The moon hung high in the air, shining brightly above the treetops that surrounded me, lighting the path in front of me and allowing me to see even more than before. There was a slight wind brushing up against cooling everything around me than what it was like in the light of the sun earlier today. The wind carried the smell of pine needles and oak trees in the air, making my body feel at ease as the smell of the forest enveloped my senses. As I continued to walk forward, I could hear the slight crunch of the fallen Autumn leaves with every step I took. I also could hear the soft murmurs of the crickets and the other animals moving in the forest, but at a distance from where I currently am. The moment I stepped into this forest, the other animals could sense my presence, and no animal is stupid enough to want to get themselves killed, so they tend to stay away from me, all except bears, but I've seen any tonight so far. But among the sounds of the forest, I can also hear rushing water, and I continue to walk forward, heading in the direction of the sound of water.
Upon reaching my destination in a slightly open clearing, I came to stand next to a rapidly running river, and I decided to follow the river, watching the rapids crash against the rocks in its path as it continued onward. It led to a larger section of the riverbed where it flowed ever gently upon reaching the larger body of water before it continued to the next path of the river, but there were no more rapids when it left. I could tell that not only was this part of the river bigger in length and width it also appeared to be bigger in depth. Even in the light of the moon, I could see the crystal-clear water; I could even see some fish swimming around in the moonlight. As I stood at the edge of the river, I leaned forward and took a sip from the river. As I knew from the smell of the river, it was freshwater. As I took a sip, I felt the cool water flow down my throat, and I continued to drink from it until my dry throat and throat was satisfied. After I finished drinking from the river, I stood back up and looked at the moon reflecting on the water. It was ever so peaceful and even more inviting that I eventually found myself walking forward into the water.
The water was slightly cool against my feet, but I kept walking deeper as the cold has never bothered me much, especially when I am in my tiger form as my fur blocks the cold out to keep me warm. I continued forward until my entire body except my head was submerged in the water and just stood there for a moment enjoying the feel of the cool fall breeze as well as the cool water surrounding me. I looked up at the moon as it continued to shine ever brightly above me in perfect view as there weren't any trees to obstruct its view of everything below it. I looked back at the water before I took a step forward, and the moment my foot moved off the rocks, I began swimming into the deeper part of the river. I swam in small circles around the river until I felt completely satisfied before swimming back to shore. The moment only my feet were still in the water, I shook the water from my fur, but the moment I was about to get out and continue onward, I felt something was off. I stood very still as I listened to the sounds of the forest I immediately tensed as I didn't hear anything anymore, as not even the crickets were singing anymore. I tightened my stance as my ears flattened against my head, as I crouched slightly, readying myself to pounce.
The moment I did was the moment I heard a growl right before a black wolf emerged from the woods and the size of the wolf and the scent, I could tell this wolf was no ordinary wolf but a werewolf. The black wolf continued to walk out of the woods, and more wolves followed behind this wolf from different parts of the trees, intending to surround me and ensure I couldn't escape. I couldn't help rolling my eyes at their obvious attack plan as well as the fact that they obviously had no idea who they were dealing with. I hear a couple of wolves snarl at my obvious sign of disrespect, and I just ignore them. All the while, the first wolf turns around and disappears into the woods, and when he returns, he is now in his human form. He was probably six foot two with a slightly muscular build with tattoos all along his arms. He has short dark brown hair with light brown eyes that have slight gold flecks that seem to reflect the moonlight when it hits his eyes just right. He appeared to have this refined look about him even though he wore a plain white t-shirt and black baseball shorts. He had his arms crossed over his chest, and his facial features were constricted in pure anger and hatred as he had a scowl on his lips as he walked towards me.
He stood a few feet in front of his little pack of wolves just a few feet away from me as he tried to intimidate me but tried to stare me down. I simply rolled my eyes again before I stood back up and sat down. I appeared relaxed but still ready in case they were to try anything. I could see his body tense as his anger increased, and I could smell his intense anger at my disrespectful attitude. Some of the wolves snarled and growled while one wolf took a step towards which I quickly pulled my lips away from my teeth and growled right, causing him to step back, and I could smell their fear as everyone knows not to take a tiger shifter lightly. When he stepped back in line stopped growling and simply looked back at the man in the center who held up his hand to stop the others in line as well as to shut them up. I watched as he stood up straight, and he took another step towards me but stopped immediately when I tilted my head and lifted my eyebrow. He stared at me for a minute before he cleared his throat, demanding, "What are you doing trespassing on our land?" I growled in my throat as I refused to let anyone talk to me like that, and the moment I growled, he jumped slightly before growling back at me. "You are on our land! You will tell me what you are doing here! And you will not growl at us if you value your life!"
I rolled my eyes as I knew if they wanted a chance at beating me, they didn't have nearly enough wolves with them to even have a chance at beating me, and even if they did, most of them wouldn't survive the battle against me. I snarled as I stood up, showing my teeth as a true form of intimidation, but not moving an inch, as I had no intention to kill anyone tonight unless I had to. Most of the wolves crouched lower to the ground and growled while the one in human form moved closer to the wolves but still stood at the front of the formation, standing tall, but every muscle was tense. All of a sudden, one of the wolves in the back of the formation charged forward towards me, and from the look of their surprised expressions, I could tell it was not planned. This wolf charged at me and tried to aim for my neck, but I easily dodged his attack and twisted my body with my lightning-quick reflexes, grabbed the scruff of his neck, and tossed him towards his pack. He landed on his side right at the feet of the guy with a whimper, and everyone looked so shocked before the shock turned to anger, and the wolves began to charge forward. The one in his human form looked shocked as he tried to get the wolves back into formation, but they ignored him. It still didn't bother me as I knew none of them would be able to even lay a scratch on me.
I ran my hands through my short black hair as I stood in the middle of my office feeling completely worn down as I had just finished the last meeting for the evening. I sighed before I walked over to the couch in my office and lay across it, intending to relax for a few minutes. I placed my arm over my eyes, and the moment I felt my muscles begin to relax, I suddenly heard my beta's panicked voice in my head "Kayden, we need down at the river's edge immediately." I sat up immediately, and I immediately mind-linked my beta, and I could hear the urgency in my voice as I said, "What's wrong, Luca?" I could tell he was distracted as he spoke, "There is a tiger shifter at the river, and I lost control of our pack as they are now engaged in a battle with the tiger shifter, and it appears that we are losing."
