Chapter Two

Cassius's POV

The day had been very fulfilling. Not only did we capture three rogues, but we also took down a gang of humans who were causing mischief in my territory. As alpha of the Onyx Moon Pack, it was my duty to protect all the werewolves in the twelve mile radius. While some guard wolves took the most recently captured rogue to the prison, my beta, Flint, and I traveled back to camp surrounded by fighter wolves.

"What's there left to do?" Flint asked.

"There's a meeting with a neighboring pack alpha later," I responded. "Then there are some patrol schedules to go over. Speaking of which, send Carlos to my office when we get back to the pack house."

The fighter wolves split off as the pack house came into view. Flint and I continued to my office. I had two hours to fill until the meeting. I finished the paperwork for the accomplishments today, sending them to Flint to be filed away. I met with Carlos to schedule patrols. The rest of the time was spent visiting my father. Or well, him visiting me. We sat and discussed the upcoming meeting.

"I want you to be there," I said. "So afterwards I can get your feedback and pick your brain."

My father, Clarence, nodded. "I will if you want me to. It's in thirty minutes, yes?"

"Yes. Flint and Stephen will be attending also. I have extra patrols and guards station around the house and the border. The arriving alphas will be safe, plus they have their own bodyguards."

"You did good, son," praised my father. "Let me ask you this, what are you expecting from this meeting?"

I paused. "I'm not sure. It's just a meeting to talk about the increasing rogue attacks in the area. I would like the outcome be positive."

My father leaned back in his chair. "Here's a tip: have no expectations. Then there's less to be disappointed and stressed about."

No expectations. No expectations. This chant is one I kept repeating as the meeting started. Flint and Stephen stood behind me, Flint on my right, Stephen on my left. My father sat in a chair by the door. The other alpha's second- and third-in-commands were positioned same way behind them.

In total, there were twenty-three wolves in the room. Four alphas: Alpha O'Brien, leader of Ashwood Pack; Alpha Lindsey, leader of Blood Claw Pack; Alpha Cliff, leader of Blue Moon Pack; and Alpha Raphael, leader of Wolfsbane Pack. Each had their beta's and third-in-commands, and two bodyguards.

"Welcome, everyone to Pack Onyx Moon," I started. "Thank you for showing your concern. I know it's not just me who is worried about the increasing rogue attacks."

Alpha Cliff spoke. "I know there have been the least attacks in my territory, but I still would like to provide any aid I can. The rogues are dangerous, especially if they try to organize under a leader."

"That's ridiculous," scoffed Alpha Lindsey. Despite the feminine name, Lindsey was quite muscled and manly. I think it was to combat the rumors caused by the name his parents gave him. "Rogues are rogues because they don't like authority. They live by their own rules and won't follow under anyone."

"But these attacks are not normal," Alpha Raphael pointed out. "I don't think we should rule that out yet."

"Thank you, Alpha Raphael. I agree." I needed to push the conversation in another direction before it turned into a screaming match. "I think we need to discuss border patrols and allies. I know that one of us have been at war with the other at some point in history, but we need to put that all behind us." I took a breath, letting my words sink in. "Alpha O'Brien, you have the most populated pack. Would you be willing to lend wolves to your neighboring packs?"

He looked at Alpha Cliff, unsure. "I'm not sure if I can ignore what Pack Blue Moon has done. But I would be glad to help the rest of you."

Alpha Cliff stood, face red. "I should be saying that to you! How can I trust you after what you did?"

Inwardly, I sighed. This was going to be a long meeting.

⇐O⇒

My neck ached. Rubbing it, I wrote down key notes from the meeting. My father had just left. We discussed the meeting like I wanted, but nothing came of it. The only thing that had been decided was increased patrols. Everyone agreed to that at least. There will have to be another meeting later to talk further in detail. I paused my writing. What if I have one-on-one meetings with each alpha?

"Dude, you need to take a break," suggested Flint, entering the room.

"No, I need to get the schedules done."

He ripped the papers from my hand, spinning the chair away from the desk, and pushing me out the room. The wheels of the chair rumbled loudly against the wooden floor as Flint pushed me into my room.

"Hey, cut it out," I said, jumping out the chair.

"No, tonight we'll go out. We can leave Stephen in charge if you want while we're gone?"

I mulled over his offer. My wolf barked in agreement with my beta's suggestion. There was work to be done, but...going out did sound fun. No. The last time I went out and had fun, someone died.

"Hey."

Flint grabbed my arm. "I know what you're thinking, but it wasn't your fault. We all let Morgan drive home that night."

I sighed. "I know, but...I was the oldest. I was responsible for all of you."

