Ethan groaned, rubbing his sore temple. A spectacular migraine was blooming, and it was unclear if it was from the racket outside or his prolonged red eyes, both of which were becoming a problem. His two guests watched him warily while the white wolf snoozed at his feet.
"We should limit your presence outdoors, or else people might start to question why the alpha's eyes are always red," the Chief of Territory Police suggested. He sat primly on the sofa, back ramrod straight in his uniform.
Zyga scoffed, handing Ethan two pills and a glass of water. "He can't just stay away from his people, Calvin. He's the alpha. Maybe if he tried getting more sleep, he might be in a better shape to control his wolf."
"I did try, Zyga," Ethan griped. Even his voice sounded more gruff than usual.
He had forced himself to bed, but most nights, Cody or Damien's nightmares kept him up. Yesterday, when exhaustion had finally knocked him out, he had found himself on the shores of the Shimmering Lake, struggling to wake up. The white wolf's frantic barking and his mom's timely intervention had saved his life. Needless to say, a healthy fear of the dream world was spreading.
Their warm home had become a house haunted by nightmares.
This morning, Ethan moved his mattress to the floor beside Jan's trunk, hoping his mate's scent might anchor him to life and keep him from venturing too far into the darkness. Meanwhile, his mom bunked with his brothers, and two native wolves curled by their feet.
Seated on an armchair in the living room, Ethan squinted when a jackhammer blared to life outside, blasting his eardrums with constant hammering. "Aren't they going to stop for the night? The sun has already set. When'll this end?"
"I don't know," Zyga responded, shrugging his shoulders. "You approved the project. Did you look at the plans?"
Ethan scowled at the tracker. Zyga knew damn well he had not."I thought it was just a house to put Jan in."
The alpha had agreed to it to end Ivan's incessant nagging. Ethan would not allow him to move Jan away, and he kept complaining about stuffing his brother in a basement. A sanctuary behind Ethan's house was the compromise they had settled on.
Zyga scoffed. "More like six houses."
"What?"
"Don't worry, it'll only have one level above ground. The rest will be a mansion hidden below. Those machines may be out there for some months." Zyga informed him.
Ethan groaned.
Bruce cleared his throat. Dressed in casual Vanguard fatigues, he was opposite to Calvin in every way: relaxed on the other side of the sofa with his tie loosened and legs crossed. "Mr. Petrovski's presence here might be useful to us, Alpha. Memphis is practically a ghost town. The witches have gone underground, but intel shows an increasing number of witch hunt raids by small groups of vampires in the area."
Ethan arched a less than sympathetic eyebrow at the coven's plight. After hearing his brothers' tormented cries and watching over his half-dead mate every night, he cared very little about what evil befell the hags. "I'm not sure I see how this is our problem or why we need Ivan's help to solve it."
The commander of the Vanguards adjusted his eyepatch as he chose his words carefully. "Alpha Reyn, we've achieved our primary goal in Memphis - to get our people back. However, if the vampires keep harassing the coven, they'll flee and reappear in our backyard when we least expect. The Council needs to rein in their people, and Petrovski holds some sway with them."
Ethan pursed his lips. "I'm not a fan of helping the witches."
Zyga settled on the other armchair beside Ethan with a heavy sigh. "Whether we'd like to help the hags or not is secondary. It'll be a disaster to let such a ripe, unprotected city filled with millions of humans fall into the hands of vampires. I can already hear the vultures circling. Secondly, the death of the High Priestess has created a power vacuum. It's in our best interest to ensure the coven maintains control. And we must keep an eye on the new one and who she liaises with. Our previous isolationist tactic is partly why we didn't realize how bad things had gotten until it was too late."
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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...