I growled deeply into my throat, and it vibrated into my chest, and I made sure Luca could hear it through the mind-link to know that he was not pleased with his behavior one bit. I jumped to my feet as I felt my adrenaline begin pumping, and I no longer felt tired in the slightest anymore. I walked to my window in my office window and, without even thinking twice about it, I opened the window and jumped out of the three-story window. Before my feet even reached the ground, I shifted into my large, pitch-black wolf. The moment my feet touched the ground; my wolf took off in the direction of where Luca and the others were currently fighting. "What the hell were you thinking, Luca?! You should have contacted me the moment you learned there was a tiger shifter on our lands!"
"You were still in the middle of a meeting, and I thought I could handle it." I rolled my eyes "Obviously not well enough. Hang on, I'm almost there."
I stood at the edge of the river without a single mark on my body, but the wolves on the other hand were scattered about the clearing, some lying on their sides or stomachs breathless and whimpering. While some were still able to stand, they stayed away, growling but were too afraid to move, or they couldn't move as they all had different wounds, and due to some of the wounds, they wouldn't be able to move easily. But luckily, none of them are dead, just injured enough that they won't or can't try and attack me again. The leader of this group of wolves stood a few feet in front of me in his wolf form again, and he was crouched low with his ears back against his head as he growled at me as he prepared to attack me. I simply rolled my eyes at him as you would think he would have learned his lesson when not even one of the other wolves could land a single attack on me. A few of the injured but still standing wolves joined his side, even though most of them were limping to his side as if preparing for one final attack.
I rolled my eyes again at their behavior as I simply sat down again, and they all growled at my behavior as they didn't appreciate being looked down upon. The leader of the group was about to take a step forward when a deep and powerful growl stopped him in his tracks as they looked back toward the woods where the growl came from. The moment the growl permeated through the woods, I suddenly smelt the most delightful spicy but woodsy scent permeated the air around us, and I felt my body tingle with excitement. I felt my tail swish slightly behind me against the ground as I felt my heart race just slightly, and I immediately knew I was about to meet my mate as every cell in my body was screaming at me.
The moment my mate came into view, I could tell he was the true and only alpha of this pack as every pore of his body oozed power and authority. He was in his wolf form, and his wolf was much larger and stronger than any of the other wolves here. His wolf was jet black with the most beautiful silver eyes I have ever seen, as they seemed to sparkle in the moonlight. Even in wolf form, I could tell he was incredibly handsome, and I had to fight the urge to walk up to him and rub my scent all over him.
I emerged from the woods with a small pack of wolves that followed me on my way here, on my heels. I saw most of my men lying on the ground, whimpering in pain, and a few of them tried to stand when they heard me growl but immediately fell back down. A few of them were standing by Luca, who was currently in wolf and ready to attack the tiger until I stopped him. With one look at them, I could tell that even though they were about to attack the tiger, they were all injured except for Luca by the way they were standing. The fact that they were prepared to attack again even though they were injured makes me proud, but I still won't tolerate their disobedience.
I looked at the tiger shifter and felt my breath hitch in my throat as, even though she was not in her human form, I could tell she was breathtaking. She was a Siberian white tiger, and her white coat was the purest white I had ever seen. Her fur looked like that of freshly fallen snow that seemed to reflect the moonlight, making it appear as if her fur was shimmering in the moonlight. This only makes her pure black strips stand out even more than your average white tiger, but despite that, it still blends in well. But it's her eyes that I can't seem to look away from as they are the most beautiful shade of electric blue that I have ever seen, as they almost appear to be glowing (picture of her what her tiger's eyes look like above). Her wonderful scent of vanilla and honey was filling my nose, making my mouth water and driving my wolf crazy with the desire to go over to her and claim her right now. I couldn't believe I had finally found my mate, but my mate was one of our mortal enemies, a tiger shifter.
I felt my anger rise as I looked at the damage, she had done to my pack warriors and my mate, who didn't appear to have a single mark on her, let alone a speck of dust anywhere on her body. Part of me was proud that my mate is obviously strong as well as skilled to take on my pack of wolves even if it was only a small portion of my pack of wolves while the other part is pissed that she would do this to my pack members. As I walked forward, the pack members who followed me began to get into formation as I walked towards Luca.
I growled in my throat as I reached Luca, and he immediately bowed his head as he backed up and got into formation with the others. I looked back at my mate, who sat perfectly still looking at me, and when I growled, she wasn't fazed in the slightest as all she did was tilt her head to the side. I growled again, this time louder, with more power attached to it, and heard some of my wolves whimper from the power of it while others were forced to bow their heads, but my mate didn't even flinch as she simply raised her eyebrow and flicked her tail. I felt extremely impressed by my mysterious mate as I was aware that I was a very powerful alpha who could overpower other alphas if I wanted to.
I couldn't take my eyes off his silvery ones as they stood just a few feet in front of me, and I continued to watch as one of his fellow wolves dropped some clothes at his feet before going back to the formation. The moment he was back in formation, he quickly transformed into his human form, and as with every transformation, he was completely naked. Some of his wolves looked away, but I had no such ability as I couldn't look away even if I wanted to.
He was incredibly handsome and ever so sexy as he had short black hair, high cheekbones, as well as a chiseled jaw, and long thick black eyelashes that only seemed to highlight his enchanting steel gray eyes. He was much taller than the other wolf shifter, as he probably stands at six foot eight with a very well-defined muscular build with tattoos all over his body. There wasn't a part of his body that wasn't well-defined, as even his legs were sculpted to perfection. Although it wasn't his legs that caught my attention, as couldn't help but stare at the one area I knew I shouldn't, but it was calling my attention. He was bigger than I ever thought he would be, and I could tell he was slightly hard already despite the cold air.
