to protect her. They want to do this while my pup, the heir to this pack, grows inside her. What do we think of that?”

Amongst the roars and growls of indignation is a splattering of cracks as warriors shift to protect their Luna. They have taken Eva into their hearts and will defend her to the death. There is also a celebration. This is obviously the first time news of Luna Eva’s pregnancy has been revealed to them too.

“Eva’s with pup?” I ask Aiden, and his face lights up when he nods. Amongst the chaos, happiness and hope charge through me. My little girl is going to have another pup and this time, I want to be involved. I want to be a grandfather and it would be wonderful to support Eva and Aiden as they expand their family.

“We found out just last night when I returned. Xavier, she has locked herself in the cells to protect everyone else. She’s going to kill me that I have blurted it out at the first opportunity, she wanted to keep it private for now. How can we stop the council?”

They will not touch Eva. Right now, both Aiden and I would sacrifice ourselves to keep her safe and so would our packs. The council will have to listen to us.

“Send word to Alpha Martin, tell him I am calling in my allies, my daughter’s life is in jeopardy. Lydia, get inside now.”

Lydia nods and does as she is told. The last thing I need is to worry about her too.

“Luna Lydia, if you allow me, I will settle you in our guest room.” Aiden’s redheaded sister, the one who is facing charges for killing one of my pack members, graciously offers and Lydia lights up.

“Thank you, Amber, but could you take me to Evangelina? I think we need to become acquainted as fast as we can.” As I expect, Amber looks for permission from her Alpha first, which he gives.

Lydia and Amber walk into the packhouse, and Amber returns a few minutes later, just as the council officials start arriving.

“I am Alpha Aiden Goldrick. You have not been invited onto my lands. State your business now or I will instruct my army to attack.”

The gauntlet has been thrown down. I stand shoulder to shoulder with Alpha Aiden and will fight alongside him.

“I am Elder Esme. I am an Investigating Officer with the Control of Dangerous Beasts Bureau. I have been sent by the Werewolf Council in response to a complaint that has been made.”

“What is the complaint?” Beta Preston asks bluntly.

Elder Esme shuffles her papers and pulls one out. “The complaint is that you failed to report a dangerous beast- “

She doesn’t get to finish her sentence as Aiden growls and bares his teeth at the vermin that insultingly refers to his mate as a dangerous beast.

“Watch your mouth or you’ll lose your throat, mutt,” Aiden spits out at her. His pack members all growls and snarl, they are all wound tightly, ready to pounce on their prey. He has trained them well.

“The charges are that Evangelina, daughter of Xavier Woodward and fated mate of Aiden Goldrick, has a dangerous beast in the form of a manifested wolf. We are here to remove her from your pack. She will be imprisoned at the bureau until we have excised her wolf. If she survives, she will be free to return to you.”

“She is going nowhere. My daughter is staying right here where she belongs with her mate,” I tell them through gritted teeth. I want to rip their heads off.

“This will result in a war and trust me, Alpha Xavier, I have back-up arriving any moment now. Turn over the werewolf with the Dire Wolf and no-one else will be hurt.”

“Never!”

The ground starts to rumble and tremble, and I am not sure if it will be our enemies or our allies. It doesn’t matter either way: we will never hand Eva over without a fight and they refuse to leave without arresting her.

It looks like a war is the inevitable outcome.

*** Aiden ***

They’ve got to be kidding. The only way I’m going to let them take Eva is over my dead body. To my relief, Xavier’s army and the thousands of his allies turn up just in time. Thousands of warriors have turned out to defend the honour of my little mate, and my heart swells with pride. The council will have a hard time overpowering us.

“My daughter is going nowhere, Esme. Now back the f**k off before you start a war. There is no need to spill b***d here today. Evangelina is no threat to anyone, and we will ensure that her Dire Wolf is dealt with once she whelps her pup.” Xavier takes the lead, and I am grateful, since I am close to losing all my restraint. I am terrified for my mate, our little girl and our teeny tiny pup growing inside her. I am powerless and without any control and I don’t like it, not when it involves my family, the people I love and, most importantly, when it comes to Eva’s safety.

