The crowd took three steps back as they heard the growl of their Alpha.
A mischievous smile played on Bianca's lips, and she looked at Black with a jaded expression. "What?" Black rested his forehead against the back of his Luna's neck and growled, "You keep your clothes on, Love." Bianca started to open her mouth, but a high-pitched squeal of excitement sounded further up the steps leading to the massive pack house. "OH. BY.THE. MOON. GODDESS! Our Luna is finally here!" The Frenchwoman was surprised when she discovered a young woman sitting in a wheelchair. This stranger gave her a radiant smile and began to gesture to ask them to come closer to her. She was a brunette with her hair tied in a thick braid. She wore a yellow strapless dress that fell to her ankles and a simple denim jacket. Creoles hung from her ears, complementing the various bracelets and multiple chains she had chosen as jewelry that morning. Magnus nodded and guided B"A unicorn?" asked Black, surprised once again by his Luna's remark. Bianca burst out laughing when she saw the rugged look he had adopted. She showed him the room with both hands and gave him a simple smile. "No, but look at this room. It's not a room. It's Disneyland for introverted adults." _Disneyland? And, is that a good thing?" asked Maska. "We've had several reports on her tastes. There's little chance she won't like the decor," Magnus said. Black placed a hand on the small of his soul mate's back and encouraged her to enter. The room was huge, and the ceiling height was impressive. Bianca did not know where to turn. The interior was made of light wood. At each large window was a reading corner with comfortable benches and softly colored cushions. Small shelves of books went up from the floor to ceiling to decorate the window frames. A colossal bed in shades of cream. A small living room near a fireplace. Bianca
Black started to open his mouth to answer her, but three knocks on the door prevented him from giving Bianca an answer. Maska's growl echoed through the room's space, caused by the outside interruption. On the other hand, Bianca rolled her eyes and stood up to open the door. "I wonder who that could be." Black jumped up from the bench where they were sitting and followed her like her shadow. "It's pretty easy to guess. Only one person can come and disturb me in our room without fear of consequences, Love. And, I could feel her coming... I didn't think she would dare knock on the door, though." Bianca, who had put her hand on the handle, paused and looked up at him. She gave him a big, amused smile. "What?" he asked. "Our room. It's amazing how quickly you've adapted to my presence beside you," she replied. Black placed his hand on Bianca's and opened the door while putting his other arm around her waist. He made no effort to silence Maska's g
Mat held Rosy tightly in his arms and grinned broadly as he spotted Bianca. "I'm just dropping her off. I have to leave quickly to take care of the Café. However, I have to pick her up later, Augustine's orders." * * * He and the others had worried about her When they had heard that the Frenchwoman had found herself in the clutches of the Mad One. But his concerns had been quickly swept away. Indeed, Mat had been surprised to receive a phone call from Beta Duncan yesterday, asking if it was possible to bring Rosy into their pack. The young man from the Wind Tribe was even more surprised when he learned that Elder Augustine would drop the girl off at the Crossroad Café. When Augustine had handed Rosy over to him, she had whined about not being separated from him. Augustine had gently reprimanded her before she agreed to return to Mat's arms. "Aren't you coming with us, Elder?" asked Mat. "No. My presence in a pack of wolves is e
Black's eyes suddenly became cloudy. Bianca flinched slightly when she noticed it, but she remained perfectly still. She knew he was telepathically communicating with someone and was anxious to know who it was. Magnus quickly ran his hand over his eyes before resting it gently against Rosy's back. "Duncan will be here in a few moments. He should be able to give us a list of the red male wolves," he explained almost in a whisper. He was worried he'd wake Rosy if he spoke too loudly. Bianca took Magnus's arm in hers, then laid her head against his shoulder. A slight smile played on her lips as she watched the green landscape through the large floor-to-ceiling windows. * _ Whoooo, imagine for a moment if it was our cub in our arms, Maska suggested, tongue hanging out at her side. "That would be absolute perfection," Magnus immediately replied. * The delicate scent of their Luna, combined with the mellow s
Bianca had a violent backward movement, but Black blocked her against him. Maska had snarled in his mind, displeased that their Mate was trying to get away from them. "Love..." "You can't tell me that Rosy is risking her life by staying here and asking me to stay calm," she said between her teeth. She had made sure not to speak too loudly for fear of waking Rosy. She reached forward to grab the little girl, but Black stopped her by holding her wrists between her fingers. The Alpha could feel the waves of anger surging against him. He had to reassure his soul mate quickly because he recognized the symptoms of the beginning of a panic attack in her: "Love, this is the reason I need to meet the vampire. That old leech is a member of the Council, and he hasn't done anything. He is perfectly aware of her existence. Besides, she's been under his protection for a while, and I want to talk to him to understand." Sh
