Chapter Four

SOLOMON dropped Renato off at his home with a quick reminder that the new contract could be drawn up tomorrow. He knew his friend well, though, and wouldn’t be surprised to see him with the newly amended contract in hand first thing in the morning.

Taking the long way back, Solomon let his mind wander. Showing up at Alpha Salvatore’s pack house had been a calculated risk, one he knew would cause an uproar. He was fine with that. This could have been handled privately, but the Alpha werewolf had forced his hand by refusing to answer his calls and emails for days now. Like that would make all his problem go away. And the money he loaned would miraculously cleared one day.

Ha?! Who does he think he is. Besides, he was a Lycan. Subtle was not his preferred method.

What he hadn’t expected though, was finding a mate there. He shook his head. A werewolf and an Omega. He pressed harder on the gas pedal of his newest car.  He truly loved the car, especially since only two had been produced. His attempts to buy the other one hadn’t been successful, so far—not that he would give up. Come to think of it, it would be the perfect mating gift.

He’d have to do some shuffling in his garage to make room for a car for his mate, but that was no problem. His mate. The word still amazed him. Fortunately he’d procreated with female lycans through the years and had already contributed to the continuation of their species, so taking a mate who might not got pregnant with his child would be no problem. It might appear cold, but it worked for their kind.

Werewolves, on the other hand, mate for life. Unease snaked through him. He had never been interested in being with one person forever until now. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. He might not understand it, but there was no denying he wanted Lucia more fiercely than anything else in this world.

He started at the long, winding road, his headlights illuminating the forest around him until finally he came upon the driveway that led to his home. He built it based on one he’d owned in France, years ago, but this one was modernized.

As he passed through the gates, he waved at the men on duty. After he parked in his climate-controlled, multicar garage, he took the elevator up to the main living area. Warwick was quite proud of his home. It consisted of towers, turrets, and stone steps. The grand entrance had massive oak doors that reached fifteen feet high. They were truly awe-inspiring.

Right inside the entrance were two suits of armor, standing guard. A coat of arms and crossed swords decorated the surrounding wall directly opposite the entrance. In other areas there were rich tapestries. The finishing touches on his perfect castle were a great hall for feasting, with a long oak table, and then a spiral staircase that led to the upper floors.

Of course, his home was much smaller than the actual castle it was based on—only six thousand square feet. It seemed like a lot of space, but he like it that way. But lately an irritating sense of loneliness had begun creeping up on him. There were servants who lived there, but that wasn’t the same.

That unease from earlier returned, and this time he didn’t push it away. After greeting his staff, he retreated to his bedroom. A fire burned brightly, and silently he thanked whoever had the foresight to start it.

From where he stood, he can see the door that led to the master bath and large walk-in closets.

His bedroom was his main sanctuary, and no one but him had ever slept in his bed. Soon there would be another being sleeping with him. What would Lucia think about his home? Could she be comfortable here? Solomon sat on the bed and ran his hand across the insanely soft comforter, enjoying the textures. Would Lucia like the color?

Solomon glanced around. He hadn’t noticed until now how much purple there was around him. Well, he was partial to the color, but that was not surprising, since it's his favorite color and the exact color of his eyes. His gaze was caught by the mirror across from him. Not all Lycans had the same eye color. Well it's basically not just an eye color. Because it also signify what elements they can control. Some had control of fire, while others could spit ice shards. Solomon’s power was the ability to command the skies and give birth to storms of thunder and lightning. Following the symbolism associated with the darker shades of blue, indigo conveyed trust, truthfulness, and stability. Those were the positive traits.

Depending on who was asked, his less positive traits were that he was also a quiet, and dangerous who stalked his prey under cover of shrubs and trees, and that he was also a fierce fighter who not only used fang and claw, but also electricity.

Sighing, and erasing all the unnecessary thoughts in his head, he called down to the kitchen to see what there was to eat, since he hadn’t had dinner earlier. After making arrangements to have a meal brought up to his room, Solomon undressed, showered, and readied himself for bed.

Dressed only in black silk night pants, he sat at his desk and booted up his laptop. Being distracted by his cute little wolf was no excuse for ignoring his businesses.

