Chapter 5  Dual POV - The first exchange

Ryker’s - In my arms… 

Dira, that’s her name. I can’t believe that I have her in my arms.  She is soft to the touch even with that sinful dress she is wearing, I have a couple of ideas of where I should place it on, and none are on her body. 

She is visibly shocked. Her big chocolate eyes are staring right back at me. I can feel people staring holes into our bubble, but I don’t care. I only care about her at this moment. I break eye contact and lower my gaze to her lips, and red lipstick suits her.

 I want to bite into them to savor her. I lean in to whisper, “Follow me, darling.” I see her nod slightly, still in a trance with the mate bond. The spark, goddess that you created is beyond words, I think to myself. I mind-link Leno and Nora to follow me. I see them a step away next to double doors, just looking at us with amusing expressions. 

As we started walking towards the double doors, someone called out to Dira, she turned to see someone jogging towards us, and I recognized him as Gamma Theo. 

He approached us, “Are you ok, Dira?” He asked, and I raised my eyebrow at him, feeling offended by the insinuation in his question.

I look at Dira and back at Gamma Theo, “Dira and I are stepping away for a moment. After all, I don’t see the problem of having a word with my MATE in private and away from prying eyes' ' I stated.

 Realization hits his features, and he bows his head slightly apologetically. 

“Excuse me wasn’t my intention. Please accept my apologies, Dira and Alpha Ryker. I’ll excuse myself for now”, he said. “ Is Luna Dira from now on? '' I said to him. 

He pressed his lips together and walked back toward his Alpha. "Are you okay with love?” I asked her after seeing her expression.

My mate is not used to the attention we rank wolves usually receive. She looks up at me. “Let’s go. We won’t have much time till the ceremony begins,” she nods, walking out of the Dining Hall.

I signal Leno and Nora to follow me. They know the deal as my beta couple. Not only that, they are both skill fighters and one of my most trusted advisors. I said one because they are a solid team and cover all their strengths and weaknesses, like the rest of my rank wolves.  They are my self-appointed bodyguards.

As we walked towards the dais where the elevators are, I noticed that Dira was still in shock, she was going with it, but I could tell she was struggling too, and if she were feeling what I was feeling, I would be struggling too. 

A lot is going on today. With Highplains Pack joining the Federation, nothing can go wrong, and meeting Dira was not in the books but a fantastic surprise. I had placed my hand on her lower back to guide her. After all, I am still a gentleman, Domino, on the other hand, just wanted to throw her over our shoulders and claim her publicly. I am not opposed to it, but it is not the time and place; we are no savages. 

I feel the aura of her wolf making her presence known, I think the shift on her wolf taking the proverbial wheel, and I watch mesmerized as her eyes change color from her chocolate ones to red and black tones.

 I keep my face blank, amazed by such unique color and captivating gaze. I let Domino do the same and take some of the control, and I feel myself smirk. I saw her surprised face when she glimpsed Domino’s green eyes. It seems very peculiar that our wolves are very different from the norm, and I can’t stop being fascinated by them, both Dira’s and her wolf’s.

When we finally reach the elevator doors, I can see that she is finally showing some reaction and asks me, “Where are we going?” her realization that my beta couple is just behind us. I wonder what she would think about them. 

I look at her with a playful smile and answer, “We are going to my room. We can speak more easily and in private”. 

I see her lips forming an “oooh” and nods, and I feel her straightening her posture as we both walk inside the elevator and turn towards the closing doors, seeing our reflections, seeing her looking at us side by side. 

I took a good look at us, the way she is a full-figure curvy goddess. I noticed she was getting a bit flustered. I wonder what she is thinking about. Probably her wolf is as horny as mine. Domino hasn’t stopped showing visuals on how to make our mate squirm under our touch. 

 I am trying not to laugh at our situation, but she turns and glares at me, holding my gaze. I composed myself a bit and cleared my throat.

 “Apologies, my sweet mate, I just can’t stop looking at you. I want to memorize and learn how to read your expressions. After all, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time,” I tell her without not caring about my beta couple hearing us.

 “You know it is not nice to stare,” she said with some sassiness in her tone, goddess.

 Her voice is so sweet it can rival those of the singers from Elven City. I heard a “humph” there, seeing her with a small smile, one I knew was just for me.

 “Sassy, I like it. Pretty sure you are a feisty one,” I tell her, my voice a tad raspy.

I feel Leno and Nora looking at us and our exchange and internally laughing at us. I see Nora lower her gaze, looking guilty, while Leno shakes his head, amused by my situation.

 I see Nora hitting him on his torso playfully. The doors to the elevator open, and I nudge Dira a bit so we can step out of it, and we start walking, Dira by my side. I am on cloud nine right now.

