In My Sights

Clara’s POV

I could see he was clearly affected as I was. He slammed his paws into the ground to come to a screeching halt, noticed by all. What I assume are his remaining two Betas flanked him on either side, and another warrior ran to protect him from the rear. I began climbing furiously down from my sniper post, shooting any wolf in my way with wolfsbane that appeared to be a threat, tossing any other wolves and flinging them away. Each Alpha knew that my intent wasn’t to kill, only to distract and clear my way. They would have sensed through the mind l**k if anyone from the pack had died. I approached Alpha Nolan and stood staring into his wolf’s perfect amber eyes as he bowed his head to make eye contact. He let out a throaty growl that seemed to emanate my own reservations about our revelation. The snarling around us continued until he shifted back to his human form and commanded with his Alpha voice, “ENOUGH.” His pack came to a halt, standing at attention, only moving to protect themselves from the confused wolves from our pack, as Carl made no move to stop the fighting. I looked around and realized I was standing in the middle of a war staring eye level with the lower jaw of the Alpha of our current enemy. I refused to look down and see my mate in all his glory. I gulped embarrassingly realizing what I had just done. My movements felt beyond my control, my legs and my wolf leading the way, unable to find sense in a literal war zone. I was cursing myself and my wolf intensely at this moment. My head was spinning from the intensity of it all and I realized Carl still wasn’t stopping the fight. I looked around and shouted, “STOP. IN THE NAME OF YOUR TRUE ALPHA, BRENNAN BEAUCHAMP, I COMMAND YOU TO STOP.” Slowly all of the wolves from the Evergreen Crest pack began to stop and bow… I never imagined they would stop, or that because I was the direct descendant of their Alpha that my Alpha voice would work. I looked around and everyone but Carl stopped, knelt and showed me their necks in submission. I felt tears well up in my eyes as I tried processing yet another emotion swirling through me. I thought I was a pariah and now here I stand in the middle of a war, with nearly my entire pack here, submitting to me. Carl came flying at me from behind in his hybrid state, screaming with his claws extended. “I will kill you where you stand you insolent little bitch! You think you can command MY pack to stop fighting when we are clearly winning? Who do you think you are, you stupid wench?!” he seethed through his canines, his eyes looked almost orange in fury as he came barreling at me. Alpha Nolan cleared his throat and in movements too fast for me to comprehend, had Carl’s head wrapped in his massive and tattooed bicep as he flew his body through the air, slamming him with such force I could hear his ribs crack on the ground. “No one touches my mate or speaks to her in such a manner. Give me one reason I shouldn’t kill you where you lie, you cretin!” Nolan hissed. His voice was so intoxicating, deep and with a commanding presence. He seems calm and collected, even in his rage, even after realizing we were mates. Without his outburst in protection of me, I wouldn’t have had any idea if he cared not to reject me or not.

It wasn’t until this moment that I had a chance to truly look upon my mate.. he was so tall, towering over everyone on the field.. He must be at least 6’5”, his long, thick legs looked like tree trunks, his large foot now resting on Carl’s neck, while Carl squirms beneath the weight of it, flailing and clawing at him. Carl is losing his breath and his face reddens, his veins bulging in his forehead in a rage. His muddy brown eyes are becoming bloodshot and almost cloudy. I look from Carl’s face to my mate, his massive chest, littered with tattoos, heaving with anger. I made eye contact with him, his incredibly bright blue eyes smoldering in both rage at the wiggling idiot at his feet and interest in me, his mate. I can tell he is gauging my reaction to what he is doing, his plump lips pressed in a line. I look at all of his tattoos, an homage to life and death and strength that span across his chest and down his arms to his hands. I am riddled with fear, anxiety and yet so severely attracted to this man I am struggling to keep my thoughts sane. I shudder with the electricity of the mate pull and realize I need to speak before my mate makes a grave mistake and murders the man I intend to challenge and while our packs are halted, especially for us. I can hear the mind l**k buzzing… my brain is on overdrive from imprinting on my mate and the members of the pack slowly realizing what has happened in front of them. Many are horrified, some are happy and the rest are still too in shock to process it.