“And how do you propose to keep the Onyx River Pack safe from your Luna? Dire Wolves are uncontrolled beasts.” I start towards her; I’ve already f*****g warned her that I would rip her throat out, but Amber and Preston pull me back.

“Don’t you dare refer to my mate as an uncontrolled beast. Luna Eva will not be leaving our territory. At this moment in time, she is in our cells, where she will remain until her confinement is over. We will revisit the issue then.”

“Who sent her to the cells?” Esme asks as she frowns at this new information. Her papers flap about as she attempts to record the information.

“She imprisoned herself when she realised her wolf had manifested. She wants to remain in the cells here at her own insistence. There is no threat to our kind, the problem is being dealt with,” Beta Preston tells her.

“It’s not just a matter of keeping her locked up, her wolf needs to be removed and destroyed so it can’t hurt the werewolf community,” Esme patronisingly tells Preston.

“Have you ever seen a Dire Wolf, Elder Esme? Do you have any knowledge of how they manifest and how to reverse it?” Preston demands of her.

“… Well, no, not personally. But I’ve read a couple of books and- “ Preston cuts her off and I’ve never wanted to congratulate him more. He’s always been far more astute and diplomatic than me, and it shows right now when I need him most.

“I have. I, therefore, have more hands-on experience of dealing with Dire Wolves than you do. I will personally seek a resolution to this issue for my Luna and friend. I believe I have found a way to reverse the manifestations without harming anyone, especially Eva and her Wolf.”

Preston pauses to let this information sink in.

“By her own hand, my Luna sent herself to the cells because she wanted everyone else to be safe. She has been responsible and selfless and not one of us will allow you to move her. We have never felt safer than we are right now with Luna Eva looking after us all.”

“This is most irregular.” Elder Esme is flustered now, she shuffles her papers again like they will give her the answers.

“I’ll tell you what is most irregular: sending a council official to detain a Dire Wolf when she’s never even seen one. What was the council thinking?” Xavier is challenging the council now, and he has a point. If we have more experience and expertise at hand, why should they take her? “I propose that Luna Eva stays here in her self-administered containment, and we will consult all the healers we can with experience of dealing with a Dire Wolf.”

Elder Esme has no option, not if she wants to avoid bloodshed. “I want to speak to Luna Eva, our officers will need to examine the suggested holding cell and she would be under house arrest. I will come back every Friday to meet with Eva and discuss any issues there may be.” She paused. “Would that be to your satisfaction?”

She looks at us all, and obviously isn’t waiting for an answer because she walks towards the packhouse so she can meet Eva.

As we approach the stairs to the cells, loud voices can clearly be heard and Gamma Max is trying to diffuse whatever the situation is and is failing miserably.

“Get out, I don’t want you here. Please. Just leave.”

“Eva, it’s important to your father that we get along. I want to get to know you.”

“Not right now, I’ll tell father when I am ready. I already have a mother, a fat lot of good she is, and Summer doesn’t need any more confusion right now.”

“Come on now, ladies, there is no need for this to turn nasty.”

“F**K OFF!”

“Don’t speak to him like that and don’t swear in front of my daughter!”

“Guck ock…”

“Give me a couple of minutes first please,” I apologetically ask Elder Esme. For f***s sake! I put out one fire and there is already another one simmering away.

The scene in the holding cell is exactly what it sounded like. Eva is in her cell, red-faced and pointing at Luna Lydia, who is in the holding area with Gamma Max, who is carrying Summer, and Summer is repeatedly chanting, “guck ock, guck ock.”

“What’s going on?” They all start talking at once until I shout again. “If you’re going to keep arguing, can you leave? The council representative is here and wants to ensure the cell is secure. She needs to speak to Eva. I don’t know what your disagreement is about, and quite frankly, I don’t care. There is enough shit flying about- “

“Chit, chit!” My little girl shouts proudly. Eva glares at me, and if looks could kill, I would be dead and buried now.

“Please don’t kill me. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to swear,” I plead with Eva before she can say anything.

“We will discuss this later, Alpha. Luna Lydia, it was lovely to meet you, but I think it would be best if you returned to my father now. Max, could you please take Summer to Mrs Moore straight away? Sunshine, give Mummy and Daddy a k!ss and be a good girl.” It’s heart-breaking watching Summer k!ss her mummy through the bars of her cell. I k!ss her too and ruffle the soft brown curls of the crown of her head. She giggles in response as she places a sticky wet k!ss on my cheek and whispers, ‘daddy bear,’ to me.

