Burning Desire

Dakota

Nodding his understanding as Zachary explained what had truly been bothering him, Dakota removed his hand and allowed the other man to collect himself. There was no way in hell the person Zachary was referring to was still alive, and even if he was by some freakishly unlucky chance, the guy would be a decrepit old man ready to kick the bucket any day now. The wolf had always been brought up to believe in respecting your elders, but an exception would certainly be made should he ever run into the bastard that had tormented his mate in the past. About to turn and continue walking towards the cabin, Koda paused when his hand was grabbed. What the vampire was saying was true; this was indeed werewolf territory, and the rest of his pack would’ve picked up on the immortal’s scent long ago. “They already know you’re here, but- “ Dakota began to explain, cutting himself off as he was shoved back into a tree and kissed roughly. The position itself was not something the wolf particularly minded - in fact, the little show of dominance was sort of refreshing and reminded the brunette of the snarky vampire he was used to dealing with. Still, it gave the mutt no chance to explain himself, and before he knew it there were fangs biting into his neck again. Hissing slightly and biting his lower lip, Koda vaguely noticed that the bite itself had felt... Kind of good. His pulse sped up reflexively and his body temperature rose a few degrees in mere seconds. Swallowing back whatever noise bubbled up his throat in that instant, Dakota rolled his eyes at how pleased his mate looked with himself. “Great; that’ll fool the newborns.” He congratulated, tilting his head to give the other male more room when Zachary leaned in to clean up the wound. “Did you forget that we’ve been rivals for over a decade? Most of my tribe knows who you are.” He grumbled, leaning heavily against the tree behind him as he tried to think of what their next move should be. “Bringing you directly into my pack is a suicide mission, and not just for you. We need to get a few of the higher ranks on our side, which is going to be equally dangerous. They know you’re here, they just would’ve assumed by now that I’ve dealt with you since you’re closest to my section of the territory. My clothes will help mask your smell - same with the blood on your wrists - but once they see you...” The canine exhaled deeply, dreading how much of a hassle this whole thing was going to be. Best case scenario, he could get to his subordinates first before anyone got too suspicious of the lingering vampire smell in the area. With them on his side, speaking to his elders would prove more beneficial considering the strength of many voices rather than just one. Worst case scenario... There would be some bloodshed, and Dakota would need to find a new pack. “Look, I’ve sort of got a plan, but... No matter what we do, it’s going to be a risk. There’s a few people I need to meet with to make any of this work, and more importantly, I’m going to need you to trust me.”