I clumsily clear my throat to speak, “You cannot kill him.. It would result in grave punishment from the council for acting while we are halted… although I stopped the Evergreen Crest pack from continuing the battle, he is currently the Alpha.” It came out in a stronger presence than I thought possible for me. Alpha Nolan looked at me, measuring my words and releasing his pressure on Carl’s neck. He sized me up, gazing at me from head to foot before responding, “Hmm.. it appears my mate is both lethal and diplomatic. Perhaps we should discuss this further, on my territory?” I know I should be afraid but for some reason I’m not.. Perhaps it is the mate bond, or my desire to get away from Carl who is now sputtering obscenities at us and telling him to just take me, that he wants rid of me anyhow. “I will go with you, but I need to go home and gather some belongings and speak to my grandmother” I said. Alpha Nolan nodded in agreement but not before saying, “I will accompany you.” He appeared to be communicating through his mind-l**k with the rest of his pack. All but three warriors began retreating back towards where they had come from. He spoke aloud to who I assume was his Beta. “Stephen, I need you, Brooks and Adam to follow us. We will be returning to my mate’s home to gather her belongings.” He turned to look at me and in sudden realization he said, “Well, my little wolf. It appears I haven’t even asked your name, but I do assume you know who I am considering your warnings about the Alpha Council?” I blushed, understanding that I didn’t ever utter my name while shouting commands and then speaking to my mate. “I am Clara, Clara Beauchamp, Alpha Nolan.” He smirked at my including his title in my statement while saying my name in almost a seductive manner, “Clara, Clara Beauchamp. So that means you are the elusive daughter of the former Alpha Brennan Beauchamp. No wonder you were able to command the pack.” He looked at me incredulously, continuing, “We have much to talk about then, my little wolf. We will do so once we return to my territory. I wouldn’t want anyone listening in that shouldn’t be” with a glance at Carl. I nodded in agreement and we began the walk to my grandmother’s cabin. Carl arose from his petulance on the ground and began barking orders at everyone to retreat back to the Alpha Mansion and towards the barracks for a pack meeting. He looked at Alpha Nolan in disgust, uttering in his nasally tone, “You have exactly one hour to retreat from my territory, or I will be forced to do things you will not like. Clara, if you should return it will be alone, and you will be interrogated when you arrive.” It took everything in my power not to chuckle at his demand. “Yes, Alpha Carl,” I said enunciating his name specifically with little emphasis on the Alpha. Nolan looked at me expressionless, continuing to size me up. I shook off the feeling of his gaze and allowed the wind to blow through my hair, as I closed my eyes and breathed in the air of my family’s territory for probably the last time in a while. I have no idea of Alpha Nolan’s intentions with me as his mate, but I know that should he choose not to reject me, I will be forced to share with him the little bit that I do know about myself. No one wants a mate that can’t shift..My wolf Carina barely surfaces anymore, probably out of annoyance or depression at her limited ability to run or hunt as a wolf. I feel terrible suppressing our nature, and my guilt at denying her grows exponentially. I will not be able to shift while on his territory, so I must make this trip as quick as I can and return home to my meadow. Not even Carl knows about my running place.

