Pricolici - 1. Story

"What can I get for you?" the bartender asked, her eyes feasting on his bare skin. She licked her lips as he gaze lingered on his hard pink nipples.

"Umm, a cranberry and vodka, please."

"Sure thing sweetheart." She turned away to grab the vodka and he shuddered, released from the hold of her lust. It made his stomach tighten just a little, his hand slipping down to press against the dull ache. He had no choice but to be there. He was searching for something he could feel but not put a name to or control. He had driven by the club in the daylight hours and had felt an overwhelming urge to go inside. It was closed but he had stopped his car in front and stared for almost an hour before realizing it.

He had sighed and then put the car in gear to drive away. He'd kept glancing in his rear view mirror until he turned the corner, pulling into the closest motel he could find and crashing on the bed. He had been driving for a long time. Tucker's alpha had sent him away, afraid of how feral he was making his pack. Fearing the Hunters coming to get him; it had been a move of desperation. Even Shane had been close to losing his control but with no one in his haitas strong enough to accept Tucker had been told he had to go. Since he left he had been aimlessly driving for days; at least until he ended up outside the bar.

"You let me know if you need anything else," the bartender said, sliding his glass across the bar.

Tucker nodded so he wouldn't have to speak and then took a sip of the drink he was given, avoiding any touch from the human's hand. Her lust was strong but Tucker knew he wasn't looking for a female. He turned his back to the bar and scanned the room again, taking in the shadowy booths, circular wood tables ringed with stools, and the empty stage where the lights were just beginning to turn on and spotlight the front mike. He took another sip, enjoying the bitter tang of the cranberry juice and the smooth vodka. He was jittery and uncertain of what exactly he was waiting for; what he had felt so strongly before when sitting outside.

He turned and put his empty glass on the bar and gestured for another. Right as he got it he could hear the whine of the speakers coming on and turned around. Looking up at the stage he froze. There were several large men, two holding guitars and one sitting down on a stool behind a drum set. They all looked the same, dark hair and eyes and taut tan skin over thick muscles.

Lowering the center mike at the front of the stage under the white spotlight was a female in a short black skirt and a green blouse with loose flowing sleeves. Her slim waist was revealed by a small golden corset that accentuated her curvy figure. His nostrils flared. This was what he had been waiting for.

These were his kind.

Without any introduction the man on the base guitar set up a deep throbbing beat. After a single measure the lead guitar joined in, fingers moving in a fierce riff that settle into a weaving rhythm that synced with every fourth beat of the base. With a quick triple beat the drummer joined in and the trio wove a complex melody that, amazing as it sounded, faded into the background as soon as the female opened her mouth. From her throat poured notes of such purity that Tucker was unable to focus on the words. Her voice was like a siren call and he left the bar and began walking forward without ever taking his eyes off the stage.

Like many of the other bar patrons he stood mesmerized while the song continued, his body swaying to the beat in a small lonely circle, most of the humans around him subconsciously leaning away from the intense pheromones his body was emitting. Several times during the song, the drummer leaned forward and would sing along into a microphone positioned in front of him, his smoky baritone carrying the woman's melody. Tucker blinked slowly when the last note faded away and the instruments stilled. The crowd went a little crazy, cheering and clapping while shrieking for more.

"Hey guys!" the drummer shouted into his mike. "For those new in the crowd, we are Daos. We have several more songs for you to enjoy tonight including one new song." Tucker shivered and the people grouped around the stage screamed in excitement. The dark haired drummer smirked and swirled his drumsticks in his hands and began a quick pounding beat on the snare drum before the group launched into another song.

He couldn't believe they actually used the name of their kind as their band name. The Hunters were something all the haitas feared and if they found out... Something pricked at Tucker. He could feel the power auras of the daoi on the stage and he thought that was what had pulled him forward. But as soon as he opened his eyes he was fixated on a pair of yellow eyes staring out from a gap in the back curtain. Tucker stood motionless through the next three songs as the humans danced around him totally oblivious, while he was held mesmerized by the unblinking predatory stare. The lead guitarist stepped between him and the gleaming yellow eyes, breaking the stare.

Tucker staggered a little and drew in a ragged breath. He was trembling and the hair all over his body was standing straight up. Stumbling back a few steps, Tucker turned and wove through the now crowded table area to drop his glass with numb fingers onto the wood bar. He was about to turn around and head for the door when arms slammed into the wood on either side of him and a solid body pinned him to the bar.

Tucker tried to shove back and get away from the full body contact but a throaty growl next to his vulnerable neck made him freeze.

"What are you doing in my territory, little lupe?"

Tucker couldn't speak; he was lost in the aura of power coming from the angry lupe behind him. He whimpered when sharp teeth bit down on his ear. He felt something inside him shift and he arched his back, whimpering.

"Answer me."

"I didn't know it was your territory. I was just passing through. I was looking for... for..." Tucker blushed and stopped talking. He didn't really know himself. Another growl made him almost squeak in fear.

"I'm sorry, I'll leave. Right... right now." Tucker tried to move to the left and the lupe's dark arm left the bar to wrap around him, pinning his arm to his side.

"Oh no. No one strolls into a den of the Pricolici and just walks away. You're coming with me."

Tucker was too scared to even think of objecting. The Pricolici were known throughout Daoi society as the most ancient of all the haitas. Full of Old Country warriors; some of them had lived for over a thousand years. They were also the men who made up the Hunters. Shane had told him to go south on purpose.

His old alpha had set him up. Tucker felt the pain of losing his haitas and the betrayal of the man he still thought of as his alpha swamp him. Shane hadn't just sent him away; he'd sent him to be killed by the most brutal lupes of their kind.

It wasn't until the big lupe had Tucker in a back room behind the bar that he even thought to try to pull away.

"I wouldn't do that right now." Out of sight of the humans, the large lupe simply picked Tucker up and slung him into a chair. The lupe pushed it into the table, pinning him in place and then circled around it to stare at him. "Stay there," he growled.

Tucker bristled but one warning look from those eyes still gleaming a solid yellow made him sink back in the chair. His hands were clenched on the wood arms. He watched as the lupe moved to a phone on the far wall and dialed a number that Tucker recognized. Son of a bitch! Tucker strained to hear and just managed to catch his end of the low conversation.

"I have him."

"You should have done better than that. What if something had happened? Do you think you are allowed to pick and choose which of my orders you want to follow?" the lupe snapped, barely glancing over at Tucker who quickly looked back down. He tried hard to look like he was really minding his own business like he was ordered.

"Hell yes I would have blamed you! He was alone!" he growled. Tucker turned his head to try and hear the other side of the conversation but the lupe suddenly went rigid and interrupted the person on the other side of the line. "I know him now. Do you need a reminder of who I am?"

Silence. The muscles in the lupe's neck and shoulders were slowly relaxing. Even Tucker could hear the placating tone through the phone.

"You're safe as long as no harm came from your poor judgment."

The lupe hung up the phone without even the courtesy of a goodbye. Before he could turn around Tucker made sure he was staring at his hands clenched together in his lap. He could feel it as the lupe eyed him for several minutes until Tucker cautiously raised his eyes for a brief second. Seeing the eyes still yellow, he flicked them back down to avoid irritating the enraged lupe.

"My name is Stelian and you are Tucker. You entered my territory," Stelian's nostrils flared, "and you smell like..."

"I'm in heat," Tucker said in embarrassment. He wrapped his arms around his slender chest. "I didn't know there were any wolves here or I wouldn't have come. I make everyone go crazy."

"Is that what they told you?" Stelian stayed across the room from Tucker. He still seemed very volatile and Tucker was glad for it. He didn't have anyone here who would protect him if the lupe got too close.

Tucker knew exactly what happened to other lupes who got a good whiff of him. He snorted.

"What else could it be? I attract males like a female calls to males when she is ripe for claiming. Even females respond to it. I can feel this force inside of me, like lust, welling up and spilling out into the air but I can't do anything about it. Fights were breaking out in my haitas because of it. I know you were just talking to Shane but he did what he had to do. I am the bottom of the haitas, a nobody, and no one was strong enough to control it. There was no one he could send with me that wouldn't try to... to..."

"Mount you whether you liked it or not?"

Tucker's fair skin blushed crimson at the mental picture that he got from the crude assessment. It was true though.

