The Wolf and the Were

Chapter 9

They mated several more times that day, both as wolf and human, even as the fourth couple paired up, finishing the round of matings. He only marked her the first time, though. Late in the afternoon, Logan was annoyed to still feel the anxiety rolling off his mate.

"We need to talk," he whispered in her ear, while he held her tight against his chest. Her skin was soft, and he felt her soft bottom press against his groin.

She nodded slightly, then got up, leading him to the edge of the clearing and a short ways into the surrounding woods. Finally, he heard her voice. "What did you do to me?" It was low, and just the sound of it was soothing to him.

Despite that, his brows furrowed in confusion. "I mated with you." Anxiety and irritation rolled off her.

"I know, but why do I feel what you feel?"

"Werewolf mates normally share a mind link. We can share our thoughts. Your alpha says you're something else, Lycans. My guess is we have only a partial mind link that carries emotions."

"Why did you fight so hard for me?"

"I knew you were my mate when I saw you. What didn't make sense to me was that you didn't know you were my mate."

"We mate by strength. The strong get stronger, the weak do not." There was an anxiety spike from her, and he pulled her into his arms, causing only more anxiety.

"What's wrong?"

Her eyes looked up into his, worry written on her face. "You're weak, but you're not. You're different from the other males. When you fought for me, you were fiercer than anything we'd seen. But in a real fight, they would snap your neck. Can you heal even from that?"

He shook his head slightly. "I can be killed. It's just hard." He kissed her softly before asking, "What's your name?"

"Hialeah."

Odd name. "I'm Logan Forrester. My brother's alpha of the Half-Moon Pack, north of here."

Concern and uncertainty rolled off her again. "Why aren't you with your pack? Why are you with us?"

"I kept challenging my brother for alpha. I was trying to protect the pack from him, but he finally got sick of it and kicked me out of the pack."

Her brow furrowed. Why is that so damned cute? "Why would he kick you out? That's the right of every male."

What? "You mean anyone can challenge your alpha for position?"

"Of course. Gawonii is the strongest for now, but if he is crippled, or another becomes stronger, then he is not the alpha. It's natural that power would shift."

"How would that impact businesses? How would the roles in the pack be affected if the alpha changes so often?"

More confusion from her. "We hunt, we follow game, we love our mates. What other business is there?"

"My pack has several companies they run. The alpha is the CEO."

He heard her mutter something that sounded like, "fake wolves," before she looked him in the eye. "You sound just like the humans, now. What kind of a wolf wants a company?"

It was his turn to be confused. "You have no companies." She shook her head. "You have property?" She shook her head again. "You don't own this land?" A third time, her head shook. They follow game... He remembered discussions of Lycans by nervous scouts. "You migrate with the seasons?" At last, she nodded. What have I gotten myself into?

She glanced at him in concern. "What's wrong?"

"Your pack is so different from what I know. I think it will take me a long time to learn your ways."

She smiled a little. "You talk too much. Let me teach you what we use our mouths for." With that, she stretched up and kissed him. Soon after, they were in the leaf litter, making love once more.