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  I feel the pack members throughout the room bristle, ready to come to my aid. I quickly and silently send out an order with a wave of energy to calm them down, reminding them that I am alpha and I can handle the she-wolf myself.

  “Oh. My. God. I’m so sorry. I didn’t realise it was you,” Bel quickly apologises as she reaches over the bar. She grabs a towel and pulls it over the bar.

  “That’s a good right hook you’ve got there. Was your date that bad?” I joke, reaching out and taking the towel from her as I straighten my nose. It clicks back in place and the bleeding pretty much stops. I start healing immediately and if it wasn’t for the fresh blood that I could still feel smeared on my face, no one would know she’d hit me.

  “No, Emmanuel was nice. It was something that happened when I dashed to the bathroom that has put me on edge. I’m sorry.”

  Misty takes the bloody towel off me and leans over the bar wiping my face with a wet towel. “There all gone. Have this on the house,” she says, passing me a drink that smells like straight whiskey.

  I take a large swig of my drink and I lean towards Bel, pulling her into a hug. “Don’t worry about it,” I say, trying to calm her. As I speak, I take a deep breath and immediately regret leaving her in Emmanuel’s care. I can smell Dominick on her and not just his scent. I can smell his saliva. Trust me; saliva has its own scent. If you don’t believe me next time you drool in your sleep, smell your pillow. I pull away quickly and spot the bite marks on her neck. Cradling her neck with my hands, I stroke the bite gently with my thumb.

  “What happened with Dominick?” I can’t help but demand an answer. The alpha in me needs to know. Her mate needs to protect her.

  She stares at me blankly for a second. I ready myself to hear her deny it. Surely she knows I can smell him. I see her brain catch up and she explains about him feeding on her in the alley. The whole time I stroke her neck, I’m sending my energy into her wound forcing it to heal quicker. I don’t want that blood sucker’s mark on her.

  As it starts to fade, I know for certain that she is my true mate. I wouldn’t be able to use my energy to heal her if she wasn’t. I can’t help the satisfied rumble that leaves my chest. She is mine, and as much as I want to explain this to her, I can’t.

  I need to get the problem of Dominick out of the way first.

  “Do you know what this means?” I ask, knowing that she most probably won’t have a clue. She wouldn’t have had any contact with vampires in Quilpie. Grigori Dorfman runs a tight town. There wouldn’t be any vampires stepping foot on his land.

  Her frown tells me I’m right before she even opens her mouth. “What? He tasted me. You said he would.”

  The satisfied feeling I had totally disappears. An angry growl leaves my lips and my energy flares. I’m not surprised one bit when Wesley approaches us.

  “Boss. Is everything okay?” he asks, knowing from my energy that it’s not.

  “No, Wesley.” I don’t look at him as I answer, I can’t. I can’t take my eyes off the place where Dominick’s fang marks had marred Bel’s neck. “Pack meeting in an hour. Do you think you can organise that?”

  “Yeah, no problem, boss. What’s it about?”

  I turn a glare on him. “You’ll find out when you get there!” I practically scream in his face.

  Wesley leaves without saying another word. He knows full well that he should never question his alpha while I’m in this state.

  It takes a few minutes to calm down and address Bel. I can’t help but feel sad as I look into her beautiful chocolate brown eyes. “Dominick didn’t just taste you, he formed a tie.”

  When her eyes fill with tears, I realise she must be channelling my sadness.

  “What does that mean, a tie?”

  “If a vampire drinks from you without draining you or turning you, a tie is formed. Its effects are different with each vampire. It could be that he can read your thoughts, or sense where you are, or even control you to make you do anything he wishes. With Dominick being so old and King, he might be able to do a lot more. Can you see why I’m so upset now?” I can’t control the anger in my voice.

  “I can see why I should be upset, but why are you upset?” she snaps back.

  How do I explain this? Dammit I should have claimed her days ago. Then we wouldn’t be having this problem.

  “Because he forced you into this, and it complicates things.”

  “What things?” she asks warily.