Stelian smirked at him and he shuddered a little at the heat in Stelian's voice and those eyes that were again burning yellow. He hadn't really noticed but Stelian had moved closer as they talked, inch by slow inch. Amazingly, Stelian was just several feet away and Tucker could feel his aura flowing toward him. He hadn't realized it was gone until that moment; Stelian dominated the room even without the power that reinforced his place in his haitas.

"Don't worry; you're in my territory now," There was satisfaction in Stelian's voice, "and if your haitas didn't know what they had then it is not my place to enlighten them."

"What they..." Tucker froze when Stelian stalked around the side of the table and grabbed the arm of his chair and slung it sideways. He leaned down and used his body to pen Tucker in when the smaller lupe would have tried to bolt.

"Oh yes. You're very special," Stelian said as he bent down to drag his nose up Tucker's neck. He nipped at Tucker's ear again and growled when he tried to jerk away.

"Don't."

Tucker froze at the order from a voice laced with the wolf's growl. The ache he had felt earlier from the bartender had nothing on the way he felt from the suddenly overwhelming surge of lust he felt from Stelian. Something welled up inside him and he felt his eyes shift. Everything was sharper and clearer when he had the eyes of his wolf. He knew his own eyes now shone as golden as the larger lupe's. Entranced by the angles and shadows he'd missed with his human eyes, Tucker stared at Stelian's dusky skin where it stretched tight over his sharp cheekbones. His Romanian blood gave him a deep skin tone and even the yellow eyes of an excited werewolf looked natural on him, as if Stelian was never fully human.

Tucker couldn't help but lick his lips as he stared at the ancient lupe's strong and handsome face that matched the hard, muscular body. All lupes were stronger than they looked but Stelian was taller and more heavily muscled than the biggest male in his old haitas. The power that flowed up inside Tucker reached out and met Stelian's aura.

There was a sensation of blending, a mingling of two opposite yet similar forces. One hand came down on Tucker's neck and tugged at the chain around his neck to pull his face closer to Stelian's. The lupe's breath puffed against his lips, only inches apart. It startled Tucker and he jerked away, his power snapping back inside him as his chair tipped over backward and Tucker fell over. He tucked his body and then rolled into a crouch, facing the larger lupe.

His body was vibrating with the growls deep in his chest as he glared at Stelian. "What did you just do?"

"Me? I did nothing but answer your call, little lupe. I could feel you for days now, getting closer. You've been in my territory, in this bar in fact. As soon as you entered the club I knew what you were."

Tucker pulled himself erect, his hands clenched in frustration at his sides. Would this lupe ever make sense? "That's impossible! I've never been here before, I'd remember."

"Not in person but your spectral aspect has been here."

"Spectral aspect? What in the hell are you talking about?"

"I told you; I know what you are. Don't try to deny it." Stelian glared at him and Tucker glared with equal intensity. He knew he shouldn't antagonize him; Stelian was the strongest werewolf he had ever felt, but he needed answers.

"What am I then?"

"A hultan."

"A hultan," he repeated flatly. Tucker stood up straight and crossed his arms over his chest. "What in the hell is that exactly?"

"A priest. A Hultan is a priest."

Tucker burst out laughing. He closed his eyes and laughed until tears leaked out of the corners while Stelian had his chance to glare. "I don't think so. I'm not even Catholic. Nor do I wish to take vows of celibacy." Tucker shivered at the thought and rolled his eyes.

Stelian made a dismissive sound and looked at him in disgust. "You are impossibly young. You know nothing."

"True." Tucker shrugged. He couldn't argue with truth. "I've only been a lupe for six months."

Stelian's eyes widened and then squeezed shut. His hand came up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"You transformed on your twentieth birthday?"

"Yes."

Stelian's eyes were still shut but his hand fell to his side. "You are only twenty years old?"

Tucker frowned at Stelian and then folded his arms across his chest. "Yeah, so what? You're all of what, twenty seven?"

Stelian pinched the bridge of his nose. "I am two thousand three hundred and sixteen years old."

Tucker looked at him in disbelief. "You... you're..." He slumped against the wall and stared at Stelian in shock. The man took advantage of Tucker's silence to continue.

"I know you don't believe me about what you are. There are many legends of the Hultan among our kind but they are wrong. The stories say that you were celibate recluses and would lose your powers if you were to ever mate. That was a convention the Christians brought with them to deny the power the Hultans had. Your kind faded into obscurity and then died out a very long time ago.

"I haven't seen a Hultan in over a thousand years. Until you."

Tucker shook his head. "You're nuts." A very old nutcase, but he was still nuts. Tucker wasn't some sort of crazy, old-fashioned priest destined for a life of monkish prudery. He couldn't. He wouldn't.

"I bet you always know what the weather will be. You dream about places you've never been and have seen things you can't possibly know. People and lupes can sense your power and lust for it, and you, ever since you changed for the first time. You are searching for something and every day that goes by without finding it has made your need worsen."

Tucker's eyes widened. His mouth tightened and he looked down. He wouldn't admit it out loud. The lupe couldn't make him.

Stelian then dropped his biggest bomb. "You're not even a werewolf."

"What the hell do you mean? Of course I am! I've been able to shift into a wolf for months." Tucker's hands were curled into fists at his side and he glared at Stelian.

"I'm sure you can. I didn't say you couldn't shift into a wolf; you're just not a werewolf. Hultans can shift into many animal forms. When I was young and growing up in Dacia there was a whole school where they would send your kind to be taught to use their magic called Crugul Pamantului. To predict and control the weather, to project your astral form and learn to direct it to when and where you want to go, how to shift into different animal forms. Most hultans trained from when they were young children.

"When a hultan turned twenty they gained the power to change shape. The first form they changed into is always their natural shape but with practice they can take others, it's magic-but not the same kind of magic that lupes have. I would guess you lost your family as a child and were raised by the wolves; that is why you would take the shape of a wolf. I'm sure you can do things I don't even know about too, the hultan were secretive of their power."

Scoffing at him, Tucker shrugged. "That's not proof. Shane could easily have told you all sorts of things about me." He nodded. "That's it. You're just trying to convince me that I'm this... this thing, as some sort of sick game. I've heard about you and your Pricolici. You're cruel and you toy with the ferals and humans you hunt down without mercy. You're animals no better than those you judge and execute."

It was Stelian's turn to glare. "You're a child and have no concept of what you speak," he thundered.

"My Hunters do not hunt humans and we certainly do not relish our role in Daoi society as the enforcers of our laws. If ferals were allowed to rampage unchecked the humans would discover us and, as powerful as we are, we would not be able to stop them from reacting as humans always have. They would eradicate all lupes. Someone must do the dirty work and if we muzzle our natures to become as civilized as the rest of the lupes have become there would be no one left to do the job.

"Just look at you. Shane, your own alpha, sent you to me. Without telling you that he was sending you straight into Pricolici territory, you were banished. He didn't know what you are and he thought you were going feral. He's weakened his wolf with his modern day human morality to the point that he can't even act himself to protect his haitas. Instead he sent you here, hoping that I would kill you so that his hands would remain clean."

The truth in Stelian's words was undeniable. Tucker had known Shane's intentions the moment Stelian told him he was in Pricolici territory. The alpha of Tucker's old haitas had often mocked the more animalistic haitas but his eyes always held a hint of fear when he spoke of them. They were the strongest Daoi clan and their leader was one of the most ancient werewolves living; and Tucker was arguing with him.

"So you're going to let me go?" Tucker looked at the door, even moved little toward it in hope the ancient lupe wasn't in the mood to toy with him. He said he didn't have anything to fear so he wasn't planning on killing him. Maybe he would let him go?

Stelian moved faster than Tucker could see. He pushed Tucker against the wall and pinned him there with one leg on either side of him. Tucker froze as he stared at the lupe's chin. He didn't raise his eyes and kept his chin tucked; he wasn't offering his throat to the male.

"Do you really want to go?" Stelian asked throatily.

"Yes." Tucker was panting; the second their skin touched the feelings of Stelian's lust hit him just as hard as they had earlier. It tightened things in his stomach but instead of hurting him or making him feel sick like the bartender had he felt... he felt...

He shook his head and put his hands on Stelian's shoulders. He shoved, trying to push the lupe away but the large male didn't move. "I do want to leave. Alone."

