Ethan called the lobby and asked for dinner to be delivered up for him and Jan. Meanwhile, his mate settled himself on one end of the sofa facing the television.
After hanging up, Ethan grabbed the towel he had tossed earlier and went back into the bedroom. He threw it in the general direction of the bathroom and rummaged through his closet, snatching the first t-shirt he found.
He pulled it over his head while walking back to the living room.
It was a purple shirt with two snow-capped pine cones in front. Zyga had gotten it for him after summer camp last year. The tracker had said it was for not getting his ass kicked during pre-moon training, but Ethan had felt less than grateful. At that time, he had been the oldest at the camp, so not getting beat up by a bunch of kids was nothing to celebrate.
It seemed like such a long time ago.
Ethan ran a hand over the logo, his chest aching for the home he had left behind. He had not heard from his family in a week. I should call mom.
Then he remembered his mother's statement about catching flies with honey, and he snorted.
The particular fly in question was sitting elegantly on his sofa with one leg over the other. But so far, he had resisted the honey Ethan was swinging under his nose.
The young wolf sat on the other side of the sofa, allowing enough room so Jan would not feel crowded. "So, tell me more about yourself. Like what do you do?"
The molten-silver eyes were steady on him. "I kill wolves."
White-hot pain lanced through Ethan's newly blossoming heart, and it shriveled up like a prune. There was no sign of humor on the vampire's face to indicate he was joking.
In the context of the question, Ethan did not believe that answer. A Lycan-assassin was not Jan's profession, but his statement held truth.
It was a painful reminder of his mate's violent history with his people. A past that had almost wiped out his existence before his parents were even born. It was another stumbling block in their bond. Yet, this was the mate Luna had chosen for him.
Should I ignore it? Maybe choose a subject that's light and less... touchy?
No.
Jan was studying him. He had intentionally said those words, most likely to deter him. If Ethan backed off, he would be a coward and would only be sweeping the dust under the rug.
You wanted to kiss those rosy lips, Reyn. Better start clipping the thorns, then.
So he swallowed the ache in his chest and plowed on. "Why?"
"Why do wolves kill vampires?"
"We only defend our territories and people."
Jan scoffed, arching an eyebrow. "You said no lies, Ethan. You should practice what you preach."
"I'm not lying. I told you what I know."
"Then what you know is a lie. Vampires don't like wolves, so naturally, we avoid your territories like the plague. Yet, at least one vampire is killed or goes missing every month. And that number keeps rising."
Ethan's eyes narrowed. Now he was certain Jan must be lying.
Even Zyga, the best-known tracker alive, could only claim a successful hunt every six months. But he was retired now. And the last they had heard, his successor, Damien's dad, had succumbed to the bond madness.
He smirked. "Yeah, right. It takes a lot of trained wolves to take down one vampire. For example, on the night of my first moon, you, Louie, and Ivan faced at least three of our vanguard parties and survived. Snow Pines is one of the largest packs, so we train a lot of warriors, but others don't have those numbers. So for them, going on a vampire hunt means taking their entire fighting force and leaving their homes and families exposed. A wolf's territory and pack is his safety. He won't risk that. And as far as I know, Snow Pines and Gray Oaks haven't had any recent kill either."
YOU ARE READING
Blooded Mate
Fantasy[[MATURE CONTENT]] Pack, family, mate. Loyalty, respect, honor. These are the words that form the foundation of the wolf society. At six years old, Ethan had to choose between his Alpha title and his survival on the night of his father's death. As a...