"I know, man. But it happened eight years ago. You need to forgive yourself and move on. Let's go out tonight?"

"Yeah...I'll go out tonight. I do want Stephen in charge."

Flint left me to shower and change. I left specific instructions for Stephen to call me if anything happened. Then I met Flint in his car and we were on our way into town.

"So, where are we going?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know. I figured we'd drive around until we found a place that was good."

We passed by a gas station.

"Well, then I need a smoke. Turn around."

"No, that's a bad habit you need to quit." Flint glanced at me.

"First, you tell me I need to take a break? And now you are telling me I need to quit smoking?" I chuckled humorlessly. "I'm your alpha remember?"

"Fine. Next store we pass I'll stop."

The store that came next was one called Marty's. Flint waited in the car while I went inside to grab a pack. Or two. Tonight might be a long night.

"Hello, welcome to Marty's," the cashier greeted, without glancing up. What an awful worker. My wolf disagreed. He thought she was pretty. I walked around the whole store before I found the cigarettes. I purchased those at the counter, nodding to the male clerk as I left. Then I stopped in the chip aisle to get a snack or two. After choosing a bag of chips both Flint and I would like, I purchased that and a couple drinks. The cashier was pretty up close. Raven locks and emerald eyes.

"$11.43 is your total."

I was snapped out of my trance and handed her my card. After it was paid for, I walked out the door, her saying, "Have a nice night, sir," as the doors shut automatically behind me.

I tossed the bag to Flint when I opened the door. He put the car in drive and continued down the road. We drove around, snacking on chips and drinking. Music played softly from the radio as neither one of us had the urge to talk. The comfortable silence was something I liked about Flint. Stephen was a little bit more boisterous and talked more. Flint wasn't afraid of silence.

Flint and I had been friends since elementary school when I saved him from an upperclassmen bullying him. I chose him as my beta because I knew I could trust him to have my back and challenge me. Stephen, I met in my last year of high school. It was a chance meeting. We bumped into each on the street. He spilled coffee on my jacket and offered to wash it. We exchanged numbers so we could meet up to return the jacket. Afterwards, we just texted each other and slowly became friends. Flint and Stephen clicked when they first got together. I laughed inwardly, thinking of that meeting. They had gotten along so well that I was scared that they'd forget about me and hang out with each other instead.

"Hey, want to go to D3. It's been awhile since we've been there."

I nodded. "Yeah. Like a year or so. Sure. Their signature drink is my favorite."

Flint parked. The bouncer didn't even ask for ID when we entered. We got a table and ordered a two dragon hearts. Flint wasn't a heavy drinker like me. He was a lightweight. But when he got drunk, he became super flirty. Slightly different from his normal personality. He was reserved only in the love department.

"Hey, I'm going to the bathroom."

"Alright," I replied, sipping my drink, watching the club-goers. I saw Sterling maneuvering her way through the crowd, groping and smacking stranger's asses as she passed by. She was a regular at D3. I met her four years ago. I was dancing with a girl, who's name I can't remember, when Sterling pushed that girl out of the way and slipped into my arms. We chatted a little before making out and taking it to the back stock room. It had been the best sex of my nineteen year old life at the time. I've had better since then, but it was nostalgic seeing her here dancing...with a girl that looked familiar.

"Whatcha looking at?"

Jumping, I didn't realize Flint had returned.

"I'll be back," I said, setting my glass down.

"I expect a thank you in the morning!" he called after me.

I lost Sterling and the girl in the crowd, but felt something instead. I gravitated toward the bar, then past it. When I spotted her, I froze. It was the girl from the grocery store. As if she could sense my eyes on her, she turned and stared at me. Her friend leaned over, saying something to her. The girl looked unsure when she responded. Then, whatever her friend said made her chug the rest of her drink, get out of her seat, and march toward me. Our eyes never left each other as I met her halfway. Without thinking, I grabbed her waist, pulling her to me. Her scent filled my senses. Citrus and coconut. A weird combination that fit her perfectly.

<Mate.>

My wolf howled, sparks igniting where she touched. We broke out into a low grind. I automatically went to her neck, relishing in her scent. Poking my tongue out, I licked a strip up her neck and she shivered. She pulled me in for a kiss before dropping down to my neck. I don't know how long we continued before I gave in to the needs of my wolf.

"Want to get out of here?"

She nodded. On the way to the car, she pulled out her phone, texting someone. She stopped and stared at my bike when we pulled up next to it. The 1957 Harley sportster was my biggest pride. I had bought her at her most unsalvageable stage and brought her back to life.

