Chapter 6

IVAN

In all my 257 years of life, I’ve never heard of a second mate, but yesterday, in one of the hallways in the Black Pearl pack house, I saw a pair of the most beautiful, ocean-blue eyes. As those eyes pleaded with me to distract Alpha Jake, I heard Leonid whisper the word.

Leonid has been with me all my life. Most people get their wolves on their sixteenth birthday, but I’ve had mine since the day I opened my eyes to the world. And I still remember the first time he spoke to me, so many years ago.

For my first one hundred years, I lived in Russia, my home country. That’s where I met my first mate, Irina, but she died after we’d been together for just two years. I then moved to America and have been here ever since.

Visiting the Black Pearl pack was a sudden decision. I didn’t want to come because I felt that this pack was very weak. I wanted to focus on stronger ones, but something inside me told me to come here. Now I know why.

When I first saw Clementine, I was standing with my escort. Annika is like any other girl to me—a one-time thing—and she knows it. After Irina died, I gave up on the mate thing altogether, but now…I don’t know.

Am I happy? Absolutely not. But Leonid is.

He purrs every time he hears her name or voice. He fights to mark her every time I’m close to her. Fortunately, I have lived so many years that I now know how to tame the beast inside of me.

I don’t want Clementine, not because I don’t believe in love—well, okay, I kind of don’t—but because I don’t want her to end up like Irina. I don’t trust women. Not anymore.

I’ve been trying to avoid Clementine, but she keeps doing everything in her power to get herself killed. Now her bravery and intelligence have hooked me, and I can’t stop thinking about her.

Today, after discovering that she’s not human, I ask, ~What do you think she is, Leo?~

~“Not sure. She could be a fairy or a fox. Both can talk to their inner creature.”~

~Do you think we could get along if she’s a fox?~

I feel him smirk. ~“Oh, so now you’re interested? Don’t worry, she’s our mate, so we have to get along.”~

Nodding to myself, I walk around the pack house and wait for my most trusted pack members to arrive. I invited seven of them: my best friend, who doesn’t have a mate, and my three siblings and their mates. Luna Helen should be arriving today too.

As I wait, I spot Delta Alex walking out of the alpha’s office with a worried expression. When his eyes land on me, he immediately bows.

“You’re Clementine’s brother, right?” I ask.

His eyes widen in shock, probably scared that she did something out of line. He nods quickly. “Yes, I am. Is something wrong?”

“No, but I have to talk to you about her.”

Alex follows me to a room, and I close the door behind us. The lights are dim, making the aura dark, but I don’t turn them up. The delta sits on a chair, and I remain standing.

“What is it about Clementine that you would like to talk about?” he asks politely.

I admire Alex’s courage. He would obviously do anything for his sister, even question the alpha king.

“This might come as a shock to you, but Clementine is my mate.”

The delta chokes on his saliva. “What?”

“She is my mate,” I repeat, annoyed. I hate repeating myself.

His brows furrow. “But how? She’s human.”

Though I can tell that Alex loves his sister, I won’t tell him that she might not be human. That has to remain a secret.

“It’s rare but not impossible,” I say instead.

“Does she know?” he asks worriedly.

“No, and I don’t plan for her to know,” I reply, making him relax a bit.

~“Why doesn’t he want us to tell her?”~ Leo asks.

I shrug.

“Why?” Alex asks.

“That’s none of your business, and I suggest you keep your mouth shut,” I say firmly.

“But then why tell me?” he presses.

“Because your sister is in danger. I wanted you to know that if I protect her, it is because she is my mate.”

“I still cannot believe that she has a mate,” Alex mumbles in disbelief, even as a grin spreads across his face.

“I couldn’t believe it either,” I admit.

“Are you sure she’s your mate?” he asks.

I glare at the delta. I want to say, “Of course, I knew, you dipshit. I’m 257 years old. I’ve lived enough to know,” but instead I simply reply, “Yes.”

For a minute, Alex is silent. Then he asks, “Why is she in danger, Alpha?”

~He fucking talks a lot.~

“I believe you know that she was attacked by two pack members?”

He stands up abruptly, eyes wide. “What?” He places his hands on each side of his head as if afraid he’s losing his mind. “How could that have happened?”

“I saved her at the last minute,” I say.

Alex visibly relaxes, but as much as he’s trying to calm himself down, I can tell that he’s still raging. I can see that he’s just as protective of Clementine as I am.

~“Clementine…,”~ Leo purrs, making me roll my eyes internally.

~Are you going to purr every time you hear her name?~

~“Of course,”~ he replies.

“Thank you,” Alex finally says, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I open the door for us to leave, but to our shock, Clementine is standing in the hall. She looks shocked to see us together.

“How long have you been standing here?” I ask angrily.

“I just came, I swear,” she replies quickly. I don’t detect any nervousness or a quick heartbeat, so she isn’t lying.