I watched as his muscles flexed as he grabbed the clothes from the ground and began to put on the brown T-shirt and black baseball shorts. He looked incredibly sexy with or without those clothes on, and without thinking, I let out the most animal sound as I suddenly chuffed at him. I watched as he raised an eyebrow, and his lips quirked up in an amused smirk. I took a step forward as my tiger, and I wanted to be closer to him, but the moment I did, some of the wolves growled, and I immediately growled back at them, putting more power into my growl, causing them to shut up. My mate raised his eyebrows in surprise, and I simply sat back down and tilted my head in anticipation.
He cleared his throat, and when he spoke, his voice was deep as well as clear and ever so enchanting as the rest of him. "What are you doing on our land?" I raised my eyebrow at him but said nothing "Do you intend to challenge us for the land? Or are you just looking for a fight?" I rolled my eyes as I shook my head and gave an expiated chuff as a response. He looked skeptical as he said, "Then why are you here?" I simply raised my eyebrow at him once again as he looked frustrated by my lack of communication, he ran his fingers through his hair before he spoke in a demanding voice. "You will answer me!" I don't care that he is my mate as I refuse to be told what to do by anyone, so I growled at him as I bared my teeth, causing him to look surprised. Some of his wolves tried to growl back at me, but I quickly snapped at them, causing them all to become quiet instantly.
My mate narrowed his eyes at me and waved his finger at me as he said, "You will not growl at me!" I growled again before I opened my mind and with my magic, I reached out to his mind and with my telepathic abilities I spoke into his head "You will not speak to me like that! Mate or not I will not tolerate it!"
The moment I heard my mate's soft and demanding voice, I nearly groaned in pleasure at her beautiful and musical voice, as it nearly sounded like an angel speaking to me. I could feel my wolf's pleasure upon finally knowing our mate's lovely voice, and if I was still in wolf form, I knew my tail would be wagging right now. "And in what way is that my little mate?" I spoke into the link she had opened as I would speak to another one of my pack members in our mind-link. I watched as she rolled her eyes "I am not a member of your pack, and if you try to continue to speak to me like that, you will not like the outcome." I growled, "Don't threaten me, little mate!" Her laugh echoed inside my head, and it was even more lovely than hearing her voice even if it was meant to threatening instead of joyful but yet I still felt my cock tightening at the sound as my desire for her was only growing. "Awww, do you actually believe you or any of your pack members can stand a chance against me? Or do you not see your fellow pack members scattering the ground in pain? None of them could lay a finger on me. Do you honestly think any of you could." I clenched my teeth as I said, "If you lay a single finger-" She cut me off as she said, "If I truly wanted them to hurt them, they would be dead already, not incapacitated." I felt truly surprised as I looked around at my pack members, and for the first time, I was looking at them. "What do you want then? Why did you come into our territory? Better yet, how did you find us?"
I rolled my eyes before saying, "What kind of dumb question is that? I walked in the woods like I always do. I had no idea I was going to walk into your pack. I didn't even know a pack was in this area." His expression showed he was shocked, but it also darkened as he began to get lost in his thoughts. I enjoyed watching him; I could feel everyone's eyes on us, still looking on edge but confused as they had no idea why we had become so quiet. I roll my eyes "As much as I enjoy your attention, shouldn't you start getting some medical attention for your pack members?"
I felt my blood run cold at the mention of getting medical attention for my pack members as I should have thought of that, but I was so focused on her that I completely forgot about the pack doctor I already had on standby waiting for my orders to move. I cleared my throat "How do I know you won't attack the moment I mobilize the doctor?" She rolled her eyes "If I wanted to go after any of you, I wouldn't wait until the doctor got here to do so. I would just kill you all without the slightest bit of mercy and then continue to my next target." I felt a shiver run down my spine at her words, and I knew she was telling the truth.
I watched as he nodded to one of his wolves to his right, and I watched as one of the wolves took off into the woods, and when he came back, he was in his human form. He had short-styled black hair with a square jaw, and high cheekbones. He had a thick neck, broad shoulders, and a wide chest that showed he never skipped training his body, although his muscles weren't as well-defined as my mate's or the other guy's. He was tall and lean, but he also had an air of sophistication about him as he rushed over to one of the injured wolves. He was wearing a black T-shirt and blue baseball shorts with brown sandals and a white lab coat. As he walked over to one of the wolves, he carried a black doctor's bag that carried all their emergency tools.
The pack bends down next to the wolf facing my direction, and he begins to look at me nervously before looking back at his alpha and my mate. I rolled my eyes as my mate nodded his head to the doctor to continue, and the doctor looked back at me as if he was still very skeptical about everything. I rolled my eyes at his behavior and chuffed before laying down in boredom as well as a way to show that I had no evil intentions. My mate raised his eyebrow and smirked at my behavior while the others looked shocked, including the doctor, before he decided this was as good of a time as any to do his job.
I watched as my mate rested her head on her front paws as she watched everything in front of her through a bored expression. My fellow pack members looked at one another with confusion written all over their faces as they were chatting with one another in the pack's mind-link as they all felt uneasy by her nonchalant behavior.
I watched the pack doctor hop from one wolf to the other, being sure not to get too close to me as he always looked up at me, making sure I hadn't moved an inch. I also noticed when the doctor looked up at my mate and I noticed when his gray eyes appeared to gloss over as they were communicating through their pack mind bond thingy all werewolves have the ability to do so as long as they are in a pack. His expression changed when his eyes focused on me, and sighed inwardly as I could sense that whatever was about to happen, I wouldn't like it in the slightest.
I watched as he crossed his arms over his chest, he stood a little straighter as he raised his head his head ever so slightly. I tightened my jaw as I knew he was about to try that I'm in charge because I'm the alpha and you would do what you were told stance. I've seen that stance many times in my past and it never worked, and he will be no exception.
I could see anger flash across my mate's expression as the fury ignited in her bright blue eyes, and I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled before opening my eyes again. "My men don't feel comfortable with you around even if you are in a non-threatening position," I said through the mind-link to my mate. I noticed she rolled her eyes "And I should care why?"