Just as his stomach growled, there came a knock at his bedroom door. “Enter,” Solomon called. Standing, he slipped on his black silken robe.

The door opened and his butler, Mayne, entered, pushing a small cart in front of him. “Good evening, Master Solomon.”

“Evening, Mayne.” Solomon stood to the side as the old butler maneuvered farther into the room. After he stopped in front of the fireplace, he turned to Solomon. “I hope you find the meal satisfactory.”

“I’m sure I will. Louise is an excellent cook.” She was another trusted employee of his. Louise Canfield was a goddess in the kitchen. And he was thankful that she decided to work for him.

Solomon walked to where Mayne had set up his dinner and uncovered one of the trays. He sniffed, enjoying the delicious scent of perfectly cooked meat. His beast sight might prefer it raw, but he didn’t. A massive T-bone steak and garlic mashed potatoes awaited him. Mayne uncovered another tray, which held a salad. A tall, lead crystal wineglass full of his favorite red wine, along with a glass of water, finished out the meal.

Solomon seated himself, cut the steak, and bit into it. An explosion of spices spread across his tongue, and he closed his eyes, savoring it. When he opened them, he looked up and found Mayne grinning at him.

“Good?”

“Most definitely. Please tell Louise she did a wonderful job, as usual.”

“I shall.” Mayne moved around the room, picking up a few stray items and turning down the bed. “Might I inquire how your business meeting with Alpha Salvatore went?”

Mayne's request wasn’t odd. His role in his household might be that of a butler, but they were also good friends. “An unexpected development cropped up.”

Solomon waved his steak knife at the vacant chair across from him. “Join me? By the way, have you already eaten?”

Mayne sat in the overstuffed leather chair. Leaning back, he crossed his legs, hands folded in his lap. “I ate earlier with Mrs. Canfield, but thank you for asking. So? An unexpected development?”

“Very much so. The short version is, Alpha Salvatore was unable to pay the loan.”

Mayne tsked. “How unfortunate.”

Solomon snorted. “I’m sure he’d agree with you.”

“When do you foreclose on his properties?”

Solomon took another bite, then picked up his wine and took a sip. “I’m not going to.”

The old man raised an eyebrow, a look of shock crossing his face. Solomon chuckled in amusement. It wasn’t often he managed to catch Mayne off guard—he was unflappable.

“Interesting. I wonder, what could possibly have happened to make you forgo claiming such a lucrative investment?”

“Oh, trust me, he didn’t get off scot-free. But in regard to your question, did you know the werewolf has a daughter who was an Omega? Her name is Lucia Salvatore.”

“No, sir, I did not. I take it she was the ‘unexpected’ development?”

Solomon nodded. “I would say so. My beast took one look at her and… I don’t know how to explain it. He went nuts. You would’ve thought he’d found the shiniest, most expensive treasure in the whole world.” He scowled at his glass of wine, remembering how his beast had carried on. “He wants Lucia with a passion I can’t quite understand.”

“Oh.” A look of confusion crossed Mayne's face. “Do I take that to mean you don’t feel the same?”

Solomon put his fork down. Heat climbed up his face. Surely he wasn’t blushing. Lycans simply didn’t do such things. And someone as old as him.. But... But how could he adequately put into words what it was he felt when he wasn’t sure himself?

“Ahhh, I see,” Mayne continued, not giving Solomon a chance to interrupt. “You want Lucia too. Badly, if I’m not mistaken.”

Solomon scowled. “Damn beast took one look at that cute little Omega and promptly lost control. He was hopping around inside my mind like an overgrown puppy, his tongue practically hanging out and tail wagging.”

Mayne chuckled. “Now that’s something I would’ve paid good money to see.”

Solomon scooped up some of the garlic mashed potatoes. They, like the rest of the meal, were seasoned to perfection. “Trust me, no one needs to see that.”

Mayne smiled serenely. “Oh, I don’t know. I think it’s wonderful that your beast has found a playful side.”

“‘Playful’ and ‘beast’ do not belong in the same sentence, I’ll have you know.”

Solomon shot him an aggravated glance when he snickered. “Shut up, old man.”

