Wolf’s Bane

“We’re ready to land, sir,” Antoine said as soon as the field was cleared and the tall, muscular, handsome, dark brown-haired, and clean-cut man, who, in another place and circumstances would have passed as a model, confirmed with a sign to the pilot that everybody was safely waiting inside the house.

“Then, let’s, my friend. Although this kind of entrance is far from the surprise I would have liked,” Another tall, handsome, muscular male, but this one lightly bearded and with dark blond hair, who was inside the helicopter said to his pilot-slash-bodyguard.

“Don’t worry, handsome. She might notice that you’re here, but I’m sure she has no idea about me,” his wife gave him a knowing smirk that immediately let him know she was up for the mission, and not taking a ‘no’ for an answer.

He could easily get excited because of his mate’s show of determination, and the way in which whatever she would focus on she would get. It was a mental turn-on for him and somehow, she knew that well.

The aircraft finally touched the ground and they removed their headsets.

He smiled back at her smirking face, hugging her tightly and kissing her.

“Damn, you’re hot when you’re like that,” he whispered huskily in her ear. “You’re lucky we’re on a mission.”Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

“Lucky, huh? We’ll see how lucky we are when we’re back at home,” she whispered back, making him even harder, right when Antoine opened the door of the helicopter for them.

Their pilot/bodyguard was already armed and at full attention, ready for any eventuality.

“Thank you, Antoine,” Helena said, taking the hand that the young, 5’11” man with grayish green eyes and very light tan offered to help her with to get her down to the ground, and leaving her husband with an evident and painful hard-on that he wished won’t be too obvious…

“Boss, you uh…” Antoine attempted, with his Luna right behind him, hiding her musical laugh as she noticed her man’s uncomfortable situation.

Yes, obviously, the Alpha was failing miserably with THAT mission.

“Yes, give me a minute, please, Antoine. Baby, you can go ahead and find Alicia, I’ll… follow in a second…”

“I see that you can’t hold yourself around her, bro,” a known voice, with a hidden smile in it, sounded from right behind Helena, and the Alpha and Luna recognized it immediately.

“Hero!” she exclaimed as the Luna turned and hugged him while V stared at him intently.

“What can I do, bro? I’m crazy for her…” V answered, still a bit uncomfortable with his engorged length tenting his pants.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Luna,” Hero said to the woman in front of him, respectfully returning the hug.

“Oh, come on, Mr. Wall, I don’t think we’ve been so distant for you to call me only by my title, have we?”

“And she remembers,” Hero stated, his face slightly tinted pink now.

“She has a great memory… on what is of use and interest to her,” V added, finally leaving his seat, since he had already “relaxed” enough to look decent.

“I hear a familiar voice, and I can’t believe what my eyes are seeing now.” This time, it was an enthusiastic yet shocked female voice that was talking from the door of the rustic, beautiful farmhouse.

“Sorah!!! I can’t believe it!!! How long has it been!?” Helena ran towards her old friend with a wide toothy grin on her lovely face, while their mates looked at the scene smirking.

“Well, it’s Alicia now, Helena…”

“I know, but I can’t help but call you that way since it’s the name you were introduced to me in the past. How have you been?”

As the two women continued their cheerful chatter, their two mates hung back just a little so they could talk on their own.

“I’m pretty sure it will work,” Hero whispered.

“Yeah, I think so too,” V answered, offering a hidden fist bump that the ladies were too happy and busy to notice. His childhood friend returned it and then both crossed their arms on their wide chests, satisfied with the possible success of their plan.

“It’s been a long time since anyone called me by that name…” Alicia said, hugging her friend, as her eyes clouded over a few treasured memories.

“I always loved that name of yours, I know big guy Mr. Wall calls you Alicia, but I know only one Sorah. A very distinctive name, just like the one who carries it… or maybe you forgot?”

“Nah, I’m still the same,” she laughed, remembering.

+++

Back then, Helena, almost twenty years old, sat in her office and looked at the very new married couple walking in. The lady was blindly determined, and moving all around was trying to convince her man that the right thing was that she was turned into what he was.

“Hero, I understand that you care and worry, but nothing will happen to me, I promise! I’ll be fine!”

“Alicia, I can’t just not worry. We just went through all this, running away and hiding you for weeks because we had to save you, and now you want to try something that could possibly kill you in the process!? Did you just go crazy, woman?”

