Unrelenting Destiny

3. Destiny Rears Her Head

Ivan Everett

It had been three days since his third pup was born, a tiny girl he and Luna Saravie had named Ilyanna. He would be lying if he had said he regretted not hosting The Claiming to spend time with his family. From what his Beta had told him through mindlink, this deserter she-wolf was already beginning to stir unrest in the packs. No wolf in their past few generations had dared flee prematurely from The Claiming. He had just visited the pack's elders, consulting them for advice on how to handle the situation. But as it was unprecedented, the only conclusion they could give was to send her back home.

But Beta Jasper's mate, Orianna, had not gotten any information out of the deserter. So Ivan did not know exactly where he was sending her back to. Hopefully it would not be anywhere with too significant of a pack who would raise havoc at Astral Twilight's poor handling of the situation. He arrived at the border of their territory, seeing the cabin the deserter was resting within. Beta Jasper and Orianna were nowhere to be found. But he heard the familar grunts and finishing moans of mates as he neared, rolling his eyes.

"Zip it up, Jasper." the Alpha grumbled good-naturedly as the disheveled pair emerged from the thickets.

A wide smile spread across his Beta's face, patting down his hair as he opened his arms to the Alpha, "Just passing the time, my almighty Alpha."

Orianna cleared her throat, looking only a bit embarrassed as she smoothed down the crinkled fabric of her dress. But the woman was of a fierce nature and mirrored her mate's smile, bowing her head respectfully before adding, "Morning, Alpha Ivan."

Ivan gave an exaggerated sigh before tilting his head in the direction of the camp, "I suppose you should both get cleaned up. I'll speak to this she-wolf. Jasper, please ready yourself to escort her to her pack lands within the hour." Jasper nodded before taking off, seeming just a tick more elated than normal. Perhaps getting laid was a welcome stress reliever for the prior night's activities.

Ivan opened the door to the cabin, surprised to see the she-wolf up and gingerly unwrapping her bandages to analyze her wounds. She whipped around with a haughty glare, arms folded to keep the untethered bandages in place.

"Ah, sorry," Ivan turned to face the closed door, waiting until her light voice gave the okay to return his gaze. As he did, his first thought was how unfortunate it would be to disgrace such a creature. Happily mated but not blind, Alpha Ivan had to admit the she-wolf before him would have made a worthy mate to any male who claimed her. But perhaps she knew that as well. Her stare had softened but the slight edge of a glare returned as his gaze lingered a beat too long.

"Alpha Ivan of Astral Twilight," she bowed her head respectfully, "I apologize for the...intrusion." among other things.

Ivan nodded, gesturing her to lift her chin, "As you should be. This is a clear break of werewolf tradition not to mention an embarrassment to my own people for not reigning you in sooner." The girl bit her bottom lip nervously, nodding but remaining silent. He sighed a bit, crossing his arms, "What's your name? What pack are you from?"

"Luciana Moore of Sunset Waters Pack, sir." The girl mumbled before clearing her throat, "Daughter of Gamma Quentin Moore."

Fuck. Sunset Waters was relatively large and their royalty was not to be trifled with. Gamma Quentin himself was a blonde boulder of a man; Ivan heard he had once accidentally killed a rogue who made a snide remark to his mate. It was not difficult to see why she - or really any participants from such a populated pack - would reject The Claiming. But Ivan reminded himself that no wolf was above the laws of their people. He cleared his throat, "My Beta will escort you back to your lands and explain what had ensued last night. It will ultimately be up to your Alpha to decide your fate."

From the look on her face, Ivan knew she understood that she had no choice in the matter. It was either this or return alone - unmarked, unmated, and needing a damn good excuse for why. Luci nodded hesitantly. Ivan turned, "Get dressed. I'll be waiting outside to bring you to the car."

As he departed, he stole one last glance at the deserter, a mixture of pity and dismissal in his chest.

Luciana Faith Moore

Luci exhaled the moment the door closed. But she saw the figure of Alpha Ivan just outside outlining the window. Eve whimpered in her mind, a palpable nervousness that she could taste on her tongue. But she continued to prod at Luci's consciousness with a twinge of hopefulness. At least you were not forcefully mated. Our true mate is still out there.

There is no true mate, Eve, not in Sunset Waters. Luci bit back in response, We will return home and Alpha Clark will have us disgraced. Mom and dad will be ashamed of us... What if dad loses his position over this? Maybe she was being a tad dramatic but unprecedented actions allowed unprecedented consequences. She sighed, trying to ignore Eve's persistence and whinings as she dressed. Her wounds were mere bruises now and she was comfortable enough to unwrap the bandages completely and slip on the sports bra and t-shirt that was left for her. Luci was uncomfortable in someone else's clothes but at least they smelled nice.

She pushed out of the cabin, coming face-to-face with Alpha Ivan. Bowing her head again in respect, he started walking wordlessly deeper into the pack territory. There was an odd combination of scents outside - the remnants of the she-wolf Orianna, altered in some ways and exaggerated in others. Luci couldn't quite pinpoint it. As they walked, the sounds of the forest and the pack waking began to fill the silence. Luci trailed behind the Alpha slightly, her eyes trained on the ground. Alpha Ivan led her through the back fences of a neighborhood, undoubtedly trying to avoid as many of his people as he could. They finally arrived at the edge of the neighborhood, a pickup truck waiting at the mouth of a dirt road.

Alpha Ivan folded his arms as he turned towards her, "Your pack lands is a solid seven-hour drive from here. My Beta has been up all night handling The Claiming so don't mind him if he wants to stop to rest. You will not be allowed to drive in his stead, do you understand?" Luci nodded, peering into the front seat but saw no one driving. She was unfamiliar with Beta Jasper, only hearing of him in passing. Ivan turned, unfolding his arms, "There he is now."

In an instant, Eve woke with a jolt, beginning to run in erratic circles at the approaching presence. Luci's heart began to thud involuntarily, trying to calm her wolf. But such control was lost when she turned to see the approaching male. She smelled him first, a powerful aroma rich and slightly bitter like roasted coffee beans. It woke her senses up like a shot of espresso. And then she saw him.

Beta Jasper was 6'1" with a barrel chest and abs to match. His jawline was strong and square, marked with shallowly healed scars and grizzled with scratchy-looking stubble. His hair was stark black, eyes a light hazel, twinged with green like a desert sand oasis. Luciana thought he looked like a doppel of Henry Cavill's Superman. A sharp inhale through her mouth brought that robust scent to the back of her throat, zinging through her veins. She felt weak in her knees, reaching over to grip the bed of the pickup truck. Eve howled desperately in her mind, her eyes beginning to cloud with black as she threatened to catapult herself at the male.

Mate!