“This was coming from someone centuries older than me.” Mayne laughed loudly, slapping his knee. “But you do look good for your age.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Solomon ate another bite of his steak.

After several minutes, Mayne spoke again. “So, we’re soon to have someone new at the castle.”

Solomon continued to eat, barely nodding. “Yes.”

“Is there anything you need me to do?”

That made Solomon pause. He looked at Mayne, confused. “In regard to what?”

Mayne frowned. “I see bluntness is in order. Is he moving into your room?”

Solomon blinked. What kind of silly question was that? “Of course. Where else would she sleep?”

“I wouldn’t claim to know, which is why I was asking. I’ll start moving your extra clothes out of the other walk-in closet. Also, what is she bringing with her?”

Solomon scowled. Moving his clothes? And what exactly did Mayne think Lucia would be bringing with her? But then, he hadn’t thought about anything past getting his hands on Lucia. “What do you mean?”

Mayne sighed. “The pup is bringing more than himself—surely you realize this, sir. I assume you plan to claim her as your mate. That means she’s going to be living here. Which means she’s going to bring her things with her.”

“What do you mean, I plan to claim her as my mate? There is no planning to it. I’m going to.”

Mayne cleared his throat. “Sir, do you not know anything about werewolves?”

“They’re werewolves. They can shift into a wolf. What more did I need to know to do business? I haven’t really paid much attention to them until recently, so would you stop beating around the bush and tell me what it is you think I need to know!”

Mayne released another long-suffering sigh. “There is a ritual, a physical ritual they go through.”

Solomon scowled. “English. Explain this in plain English, if you please.”

“Then stop and think about this, if you please, sir. When wolves claim each other, they exchange bites. And yes, I mean bites—as in, breaking the skin and drinking each other’s blood. From my understanding, a mating bite leaves a scar, something that’s practically unheard of with their incredible healing abilities. That scar is a warning to other werewolves. It shows that person is claimed.”

“Our kind don’t do anything like that."

“Well it's different with werewolves. Which is why I’m telling you how they do it. I also understand that this happens while making love. So you need to be prepared. If you truly plan to take her as your mate by their rituals, you’re going to have to bite her. Usually the mating bite is placed where the neck and shoulder meet.”

“Fine. I can do that. Do you think it will work, though, since I’m not a werewolf?”

Mayne opened his mouth and closed it. It took a minute before he could answer. “I guess there’s only one way to find out.”

“Indeed.” Solomon was quite looking forward to it, in fact. Especially the making love part. His Beast stretched in his mind, uttering a low rumble of agreement. It appeared he wasn’t the only one. “Is she expecting to bite me too?”

“From my understanding of the ritual, yes. But Lucia is an Omega, so I’m not really sure if they have the… the ability to bite someone who’s more powerful than them.” Okay, that was confusing. Didn’t him tell him that’s what werewolves did? “Why wouldn’t she?”

“Again, I’m going by what I have heard about werewolves, but Omegas are the least dominant members in a pack hierarchy. They’re usually not aggressive, tend to be somewhat shy, and are often spoiled rotten because of the special abilities they have. And before you ask, each Omega is gifted with some sort of special talent. You might want to ask Lucia what hers is. I would highly suggest you do some reading on the subject.”

Solomon ran a hand through his hair. “I had no idea this would be so involved. This is why Lycans are such uncomplicated creatures."

“Yes, sir. Uncomplicated,” Mayne said, a completely deadpan expression on his face.

Solomon scowled. “Are you saying we’re not?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. You’re some of the most complicated, demanding, hardheaded, know-it-alls—”

“We are not.”

“Right, sir. You keep telling yourself that. Anyway, as I was saying, research werewolves’ mating rituals, and, specifically, of Omegas.” Now that he’d properly reprimanded Solomon, Mayne finally stood up. “On that happy note, I’m going to retire to my quarters and enjoy a well-deserved brandy. Good night, Master Solomon.”

“Have a good night, Mayne.” Solomon continued to eat, but he no longer tasted the food. Instead, his thoughts turned inward to the beast who had taken a keen interest in all this talk about biting and drinking blood. It was fascinated. Very fascinated.

And Solomon discovered he wasn’t exactly either.

********