Mika's Pack - 6. Luca

“Where are you going, Louis?” Adrian asked, trapping the shorter vampire between his body and the door. Lou hissed, lightly baring his fangs at his adoptive brother. The older vampire trailed his hand down Lou’s cheek up to his chin, pulling it up and forcing Lou to look him in the eye. “And don’t lie to me, little brother; it’d make me very sad.”

“Where I’ve been going every night for the past week. Work.” Lou pushed against his chest, trying to move the vampire back. “As I told you last night, and the night before that, and the fucking night before that.”

Adrian sighed, leaning forward. His lips brushed across Lou’s cheek to his ear. “Then why do I keep hearing about you being at clubs,” he hissed, wrapping a hand around Lou’s throat. “And you always come home with these different scents on you. Male scents.”

“What the fuck, Adrian? It’s none of your business.” Adrian’s eyes narrowed and his grip around Lou’s throat tightened. The childe-vampire was lucky he didn’t need to breath anymore.

“Anything you do is my business and if you thin—“

“Adrian—” Their heads snapped towards the new voice and Adrian’s hold loosened on the shorter vampire. “—release your brother.” With a frown, Adrian did as he was told, but didn’t move away from Lou. “Fully, Adrian.”

Reluctantly, Adrian stepped away from him. Lou growled and moved even further away from his brother, giving Lafayette a grateful look. Lately, Adrian had been getting more and more aggressive with him and he had no idea why. Hell, he was hardly at the coven anymore.

“I’m gone. Be back before sunrise,” Lou said, moving towards the door.

“Wait.” He turned back to Lafayette arms crossed over his chest. “I want to know what’s been going on between the two of you.”

“Nothing,” Lou responded. “I don’t know what his problem with me is. I’m just trying to go to work.” Lafayette narrowed his eyes on Adrian, waiting for his explanation.

“Work, work, work. That’s all we hear from him lately! Haven’t you noticed? He comes home late, smelling of alcohol and strange men, not to mention the way he dresses now.”

Lou scoffed. What was wrong with the way he dressed? He made this suit look good. Tonight he had gone with a black suit and a deep crimson red shirt that he had decided to leave un-tucked. He was practically sex on legs!

“Then I get reports of him at clubs like Seduction and The R. Being seen with all those…men!” Adrian snarled the last word glaring at Lou.

“Did you ever think that maybe…those men were my work?” Lou asked, giving Adrian a grin full of teeth. The older vampire sneered and launched at him only to be caught by Lafayette. Lou laughed and danced away from the enraged vampire when he took a swipe at him.

“I’ll see you later, dearest childe–brother. Work is calling,” he goaded, slamming the door just as Adrian broke free of Lafayette.

He ran down the stairs towards his car and jumped in just as the front door was thrown open. He started the engine giving Adrian a one finger fingered wave as he drove off. A few minutes later, he felt the magic shift in the air and a grin slid onto his face. “Early tonight, ain’t cha, Boss?” Lou asked, his voice light and teasing.

“One can never be too early.”

“Alright, so where are we going tonight, since last night was a bust?”

“Just keep driving. I need to think, since it seems we’re getting nowhere ourselves, and I fully doubt the wolves have gotten a lead,” he said softly. One could practically tell he was frowning from the tone of his voice.

“What the hell could be going on…I mean, we got demons giving us the silent treatment…an eclipse that’s not supposed to happen for another twenty years and missing shifters.” It made no sense and that irritated the hell out of Lou. “What could we be missing?”

“I don’t know bu—“

Master…Luca…Help.

Mika…!

Mika, what’s wrong? Mika! The connection between the two ended and Luca eyes glowed blue, startling Lou.

“Boss?” Lou questioned, uneasy at the sudden shift in Luca. He nearly shouted in surprise when the shadows swallowed the car, encasing them in darkness. His skin tingled with magic and he suppressed a shiver.

When the shadows finally reduced, he smashed on the brakes to avoid slamming into a parked car, as they had re-appeared in the middle of a new street. They skidded to a stop inches from the car. The back door was thrown open and Lou watched, jaw dropping, as a black shadow moved through the street. It hovered in the middle of the crossroad before shooting down another street.

Lou hopped out of the car, taking off after Luca. In the distance, he could hear the sound of snarling that became louder the closer he got to it. He slid to a stop in front of an alley just in time to hear:

“And I’m your death.”