"I think you want a lot of things, little lupe, but leaving here without me isn't one of them." He shoved his face against Tucker's throat and then ran his nose up the smooth column. The smaller male's head fell back. His hands went from pressing flat against Stelian's shoulders to curling around them to pull the larger male closer.

Stelian chuckled and the sound vibrated against Tucker's skin and made him whimper.

"You want me."

"No," Tucker moaned.

"Then why are you rubbing your cock against me?"

Tucker's body stilled. He had been thrusting forward a little, rubbing against Stelian's thigh. He looked down in horror at the hard erection visible in his tight leather pants. He didn't understand. The lupes of his haitas had been men he had been raised by and known most of his life. He'd trusted them but after he shifted they had treated him differently.

His aura had slowly changed with each shift and they became more aggressive toward him, even the ones who didn't want to be. They lusted after him and he couldn't respond. Their wants and his lack of response caused many of the males to act with a level of violence beyond their nature. It got to the point that any lupe touching him sent him into a panic of fear.

He hadn't responded to anyone no matter what they did. More than once Shane had to stop a maddened lupe from hurting him as it gradually got worse. It was why Tucker hadn't argued when he was told to leave. The last time it had been Shane's beta who caught him alone. Martin had attacked him aggressively and when he tried to scream and get away the beta had given in to his nature and bit him. His teeth had sunk into to Tucker's lip until blood flowed down his chin from the nasty wound.

The pain had shocked and stilled him. Martin had let go when he felt Tucker's body go limp and he had howled in triumph. He spun Tucker and slammed his chest into the wall and tore at his jeans. He was pulling at his own pants when Shane had come running from an office down the hall. He'd pulled Martin away and Tucker had fallen to the floor in a heap. His things had been packed and Tucker left the next morning.

Now this lupe had overwhelmed him, invaded his space and scared him but for some reason his body responded instead of freezing as it had before. Instead of the closeness making him panic and try to retreat, he was trying to pull the overbearing ass closer. It was as if his body had turned traitor on him. He couldn't stand Stelian, he feared him. He certainly didn't want to want him like that. It would happen at any moment; Stelian would lose control and hurt him. This time there would be no one to help Tucker either.

"Tucker! Breathe!" Stelian snapped. When Tucker ignored him, Stelian did something that instantly snapped him from the panicked loop his mind was stuck in. He leaned down and kissed Tucker and when Tucker didn't respond, he used his sharp teeth to nip at his bottom lip.

Tucker yanked back from the lupe with a gasp, ripping his mouth away from those soft lips and smacking the back of his head hard against the wall behind him. He shoved at Stelian in panic."Get off! Get off, get off, get off!" His whole body shook and his knees gave out. Stelian had moved back when Tucker finally took a breath but he stepped forward and caught Tucker around the shoulders to keep him from hitting the floor, yanking him forward into his chest when he started to fall. Tucker's eyes rolled back and he fainted.

"Shit."

***

Tucker woke up alone in an unfamiliar bed. His nostrils flared as he tried to figure out where he was before he opened his eyes. The bed he was in was soft and the sheets under him felt silky. That, combined with the strong scent of lupe and the faint smell of cooking bacon, made him think he was in the home of a haitas member. He certainly wasn't in the bar.

A knock on the door startled him and his eyes shot open. The bed he was in was huge and the sheets were a deep dark red like a garnet. Tucker lifted the blanket and sighed in relief when he saw he still had his pants on. He couldn't wear underwear under the tight leather and the thought of being seen naked while he was unconscious made his stomach clench.

He rolled out of the covers and sat on the edge of the bed, looking around at the equally huge room. Thick curtains covered the windows casting the room in shadow that his lupe eyes easily saw through. There was an open door that led into a bathroom.

He jumped again when there was another knock at the door. "Tucker? You awake?"

It was Stelian.

Tucker's hands were clenched into fists where they rested on his thighs. The lupe must have carried him from the bar while he was unconscious. From the smell of things, he was in Stelian's bed.

"Damn," he whispered, burying his face in his hands.

"I heard that. Good to see you're finally awake. Breakfast is ready." His heavy footsteps faded as the arrogant man just walked away, expecting him to follow.

"Asshole," Tucker muttered.

"I heard that too."

Tucker grimaced. He wiped sweaty hands on the bed and then pushed himself to his feet. He padded over to the bathroom and pushed the door open all the way. He almost whistled at the sleek black and chrome marbled opulence but managed to restrain himself. His haitas had been comfortable but this place was a step up from that, a huge step. He used the toilet and then washed his hands and splashed his face.

He looked in the mirror and grimaced. His hair was sticking up in back and there were dark circles under his blue eyes that one night of sleep wasn't going to clear up. "I look like shit." He combed his fingers through his hair and then shrugged. There wasn't anything else he could do and really, why did he care about how he looked? He didn't need to impress anyone. He shivered a little and rubbed his bare arms.

***

Stelian turned his head and looked at Tucker when he finally made his way down into the kitchen. He had followed his nose to the bacon, otherwise he never would have found it, the house was so big. Stelian had changed out of his suit and was now dressed in fitted black jeans and a tight white tank top that showed off his muscular body. Tucker looked away quickly.

"Nice shirt, looks good on you."

Tucker blushed. "I was cold and all I had on last night were leather pants."

"You can wear my shirts anytime." Stelian's eyes were heated as he stared. His eyes got a slight tint of yellow and he let out a low growl. Tucker frowned as he glanced at him and then at the small breakfast table to one side of the kitchen. He knew the larger lupe would be able to sense his fear.

"Here, breakfast." Stelian's eyes faded back to a rich brown as he handed Tucker a plate with bacon, sausage, eggs and a few toast triangles on it. "Coffee or juice?"

Tucker groaned, "Coffee please." He'd almost been living on it while on the road.

They sat across from each other at the dining room table and ate their food in silence. Tucker finished most of his and then put his fork down on his plate and sipped his coffee as he waited for Stelian to finish. Stelian kept his eyes on his own plate but Tucker could almost feel how closely he was paying attention to him with his other senses. It didn't scare him like he thought it would.

He cleared his throat when Stelian put his fork down and was wiping his mouth off with a napkin. "What are you going to do with me?"

Stelian's eyebrow rose. "Do with you?" He made it sound dirty.

"You know what I mean," Tucker snapped. "You need to let me leave. I'm not safe around other lupes. Humans aren't much better. Your haitas will..."

"I told you, Shane didn't know what he had. My males are all from the old country. They will all recognize what you are and besides, you aren't attracting everyone anymore."

"What?"

"You smell like me now to other lupes. My scent will keep others away, no matter what else you smell like."

Tucker was shocked. His scent was changed? He took a big sniff but couldn't sense anything different. Maybe it was because everything in the whole place smelled like Stelian. "What in the hell did you do to me?" he demanded to know.

"I didn't do anything, you did. You have been coming to me by astral shifting for weeks now. It's how I knew you were at the club, I sensed your aura before I ever peeked out of the curtains and saw you. When we finally met and your power touched mine you created a link between our auras."

"I didn't do that!" objected Tucker, "I couldn't have. I don't know how."

"I told you that you have powers. Untrained, you are doing things instinctively. I'm the strongest lupe in the United States. Your power sought me out and created this connection. From what I knew of the Hultans the truly powerful usually bonded to leaders among the lupes and the royalty among the humans. They used what they learned at their school and their connection to the magic and the gods to guide their mates and protect their haitas."

Tucker sagged. "You mean I have no say in this? I'm just stuck here as... wait, did you say as your mate?" His eyes widened and he stared at the lupe who was still eying him so hungrily, just like in the bar. He couldn't stop the way he began panting, the panicked hitting him hard. His stomach clenched and he felt like his breakfast was not going to stay put. "Wh... wha... what do you mean?"

"Calm down, I'm not going to jump on you." Stelian picked up his coffee cup and took a sip in a nonchalant fashion. He kept his eyes on the cup as he drank and then just looked up at Tucker briefly. He let his gaze wander around the room and Tucker slowly relaxed. Lupes tended to fixate on the object of their attack, either violence or sex, and he didn't sense either from Stelian now that he wasn't staring at him.