I watched as he clenched his jaw in frustration "Because the doctor needs to take my pack members to his clinic where he can get help taking care of them to ensure that they heal properly and that no one dies tonight." I looked around at his pack members and rolled my eyes as I couldn't care less about any of them as they weren't my problem, nor did I care about their feelings. I could take them all without breaking a sweat and leave any time I want, but the only thing that is keeping me here right now is the fact that my mate is here, and I want to find out more about him. I looked at the pack doctor and noted that he was now examining another wolf closer to the ring of wolves standing behind my mate. "And I repeat. Why should I care?" His frustration became ever more apparent on his face at my obvious disregard for his pack, but I couldn't care about anyone who attacked me first.
Kayden couldn't believe his ears at his mate's less-than-caring attitude towards his fellow pack members. She is his mate, which means unless they reject one another, she is technically the Luna of his pack, even if she is a tiger shifter. I watched as she stood up and stretched in a true cat-like fashion, and she yawned as she was completely bored with this conversation. I felt my pack members tense behind me, and even the pack doctor, Damion Fairfield, stopped moving and watched my mate nervously as he was afraid that she would attack him at any moment. I clenched my fist at my side as I watched her sit back down like when I first saw her with her eyebrow raised as she looked at me, daring me to say anything. I felt my anger rise "How about because you are the reason they are injured and require immediate care in the first place?!"
I rolled my eyes "No, they are in like this because they attacked me. None of this would have happened if they had just left me alone."
"Well, they wouldn't have attacked you if you weren't on our territory."
I rolled my eyes as I stood up, and I bared my teeth in anger at him as I felt my tail swish in anger behind me as well "I already told you I had no idea I was walking into your pack territory. And I had no plans on staying in the first place, so if they had just left me alone, I would have continued moving forward, and you never would have had to meet me." I noticed that he flinched slightly as I said that as I know how important finding one's mate is to the wolves, but I also know how much wolves despise tiger shifters. I've been around many werewolves to know well enough that they all view our kind as their mortal enemies and will attack first and then ask questions later. "They might not have attacked you if you hadn't shown such heightened disregard by ignoring them."
I shook my head and chuckled lightly "Can you honestly say that with with a hundred percent certainty? Because I think we both know they still would have tried to attack me no matter what I said. And if you weren't my mate, you would have attacked me already instead of trying to talk to me right now." I noticed he clenched his jaw as he looked away from me, and he rubbed the back of his neck as he said nothing. I scoffed in satisfaction, although it came out sounding very animalist as I made a chuffing sound before saying, "See, that's what I thought. Even you don't know what you would have done if I wasn't your mate. You came out here prepared to protect your pack from the big bad tiger, and I respect that, but I can't condone the fact you were ready to come in here ready to immediately jump into battle without trying to do anything about it first. You can avoid a lot of fights if you try talking things out first, but only if you do it respectfully, not demandingly, as your kind tends to do. Yes, sometimes, charging headfirst into a battle can save a life, but sometimes, talking can save everyone before the battle even begins. You will end up getting many of your pack members killed that way."
He growled deeply in his chest "Are you saying I'm a bad alpha to my people?!" I rolled my eyes "That's not for me to say as I'm not a member of your pack, nor do I know anything about you to judge that for you. All I was saying is that if you don't change that bad habit of yours, it could very well lead to not only your downfall but also that of your pack's." I watched as he closed his eyes and as his chest rose and fell as he took a deep breath and then exhaled before looking at me again, I could tell he trying to calm the rage he was feeling by response as he knew that what I said is the truth even if he doesn't want to admit it.
I watched as my mate continued to stand across from me, just watching me closely, and I noticed how her head tilted slightly as she watched me with curiosity twinkling in her bright blue eyes as she awaited my next reaction. Part of me knows that I shouldn't feel anything towards her as she just pointed out her kind is our mortal enemy, and there are many people in my pack who will reject her very being, no matter what the goddess's decision was for pairing us together. And there isn't a wolf out there that hasn't felt a sense of loss because of a tiger shifter, as they have killed many of our kind, which is why we consider them our mortal enemy for that very reason, as they cause nothing but chaos in their wake. So, I know I should reject her right now and get it over with and force her to leave this land and have her never step foot on our land again. Even though she has angered me greatly, I still find her incredibly fascinating and amusing, which makes me want to get to know her even more and keep her by my side. I gritted my teeth together in anger at my tormenting thoughts, and I newly felt the need to curse the moon goddess for putting me through this, but I held myself back as I took another deep breath trying to dispel my anger.
I could feel my pack's uneasiness as they looked between me and my mate; they didn't know what to expect as they waited for my next order. I could also hear their nervous chatter amongst themselves through our pack-link. I sighed before focusing on the link in my mind between my mate and myself before saying "Fine will you be willing to assist me in fixing the unrest in my pack's mural so that they would be more willing to assist the doctor in getting the injured to his clinic where he can assist them better?"
I watched as a hint of mischief flashed in her eyes, and her ears perked up slightly "Oh, and what do I get out of it?" I rolled my eyes and raised an eyebrow as I felt amused by her unpredictable behavior "And why do you need to get anything from it?"
"And why shouldn't I get something out of it? We've already established that I don't care how your pack feels about me. So, what can you do to entice me to make me want to help you ease their fears about me?"
I could hear a playful tone in her voice as she spoke "Well what would you like in exchange?" I watched as she took a step towards me "Hmmm how about you sometime in the future at my digression, you have to do or give me whatever I want no matter what it is." I crossed my arms over my chest and with an amused smirk on my face I asked, "And why should I give you something so valuable as that, kitten?"
I couldn't help my smirk internally at his lack of an imaginative nickname and raised an eyebrow as I took another step toward him "Kitten, really? Not very original." He smirked and shrugged his shoulders "I like it." I rolled my eyes "Of course you would. But anyway, I've already told you the reason and I won't accept any other bargain as you don't have anything I want. Unfortunately, you don't have much of a choice in the matter as your men need treatment, and your men refuse to be valuable around me and won't shift into their human form around me to help carry the injured back to the pack's clinic. So, what will it be? Will you be at my mercy and accept the deal? Or will you try to keep your pride intact and risk the well-being of your fellow pack members and wait to see how you can hold out until I break? And I assure you I can sit here all night and day waiting if you like as unlike you, I have nothing to lose here but you on the other hand do."