Lovel struggled to stand on all fours after sliding down from the car. His ribs were most likely broken and he was having trouble with his hind leg. He hobbled over to where Liam lay curled in a fetal position, cradling his left arm to his chest. He nearly retched at the toxic scent coming off of him.

He nudged him with his nose only to take a step back when Liam opened his eyes. The normally white sclera had turned black, making Liam’s eyes an even more eerie gold. Liam let out a whimper and curled into himself. When the shadows encased them, Lovel took a protective stance over the hurt wolf.

“My name is Luca.” The shadows parted and Lovel was granted his first glance of the person his mate so fondly called Master. If the situation had been different, Lovel would have possibly been awestruck.

White hair reflected in the moonlight fell in natural waves, that stopped just beneath his chin, framing a delicate pale face. The man, or creature, was lithe, with amethyst eyes that gleamed in the dark. The long, slender fangs pressed against plump, pale-pink lips had his instincts rearing. He was dressed in a black suit that fit his frame perfectly with a white ascot wrapped around a delicate throat with an amethyst colored pendant held in the middle. His movements were graceful and light as he stepped further into the alley, the black cane he carried making a soft clicking sound against the asphalt.

“Death? I don’t think so, boy.”

Luca stopped, cocking his head to the side, his silver hair covering one eye. A cruel smile formed on his lips, fangs bared. “I am no boy.” The shadows swirled around him and then shot out, pinning the demon to the wall. Black blood splattered the walls as the shadows pierced through his shoulders.

The two demons watched in horror as the shadows sank into Murdock and the large demon started twitching. His back arched with a painful snap and his head was thrown back, crashing into the brick wall. Tendrils of shadows poured from his mouth wrapping around his throat then slinking up through his ears. His yellow, beady eyes locked onto Luca for a moment before the shadows tore him apart. Out of the corner of his eye Luca watched the other two demons attempt to flee. His shadows dropped the dripping remains and then shot towards the remaining demons.

Lovel growled when Luca walked towards him, stopping the creature in his tracks. Luca sighed and took another step towards the injured wolves, ignoring the warning growl. He stepped over a severed hand, bending down until he was at eye level with Lovel.

“This is neither the time nor the place for you to be concerned about my being a vampire. Your brother has been poisoned and needs the toxin removed. Now, are you going to cooperate and allow me to get the two you to your home, or will we have to do this the hard way?” Luca asked, voice low. Lovel gave the vampire a cautious glare, nodded, and backed away from Liam.

“Holy fuck biscuits, Boss! What the hell happened?!” Lou asked, trying to avoid the splattered demon guts. “I get to the alley and suddenly I hear something about death, then a few minutes later those poor bastards come tearing out the alley— Oh shit.” He jumped back when Lovel snarled at him. “That’s a big fucking dog.”

“He’s with me,” Luca stated, standing up straight and brushing nonexistent dirt from his pants.

Lou glanced at Luca, then back at Lovel, only to do a double take, eyes widening. “Whoa…” He could feel the blood in his cheeks heating up and looked away.

Luca raised an eyebrow at the blushing childe-vampire before turning his attention back to Lovel. “Bring the car around and put that in the trunk,” Luca ordered, pointing towards the demon that he had trapped within his shadows. The vampire nodded and walked away, picking up the demon as he passed and dragging it across the ground. “Can you shift back?”

Lovel nodded as, a moment later, headlights flooded the alley and Lou stepped out of the car hurrying back down the alley. As soon as he was close enough Luca handed him the cane and bent down to pick up Liam. It was quite a sight to see the slender vampire pick up a man who was twice his size and weighed twice as much and carry him out towards the car with no effort. Lou opened the door, allowing Luca to settle the whimpering shifter inside. He turned around just as Lovel shifted back to his human form, nude as the day he was born. “Get in. We have to be fast.”

“Where’s Mika and Chance?” He asked, walking with a slight limp in his leg.

Luca remained silent for a moment, his amethyst eyes turning dark. “They were taken.”

Lovel threw his head back and a soul wrenching howl left him. Luca walked up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “We will get them back. But for now, we must hurry,” he urged, motioning to Liam. “He doesn’t have much time, and I need to get the toxin out.”

Lovel’s howl died off and he looked at Luca’s eyes, his own burning with emotion. “We will find them.”

Luca nodded, watching the shifter sliding into the back seat next to his brother. The vampire walked around to the front passenger seat where Lou had the door open and was waiting for him. The childe-vampire shut the door then hurried around to the driver’s seat and slid inside, closing the door.

