4. Ayr

From the second the drawbridge came into view I felt eyes on me. 

It’s unsettling. Prickling away. Left me expecting a sniper's bullet at any second. 

Staring up at the sheer white cliff face with its warren of blindingly white balconies, windows and nooks carved everywhere it’s a place of lost decadence. What can happen when a pack is allowed to grow in peace for generations. 

My packhouse is whichever building has enough bedrooms and hasn’t been set on fire in the past six months. So I should be used to being watched from the shadows.

Initially, I thought the prickly heat came from Luna Elle. Undoubtedly beautiful, despite the slightly crooked nose. She is light and charming. Her figure elegantly displayed with her midnight blue gown. Captivating amber eyes and a winning smile. 

No issues so far. Almost perfect, beigely-compliant wife material. All manners and poise. Just as my Betas had suggested. 

I don’t feel crude thinking like that when I know she is sizing me up in exactly the same way. My height, breadth, blue eyes and blonde hair are all she’s judging me on right now. My credentials are being judged from every angle.

Holding her hand to kiss it softly meant we both knew straight away there was no mate bond either. 

A pity but my wolf remains edgy all the same. She must be nervous too. After all, we all know why I am here.

A troubled pack like Kallio is an opportunity for the Volare Clan to expand. 

Expansion is the only way to keep the other wolves from the door. Unlike Kallio I don’t have the luxury of a wide, violent river for defense. 

If they want to stop anyone getting in they simply pull up the one rickety wooden bridge that links them to the rest of the world. Safety in their ignorance. Even as the river washes the blood of my people down to the sea,

Surrounded on three sides, just the other side of the river we have had to be tough. Ruthless even. Rogues and other packs catch a hint of weakness and they come for blood. 

So my Volare Clan give them no opportunity. 

We are men of steel. Unbreakable. Merciless when we need to be.

My Betas, Raphael and Lucas have been providing me with reports for months. The spending, the wayward decisions. However, it means I have had my hand forced. 

If there is to be any benefit in taking on Kallio it needs to be before the place runs to bankruptcy and anarchy. 

Personally, marriage holds no appeal for me. I had hoped to find my mate. 

To feel souls collide. My father never found his and it was his biggest regret.

I want a woman perfectly made for me and my pack. I want to do things the right way. Pass on a legacy to be proud of instead of another blood-soaked banner.

But a marriage of convenience, it can still be made to work. All the discussions prior to coming here had led to the same agreement. 

Beta Raphael, his heavy, dark features always reminding me of volcanoes gave me statistics. Gold, mining, farmland, population. Endlessly reeling data. 

Beta Lucas, his best friend and just as roguishly dark with a thick head of curls, was full of rumors, dealing in shadows rather than facts. 

“You know the only way you’ll get her to marry you is if the Elders agree,” he murmured over drinks the night before we set off. Sat at a long wooden drinking bench away from the other men it didn’t stop the scent of roast meat and beer filling the air.

Planting my heavy glass back on the wooden table I quietly checked. “The Elders?”

“Old bastards in robes. Celibate miseries. Live like monks. They have way too much influence,” Lucas growled, examining the remnants of his emptied glass. “Brent, Elder Brent is the one you want to be friends with. Looks like a shaved mole without the robe.”

Raphael’s green-eyed gaze sharpened, attending to his notebook, his black locks tumbling across his forehead. “So the guy with all the connections to gold mines is persuading the women in charge to buy a shitload of gold. I’d be watching my fucking back to be honest. He won’t like losing control.”

Lucas nodded, sticking his lips out as he considered the point. “Well then, the Elders  accepted your request to visit so there must be some point to it all.”

I nodded. I’m not bothered by rancid old monks. The amount of men I’ve already had to kill, including other Alpha’s means I cannot be intimidated by any man now. 

Not when a pack is counting on me. My branding, a golden steak, like a sunbeam down my lower spine reminds me of my obligations. Royal blood. A stronger wolf than others, designed to protect and lead.

Sipping my beer I waved away the friendly barmaid, my mind fixed on the visit. “I’m just going to play it cool.”

Plonking himself back at the bar table with a wide smile, pulling his honey-blonde shaggy hair into a bun, my young cousin Marcus decided to speak up. 