"I'm sorry. It's been... hard, lately." This time it was Tucker's turn to avoid looking at Stelian. He still shivered but he didn't feel like his heart was going to pound out of his chest. Stelian's aura flowed through the room and it felt like his wolf brushed gently up against Tucker. Instead of choking him with his dominance or scaring him thinking that Stelian was going to attack, all the sensation did was make him relax. The room was silent until the aura retreated.

"Thank you," Tucker murmured.

"My animal half sensed your fear and came as if you summoned him. I did not intend to do that, I thought if you felt my power you would be scared. You shouldn't have been able to do that." The sharp tone in his voice sounded like irritation to Tucker. Things could get ugly if an alpha was irritated with a lower ranked wolf. Tucker quickly opened his hands and tilted his head back, exposing his throat more as he faced the lupe.

"I didn't mean to, you have to believe me. I'd never try to control your wolf. You're Alpha, I am not even a strong submissive. I-"

"Stop that." Stelian shook his head, interrupting him. "I'm not upset. I told you, you're not a werewolf; things like pack dominance have no bearing on you. You are neither dominant nor submissive. You are Hultan; you are other."

Instead of making him feel better that just made Tucker more upset. Stelian nostrils flared. "Why are you sad now?" he asked in confusion.

"Other means alone. You are saying I'm a freak, there is no one else like me and I'm truly alone." Stelian opened his mouth but Tucker cut him off. "I know I've been alone since I left my haitas but by what you say they were never my pack. I've always been alone and I never knew it."

"No. You're not alone. I told you, we are meant to be mates. We're connected, you and I together. The next pack meeting I will explain it to my haitas. When you're ready, we'll have the ceremonies."

"I need some time to think about everything. This is all just so much, I can't think straight. I need to be alone." Tucker pushed his chair back, the scents of his anxiety and confusion radiating off him so strongly he knew the other man could smell it too.

"There are gardens in the back and you're welcome to go anywhere in the house you want. Just please don't leave the grounds if you go outside."

Stelian stayed in his chair as Tucker rushed out of the room. Tucker flushed a little when he heard him mutter, "At least he didn't pass out this time." His embarrassment only made him flee faster.

He didn't really see the house as he followed the scent of flowers. He had the impression of big rooms and there was a lot of fancy furniture throughout but Tucker focused on getting out of the house. He burst through a pair of French doors onto a wide patio. It faced several gardens growing all sorts of plants. Tucker saw a stairway off to the right and he took it down to a well groomed gravel path.

Winding through the flower beds and past several benches, the path covered the most beautiful areas of the garden. The resting places let the walkers stop to admire the most beautiful flowers. It had been cold inside the house but outside the air was almost too sweet with the heavy scent of the sun warmed petals.

Tucker found a corner that was hidden away by a small creek and sat down on the bank. It was only a foot or two across and obviously man-made but he liked it. He put his bare feet in the water, enjoying the chill as he rubbed his feet on the smooth rocks. He fell back onto the soft grass and stared up at the light blue sky. Holding an imaginary paintbrush he traced the feathery clouds in a whimsical moment until he sighed, dropping his arm beside him.

He was stalling. He knew he was but the thought of facing what Stelian said, even in his own mind, was scary. The large werewolf frightened him and aroused him at the same time. His overbearing, dominant nature should have been obnoxious and stifling but Tucker couldn't help but shiver a little in secret pleasure when he thought about the way Stelian took charge and simply did what he wanted; what he thought best. Most Alphas were like that but this was... more.

Tucker had a rough childhood and growing up in a pack of werewolves who were driven by their nature to be dominant or submissive wasn't easy either. He prided himself on his ability to see any situation for what it was and to be pragmatic about it. Truthfully, he'd known what Stelian said was true.

He'd always been different. He'd also been searching for something, driven to find it; that sensation hadn't bothered him all morning. Suddenly the thought of Stelian behind him at the bar last night hit him like a hammer.

Tucker shuddered. His body was hot and tight. The physical pull he felt before entering the bar had faded but out in the gardens, away from Stelian, it grew worse again. He needed... he growled and dug his hands into the ground. He wouldn't go back inside and ask that overbearing Alpha what was wrong with him again. The man was condescending enough. The lupe had said he had powers, the ability to do stuff. One thing sounded intriguing. Maybe it was just the magic that created this feeling in him, because he hadn't used it, maybe...

Tucker closed his eyes and tried to push his mind outside of his body. His face tightened as he strained. This wasn't working. He slumped back against the soft ground and sighed. He could just see the arrogant lupe now, that stern, strong face staring at him and his lips moving, mesmerizing Tucker as he lectured him.

Suddenly, Tucker realized that he wasn't picturing the male anywhere he had seen him before. He was sitting at a desk in a room lined with books and a big window and talking on a phone. His face was set in furious lines and his eyes were glowing yellow with his wolf's presence peering out. Tucker focused on the way Stelian's mouth was moving, trying to hear what he was saying and suddenly he could.

"Phell will live only long enough to regret this." Stelian's voice was a low growl. "Gather the Hunters. If he thinks that he can enter Pricolici territory and not die for the transgressions he commits then I will disabuse him of that notion. Painfully." There was a pause.

"You have one hour."

He slammed the phone down and jerked out his chair. He paced the room, his skin twitching like his wolf was trying to come out and he was forcing it back.

"I know you are there, little lupe. Spying on me is a bad idea. A very bad idea." Stelian's yellow eyes scanned the room. It was like he could clearly sense Tucker but he didn't see him. Was this what he meant before about being in the bar? Had Tucker really done this before and not realized it?

"Come to me, little lupe, before I have to come find you."

Stelian was coming straight at him and Tucker jerked back in alarm, afraid that if he touched the angry werewolf something bad would happen. He felt a force pulling on him and he closed his eyes until he fell back into his body. He sat up with a gasp and pulled his chilled feet out of the small creek. Scrambling to his feet, he stared through the garden at the house. He didn't want to go in; Stelian didn't seem to be in control of his wolf. A wolf out of control around him...

He snorted. Like that would be anything new.

A figure appeared in the right side of the French doors he had left open and Tucker flinched. He could feel the stare from the house, as if Stelian knew exactly where he was. The need he felt kicked up a notch and even afraid, he felt a surge of attraction and erotic pull to the angry lupe

He was still across the back lawn from Stelian when he stopped. The ancient werewolf literally filled the doorway and Tucker could feel his agitation. It cooled his heat a little and he felt like a boy standing before his parent.

"I didn't do it on purpose," he said a little resentfully. "I didn't know I would be able to actually see you, I've never done it before."

Stelian shook his head. "I told you that you did. How do you think you found your way here, to my bar? Why come straight to me instead of any other direction you could have taken?"

Tucker glared at him. "Shane sent me this way!"

"You could have gone any other way once you left his territory. Why keep going? Why did you go to my bar?" He was calm as he pointed out facts that Tucker couldn't argue. He didn't know.

"The fact is that you ARE a hultan. Your powers know that you needed a strong mate and chose me. My wolf chose you after we finally caught your scent at the bar in person. Your visits teased us over and over and I'm barely able to keep from pouncing on you. Your powers have been growing since you first shifted."

"You were thinking about me?" the lupe rumbled.

Tucker jerked his eyes up. Stelian's chest rose and fell as he stared at Tucker, drawing his eyes to the top buttons left undone and the small hint of curls he could over the fabric. Tucker's fingers twitched, he wanted to touch those curls.

"You know I was! This whole situation is messed up and you're a huge part of it. What else am I going to be thinking about? It wasn't like that though," Tucker protested.

Stelian raised an eyebrow at his hostile tone. "You sure you're not protesting just a little too much?"

Tucker let out an irritated sound, shoving his hair out of his eyes. He glared at Stelian. "What is with you? You were two seconds away from exploding and now you're fine, just like that?"

Stelian left the doorway, stalking toward him. "You are 'what's with me'. I can smell your arousal and feel your need. Your body and magic want me. My wolf wants to mark you."

"Well my mind doesn't and that is the part of me in charge so you can just back up. This is too bizarre; you have to be playing some game. There is no way you could really be my mate!" Tucker felt his breath growing shorter as the large male left the porch and kept coming. He couldn't risk his heart on the alpha, he'd only get hurt. He had to resist his urges until Stelian realized it too and let him go.

"Really? You don't smell how much I want you back? You don't feel how my wolf has already chosen you as his mate? You carry my scent." Stelian paused in front of him.