As we approach my grandmother’s cabin I can see smoke coming from the wood stove, so I know she is home. Alpha Nolan matches my strides as we climb the stairs to the front door. His Beta Stephen, Brooks and Adam wait at the base of the stairs, taking their positions around the cabin for protection. As we make it to the front door I pause and open my weapons chest and begin setting everything inside, first emptying my magazines and releasing them from their place in my pistols. I clear the chambers of each and set the vials down in their box within the chest. I set my rifle in, followed by my chest plate and belt. I look at Alpha Nolan and gesture towards the chest with my eyebrow raised. “My grandmother has a rule about weapons in the house.” Nolan stifles a laugh and I realize he has been indecent this entire time… he couldn’t possibly have weapons on him. I blush and grab him a large robe from inside the front door and hand it to him. He takes it graciously and ducks through the doorway to follow me. I take in his sight, my large green plaid robe barely covering his manhood, the front stretched under his sheer size exposing his chest. I smirk and he blushes in response. I can’t help but laugh to myself seeing this large man blush under my sight. I gesture for him to follow, we enter the kitchen, the warmth from the wood panelled walls and the smell of freshly made coffee wafting in the air. My grandmother is seated at her large oak dining table, smiling and gesturing for us to sit. She’s prepared two cups of coffee, knowing we have company. I never second guess her knowledge, knowing full well the pack has either alerted her to the situation, or she has used her abilities to check in on me. Surprisingly, Nolan walks to the table and pulls out a chair for me, and seats himself in the chair next to it, but not nearest to my grandmother, as he carefully pulls the robe to cover himself. 

My grandmother eyed him with a smirk, wiggling her eyebrows as if she knows all of his dark secrets. She reaches to the table with one hand, looking at me and winks while pressing a finger to her lips to ask me for silence. With her free hand she lights the protection candle with her pointer finger and clears her throat to speak. “I assume with your background, Alpha Nolan, that you know what this candle is?” Alpha Nolan looks at her incredulously, his blue eyes looking startled and suspicious, but nods that he does. I look at him in shock as my grandmother lets out a large belly laugh and shakes her head. “My dear Clara, I told you just this morning that I would divulge more information once your found your mate, did I not? I am your grandmother after all, you know who I am and what abilities I have. Did you not think I knew the two of you would meet once you turned eighteen? Though it is a shame your poor mate had to wait five years to find you.” I blush painfully and look at him, feeling his angst in her statement. 

She turns to Nolan and continues, “Alpha Nolan, I apologize for being so curt, my name is Caren, I am the leader of your late mother’s coven. I am hopeful that she divulged to you that she was a seer amongst witches, as well as a wolf? She and I knew that you and my Clara would meet someday, although we weren’t sure of the circumstances with which you would meet. Dare I ask how you two finally came to imprint, in the middle of an invasion?” She finishes her statement in a chuckle and looks to us for answers. Nolan clears his throat before telling her, “Yes, my mother’s abilities were common knowledge growing up. Clara sighted me in after taking out three of my warriors, including my Beta outside, with a wolfsbane round. I never expected to find my mate as the target of her aggressions.” Before he can even look at me I began to retort, “It was a non lethal round… I never aim to kill, only to temporarily stop my opponents in their tracks. Although, since we are speaking freely here **as I gesture to the protection candle** I wouldn’t want to take down an invading Alpha for numerous reasons. One being that I intend to take Carl down myself, and two, I wouldn’t want to do his job for him. It was pure happenstance that I made eye contact with you, causing the imprint. Most people would never know to look for my location. You were the first to ever compromise me.” I winked at him and he laughs openly and smiles at me with wonder. For whatever reason, whether the mate bond or just his genuine attitude that peeks through his cold exterior, I feel like I’ve known Nolan my entire life. I feel like I can trust him, which will either be a wonderful gift or the most dangerous thing to happen to me in my life. 

My grandmother laughs so loud, I fear the candle won’t stifle the sounds of her howling. “That is somehow not the least bit surprising to me, knowing my granddaughter. I would love to tell the two of you more, but I do know you’re on a time crunch.” She holds her hand up, knowing I will begin pleading my case and says, “Clara, you and your mate have more in common than you know. Trust the mate bond and work together to overcome your fears. When I see you next, I will tell you everything you still want to know. For now, I have packed your bags for you and although I do appreciate the view, there is a set of clothes for Alpha Nolan in your bathroom. You two will need to get going to prevent further angering Carl.” 

