Mika's Pack - 5. Rivelato

Chapter 5

 

Lou woke up to a pounding on his door. He growled, climbing out of bed to throw open the door. “What?!” he hissed, only to regret it a second later when he saw who it was. Lafayette, the coven’s enforcer. Shit.

The older vampire was holding a large black box with a single red bow. He stepped forward, effortlessly dominating Lou’s personal space. “Is that any way to speak to your Enforcer, fledgling?”

Lou dropped his eyes from the older vamp’s harsh gaze and shook his head, his dark blue hair hanging over his eyes.

“Words, fledgling.”

“No, Enforcer.”

Lafayette chuckled, his deep voice rolling over the younger vampire. “Here, this was left at the door for you.”

Lou took the box and had to resist the temptation to bite Lafayette when he ruffled his hair.

“Do I want to know about this?” Lafayette asked, gesturing towards the box.

“No, it’s just from a friend,” he muttered, stepping back. Not that he was one-hundred percent sure about that. But ,hell, if the Enforcer found out that he didn’t know who it was from, he’d get his arse beat. Again.

“Alright, fledgling. You’d better not be up to anything that’ll get you into trouble, or else,” Lafayette said, giving Lou a hard pat on the back, which forced the younger vampire to hold back a wince. He shot Lou one last suspicious look before taking off, causing Lou to roll his eyes. He wasn’t that much of a troublemaker.

Lou shut the door, walking over to the bed with the box in hand. He plopped down and settled the box on his lap. He pulled the lid off and found a card sitting atop the red gift-wrap tissue. Setting the box aside, he opened the card.

I figured these may be of use to you.

-Luca

He raised a brow at the note, flipping it over to see if anything else had been written. Lou tossed the card on the bed and grabbed the box again, pulling out all the tissue. His hand touched cloth and he pulled the dark fabric out to inspect it. The vampire’s eyes widened slightly, and then a smirk formed on his lips. His new Boss was rather generous. He had sent him a brand new, black Armani suit—even had shoes to match. He pulled the rest of the suit out of the box, carefully laying it out on the bed. At the bottom of the box was another, smaller black box. He opened the small box, finding a silver Armani watch and a black wallet to match the suit nestled inside. He was going to really like working for Luca if these were some of the perks he was getting.

“Well then, I suppose it’s time I get to work,” he said aloud while heading towards the bathroom. Thirty minutes later, the vampire stepped out with a towel wrapped around his waist and using a another to dry his waist length, dark blue hair. Lou walked over to his dresser and pulled out a pair of black briefs. He slid them on, dropping the towel, and moved towards the bed. The vampire picked up the pants and pulled them on. The fit was divine, almost as if they were tailored exactly for him. He knew that, if he bent over, the pants would outline his arse perfectly.

The dress shirt, which had also been in the box, was almost the exact shade of blue as his hair. He pulled it on, making sure that his wet hair didn’t stain the satin material, and leaving the top two buttons free to show a little of his chest. Lou slipped on a pair of black socks, and then the black dress shoes as he finished toweling his hair until he was sure it was dry. Once he was satisfied, he pulled his hair into a tight pony tail at the base of his skull and slipped the watch on his wrist. He automatically placed the wallet in his back pocket. The vampire grabbed the jacket, pulling it on, and was surprised to feel a slight weight in one of the pockets. Puzzled, he slipped his hand inside and pulled out a key attached to another piece of paper.

You’ll find your ride parked in the alley.

He raised an eyebrow once again and shrugged, walking out the door. He made sure to lock it behind him, just in case one of the nosey younger vampires decided to sneak around in his room. Lou entered the foyer just as two vampires strolled in. They gave him appreciative glances as he passed them. He had just made it to the door when he heard the sound of the last thing he wanted to hear.

“Going somewhere, Louis?”

Lou had to refrain from baring his teeth towards his Childe-brother.

“My, oh, my…aren’t you dressed up nice?”

Lou felt fingers graze the back of his neck before tugging softly at his hair. An arm wrapped around his chest and he was pressed against the door.

“Where are you going, dear Louis?”

“It’s Lou. And none of your damn business, Adrian.” He pushed the older vampire away.

The amber eyed vampire pouted, leaning towards him. “Is that anyway to talk to your big brother?” he asked, frowning. Lou shrugged and turned away from the vampire, opening the door. “Where are you going?”

“Work,” he called without looking back. If he had, he’d have noticed the way Adrian’s eyes flashed a deep red for a split second. Lou walked towards the alley where he and Luca had first met, his eyes scanning the street as he went. After the encounter with his new Boss, he’d become more cautious in general. If that man, whatever he was, could catch him off guard…then who knew what else lurked in the darkness? When he slipped into the alley, he let out a low whistle, a grin breaking out on his face. Sitting there, safely tucked away from prying eyes, was a brand new silver Jaguar XF 3.0 with tainted windows. Lou let his hand slide over the smooth, sleek surface. He pulled out the key from his coat pocket and pressed the little button that unlocked the door before sliding in. I am really, really going to love his job, he thought to himself with a smirk as he started up the car and pulled out of the alley.