  I wrack my brain to come up with some reasonable complication that won’t make me sound like a crazy, possessive stalker.

  “I’m supposed to be helping him find out who’s kidnapping his vamps, but the more pissed off I get with him, the less I want to do it.” As the lie comes out my mouth I know she’s able to pick it up, but I can’t do anything to cover it. I just hope my emotions tell her that I’m not completely lying.

  “How can someone kidnap a vampire?” she asks, calmly sitting back on her stool. “They’re too strong.” I can see she’s trying to calm me by taking my thoughts away from Dominick.

  I want to kiss her for not calling me out over my lie. I refrain and answer her question as best I can. “That’s why he’s asked for my help. He was convinced it was a vamp, but after interrogating every vamp in the state and coming up blank, he’s moving onto the next thing. And the next thing strong enough is a were. He wants me to question the pack.”

  “Couldn’t they have lied to him?” she asks, toying with her empty glass.

  I sit down on the stool next to her. “No. You can’t lie to Dominick. He’s been here two thousand years. He knows a lie when he hears one. When you have extra senses you can pick up on lies when you know what to look for. Raised heartbeat, perspiration, changes in breathing just to name a few.”

  I catch Misty’s eye as she yells out last call and push both our glasses forward to indicate that we want refills.

  When she comes over with our drinks, Bel jumps in and pays her while pushing one of the glasses towards me. “An apology drink.”

  I can’t help but laugh as I accept the drink and the apology.

  While we finish our drinks, Misty and Lucy close up. It’s not long before Misty comes over with her bag and the keys in her hand.

  “Ya ready to go?” she says to Bel.

  “Yep,” Bel answers, jumping off the stool.

  I don’t know whether to let her leave with Misty or bring her with me to the pack meeting. By the time I decide I need to bring her, they’re both in the car and saying bye.

  Before I can say anything Bel’s window opens. “You okay, Theo?”

  I decide to go with my initial thoughts when I ordered Wesley to organise a pack meeting. I need to fix this and that is what I am going to do. “No. It doesn’t feel right leaving you. Will you come with me, please?” I answer honestly.

  They both chuckle and Misty shouts through the car. “Are you trying to get in Bel’s knickers, Theo?”

  Her comment throws me for a loop and it takes a moment to register what made her think along those lines. Not wanting either of them to think I would ever try to get her home just to get in her underwear, I quickly clarify my intentions. “No. I didn’t mean it like that that! Not at all.” I look directly at Bel. “I need you at the pack meeting, as evidence.”

  Her face drops and her wolf throws a wave of anger at me. “Fine.”

  She gets out of the car and slams the door. She drops her head into the open window. “Drive safe, Misty. I’ll see you at home in a little while.”

  Misty drives off without a word.

  A very pissed off Bel turns to me and grumbles, “Lead the way.”

  What the hell have I done?

  Nine

  DECLARATIONS

  ROSABEL

  As he leads me in silence to a very snazzy black car, I realise I may be out of order for being so upset. It’s not as if he has ever really made me think he would ever try to ‘get into my knickers,’ as Misty put it. As much as I want to stay
mad at him, I feel like I should apologise. Curiously, my wolf won’t let me do it. She’s spitting mad at Theo for something.

  I try to break the silence. “This car is gorgeous. What is it?”

  His face changes from hurt and confused to the sexiest smile as he appraises his car. He gently strokes the bonnet. “It’s an Aston Martin, Vanquish. She’s my baby.”

  He unlocks the car with a beep of the remote. It’s just as beautiful on the inside—all leather and a new car smell that wraps around me along with Theo’s scent.

  I’m glad I chose to put my belt on. He isn’t exactly sticking to the speed limit as he zooms through the streets of Mount Roxby. I grip the edge of the seat for dear life, trying my hardest not to rip the leather with my claws, which appear as my fear sets in.

  “It’s okay. I won’t crash,” he says with a laugh.

