Page 33

chapter Thirty-two

Enzo

T welve days. That’s how long it took her heat to break. I’ve come so damn much I don’t think I have any nut left in me.

If Michaela could get pregnant, I promise she’d not only be pregnant, but probably carrying multiples. Yeah, I know it doesn’t work that way, but I think we would’ve made a miracle happen. And even after all of that fucking, I swear I could go another few rounds.

Today was the first day I was out in public since the heat started. I wave at a few wolves that greet me. Many with knowing smirks on their faces. Before I go check on the training scouts, I’m heading to Chayton’s office for our early morning briefing.

As I approached the small building, I spot Zyion heading in the same direction. He and I haven’t really spoken since the incident in the caves. I don’t have any animosity toward him. I said all I needed to say that day. He’s been avoiding me. We both approach the front steps to the building at the same time.

He stops in front of me, holding out a hand to get me to stop too. I wait for him to say his peace. He runs a hand down his face while looking to the left.

“I’m sorry,” he finally says. “I was out of line. It doesn’t matter how I felt, I shouldn’t have disrespected your mate. That wasn’t okay.”

“You’re right, it wasn’t. No matter how much you dislike what she is, she is mine. But thank you for your apology. You’re still my brother.” I hold out my hand to him. He places his hand in mine, and we shake before giving each other a brief one arm hug.

That’s all it took for us, an apology and acceptance. We were pack brothers, we didn’t hold grudges.

“So,” he goes on to say with a smile. “You really like her?” I notice there isn’t any anger or disgust in his tone.

I think about that question before responding. After getting to know her these few weeks, I can honestly say, I enjoy Michaela. She’s a lot like me. We don’t require a lot. As long as the people around us are happy and healthy, we are both happy. I can see why the goddess thought we would be a good match. Our sarcastic humor is the same. We both have the same hobbies, fighting and training others.

When I answer him, I do it with confidence. “Yeah, I like her. She’s strong, independent, goes over and above for those she loves, and is fucking gorgeous.”

He laughs at that last one.

“Hey, in my defense, I pointed that out to you first.”

My wolf growls in my head when he mentions her beauty.

“Relax, he’s right. He pointed it out first.”

“Don’t care. Don’t like it.”

I ignore my possessive wolf.

“There is so much I still don’t know about her,” I admit. This time my interest in her isn’t to find out what she’s hiding, but to crack the code on the woman herself. There’s so much sadness and pain buried in Michaela that every now and again, I can feel it through the link. I want to know why she carries that armor around her heart and who hurt her so badly she doesn’t let new people in.

He places a hand on my shoulder. “I’m happy for you, Enzo. You deserve this.”

We both head into Chayton’s office. The Alpha is here along with Alarick. The moment we walk in, Chayton starts to slow clap. He stands from his chair with a smirk on his face.

“Some of us send our mates into heat for days, maybe even a week. But not my Beta. He has to outdo us all.”

The guys all laugh at the Alpha’s jokes. I wave them off, taking a seat in the chair in front of his desk.

“What can I say? I’m an overachiever,” I shrug.

They all laugh.

“No,” Alarick says. “You’re mated to a vampire. They have high sex drives. It’s likely your wolf was feeding off her energy, which is why it went so long.”

Wait, I didn’t know about their high sex drives. Every day this mating thing sounds better and better.

“What’s been going on since I was out of commission?” I ask, moving the topic to something other than my mate’s sex drive.

Chayton takes a seat. Zyion leans against the wall near the door while Alarick occupies the only other chair in the room.

“Another slaughtered deer showed up on pack lands a few days ago.”

“Let me guess, no one saw it being dropped off?” I ask.

“Nope,” Alarick answers. “Scouts had just patrolled that area and moved on to another. When I went out there to view the scene, I could tell that something attacked the deer elsewhere and dragged it onto our lands.”

“Basically, we are still being set up and whoever it is knows our patrolling rotation.”

“Yep,” Chayton says, answering my statement.

“I’ve tracked down nearly every Alpha we’ve gotten members from,” Zyion says.

“And I’ve spoken to them,” Chayton adds. “None of them have any issues with me. Most of them were disgusted by the idea of ferals and vampires partnering.”

I rub a hand over my face. “Which means, this is someone else. We’re back at square one with no suspects. And it isn’t the vamp after Michaela and Marley. From my understanding, he’s a royal. He would never partner with human-turned.”