Tucker wanted to caress that wide chest and he clenched his hands to keep from doing it. His pants were painfully tight and the problem was only getting worse. His nostrils flared. He did smell Stelian on him now that he was outside but it was faint. "I slept in your bed and I am wearing one of your shirts," he pointed out, "of course I smell like you."

Stelian closed the distance between them. Tucker's breath caught as the older male grabbed and dragged him into the circle of his arms and up against that hard chest. He couldn't help the way his knees went weak and his head dropped back in an invitation, not with the sudden lust he could feel as their skin touched.

Tucker moaned when Stelian's teeth closed over the front of his throat. He was motionless as he waited but the lupe didn't bite down with his teeth. Instead, Stelian began sucking, drawing up a dark red mark. His erection pressed against Tucker's stomach and he moved his hips, rubbing it in circles. Tucker was two seconds away from cumming in his pants when Stelian lifted his head.

His eyes were glowing yellow as he stared over Tucker's shoulder. He growled, an ugly snarl of sound that sent a whole new kind of chills down Tucker's spine. He dropped his head, hiding his throat.

"You should not be here." Stelian's voice threatened violence.

"I am sorry, Alpha. Grecia is here and we were unable to reach you to allow her to enter the property."

Tucker stiffened. He'd thought they were alone. He tried to turn to see who was interrupting them but Stelian's arms around him tightened. He growled and his face began to shift a little as his teeth grew. Tucker froze.

"No males are to come withing fifty feet of the house or enter the gardens. None! Do I make myself clear?"

"Perfectly, Alpha. I apologize again."

"Let Grecia in only."

"Yes, Alpha." The lupe rushed away from the still growling alpha.

Stelian turned his attention to Tucker. His hands tightened on Tucker's back and his now sharpened nails dug into the skin a little. "You will stay away from other males. Don't even look at them."

Tucker gaped at him. "You just can't tell me what to do!"

Stelian's eyes flared even brighter. His wolf had to be very close to taking over and Tucker knew it but was rapidly beginning not to care. He didn't want to be Stelian's little slave, even if he wasn't as dominant as the alpha. He wasn't just going to roll over and let him take over his life.

"You will do as I say!"

Tucker's hurt and anger began to call forth his wolf and his eyes changed. He glared at the man shaking him. "The hell if I will! Let me go, you bastard!" He shoved against the larger lupe's chest, pushing out of Stelian's arms.

"I am not going to bow down to your every whim or let you control my life! If I'm not a werewolf then I don't have to listen to you, and by god, I won't if you are going to order me around!"

He knew how dangerous the action was but he turned and walked away from the angry male anyway. His wolf was whining a little, having a hard time with not submitting to the alpha but Tucker realized that if Stelian was right then his wolf wasn't a twinned part of his soul but just a representation of his magic. A magic he should control, it should not control him like a lupe's wolf side so often did.

"If you leave I will find you, Tucker," Stelian swore. "Don't make me order Grecia to subdue you."

"Fuck you. Just leave. I know you have some poor lupe to go hurt, he's probably innocent but what do you care? You just get off on hurting people. Well I'm not going to be one of them. Just leave me alone!"

Tucker went inside and rushed up the stairs, slamming the bedroom door. When he looked around he realized that he'd instinctively gone to Stelian's bedroom. Chances were that the angry lupe would come in since Tucker could see his wallet on the dresser so he hurried back out. He went to the other end of the hall, trying doors as he went. He peeked into a few bedrooms but when he found a room painted a deep green on the right side of the hall he decided it was just right.

He locked the door and then took his precaution one step farther, pushing and shoving the dresser in front of it. He was panting from the exertion and the remnants of his anger when he slumped onto the bed. He didn't realize it before with all the anxiety he was feeling at facing Stelian but he was really tired. If using his power took this much out of him, no wonder why he was always asleep when it happened before.

He curled up in the middle of the bed and pulled the blanket over him. He ignored the hot tears that ran down his face to soak into the pillow. He didn't care if Stelian thought he would jump the first male he saw. His warning to the guard to keep all males away as if Stelian thought that he was just a horny little whore really hurt. But he wasn't going to think about it. He dragged the extra pillow to his chest and held it tight as he fell asleep listening for the sound of the lupe who never came.

***

A knock at his door and a female voice woke him up a few hours later.

"Tucker? I have some dinner ready downstairs if you're hungry. Stelian said you didn't have any lunch."

Tucker blinked and rubbed his eyes, looking at the clock on the wall. It was already seven pm. He had slept longer than he thought he would. His mouth was dry and his eyes hurt. Clearing his throat he answered the female so she'd know he heard her.

"I'll be down in a minute."

"Okay. By the way, if you go through the bathroom there is another door to the suite next to you if you want to get out without moving the furniture back right now."

Tucker frowned. Typical, he hadn't even really been safe, not like he thought. The place was just too damn big. He crawled out of the bed and went to the bathroom to wash before going downstairs. He grimaced in disgust at the wrinkles in the shirt he was wearing and the way his hair was standing up. A little water fixed the hair but he was stuck with the shirt and his leather pants. He considered going to get a new shirt out of Stelian's closet but he shook his head. He just wanted to get more of the alpha's scent and it had faded from the shirt he had on. What he really needed were his own clothes.

The female was alone in the kitchen, already eating at the table when he finally got downstairs.

"Fix yourself a plate and sit down," she suggested before turning back to her own plate. Tucker dished a plate of the spaghetti and salad and then picked the spot opposite her. He studied her as they ate in silence.

She was very strong looking, a tight t-shirt showed off muscular arms and shoulders. She was sexy in a confident, I am comfortable in my body way. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she wasn't all done up like most human women. She finished her meal, putting her plate in the sink before she sat back down, sipping at her water while he finished.

When he put down his fork and glanced up at her and then away, she laughed lightly. "I'm guessing that Stelian didn't actually tell you what I'm doing here or where he ran off to, did he?"

"No," Tucker muttered. He fiddled with his napkin and tried to ignore the resentment he had begun to feel when he realized that Stelian wasn't going to try to get in and talk things out with him before he left. Worse, he'd assigned him a female babysitter; indicating to the entire haitas that Tucker was weaker than even the females.

Grecia's nostrils flared. "Whew, a bit peeved aren't you?"

Tucker grimaced. Werewolf noses. He hated everyone smelling how he felt since he just wasn't very good at doing it back. Another thing to chalk up to not really being a lupe instead of just being weak like he'd thought.

Grecia sat back in her chair. "Well, first thing I'm guessing you're thinking I'm a babysitter. I'm not." She chuckled when Tucker's eyes widened. "Yeah, figured you think that way. I've a thirteen year old son at home and was recently given the 'I don't need a babysitter anymore' speech. Of course a hormonal teenage lupe does, but that's not really what is going on here.

"Stelian got a call because our territory has been breached by an old pack member, Phell. The rumor in the haitas is that he was very good friends with Stelian, one of his betas, before he split and started his own haitas. I guess it happened about a hundred years ago but no one really knows why."

"What does that have to do with me?" Tucker asked.

"I'm getting there." Grecia rolled her eyes. "Typical male patience-none at all. Alright, to make a long story short, Phell has a personal vendetta against Stelian. I don't know how or why he would get on the property but Stelian believes that if Phell were to learn of you he would try to hurt you."

Sighing, Tucker rolled his eyes. "So instead of a babysitter you're what, some sort of bodyguard?" When Grecia nodded, he snorted. "What are you going to do? Scream him to death? Look, you are a strong woman but male lupes are big. You would never beat one in combat. I could shift and probably take you."

To make his point, Tucker stood up and leaned over the table, letting his eyes change and the teeth in his mouth begin to grow. The next thing he knew, he was looking at the business end of a gun and the steady, calm eyes of the female who was holding it. He froze, staring into the small black hole before he shifted back and eased down into his chair.

"How did I not smell that gun?" He sniffed the air and could only smell the faintest whiff of powder and metal in the air.

"Plastic body. There's hardly any metal in the gun beyond the spring and the ammunition." She had pointed it at the ceiling as soon as Tucker sat down. She clicked the safety back on and slipped it into a holster on her thigh that Tucker hadn't noticed before.