  “How the hell do you know that? You’re driving like a maniac. Do you know how easy it is to crash a car?” I really shouldn’t be so demanding towards an alpha, but I can’t help it.

  He’s scaring the shit out of me.

  “I’m a werewolf, remember? You know very well we have lots of extra senses and extremely quick reflexes that humans don’t.”

  My claws retract with that reminder, but my grip on the seat doesn’t ease much. “Oh, yeah. I didn’t think of that. I would still prefer it if you slowed down a little.”

  He finally slows down, taking a right turn onto a long winding dirt track. It leads into a large opening that holds a magnificent mansion-style house, surrounded by forest. We pull up alongside a dozen cars parked in front of the house.

  Theo exits the car and I sit admiring the building and the steps that lead up to it. There are only about eight steps but the way the front entry is designed it is majestic. My door opening pulls me out of my trance.

  Theo offers his hand to help me out the car. Such a gentleman.

  He grips my hand gently in his strong, warm fingers as he leads me into the house and through to the lounge room, which is full of werewolves. Okay. I should clarify that they’re werewolves in human form. But they are Pack and I’m an outsider. The full moon is tomorrow night and I can feel the tension in the room as they all turn to watch us enter.

  I don’t belong here.

  Theo addresses everyone as we walk through them, still holding my hand. “Thank you for coming at such late notice and hour.”

  Everyone nods in unison. It’s an extremely unsettling thing to watch.

  Once we reach the far side of the room, we stop in front of three chairs that are facing the pack members. Theo stops before the empty middle seat.

  An extremely large, scary looking guy, who’s dressed in leathers, occupies the seat to his left. He looks like he belongs to a biker gang, not a werewolf pack.

  In the chair on Theo’s right, is Wes. I had thought he must be high up in the ranks. I can tell by the seating arrangement that he’s Theo’s second. That makes Biker Guy his third.

  Theo directs me to Wes’ chair.

  Wes stands from his seat and stands behind it without a word. Theo sits me down in the now vacant seat. It’s against all my natural instincts to have a were standing that close behind me, but unfortunately I have no choice but to endure it.

  Theo releases my hand before turning to the pack. “Please be seated.”

  The pack drops to the floor.

  Once everybody settles into their seated positions, he addresses the room. “First things first. This is Rosabel McGuiness. As you can smell, she’s werewolf. Unclaimed and unattached to a pack. She’s new to town after travelling from Quilpie; home to a large were-lion pride. Rosabel’s been living with this pride since she was a child. She is now trying to find a pack to call home.”

  “Do I need to put her in the census?” Wes asks from behind me.

  “I’ve already seen to it personally. As you all know Dominick Drake is trying to pin the vampire kidnappings on one of us.” A murmur runs through the room.

  “I know none of you are guilty, but none of his vampires are either and no matter how hard we try we can’t seem to come up with a viable lead. We have been working together to solve this mystery but now Dominick has taken something without permission. It belonged to me and was under my protection.”

  I look across to Theo in surprise. Surely he isn’t talking about me and the bite. I’m not his.

  “What did he take?” a guy with a buzz cut seated near the front asks.

  Theo explains and when he finishes, the guy still isn’t satisfied.

  “But she isn’t pack. She doesn’t belong to anyone. The pact we have with the vampires only protects the pack, not lone wolves. I don’t understand how this affects us, or why it bothers you.”

  Theo’s gaze penetrates my eyes with concern flowing deeply from his emerald green eyes. Through my empathy I feel a wave of guilt coming off him. “I’m bothered because she is everything to do with me. She is mine.” He ends his statement on a possessive growl.

  My wolf instantly stands to attention. Finally! Happy to hear him talk about me in a possessive way. Ours. My wolf sends the word through my mind.

  The tension in the room doubles. Ninety percent of the wolves in front of me are extremely irate.

  “She’s your true mate? Why haven’t you claimed her? True mates are always claimed at that first meeting between them; from both sides. I’m sorry but Ms. McGuiness looks just as surprised on hearing this information, as the rest of us here,” suggests a beefy looking guy in the back.