His Boss wanted information on the demons so there was only one place in the city to go. Seduction—a paranormal club that was filled with gossiping demon whores. Lou simply had to find the right one which, thanks to his new Boss, would be a hell of lot easier to do with his new duds. He was sure to attract some attention, he thought as he pulled up to the club. A valet hurried around to the driver’s side of the car and opened the door for him. The valet gasped softly when Lou stepped out of the car, a light blush dusting across her cheeks. He handed her the key, letting his hand brush against hers. He hid a grin when he caught the scent of arousal spiking in the air. Before she could slip into the driver’s seat, he stopped her with a hand on the cheek.

“Take care of my car, sweetheart, and maybe later I’ll take you for a ride.” The smile he gave her was all lust and heat, causing her to shiver. She nodded and he let go, allowing her to park the car. Lou slipped a hand in his pocket and walked towards the club’s door. He could feel eyes watching him, both paranormal and human alike. He guessed the saying was true that the clothes made the man. The bouncer stepped in front of him, blocking his path. He raised an eyebrow at the man in question.

“Name?”

Lou rolled his eyes and pulled out the wallet Luca had given him. He grinned, finding fourteen crisply pressed hundred dollar bills. He pulled out three and placed them on the bouncer’s clip board. “They call me Smith,” he replied as he sent him a sultry smile. The bouncer flushed, nodded, and stepped out of the way, letting Lou walk in.

The minute he entered the place, it felt like he’d stepped into a sex club. The sexual pheromones poured off the people in waves. The dance floor was packed with half naked bodies grinding against each other. He crossed the room, scanning the crowd for his target. There were plenty of beautiful demon mistresses to pick from, but he was looking for a certain type in particular. He needed one of the lower demons.

His gaze drifted over to the bar and a predator’s smile crossed his face. There she was…a pink haired woman wearing a red dress that left nothing to the imagination. Lou stalked towards her, brushing past the grinding bodies. A hand groped his arse as he passed a trio, two men one woman, and he turned towards them. The woman, sandwiched between the two bulky men, was giving him a come hither gesture. He sent her a smile, but turned away. This was business, not pleasure. He slid into the chair next to the cotton candy demon, a smile in place.

“Hello,” he purred the way only a vampire could.

She turned towards him, crimson eyes raking over his form. Any other man would have thought she was checking him out, but he knew from experience that this type of woman was only interested in the brand of his clothes. Her eyes landed on the Armani watch and a seductive smile crossed her lips. She turned to fully face him. “Hi.” She leaned forward, giving him a nice view of her cleavage. Her full, plump lips formed a small pout. “I haven’t seen you around before.”

“I’m new around here,” he said, shifting closer. “Tell me, what’s a beautiful lady like you doing all alone?”

“Well, I’m not alone…” she said batting her lashes.

“Really? What man was stupid enough to leave you unattended?” he asked, causing her to giggle.

She shifted until she was pressed up against his side, her hand on her chest. “Silly, I’m with you now, so how does that count as being alone?”

“Excellent,” he growled, wrapping his arms around her waist until she was pressed flush against him. “Would you care to dance?” She nodded and allowed him to drag her to the middle of the dance floor. She turned her back to him pressing her arse to his groin and began a slow grind. He grabbed her hips and began to move with her, his lips brushing against the side of her neck. “Tell me sweetheart, what’s your name?”

“Cherry,” she said with a giggle, reaching back a hand to wrap around the back his neck, pulling him closer.

“So, Cherry, I need help with something… Tell me, do you think you could help me?” Lou asked, lips brushing against her ear.

“Depends.”

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “On what?”

“On what you plan to give me in return,” she replied, turning around in his arms until they were pressed chest to chest.

“Oh, sweetheart, I’ll give you anything you want,” he purred, leaning down to brush his lips against hers. He trailed his lips down her cheek to the spot just behind her ear. His teeth descended just enough to prick her behind the ear, allowing his venom to enter her system. She moaned and pressed as close as she could to him, her eyes clouding over. “Now Cherry, has anything unusual been going on around here lately?”

“Ummm, uh huh.” She nodded, her head leaning in for another kiss only to be stopped by Lou’s finger pressing against them.

“Not yet, sweetheart, does it have anything to do with shifters?” She froze, her entire body tensing. Good. That meant she knew something. “Can you tell me about it?”

“Not s’posed to talk about it.” She whimpered tightening her arms around his neck. “They’ll get mad.”

“Who?” She shook her head causing Lou to growl.

She jumped at the sound and tried to pull away.