"A male may be stronger than me but I am faster. A bullet to the brain or heart will stop anyone in their tracks, no matter how big they are."

Tucker fell silent. Grecia was obviously a well trained, competent guard. The females of his old haitas would never have considered fighting or defending themselves. They were relatively modern women though and perhaps they lacked the drive an older werewolf would have, just from the times they had lived through.

"Why are you staring at me?" Grecia asked.

Tucker smirked, his bad mood beginning to fade. "Just trying to picture you in a leather skirt and a metal chest protector."

Grecia snorted at him this time. "It's impolite to ask a female how old she is, no matter how obliquely you do so."

Tucker raised an eyebrow at her and smiled cheekily as he got up to put his plate in the sink. She didn't have to tell him but with a name like Grecia... "You asked why I was staring; not my fault you didn't like the answer."

Grecia rolled her eyes, her arms across her chest, but she suddenly declared, "I looked damn hot and they were called breastplates, not chest protectors." Glaring at him, she left the room muttering under her breath.

Tucker laughed as he washed their dishes and put them in the drainer to dry. He decided he liked Grecia. First, she didn't try to maul him, though she was mated, so that might also account for it. It couldn't be because of what Stelian said. He sniffed at his shoulder, still trying to pick up Stelian's scent. Unable to really catch it, he shrugged.

Well, he liked her anyway. She was old; far older than him, but not stuffy about it. She could be fun to hang out with and maybe he could pump her for information on Stelian.

***

That night as he lay in the guest room bed he thought about what he'd found out. He flopped over on to his side, deciding that Stelian was just annoying. Annoyingly perfect. Tucker was disgusted at how much the ancient lupe sounded like his perfect match. He'd even had Grecia pick up Tucker's truck and stuff at his hotel so he'd have his own clothes back.

Dominant and forceful, he was almost instantly obeyed by the lupes in his haitas. Tucker had seen that himself. He owned the bar, several clubs, and was the business agent for the werewolf band, Daos. He also ran the oldest haitas known to their kind and had for thousands of years. The kind of power he had... Tucker shivered. He knew it made him an idiot but he found the way the the lupe had of dominating him... arousing.

The longer he lay there awake, the worst the feeling got. He rolled over and sighed as he looked up at the ceiling. There was no way he was going to get to sleep with his dick hard as a rock and throbbing. He thrust a hand under the covers and palmed his aching erection. Closing his eyes, he began stroking as he pictured the strong, muscular body of the alpha who had claimed him.

He used his other hand to pinch and twist his nipples and stroke the skin of his chest and neck. He fingered the area covered with a deep red hickey Stelian had left on him that morning. He remembered the hot body surrounding him and the vulnerable feeling he had when Stelian had taken his throat in his teeth and then pulled back to mark him before they were interrupted.

He moaned when his mind began imagining what Stelian might have done if they hadn't been interrupted. He might have circled around behind him and thrust his erection against Tucker's ass before stripping off their shirts and running his hands all over, touching and caressing his tight muscles. Tucker's hand moved faster.

He'd nip and kiss Tucker's shoulders until they were both moaning and then he would take off their pants. The porch railing was the perfect height and Tucker imagined his stomach bent over it as Stelian stepped between his legs. So close... he whimpered as he added a twist to the head of his dick on the next upstroke.

His mate would enter him at the same moment his teeth bit down on his shoulder, the stinging pain lost in the pleasure of being taken, being possessed by such a strong male. Stelian's hips would rock against his ass as he claimed him, his wolf's fangs buried deep in his shoulder, his control gone as they both orgasmed violently.

The thought of his blood filling Stelian's mouth as the man's cum shot against his insides sent Tucker over the edge. He stiffened and his hand faltered as his hips thrust up in the air. He bit back a cry, not wanting Grecia to burst in on him shooting cum all over his chest. Tucker panted as the waves of pleasure slowed and his body relaxed. He grabbed Stelian's shirt from the floor beside the bed and wiped off his chest.

He was so screwed.

***

Shots being fired and vicious growling woke Tucker up a few hours later. He jerked out of the bed and threw on a pair of sweats. Creeping to the door, he opened it an inch and looked out. A large lupe came out of Stelian's bedroom where Tucker had heard the shots coming from. He had blood oozing down one shoulder from a bullet wound.

Tucker gasped and the lupe's head whipped around. Tucker slammed the door shut and shoved the dresser back that inch. A heavy weight slammed against the door.

"Little lupe, little lupe, let me in," said a distorted voice.

Tucker snorted. Original. "Not likely!" He backed away from the door, listening to hear if the lupe would attack it again. He couldn't hear anything and he thought suddenly of Grecia. She'd had the gun, had the lupe killed her? She'd obviously shot him. Tucker hoped she was okay; he'd resented her when he first heard her voice when she woke him up but by the end of the night he had really liked her.

Suddenly, Tucker's eyes widened. The first time he'd talked to her she'd told him about the other entrance to his room. Did the lupe know about it? If he was Phell and an old friend of Stelian's, he probably would. Tucker raced toward the bathroom door but it slammed open just as he reached it.

"There you are, little lupe." The partially changed werewolf came for him and Tucker scrambled back. He had to get away. He tried circling around the lupe to get to the broken bathroom door but he wasn't fast enough. Crying out, he tugged against the tight hold the lupe had on his wrist.

"Stop fighting me. You're mine now!" the lupe said excitedly. He stared at Tucker's chest and neck. "He hasn't marked you yet," he crowed, "how stupid of him. I think I'll make you mine instead of just killing you. That will be a much better punishment."

"No!" It had to be Phell. The male looked and smelled wrong; Tucker had told Stelian he was probably an innocent but he had been wrong. Maybe fatally so.

The lupe laughed, the dark sound sending a shiver down Tucker's spine. He barely held in a whimper. "Why are you doing this?" Tucker cried out as he continued to struggle.

The lupe began dragging him out of the room. "Because he deserves it. All the power he has, he isn't fit to wield it. We are Daoi, werewolves! We've existed for thousands of years, hiding from the humans when we should be ruling over them as the stronger species. Our powers have dwindled but with you... with you I can do so much. I can take over all of the haitas and make them mine. One huge pack that will fall on the humans and put them in their place. No more humans hunting wolves and accidentally shooting our kind, no more hiding in fear from the stinking creatures. We'll rule them instead."

Phell continued to rant as he towed Tucker out of the house. His wound didn't seem to bother him at all as he went straight for the front door, not even attempting to make a stealthy retreat. Where was Grecia. Where was Stelian? Had he done something to him? Tucker hoped he was okay and that he would come for him before this maniac could mate them. He tried to drag his feet, holding on the porch column.

He looked up. A full moon.

Shit!

The lupe holding him yanked hard and Tucker lost his one handed grip. He fell down the steps and fell hard to his knees on the gravel walkway. Crying out, his arm was wrenched up behind his back by the lupe now standing behind him.

"Walk. There is a clearing ahead."

Phell laughed. "You'll be waiting for a long time if you think he's going to be coming. I left him a little... distraction at the first place I hunted tonight. I'm going to take you away from Stelian, make you my mate in the haitas' ceremonial spot. If he lives, he'll know you're mine now. He won't dare challenge me with a hultan at my side."

Tucker felt despair swamp him. He was on his own and there was no way he could fight off the much larger lupe. Rain began to fall around them in a soft patter. Tucker felt hot tears sliding down his cheeks to mix with the cool raindrops. He stumbled to a halt in a small clearing a few hundred yards from the house. The moon bathed the raindrops on the grass with a silvery glow but the beauty of the scene was lost on Tucker.

Still holding his arm locked, the lupe reached around Tucker and raked at the tie of his sweats with the claws of one hand. He yanked on them and they fell to Tucker's knees, exposing him to the cool night air. Tucker fought hard, trying to get away. He screamed with pain as his shoulder popped. The lupe let go of his arm but the pain from the dislocation was so bad Tucker's head was swimming. He tried running anyway, screaming as he was tackled to the ground. He writhed in pain and panic, feeling the insane lupe's erection grow and press against his ass.

"Fight all you want, little lupe. You'll just make this more painful. Not that I'll mind that. I can't wait to hear you scream again." Phell ground his hips down and a rock dug painfully into Tucker's hip hard enough that it would leave a deep bruise. His underwear was the only thing protecting him from the rape the lupe intended.