After everyone leaves, Eva stares hard at me. “Are you determined to give her the mouth of a sailor? She’s two years old and she now knows three swear words.” I hold my hands up, the last thing I want is to upset Eva or Summer. I’m wound up like a coil, I’m stressed and on edge and I am worried sick, but Eva doesn’t need to see that right now. She needs me to be strong and keep her safe. She needs me to stop swearing.

“Shortie, I’m so sorry. I will make more of an effort with my language. I don’t know what happened. It just slipped out.” She finally stands in front of me; the bars of her cage are the only things in our way.

“I know you’re stressed out. It’s hardly ideal, but her little mind is like a sponge, and she seems to sniff out swear words like a bloodhound.” We stand toe to toe, if the bars weren’t in the way, I would have her in my arms and half n*ked by now.

“I know, I’m really sorry, Eva. I have to tell you something else. I sort of blabbed about you being pregnant too.” She actually growls at me. My little innocent, loving mate is growling at me.

“For f**k’s sake, Aiden!” she shouts at me, but I capture her chin before she moves away. A flash of silver in her eyes tells me that Lina is close to the surface.

“Lina, thank you for allowing my pup to grow. I promise to do everything in my power to save you.”

Eva’s eyes widen in shock and surprise and when she smiles, I know Lina has persuaded her to forgive me. “Sweetheart, I’m so sorry. I’m not coping very well, am I? I need my Luna back by my side. The council is willing to place you under house arrest until our pup is born. Elder Esme needs to talk to you and then they want to examine the cell.” I lean forward and place my lips next to hers. “Please forgive your idiotic mate, he might be stupid, but he loves you,” I murmur to her.

“Of course, I forgive you, but next time we have a baby, I’m not telling you until we are through to the safe part. You can’t hold your own piss.” As I k!ss her, all the familiar stirrings of desire wash over me, but Eva pulls away before it’s even begun. “I think we have guests, Alpha.”

I look around and, sure enough, Elder Esme, Amber and Preston are standing behind me, enjoying our show.

“Well, I can see you have no trouble controlling your wolf when provoked, Luna, and boy did your mate provoke you today. Everything seems to be under control. Luna Eva, I would like to arrange an appointment for next week and, so long as the cell meets the criteria of the council, your self-administered detention should suffice until your pup is safely born. Congratulations, by the way.” Elder Esme rips off a piece of paper and asks Beta Preston to escort her back up so she can leave.

“Congratulations to both of you,” Amber chokes out on a sob. At first I believe it to be tears of happiness on our behalf, until she speaks again. “I just wish I were going to be here to see it.”

“Go and hug her,” Eva instructs me with tears in her eyes too. “Amber, don’t worry, we are going to fight this, we won’t let anyone hurt you, will we, Aidy?”

“No one will ever hurt you again, little sister, I give you my oath.”

*** Alejandro ***

“We keep drawing a blank and until we talk to the werewolves, we won’t get any further. We can now rule out Salma’s brother. We know he is clean as a whistle.” My brother crosses off ‘Jose’s Bastard’ from our whiteboard. We are sitting around the large mahogany table in the conference room of my father’s office. The air is thick with smoke and the table is littered with short crystal balloon glasses from which we have all imbibed too much brandy.

“I will approach the werewolves tomorrow. Salma has an in with the Alpha on a more personal level.” My brother and cousin laugh at me, and make insinuations that Salma had a werewolf boyfriend before we married.

My fist connects with my cousin’s temple, and I try to scramble over him to punch Matteo too, but he quickly dives under the table while he laughs at my attempts.

“Do not speak about my WIFE like that, you pair of as*sh0les.”

“ENOUGH! Will you lot pack it in? You’re all f*****g grown men, will you act like it? Senseless, the lot of you. Jose’s murderer is still out there. If they can take him out, they can take us all. So, stop fighting amongst yourselves and think!” My father is not usually a man of many words. I hadn’t realised until now how much his associate’s death has affected him.