“Come on, sweetheart, you can tell me,” he said, coaxingly.

Uncertainty fluttered through her eyes and she bit her lips looking around before turning back to him. “Well, there’s Eclipse—”

“Excuse me.” A deep voice interrupted the pair. “May I cut in?”

Lou turned around, a harsh retort at the tip of his tongue that died the moment his eyes locked onto the owner of the voice. The man seemed to tower over the couple, his bulky frame taking over their space. His hair was like ink, with eyes the color of blood. The man gave off an intensity that made the vampire wary. Lou swallowed, and had to stop himself from taking a step back. The man oozed sexual pheromones and carried a dangerous air. All his instincts said to get away from this man. If his heart could beat, it’d be thundering away in his chest right now.

“Sure,” Lou replied, stepping aside with the intention of getting the hell away from him. He’d get the information somewhere else. There were plenty of demon whores around.

The man smirked and stepped forward. Instead of grabbing the cotton candy demon, he wrapped his arm around Lou’s waist, crushing the vampire against him. Lou hissed, his face damn near pressed against the man’s neck. He suddenly felt like his blood was on fire and the only thing that would cure it was a good rut with this man. The sweet scent invaded his senses, making him feel light-headed. He inhaled, unable to stop himself from pressing closer. The scent was so familiar…he just couldn’t put his finger on it. The man chuckled. It was a deep sound that vibrated through his bones and made his cock swell.

“Pretty vampire…would you like a taste?”

Lou most certainly would, but his instincts told him that it was a bad idea—a very bad idea. He just, for the love him, couldn’t figure out why.

“Only if I can have you first,” the man said.

That set warning bells off in his head and he fought through the cloud of lust that had descended on him. He had never lusted after a man so much before, or so fast. Lust. Realization hit him like a bat to the face and he tore himself away from the strong arm gripping him. Or rather, he tried, as the arm wouldn’t budge even with his enhanced strength. “Shit. Incubus.” He stared wide eyed at the incubus.

Lou had no problem that it was a man holding him hostage because, like all vampires, he was pretty much bisexual, if you had to put a name to it. One couldn’t be too picky about something like gender when you lived as long as they did. No, his problem came from the sexual addiction that came with fucking an Incubus. Vampires became addicted to the sexual magic released by the incubi during sex if they bit the incubus during release. Sure, the addiction could be avoided if you managed not to bite. But, a vampire not biting during sex was like an incubus not wanting sex…it just didn’t happen. The elders warned them away from the lust-demons and Lou planned to heed that warning.

“Correct, pretty vampire,” he whispered in Lou’s ear, threatening to bring the lust back to full force if he didn’t fight it.

Lou narrowed his eyes at the word pretty, his fangs threatening to burst from his gums. At six foot-one, even, and one-hundred and ninety pounds, he wasn’t a hulk…but he wasn’t, by any means, small enough to be labeled pretty. “Let. Me. Go,” he hissed through clenched teeth, his eyes flickering red at the edges.

The incubus laughed, leaning down until they were nose to nose. “No.”

Lou’s fangs burst from his gums, causing two thin ribbons of blood to spill from the corners of his mouth. The incubus frowned and lapped up the blood. Lou brought his fist up to punch the incubus only to have the man suddenly change his grip so that his arms were pinned to his side. When the tongue lapping up his blood trailed across his bottom lip, the vampire opened his mouth and attempted to clamp down on the offending appendage with his teeth.

“Pretty vampire shouldn’t bite,” he muttered against Lou’s cheek.

“Well then, stupid incubus shouldn’t lick random bystanders,” he hissed, fangs digging into the bottom of his lip as he spoke. “Now, let me go.”

“But you agreed to dance with me,” he told him, a playful smirk forming on his face that enraged Lou even more.

“When you asked, I thought you meant Cherry. Now back off. I don’t do incubi, or succubi, for that matter.” He pressed his hands against the firm chest attempting to put some distance between the two of them.

“I know what you were doing to her.”

Lou’s face blanked and he stopped his struggling. “What.”

The incubus cocked his head to the side peering down at Lou with blazing eyes. “You used your venom on her.”

Lou glared up at him, shoulders tensing when the incubus trailed to his ear. “I know what you want…” he whispered.

“Oh yeah? Why don’t you tell me then?” The incubus laughed, short puffs of hot air going across his neck.

“Dance with me.”

Lou held back the snarl building in his throat, but stiffly nodded. The incubus relaxed his hold on Lou, turning the vampire until his back was against his chest, hands drifting to his waist and pressing him back until Lou could feel the hard-on snuggle against his arse. “That’d better be a fucking flashlight.” He could practically feel the smile on the incubus’s face. “Who the hell are you anyway?”

“My name is Sinclair, and I’m the owner of this club.”