Alo placed his hands flat on the table in front of him. Then he took a deep breath, and a golden flash lit up his eyes for a moment.Dhara smiled as she saw him right before her, using the spirits."Good. We should be perfectly fine for as long as this meeting lasts," Old Al' explained before looking at Bianca, "The Crossroad Café is taking on its primary role tonight, that is, as a neutral place where all species can meet on an equal footing. And, most importantly, putting aside old grudges. I emphasize this point because the two entities on this table tonight are, so to speak, never on good terms."Bianca nodded, then raised her hand as if to ask to speak.Old Al' smiled at her, simply waiting for her to talk.Bianca's eyes roamed over all the people around the table:"Why are you and Dhara present? I mean, this story is all about my Mate and Augustin, right?"A growl of satisfaction came from the wolf's throat, pleased to hear his Luna call him that in
After the shock, the meeting could finally begin.Alo had handed one of the Crossroad Café t-shirts to Alpha Black.Because of his wolf's tail, he had been forced to cover his nudity with a tablecloth.Bianca had to press her lips together to keep from smiling and regain her seriousness. She pushed a small cry of surprise when she felt her chair being brought closer to that of Magnus. A shiver of satisfaction ran through her when she felt the bushy tail of the animal come to surround her hips and then come to rest on her knees.Black put an arm around the back of his Luna, finally finding an advantage in this incomplete transformation: he had more surface to touch her and thus remain in contact with her:"Partial punishment, Love?" he grumbled as he came to nibble Bianca's ear.She laughed mischievously:"A punishment should remain a punishment, Mate. And, besides, if your punishment involves a blessing for my eyes, that's fine."*_ Ooooh, this i
Bianca let out a hiccup of surprise and quickly turned her head to Magnus:"You're a hybrid?"The Alpha merely nodded, displeased that the conversation had turned to him."You're half what?" Bianca immediately asked, her eyes burning with curiosity."His wolf is colossal and loaded with ancient magic," Dhara said."No way! Magnus is half wolf, half-witch?! Is that why the earth looked like it had burned up in the Crescent Moon Pack when you let Maska take your place?" exclaimed Bianca.The people around the table had to press their lips together and look away to avoid bursting into laughter.Alo cleared his throat, trying to keep a straight face:"No. He's not half a witch, Bianca."The young woman quickly raised a hand to ask him to stop talking. Then she began to tap on the table in front of her:"Wait, I really want to try to guess! Scorched earth... Half dragon?" she asked Magnus.The Alpha, initially annoyed, relaxed at having her hav
"Magnus," a voice from another time called softly.Black suddenly opened his eyes and looked around, searching in panic for Bianca.They had returned from the Crossroad Café. And, he had spent the rest of the day making sure that his Luna no longer carried the scent of the other Alphas males who had been in the Café. Once tranquilized and fully satisfied, he fell asleep by keeping the body of Bianca firmly against him."Magnus," the voice called again.He leaped to his feet, growling and threatening the mystical voice that echoed around him. He was surprised when he realized he was in the clearing where his pack gathered on full moon nights. His eyebrows furrowed as he saw the Moon Star so close to the Earth. Time seemed to stand still, and the air was filled with magic.Magnus looked down at his open palms and was surprised to find Wind Tribe patterns on his skin. It was as if an artist had drawn the ancient symbols with silver ink."Magnus," the voice articulated again, this time sou
It was at this moment that the doors of the Crossroad Café opened to let the other Alphas in. The men were impressively large and radiated a strength typical of Alphas. They all bowed slightly to the Mad One and looked disgusted when they saw Augustine. "We demand to see the hybrid, and we demand punishment for the parents who dared to give birth to him," one of them said firmly. Bianca immediately turned her head toward the new group of wolves, her eyes like silver orbs. She raised her finger to them, showing them her wolf's fangs: "Sit down and be quiet, you morons." Magnus smirked. Bianca had just called them "morons," and now he knew the deep contempt she felt for all of them. They all stood up straight. They started walking like disjointed puppets and took their places on a chair around the big table. The Alphas looked at each other in terror, realizing their wolves would not allow them to disobey the order
Bianca gave him a beaming smile and snickered. "What do you think, Ari?" "Who's Elle?" snarled Magnus, displeased to the core that the cub would dare call his Luna so familiarly and worse: they had acquaintances in common that he had no idea about. Off to the side, Augustine straightened up and shot an accusing look at Alo. "Old man, leader of the Wind Tribe, what does this mean?" Old Al raised his hands as a sign of peace, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "That's the primary function of the Crossroad Café, to provide a refuge to rest." Harry jumped on his legs, stumbling and losing his balance as he tried to walk to the stairs. However, when he reached Bianca's level, she grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him back, preventing him from moving forward. "Hell no, dumb Ari!" she declared curtly. Everyone present was surprised to see the anger on Bianca's face. She was furious with him and p