I clenched my jaw and narrowed my eyes in irritation as it irritated me that everything, she said was spot on, and I had no room to refute anything she said. I indeed know nothing about her as I just met her tonight, so even if I wanted to, I don't know what she likes or wants to try bargaining with her. And it is completely a one-sided deal if she doesn't help me; I won't be able to get my pack's full cooperation to get my injured men out of here. Without her, I might be able to get a few men to do so, but they are so worried about her presence that she could attack them or me at any moment. They would most likely rebel against the order even if I tried to command them to do so. Honestly, I feel rather irritated that she used that against me, but at the same time, I also feel a sense of pride fill my chest that she can make one hell of a deal like that, which isn't a bad trait to have for a leader to possess.
I watched as his eyes showed his inner turmoil before he sighed and then said, "Alright, you win. I will owe you one, but only if you do as I say." I smiled triumphantly even though I knew he had no other choice but to accept, and I took another step towards him. I watched as his eyes followed my every movement as I walked up to him and walked around him in a circle. As I walked around him, I kept my eyes on him, not paying attention to anything or anyone else. As I walked around him, I rubbed my head up against the back of his legs as I made a pleased chuffing sound. When I rubbed my head against the back of his leg, I could see the amusement in his eyes as he smirked, showing his amusement at my actions.
I walked around him, and I was standing in front of him again, so I looked at him again and smiled at him "We have a deal then." He smiled at me as I took another step towards him, intending to rub my head against him again as the tiger in me wanted to rub my scent all over him and to claim what was rightfully hers. But the moment I went to do so, I heard movement towards the right side of me but behind me, and the moment I turned my head slightly to look behind me was when I noticed one of his wolves charging at me, intending to attack me. He appeared to be aiming towards my leg to weaken me, but the moment he attracted my attention, it was too late for him.
The moment he got close and tried to bite my leg, I quickly jumped up, which caused him to fall forward just lightly before I landed on top of him, pinning him to the ground. I could see my mate's eyes grow wide with shock the moment he noticed one of his wolves attempting to attack me, and I even noticed he took a step towards us, intending to either stop the wolf or to push me out of the way. But he never got that chance before I pinned the wolf to the ground, and with him pinned underneath me, I could see the fear in his eyes as I bared my teeth and roared in anger at his insolence. The wolf whimpered in fear and tried to move beneath me, but I didn't let him budge, and I could see the fear on all the other wolves' faces as their entire bodies tensed as they prepared for a fight. I watched as my mate was just as tense as the others as he feared what might happen next, but he held his hand up, keeping the others in their places and not allowing them to go on the attack.
He stood straight as he looked between me and the wolf under me before he spoke aloud, "Release him!" He commanded in his alpha tone, causing me to turn my head towards him with my teeth still bared; I growled at him and snapped in anger at him. "Speak to me like that again, and your little pet here truly won't live to see the light of day!" I saw anger flash in his eyes as he clenched his hands at his side and clenched his jaw "You will release him this instant." I chuckled through our telepathic link "Do you want to risk the life of one of your wolves all for the sake of your stupid alpha pride all because you think you can control me?" I said before turning my head back to the wolf underneath me and growled down before opening my mouth like I was going to attack him. I watched as anger and fear flashed across my mate's face as the wolf underneath me radiated fear so strong that I could smell it so clearly that it was almost intoxicating as he whimpered and struggled beneath me.
My tiger wanted nothing more than to kill this insolent wolf beneath me and taste his fear, but I held back as I watched the others tense even more as they wanted nothing more than to save the wolf and attack me just as much. They looked between their alpha and pinned wolf with confusion on their face on why their alpha wouldn't give the order to attack, and from the look of their faces, I could tell they were getting tired of waiting, but they knew they couldn't go against their alpha. I watched as my mate's jaw ticked as his anger increased, but he was trying not to let it show, and then he took a deep breath before he said, "Fine, please let him go."
I reluctantly turned my head to look at him and tilted my head slightly before he added, "Trust me, you don't want to do this. If you do this, there is no coming back from it. I can't protect you if you kill him." I rolled my eyes "First of all, I don't need you to protect me. You and your pack of wolves are hardly a threat to me. And trust me when I say that if I truly wanted him dead, he would be dead already."
I felt my anger rise at her words as she said my pack and I were not a threat to her, yet somehow my wolf and I knew deep inside that she wasn't lying. I should reject her right here and now but yet I could also feel a sense of pride at her strength and confidence. And even though I know I shouldn't feel this way when she is threatening my pack, I can't help but admire how beautiful she looks in the light of the moon, even though she still looks like she is about to murder one of my pack members. Damn, the moon goddess and her damn mate bond it makes no sense why she would do this to me. It makes absolutely no sense to me why she would pair the two of us together.
I clenched and unclenched my fist, trying to control my anger "Fine, can you please release him then? I will make sure to punish him accordingly as he ignored my order and attacked you on his own accord." I watched as she raised an eyebrow at me "And why should I trust you to do so?" I closed my eyes as I pinched the bridge of my nose, and I felt the start of a headache forming from all the stress of the night. "Why can't you just trust me and listen for once?" I heard her scoff in my head before she said, "How about because I don't know you. We just met, and you have given me no reason to trust you. Just because I know you didn't order him to attack me doesn't mean I am going to trust you immediately. And mate or not, you will have to earn my trust just like everyone else."
I sighed before opening my eyes again to look at her, and the moment my eyes met hers, I was still awestruck at just how blue they were. I had to stop myself from wanting to walk towards her and running my hands through her fur. My wolf wants to claim her so badly it is taking everything in me to keep him reined in, so I don't transform and do something stupid. I sighed "Fine then, if you release him, you have my word that not only will I punish him, but I will owe you whatever you want whenever you want it, just like our previous deal. So, I will have not only one but two things you can demand of the alpha of the Shadow Moon pack. Not many people can say they've ever achieved something like that."
I rolled my eyes and raised an eyebrow at him "So his life is only worth one extra deal too." I chuckled "Wow, I would have thought the lives of your pack members would mean more to you than that." I watched as his jaw tightened as he clenched his fist again "Fine, how many will it take for you to release him?" I smirked and shook my head before stepping off the wolf, and the moment I did, I saw my mates' and everyone else's shocked expression as the wolf took off toward the others. The wolf ran behind my mate and looked back at me to see if I took off after him as he cowered behind his alpha. "Next time you go to make a deal, make sure it is a fair deal as it should be the same equivariant of worth. Luckily for you, I never had any intention to kill, and I would have let him go sooner and for nothing if you hadn't talked to me in that tone. So next time, watch what you say to me and how you say it, or I won't be so nice the next time. And also, keep a shorter lease on your pack members next time, or I will kill them next time."