“Where to, Boss?”

“The outer limits of the city near the Lake Woods, and make it fast.”

Lou grinned and nodded. “Buckle up, Boss. I hope the dogs don’t get car sick ’cause I’m not cleaning it up.”

“I am NOT a—” He was cut off as Lou slammed down on the gas. The tires screeched, and the car shot forward out of the alley and down the road. He barreled down the road, weaving in and out of traffic, ignoring the stop lights. Lou rounded a corner to a one-way street only to slam on the brakes as a black car swerved out in front of them, blocking their path. Lou frowned and looked back as another car pulled to a stop behind them.

“I don’t suppose these are friends of yours, eh Boss?” Lou asked, leaning forward as the windows rolled down and he could see the glinting of the guns. “Guess that answers that…”

“Drive.”

Lou shifted into reverse, slamming on the gas. The car moved backwards as the guns went off. He clipped the car behind them and spun around, shifting gears again as he sped down the street, the black cars still close behind. “Take the next left onto the back street then make a right. There’s a back road that’ll lead us to main road.” Lou nodded, then made the abrupt turn, causing Lovel to slide against Liam, who let out a pained howl.

“Watch it!”

“Sorry, dog-boy, but we kind of got guns chasing us. I don’t have time to be considerate,” Lou countered, as they broke out onto the main road leading towards the outer limits, the cars right behind them and two more having joined. “Fuck!” He nearly veered off the road when they opened fire, breaking the back of the window and raining glass on the two wolves. “Not my car, you bastards!”

“Keep straight,” Luca directed, placing his cane beside him and rolling down the window.

“Wait, what are you going to do?” Lou yelled as Luca leaned out the window, hair whipping in the wind.

“When I tell you to, spin the car.”

“Fuck, please don’t kill us. I have a lot to live for.”

“Now.” Lou hit the brakes and turned the stirring wheel just as a car was about to rear-end them. Luca’s shadows shot out under the car, flipping it. It careened into the car behind it, causing an explosion. Lou jerked the car forward, once again speeding down the road.

“If I weren’t so freaked out about possibly crashing into one of these trees and being self-staked, I’d think that was pretty damn cool,” Lou admitted, once Luca pulled back in from the window.

“Wait until they’re gone to celebrate.”

“Will do, Bo—” He was cut off as another round of gun fire rained down on them. He let out a loud curse when the back tire was hit ,causing him to lose control of the car and speed towards the trees. Seconds before the impact, the car was engulfed in darkness…

“Travis, sit down. You’re starting to bug me,” Mikael growled as the Beta wolf continued pacing back and forth in the den room. He had been doing so for the last thirty minutes, which had begun to wear down the brooding wolf’s nerves. “Nothing’s going to go wrong.”

“He’s not answering his phone,” Travis complained, starting his pacing all over again. “You know what, I’m going to go look for them.” He decided, heading towards the door. Mikael sighed and stood up, following after his wayward cousin. Travis grabbed his keys from the table, heading out the door.

He had barely made it to the middle of the gravel road when a black shadow erupted from seemingly nowhere. He stared in shock as a car shot out of the shadows, sliding towards him. He heard a shout and was tackled to the ground, the car just missing him. They watched as it slid towards the house, stopping inches from the steps and tilting on its right side. The car tittered back and forth before finally falling flat.

“Holy shit, did that just happen?” Travis asked, scrambling up and running towards the car. He got to it just as the door was kicked off and a white haired man stepped from the car. He cast them an unworried glance as he turned to the back door. He grabbed the door and ripped it from its hinges, setting it next to the car.

“Are you just going to stand there or are you going to help,” the man snapped, pulling Liam from the car. He carried the trembling wolf up the stairs with Travis following at his heels. The Beta wolf spun around when the other car door was kicked open and Lovel stumbled out. He hurried down to his Alpha, helping the wolf stand. He spared a glance as the driver’s seat was opened and a blue haired vampire climbed out looking disheveled. He snarled at the vampire causing him to jump and stare at him with his eyes wide.

“Now, now, Mr. Wolf, I just helped your friend, so don’t attack me, okay?” he admonished, taking a few steps back.

“Leave him alone! We need to get into the house,” Lovel hissed, walking up the stairs and ignoring the stones digging into his feet.

“What the hell happened? Who the fuck was that? Where the fuck are Mika and Chance?” Travis asked, following behind Lovel with Mikael and the vampire following. The white haired man had already entered the house and was waiting for the others to catch up.