Fuck. Of course he’d attract the attention of the owner. “A pleasure,” Lou replied dryly. “So, are you going to tell me, or what?”

“You intrigue me, pretty vampire,” he said, instead of answering Lou’s question. “Your smell is...unique.”

Lou snorted. Unique was a nice way of putting it. Childe vampires always had a lingering scent of death around them because, unlike natural vampires who were born, they were brought to the brink of death then pulled back. “Sure. Well, if all you’re going to do is sniff me, I’ll be going. I can find plenty of other people willing to do that and give me what I want all at the same time.” He started to pull away again only to stop when he felt fangs pressed lightly against the back of his neck.

“I’ll tell you what, pretty vampire. I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”

“And you want what in return?”

“Become my lover for a night,” he whispered against his ear.

“Hell no! You are aware of what happens to vampires if they fuck your kind.”

“I’ll make sure you don’t bite, Pretty.”

Lou snorted. “That’s re-assuring.” He pushed Sinclair’s arms away, surprised when they actually let him free this time. “Thanks, but no thanks. I’ll take my chances elsewhere.”

“Sorry, Pretty, but I’m the only one that will help you. No one else will talk.”

“Sure.” There was always someone who would talk. Always.

“You’ll come back to me.” The certainty in his voice was almost a cause for concern. Almost.

“Sure, and if that happens I’ll blow you,” he called sarcastically over his shoulder.

“I look forward to it.”

 

Three Nights Later

“Son of a fucking bitch,” Lou growled, slamming the car door as he drove away from the club. That was the fourth club he’d been kicked out of in the last three nights. Every time he so much as hinted at “shifters” or ”eclipse” he got the boot. Whatever the fuck was going on, everyone was being tight-lipped about it. The fucking Incubus had been right. Well, partially right. He wasn’t desperate enough to go back to the fucker for the info he wanted. “What the fuck is going on around here?”

“I’d like to know that as well.”

“Fuck!” Lou swerved, nearly running into an oncoming car. He looked in the back seat and met the eerie amethyst eyes encased in shadows. “Fucking hell, Boss! You almost gave me a heart attack.”

“Except that we both know your heart doesn’t beat,” Luca said with a light laugh.

“True.” He turned his attention back to the road.

“What did you find out?”

“I’m sorry, Boss, but not much since the first night. A demon confirmed that there was something up, but all I got out of her before we were interrupted was the name Eclipse. And I’ve tried to follow up on that, but every turn, someone’s there to block me,” he told him.

“What about the vampires?”

“I’m still working on that. I haven’t had time between the troublesome demons and that fucking incubus.”

“What incubus?”

“This incubus I met at that club Seduction...I don’t recommend it, Boss. Horrible place, horrible owner.”

“I see.” Lou could almost see the smile he knew the man to be sporting. “Turn left here.”

“Sure thing, Boss.”

“You know, you may call me Luca.”

“Sure thing, Boss,” Lou said, giving him a grin. Luca sighed, but dropped the matter. “Say Boss, why’d you pick me to work for you. I’m sure you’d have had better luck with a vampire higher in the rankings.”

“Perhaps. However, I knew your sire, and he was a good man. I was certain that his Childe would be just the same.”

Lou felt bitter bile rise up in the back of his throat. “Sorry Boss, but according to vampire standards, I’m nowhere near him.”

“Well then, I suppose it’s a good thing that I have my own standards.”

Lou looked in the mirror and caught Luca’s eyes. “Yeah, I suppose it is,” he agreed, a smile unknowingly playing at his lips. “So where to, Boss? Or are we just taking random turns?”

“Right turn at the next block.”

“Right, Boss.”

 

Two Weeks Later

Mika was absolutely in love with the pack. They were all so loving and caring towards him; it felt like he had known them his entire life. He and Chance had become best friends, and the two often spent time in the woods talking. Liam, even though he was younger, acted like he was the older brother Mika never had. Then there was Lovel, his mate. He blushed thinking about the bigger wolf. He was so gentle and patient with him. Mika was sure he was halfway in love with the man. They hadn’t even mated yet, but Lovel still did things to him that had him squirming and aching for his touch.

“Hey Lil’bit, you ready for today?” Travis asked, plopping down next to the small wolf. Mika grinned and nodded his head. He had decided that it was time to officially become a part of the pack. They had agreed to do it today, since they were getting nowhere with the kidnappings and the packs were becoming disheartened. What better way to cheer everyone up than by celebrating new family?

“Yes…I’m a little nervous,” he said, picking at the hem of his shirt.

“Ah, don’t be, Lil’bit. It’s just some fancy words, a nip or two, and then you get a fancy tattoo like so,” Travis pulled down his shirt, showing his collar bone where a small blue gothic number two sat inside of a crescent moon. “Bam! You’re part of the pack. Well, officially part of the pack. I’m pretty sure everyone already sees you as a pack member.”