I clenched my jaw to try and keep my emotions in check, but I couldn't help looking behind me at Jackson Fairfield, who was currently cowering behind me. He is currently one of the youngest warriors here at this moment, and he shouldn't have even been here since I knew he wasn't ready for something like this. But he saw me running to get there in time, and he followed me despite me telling him to go home. He ignored me but followed me anyway. I didn't have time to deal with him and force him to turn around, and now I wish I would have dealt with it before coming here. When he saw me looking at him, he immediately looked down in shame and whimpered before turning around and walking back to the others with his head and tail down in shame.
I shook my head and sighed before turning back towards my mate, who was staring at me with interest, and I nearly groaned as my wolf's desire for his mate intensified. My wolf was clawing at the back of my mind, trying to demand I take her this moment, not caring one bit that she is a tiger, not a wolf. All my wolf cares about is that she looks so majestic standing there under the light of the moon and watching us like that. I clenched my jaw, trying to keep my wolf under control, and once I was sure he was under control that's when I said, "Thank you for releasing him." She just shrugged nonchalantly "I told you before I didn't come this way to kill anyone. Nor did I come here expecting to run into your pack. And if I had known there was a pack here, I wouldn't have come here in the first place. I would have saved myself some trouble that way." I felt my heart tighten with disappointment as she said that, even though I knew I shouldn't feel this way, and I coughed awkwardly to try to distract myself from my unexplainable emotions. "Still, none the least, thank you for sparing his life. He's just a pup who doesn't know what he is doing and thinks he is invincible. And hopefully, this experience has taught him something, so he won't act so recklessly in the future."
I felt shocked and slightly skeptical as I listened to him and even though I wanted to ask questions and find out what he meant by that and criticize him for allowing a child on a battlefield, I kept my mouth shut as it had nothing to do with me and simply listened. "Anyway, is there anything I can do to thank you?"
"A deal is a deal; just respect it, and there won't be a problem." He looked at me with disbelief "I am an alpha, and I am always true to my word." I nodded "Good, then we won't have a problem."
He still looked skeptical but didn't say anything else, but I did watch as his eyes glossed over as he spoke to one of his wolves through their link. I then watched as one of his wolves ran off to the woods and returned with some clothes in the wolf's mouth. I watched as this wolf walked towards us, and from the smell of this wolf, I could tell it was a female. And the moment she got close to us and was nearly next to my mate, I couldn't help the deep growl that escaped, as my tiger doesn't like seeing other females around her mate.
I watched as the wolf jumped in surprise at my reaction and looked between my mate and me skeptically. My mate just raised an eyebrow in amusement before he nodded toward the wolf. I watched as she still looked skeptically, and the moment she tried to take another step toward us I stopped her by baring my teeth at her. I could sense her uneasiness and her fear as she looked between me and my mate. She looked back at my mate, and he tilted his head towards the pack. She looked relieved as she dropped the clothes a few feet away from my mate before she went to take up her position back in the pack's formation.
My tiger puffed up her chest as she felt immense pride and satisfaction at causing the female to run away from us and leave our mate alone. I heard my mate chuckle, causing me to turn my head back towards him to see his chest rising and falling quickly as he chuckled. His deep chuckle sounded so wonderful and ever so incanting to me that my tiger wanted to purr at the richness of the sound. He looked so amused as he picked up the clothes before standing in front of me and then smiled down at me and held out the clothes towards me. I looked up at him and then the clothes in his hands before looking up at him with my eyebrow raised slightly. He chuckled at my reaction and, with a smile still on his full, kissable lips, "Now can you complete your half of the first deal and transform to relieve the uneasiness of my pack so I can get them to get the injured out of here?" When I continued to stare at him without transforming right away, he added, "Please, kitten. Transform for me." I rolled my eyes and sighed before transforming into my human form.
I watched as this white and slightly blue mist began to surround my mate, and through the mist, I could see her form change from that of a tiger to that of a human crouching down. I felt my heartbeat speed up at the excitement and anticipation of seeing what my mate looked like. I still couldn't make out what she looked like until she stood up. As she began to stand up, the mist slowly started to disappear, and I felt my jaw drop upon seeing just how truly breathtaking my mate was.
When she stood up to her full height, I could tell she was taller than most females as she was definitely six feet exactly. Her eyes were a much darker shade of blue, but they were even more lovely as they looked like the ocean at night when the moon was shining on it just right, and I could swear you could almost see the ocean through her eyes. And she has thick and long silver eyelashes that only make her blue eyes stand out even more. Her hair was so long that it reached her mid-calf. Her hair was such a lovely shade of silver that it almost seemed to glow under the light of the moon. And she had such lovely pale skin that she didn't have a single flaw or blemish in sight. As she stood completely naked in front of me, I couldn't help as my eyes wandered to take in every inch of her wonderful body. Her long hair covered her breasts, but from what I could see, they were just so plump and perky that my body ached to squeeze them and taste those perfect globes. Her stomach was flat, but you could see a hint of her defined abs that showed just how in shape she was as there wasn't an ounce of fat on her body. And she has such an amazing figure with slightly wide hips and perfectly shapely legs.
Just looking at her has my mouth watering and my groin hardening as it took everything in me not to reach out and pull her towards me and to find out if she tastes as good as she looks. Instead, I ignored the pain of my tightening groin and held the clothes out towards her to put on even though I much preferred to see her naked. I watched as she tilted her head to the side slightly, as she seemed confused by my actions before I heard something behind me, causing me to remember that my pack was still standing there behind me. I felt rage as I turned around to them, staring at my naked mate, and growled at them, causing them to jump at my actions before demanding they turn around and close their eyes. They looked at me in surprise and skepticism before complying with my orders.