I sit back down in my seat and dump ice into a napkin, and place it on my knuckles that are already swelling. “Dad, I’m sorry. You know this is important to me. It’s my wife that is in direct danger here. I know the Alpha of the Onyx River pack because Sal’s friend is now… shacked up with him. We worked together a couple of months back. He’s sound, he can be discreet, and he’ll have a way of replaceing any wolves in the Moon Stone pack that fits the description and have the initials JR. Sal wants to visit her friend anyway, and this will be the perfect opportunity to speak to him about it.”

My father nods to me. “Thank you, Ale. You have really stepped up for your wife and your family. Matteo and Edouard could learn a thing or two from you. It’s admirable that you wanted to defend your wife’s honour, but let’s remain focused on what is important here. We need to replace that slut Dominga and this JR. That’s all that is important, because until we have them, your wife and the whole family will always be in danger.”

“I will report what I replace tomorrow night. I’m going home to Sal.” My father stands too; we are going to the same place, so we may as well share the ride.

Before we leave, my brother pulls me to one side. “Ale, we were just joking. I’m sorry, little brother. You know I respect Salma.” I accept his apology. After all, I am embarrassed when I recall that I have also made fun of his wife in the past.

It is way past 2am when I finally climb into bed with Salma. She is already asleep in the stuffy bedroom at my parents’ home. She is warm and snuggles into me as soon as I lay next to her. God above, how I love her. I k!ss her head and within moments she runs her hands over my chest and down across my abs.

“Did you hit the gym?” she asks, her voice full of sleep.

“Yeah, I did,” I reply as I pulled her closer to me. I turn her face to mine and k!ss her. Our tongues dance as they explore one another. I grope her left bre*ast through her pretty silk pyjamas which are grand purple and lavender in colour. Sal has the distinct smell of a woman. She always did. As I k!ss her stiffened n!pple through the silky material, I realise that it tastes like the woman who sleeps in it. It tastes like perfection.

Salma’s lips k!ss my chest, and she moves further down so she may wrap her tongue around my hardening c0ck. There is nothing more appealing than when Salma svcks on my c0ck with her beautiful mouth. Her lips are as red as ripened cherries, and as she sweeps her little pink tongue over my tip, I feel ready to explode. She grabs my balls and deepthroats me until I can no longer hold back, and I swear loudly as I cum in her mouth and down her throat.

I pull her back up to k!ss her again and smile because her m0ans of protest are muffled as I k!ss her even more. “Did you work out on this too?” she asks playfully as she strokes my now satisfied member.

“Oh no, he gets enough of a workout from you.” I tell her with a smile. I pull her in tight to me and she k!sses me again. While she’s distracted, I lazily slip my hand down her body and replace her pvssy that is waiting for me to explore. It’s already soaking and ready for me.

Lightly, I run my fingers up her slit and replace her hard cl!t and graze the tip of my finger over it teasingly. Salma’s back arches as she tries to push her pvssy against my hand.

I press her back against the bed and trail sweet little k!sses on every millimetre of her magnificent body. I reach her pvssy and slowly glide my tongue up her soft wet lips, tantalisingly lingering on her cl!t. She wants more and pulls my head deeper into her pvssy. With my hands on her h!ps, I rock her pvssy up close to my mouth, creating a rhythm of pleasure for my girl.

My tongue greedily l!cks her lips until she starts to quiver. I spread her lips wider so I can brush her exposed cl!t with my thumb. Salma’s m0aning gets louder as her pvssy thrashes up against my hungry mouth. When her th!ghs start to tense, I push my tongue deep into her. This is all my Sal needs to cum in my mouth, she is m0aning and shaking as her pvssy pulsates against my tongue.

“Oh shit, Ale!” she m0ans as her whole body shakes with her 0rgasm.

“That’s it, Chula, cum in my mouth,” I murmur against her glistening mound before peppering her engorged cl!t once more with random flicks of my rough tongue.

I watch her splinter apart once again, her warm juices flooding my mouth and sliding down my throat. I l!ck her pvssy until she relaxes and gently svck her cl!t as her breathing calms. Her hand rests on the back of my head. When she is sufficiently relaxed, she pushes me away and sits up. I feel her climb over me and I raise my head to see what she is doing.