I know better than to argue, so I rise bringing my coffee mug with me, summoning Alpha Nolan to follow me. We walk the hallway to my room, and I look behind me to see him taking in his surroundings, as if he will learn something about me, merely from seeing what my home looks like. He ducks again in the doorway to my bedroom and I point to the bathroom for him to go and change into the clothes my grandmother has somehow pulled from thin air for him. I look around my room and sigh heavily. I never truly “moved in” here and got comfortable, but I will miss the beautiful view and sound of the river, the smell of the pine trees, and the company of my grams. She truly did already pack for me, my two suitcases and one duffle bag surmount the totality of my belongings worth packing. 

Nolan clears his throat as he exits the bathroom, wearing a deep blue wool flannel, dark washed bootcut jeans and deep brown hiking boots. “Your grandmother reminds me of my mother. Somehow these are the perfect size in everything…” And they truly were. The flannel hugged his muscles perfectly, the sleeves rolled up slightly to expose his deliciously large and tattooed forearms, his jeans fit snug in all the right places, but loose enough to move freely. He turns and I see his backside is perfectly rounded in those jeans… my wolf Carina growls in hunger, finally making her presence known to me in an overt way, aside from shouting that Nolan was my mate. Nolan chuckles and I blush heavily. “You don’t look so bad yourself, little wolf” he says. His voice is commanding yet smooth, like honey drips from his tongue while he speaks to me. We are truly alone in this room, for the first time since imprinting and I can feel my heartbeat increase, my mind racing and my sudden arousal became viciously apparent to me. I try to control myself and think of anything unappealing that I can. Nolan steps towards me and takes my hands in his while looking into my eyes. “Clara, I can’t begin to know what you’ve been through or what you hope to know from your grandmother, but I do hope that you give me a chance as your mate to prove to you that I’m worthy of learning with you what you don’t know, and filling you in on what I do know. This won’t be easy for either of us, but like your grandmother said, we may have more in common that we realize. Are you ready to come with me and find out?”

My body feels like I have been lit afire equally under his touch and his gaze. I want to believe everything he is saying, but how can I confide in him when I don’t even know what or who I really am? How can he love me if I can’t explain to him what I am, and I can’t let Carina run with his wolf? 

“I will do my best” I say weakly. He nods understandingly and gestures for me to leave the room first, following behind me. My mind is racing with thoughts about how I am to navigate all of this. Is he feigning kindness until I return with him to his pack? Will he understand me, even though I don’t understand myself? 

We reach the entrance of the cabin and my grandmother squeezes me tightly in an embrace. “I will see you sooner than you think, my sweet girl. Trust the process, trust your mate. I love you dearly. Keep your necklace close and you will be fine, my love.” She tucks a packet of herbs in my pocket and whispers, “If you want to let Carina free, simply drink a spoonful of this in your tea before you go. The effects only last a few hours, but you will be safe. I will see you again before you need more.” 

I look at her in confusion and anger, but before I can speak she says, “This pack is less protected than his. Your secret would not have been safe here, even with the herbs, my love. Remember to trust. I know it isn’t easy for you. All things will work themselves out in due time.”

I squeeze her back with fervor and whisper, “I love you, grams. Thank you. Thank you for everything. I can’t wait to see you again.”

My grandmother relaxes her embrace and takes a step back before pulling Nolan in tightly with lightning speed. She looks so tiny in his arms. He relaxes his stiff demeanor and hugs her back gently and says, “I will take care of her, I swear to Luna.” “I know you will, dear” she replies. 