I climbed on, handing her a helmet, missing her touch as she put it on. I was worried about her skimpy clothes making her cold, but put it aside when my wolf became antsy. The hotel we went to was one I had never gone to before. This night was going to be different from all my other hook-ups, that included the cheap hotel we went to. This one was not on the cheap side. It costed a pretty penny, but that's what my mate deserved.

She waited on the bike while I bought the room. When we entered it, I wasted no time in yanking off my shirt. I wanted and needed her. So did my wolf. Climbing onto the bed, I saw her pull out her phone again. Pulling her onto the bed, I kissed her eagerly, traveling to her neck, to her collar bone, and then to her breasts. She shivered. Something in me snapped. My wolf, trying to take over, let out a growl, which emanated from my throat. He flipped her over before I could get control back. I didn't want to scare her. As I hovered over her, she took advantage of the position to feel my chest. My wolf moaned low.

I ripped off her shirt, kissing her toned stomach. When we pulled away, we were both panting. Her hand found my belt, while mine found the back of her bra. She continued to undo my pants when I paused. Her ministrations stopped and she looked up at me. She nodded. That was all the permission I needed. I tore away any other clothing that barred us from each other. I kissed and licked that turned into dark hickeys. They trailed from her neck all the way to her thighs. I went slow at first, savoring the taste of her, but she growled for me to hasten the prep. Both my wolf and I moaned in ecstasy when we were seated in her.

This time was different from all the other woman. There wasn't a single woman who I could compare to. All thoughts of my other partners fled from my mind. I rocked quickly into her by her command, but held her and kissed her sweetly so she'd know how much she already meant to me. When I cradled her against me, pleasure bloomed through both my wolf and I. We were both grunting and moaning when she came. There was no use in fighting coming so soon; it was pointless.

Scared that it was all a dream and she'd be gone when I woke up, I trapped her against my chest, encaged by my arms. I never snuggled after sex, too intimate. Now, it was perfect. For the first time in a while, I fell asleep, at ease.

⇐O⇒

Distant ringing broke through the drowsiness of sleep. I ignored it, favoring to go back to sleep instead. My wolf and I were rarely this happy and I didn't want it to end. I rolled over, away from the wall of light. The bed moved and I groaned in protest. Wait. Why was the bed moving? The memories from last night replayed through my head. The girl. Gwena. I sat up, seeing her shirtless. She threw on her shirt and ran out the door.

"Hey, wait—"

She didn't listen. My wolf was confused to why she was leaving? We were mates? Unless, Gwena wasn't a wolf? I shook my head. No, she was one. I smelled her. I ran out the door after her, sliding the deadbolt in place to keep from locking myself out. By the time I spotted her, she was hopping into a red car and driving away. Groaning, I leaned against the railing, head hanging.

My frustration didn't go away, even when I met back up with Flint and returned to the pack house. If anything, it grew the more I thought about Gwena. My main question: Why? Eighteen is the mating age. She was old enough to feel the connection. Right? She was at the bar which means she's at least twenty-one. D3 is good at keeping underaged teenagers out. The only explanation is that Gwena didn't like me for her mate.

My wolf whined.

<I'm sure that's not the case.> I hope it wasn't true. Or our heart would break. I always fantasied about when and where I'd meet my mate. My parents were happily mated for forty years. It was my hope that my mate and I would have their type of friendship and connection that they did.

"Cassius, are you okay?" asked Stephen.

I huffed. "No."

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I..." Should I say? What if this was a dream and by saying it out loud makes it true? I sighed. "I met my mate last night."

His face brightened. "That's awesome, Cassius! Why aren't you happy!"

"Because...she ran away... And now I won't ever see her again," I whined, banging my head against the table.

Stephen leaned forward in his chair. "I'm sorry. That sucks."

At that moment, Flint walked in. "What are you guys talking about?"

Stephen piped up before I could answer. "Cassius met his mate last night and she left him."

"What!" Flint whipped toward him. "Why didn't you tell me, dude?" He took a seat beside Stephen.

"I didn't...I don't know." I laid my head on the table. "I guess I'll never have a mate now."

Flint laughed. "Wow, this girl has got you all messed up. The Cassius I know wouldn't have given up."

"Yeah," agreed Stephen. "I remember when you didn't give up on your Harley. Or that time Flint dared you to stand naked in the backyard all night."

I sat up, invigorated. "You're right."

Flint and Stephen chuckled, but I tuned them out. Ever since I turned eighteen, I woke up with one thought every morning: I wonder if I'll meet my mate today. For the last five years, it never happened and when it did, she ran away. Well, I was Cassius Huntington and I was going to find my mate no matter if I had to travel through forests, jungles, and oceans. I'll look in alleys, ditches, even the moon!

"I'm going to find her."