Chayton scratches his chin. “I didn’t think it had anything to do with them. I truly believe it’s an enemy from my past. But who?”

Before we could brainstorm anymore ideas, a soft knock at his door has our attention.

Her smell hits me before the door opens. Zyion lets her in. Nadia is standing in the office wearing a pair of short shorts and a tank that showcased her large breasts. Once again, I have no attraction to the she-wolf. I once couldn’t go two days without fucking her and now she couldn’t even hold my attention.

“Enzo,” she cries, rushing toward me. I get to my feet just in time as she throws her arms around my waist and buries her face in my stomach.

I keep my arms out at my side. Looking at Chayton, I shrug. His gaze narrows at me.

Pulling her away from me, I hold her at arm’s length. “What’s wrong, Nadia?”

“I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Where have you been?”

Her demand of my whereabouts has my back straightening. She’s not my mate. She doesn’t need to know where I’ve been.

“Busy,” I reply curtly. “What’s wrong?”

She wipes at her face before looking at me and Chayton. “I’m glad you’re both here. I need to talk to you about the vampire.”

My hackles rise.

“What about her?” Chayton asks, before I could.

“She threatened me and my family. Told me she would slaughter us. Surely, that is a violation.”

“Check with your mate and see if this wolf is telling the truth. I feel like there is more to this story,” Chayton says in my head.

“Already on it,” I tell him. Going to the link I share with Michaela; I open it up. There is a buzz of happiness that hits me. I take only a moment to bask in her joy. Since I left her sleeping in bed this morning, I like to think the happiness is due to me.

“Morning, mate,” I say to her.

The happiness grows stronger before it cuts off completely. Yeah, I’m the source of her happiness.

“What do you want, wolf?” she teases.

“Nadia is in Chayton’s office. She claims you threatened to kill her and her family.”

Michaela chuckles . “And did. That bitch was being disrespectful to Liz.”

This time, anger rears up in me. A mix of hers and mine.

“Explain,” my wolf growls.

Michaela takes me back to the baby shower. She shows me Nadia’s attitude that day. She even shows me her calling Michaela a leech and Luna defending her. However, what she shows me next has my blood boiling.

“Thank you,” I tell Michaela.

I’m still not sure how she’s able to paint those scenes so clearly in my head, as if I’m there. She did the same with the memory of her crying in that mirror.

Removing my hands from Nadia, I cross them over my chest.

“How about you tell Alpha exactly why you got threatened?”

Nadia’s eyes widen before she looks down. “I called her a leech, and Luna chastised me rightfully so,” she says the last part to Chayton. “But neither of those things warranted her threatening me and my family.”

Chayton shakes his head. “You’re lying.” He doesn’t have to know what Michaela said to know she’s lying. Her lies taint the air.

She looks nervous. “No, Alpha.”

“Tell me what you did?” the growl followed by the wave of his dominance has Nadia spilling her truth.

“I was only thinking your stupid human bitch of a mate couldn’t tell me what to do. And that she nor the vampire deserved to be with you and Enzo. And that if it were up to me, I would kill her and the half breed mutt in her belly.” When she’s finished speaking, she smacks her hands over her mouth.

The entire room fills with heat as all four of us fight to keep our wolves at bay. Not only did she insult our Luna and threaten her and the baby’s life, but she disrespected my mate as well.

Chayton stands slowly. “I’m giving you four hours to get your shit and get off of Dark Woods land,” he snarls. “If you’re here even a second longer than that, I will have my Beta’s mate live up to her threat. Do you understand?”

“But—”

“Do you understand,” Chayton roars, causing her to shriek.

She drops her head. “Yes, Alpha,”

“No, I’m no longer your Alpha. I strip you of your Dark Woods membership.”

She whimpers as she feels the protection and the connection with Dark Woods slip away. It’s okay to dislike another member of the pack. But a wolf cannot stay if they do not respect and accept the Luna or the Alpha. It causes too many problems with the dynamics of the pack. However, I think she got off easily. I don’t hurt women, but I had no problem asking my mate to handle the she-wolf for the way she spoke on our Luna and the baby.

“Get out of my office. Your time is running out,” Chayton snarls.

Nadia quickly scurries out of the building.