I turned back to my mate to see a slight but amused smile on her face, and I felt my dick jerk in response as she looked so heavenly, and every fiber of my being wants her even though she is a tiger shifter. I growled lightly in my throat, causing her to tilt her head to the side again as she then watched me walk towards her until I was standing right in front of her. She tilted her head up slightly to look up at me, and it took everything in me not to just reach out towards her and pull her against my body and take her right now, but I held myself back. Instead, I grabbed the shirt in my hand and put it on over her head. She looked surprised but allowed me to put them on without a problem, and then I assisted her in putting on the shorts.
The moment she was dressed, I took a step back as I did that, she pulled the hair out from the shirt, but I couldn't help the growl that escaped my throat as I looked at her. The tank top was low cut and left nothing to the imagination as it clung to her like a second skin. When I growled, she tilted her head and looked at me with confusion on her face, but her eyes grew wide as she watched me take off my shirt. The moment my shirt was off, her mouth opened just slightly as her eyes filled with hunger and desire. I couldn't help but smirk at her reaction before I lifted the shirt over her head. She put her arms through the holes as I pulled the shirt the rest of the way on. The shirt covered the shorts as it nearly reached her knees and was loose against her tiny frame. Seeing her in my shirt and surrounded by my scent made my wolf and I satisfied, and I couldn't help the satisfied smirk on my face.
She smiled at me "So I take it this is more to your liking." The moment she spoke, my eyes closed, and I groaned in pleasure, hearing her actual voice for the first time. It was so lovely, and I could tell she had an accent from her voice, but I couldn't tell from where as it sounded like a mix of things. When I opened my eyes, I could see she was looking at me with a slight smile on her face, and without thinking, I reached out and cupped her face with my hand as I smiled back at her. She leaned forward, and just as our lips were about to meet, someone faked a cough to interrupt us. The moment someone coughed, I sighed as I pulled back, and I heard her growl lightly, causing me to smirk in amusement. I turned around to see Mia standing behind me in wolf form as she looked at my mate skeptically before she tilted her head toward the males. I had forced them to turn around so they wouldn't be able to look at my mate.
I watched as my mate turned toward the female wolf, and I felt a strong urge to launch at the female for interrupting us. Mostly, I wanted to scratch her eyes to ensure that she could never look at my mate again, but I knew that was irrational, so I held back. I looked away from the female as I saw the other wolves turn back around to face us. They looked between my mate and me they still looked uneasy, but the majority of them disappeared into the woods and returned in their human forms as they joined the doctor to get the injured back to their pack's clinic.
They still looked pretty uneasy as they picked up the injured wolves but completely ignored my presence as they got to work. But I noticed one of the men coming towards, and as he got closer, I noticed it was the same man who was leading the first group of wolves in place of my mate. I growled upon seeing him, and he immediately tensed at hearing the growl, and he looked between my mate and me nervously. He looked at my mate expectantly, and when I looked at my mate, he had an amused smirk on his face as he looked at me with adoration in his eyes. The moment I saw the adoration in his eyes, I felt myself melt slightly, and my heartbeat quickened a bit as I smiled at him.
He suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me against his side as he put his arm over my shoulder, holding me close to him. Everywhere his skin touched mine, I could feel the mate sparks everywhere touched me, and it felt even more amazing than I ever could have imagined. His sent completely enveloped me between his shirt I am wearing and now with him holding me against him it made my tiger want to purr in pleasure. I couldn't help myself, and the moment he pulled me close to him, I snuggled against him, and I rubbed my face against his chest before burying my face in the crook of his neck as I inhaled his scent. I felt him shiver slightly at my actions before I felt his chest rumble slightly as he chuckled lightly in amusement.
I watched as my beta, Luca and Mia, looked at my mate with pure shock on their faces as she rubbed her face against my chest before she snuggled closer to me. She wrapped her arms around my waist as she buried her face in the crook of my neck. I felt my heart swell in appreciation as she looked absolutely adorable as she clung to me. I couldn't help but smile down at her as I ran my fingers through her beautiful silky silver hair. The moment I ran my fingers through her hair, I heard my mate purr ever so slightly. The moment I heard her purr I felt my dick tighten and I groaned as my desire for her increased.
I heard Mia gasp, which caused me to look away from my mate and look over to her and Mia was now standing in human form. Mia has long, straight blonde hair that reaches the center of her back with bright green eyes. She is much shorter than my mate as she is five foot ten and has a heart-shaped face and tan skin. She was also in very good shape as she is one of our top warriors in the pack and a good friend of mine as I've known Luca and Mia since we were children as we grew up together. She was wearing a low-cut black tank top and white shorts, which were nearly identical to what she gave my mate. The only difference is it didn't look nearly as scandalous on her as she has a smaller chest than my mate, so her breasts aren't nearly spilling out of the tank top. Mia is not flat-chested, but they most definitely do not have the same size chest by any means.
Mia's eyes were wide as she had her hand over her mouth in shock while Luca looked between Mia and me in confusion "Holy shit she's your mate, isn't she?" The moment those words were out of her mouth, Luca looked at me with his eyes wide in shock "That can't be true. There is no way that is true, right?" He looked at me expectantly, and I sighed, "Yes, she is." Anger flashed in Luca's eyes "How is that possible? She's a tiger shifter for fuck's sake. Do you know how many of our kind they've killed?!" I felt my chest tighten in sadness, but before I could say anything, I felt my mate turn her head slightly towards Luca before she growled. "Watch what you say, your filthy mongrel. I will not stand for you to speak badly about my kind. And if you upset my mate, I won't hesitate to rip your head off your shoulders."
I felt my chest swell with pride at her protectiveness over me, and I watched as Luca's eyes grew wide with shock while Mia just raised her eyebrow as a slight smirk of amusement appeared at the corner of her mouth even though my mate just threatened hers. Luca looked between me and his mate with pure shock on his face "Are you really not going to do anything or say anything after she threatened me?" Mia sighed "Do you honestly expect us to do or say anything to a tiger shifter? Tiger shifters are known to be incredibly stubborn and extremely reclusive, so what do you expect one of us to say or do? Not only that, but she is also the mate of your best friend, so I can't help that you were dumb enough to insult them." His eyes grew wide with shock as he gasped at the cruel words of his mate "How could you say that to me?" She simply rolled her eyes, and I couldn't help but laugh at their ridiculous banter as they continued to banter back and forth.
