The Call of the Lycan

Chapter Three

The ground is cool on my face & makes me feel less nauseous. What the hell is happening? Did my rogue mate come back to kill me & decide to take them out too? I wait for him to kill me. I just want it to be over with at this point. I can hear Jennifer's crying but I can't open my eyes. The wolfsbane has me in a catonic state. I call to Inaya for help but she is passed out. The smell of pine & fresh rain hits me like a wave. The ground is suddenly falling away from my face. No- I'm being picked up. This is it. This is how I die. Suddenly warn sensual tingles explode along my arms & chest. It's the best feeling I've ever experienced. I hear his breathe catch in his throat. My heart pounds wildly. I cannot open my eyes to confirm who it is but his smell is enveloping me. His touch feels incredible. I find myself relaxing into his chest & let the darkness wash over me.

"She can't stay here! She's a Garou! What would your father say if he knew she was here? What of the mission?"a female voice demands. "We... have the mate bond! My wolf insisted we bring her. She was about to be killed by her pack! I don't know if her death would weaken me so I intervened. Besides- I am in charge, not my father. This will not affect the mission" I recognize the deep & powerful voice of my mate. His voice soothes me. "You killed a she wolf & injured another, not to mention you kidnapped this Garou! She is not a fit mate for any Lycan anyways! We are ruined in our efforts! The security will be on extremely high alert now" The female voice argues. "I did what my Lycan wanted- you forget how we live by our Lycan instinct very quickly I see" my mate snarls. "No, I apologize" says the female voice in a submissive tone. My heart speeds up when I realize the woman is referring to my mate as a leader. How is a rogue a leader? I thought they all lived like wild animals with no rule or heirachy. None of this makes sense. "She is waking. Listen to her heart beat." Says the female. I sniff the air & get a whiff of my mates delicious scent. It relaxes me instantly. "The bond is affecting her already. Your scent & presence calms her" says a new male voice in an accusing tone. "I will not accept the bond. I will return her safely to her people when she wakes & never see her again. As long as she stays alive she won't weaken me" he says. "Why not take her as your mate? She looks reasonably healthy & strong?" Asks a different male voice. "She is not a Lycan & would be a huge risk to have her in the pack" says my mate coldly. His words crush my heart. I haven't had time to process anything but all I hear right now is how my mate doesn't want me. I succumb to the darkness again.

The darkness is all consuming. I open my eyes and can only see darkness. Through the darkness a figure is stalking towards me. I dont know how I can see them but somehow I do. I realize that it's my rogue mate. I wonder briefly if hes here to hurt me. He's so tall & muscular, his jaw so chiseled. His lips are so perfectly full I find myself wondering what they would feel like against mine. I shiver as I imagine what it would be like to kiss this gorgeous man. "Mate" he greets me in a low growl. "Mate" I say back softly. I don't know what possess me but I step towards him & reach for him. He stays frozen as I wrap my arms around him. I inhale his scent & enjoy the tingles I feel. I let go & take a step back as I realize this man does not like me. "Why did you come to me if you hate me?" I ask uncomfortably. Coming to your mate in a dream was a very intimate thing. "I wanted to see you" he says simply. I frown at him. "I know you heard me tell the wolves I was with that I would never see you again- I just need to know something" he says. I nod suspiciously trying to ignore the hurt that came with what he said. "What do you know about your pack Clara?" He asks me intensely. I'm surprised at his question. "What do you mean?" I ask confused. "Do you trust your alpha? Do you trust your leaders?" He presses. "I-I never thought about it really, but I guess I do" I stammer. My mate frowns at me. "You can't trust them. They aren't... good" he says in a clipped tone. "My father isn't ... Why do you even care?" I ask, more confused than ever. "The mate bond is affecting me too" he says begrudgingly. I'm surprised at the emotion I see in his eyes for a moment. This time he steps towards me. "I just want to try this once Clara" he murmurs quietly. His hands reach down & cup my face. Incredible feeling warm tingles spread across my face. He leans in slowly to gauge my reaction. I realize he is going to kiss me. My heart pounds wildly & my breathing hitches. I rest my hands on his chest & stand on my tippy toes to reach his lips sooner. When our lips meet I feel an a surge of warm tingles go through my body. His tongue slips into my mouth. His breathe & his mouth taste incredible to me. I moan in utter bliss as he presses against my body. His lips move gently against mine making me want more. He pulls back & stares at me, a look of amazement on his face. Then he turns & strides back into the darkness, leaving me with my own darkness.