“Ah fuck.” Travis turned around to look at the vampire who was rubbing his forehead. A red barrier had erected around the door, keeping him out. “I forgot about that.”

“Invite him in,” the white haired man said, voice soft and sultry.

“Who are you?” Travis growled. “Will someone tell me what’s going on around here?” The white haired man narrowed his amethyst eyes on him taking a menacing step forward.

“You can question me right now, or you can be useful and invite him in so that I can help him,” he said, nodding towards Liam.

“Invite him in.” Lovel ordered, leading the white haired man away. “I’ll explain later, but Liam needs us.”

“Please come in…?” Travis gave the vampire a questioning look

“Lou.”

“Please come in, Lou.”

The vampire, Lou, gave him a small grin as the red barrier receded and he passed through. “You would not believe the shit that’s been going on around here,” he told Travis as he walked past him.

“Lay him there,” Lovel suggested, as they entered the dining room. Carefully, the vampire put Liam on the table. Setting his cane to the side, he removed his jacket and began rolling up his sleeves.

“This is going to be extremely painful for him. The toxin’s already taken root inside his system,” Luca explained as the two wolves and Lou entered. “You. Get me the med kit and you, get me a bucket and some towels.”

“I don’t know wh—” Travis began.

“Just do it! We will discuss this later.” The two wolves looked hesitant but did as their Alpha commanded. Lovel turned back to Liam: the wolf was still clutching his arm to his chest. “It’s okay. You’ll be alright,” he whispered, stroking his hair.

Luca reached out and grasped the hurting arm, prying it away from Liam’s chest as gently as he could. The toxin had begun to spread, the veins in his arms having turned black. He could see the toxin slowly working up his arm, soon it would make it to his heart. The bite mark was pulsing, and black liquid oozed from the gaping wound.

“Lovel, what is— Liam!” Candelora cried rushing into the room once she spotted the hurt wolf. Luca held out a hand stopping the wolf’s movement.

“Ma’am, I’m going to have to ask you step back. He’s hurt and touching him will not help.” Candelora rounded on him, eyes turning molten gold.

“Chi sei tu per dirmi di non toccare mio figlio?” (Who are you, to tell me not touch my son?) she snarled.

“Mi chiamo Lucassius Xavier Cornelius De'leon e sono io quello che sta per salvare la vita di suo figlio.” (My name is Lucassius Xavier Cornelius De’leon, I’m the one who’s going to save your son’s life.) Luca replied in perfect Italian. “Permettetemi quindi di prenderMI cura di vostro figlio.” (So let me care for him.) Candelora’s gaze went from Luca to Liam then back, looking Luca in the eye. Tentatively, she gave a nod as Travis and Mikael reentered. “Please, ma’am, leave the room. You will not like what is about to happen.”

“Mamma please…” Lovel pleaded before she could interrupt. Candelora turned to her eldest son, seeing how broken the Alpha wolf looked. She nodded stiffly and left the room.

“Here,” Mikael said, handing Luca a large red bucket with a stack of white towels on top. “This is all I could find.”

“This will do,” he stated, setting the bucket on the table next to Liam. He grabbed a towel, ripping it into long pieces. He folded one of the pieces into a small thick square, laying it next to the bucket. He took the medical kit Travis was offering him and put it onto the chair. Taking a deep breath, he turned to the three apprehensive wolves. “I need the four of you to hold him down. His wolf is going to go ballistic the minute my fangs pierce his skin because of the poison.”

“Why would your fangs need to be anywhere near him?” Travis asked, eyes narrowed.

“I have to suck out the toxin. When you’re bitten by a Brimstone demon, the toxin in their mouths binds with your blood and then painfully makes its way through your body towards your heart,” Luca said lifting up Liam’s head and placing a folded towel under his head.

“But shifter blood is addictive to vampires, how can you bite him and not end up draining him?” Travis asked, a frown marring his face.

“Right now his blood is tainted, poisonous. It holds no desire for any vampire right now,” Luca replied, pulling his silver locks back into a small pony tail. “Besides that, I’m immune to blood addictions. Now come here and hold his waist. Lovel, his shoulders. Lou and Mikael, hold down his legs,” he ordered, picking up the towel he’d ripped earlier. He cupped Liam’s chin prying his mouth open and putting the folded towel inside. “Are you all ready?”