Overhead thunder rumbled.

Tucker clenched his jaw shut against the pain. He wouldn't give Phell what he wanted as he kept fighting to get out from under the heavy body with his good arm. Suddenly, his body was crushed even harder into the ground and then all the weight on him was gone. Snarls filled the clearing. Tucker yanked up his sweats with his uninjured arm as he rolled over, frantic to find out what was going on. When his eyes finally found the source of the snarls, he gasped. It was Stelian in his hybrid form. He was attacking Phell, driving him away from Tucker.

An arm wrapped around his waist and lifted him up as he watched frozen on his knees at the edge of the clearing. Tucker cried out and twisted, trying to get away. His arm and shoulder was jostled and he screamed. Tucker fell silent, his stomach heaving at the pain as his vision tunneled to the fighting pair of lupes. Stelian had looked over when he screamed and Phell took advantage of his distraction, swiping at his vulnerable stomach with his claws. Stelian barely avoided being gutted completely, though several gaping wounds opened up on the skin of his stomach and blood oozed out.

"Be quiet," a voice hissed. Tucker recognized it; it was the drummer from the band at the bar the night before. "He wants me to get you away. Stop fighting." There was a jagged flash of lightning and it was barely a second later the loud rumble of thunder rolled over the area.

"No!" Tucker twisted his body and wrenched on the lupe's arms around his waist. The lupe holding him growled in anger. "I won't leave him."

Stelian was standing still now, blood from his wounds running through the fur on his body to drip onto the dark ground. The moon made the red fluid look black but Tucker could smell the bitter tang of the fluid. Phell's bullet wound and several cuts inflicted by Stelian were bleeding but his wounds were not as great as Stelian's. Phell circled Stelian, snarling as his hands flexed. His yellow eyes were bright as he taunted the enraged alpha.

"I'm going to take him Stelian. I'll take him dry as I sink my teeth into his neck and put my mark on him, making his scream over and over. Your little hultan will use his powers to create a new era for all lupes. For me."

Stelian snarled. "Over my dead body!"

"Gladly!" Phell lunged at him, trying to knock Stelian to the ground and pin him under his body. Stelian went down but he shifted faster than anyone Tucker had ever seen. His body contorted and rippled as he turned into a gray and black brindled werewolf nearly twice as large as a natural wolf. His head came around and he snapped at Phell, making him jump back. The wolf charged the hybrid lupe. They went down in a mass of fur and flesh, yelps and snarls filling the air.

There was a rustling on the far side of the clearing and a man stumbled into the clearing. He distracted Stelian just long enough for Phell to get a grip and slam Stelian's head onto a rock partially buried in the ground. The werewolf's straining body went limp. Phell stood up, panting as he drew back one leg and kicked the unconscious wolf. Tucker cried out when Stelian didn't move.

"Phell, they're coming! They got the rest of the men, not even the silver stopped them." The man brandished a gun. Phell's eyes focused on it.

"We'll get their precious hultan and then we'll be safe." Phell held out his hand. "Give me the gun."

"Didn't you just hear me? The silver bullets didn't work, they're coming, at least six of them." The lupe's eyes were huge, the yellow beginning to bleed in as he lost control to his wolf.

"Do as I say!" Phell lashed out, slapping him upside the head and snatching the gun from him. "The bullets may not work on them but they'll work on the hultan here. His body isn't like ours, not really."

Tucker wasn't looking at the lupe who was now pointing a gun at him. He was staring at the wolf on the ground that was slowly turning back into a human. He felt power rippled through his body and the other lupe with him wisely let go of his arms and backed away.

Tucker's eyes rose slowly to meet Phell's.

Phell gestured with the gun. "Get over here, little lupe, unless you want to die."

His eyes moved to the gun, then back to Stelian's still form. The air seemed to thicken as Tucker's head fell back. His arms came up and so did the wind. Tucker didn't even register the pain of his injured arm as he moved, lost in a trance. The grass and the leaves rustled in the trees around them as the wind rose and whipped around the clearing.

"What are you doing?" Phell's voice was beginning to sound worried. "Stop it or I'll shoot!"

His voice dropped to a horrified whisper, "Oh my god, your eyes." He began to back away.

Silence reigned and then there was a blinding flash in the clearing and screaming filled the air. Every hair on every body within thirty feet stood straight up as erratic white beams of light shot from the ground to meet the black clouds above them. The gentle rain had vanished and in its place was a thunderstorm like Tucker had never seen. He was lost in his mind, watching what was happening but unable to do anything to stop it.

There was a sharp clap and then a roll of thunder so close the sound vibrated against their skin. A thick bolt of lightning outlined Tucker staring at the invading lupes as their bodies were pierced by a second white hot lance of electricity that would burn out their hearts and minds.

When the thunder sounded again it no longer sounded angry. It was more of a caress on his body, the thunder a deep growl of satisfaction. Silence fell and the wind died as the clouds began to recede and the moon peeked out. It was only moments until the entire clearing was bathed in the silvery light of the full moon. Every member of Stelian's Hunters were there, standing just inside the treeline. They stared not at their injured alpha but at Tucker as he rushed over to him.

"Stelian? Stelian, are you alright?" Tucker stared at the wounds on his stomach but they were shallow cuts now, not the deep wounds he had seen earlier. Stelian's shifting had taken care of the worst of his wounds but Tucker was really afraid of was his head wound. It was still bleeding and there was a knot visible right at his hairline.

What if he never woke up?

Tucker's hands brushed Stelian's hair back carefully. He traced the edges and bit back a whimper as he tracing trembling fingers over the wound. He shot a glare over his shoulder at the lupe that had tried to make him leave earlier.

"Don't you have a doctor or something? Why the hell are you just standing there with that stupid look on your face?"

"You are a hultan," the man whispered. "You called the lightning and now... now you heal him."

Tucker's eyes shot back to the unconscious alpha and he gaped at the warm yellow light coming from his hand still covering Stelian's head wound. He felt a warmth in his hand but it didn't hurt and until the lupe had said something he hadn't even realized he was doing anything. Now that he was paying attention he could sense the power, like he was taking some of his warmth and pushing it into the torn flesh. He pushed a little harder and the light got brighter until it faded away completely.

Tucker's eyes were wide as he slowly lifted his hand, trying to see where the light had come from. It looked perfectly normal. He blinked and shook his head, his body beginning to wobble a little. Stelian's head looked fine, the knot gone and it looked like he'd never had any wound there at all. Glancing down, almost as an afterthought, Tucker noticed the stomach wounds were gone too.

"This is too weird," he muttered just before he fell over unconscious.

***

When he woke up he was once again in Stelian's bed. This time the lupe was there with him, cradling him in his arms. When he tried to move they tightened around him

"What happened?" Tucker asked groggily. "I remember..." His voice trailed off as his eyes shot from Stelian's head to his naked chest and stomach above the sheet.

"You used your magic to save me," Stelian said quietly.

Tucker shook his head. "I don't know what I did. I didn't try to do anything, it just happened."

Stelian leaned down and kissed him. "Apparently using your magic is instinctual for you." He pressed his lips to Tucker's again. He slid his tongue into Tucker's mouth and swirled it around, drawing a moan from the younger man. Tucker lost himself in the sensual bliss. He moaned as Stelian ended the passionate kiss.

"Thank you, my mate," Stelian said in a whisper.

"You saved me too." Tucker searched Stelian's eyes."He was about to take me away from you, make me his mate and I couldn't stop him."

Stelian's eyes closed. "I'm sorry I wasn't here before he could hurt you." He dropped a kiss on the wrap across Tucker's shoulder, holding his injured arm stable.

"It will heal," Tucker told him. Stelian nodded but didn't look up. Tucker could almost feel his shame at what he had to perceive as a failing on his part. "Why Stelian? Why did he do this? Grecia said he was your friend."

"Once Phell had a mate. He was with us on a journey to another haitas to arrange for a trade and I ordered Phell to scout ahead. Something seemed off to me. While he was gone our haitas was attacked by humans thinking we were a pack of wolves. Two of my men died along with Phell's mate." There was a mountain of pain in his voice. "Phell blamed me. He left the pack after that but he's never been far away, waiting for his chance to get revenge. He would have had it today too, all because I hadn't marked you."