Chayton turns to me. “Tell Michaela I want her on standby to make sure Nadia is off my pack lands. She has my permission to take off the wolf’s head if she isn’t. Tell her to leave the family out of it.”

“Tell him I had no plans to kill the family, anyway. But that bitch is mine.”

I shake my head. “What have I told you about eavesdropping in my head, mate?”

Her soft laughter has my cock getting hard. There is no fucking way.

“Sorry, but I wanted to know what she would say. I’ll leave you men to your business.” She slips out of my thoughts as silently and subtly as she came in.

“Everything is handled,” I tell Chayton. Before I can say anything else, the pack link vibrates, letting us know we have a problem.

“Council scouts have just arrived at the gates of pack land.”

Chayton looks at me with wide eyes.

“Alarick, take your mate and go to Enzo's and Michaela’s home. It is the furthest from town. They won’t be able to scent you there.”

“I’ve already notified Ashara,” Alarick says as he makes his way to the door.

“I’ll let Michaela know you’re coming.” I say. He looks over his shoulder at us and nods his head.

“Thank you,” he says to the three of us before heading out the door.

“You two go and meet the scouts,” Zyion adds. “I’ll make sure everything is taken care of here.”

Chayton and I rush out of the office door. We transform into our wolf forms before racing off to meet the visitors.

“Heads up. Alarick and his mate are heading to you. We have council scouts here. Stay hidden until I come for you.”

“Zo, they can’t know I’m here,” her fear filled voice comes through our link. She’s terrified.

“And they won’t. I got you. Stay hidden.” I tell her before disconnecting the link.

Chayton and I both transform back right as we greet the three scouts. None of them look as intimidating as Alarick did.

“Alpha Chayton,” the tall shifter with blue eyes says. “My name is Sebastian. I’m here on behalf of the wolf council.”

“Nice to meet you. This is my Beta, Enzo.”

The three wolves dip their chin toward me.

“What can we help you with?”

Sebastian looks at his companions before turning back to me. “There has been talk of vampires and ferals on your land. Bodies are piling up. The council wonders if you have lost control over your area.”

“I understand your concern. But I assure you, we have everything under control.”

“Doesn’t seem like it,” the scout with the curly hair argues. "Thirteen humans died in the last few months."

“Yes, and if it were not for my scouts patrolling the town, there would be more. Not to mention that one vampire and two ferals have already been dealt with.”

The scouts look at each other. “You killed a vampire?” Sabastian asks.

“My Beta did.” They all turn to look at me. Intrigue shines in their eyes.

“We will report this back to the council,” Sebastian says. “We’re here as a courtesy. The council has their hands full searching for the fugitive White Wolf and the property he stole.”

It grates my nerves hearing them talk about Ashara as if she is an inanimate object. She isn’t fucking property. She’s a person and the mate of a fellow wolf.

“I understand,” Chayton says, but I can hear the bite of anger in his tone. I don’t think he liked that reference to the witch being property, either.

“We’ve been trying to get in touch with the vampire council about the leeches running around your area, but they have their hands full at the moment. They’re busy trying to clean up the mess they created.”

This information gets my attention. What mess did they create? I know this has something to do with Michaela and her ex. Why else is she so worried about the council finding out about her here?

The one named Sebastian steps forward. “Deal with this problem, Alpha. You don’t want the council to come here.”

I can feel Chayton’s anger and wolf on the surface. He doesn’t like this punk scout talking to him that way. I place a hand on his shoulder. Now is not the time to cause a stir. We are harboring four fugitives. One of those fugitives is my mate. We needed to sulk it up and bite the bullet on this.

Chayton tamps down on his fury and buries it.

“Understood,” he grits out.

The scouts quickly make their way back to the jeep they came in. Chayton and I don’t move from the spot until we can no longer see the taillights of the jeep.

“Amir,” I call out to one of my closest scouts . “Make sure that jeep leaves town.”

“On it, Beta,” he replies.

“We need to lock in on those fucking ferals and vampires,” Chayton finally says, turning to me. “We can’t risk another pop-up visit from the council scouts or the council.”

“I agree. I’ll double the scouts and have them cover more ground. We will also change our patrol schedule. We need to catch one of those vampires alive.”

“I know you don’t want to hear this because she’s your mate, but we really need Michaela’s help right now. She is the most trained when it comes to vampires.”