“Yes.” Luca nodded and leaned down towards the oozing wound.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered before he struck. Liam’s scream was muffled by the towel in his mouth as he struggled to pull away from the pain. His entire arm felt like it was being dipped in fire. Tears poured from his eyes as the pain over took his entire being.

His wolf howled and howled, wanting to be released. The wolves and vampire fought to keep the struggling wolf steady as Luca continued to suck. He finally pulled back and, grabbing the bucket, retched violently into it, a black liquid flowing from his mouth. The smell that penetrated the air had the wolves gagging. Luca turned back to them, twin black ribbons flowing down his chin. Black bled around the edges of his blue glowing eyes. “We have to do it again.” They nodded, and Luca moved back into position.

His fangs pierced Liam again drawing the poison out of the howling wolf. The black in his veins slowly receded as the black took over Luca’s eyes. Soon, black tears leaked from the vampire’s eyes, staining his cheeks. The last of the black faded from Liam’s eyes, leaving the normal golden eyes. His screams finally died down and he was released, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. Slowly, he removed the towel from his mouth, dropping it to the table.

“Let’s…never…do that…again,” he said before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he slumped against the table.

“Should that have happened?” Lovel asked turning to Luca to find the vampire kneeling on the ground heaving into the bucket. Lou was beside Luca, a worried look on his face. He was running his hand up and down Luca’s back. The vampire gave one final heave and then grabbed the towel Lou was offering him to wipe his mouth. When he stood up to face the wolves, the black in his eyes began to fade, leaving behind beautiful amethyst orbs.

“He’ll be fine now. He’ll just need a lot of rest,” he concluded, grabbing the med kit and pulling out gauze and disinfectant. He hurried to wipe away the remaining traces of blood before he began to wrap Liam’s arm tightly. “This will need to be checked regularly until the bite fully heals,” he said as he finished up.

“Thank you.” They turned around to find Candelora standing in the door way, Bella hugging her side. The rest of them stood behind her, relief playing on their faces.

“No thanks needed, ma’am,” he said giving her a small smile.

“Mikael, take him to his room, please.” Lovel directed, lifting Liam up and handing him off to the other wolf. Mikael nodded and took him, leaving the room. Candelora and Bella followed behind the two wolves, worry etched on their faces. Luca pulled his jacket back on, having already fixed his shirt, and buttoned it up before he reached for his cane. Finally, he undid the tie and let his hair fall back down.

“We still have the demon to attend to,” he reminded them, smoothing his clothes down as he headed out the door. They walked up to the smoking car.

“My poor baby…” Lou muttered walking up to the trunk. “Look what they did to you. I’m sorry, girl. We had a good run, didn’t we? I’ll never forget you.” He mourned before popping open the trunk. He cringed and slammed the trunk shut, turning to face his Boss. “Yeah…sorry about that Boss, but that’s a no-go on the demon-o.”

“Of course, we wouldn’t be that lucky,” Lovel growled.

Lou looked at the wolf and his cheeks suddenly heated. He quickly looked away. “Uh, you ever plan on putting clothes on?”

Lovel looked down and noticed for the first time that he was, in fact, still naked. He shrugged, not caring. Shifters were used to running around naked and it didn’t bother them.

“Let’s go back in the house, I have things to explain,” Luca stated, turning back towards the house. As he passed the threshold, he was hit with a dizzy spell. He leaned against the doorway before he regained his composure.

“Are you alright, Boss?” Lou asked, hurrying after him.

“The poison has slightly tainted me. I’ll be fine, I just need to eat,” he said straightening up and heading towards the kitchen like he owned the place.

“How do you know your way around our home so well?” Travis asked, eyeing the vampire in distrust.

“Mika.”

“Wait…you’re Master Luca?” he asked incredulously. This was the famed Master Luca? He had expected a lot of things from the way Mika had spoken of him. “But, you’re a vampire!”

“Yes, I am,” Luca replied calmly, taking a seat. “I don’t suppose you have any cake?”

“Cake?” He stared at the vampire in disbelief. Luca stared back, his face completely serious.

“Yes, I need cake. And possibly a cup of tea with lots of sugar, or milk. Either will do.”

“I thought vampires couldn’t eat. Come to think of it, if you’re a vampire, how were you able to enter the house without being invited in?” Travis questioned, taking a step towards the vampire as Mikael came back, carrying a pile of clothes. He handed the clothes off to Lovel, who nodded his thanks and slipped on the sweat pants.

