Page 10 of Aching for His Mate (The Wolves of Luven #5)

Iota jogged out of Luven to Surco, the checkpoint for eastern security. Here, he would meet up with the wolves ending their shift, get any important information, then head out into the wilderness for the next thirty-six hours.

He was so pissed he could howl. This was his and Domitia’s time. They shouldn’t be separated so fast. How was his mate supposed to get to know him if he was working regular hours before they’d had their frenzy?

He let a low growl rumble quietly in his chest. It wasn’t fair. Iota had been waiting for her for years. And now his second day with her was shot, and probably the third as well. He wouldn’t sleep for the next day and a half, so he’d definitely have to crash once he got home. And then Domitia would need to sleep and…

“Fucking sucks,” he grumbled.

Within a half hour, Iota made it to Surco. Gamma and Mu were already there talking with Phi, Xi, and Upsilon.

“Iota?” Gamma called. “Why are you here?”

“Beta’s request. We can’t be low on patrols today, apparently.”

Phi and Upsilon exchanged a glance. “Probably a good idea,” Phi cut in. “I smelled at least fifty wild wolves during my shift.”

“Fifty?” Gamma repeated. “Together?”

“No. Three or four different groups. They might be migrating towards the wall, hoping to intercept refugees coming from Balaur or any of the other dragon keeps.”

Shit. Fifty wild wolves were no joke. Iota felt his heart pang. He wished he had eyes on Domitia. He shook his head. She was safe in the city. The best he could do for her was keep the borders of Luven secure and those wild wolves as far away as possible.

“Where were they?” Iota asked.

“On the move. But the greatest density was due east. As if they were coming from the border with the human lands. And they might be coming from there. With no wall, it’d be easier to grab anyone over there.”

Iota nodded.

“You sure you’re good doing the far-flung patrol?” Gamma asked lowly. “We could switch. Don’t want you to be so far away from Domitia this soon.”

“It’s okay. Jaine’s about to have a baby. If she goes into labor and you miss it because we switched territories, she’ll never invite me over again.”

“Nah,” Gamma began. “Well, maybe for a couple months. And she did look…ready to go this morning. Tella’s hanging with her and Renny and Celyn just in case. But she usually has our babies in the middle of the night. I’m sure we’re fine for a while.”

“You’re taking the closer patrol,” Iota answered. “I’ll be fine.”

Phi, Mu, and Upsilon grabbed their notebooks and started on their notes for the session. They’d be compiled and read by Alpha at the end of each day. That way if there were legitimate threats or new packs moving in more permanently, Alpha could decide what the next course of action should be.

“I’m going out now. See you tomorrow.” Xi headed north. He’d do the border of the wall between wolf and dragon territories. That used to be the quietest patrol, but ever since Tella made it over the wall, they’d taken it much more seriously. You never knew when another refugee might make their escape.

“Good luck,” Gamma said to Iota and clapped his shoulder. “Thanks for taking the far patrol.”

“Same to you, and don’t worry about it.”

Iota raced off. It wasn’t the sort of job that if he did it quickly, he could be home sooner. He’d put in his full day and a half no matter what. But, the sooner he was in his section, the sooner he’d be able to sniff out any problems.

Fifty wolves. That was serious. Most of the wild wolves knew that Luven was off limits, but every few years a small pack leader with big balls and bigger ambition tried to push the boundaries. It was a city with a lot of resources, but many rules.

Alpha had no problem with visiting wolves as long as they minded their manners. Luven wasn’t the woods. No shifting indiscriminately, no fighting in the streets, no grabbing citizens of Luven. If a single wolf wanted to become a citizen, he needed a job or a trade, to agree to the ritual ceremonies, and swear his allegiance to Alpha. Three years ago, a trio of unmated wolves had come to Luven in search of a place to live, but refused to swear their allegiance and were thrown out. It wasn’t easy for wolves to put so much trust in another.

Iota paused his running and pulled his shirt over his head. He was already a sweaty mess. For now, he’d keep his pants on. There was still a chance of running into families of wolves enjoying a summer day in the woods and while nakedness wasn’t something generally frowned upon in the wolf community, a wolf in his…pre-mating state was. No one needed to see Iota’s hard cock right now.

Except Domitia.

He groaned. Sexy Domitia. He wanted to stop his running. Conjure her taste. Duck behind a tree and tug his cock to the memory of her.

“Fuck,” he breathed.

Fuck it all. Fuck this job, fuck those wild wolves, fuck Alpha and Beta for making him work when he should be home with Domitia. Hell, she’d wanted him to touch her a few hours after meeting. Who knows what she wanted today?

Probably more than to sit around the house and maybe hang out with Vallie.

He was supposed to be catering to her every need. More than the physical, Iota couldn’t believe he had to pre-make her meals. They wouldn’t be able to eat dinner together. He couldn’t ask her a million questions about her past. He wanted to know every little thing about her—her favorite food, if she liked to sing, where she was born. If she still had family somewhere.

His heart panged. He still couldn’t believe his mate had been captive of the dragons for three years.

Three whole years. That damn wall kept the wolves away from the dragons and the dragons away from them, but if he had been able to go to Balaur, smell her, save her…

It was no use thinking about what he could have done. The past was past. If Domitia had never been taken by the dragons, he may never have found her. She definitely wasn’t living in Muchan waiting for a wolf mate.

Iota set his sights on the horizon and looked at the sun. About thirty-five more hours.

Fuck.