Tiernan

They are still cleaning up the remnants of the attack as we pull in front of the pack house. I watch as Cahir and Riordan stand there waiting for us. I don’t see my parents, and a feeling of dread spreads through me. I am out of the car before it comes to a complete stop. Kyran is not far behind me. Cahir and Riordan walked up to us as the others stopped and looked. I knew they did not expect me to be back this soon. I should have been in Europe for another three days, but with this shit show happening I came home. While I did not want a rogue attack happening, I was glad something gave me a reason to cut my travel short.

“I was not expecting you two for a few more hours. Before you ask, your parents are fine. Your father’s arm was broken during the attack but should be healed by tomorrow. Your mother is fawning over him like he is dying and driving him nuts.” Riordan explains. 

“May have heard your father as the doc if he could sedate your mother so he could get some sleep.” Cahir added.

I let out a breath I had not realized I was holding. Kyran is laughing as they tell us about my mother and what my father asked the doctor. I am sure she is driving Dad up the fucking wall. I love my mother, but she can be overbearing, especially when someone is hurt. She is not going to let Dad out of her sight for a fucking week unless he hides in my office. I am glad to hear that he was not seriously injured. I look around and notice that some warriors are picking up body parts. I know fighting can get intense, but that seems overly extreme even for us. I grabbed my luggage and headed into the pack house. I let out a grunt when something rams into me.  I look down to see Aisling wrapped around me. I peel her arms around my waist as she smiles at me. She looks just like our mother, which is not good. Mom is beautiful, as is my little sister. The boys and I made sure to scare the shit out of all the horny teenage boys in the pack. I do not need them sniffing around my sister. She might be 100 years old and able to find her mate, but she has not, and none of these little fuckers are good enough for her. Plus, we already know who her mate is, and we promised him while he is away that we would watch out for her.

“I noticed that things seemed to get a tad more extreme with the attack than normal. There seemed to be an extra amount of random body parts strewn about.” I pointed out.

“Yeah, we thought we had them on the run, but a few were waiting to strike once our backs were turned. Tylania and her friend Kynessie saw what they were up to and jumped in. FYI don’t piss off Tylania. Kynessie held her own amazingly against the rogues.” Riordan explains.

“Neither of them got hurt, I hope.”  I said.

“No, they did not get within ten feet of either woman before they were torn apart by Kynessie, who is a fucking fantastic fighter, and Tylania used her magic and had the assholes hog-tied and muzzled quicker than I could blink. We have eight of them in the cells, thanks to her. The rogues were running from them faster than we could blink.” Cahir adds.

Kyran and I laugh as he tells us what those two women did. I can tell he is proud of his mate. I have no problem with other supernatural's as long as they do not cause any issues for my pack. I knew Tylania was powerful; I mean, shit, one must be if one wants to be the coven mother. I am not surprised about Kynessie. Most vampires I know are wicked, fast and as strong as some of us. Although I am amazed since she is so damn short, good things come in small packages. I flop down on my bed as soon as the door closes. I had just returned from visiting my parents, and as I figured Mom was driving Dad insane. They are releasing him within the hour, and I am sure Mom will make him stay in their house so he can recover. My father was even impressed with Kynessie’s fighting. I hop in the shower and let the hot water wash away the stress of the last few days. As I enter the dining room, I am assaulted with the most delicious scent I have ever smelt. It smells like leather and spicy whiskey with a hint of chocolate. The scent gets more potent as I walk into the kitchen, only to find Tylania. I know that scent is not from her.

“Hey Tylania is that a new shirt?” I ask.

“No, I borrowed it from Kynessie. Mine was ruined after the attack, and I Cahir’s are too big to wear around the pack without starting a fight, so she leant me one of hers. Why?” Tylania explained.

“No reason, simply curious. I had never seen you wear it before, and it does not look like your normal style.” I reply.

It’s true. Tylania’s style is somewhere between hippie and girly girl. She is also right that it would have started a fight if she had worn one of Cahir’s shirts. She wears a lot of pink, which is sometimes a bit nauseating. She is not what one would guess a witch to look like, and I am guessing that throws everyone off. Her coven and my pack have been on good terms since my grandfather's time; that is all that matters. The coven was already here when my great-great-grandfather moved our pack here. They allied right away, and soon the closest wolf pack followed. That pack became the official pack of the kingdom. That is why this rogue attack was so surprising. We have rogues, but they usually pass through and cause no issues. This was a planned attack. I am unsure why they were targeting us, and I am damn sure hoping they weren’t trying to reach the coven. I internally laugh at this since the last time anyone attacked the coven, they found themselves hog-tied and hanging over the bayou, watching the alligators swimming under them. It is fucking hilarious when you come running up to help defend the coven and happen upon that scene. Kyran damn near threw up; he was laughing so hard. I had tears running down my face from laughing. Word spread about that little endeavor, and most leave the coven alone. We often have a few rogues that are stupid enough to think that attacking the coven is wise, but they quickly discover that the coven is not as helpless and defenseless as they believed. We even had a few rogue vampires that attacked the coven a few years back. I took a few of my guys to see if they needed help, but they did not. We all stood there laughing as the vampires were strung up on wooden poles for everyone to see. They were hissing and throwing tantrums which everyone was ignoring. I have no idea what happened to them, and I do not fucking care. 

