Chapter IV. A human mate:

Isaak.

"Don't complain, Arcel. You know it's a necessary evil. Like you, I would love to spend the day touring our territories with the new litters. Those stupid youngsters need more training. They've been getting too comfortable lately. A lesson from their Alpha and Beta would do them good. However, we also have to fulfill our obligations to the company. So far, things are going very well, and we need to perform these charitable acts to get along with the community. We have a role to play in front of the world," I told him through our connection. I knew the way Arcel was sitting in the car meant only one thing: he wasn't happy.

I used the connection because the driver and bodyguards accompanying us were wolves. Even if we spoke quietly, those creatures had very keen hearing. For these friendly exchanges, Arcel and I always used the Alpha and Beta connection, which only we could hear. Normally, my Alpha would give me orders that the pack had to obey. If he had something specific to tell me, it was usually to treat us as friends and brothers.

We only had that relationship in private. To the rest of the pack, Arcel was the Alpha: upright, unquestionable, strong, and fair. Thanks to this, our pack had grown the most and become the strongest in recent times. The Alpha's vision had saved us. We left many behind to survive, dragging along some, like my father. These sacrifices paid off. W.W.L. Ecologists was a refuge for sorceresses and werewolves who worked together to protect our way of life.

I looked at Arcel. Despite my words, his expression hadn't changed, although I knew from the moment we arrived at the charity event that Arcel would play the role of the perfect CEO. Looking at him, I understood the attraction he exerted on the young and old she-wolves in our pack, on most of the young sorceresses, and, incredibly, on many humans. The latter was normal, though, since Arcel's physique and personality were magnets for females of any species.

I couldn't help but smile as I looked at that killing machine dressed in a Dior suit that did nothing but hide his muscular, hard, and strong body—like a marble statue sculpted by Michelangelo. People who met the CEO of W.W.L. Ecologists for the first time were initially surprised by his height. In his human form, Arcel was almost two meters tall. Two meters of pure, coordinated muscle with dark blue eyes contrasting with his dark blond hair, straight chin, and serious, expressionless face. The Alpha of Roter Mord was as scary in his wolf form as he was in his human form. At the same time, though, he attracted you with the aura of power emanating from him.

"Are you done yet, or should I keep looking out the window so you can continue analyzing my every expression and movement? You know I'm not going to run away, right? You nuisance," he replied, also using the connection.

Both my wolf and I were happy that your alpha treated you like a friend. For a wolf, that was more than recognition.

"If that's the case, why don't you let go of the door handle? It looks like you want to jump out at any moment, Alpha." I felt both our wolves laughing.

"Gotcha!" I heard Arcel's wolf say.

A quick snort put an end to my desire to laugh. Even the bodyguards and the driver cringed. That was normal among wolves. Since the alpha exercised his leadership, the rest of us submitted by bowing our heads, myself included.

"You're so annoying, Isaak. I'm sure the moon goddess put you in this world to torment me." He used to say that when he wanted to ease the tension between us. I knew, though, that I shouldn't cross that line. He was the alpha, and I was his second-in-command. No matter how close we were as friends, I knew my place. It had always been this way for centuries, and that was how it should be.

Arcel and I weren't so different. We both lived for the same thing: the well-being and survival of the pack. He made me his beta when my father wanted to become a lone wolf and die after the pain of losing his Alpha and my mother. We both had to wrest power from him to force him to follow us. It was difficult at first. He was my father, and I felt his pain. My wolf still considered his wolf family. No one likes to admit that their parent is no longer the strong, capable being who gave them life.

For years, my wolf had been much bigger than my father's: a huge wolf with copper fur and golden eyes like fire. Its strength rivaled that of the rest of the pack, except for Arcel, the Alpha. His black wolf was enormous with light blue eyes that paralyzed you with fear. Not to mention, he was strong and agile. No one was faster than Arcel, and he commanded respect among the other Alphas.

In contrast, our human forms were very similar in height. I was only a few inches shorter, and I also had lethal muscles, the result of hours of work the whole pack was forced to do to strengthen and hone the skills of our wolves. My dark brown hair and light brown, almost yellow, eyes completed the picture of a human who had a beast inside him, ready to do anything at his command—even die for him and his Alpha.

"Alpha, Beta, we've arrived," one of the escorts told us through the pack connection.

Arcel sighed again before straightening the buttons on his jacket.

