"Yes, Marnet Darnald is dating a human, can you believe that?" “He hasn’t found a mate?” “Not yet,” Aricel replied with a hint of irritation. "Marnet Darnald?" Eirika repeated and threw Nigel a side glance. "Do you know my son?" Aricel asked with a curious frown. Arric too directed his gaze at Eirika. "If he has taught in Fountain High in the East before, yes," Eirika said. "Then we would both know him, we attended the same school," Nigel added. Aricel nodded. "Yes, he did teach at Fountain High… Then you must know the human…" "Wendy?" "No, her name is Gwenna - an intriguing little thing," Aricel said with a lowered gaze. Arric studied him keenly. "I don't think I know …" Eirika said. "I do. And I don't think Wendy would have loved to see that happen," Nigel said in amusement. "Who are you?" Aricel asked. "Nigel Hartwell..." "He is Shadowclaw's son," Arric replied. Aricel's eyes widened in delight. "You know my dad? Of course, you know my dad," Nigel said, "ho
Arric lay on the bed, fully clothed, holding Eirika to his chest. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, absentmindedly, replaying Aricel's reaction when he mentioned Gwenna. He couldn't tell if the other Lycan was involved in the Ironpaw Pack's activities, but he perceived he was hiding something. Deciding to find out what it was before dabbling into the Ironpaw problem, he drew back from Eirika and got out of bed. He had agreed with his team to stay the night in Aricel's pack before heading to the Ironpaw Prowlers' Pack as agreed for one reason: to gain access to the grounds. Getting out of the room as quietly as he could manage, he sniffed the air and followed Aricel's scent. The hallways to Aricel's quarters were not packed full of guards for a pack living close to a ruthless Alpha such as Alpha Jarvald Rukheim. Arric suspected another likely reason for that when he caught a whiff of the human girl's scent - Gwenna. 'Come on, now, Aricel,' he thought to himself as he got clo
Getting back inside the guest room, Arric locked the door, took off his clothes, and slipped under the covers. Laying on his side, he faced Eirika and watched her sleep for a few minutes, allowing his eyes to feed on her attractive features, and then trailed down to her chest. She wore nothing under the covers and the silky fabric outlined her full bust with the pecky pinky tips. Raising his left hand, he slowly pulled the fabric down her frame, revealing her beautiful body. His pulse raced and blood rushed to his groins at the delicious sight. Drawing a labored breath, he edged down till his face was at the same level as her chest and then placed his palm on the gentle swell of her lower tummy. Smoothening her soft, supple skin, he leaned closer until there was barely half an inch of space left between his lips and her right nipple. He knew he ought to let her sleep, the following day promised to be volatile. He replayed the scene of her adamantly telling him she couldn't leav
Arric expressed his gratitude for the renewed alliance between their packs, and Alpha Aricel nodded in agreement, expressing his appreciation. "I've known you long enough to know you don't just make rash decisions, whatever part you want my pack to play just let us know, you and I know what would happen if we allowed anarchy. I would like to sleep at night without fear of waking up with a knife to my throat, or my home on fire," Aricel said. "The unchanging doesn't deserve what it's been dished to them. Not all of us can be warriors. I wish some people can just stop living in the barbaric past," Marnet Darnald grumbled. "What we need is a strong legion of enforcers that can enforce peace and order. If everyone knows they can't just go about doing as they like without consequences, I dare say this nonsense would stop!" "That's a good point…" Jarom said in agreement. "The problem is getting all the pack alphas to agree. A lot are gaining from the chaos." "I remember Alpha Darther
Arric, accompanied by Eirika, Bishop, York, Jimothy, Craineghis, Nigel, Zenasha, and Alpha Aricel, arrived at Ironpaw Prowlers Pack about thirty minutes drive from the Darkridge Stalkers Pack. They were met by two other alphas from the same territory: Alpha Rudolphus of the Grimtooth Growlers Pack and Alpha Fenrisulfur of the Swiftfang Walkers Pack. Each Alphas has about twenty guards with them and Aricel has twenty-five. Darkridge Stalkers Pack was grand, with high walls made of stone and iron gates guarded by fierce-looking lycanthropes. The territory was vast, with dense forests surrounding the compound, giving it a sense of security and seclusion. As Arric and the rest approached the imposing gates, they were met with wary looks from the guards stationed there. Once inside, they were met by Alpha Jarvald Rukheim’s beta; Marc, who welcomed them with a nod. The compound was well-guarded, with high walls made of logs and thick branches intertwined, and sentries patrolling the perim
More than an hour before, Eirika and Zenesha were led into a living room where they were supposed to wait for the alphas to finish their meeting. A maid came in to ask what they would like to eat and drink and because of Arric's warning, Eirika declined. Zenesha, giving her keen scrutiny, followed her lead and refused. The maid left but shortly after Gwenna came in all smiles. Eirika was taken aback by the human presence, Gwenna hadn't followed them from the house and she didn't know the human had any association with Alpha Jarvald Rukheim. "What are you doing here?" Eirika asked. "Oh, Alpha Aricel called me to keep you company since I am familiar with this environment." "Oh, okay," Eirika said with a slight frown. Zenesha threw her a side glance. "How about we explore the grounds instead of just staying cooped up in here while the men bicker about politics," she said in jest. Eirika smiled but her eyes were cool as she quietly assessed the human. The human was scared. She co
"I'm sorry," Gwenna whispered, causing Arric to lower his eyes to hold hers. "I am so sorry," she added. "What did you do?!" Arric roared and took a step forward, fury, kindling, inside him. "She helped to lure them into my trap, of course. So innocent looking, my lovely Gwenna," Alpha Jarvald Rukheim taunted. Arric growled and stalked forward. At this point, he didn't care about the human, he knew he mustn't let Jarvald Rukheim escape. "Stay back!" he yelled in agitation. 'Let me at this fucker!' Steelclaw raged. Arric didn’t think twice before he shifted, letting Steelclaw take control. In a flash, Arric was vaguely aware of Gwenna being swatted out of the way as he lunged for Jarvald Rukheim. "Where is my mate?!" he snarled, baring his teeth. Alpha Jarvald Rukheim attempted to shift but Steelclaw held him against the side wall in a crushing grip, pressing him in the chest with his bared teeth close to his half-shifted face. "Where?!" he roared. Jarvald Rukheim choked.
After Gabriel had done an ultrasound scan for Eirika to confirm to her that her pup was fine, Arric came inside the makeshift clinic to carry her to the rent that had been prepared for them. He helped to clean up and tucked her into bed. "Do you think you can stay out of trouble for a minute for me to see to the humans," Arric teased, pressing a kiss to her lips. Eirika giggled and then growled. "Stop!" she groaned. Arric chuckled, drawing back to hold her gaze. Eirika's laughter died in the face of the emotion swirling in his eyes. "I will do my best to make our home safe for you and our pups. I promise," he rasped. And to Eirika that's more or less him confessing his love for her. She cupped his jaw and crushed her lips to his. Much later when Arric exited the tent, it was as if Gabriel had been waiting for him, the older-looking werewolf hurried to his side and said, "The human we treated with Luna Eirika is going to need a particular kind of blood transfusion, and it's kin