“Alright.”

“Come on, the other Alphas will be here soon,” Travis warned, standing up and pulling him up as Chance came running from the house. Chance spotted them and turned, heading in their direction.

“Run, run, run, run!!” he yelled as he ran past.

Travis and Mika looked at each other, and then the twins appeared, running towards them with manic grins and sporting water guns. The two of them turned on their heels and began high-tailing it after Chance. They caught up to Chance as he rounded the corner of the side of the house, only to slide to a stop. Liam stood in their way, arms loaded with water balloons. They spun around to head back the other way only to find that the twins had finally caught up and were advancing on them.

“You don’t want to do this, Liam,” Travis said, holding his hand out in front of him. “You really don’t want to do this.”

“Oh, I think I do,” Liam countered, lightly tossing a balloon up and down. Mika and Chance looked at each other again before their gaze fell back on Travis. They came to a decision. They pushed him onto Liam as a sacrifice, causing them both to tumble towards the ground with the water balloons bursting between the two of them.

The two smaller wolves took the chance to run past them, heading towards the safety of the back door, leaving behind the two cursing wolves. Mika and Chance ran up to the door, throwing it open, and shrieking as a bucket of cold water toppled over them. They heard giggling and found Bella standing in the door way holding onto the string that connected to the bucket. She squeaked when they started heading for her, running through the kitchen door. They went through the door to find her holding a large super soaker. The grin she gave them was pure evil and they dodged to the side just as she fired.

They heard cursing from behind them and found that Travis, soaking wet, had managed to get away from Liam and was holding the twin’s guns. Mika hurried and grabbed the guns out of his hands handing one to Chance. They turned their attention back to Bella just in time to see her disappear down the hall. They got up, chasing after the small wolf, grinning when they cornered her at the front door. Mika aimed the gun and squeezed just as the front door opened.

“Oops,” he said, staring wide eyed at new wolf he had shot in the face.

“You must be Mika,” Remus said, laughing and lightly wiping the water from his face.

Mika flushed, hiding the water gun behind his back. Maverick snorted with laughter behind him, causing Soren to shoot him an annoyed look. Having caught the look, Maverick bared his teeth at the other alpha.

“You’re so childish,” Soren said, pushing past him and stepping up to Mika, a smile in place. “Hello, I’m Alpha Soren Rendall,” he said holding out his hand.

“Hello, I’m Mika Yavanti,” he said, taking the offered hand.

“Hmm Yavanti…that name sounds familiar,” Maverick said, rubbing his jaw. “Just can’t place it…” Mika shot him a curious look but turned his attention to Remus as he spoke.

“Pleasure to meet you, little one. Lovel has told us much about you. We’re happy to finally see you in person,” Remus said, giving a ghost of a smile. “You’re much cuter than Lovel described.”

“I hope you’re not flirting with my mate,” Lovel warned as he moved behind Mika, pulling him flush against him. He looked down at Mika, raising a brow at the water gun, before turning his attention back to the other Alphas.

“Of course not,” Remus said eyes twinkling in mirth. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Right. Where’s Marcus?” he asked, peering outside for the red haired Alpha.

“Where Marcus always is these days,” Soren answered with a small sigh. “I know he wants to find them, but he’s becoming obsessed.”

“It’s hard on him, you know that,” Remus replied, settling his hand on Soren’s shoulder. “Come, we’re not here to talk about that. Today, we’re here for Mika’s claiming.”

“Right. So, shall we get started?” Soren asked just as Liam, Darek and Dante came speeding down the hall. Liam stopped when he saw the other Alphas, causing the twins to go crashing into his back, sending them tumbling to the floor in a wet heap.

“Yes…right after everyone gets changed.” Lovel resisted the urge to roll his eyes at them.

 

“Mika Yavanti, do you swear your loyalties to the Delavantio Pack and Alpha?” Lovel asked. They were outside in the sun, in the middle of a clearing. The entire pack gathered around them in a semi-circle.

“I, Mika Yavanti, swear my loyalties to the Delavantio Pack and Alpha.” There was a shift in the air as the magic moved around them like a warm blanket. The warmth spread through his body then pooled above his heart. He felt like his heart was being set on fire. Then, the fire died and he felt the bond settle in place. For one moment, his and the entire pack’s heartbeats were in sync. His wolf went wild, finally finding the family it had always wanted. Mika threw his head back and howled in joy the rest of the pack joining him. When he stopped, his cheeks were flushed and his eyes had darkened to midnight gems. Lovel growled and pulled him against him, claiming his mouth in a kiss. When he pulled back, Mika’s lips were wet and swollen. Lovel sighed softly, letting his forehead fall against Mika’s and staring into his dark blue eyes.