She k!sses me as her hand wraps around my c0ck. Her lips k!ss me, and it is as if she is tasting herself. The sensation makes me m0an and I feel her body start to move on mine. I opened my eyes wider to see her n*ked body dance above me, her long dark hair cascading down her back.

I slowly move my hands up her th!ghs and over her h!ps, guiding her and then thrusting up deep inside her. I pull her down to meet my mouth. “I’m hungry again, Chula, let me eat your sweet pvssy one more time.” Her eyes darken with desire. “Come on, mi amor, make your husband happy and sit on my face.”

As always, my Sal doesn’t disappoint me. She lifts herself off my c0ck and I surprise her by turning her around. I help her lower herself onto my face and I take one long languid l!ck up her drenched slit and smile as she writhes in pleasure. I know she is getting close again. Her legs begin to stiffen and her jarring movements demand more from my mouth as she rubs her core roughly against my mouth and prickly day-old stubble.

She places one of her hands on her bre*ast and starts to massage it herself, lingering over her er3ct n!pple. She loves to pinch them, and I want to taste them.

I love to watch her as she plays with herself and so I flip her over, so she lands on her back again. I guide her other hand to her right bre*ast and before I can get back to her to feast again, her body convulses and this time she m0ans long and hard.

What a f*****g feeling.

When I look up at Sal, she is looking down at me with the most beautiful expression, her mouth open, her lips wet and swollen from my k!sses, her cheeks flushed, her eyes half-lidded with desire and her full bre*asts heaving for air. I feel a response deep in my groin and I’m hard again. I’m f*****g hard again, and I’m going to f**k her like she’s never been fvcked before.

“Get on your knees,” I command her. She does so willingly. She has never resisted my orders.

I sit on the edge of the bed, my as*s on my heels, my er3ct c0ck pointing to the ceiling, demanding to be inside of this beautiful woman. Salma looks down at me with a s3xy look on her face, her eyes full of want.

“I want to watch you ride my c0ck,” I tell her, my voice low and gruff with desire.

Now it is my turn to cum, I pull Salma up to k!ss me again and I feel her slide her hand down my body, she grabs hold of my c0ck.

“I want to cum again but this time with you inside me,” she m0ans against my lips.

“I am ready to come, Chula, so it’s now or never,” I say to her. She nods and accepts the challenge.

She straddles me and slides my c0ck inside her. She is tight and wet and it allows me to slide in easily. Salma puts her mouth to my ear and whispers in a hoarse voice, “I have been waiting for you all night, Ale. I’ve used my toys and made myself come twice before you got home. I thought of doing this with you as I played with myself.”

I growl at her as my c0ck throbs as I imagine her getting off while thinking of me. I f**k her hard, her as*s slapping on my th!ghs as I thrust into her. When her pvssy is contracting around my shaft, squeezing my c0ck in her tight wet pvssy, it pushes me over the edge. I gr0an as I come into her, copious amounts of red-hot cum. “Chula, that’s so f*****g hot, Bebe. What a welcome home that was!”

“I missed you so much Ale. I love you,” she says to me as she falls against me.

“I love you too, Chula, I love you so f*****g much.” After the meeting last night, it brought home how much I stand to lose if I don’t replace Jose’s killer. I can’t lose her, not when I finally feel alive with her in my life.

I wake up to Salma lying on my chest, her hair sticking to her face and a large spot of drool on my shoulder. When I look at the clock, it’s only 7am. As I look at my wife when she is unguarded and vulnerable, I realise how much I like this side of her, she is so peaceful. Badas*s Salma has my respect and admiration, but soft and vulnerable Sal completely

captures my heart and will forever hold my loyalty. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for this woman of mine.

“Morning, Ale,” she croaks up at me and I k!ss her on the head in response. “I have to take Ricky to meet his new tutor. No school until the threat is dealt with.”

“How long is he with the tutor for, Chula?” I ask her. I think this is the perfect opportunity to speak to Alpha Aiden like I volunteered last night.

“About four hours, why?” She rubs her eyes as she starts to wake up, looking as cute as ever.

“I think we should go and visit Eva and Aiden.”