“I will answer your questions all in due time, but first, I really need cake or something with an equal amount of sweetness to it,” he said, waving off the Beta.

Lovel sighed and walked over the refrigerator, peering in. “We have this,” he said pulling out a strawberry cake.

“That will do,” Luca said, eyes brightening as they zeroed in on the cake. Lovel grabbed a plate, knife, and fork, setting the items in front of the vampire. Luca cut a large slice, laying it on the plate, and then used the fork to bring a piece to his mouth. He sighed softly, taking a second bite before setting the fork down. “Now, what would you like to know first?”

“Where are Mika and Chance?” Travis asked, sitting down next to Lovel, who had taken his seat across from the vampire. Lou took the seat directly to the left of Luca while Mikael sat across from him.

“Unfortunately, I fear they have both been taken by whoever’s been kidnapping shifters,” he replied softly, folding his hands in his lap. “I didn’t get there fast enough. Whoever took them has managed to mask their scent, even from me.”

“Damn it!” Travis cursed, slamming his fist against the table. “I knew it I should have gone with you guys.”

“What, exactly, are you? There’s no way you’re just a vampire,” Mikael asked, eyeing the vampire curiously.

“That’s exactly what I am. However I’m what my kind would consider…an ancient vampire.”

Lou’s eyes widened and stared at Luca in shock. “Shit, they told us about you guys, but I didn’t think you guys were still alive. Your bloodline has to go back fucking generations.”

“Ancient?” Lovel repeated as Luca nodded.

“The sun does not burn us because we are not completely undead. We still eat because our bodies still function. I even have a heartbeat, weak as it may be. We walk between the shadows of life and death, never quite meeting either,” Luca explained, pausing to take another bite of cake. “The shadows I use, they’re the shadows of my deceased family. As long as one of my bloodline lives, so shall the shadows move upon the land, or so the spell said. Because they’re not actually part of this dimension, they block this reality.”

“Whoa…so, that’s why I couldn’t see through your shadows?” Lou asked, his jaw hanging open. “How fucking cool is that? I’d kill to be able to eat again, I mean, not literally but haha…” He trailed off, casting a nervous glance at the wolves. “I don’t mean that it’s cool about your family, though, that sucks.” A hint of a smile showed on Luca’s face, and Lou nearly smacked himself. Fucking vampire puns.

“Do you know anything else about the kidnappings?” Lovel asked.

“The demons do, but they’re being tight-lipped about everything,” Lou spoke up, twirling a strand of blue hair between his fingers. “All I managed to get was something called 'eclipse,' but we haven’t managed to find any connections.”

“The new moon is soon,” Luca muttered, more to himself than to them. “You haven’t mated with him yet, have you?” he asked Lovel.

“No, I wanted to give him time since he’d…” He trailed off, balling his fist.

“That will be a problem.” They looked at Luca in confusion.

“Why?” Lovel asked eyes locked on Luca’s.

“Mika…is an omega.”

“Shit.”

“Mika…Mika…Mika!”

Mika slowly opened his eyes, his back was sore and he had a pounding headache. He stiffened and, as the memories came back to him, he shot straight up looking around. He was in a cage.

“Oh, thank god.”

He turned and found Chance next to him, chained to the wall. Blood matted the small wolf’s blond hair and his glasses were missing. He could see blue bruising beginning to form around the wolf’s eye. Mika hurried and scrambled over towards the blond, his hand reaching towards the bars to help him stand. “Wait! Don’t touch the bars.”

“What?” he asked stopping just before his hand made contact.

“They’re mixed with silver. If you touch them, they’ll burn.” Chance held up his hand showing a large red welt going across his palm.

“Here, give me your hand,” Mika demanded as he crawled towards Chance, taking his hand.

Chance’s eyes slid close as the same warm feeling from before started in his chest. When he opened his eyes and took back his hand from Mika, the red welt was gone. He turned wide eyes to the wolf. “How?”

Mika sighed and scooted until he and Chance were pressed side by side, leaning against him. “Master Luca says I’m an omega,” he whispered.

“Oh…” Chance pressed against him, taking his hand. “I won’t tell anyone,” he promised as he sent Mika a watery smile. Soon, tears were freely flowing down his face and he turned, burying his face in Mika’s shoulder. “I want to go home.”

“It’s okay…” Mika said, brushing his fingers through Chance’s hair. “Lovel and Master Luca will come and rescue us, okay?”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes…”

He hoped what he said was true.