And just like that, we are off. We descend the stairs together, Nolan carrying my bags out to the porch where Beta Stephen, and warriors Brooks and Adam are all now wearing sweatsuits and each take a bag from him. There is a large black Suburban parked at the end of the drive, where they line up to place my bags in the back. Brooks and Adam climb into the 3rd row, and Beta Stephen takes the passenger seat. Alpha Nolan gestures for me to enter in the back seat. He closes my door on the passenger side and walks around to the drivers side to get in the other side of the backseat. Once seated he closes the door and thanks his driver, Vincent. He takes my hand in his and before I can even ask he says, “The drive will be just two hours. You can sleep if you’d like. We have plenty of time to talk when we arrive on our pack land.” Beta Stephen coughs lightly before saying, “Speak for yourself Alpha, I want to know how this petite little thing managed to take me and these fine gents out during the invasion.” He smiled, his large white teeth contrasting his tan skin in an appealing way. I look to him, his dark eyes, tan skin and long hair would otherwise look threatening if he didn’t carry such a jovial look when he is relaxed. I smile back and say, “I simply meant to slow you down. I’ve been training as a sniper since my father would allow when I turned 13. I’d be happy to teach you a thing or two, but I’m afraid I left my weapons at home.” My sudden realization that I have left them at home leaves a small pit in my stomach, but I know I would appear as a threat had I asked to bring them. Brooks speaks up now and says matter of factly, “Well then its a good thing our pack is one of the largest manufacturers of were weapons in the country.” I look at Nolan in surprise and he smiles and nods. I shake my head with a smile and think to myself, perhaps this match is more accurate than I believed. I closed my eyes and let my head rest on the cool window in an attempt to relax my anxieties and try to rest. 

Nolan’s POV

I watched the rocky terrain and trees pass by in a blur through the tinted windows, in sheer wonder about the events of the day. This morning all I had considered happening was acquiring a new territory and strengthening the size of my Hidden Moon pack. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would be finding my mate, my Luna in the middle of an invasion. Never would I ever have considered that my future Luna could have bested some of my best warriors, let alone in her human form. I can already tell she is a force to be reckoned with, even with her small size… my little wolf. I am already enamored with her. I look over and see her beautiful green eyes closed, her soft dirty blonde curls tousled from the battle. I scan her face and her small pouty lips are slightly open as she is finally relaxed, resting on the drive to my home, hopefully her new home. Her long sleeved shirt is hugging her small waist and delicious curves wonderfully, even in the seat of a car. She is still holding my hand, even in her slumber and I can’t help but smile. Her tough exterior is surprising in someone so small, so it is a relief to see that she can shed her worries, if even for a moment. I reminisce about her giggle and wonder what her laugh might sound like.. I can’t wait to hear it. As she rests her hand grips tighter on mine, the peace from her face gone. I can tell she is dreaming; her breath hitches and I can see her eyes moving from beneath her eyelids. She is clearly in distress in this dream, so I reach over with my free hand to gently wake her and she doesn’t wake. Her breathing becomes more labored and I start to say her name urgently. “Clara, Clara, CLARA!” as I shake her. There is a bruise appearing on her throat and I am terrified for my mate. She finally awakes and takes a startling breath, releasing my hands and grabbing her throat. She looks around anxiously and realizes her surroundings. She is petrified when she wakes and begins to relax when she sees me, until she meets my eyes and sees the terror in them. She begins apologizing to me profusely for disrupting the drive and scaring me. I am not afraid of much, but I am afraid for her. “Clara you have nothing to apologize for, I am worried for you.” She clears her throat and says, “There is nothing to worry about, I’m sorry. Just a bad dream, I didn’t mean to disturb you.” I look at her, not knowing how to respond and I simply say, “Some dream if it is leaving marks on your body. We can add it to the list of things to discuss when we are in private.” 

I cannot fathom how to approach this or even what to do. I feel helpless. I cannot even protect my little wolf in her sleep. 

She falls back asleep and I can merely just watch her for the remainder of the drive, unsure what to do or even how to react without scaring her further. Her wolf healing kicks in and the bruises begin to fade, Thank Luna. 