"One hour. We make the deposit, and then we leave. In an hour and a half, we'll be back on our territory training the young ones—not a minute more." That was an order, and no one doubted that, in an hour and a half, we would be half-naked on the esplanades of Laurier Wood, beating up those beardless youngsters who aspired to gain a place in the pack hierarchy.

As soon as we got out of the car, I sensed that something was wrong. Something wasn't right. I looked at my Alpha and saw that he felt the same way.

"Mate," we said at the same time.

The rest of the escorts and wolves smiled. This was a significant event for the pack. Their alpha and beta had found their mates, predestined by the moon goddess.

The scent reached me faintly, but it was unmistakable. It mingled with the scent of blooming roses and the heat of summer. My wolf wanted to break free to find her. My heart raced, and I could feel the blood rushing through my veins.

I began walking across the large esplanade between the tables, carried away by the scent that clouded my judgment. My hands were sweaty, and my wolf was excited and restless inside me. I needed to get to her. I could barely control it from coming out. I had never felt this way before. I had been told what it was like. In reality, for years, many had not been with their mates. Due to the reduction in packs, few wolves joined their partners for life anymore. Wolves used to mate for love or out of necessity. Finding your mate was normal and helped strengthen the pack.

I felt her move near the large tree at the end of the great esplanade. I tried to get my wolf to communicate with hers, but he couldn't, for some reason. I soon located her, long before she saw me coming. She was walking around the tree, and I knew she had sensed my presence. The longing in her beautiful eyes said it all. My wolf had loved her long before he saw her, and when he did, he howled with joy. She was beautiful, and my body trembled with anticipation.

"Claim her. She's mine. She's ours," my wolf said to me.

I could only obey. My body moved on its own. I quickly pinned her against a tree. As soon as I touched her, my wolf roared with desire inside me. She smelled so good.

"Mine! You're mine!" I heard her moan and wanted to growl as she trembled in my arms.

Her eyes were like deep forests. Now, they were wide open and mesmerized. Her fiery hair attracted me like a magnet. I wanted to make her mine right then and there. I moved closer to her bare shoulder and noticed another scent beneath the one clouding my judgment.

"You're human! Damn it, you're human! My mate can't be a weak human." At that moment, my world opened up. I couldn't believe the Moon Goddess had done this to me. I needed a strong she-wolf by my side to support my pack and my Alpha.

My mother was a strong she-wolf, yet she died. What could a mere human do for us?

Just then, two things happened. First, I felt her pain as if it were my own at my words, but she outwardly remained a true warrior. She wanted blood, and my body and my wolf desired her even more.

Second, my wolf also felt it and growled furiously inside me. He didn't like that I had made our mate suffer. No one could hurt his predestined mate. He loved her already and would kill anyone for her, a mistake that no one would forgive me for. However, I was not yet ready to accept a human as my mate. The pack was everything, and accepting a human could weaken it.

"Let me go, or I'll hit you!" The redhead's words brought me back to my senses. Controlling my wolf with all my willpower, I looked at her ironically. Her words, as stupid as they seemed, made me laugh.

"I'd love to see that, fire siren," I said mockingly without letting her go. The truth was, I couldn't do it. My mind was still debating whether to let her go or to make her mine right then and there. My wolf was really angry with me.

A smile that stopped my heart appeared on her lips, and I was overwhelmed by the urge to kiss her. I knew I shouldn't do it. If I kissed her, I would be lost. This woman's pheromones had already aroused me completely. Touching her almost made me howl with pleasure. If I kissed her, it would all be over.

Her reaction made it more difficult. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed her body against mine. She would have barely reached my chest if I hadn't leaned forward to corner her against the tree. I realized that this fiery siren knew how to take advantage of opportunities.

She took advantage of them while I was mesmerized by her eyes and lips coming closer to mine. My wolf paralyzed me, preventing me from kissing her. I didn't know what the redheaded witch really wanted, but I found out quickly when I felt a strong blow between my legs. For a human, that damn woman sure knew how to hit. In a millisecond, pain shot through my entire body while my wolf laughed with pleasure, admiring his mate's personality.

I fell to the ground, doubled over. My mate was the first woman, wolf, or sorceress to hit me and make me kneel before her. For a moment, I understood why the moon goddess had granted me this. It was punishment for being so arrogant, but that thought was overshadowed by the pain and embarrassment of seeing a silver-haired woman approach me with hatred in her eyes, followed by an angry alpha. Apparently, I had gotten myself into trouble. The Alpha was not happy. A voice reached my brain:

"You're dead, Isaak." That was the Alpha's sentence, and I began to count down the minutes of my life.