  Theo slips from his chair and kneels in front of me. He leans in and presses his body between my legs. My heart is pounding in my chest. I want this badly, but I am terrified. His left hand squeezes my thigh as his right hand slides up to the back of neck. He pulls my mouth towards him. I feel his hot breath against my lips right before he presses his mouth hungrily to mine; devouring my lips, tongue, and breath in a deep, ‘owns me, my wolf and my soul,’ kiss.

  My eyes close and my hands roam around his strong neck, through his soft hair, gripping the back of his neck. He groans against my mouth. We break apart, panting. I have been owned, in front of his pack. I open my eyes, once again seeing the room full of werewolves before me.

  “Yes. That is exactly what I am saying. I will spell it out just in case some of you still don’t quite understand. Rosabel McGuiness is my true mate, and I am claiming her.”

  His wolf’s energy brushes against me, covering me in his spicy scent.

  That’s when I feel my wolf’s energy reciprocate by releasing her sweeter scent and brushing it along his body. I close my eyes and concentrate, feeling every inch of him as she touches him. It feels just as it would if I was touching him with my own fingers. He feels divine. Audience or not, with the feel of him under my wolf’s energy and his wolf touching every inch of me, I’m just about ready to pounce and take him right here.

  I think it’s safe to say he feels the same. If the bulge I see him trying to hide as he stands has anything to do with it.

  As he steps away and turns to the furious pack, I can smell our scents have combined making the most amazing fragrance.

  I have so many questions going through my head.

  Are we mates?

  Does this happen to all mates or is it just a typical werewolf thing, between two wolves?

  An angry scream pulls me away from my questions.

  “That is ridiculous! She hasn’t even been in town two minutes. You have plenty of females in the pack to choose from. You can’t choose her.” A brunette female is standing in the middle of the crowd demanding everyone’s attention.

  “I AM ALPHA!” Theo shouts. His Alpha power spreads throughout the room making his point. I can feel it prickling against my skin and I’m not even part of the pack. I dread to think how bad it hurts those he is forcing it onto.

  “Bel is my true mate and I have claimed her.” There’s a deadly calmness to his voice. It sounds scarier than his previous statement.

  A beautifu
l long-legged blonde parts the crowd. She stops in front of him, reaches out and trails her hands down his chest. It’s the same Barbie that was coming onto him in the bar a few nights ago.

  “You haven’t finalised the claim. We all saw she was willing to do it in front of us all, but you didn’t.” She’s referring to my reaction during our kiss. Her hands go lower towards his waistband.

  “I can satisfy you—now and always,” she whispers, before planting a huge kiss on Theo whilst her quick and nimble fingers work on his belt.

  I release a ferocious growl, as I pounce towards her. I rip her hand from his belt and launch her across the room.

  She hits the wall with a loud thump and drops to the floor, moaning—right before a large piece of plaster falls, lands on her head and knocks her unconscious.

  I turn away from the crumpled Barbie to find everyone watching in stunned silence. It’s then I realise what I’ve done. I have attacked a pack member in front of her whole pack—one night before the full moon.

  To top it off, I was unprovoked.

  I’m a dead wolf.

  I turn to Theo in a panic, “Oh god, Theo. What have I done? I—”

  Before I can finish my sentence, Theo cuts me off with a monstrous laugh. Everyone gasps as he throws his arms around me and sighs into my hair. “Oh, Bel.”

  Once Theo’s laughter settles and silence fills the room, Wesley speaks up. “Now that that’s all cleared up. What are we going to do?”

  Theo releases me. “I have been thinking about that.”

  He sits me in his chair and starts to pace the floor. “The only way to break a tie with a vampire is through said vampire’s death. That’s going to be tricky. We’re talking about Dominick after all.”

  Wesley nervously clears his throat. “No. I mean, what are we going to do about the elusive vampire kidnapper?”

  “Oh, yeah, that. Well your guess is as good as mine. What I do know is we have to find them, if only to clear the pack,” he says, still pacing the floor.