My eyes open to strange surroundings. What an odd dream I had. Surely it wasn't real? Only mates that had marked each other could visit in a dream. My subconscious desires were out of control to give me a dream like that. I push the thought out of my mind. I lay in the woods in a patch of moss. My body feels incredibly stiff and sore when I try to move. My head is pounding. 'Inaya?' I call to her. Inaya gives me a groggy whimper. I catch a slight whiff of pine & fresh rain. My mate? I sniff the air again but the smell is fading. He hasn't been here in a long time if his scent is this weak. I try to commit it to memory as I recall him saying we will never see each other again. Hot tears fill my eyes. "Moon goddess, what have you done to me?" I moan pushing up onto my knees. Nausea comes over me in a wave & my stomach empties. "Hey! There she is!" A voice cries out. Several of the alphas guards run towards me. They take me to the pack hospital where the doctor confirms I had wolfsbane in my system. They treat me with fluids & anti-nausea medicine. My parents are let in to see me after a few hours. I can tell they are very shaken up. My mother sobs as soon as she sees me. "I'm ok mom" I say horsely. "Honey we thought you were killed!" She sobs. My father pets my head gently. "I'm so grateful to the moon goddess you were spared" he says emotionally. "The fact that a pack of rogues got into the territory & were that close to the pack house undetected... we've failed to make the territory safe" my father says bitterly. "Pack of rogues?" I ask weakly. I'm not sure how to play my cards just yet. I trust my parents but my dads loyalty lies to our alpha. "Yes sweetie. There was several of them according to Jennifer. Poor Allison was killed in cold blood & Jennifer was injured severely. We thought they killed you too until you turned up" my father says softly. I stare at his face trying to read his emotions. He seems sincere. What did he know that he wasn't telling me though? I recall my mates words of warning, saying he wasn't 'good'. I feel an intense urge to protect my mate & lie. "I-I don't remember much really. I remember the wolfsbane burning my mouth. I remember falling to the ground. I remember seeing Allison laying in the fountain" I say nervously. Can they tell I'm lying? "Don't you remember who put it in your mouth? You look like you put up a big fight with all the bruises" my mom asks me as she traces the bruise on my throat gently with her finger. My heart starts to race because I'm a terrible liar. If I tell the truth about what Allison & Jennifer did I would never be believed. They must have done a number on me if I'm so bruised. Jennifer also must have lied to cover her own ass in all of this. Jennifer saying it was a pack of rogues made sense. No singular rogue Garou could cause the carnage that happened there... but a Lycan could. I knew I had to stick with the pack of rogues stories to protect him. If I said it was my fated mate it would make things worse. It made no sense to me but I felt like it was the right choice to protect him. "It was a rogue I think" I whisper. Tears fill my eyes for dramatic effect. My mother sobs again, hugging me. I feel guilty. "Alpha will want to talk to you of course. Its an ongoing investigation" my father says. I nod.

When I'm released from the hospital the next day I go stay at my parents house for a few days. My mother was too nervous to let me stay at my cottage by myself. I spend my free time reading & trying to process what happened. I come to several conclusions. My fated mate was likely a Lycan, & was likely an alpha to rogues. He must have been here because of the mission they spoke of. No doubt meaning harm to us all. The right thing to do would be to tell my alpha the full truth so we can be prepared. However, I couldn't shake the feeling that I needed to protect my fated mate. Something about his warning to me left a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. It must be the stupid mate bond affecting me for him to influence me so much. It was definitely affecting me because all I could think of was his gorgeous body & cold blue eyes. Inaya was beside herself with grief. As much as she wanted our mate she knew a rogue Lycan was a not a suitable match for us. My head is so full of conflicting emotions.