Hair tended to, he folded his arms, leaning up on the table like an excited child. “What about the nutjob sister? The one who was meant to be Luna? She sounds like a treat.”

“Cassandra?” I replied and noticed my dark-haired Beta’s heads tilt to the side. “Well? What about her? And no you fucking can’t start proposing yourself,” I add in before he gets any ideas. It isn’t a cattle sale.

“She killed Alpha Kallio, yet lives in the packhouse! Not even in prison!” Lucas started before Raphael interrupted. “Because Luna Sana and Elle insist her boyfriend was behind it. She was just caught up, played for a fool. She’s a simpleton they say.”

“Well what’s the truth?” I reply, expecting something out of my Beta’s but instead I get blank stares. I can feel my wolf's irritation rise to match my own. So, I inhale and stand from the table. “Guess I’ll be finding that out when I get there then. Nice prepping dickheads. How many months have you had on this?”

“Alpha!” they all exclaimed, but I needed the fresh air on my face. Stepping outside the wooden inn I look out at the makeshift wooden town my people are forced to live in. 

It’s not good enough. They deserve safety. The chance to flourish.

My wolf is unsettled. Not keen on this trip at all. But it is only for a few days. All the reports in the world are no substitute for the real thing. 

So when I took my first steps inside the stunning white stone atrium my wolf almost instantly found her.

The source of my irritation and prickling skin. It left me tingling like I'd been snared in an assassin's crosshairs.

The pair of flashing silver eyes that swiftly darted away, but not quickly enough. The murderer. The woman foolish enough to throw away her chance at being a Luna. 

I’m no fool. I saw Elle grow uncomfortable once I started asking questions. But her sister should be locked up. Maybe even put to death. Then the population can be satisfied that justice has been done. 

Poor Luna Elle is risking pack tensions out of misguided loyalty for her savage, unsaveable sister.

Strangely the flash of silver in her iris made something twist deep inside me. It’s not quite going to the freak show, but she’s certainly unlike any woman I’ve ever met before.

Despite her fearsome reputation, everyone went quiet as Cassandra slowly descended the stairs. Her hair is a short, ragged collection of dark brown curls. Yet her high cheekbones caught the light gracefully. 

In the right outfit she could look as regal as her sister, right now she looks insane. Wearing a black, baggy mens blazer, fastened over the top of a long, plain black gown. It resembles a straight-jacket. 

Everyone's eyes are fixed on her. Including my own. If the rumors had suggested she practiced witchcraft, I’d believe it because I cannot stop staring. 

She doesn’t spare me a single glance. That fact annoys me more than it should. 

Maybe they’ve wheeled her out on purpose to distract me. Throw me off guard. I clear my throat, demand my wolf focus and not look at how delicately pale her neck and cheeks are.

She should be meek but her tall, regal frame and the way her shoulders refuse to sag suggest another emotion is at play. 

My useless blonde cousin Marcus has his jaw practically on the floor. Unsubtle dog.

A quick thrill runs down my spine when her scent, fragrant coconut, hits me hard. 

Different from the sweetly floral lilt of her sister. Different from any other woman I’ve ever come across. It’s the very definition of tantalizing and I find myself inhaling more than necessary. 

It takes Raphael clearing his throat behind me to prompt me back into the real world and not keep staring at the silent, composed woman before me. My Betas fiery, dark eyebrows narrowed at me, clearly wondering why his Alpha had turned mute.

“Miss Cassandra,” I start, not entirely sure what the proper title for a dethroned Luna is. It seems I got it wrong anyway. Her head jerks upwards and I am met with the full force of her amber-coloured stare. 

No easy, shining smile or dimpled cheeks from this sister. No handshake either. She had her wolf under control, not a hint of silver remaining in her gaze. I know already she is no simpleton.

“Alpha Ayr.” 

Her acknowledgement is, however, ruthlessly cold.

Luna Elle approached and gently wrapped her hand around her sister's fingers. “Cassie, would you like to join us for dinner? I know these occasions can be stressful, you don’t normally attend-” 

“Love to,” she interrupted. 

“Are you sure?” Elle answered quickly, her own amber eyes widening. I think Cassie just called her bluff, the tension between them clear to everyone.

“I do not think that is the best course of action,” rolled a grainy male voice and I got my first view of the much-discussed Elders. 