“Alright, before you two go at it like teenagers, let’s run!” Liam shouted, pulling off his shirt, revealing defined abs. Mika blushed as the rest of the pack began stripping, with the exception of Cecilia who was holding Cynthia. Even though most wolves were comfortable in the nude, the only people to ever see him naked were Master Luca and Lovel. And Master Luca didn’t count. The man practically raised him. Lovel, seeing his mate’s embarrassment grabbed his hand and tugged him behind a tree. He had to fight back his arousal as Mika began stripping out of tight black jeans.

Once they were completely stripped down, Mika took his time to look over his mate. Thick muscles covered in dark, golden-bronze skin, tight abs that had a dusting of hair that connected to his treasure trail. He swallowed as arousal hit him when he took in the sight of the large, thick organ that settled between Lovel’s legs. He’d never thought about it when they were…intimate, but now that he got a look at it, he wondered how the hell it was going to fit inside of him.

Lovel smirked and then shifted into his wolf form. Mika gasped, staring wide eyed at him. Lovel in his wolf form came to just about his shoulders. His eyes had turned a deep golden color that, if it were night time, he was sure they’d glow. He reached out, digging his hands into the soft auburn fur. “Wow…” Mika stared, enchanted by the sight.

Lovel let out a small snort, nosing his neck, and causing him to giggle. The wolf licked his neck and then began sniffing down his body, the cold nose leaving a wet trail on his stomach. Mika squeaked when he shoved his nose deep into his crotch and licked. “Lovel!” he called out flushing in embarrassment. The wolf gave, what Mika could assume was, a laugh and then he nudged him in the side. Mika grunted as he was knocked onto the ground, Lovel towering over him. Mika waited until the alpha leaned closer and then he, himself, shifted, nipping the bigger wolf’s chin playfully before taking off back towards the pack. He bound around a tree, waiting for Lovel to chase after him. He turned at the sound of a small grasp and found the entire pack staring at him, awestruck.

“Oh, he’s beautiful.” Cecilia said taking a step towards him. Mika cocked his head to the side, his ears tipping forward. “I’ve never seen a wolf as white as him before.”

Mika’s fur was pure white and seemed to shine in the sun’s rays. Liam trotted over to him, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth. He was the same auburn color as Lovel, but wasn’t nearly as big. He stared at Mika for a moment before dragging his tongue across his snout, leaving a wet spot.

“Well, look at you,” Soren commented as he stepped up beside Mika, bending down till he was at eye level with the wolf. “Never thought I’d see a wolf like you.” He scratched behind Mika’s ears, smiling slightly when the wolf leaned into it.

“Yes, you are quite beautiful. Lovel is very lucky,” Remus said as he neared him.

Lovel barked in agreement as he approached from behind the tree, his eyes locked on Mika. He growled when Soren started running his fingers up and down Mika’s back. Soren stopped and stood up, moving behind Remus so that the shifted wolf wouldn’t attack him. “Enough, enough. We’re going! You only needed us here as witnesses, so our part’s done. We’ll be getting back to our packs.” Maverick snorted and shook his head, shooting Soren a dirty look as he passed the blond wolf.

Mika trotted over to where Lovel stood and then laid down, rolling over onto his back, baring his stomach and neck to the bigger wolf. Lovel licked him again then nudge him with his nose till he was up on his feet.

“Let’s play.” Mika said through the mind link that connected the entire pack together. When Lovel didn’t answer fast enough, he turned his back to him and walked over to Chance, who was a dirty blond wolf, and nipped him on the side to entice the small wolf to tackle him. Lovel flopped down in the grass, content to watch the two wrestle. Soon, the rest of the pack joined in. His mother walked over to him, lying next to his side.

”Your Tesoro is bella, son. You are very lucky.’

”Yes, Mamma, lucky indeed.”

 

“Man, I’m hungry,” Liam complained, stretching his arms behind his head. The pack hadn’t left the woods until the sun had set. They were now walking back towards the house. “I’d kill for a Tuesday Burger.”

“What’s a Tuesday Burger?” Mika asked from behind him, where he and Chance had been talking.

Lovel groaned from the head of the pack rolling his eyes. “Please don’t get him started. I swear he’s obsessed.”

Bella snorted from his back, rolling her pretty hazel eyes. “Understatement,” she added, causing the pack to laugh.

Liam frowned and, ignoring their teasing, turned back to Mika. “You’ve never had a Tuesday Burger?”

The small wolf shook his head, jumping when Liam grabbed his shoulders and began shaking him.

“You must! It’s like…an orgasm in your mouth!” Candelora smacked him as she walked past.

“Bambino, not in front of the children.”

“Sorry Mamma,” he apologized still grinning. “We’re going to Tuesday’s, like, now. No exception. Tonight, you will taste heaven.”

“I don’t think it’s a very good idea to go out at night with what’s going on,” Chance pointed out, reaching up to tug at a lock of hair.