Tucker shook his head. "He would have just killed me then, he said. Being your mate would only have meant my death all the sooner."

Stelian looked into Tucker's eyes. "Do you still reject me? Not want to be my mate? Can you still question the fact that we are destined for each other?"

Tucker closed his eyes, unable to bear to see the hope and the fear so clear in Stelian's eyes. When he didn't speak Stelian's body stiffened and he began to move away.

"No, wait!" Tucker grabbed for him and cried out when he moved his injured shoulder.

"Shh, little lupe, don't move. I'll stay, just lay still." The way Stelian called him little lupe was completely different than the derision Phell's voice had held. The love in Stelian's voice made all the difference. He may not have known the ancient lupe for every long but every instinct he possessed, be they lupe or hultan, told him that his place was at this alpha's side as his mate.

"Promise me you won't ever leave me," Tucker said. "Tell me that I won't be left to live without you."

"Never," Stelian growled. "You're mine but I am yours as well. I would never leave you. You are mine for forever."

Tucker's hand came up and he grabbed a fistful of Stelian's soft hair. H lifted his head off the pillow and Tucker kissed him with all the pent up passion he had been trying to hide from the lupe in fear of losing him, the fear that Stelian was just playing some elaborate game. Feeling the emotions returned in the kiss, he let it go and let his trust and love fill him. Their tongues twisted together as they shared their second kiss. This time they both wanted it and it surpassed anything Tucker had felt in his dreams. It took his breath away.

Tucker pulled away, panting. He pressed their foreheads together. "Forever then, my mate."

***

It was weeks before Tucker had healed enough for Stelian to agree to mate him and present him to the haitas. The entire haitas was gathered in the clearing under the full moon. Tucker had butterflies in his stomach as he waited behind the trees.

"Are you ready?" Grecia asked him. She had survived the attack, simply knocked out and left behind when Phell went after Tucker.

"I've been ready," he grumbled. Stelian had treated him like he was made of spun glass. Their mating had been hot though. Tucker got lost in the memory.

He'd gotten sick of the breakable treatment so he'd decided to take matters into his own hand by teasing Stelian in order to get him to give in. The male's eyes had glowed yellow from his place at the foot of the bed as Tucker stretched his naked body out on top of the soft covers. He'd ran a hand down his side and then curled it around his erection.

"I told you, I am ready to mate you and have the ceremony," he'd insisted.

"I think you should take some more time to heal." Stelian's eyes were locked on his hand as it moved lazily up and down.

"I think you should come back to bed and claim me so we can have the ceremony tonight before the haitas. I'm ready Stelian."

He watched as his mate's eyes slowly bled to yellow. Tucker licked his lips and moaned as Stelian began stalking toward the bed.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Stelian's voice was pitched low and the sound of it dragged across Tucker's senses.

He knew one thing that would work, the one thing all dominant male lupes craved.

He let his head roll back, exposing this throat. "Please," he whispered.

Stelian growled and pounced. He crawled up the bed and crouched over Tucker, pulling his hand away from his slow stroking.

"Mine."

"Hmm... only if you're going to do something with it." Tucker raised an eyebrow at him.

He gasped when Stelian did the last thing he expected the large alpha to do. He leaned down and engulfed the head of Tucker's dick, swirling his tongue around the thick crown.

"Holy shit!" Tucker's eyes rolled back at the warm wet heat that quickly slid down to the base and then slid back up again. His hips jerked as he tried to bury himself back inside his mate's mouth but Stelian pressed his hips down to the bed.

One finger slid in beside his dick and Tucker whined, knowing where it was going. It slid below his balls and Stelian showed him no mercy, circling only once before pressing inside.

Nothing had ever felt as good as that finger stabbing inside and zeroing in on his prostate.

"Please..." he whimpered.

Stelian pulled off with a loud pop, the suction made Tucker shudder. "What do you want?"

"Claim me. No more teasing. I want to be yours, forever."

Pleasure shone out of Stelian's yellow eyes. He pulled his finger away and moved to one side of the bed. He got into the bedside drawer and pulled out the lube, then piled up a few pillows on the bed.

"Lay down on your stomach on the pillows."

Tucker rolled over, exposing himself to the lupe as he settled onto the pillows that held his chest and shoulder so that he wouldn't get hurt. A warmth filled his heart; his mate wanted him, had been fighting his urge to claim him and had to be desperate. Yet he took time to make Tucker comfortable, to protect him. Stelian might be the alpha of the most feared haitas but to Tucker he was anything but scary.

He was the other half of his soul and Tucker didn't want to be missing that half anymore.

He didn't have to beg again as Stelian slid between his legs, caressing his thighs. Fingers spread him as Stelian bent over his back and whispered how hot and soft he was inside and how hard he was going to take him. The anticipation had him rocking, pressing his weeping erection against the pillows.

"Oh no, none of that. You don't get to come yet." Stelian pulled him back a little so that his arching hips met only empty air. Tucker whined but the sound cut off in a sudden grunt when Stelian pulled his fingers out and then filled him a moment later, sliding inside in one gliding thrust.

"Oh yeah," Stelian groaned. "So hot and tight." He froze, his hips pressing against Tucker's ass.

Tucker shifted impatiently. "Move, please move."

Stelian slid back an inch and then thrust forward. Tucker couldn't stand the short thrusts, his muscles tightening as he tried moving to get that thick crown just where he needed it. Stelian's hands once again held tight to his hips, holding him still and making him accept the pace the alpha set. Just when Tucker couldn't take it any longer, his muscles twitching Stelian pulled back until he almost slipped out and then rammed forward, pulling Tucker back to meet his thrust.

Tucker shouted, his body twisting.

Stelian did it again. And again. And again.

Sobbing with the intense pleasure, Tucker tried to tell Stelian how close he was. His head dropped forward and he reared back and off the pillows. Stelian didn't miss a beat, pushing him down and laying his chest over his back.

"Are you ready for me to claim you? Reading for my mark?" Stelian gasped as his hips continued to push Tucker closer to the edge. He waited until Tucker realized he expected an answer.

"Fuck yes, please, NOW!" Tucker shot as soon as Stelian's teeth clamped down on his shoulder and his wolf's fangs pressed deep. Stelian growled as he emptied into his mate, holding the smaller man under him and still as he ensured his mating mark would leave a scar so that no one would ever fail to know who Tucker belonged to. Tucker didn't struggle, lost in the combination of the pleasure of the best orgasm of his life made sweeter by the feeling of his mate taking what was his.

It had taken two shifts from his wolf to human form before the wound stopped bleeding and sealed. Tucker had only wished that he could heal damaged bones and joints by shifting but the contortions of shifting only made those type of injuries worse. He didn't want a bandage covering his mating mark during the ceremony though so he accepted the weakness multiple shifts brought him.

Standing there with Grecia Tucker cursed quietly when he realized he was going to have to walk out in front of the haitas with a hard on bulging his leather pants. Stelian had asked him to wear the pants and metal chain he'd been wearing the first night they met and Tucker had agreed.

Anything to please his mate so that he'd agree to a round two that night after the ceremony.

"Many of you have met Tucker; you know his actions saved our alpha when the traitor Phell attacked. If any here object to the fitness of this male mating with our alpha, let them speak now." She glared out at everyone, hands on her hips daring any to speak up.

No one did.

Stelian and Tucker smiled when she turned to Walyn, Stelian's Beta and second in command. He stepped forward and ran his face over Tucker's shoulder just close enough to catch his scent as he examined his mating mark.

"The mark and mating have been completed," he announced.

The haitas cheered.

One by one they each came up and caught the scent of the alpha's new mate and their new member. Tucker stood very still, hoping his weird scent as a hultan no longer drew them as the males stood close but he exchanged smiles with the females and the young they brought with them after there were no incidents.

Once everyone had greeted Tucker, they all stepped back to their places, stripping down to stand naked beneath the moon. Stelian took a step forward and tipped his head back.

"Pricolici!" he howled.

The entire haitas shifted and then followed their alpha pair on a run through their woods. Hours passed as they split up and regrouped, couples and families taking their own paths.

Tucker stayed with the large gray and black wolf, his own smaller all black form like a shadow. Dawn found them back at the house; Walyn ending the run for Stelian while he took his mate upstairs.

"Mine," Stelian said as he settled Tucker onto the bed and then curled around him.