Rubbing the back of my neck, I want to argue, but he’s right. She’s highly trained. It’s just hard for me as a wolf to risk my mate’s life.

“My mate is strong. She can handle herself. I chose well.”

“First of all, she’s our mate,” I explain to my wolf. “ And second, you didn’t choose her. The moon goddess did.”

“I chose her first. You just weren’t listening.”

I refuse to argue with this wolf, instead I place my attention back on Chayton.

“I hear you, and I agree. I’ll talk to Michaela.”

After a full day of doing my Beta duties, I finally head back home. The moment I step on the bottom step of my shared cabin, a calm washes over me. I never thought I’d see the day where I was ready and excited to come home to my mate. When Ana died, I just assumed I’d never find the happiness of a mate again. I was wrong.

When I walk into the home, I’m greeted with Reggae music. Marley is standing at the island cutting up veggies. While Michaela is stirring a pot on the stove. They’re both swaying to the music. However, it is only Michaela’s dancing that catches my attention. The way her hips sway makes me want to pin her against that counter and bury my length deep inside her. She’s back in her regular attire of leggings and a long sleeve shirt.

“Welcome home, Brother-in-law,” Marley greets me. She comes over and gives me a hug. This kid has truly turned into a huge part of my life. I can’t understand how I ever saw her as anything other than a kid.

“I saw the wood for my bookshelf out back. I was thinking you and I can start it whenever.”

She goes back over to the veggies she was cutting.

“Marley,” Michaela scolds over her shoulder. “Enzo is busy. He doesn’t have time to build you a bookshelf.”

Walking further into the house, I make my way into the kitchen. I don’t think about where Michaela and I are in this relationship. I don’t worry about how we haven’t really discussed what happens now that she’s not in the mating heat. I think of none of that as I wrap my arms around her from behind and bury my nose in her wild curls, taking in that vanilla scent.

“Leave my little sister alone,” I tease, placing a kiss on her neck. My hands have a mind of themselves as they travel down her stomach and between her legs. I cup her center in my palm. The smell of Michaela’s arousal has me groaning. Fuck, there is no way I can still want this woman after all the fucking we did.

“You are very touchy today, wolf,” she moans in my head as I use the hilt of my palm to massage her clit.

“Get used to it,” I growl when the sweet scent of her arousal hits my senses.

“See,” Marley says. “I told you he won’t mind. You just want to keep him all to yourself.” I liked the idea of her wanting all my attention. I had no problem giving it to her.

I stop teasing Michaela, kissing her once again on her neck. I go over to the fridge and grab a bottle of water.

“Speaking of spending time with you, I want to take you camping.”

Michaela glances at me, her gaze narrowing. “Why? We live in the middle of the forest. Technically, we’re already camping.”

I chuckle at this. “Yes, but this isn’t the camping I’m talking about. I want me and you to spend a night under the stars. No distractions, just us.”

“This is perfect,” Marley sings walking over to Michaela. “If you two keep it up, I should have a niece or nephew in no time.”

I watch as Michaela’s body goes rigid. Although her outside features don’t change, the sadness and pain that comes through our link tells me everything I need to know.

“She doesn’t know you can’t have kids, does she?”

“No. She doesn’t need to know. I don’t want her to stress over something that can’t be changed.”

It’s then I notice just how much of the world Michaela carries on her shoulders for the comfort of others. She’d rather deal with her sister constantly mentioning her having kids and dealing with the pain that it causes her just so her sister isn’t upset. This woman is special.

“We aren’t trying to have a kid right now,” I say to Marley. “We have our hands too full with you.”

She sticks her tongue out playfully at me.

“Come on, show me where you want that bookshelf in your room.” I purposely pull Marley away from the kitchen to give her sister some time. Marley rushes out of the room. I walk over to Michaela once more. Turning her head toward me, I see the depths of her sadness in her eyes. She blinks, and the view I witnessed disappears. She plants a smile on her face.

“I’m alright,” she states.

I didn’t believe that one bit. Tilting her head back, I plant a kiss on her lips. Sliding my tongue against hers, I devour her mouth. When I pull away, her eyes are closed.

“We need to schedule that camping trip.” I let her go as I head into the room with Marley.

My goal is to take some of the weight off my mate’s shoulders. I don’t know how, but I was determined to make her truly happy.