This one looks like a decaying mushroom. Wrinkled and gray-faced, his brown robes shuffled around his feet. “Apologies, I do not believe we have been introduced yet. Elder Brent, Luna's counsel.”

I square my shoulders and offer my hand to the shabby-looking old man out of courtesy. 

“Elder Brent might be right, Cassie, let us think of your health,” Ellie tries again. I drag my gaze from the older sister to try and at least give Luna Elle a respectful amount of attention.

But I know the murderous wretch is still staring at me. I can feel it. Every second. It feels like my skin is being printed. Then my wolf urges me to stand taller, make sure she sees the best of us. 

But then my brain bristles with outrage. Why am I seeking to impress a killer? 

A manipulative liar who had danced her way out of the hangman's noose. Maybe those captivating eyes are how she managed it. When she speaks again I cannot even pretend to look at Elle, I am immediately diverted to her pale, composed figure.

“No, I would like to dine with everyone. I believe I would like to get to know the man who wants to take over Kallio and destroy our fathers legacy,” Cassie replies in a voice that's almost too calm and cool as she takes a vicious swipe at my honor.

“Cassie!” Luna Elle squeaks, blushing a deep red. “That is not what is happening. It’s not a takeover! We are not at war!”

But Cassandra completely ignores her sister and instead turns on me with the full force of her irritation, a pinwheel of silver flaring out across her iris.  

She’s addressing her sister but staring right at me. I’m caught in a strange trap. One that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

“You’re here to discuss marriage aren’t you?”

“Yes, among other topics,” I replied stiffly, finding no reason to lie to this angry witch.

Her gaze sizes me up ruthlessly, just a wrinkle of her nose. “It will be Kallio that folds to him. This will be Volare territory, forgetting generations of history, yes Elle?” 

I cannot hide the flash of irritation, my jaw quickly clenching. But Cassie kept going, not flinching in her assessment. 

“This marriage and its cheap, meaningless vows would be the final act of bringing the Kallio pack to its knees. Our fathers legacy, fully demolished.”

“Hush your mouth you-” Elder Brent starts, his wooden staff clicking on the stone floor but I interrupt. 

“Excuse me, I have no intention of weakening this pack. Nor taking any vows lightly.”

Cassie continues to look square at me and despite her outrageous rudeness her glimmering eyes make my wolf purr with respect. I wondered what it took to make her mouth unfurl into a  smile, or even a laugh. Right now she was as severe as the grave.

“Then I look forward to hearing how you have fallen in love with my sister. If your vows are not to be meaningless,” getting another sarcastic snipe in.

This spitfire is absolutely no simpleton after all. She's an adversary with a deadly grip on my wolf and carnal imagination. I don’t know why but her height makes my wolf conjure up the image of us dancing, she would be the ideal partner. 

All the while she is insulting every aspect of my Alpha role.

Like Luna Elle she has peculiar, almost cat-like amber eyes. So similar yet so different. Elle is the gentle flower. Cassandra is the thorny stalk who still hasn't finished shredding me. 

“You’re nothing but a vulture, Alpha Ayr. Apologies but I think I shall miss dinner this evening after all. Have a pleasant visit, I know my sister will be very accommodating,”  and with a quick nod to us all as she quickly ascended the stairs. 

A dark haired man was waiting for her, the sound of a door slamming the end of the introduction.

She isn’t a thorn, she’s a flaming cannonball, hurtling at my face. 

I do not turn to my Betas. I know they will all be staring like shocked children. If anyone spoke to me like that back at the Volare Clan they’d find themselves exiled and missing a limb.

Out of misplaced frustration, my annoyance with Cassandra lands on my poor host instead.

“I do not care for being slandered Luna Elle, I have not come to destroy your pack-”

“Oh Ayr I know, please ignore her, she has no control over herself, please let us continue…” slipping her hand into the crook of my arm to guide me away from the irritatingly powerful scent of coconut. “...I do not think she will bother you for the rest of your visit.”

“I can leave-”

“This is what I mean about how dangerous she can be! Sweet and quiet, but the tongue of a viper…I am afraid her time alone has not led to her improving herself. Instead she conjures up ever more dangerous schemes to try and win her freedom. Now can I tempt you to some food?”