“Where is your friend?” I ask.

“She rode into New Orleans. She has a few friends there and wants to see them. She should be back in a couple of days. I think she needed to cool down after the attack.” Tylania answers. 

Caturix growls in my head. After catching her scent, I am positive that Kynessie is my mate. He does not like that she is there and not marked by us, but I tell him that clearly, she is more than capable of defending herself. I can still hear him grumbling, but he wanders to a dark corner and turns his back to me. The only way to know that we are mates is when we touch and if there are sparks. That could be her natural scent, but considering it is so strong and it is damn near making me drool, I am taking that as a sign that we are mates. I know it is possible to be mated to a vampire. Hell, over the last few hundred years, there have been more mates from different species all over the supernatural world. I have already seen her, and if her delicious scent is anything to go by, things should be fine once she returns.

“So Tylania tells me that you were highly interested in Kynessie last night while she was cooking dinner.” Cahir drawls.

“I was asking a few questions about someone that is staying on my land.” I state.

“Bullshit, you might be able to get shit by Riordan and Kyran, but not me. Tell me what the fuck is going on.” Cahir rumbles.

I knew he would be suspicious. The four of us grew up together, but Cahir and I are closer. Riordan and Kyran are a few years younger than us. Cahir and I were born hours apart. I let out a sigh.

“I think she is my mate. When you called us on your computer, her and Aisling went running by, and Caturix jumped to attention quickly. I admit she is stunning, but there was something about her, and I could  not get her out of my head. As soon as I reached the bottom of the stairs last night, an intoxicating scent captured my senses. I followed it into the kitchen and found Tylania. After I asked her about her shirt, she admitted that she had borrowed it from Kynessie.” I explain.

“Well, it sounds to me that she is your mate. She kept looking up towards your floor while in the pack house. I did not think much about it at first, but after hearing what you told me, I wonder if she was smelling your scent or something like that. I asked Tylania, and she told me that Kynessie is single. I tried to find out more, but Tylania told me I would need to talk with Kynessie. I think something happened in her past. I have no idea if she had a mate or beloved, as vampires call them, and he died or rejected her. Something definitely happened.” Cahir tells me. 

The thought of her having another mate or that he might have rejected her pisses my Lycan and me off. What could have happened? Cahir says he also noticed that she was studying pictures of my family when Aisling showed her around. 

(Maybe she can sense that she is our mate. -Caturix)

(It is possible. Although it sounds like she is more confused than anything. -Me)

(Until she returns, we will not know for sure. -Me)

(We should look into how vampires find their mates. -Caturix)

I tell Cahir to keep his mouth shut. I don’t want anyone else to know until I confirm or deny that she is my mate. I know who I can talk to about all this, and she won’t say anything. I walk deeper into the swamp until I come upon two houses. My grandparents live in one and the other houses my great-grandmother. She is my grandfather's mother and is close to 800 years old. They moved here because they wanted to be far enough away from the rowdy teenagers but still close enough to come and go from the pack house when they wanted. I scrunch my nose when I catch a scent. I will not be visiting my grandparents; it smells like they are busy, and that thought alone makes me want to vomit. I knock on my sin-seanmhathair’s door. I smile when she opens the door. She might be close to 800 years old but do not let that fool you. She can still beat my ass if she wants to. The four of us fear this woman. Even Dad tries not to piss her off. 

“Tiernan, this is a surprise.” My great-grandmother says.

“Yes, I just got back last night. I was wondering if I could talk with you.”  I told her.

“Of course, you are welcome here anytime. You look worried my child.”  She pointed out.

I explained what I saw and how Caturix and I reacted to seeing her. I also told her about walking into the kitchen last night and the scent that had  both of us intrigued. I can see that she is deep in thought about the whole situation. I leaned back and took a drink of the lemonade that she handed me. She makes the best lemonade. 