“It’ll be fine with the four of us.”

“What four?” Lovel asked eyes narrowed on his younger brother.

“Why, you, me, Chance and Mika of course,” he announced while giving Lovel a huge grin. “I’ll drive!” He took off running towards the house. Mika and Chance shared horrified looks and then took off after him. Lovel followed behind them at a more leisurely pace, shaking his head.

Liam, thankfully, did not make it to the car. The two small wolves had managed to take the keys from him before he got too far and had rushed them to Lovel. The older wolf eyed them with amusement but got in the car anyway. Chance and Mika hopped into the back seat, both smiling at the disgruntled wolf. Liam, still pouting about not being able to drive, slid into the front seat just as Travis walked up to them with frown on his face.

“Are you sure you should be going out. I mean not that you can’t protect yourself or anything, but I normally go with you.”

Liam rolled his eyes leaning over Lovel. “Don’t worry, we’ll be in Alpha Marcus’s territory pretty close to their house if anything goes wrong,” he explained to Mika, reaching out to pat Lovel on the arm. “And it’s not like he’s going to let anything happen to us. Who would be stupid enough to attack an Alpha?”

“I guess you’re right…” he was still looking uncomfortable with the idea, but chose not to voice any more protests. “Be safe, Alpha.” Travis turned, heading back to the house.

“Alright, let’s go! My fantasy awaits me!”

Lovel rolled his eyes at his brother, starting up the car. The drive into town took less than thirty minutes. Thanks to Liam’s goading and whining, Lovel had taken a few short cuts just to shut him up.

“There’s no parking spot,” Lovel said as they drove around the street for the fifth time.

“Well, damn it, just park in the alley that’s two blocks over! We’re freaking right here. I can freaking smell the burger! Oh god, we need to get in there now!”

Chance and Mika shared a look and inched towards Lovel’s side of the car. The wolf looked like he was ready to snap at any moment. Could the food really be that good? Tired of his brother’s whining, Lovel pulled into the alley, checking it over to make sure no one was hanging around before he parked.

“If someone steals or breaks into my car, I’m kicking your ass,” he threatened, helping Mika out of the car. He wrapped his arm around his waist, drawing the smaller wolf against him. Mika flushed, giving him the shy look he’d come to adore in the past two weeks.

Chance trailed behind Liam as the wolf, vibrating with excitement, walked towards the door of the restaurant. When they entered, they could practically see the drool forming in Liam’s mouth as he bounced up and down on the balls of his feet.

A beautiful, red-haired wolf walked up to them, pen and notebook in hand. “Welcome to Tuesday. How big is your party?”

“Hey Shay. Long time no see.” Shay looked up in surprise at Liam before a bright smile broke out on his face.

“Li. Shit man, it’s been ages since you’ve been here. I’ll tell the cook you’re back. You know she loves you,” he said with a small snicker.

“Eh, what can I say, all the ladies love me,” he replied flexing his arm, and causing the other four wolves to roll their eyes.

“Come on, I’ll show you to your table,” Shay said, leading the four to a booth. “What’ll you have?” he asked once they were seated.

“Bring five of my usual,” Liam told him face all business.

“Are you sure that’s enough?” Shay asked teasingly at Liam’s expression, and the wolf actually seemed to think about it for a moment before nodding.

“Yeah, you’re right. Make it six, with two strawberry milk shakes, a Coke, and a Pepsi.” Shay raised an eyebrow at him shaking his head but writing it down anyway. Liam turned to the rest of the occupants at the table with a bright smile. “What do you guys want?”

Mika’s jaw dropped, staring at him in disbelief. He knew wolves had big appetites, but even he didn’t think they were that big. Liam laughed, patting Mika on the head and ruffling his hair. “Joking, Piccolo.” Mika pouted, whacking him on the arm. “You’re going to love these, I swear. It’s like four different meats mixed together into two large patties stuffed between two luscious poppy seed buns with onions grilled to perfection.” For the entire fifteen minute wait, Liam rambled on and on about how the burger was a godsend.

By the time their food had arrived, Liam had Chance and Mika salivating at the mouth. Their jaws dropped when the burger was placed before them. The damn thing was eight inches high! How the hell did he plan to eat two of them? For the next thirty minutes they watched in morbid fascination as he did just that and then disgust as he finished off the remains of their half-eaten burgers.

“How did he do it?”Chance whispered to Mika as they exited the restaurant still staring at Liam in morbid fascination. “Where did he put it all?”

“I don’t know, and I kind of don’t want to,” he said, squeezing Lovel’s hand, causing the older wolf to look down at him.

“Don’t worry, Tesoro, I will never subject you to that display again,” he said with a light chuckle.

“Yeah, yeah screw yo— Oh, fuck me.” Said Liam, shocked, staring in the alley.

