Twenty-one

Mourgent stiffened behind Zazriel as she gasped the name and the alpha gave a smile and bowed. "Alpha Zazriel, it's good to see you again."

"I haven't seen you since…"

"Since before your father died," Hauser said softly. He then turned his head to Mourgent. "Please forgive me. I mean no disrespect."

Mourgent felt his hands ball. "How do you know Zazriel?"

"Her father was my friend. She's practically my daughter I've known her all her life."

This didn't make Mourgent relax, but what Zazriel said next did. "Hauser, this is my mate, Alpha Mourgent."

Hauser seemed surprised, but gave Mourgent a level gaze. "You have a strong female, Alpha. Don't lose her."

Mourgent felt like ripping the alpha's head off, but didn't. Instead, he nodded. "I don't plan on losing her. For any reason."

Hauser made his goodbyes and left with his pack mates. Mourgent took Zazriel back home and sat in their room, watching her wheel over to the closet to find clean clothes. "Does he have a son?"

She spun and gave him a raised brow. "Jealous?"

"Don't tease me, Z."

She sighed. "No. He lost his son at birth." She grabbed clothes and wheel back to him. "But even if he did, even if he had several sons, I wouldn't have been interested in them."

"You can't know that."

Zazriel smiled. "Mourgent, I wasn't even interested in you when we first met. I had no room for a mate while running my pack. I didn't want that responsibility of protecting them."

Mourgent tilted his head. "You don't have to protect me, Z."

"No, I don't." She sighed again. "But I was scared of having a weaker mate. Someone I'd have to protect, so I never went looking for my mate."

They redressed and went to the meeting that would introduce everyone and allow each alpha to explain their needs and wants. However, the meeting didn't focus on those things, but on Zazriel. Mourgent felt their scrutiny on her disability. Knew they felt her unfit to lead a pack.

Zazriel didn't meet any of their eyes, and seemed intimidated. Mourgent growled, making all gazes snap to him, including Zazriel's. "If you have a problem with my mate, you may go up against her to see just how able she is!"

Zazriel's eyes widened, but she relaxed and straightened her shoulders.

Marric stood and bowed his head. "I mean no offense, Mourgent-"

"Then do not say what you are thinking!"

Marric hesitated, but decided to go on. "While I understand many wolves have disabilities, no alpha wolf has an injury so crippling that they can't walk."

Mourgent raised a brow. "She can walk. She can fight. She can do anything and everything the rest of us can."

Zazriel put a hand on his arm and he settled back in his chair, grabbing her hand and squeezing it gently. She looked to the other alpha and gave him a level gaze. "As Mourgent has stated, Alpha. If you wish to find out for yourself how weak I am, please meet me for a sparring some time this week."

Marric didn't back down. "I will not beat down a wounded wolf who can't defend themselves."

Mourgent roared, but it was Zazriel who shifted in her chair and hopped onto the table, glaring Marric down. It was a huge difference from when the house was attacked, Mourgent thought. He realized his mate was perfectly fine with defending others and even her status as an Alpha, but wasn't as good when it was a direct attack to her emotionally.

Mourgent stood slowly and put an arm around his mate's middle, keeping her from attacking. "Marric, we can discuss your doubts and disrespect later. For now, we have other important discussions. Please sit down and stop insulting my mate."

Marric kept eye contact with Zazriel for a long moment before obeying orders. Zazriel, on the other hand, didn't relax or let Mourgent pull her back. She was growling very low in her throat, limbs primed to lunge.

"Z, I will give you free reign to rip him apart if he accepts a challenge. But right now isn't the time or place," Mourgent whispered in her ear.

She gave a louder growl.

"Zazriel, please come to me."

She kept growling another minute before taking a step back. Mourgent felt her body shudder before relaxing. She allowed him to lift her into his lap and hold her, resting her head on his chest.

"We are not here to judge my mate," he said to the other alphas. "We are here to build friendships and alliances. To be at peace with each other. Now, either be civilized or leave." No one moved, so Mourgent started the meeting.

Zazriel is now back in her human form two hours later. She hadn't known what came over her, why she wanted to take the alpha out, but it embarrassed her more than she would admit to Mourgent. Instead, she hid her face from him, kept quiet, and gave soft answers.

She was just about to leave Mourgent's house when said mate knelt beside her and made her look at him. "Do not feel embarrassed or guilty for what happened today."

She blinked in surprise. "Even though I didn't listen?"

He smiled. "You were defending your honor as an alpha. There's nothing wrong with that. I'm just glad you did and didn't back down until he did."

She blushed. "Do you think he will challenge me?"

Mourgent shrugged. "Marric is a newer alpha and is unpredictable. I do not know him like the others."

"If he does challenge me, what will happen?"

"Since he is the one who made the challenge, you will get to pick when and where the sparring will take place. You can also choose what form to fight in." He smiled. "But I don't think you'll have trouble in either form."

Zazriel smiled back. "You'll be there?"

"I have to be," he said with a chuckle. "It's my territory. And my mate."

She nodded in relief.

Zazriel and Mourgent hung out with Carlotta and Zelda along with a few wolves from other packs, before heading to dinner. There, Indrik joined them. As Mourgent had described, the male was more mellow than what he presumed. As Zazriel watched her mate interact with Indrik, she began to feel comfortable.

They sat down together and ate venison, roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes. As they are, she noticed Indrik glancing at her, curiosity in his eyes. It wasn't like at the meetings where Marric had judged her, but pure curiosity.

She set her utensils down and smiled at the male. "Ask, Indrik."

Mourgent glanced between them, but she didn't need his help with this. Indrik wiped his mouth with a napkin before saying, "You don't strike me as the female to be sharing her pack."

Now, she smiled with amusement. "And why is that?"

"Your aura is very dominant. I don't mean to offend, Zazriel, but I would have thought that Mourgent's mate would have been more submissive."

"A submissive wolf would not have given me a hard time to get to know her," Mourgent stated with a smirk in her direction.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not sure a submissive would have given Mourgent the challenges he truly needs."

Mourgent chuckled. "Z, if I wanted easy, I wouldn't be an alpha."

She grinned. Indrik cleared his throat and said, "May I ask a personal question, Zazriel?"

She turned to the male and nodded. "Yes."

"What happened to you?"

She raised a brow. "Be specific, Indrik. That's a broad question."

He gave her a small smile. "You are hard and obviously worked hard for yourself. I know you were an alpha of your own pack, so joining Mourgent's couldn't have been easy. So, what happened to make you so hard?"

Her smile faltered. She didn't dare look at Mourgent for help. She just kept the eye contact with Indrik. "That is a story I have only ever told one person. I'm sorry, Indrik, but the reason is something I don't wish to share with you."

Indrik bowed his head. "Understood. No hard feelings." He looked back at her. "I hope you can become my friend and share some of your secrets with me."