“She is your mate; there is no doubt about that. You are right, though; until she returns and the two of you are in the same room, you will know. While vampires can scent their beloveds, this is what they call their mate; they rely more on sight and touch.”  She explains.

“That is what I thought. She is in New Orleans visiting some friends.” I explained.

“You know that your great-grandfather was remarkably close to the vampire princess. Her name was Essi, and she is a sweet and beautiful girl. Although I have not seen her in a long time, we were also great friends.”  Great-grandmother sighs.

“I had no idea. Dad told me a vampire saved my great-grandfather, but I did not know it was the princess. I am not sure if he knew she was a princess.” I replied.

“It was right after we met. I was 100 years old, while your great-grandfather had just turned 200. He and a few pack warriors were out scouting since there was a report of rogues in the area. I was sitting with your great-great grandparents when it felt like my heart was being ripped out. I knew something had happened to him. I let out a scream; that was the last thing I remembered. When I woke up, I was lying beside your great-grandfather. He was beaten up but alive. I noticed a woman sitting beside him, and I started to growl, but his father was there and explained that she had saved him and all the warriors. She had been out wandering around the area when she heard the fighting. She had jumped in and fought alongside them with no hesitation. She introduced herself as Essi, and from then on, she was a friend of the family and pack. She used to come and stay with us a lot. A few months ago, I last heard from her when she said she would stop by while travelling. She was always such a free spirit. She might be a princess, but she never felt like one and had no interest in that life.” Great-grandmother adds. 

I sat there stunned at what she had just told me. For the most part, Lycans and vampires get along. Their king has always been on good terms with our pack. Alpha Jiahoa runs the only pack that has not allied with him yet. That guy is a colossal asshole, and I still do not understand why he has not stepped down and let his son take over. I am friends with his son Jin. I might call him to see why his father is such a dick. I wonder why Essi has not been to visit in so long. I have met a few vampires from Europe, but none were female, and I know none were royalty. The two of us talked for a while, and I can tell she misses this Essi and is excited for her to stop by for a visit. My great-grandmother has been depressed since my great-grandfather died 300 years ago. I never got to meet him. He had been ill for a while and passed away the day I was born. I am surprised that she has kept going all these years. I kiss her head and tell her to come by the pack house when Tylania’s friend returns. I would love for all my family to meet my mate. I am still wondering about the ability that my great-grandmother mentioned that Essi has. She would not go into detail, but it sounds as if it is rare and incredibly unique. I let myself out, shutting the door behind me. 

“When is Kynessie coming back?” Aisling asked, whining.

“She will be back tonight. She is having dinner with us here at the packhouse.” Tylania answers. 

I roll my eyes at my little sister. She might be 100 years old but still acts like a toddler. I hear our mother tell her to stop whining and clean herself up. She had just returned from training and was still in her training clothes. I smirk as I hear her stomping up the stairs to her room. I walked back into the kitchen to see how things were going. I went to grab a taste of the cooked meat, but all I received was a spoon to the back of the head, and then I was told to get the fuck out of the kitchen. My mother glared at me, and Tylania had her hands on her hips. She might be my beta female, and I am her alpha, but she is also a powerful witch, and I know when to cut my losses. I hear Cahir laugh at me, as do Riordan and Kyran. Those three are assholes. I stand there talking with my father when the doorbell rings. Aisling flies down the stairs heading towards the front door. 

“It’s about time you showed up.”  I heard Aisling say.

“Sorry, I got stuck in traffic. There was a minor accident.” A new female voice replies.

The voice has Caturix walking closer to the front of my mind to peer through my eyes. I stiffen up as the scent of leather and whiskey with a hint of chocolate fills the room. I turn around, and there she stands, my mate. I watch as she comes to a dead stop, her eyes locked with mine.

“Mate.”  I growl.

She continues to stand there staring at me. I stepped toward her, which must be enough to wake her up. I watch her look at me, Tylania, and back to me. Then she does the last thing that I expect. She turns around and runs. I start to go after her, but Cahir holds me back.

“Stop, Tylania is going after her.” Cahir tells me. 

I look at the door where my mate just ran out of. She ran; she ran from me. I do not fucking understand what just happened.

(Why would she run? -Caturix)

(I do not know, buddy, but she looked both confused and scared. -Me)

(She is scared of us? -Caturix)

(No, I do not think that is it. I think she is scared of something else. -Me)

I do not know why she ran, but Tylania links me to tell me that she has found Kynessie, and they are talking. She apologizes for ruining dinner, but I do not give a fuck about dinner. She says that she will let me know what happens after they talk. I guess there is nothing I can do but wait. This is going to be a long night.