“David, Rayne here tells me she’s been seeing more and more cases of spontaneous Changing especially among the stronger Wolves in our Pack,” the deep voice of the Macconwood Pack Alpha commanded the attention of everyone in the room, as did his very presence.
“Now, we are working in groups to meet with those that seem more affected by the end of the Curse of St. Natalis across our entire territory. Now, Tate and Cat are working closely with teens throughout the county at the Outreach Center and the Greyback Pack are handling things with various smaller Packs in Europe. We are helping our Pack and making progress,” he continued.
“That’s good news,” David replied.
“Yes, it is. I’d like to know if you’d noticed anything else at the hospital, anything that concerns you other than that?”
Dr. David Evangelos tilted his head in deference to the man in front of him. Power radiated off him in waves that the Wolf inside of David couldn’t help but submit to, he averted his gaze respectfully and answered his Alpha’s question.
“Yes, I have more to add. The spontaneous Changing of those not yet used to the sudden strength in their connection to their Wolves is only part of the problem,” David cleared his throat, obviously his own problem with his Wolf bothered him, but now was not the time or place to bring it up.
“You see, Alpha, I have witnessed many cases of hyper-aggression and more acts of seemingly random violence, over well, over mating.”
A snicker went through the two large males who stood on either side of the Alpha. David rolled his eyes. The Wolf Guard were the Pack’s elite fighters and guardians, but they were also just guys. He knew Conall and Liam fairly well, and to say they were the youngest and most wild of the Guard was an understatement.
“Seriously? Like Werewolves need to be what, fixed, or something?” Liam snorted. A few more snickers from his companion and some elbowing, but David ignored them and waited while the Alpha glared at the two Wolves.
“Alpha-”
“Call me Rafe.”
“Rafe,” David nodded, not entirely comfortable with the idea of addressing his Alpha so informally, “the frequency of males fighting over unmated females has tripled in the last ninety days. I’ve set more broken bones, wired more jaws, and sewn more stitches in the last two cycles of the moon than I had in the previous six months at the hospital. And that’s not taking into account those Wolves who found their way to my home. Now, I’ve been doing some research and there are several legends of fated mates recurring in our histories, I wondered if perhaps, well, with the end of the curse, is it possible some long buried mating instinct is reawakening?”
After David’s long speech, silence reined in the large office of the Macconwood Pack Alpha, Rafe Maccon. David took a moment to look around the room. Sturdy, highly polished furniture graced the space. Matching bookshelves filled with leather-bound histories, hardcover biographies, sports magazines, and one or two romance novels lined the walls.
A large fireplace glowed on the furthest side of the room where a rocking chair and loveseat sat close together. Lastly, a closed playpen was propped against another wall.
David grinned as he thought of the future of the Macconwood Pack. Those three little babies had been quite the surprise for the big man sitting across from him. The Alpha’s children were well-known and loved throughout the Pack, heck, they were royalty.
“Yes, David, I think it is possible,” Rafe’s ice blue eyes glowed inhumanly and David knew it was the Wolf who answered.
“You do know that Carlotta and I have shared a matebond since the second I saw her. She is my other half. I believe you are right, she is my fated mate, if that’s what you want to call it. I do know that nothing could have stopped me from claiming her, and if another Wolf dared go near her,” the rest didn’t need to be said, the deepening of the Alpha’s voice was enough. Threat implied. Got it.
But that was hardly news. No, Werewolves were known for their possessive attitudes. What shocked him was the way Rafe easily admitted that his wife was everything, that he would do anything for her.
It was not anything David had ever experienced in his lifetime. No wonder, with my father being the bastard he was.
What was more astonishing to him was that David found himself envious. Grrr. This isn’t me. Knock it off. He admonished his Wolf.
“So, we are agreed then that Werewolves have fated mates?!” Dr. Rayne Davis-Evangelos, David’s sister-in-law, exclaimed from her seat next to him.
“I think it is a possibility-”
“No fucking way, man!” One of the guards kicked off from the wall behind Rafe.
“Fated mates, the hell with that bullshit! My dick ain’t chaining me to some piece of ass for the rest of my life! Uh- no offense, Alpha-” Conall’s sudden speech earned him a long growl from the Alpha. The entire room fell silent as they struggled under the force of his power.
“First off, I don’t need you talking about your dick when I’m in the middle of a discussion, Guard. Remember your place. Second, being mated is an honor, and I’m sure my wife and mate would love to hear your feelings about the matter, and I will make sure she does, before Sunday dinner-” his threat was interrupted by a decidedly unattractive whine from the spiky-haired Conall.
“No! Not before Sunday dinner! Please Rafe! I’m sorry!”
“Ha ha! More meatballs for me,” Liam said in a sing-song voice which earned him a glare from both Conall and Rafe.
“AND THIRD, David, Rayne, I want you to do some more research and I will send a message to Randall Graves, among other things, he’s our Keeper of Legends. He will know more about this, but if what you said is true, we will need to incorporate more than just basic control into our talks with the Pack.”
“I agree,” David said, “it would be beneficial if everyone could focus on controlling not only their Change, but their overall aggression as well. If Wolves are finding their mates, they need to proceed with caution. Especially when the persons involved are normals.”
“Agreed. We will have to install protocols about how to proceed in that case. Now, are there any changes in the she-Wolf population?” Rafe asked, his piercing blue gaze going from David to Rayne.
“I’ve personally noticed an uptick in she-Wolf pregnancies,” she blushed and averted her gaze as she spoke.
David inhaled. He beamed at his sister-in-law and stood to congratulate her just as the Alpha reached the same conclusion.
“Congratulations, doctor,” Rafe said, and his ice-blue eyes glowed for a second. David closed his eyes and felt the magic of his Pack bonds rush and hum, delighting in the news of a new pup.
“Rayne, that is wonderful! Does Cael know?”
“Of course, in fact, your brother told me this morning. Right after we, uh, that is, well, he just told me this morning,” she murmured and turned a brighter shade of pink.
“I’m going to be an uncle! Well, what do you know,” David smiled widely.
He ignored the sting of jealousy that crept up his spine. It was unworthy of him. Rayne would be in for a difficult time. Female Wolves rarely birthed live young as the power of the Change often caused miscarriage.
He worried for her and Cael, but perhaps with all the other changes occurring, this would be a good one too. Only time would tell for certain.
“Well, now that we have that in order, how are things coming for the ‘Singles in Maccon City Annual Holiday Ball’? Is attendance up from last year?”
“Ticket sales have increased by fifteen percent, and with the new board of trustees in place, we’ve invited our top benefactors to participate,” Rayne said.
“David, make sure when you attend that you have a speech prepared thanking the staff and especially the trustees.”
“Oh, I wasn’t planning on going-”
“What? Of course, you are going! You’re the ER Chief! This is a hospital function and as your Alpha, I demand it.”
Well, fuck me. Guess it’s time to break out the tux.