I felt my mate shift against me, and I looked down at her I noticed she was looking at the two of them and then back at me with confusion on her face, and she looked uncomfortable. I smiled down at her and cupped her face in my hand "You okay, kitten?" She tilted her head slightly "I'm not the one you should be worrying about right now." I chuckled slightly "They are fine. They are normally like this. They are mates, after all." Her eyes grew wide in shock for a moment "Well, that's good to know." I raised an eyebrow and smirked "Oh, and why is that now?" She smiled seductively before saying, "Because that is one less female that I will have to kill later." I felt shocked by her statement before my heart swelled with pride and happiness at her possessive behavior. God, there is truly nothing about this woman that I don't seem to like, and it's truly frightful as I know I shouldn't feel this way, but I can't seem to help it.
I felt someone staring at us again and sighed before turning away from my mate to see who was staring. I looked up to see Luca and Mia have stopped bickering and are now staring at us "What?" I said with my irritation leaking from every syllable of the word, and Luca's eyes grew wide in shock at my reaction, while Mia just ignored it. "So, what do you plan to do?" I sighed as I felt my mate's shoulders slightly tense, and I felt the need to reassure her, but I knew I couldn't do that. I sighed before answering honestly, "I don't know." She nodded in understanding "Yeah, this might be a little hard to explain to the pack."
"They will never accept her!" Luca rudely chimed in. I growled lightly as a warning to him, and he quickly shut his mouth, but it still didn't stop me from punching him in his stomach, which caused him to double over in pain. I couldn't help smiling when she punched him "So what do you want to do, alpha?" I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck "I really don't know what to do. I didn't come out here expecting to meet my mate. I came out here expecting to fight a tiger shifter, and if it survived the battle, then we would have locked it up until a punishment was set, just like we always do. But now I don't know."
"You can still reject and hope the moon goddess gives you a better mate, and maybe this time it will be an actual wolf. That is always-" Before Luca could finish his sentence, Mia punched him so hard in his stomach that when he doubled over, he crumpled to the ground. Right as Mia punched him, I felt my mate move, and just as she tried to launch herself at Luca, I caught her and pulled her to my chest. She was still struggling against me, trying to get to Luca as her blue eyes were filled with pure, murderous fury. I tightened my grip around her as Mia started yelling at Luca before turning back towards us, she looked at my mate and bowed her head slightly "I'm terribly sorry about his behavior, my Luna. I swear he was dropped on his head when he was a baby, which is why he is so stupid, and it would explain why he doesn't know when to shut up. He tends to say and do whatever he wants without thinking of the repercussions."
I felt my mate stop struggling as she stared at Mia in mild curiosity, and the moment Luca tried to say something, Mia quickly shut him down by kicking his shin, which caused my mate to smile in amusement. Mia looked at me as I loosened my grip slightly on my mate but not completely, just to be careful since Luca can be so unpredictable. "I'm sorry, Alpha, but we are running out of time as they are nearly done transporting the bodies, and we need to know what to do before they get back. God knows what they will expect you to do." I felt a sense of panic and a need for more time, but before I could say anything, my mate said, "Just do what you originally planned. It's not that hard."
I felt my mate tense as he tightened his hold on my waist, pulling me closer to his chest "What do you mean?" I rolled my eyes "The moment I found out you were my mate, I decided to stick around instead of tearing through the lot of you and leaving I never expected a warm welcome. So just put me in a cell like you would have originally would have done that way you all can feel safer, and your pack will be happy knowing I'm locked up." I felt my mate tense even more at my words, but before he could say anything, the she-wolf stood in front of me and looked me in the eyes before saying, "Do you know what you are saying? Even if the pack doesn't like it, you are still technically the Luna of the pack as long as you are mated to our alpha." I rolled my eyes "I'm not a child who says something but doesn't know what those words mean. I have dealt with it far worse than staying in a prison cell. Your tiny prison cells don't scare me, nor does your pack scare me either." The she-wolf smiled before looking up at my mate "Well, that might make things easier, don't you think, Alpha?"
I felt shocked, angry, and disbelief at the conversation between my mate and Mia "How does this make things easier? How do you expect me to put my mate in a prison cell for God knows how long just to get my pack to accept her?!" Mia rolled her eyes "We aren't going to keep her in the prison as long as you are thinking just for a few days. It will give us more time to come up with a game plan, and if you are so worried about it, you can check on her at any moment. She will be closer in a cell for you to see anytime you want, then letting her go off somewhere as you try to convince the pack that she won't kill them or come after them when they are sleeping." I still felt unconvinced and concerned when my mate turned to look at me with those beautiful blue eyes of eyes. She looked at me with a soft smile on her face "It's fine, honey. I will be alright. I promise it doesn't bother me in the slightest."
I shook my head "Those cells are no place for someone as delicate as you." I watched as she looked at me in disbelief before she raised an eyebrow and narrowed her eyes at me in irritation "I took all of your warriors that fought against."
"You didn't take me down!" Luca added, which caused Mia to kick his other shin, causing him to groan in pain. My mate simply rolled her eyes before sneering at him "That's because you didn't fight me. You stayed back like a coward and watched the chaos after you failed to keep the wolves in line." Mia raised an eyebrow at her comment but didn't say anything, and my mate turned her head to look at me before saying, "So what exactly about that saying I'm delicate?"
"I didn't say you can't handle yourself. I just can't lock my mate in one of those god-awful cells. How could I live with myself after doing so?" I smiled at him as I admired his sweet and caring behavior before getting on my tippy toes as I kissed his cheek. After I kissed his cheek, I stepped back and out of his arms. As I looked up at him, I could see a soft smile on his face as he looked at me with a tenderness I hadn't seen in a long time. I turned around to look at the she-wolf "Are you able and willing to lock me in a cell?" She smiled confidently "I am willing to do whatever my Luna desires of me." I saw the disbelief and shock on my mate's face before I looked back at the she-wolf "Good then, lead the way." She smiled at me before hooking her arm in mine and leading me towards the pack and to the pack cells as our mates followed quietly behind us.