Harry found himself on all fours on the ground, crushed by a monstrous force that forced him to submit. He tried to raise his head, but it was as if an invisible, monstrous hand was pressing against his neck. He barely managed to raise his eyes and met the incandescent gaze of the Mad One. In his mind, he could hear the heartbreaking cries of his wolf. The animal part of him bowed to the ground before a colossal black presence. Bianca started to take a step toward the Red Moon Alpha, but Black lifted her with one arm to rest her against his hip. With each additional step Magnus took, Harry felt more and more crushed to the ground. His breathing became labored, and he felt like his lungs and heart were being squeezed by an invisible force. Alpha Black looked down at him, his usual cold, the impassive expression on his face. However, no one could ignore the dull rage emanating from him. He placed a kiss against the temple of his Lu
As everyone waited for the bacon to cook, the door to the Café opened to reveal Connor, the Red Moon Beta. He bowed respectfully to Alpha Black but couldn't help but grimace in disgust when he saw the Vampire. Black, as usual, ignored him completely. His attention was focused on the upper floor of the café. He didn't understand what was happening but could feel Bianca's euphoria through their soulmate bond. Maska was trying to communicate with Mitexi. However, the she-wolf and the human had created high barriers around their minds. "Many moons since I've seen you, Alpha Harry," Old Al' greeted warmly, recognizing the imposing redhead who had just entered. The Alpha moved closer to them and watched wordlessly as the men gathered around the little girl. He'd been living in seclusion for many moons, and being around many people today made him and his wolf extremely uncomfortable. He'd surprised Connor this morning by telling him he'd be coming to the meeting
Bianca watched nervously outside as Magnus drove their car toward the Crossroad Café. _I'm with you, Bianca. You have nothing to worry about," Mitexi tried to reassure her. _Mate isn't feeling well," Maska grumbled to Magnus. The Alpha took his Luna's hand and intertwined their fingers. "Is it the prospect of meeting the other pack leaders that scares you, Love?" he asked his Luna. Bianca nodded and nervously scratched her thumbnail with the ring and middle fingers of the same hand. "You can talk to me, Love. There's no harm in expressing your fears out loud. It is our honor, Maska and I, to be here to listen to you and reassure you," he continued. "I won't say that you have nothing to fear, but know that I will be by your side throughout the meeting. As much as it disgusts me to have to tell you, the leech... I mean, Augustine will be there too." Bianca smiled slightly and leaned to the side so she could hug th
Luna saw the Alpha's eyes turn their incandescent color. Mitexi, now entirely in control of the human body, straightened up and slid to the ground. Maska grabbed her by the hips, "What are you doing, Mate?" The silver-eyed she-wolf gave him a defiant smile and pushed him backward. "Sit down. Don't move," she ordered him. Bianca had squealed with excitement and was covering her eyes as she hopped up and down on her legs. "Oh yeah! Show him who's boss, Mitexi!" Maska took on a puppy dog look, his bottom lip trembling slightly. "Mate didn't like it when I licked her. Mate is not satisfied." Mitexi laughed, nodding her head no. Then she let her hands slide from his shoulders, down his torso, belly, and thighs, to find herself kneeling in front of him. She began to purr as she helped him undo his pants and pulled out the impressive erection right in front of her face. Maska wide
Black began to kiss Bianca's lips gently. He placed small kisses, pressing more insistently at times and pulling his head back as soon as she sought to deepen the kiss he gave her. Bianca wrinkled her nose and tilted her head to the side. "If you're done, I'm going back to Jane. I couldn't finish my conversation with her the other day." Black merely looked at her, his face perfectly inexpressive. Then he lifted Bianca to come and lay her down against the desk. The young woman suggestively raised her eyebrows and swallowed a small cry when the Alpha spread her legs to come and place himself between them. Black began to stroke the young woman's neck with the bridge of his nose. He began to growl, his voice mixed with Maska's: "Why is my Luna wearing pants today? Mate knows she has to wear a dress in the pack house. Mate must easily remain accessible to us." Bianca gave him a beaming smile and shook her hand
"What does this mean, Duncan?" asked Black, throwing a stack of papers in his Beta's face. Duncan had remained perfectly impassive, too used to his Alpha's mood swings. His only regret today was that he hadn't asked his Luna to join them in the office. "Exactly what the papers say, Alpha Black. The packs are asking to see the hybrid Rosy," the Beta replied calmly, bowing his head. Duncan swallowed hard. His Alpha's lethal energy was growing at a phenomenal rate, and he felt his organs being completely crushed. "Why?" the Alpha grunted as he backed up against his leather chair. "Why what, Alpha?" said Duncan. "Why do they want to meet her? What's in it for them? What need do they have to see a girl's face? Are they challenging me, Duncan? Can't you see how many possibilities lie beneath these seemingly candid requests?" The Alpha's eyes flickered red, showing the wolf's surface presence. _We have given an