I nod.

“What are you two doing?” she asks softly.

I am about to answer when Alex says, “We were discussing work, Clem. Don’t question the alpha.” He whispers the last part, making me smile a little.

~If only he knew what she did before… She is as stubborn as anyone can be.~

Clementine smiles apologetically. “Okay,” she says.

Alex leaves then, apparently understanding that I want to talk to her alone. As soon as he’s out of earshot, I say, “Don’t forget about today,” reminding her that my pack is coming.

She smiles nervously. “Don’t worry, I am waiting for them.”

“Good.”

I squeeze Clementine’s shoulder a little bit, then remove my hand just as she starts to lean into my touch. I don’t know why, but I like teasing her. I smile knowing that she’s hot and bothered as I walk away.

***

Back outside, I stand in the warm weather with Alpha Jake and his beta, Dixon. Through the woods, I can see headlights coming our way.

~My pack.~

Soon, the cars stop, and everyone gets out: Galina with her mate, Maxim; Katina with her mate, Dimitri; Igor with his mate, Angelina; and Andrei, my best friend. “Alpha,” they greet, bowing before me.

I don’t mind if they don’t bow when we are alone. After all, there are no formalities with family. But in public, it’s important that they show respect.

Next, they greet Jake and Dixon, and we all walk into the pack house. There, I immediately smell Clementine. A moment later, she emerges with a bright smile on her lips, but I can sense her nervousness.

“Hello, welcome to the Black Pearl pack,” Clementine greets, making Galina and Katina smile. She extends her hand. “I am Dr. Moore.”

Instead of taking her hand, my sisters hug Clementine, shocking her and me. I didn’t know they could be so intimate with a stranger; normally, they hate strangers.

Andrei then kisses the back of Clementine’s hand, and I growl at him through our mind-link. He quickly steps away, immediately understanding that she’s mine. I don’t miss the shock that covers his features.

The rest greet her with a handshake, and though I haven’t told any of them that she is my mate, I know they can sense it.

“Clementine will give you all a general checkup, so please follow her,” I say politely.

Galina flashes me a cheeky smile. She somehow knows that I only suggested the checkup so they could get to know her.

I know I said that I wouldn’t tell Clementine about us being mates, but I just can’t help wanting to spend time with her, wanting to introduce her to my family and best friend. And Leonid isn’t helping at all.

As everyone obediently follows Clementine to the infirmary, Galina and Katina start a conversation with her. I can see that they’re already in love with my mate, especially Galina. Even my brother, Igor, seems amused.

~“She is so lovely,”~ Galina mind-links me.

~“She is,”~ I reply.

~“She’s our luna, isn’t she?”~

~“She is.”~

~“Does she know?”~

~“No.”~

~“Do—”~

I cut off our connection. She asks a lot of questions, and I hate that—even if they come from my family.

***

A while later, after my mate finishes everyone’s checkups, Galina says, “Thank you, Clementine.”

Clementine smiles. “Anytime.” Then she walks out of the infirmary, and I lose her scent.

~She’s probably going to her brother’s room, since her parents are still not taking her back. At least, that’s what I heard from Jake.~

My pack, the alpha and beta, and I all make our way to the main room, where we sit and talk about work. During a lull in the conversation, Alpha Jake asks, “So, how long is your stay?”

Igor growls, annoyed.

“Not trying to be rude,” Jake hastens to say. “I just wanted to know.”

~I hate when people question me.~

“We will stay as long as we want,” I reply authoritatively.

“Let’s talk about the problem we are facing, shall we?” Katina cuts in, irritated that we’re no longer discussing work.

“And what is that?” Beta Dixon asks.

“Witches,” she replies, earning shocked faces from Jake and Dixon.

“Why—are they a problem?” Jake asks stupidly.

“They have always been a problem,” she replies, “but I recently received some information indicating that they’re currently plotting against werewolves.”

“Who told you that?” I ask.

“A friend,” she says evasively.

“Well, we’ll discuss everything tomorrow,” Jake announces before getting up. A moment later, Dixon follows him out, leaving us alone.

After glancing around to make sure no one’s nearby, I tell my siblings and Andrei, “I don’t trust the alpha of this pack.”

“Why?” Andrei asks.

I scowl. “Because he mistreated Clementine earlier. Also, he’s being fishy.” This earns multiple smirks. “Shut up.”

Rolling my eyes, I get up and begin walking through the hallways of this disgusting building, heading toward my room. I’m excited to finally sleep alone now that I’ve sent Annika back to the pack.

I slept with Annika after I met Clementine, but that’s because I was still in denial about her being my mate. Now I’m not, and I have no interest in sleeping with anyone else. It’s not that I want to be ~with~ her, but I do want to be ~near~ her.

Clementine is mine, and no one can say otherwise.