 Dira’s POV - How he feels

This mate bond, I wasn’t expecting it. It is something that wasn’t in my plans. My career, dreams, and training were all thrown away because this was what the goddess deemed was the right time. Who am I to argue with, my goddess? There is a time, and there is a place, all according to her will. And that time is now, my birthday and the location is here in this dining hall. 

My mate is an Alpha, and at that one, they will be joining the Federation officially today. I am just numb, the electricity I feel pulsating thru my body is numbing my senses, and his hand holding onto my waist makes my body squirm with the need for him. I mean, look at him. He is gorgeous, he is mine, and for that, I thank you, goddess. I don’t know what to do about this, what to think.

We barely know anything about his pack, let alone who he is. 

“Are you ok, Dira?” Gamma Theo asked me when he approached. I barely noticed his presence, and I was observing, mesmerized by Ryker’s expressions.

 I could tell his question took him aback. “Dira and I are stepping away for a moment. After all, I don’t see the problem of having a word with my MATE in private and away from prying eyes,” I heard him tell Gamma Theo.

 I noticed him looking at me briefly. I nodded slightly to confirm his untold question. Looking apologetically, “Excuse me wasn’t my intention. Please accept my apologies, Dira, Alpha Ryker. I’ll excuse myself for now”, Gamma Theo said.

 “Is Luna Dira from now on” Ryker replied? I noticed a brief shift in his mood.

 “Are you okay, love? He asked me with concern. I looked up at him.

 “Let’s go. We won’t have much time til the ceremony begins,” he said, and I just nodded, walking out of the Dining Hall together.

He doesn’t seem like the aggressive, possessive type, but how he claimed me in front of Gamma Theo made me giddy. It was the certainty, the reassurance that he is my equal and will step in when he deems I can’t deal with the situation.

 And don’t get me wrong, I can deal with almost anything thrown at me, and I almost didn't expect to deal with finding and meeting my mate.  I am just nodding and following along with him. It is going too fast. Where are we going again? I keep asking the wrong questions. 

Reneeira finally decides to pop her head, wanting the front seat, and I let her. I could feel how my eyes changed from their usual brown to the black and red of hers. For looking like a reverse panda with black fur and white dots, Reneeira has the most beautiful and captivating eyes. 

I see him looking at me when he feels Reneeira come forth, and he smirks, letting his wolf out. I was surprised as for a wolf. His eyes were the greenest I had ever seen, uncommon for our species’ usual yellow or orange. Like Reneeira’s, his are special too. I guess we are destined to be. 

We walk out of the Dining Hall and into the dais en route to the elevators. Stepping inside the elevator, I finally snapped out of myself and turned to look at him. His hand rested just a bit above my lower back, a tad possessive but a gentleman nonetheless. 

“Where are we going?” I asked him. I am just noticing two other people walking behind us, a man and a female. For a warrior, I am sure I lack some of my training today. The man is tall, just a bit more so than Ryker.

 His skin is a white mocha, he must be mixed race, and his eyes are almost yellow, with hints of green around them. They are beautiful too, but the female, wow, she is gorgeous, a bit shorter than me, her hair is a light red, medium length and wavy, her eyes are green, and her skin is a soft caramel color, she caught me staring, and she smiles kindly to me. 

Ryker looks at me, a playful smile on his features says, “We are going to my room. We can speak more at ease and in private”. I “oooh” and nodded, straightening myself and looking straight up at the mirror reflection of the elevator doors. 

I can’t help but notice that we look good together. He seems to have the muscles to hold on to me and probably even toss me around. Goddess Dira, what are you thinking right now? Calm down your thoughts. I noticed on our reflection that he was looking at me through it, and I blushed harder. He is currently holding his laughter. I turned to look at him directly and glared, holding his gaze. 

He cleared his throat, “Apologies, my sweet mate, I just can’t stop looking at you. I want to memorize and learn how to read your expressions. After all, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time,” he said, and his voice is like the sweetest melody, a song just for my ears and dedicated to my heart. 

Oh gosh, now I am getting mushy. What’s wrong with me?

 “You know it is not nice to stare,” I said, and I humph a bit, secretly smiling that his eyes were only for me.

 “Sassy, I like it. Pretty sure you are an aggressive one”, he said, rather sultry. I try to compose myself, noticing the other couple exchanging expressions that amused me through the reflection of the elevator doors. I raised an eyebrow at this exchange. 

The female at least had the decency to look guilty, while the Male just shook his head in amusement, playfully hitting her torso. Now I realize that they are a mated couple. I was about to say something when the doors opened, and was pushed softly to walk out with Ryker at my side.