“You’re the one who’s crazy. You took me from everything I know, and right now I’m in the middle of both worlds, helpless because I can’t defend myself, and can’t even have a normal couple life with you because you’re too worried that I can get pregnant and wouldn’t survive it! Can you please tell me then, how am I supposed to understand what is happening? What do you expect from me, Hero?”

“Well, I expect that you remain alive, whatever it takes. That’s what I originally want and it’s still what I need to happen now, Alicia!”

“And what kind of life is that then? How can I feel alive when I can’t go back and can’t move forward? What the hell, Hero! Might as well DIE TRYING!”

“NO! YOU’RE. NOT. DYING!”

Virgil looked at the scene speechless, understanding more than anything, his friend’s position and worry. Meanwhile, his mate analyzed the desperate young lady’s request, which was actually very valid.

“Forgive my interruption. Mate, can you take your friend for a drink, please? I think he needs it, and I need to hear what his mate has to say… all that information that we don’t have and more. Can we do that, please?”

“Yes, of course, baby… Hero, come with me, let’s give the ladies a minute. Any of you would like us to bring you something?”

“I think some sweet wolfwine would be good, love, thank you. You drink… Alicia, right?”

“I do… and yes, Sorah… Alicia… you can call me whichever you prefer.”

“Wine it will be, then. We’ll be back when you call me, princess, take your time,” V said, kissing her cheek and then walking to Hero, whom he almost had to drag by his arm out of the office.

“Come, take a seat with me,” Helena told the young woman who was around her same age, if not a mere few months younger. “Take a deep breath and tell me what happened. I understand that you’re human, and you found out that he’s your mate, and a werewolf, right?”

“Sort of… I lived a very normal life until a few months ago, when a few weird guys walked to my door, and that angry man that just walked in to save me. After that, life continued almost as usual, but after the first time I saw him, I could not forget about him… Then one day, a werewolf, who I would later find out is him, got into my house, and with the subtle steps of an elephant, after breaking and wrecking half of my house, took me and jumped through a window, and that was the last time I saw my family…”

Sorah then paused, taking a deeper breath since that took a lot out of her just to talk about it. Soon, however, she was already continuing her story with Helena taking in every little detail of her tale.

“He was wounded, so we had to stay in hiding for a while near my old town and a lady friend of his helped us with food and a place to hide for a while… We had a lot of time to talk about him and about why he took me from my family. He explained to me all about mates, and I accepted it. All of it! And stayed, too!”

Alicia paused for a moment, still slightly angry. Helena knew that the explanation for their sudden visit and her unexpected request was right after that introduction.

The host/Luna walked to her mini bar and served a couple of glasses with soda and a few drops of lemon, then walked back to Alicia.

“Here,” she offered with a smile. “Not alcohol yet, unless you want something stronger.”

“Oh, I thought the guys would bring…” Alicia said, taking the glass that Helena offered and sipping on it, yet slightly confused, as her thoughts changed focus from the memories of the events to what was taking place in front of her.

“Your ogre mate would not let us talk if we kept him here. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him when they come back. Now, please continue,” Helena sipped too from the refreshing, very light drink and kept her smile in place.

“Well… after all that, I wondered why, when he was fully recovered and we started getting closer… you know…”

“Why he didn’t touch you?”

Alice moved her head from side to side, blushing a little.

“I was a virgin, but I really, really wanted him. He avoided me explaining that I was feeling the mate’s bond pull and I don’t know what more excuses he said. Then one day I woke up and he was sitting in a corner with his eyes narrowed and glowing with an orange light and his fangs were slightly longer. I asked him if there was any problem and tried to approach him. I knew his wolf was coming out, but didn’t know why.”

“And you were not afraid at all?”

“No… I mean, he saved me in his werewolf form… and yet… it all felt natural… but that day, I didn’t see a reason for him to be like that. I tried to get closer but he said I couldn’t… shouldn’t… I asked him why and he said that I was in heat, and my smell was making him go crazy. I asked him then why was it that he didn’t want to take me. I also wondered if he didn’t like me, and so he talked to me about all his fears… What could happen to me if he marked me, or if I got pregnant with him… I got closer and he didn’t fight it anymore… He couldn’t, as he says and we made love like crazy until the heat passed… but then he got guilty and I demanded that he help me shift…”

“And you ended up here…?”

“Yeah…”

“Okay… I’ll ask V to bring him back and will talk to him. Whatever you hear, please don’t say a word while I’m talking to him, ok? I find your request valid, and I’m willing and in full agreement to help, but you’ll need to trust me and not say a word. Agreed?”

Sorah nodded and took another sip of the water in her glass, bracing for what was to happen next.