Knowing the stresses of today are taking a toll on myself, I can only imagine what she must be feeling. I alert the pack we will be arriving shortly and request they begin preparing dinner for their Future Luna and I. I ask to have it sent to the lounge so we can dine in private as not to overwhelm her. I also ask that they set out a bathrobe for each of us and have someone get the same vanilla and cinnamon shampoo I saw in her shower. Ironic, because that is her delicious scent. Everytime I breathe, it smells like a delectable cinnamon roll is sitting next to me in this car. I begin to wonder what my scent is to her. 

As we near our territory I close out the mind l**k from the men in the rest of the car so get some peace. They are abuzz talking about how badass their future Luna is, laughing bitterly about how she nearly bested us. They can’t wait to start cross training with her. I crack the window to get some air, the closer we get to the territory the more at ease I feel. It is good to be home. That comfort quickly takes a flutter as I realize the craze that is to follow within the pack as soon as we cross territory lines. Our protective stones begin to appear, lining the side of the road leading to the pack, until they spread horizontally all around our land, creating a protective barrier around us from all magics created from outside of my mother’s coven, and from all creatures from the Fae realm. As we cross the barrier line, Clara awakes with a start, her piercing green eyes shoot open and she is alert. I begin to wonder if this is simply a coincidence, or if my mate is hiding a secret… the same secret as me.

I shake those feelings from my mind and ride in silence through the city, passing my favorite fountain I used to play in as a kid, the coffee shop I visit everyday, my office building and many shops. Further into the city towards the packhouse is the pack hospital and other amenities. We have a full blown city here, hidden deep in the mountains. No one would ever see us, especially with the protective barrier. My mother spelled it so that you can’t even get a bird’s eye view of our city, granting us complete seclusion and safety from any outside forces. I’ve already alerted everyone to be safely in their homes in case our invasion didn’t go as planned. Even with our barrier I don’t want anyone wandering the streets in case they have strong witches that can break it down. I have not alerted them to return to business as usual so that I can bring Clara home without interruptions. I suspect Clara’s grandmother has the power to break down our barrier, but has zero interest in sharing that ability with their current Alpha. Another thing to add to my mental checklist of things to discuss with my mate. 

A few miles further down the road we reach my home, just behind the packhouse. I allow my Beta, Stephen and all of my warriors to reside there with their mates and families. I prefer the privacy of my home behind it. It is the only place I can be comfortably my true self. My pack knows that I am a hybrid, but not the true extent of my nature. 

We park between the pack house and my home, allowing my warriors to enter from the backside of the pack house, straight into the kitchen, and Clara and I to retreat through the front door of *hopefully* our house. As the men unload her luggage I see Amelia our chef headed our way, beaming with excitement, a large covered tray in her arms. Clara is falling back asleep so I go around to her side of the suburban and open the door gently, carefully unbuckle her and carry her in my arms through the front door behind Amelia. Amelia walks to the lounge and places the large tray on the center of the pub table I have set up in the corner. I lay Clara down on the large velvet, emerald green sectional and lay the white wool blanket I have on the arm over her. I walk through my lounge, looking at the wooden shiplap walls, bare of any pictures and wonder what it may look like filled with photos of my mate and I. I walk to the large stone fireplace and build a fire, hoping to warm the room and get her comfortable. I walk to my bartop and pour a glass of whiskey for myself, wondering what she might like to drink. 

As I return to the couch, Clara stirs, sitting up and stretching, her emerald green eyes looking almost identical to the color of my couch. She gives me a soft smile and I say, “Bourbon?” to which she replies with an enthusiastic nod. Mmm, she surprises me again. I hand her my glass and return the bartop to pour myself another. She stands up and points to the table questioningly, and I can hear her stomach grumble. I laugh uninhibitedly and say, “Please, yes, lets take a seat. Amelia was very excited to prepare a meal for you.” 

She obliges, her eyes nearly doubling in size as I lift the tray to show two large steaks, petite carrots, mashed potatoes and two large pretzels with beer cheese. Her excitement tells me we will get along greatly. After nearly inhaling our meal I clear my throat again to signal I mean to discuss something important. “Shall we start tackling that mental checklist of things to discuss?”