Wolfskin *ON HOLD*

thirteen | fated

thirteen
f a t e d

Kaden

The forest quivered around his footsteps, bowing down before their Alpha. He had visitors, so Seth said, in the form of an angry female and her mate. Annoyance sat in the pit of his stomach; they were too on edge to face their duties today. After a long and painful week of waiting—if watching her house could be called that—her decision had finally been made. It tore at something inside of him; his wolf begging him to go to her, now, claim her while she thought the decision had been hers to make. Kaden shoved him down. They were the Alpha. They answered to no one.

The pair sat outside his office, sullenness seeping through their pores. A female and her submissive mate. Unranked, though she had potential to be something more. Their scents gave him their names: Danica and James. He gritted his teeth and signalled that they could stand before greeting them with a gentle brush of his cheek against theirs, as his mother had taught him so long ago. Then he strode into his office and sat in his chair, waiting for them to take the two seats opposite.

They perched awkwardly, the male's scent now tainted by fear, and he assessed them. There was silence as they squirmed beneath his gaze, waiting for him to give them permission to speak. By the time he was ready, the female looked uneasy and her male's stench was fear entirely. He raised his eyebrows expectantly.

The female's anger returned in full force as she glared at her mate.

He avoided her gaze, and Kaden's too, instead finding the intricate wood of the desk fascinating. He cleared his throat. Then swallowed. Then cleared his throat again. "Alpha, w...we would like to re...request a, uh, transfer?"

The pair wanted to move to another pack? He'd been expecting this, but not quite so soon. "On what grounds?"

The male looked to his female and she sighed. No question as to who wore the proverbial pants in this relationship, then. He wondered if she'd be looking for an Enforcer position; so few woman had the correct temperament. "We've heard some...questionable rumours."

"Go on."

"You are dallying with the...the—" She broke off, her face souring, as if it pained her to even speak the word. "The human, and not only that, but those disrespectful mongrels. The pack—"

A growl escaped him. "The pack answer to me, not the other way around. Request denied."

The female looked outraged. "What? You can't—"

"Do you wish to challenge me?"

She lowered her eyes, but her mouth was set in a firm line. "No."

"Then do not forget your place. I will protect you and your pups, as I have always done, but if you dare to question my integrity again..." He let the threat hang in the air.

She nodded curtly, but he could still see she wasn't happy. Wasn't submissive, and that would cause trouble that he didn't need. She stood without looking at him and in three strides her hand was on the door handle.

In two strides a handful of her hair was in Kaden's palm and he yanked so her neck was exposed. His canines slid easily in her skin, into the same bite he'd made when she joined the pack, piercing the soul of her wolf. She whimpered.