“What?” Lovel narrowed his eyes on his brother, releasing Mika’s hand as they entered the alley to find what Liam was staring at. His eyes widened and he let out a stream of curses that had his brother wincing. His beautiful black 1969 Mustang was sitting on the ground, tires slashed. “Ho intenzione di prenderti a calci in culo.” (I’m going to kick your ass.)

“What? It wasn’t my fault! You can’t pin this on me,” he cried, following Lovel over to the car.

“Really, who wanted to come here in the first place? Whose idea was it to park in the fucking alley?” he growled, bending down to inspect the slashed tires.

Liam squatted down next to him fingering the slashes and letting out a low whistle. “Shit, they went to town on these; they’re pretty jagged.”

“So I’ve noticed…” Lovel tilted his head back and sniffed, a frown marring his face. “Do you smell that?”

“What? You mean the garbage, piss, and, what I’m assuming to be, the sewers? Yes, I do. I think even the humans can smell it.”

“Exactly, there’s no other scent here but ours and the trash. There should have been a—” He snarled and stood up straighter, facing the alley entrance. He grabbed Mika and Chance, pushing them behind him as he took a protective stance. Two mountainous men stood blocking the entrance. “What do you want?” They remained silent, stepping into the alley with them. He felt Mika press against his back whimpering softly as the men continued to advance.

“Give him to us, and we’ll let you live,” one said stepping forward.

“They've got no scent,” Liam said, taking up stance next to his brother. “What the fuck are they?”

“Demons,” Lovel growled, fangs flashing at the men.

“There are more of them!” Chance yelled, pointing down the opposite end of the alley where two more bulking figures were walking towards them.

“Shit…we can’t take on all four with them here. They could get hurt,” Liam growled, keeping his eyes on the four demons surrounding them.

“We’ll have to make an opening for them. Once we do, you two run like hell to get out of here. About seven blocks from here you’ll see a bar called the Wolf’s Den. You’ll be safe there.” Lovel ordered, his eyes glowing an eerie gold. “Do you understand?” Chance and Mika nodded, terrified and clasping each other’s hands. “Good.”

At that moment, one of the two demons behind them grabbed for Mika, catching him by the hem of his coat. The demon dangled the small wolf in the air. Lovel howled and launched himself at the demon, shifting midair and shredding his clothes. He latched onto the arm that the demon was using to hold Mika, jaws clamping shut. The demon dropped Mika and he rolled to the side away from it grabbing Chance’s hand, letting the blond haul him up. Liam jumped at the other demon, knocking him down before grabbing his head and bashing it into the ground. He looked up at the scared small wolves, eyes glowing the same bright gold.

“RUN!” he snarled. They jumped and headed out of the alley like the hounds of hell themselves were after them.

“Which way?” Mika asked, tears streaming down his face.

“Left!” Chance shouted over the sounds of the fighting coming from behind them. He chanced a glance over his shoulder to see if any of the demons were following them and was relieved to find none. They ran as fast as they could, fear fueling their flight. They rounded a corner into the middle of the street just as a car was coming. Chance pushed Mika back just as the car hit him full on, slamming him onto the windshield.

“CHANCE!” Mika cried, running over to his best friend. There was blood pooling near his head and the small wolf had lost consciousness. “Chance…” he sobbed, grabbing his hand praying for the wolf to get up. He was so absorbed with Chance that he didn’t notice the car door opening or the silhouetted figure getting out. A familiar scent entered his nose before he was overwhelmed with the smell of chloroform. Before losing complete consciousness, he was able to form one last thought.

“Master…Luca…help…”

“Mika…!”

The demon flung Lovel into the car, smashing the wolf onto the hood. A hand wrapped around the wolf’s throat, squeezing. Lovel clawed and scratched at the demon’s arm, shredding skin trying to get it to release him. He could see Liam withering on the ground, having reverted back to human form. One of the demons was near him, dead, its throat having been torn out by Lovel.

The other two demons took turns kicking Liam between them back and forth, laughing with each whimper they drew from the hurt wolf. Suddenly, they froze and the demon choking him released his hold, allowing the alpha wolf to slide down from atop of the car. The shadows began shifting and vibrating around them before they became encased in darkness.

“What the fuck is this, Murdock?” one of the demons shouted, backing away from the injured wolf as the shadows seemed to close in on them. “Who’s doing this? Where’s it coming from?”

“Shut up, fool,” Murdock hissed, his beady yellow eyes scanning the alley. “Who is there?”

“Didn’t your mother ever tell not to play in the dark?” A sultry voice asked, drifting through the shadows. “You never know what you’ll find.”

“Come out now, and tell us who you are!”

“Very well…” The demons backed up as a silhouetted figure with glowing amethyst eyes emerged from the shadows. “My name is Luca…” he said as the shadows parted and the moon peeked in, reflecting off two long incisors. “And I am your death.”