Dire Wolf Mates - Chapter 41: Chapter 41

Leo squeezed his father’s hand and looked into the older man’s sightless eyes. It’s not that he was blind, the Lion King had perfect vision. And yet, he knew his father was not seeing him.
It was as if he was somewhere else, locked away inside his mind. The old King seemed caught in his past somehow and judging from his expression and the occasional moan that escaped his thin lips, it was not a pleasant experience.
“Car! Car!” Donovan Crowley repeated the nickname he’d given Leo’s mother a long time ago.
It struck a chord deep within Leo as his father called out for his mate over and over again. Caroline Crowley, Leo’s mother, was a human woman, a normal, as their kind referred to them. Fate had dealt his parents quite the hand, but it all worked out. His human mother fell in love and got mated to the Lion King of Blue Valley.
Their story was legendary in a time when prejudice and hatred for humans had run rampant among Shifters. Things had settled down some, but there was always that fear of being discovered to make human supernatural pairings uncomfortable. The Pride had not wanted to allow such a mating. But his father had not backed down an inch. Donovan had claimed his human bride, and the massive Lion had torn down every doubter in his Pride.
Leo knew the tale well. He’d cut his teeth on it. Hell, he was in awe of them both. His parents had succeeded despite the naysayers from the Pride. Leo was proud of them and of his heritage. It saddened him that Leo didn’t know his father that well anymore. They’d drifted apart over the years. It was a hard truth.
Still, he loved the man. Respected him. But this frail shell of a man was not the father he knew. It was not the King he remembered.
“I’m going to figure this out, Dad,” he whispered into his father’s ear, and kissed his withered cheek.
The old man turned with a speed Leo didn’t expect. Hell, he didn’t think his father still had it in him. Hope sparked deep inside his chest. His father clutched his arm, and when he finally spoke, Leo saw the cloudy white film of disease leave his eyes and the golden amber of his Lion leaked through.
“Car! It’s Car,” he growled.
“Dad? No, Dad, it’s Leo. Mom is gone. I’m sorry, Dad, but she’s gone.”
“Caroline? Gone? No, no!”
His father released his hold on Leo’s arm and clutched his head. The once mighty King rocked back and forth, sobbing in his hands. He muttered to himself, and Leo noted the cloudiness had returned to his eyes. His heart nearly broke at the sight.
Something was not right. How did a once robust King suddenly turn into this? It was unnatural, but Leo was too close to the situation to see it clearly. Damn. He needed Sheila. She could help him. Both his Lion and human sides were at peace when she was near. He needed his mate. Now.
“My Prince? What are you doing here?” Montgomery entered the room with a wheeled cart filled with food and his grandmother’s tea service.
Leo’s cousin George was hot on his heels. His Lion growled, and both men stopped in their tracks. He didn’t want them to witness his father’s weakness, but he was helpless to stop them. Montgomery was a trusted attendant and George was being groomed to fill the position of advisor once Leo ascended the throne.
Fuck.
Dread filled him. He wasn’t ready. Not yet. He nodded his head, and both men moved cautiously into his father’s room. He had to keep level to find the truth.
“Leo, it’s good you are here. Please, come into the interview room and we will begin⁠—”
“I told you, do not discuss those things in here,” Montgomery hissed, surprising Leo and George.
“Excuse me, but what do you have to say on the matter?” George responded.
“Oh, sorry, I was just thinking of the King. He needs his rest. Excuse me,” the man said and continued to prepare the tea.
“Okay,” George replied, eyes wide. “Well, Leo, there are a few items on your agenda you need to see to immediately. Maybe something that will cure whatever ails you,” the younger Lion said and wagged his eyebrows.
Unfortunately, Leo was in no mood for games. His father was worse off than he’d thought.
“George, I want to speak to the Pride healer. Now,” Leo grumbled, turning back to cup his father’s neck, pressing his forehead to his sire’s in a show of deep affection and respect felines were known for before heading out of the room.
“Now? Why? He isn’t going to say anything new, you know,” the younger man replied, trailing after him, and looking puzzled.
Leo turned around and barked an order to Montgomery. The older man stopped what he was doing and followed George, though he did not look happy about it. Well, wasn’t that too fucking bad?
“George, Montgomery, when the two of you entered my father’s room, did you show him the proper respect befitting your King?”
“What?” George sputtered.
“Pardon, sire?” Montgomery balked.
Leo’s Lion growled deep inside of him, the sound filling his stomach and chest until it reverberated throughout the tiny hall between rooms. Leo wasn’t King yet, but he was the strongest Lion there. Immediately, George and Montgomery dropped to their knees, baring their throats under the heavy weight of his dominance.
Both males averted their gazes, neither daring to look at Leo with his Lion so close to the surface. It was a good thing. A smart thing to do. Leo felt raw and angry. His beast wouldn’t like the challenge their direct stares would pose.
Still, he did not like feeling this out of control. It was unbefitting a man of his station, and Leo was all about the rules.
“I apologize, sir,” George replied.
His voice sounded strained under the force of Leo’s alpha Lion’s will. That sort of power was inherent in certain Shifters. Wielded by those who would lead, the alpha gene was inherited, but that extra bit of Pride magic was only granted to those few chosen strong enough to be Kings. The Crowley family bred such Shifters and George would do well to remember that. What it all meant was fairly simple. Leo was not to be fucked with.
It was clear some members of the Pride had forgotten that one little thing. Leo would have to correct that. He’d been gone too long, but he was not going to make that mistake again. Leo pressed his will on them for just a moment longer, then he released his hold.
They stayed on the ground, unsure of what to do next. His Lion gleaned satisfaction from their submission. Sick? Maybe. But he was a predator, a dominant, a born Primus. It was his natural power and position within the Pride. His due if you will.
“Thank you, sir. May I tend my duties now?” Montgomery gestured to the door where Leo’s father waited.
“My father is still the King, Montgomery. That means you, and everyone else, needs to afford him the respect he is due at all times. Is that understood?” Leo asked, barely holding onto his beast.
Power pulsed through him, and it was all he could do to fight his Lion’s urge to dominate these others into the ground.
They are of our Pride, he reminded his Lion. Finally, the regal animal relented.
“Yes, of course,” Montgomery spoke with his forehead still pressed to the cold, hard marble floor.
Guilty for his bullying tactics, Leo nodded for him to rise. The man had been around forever. He had always been overeager to please, and exceedingly efficient in his duties.
But Montgomery had always made him a tad uncomfortable, even when Leo was just a cub. His mother had told him about Montgomery’s family’s history, and stories of the Clover males and the fact they had been employed in the Palace for just as long as a Crowley had reigned. Those stories softened Leo’s point of view.
The man simply took his job seriously. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, Leo could relate. How many cases had he brought home with him over the years? His supervisors had one constant reprimand, and that was for the number of hours in overtime Leo worked in his search to bring justice to the people he served and to hunt down any criminal who dared transpire in his territory.
Hell, he’d stopped reporting those long overtime hours years ago. He didn’t care about the money. He had plenty. It was the thought of leaving a case unsolved that haunted him.
“Of course,” George gasped. “I know Uncle Donovan is our King. Look, Leo, I am sorry, I just got excited. I have a surprise, that’s all.”
Leo lessened his Alpha will, and George rose hesitantly from the floor. His eyes were still averted, and Leo realized he was being an ass.
“Okay. Sorry, bro, I’m just tense. Get the healer anyway, and I’ll meet you in the interview room,” he growled, and walked away from his sputtering younger cousin.
It seemed like George was always upset about something or other. Leo didn’t give a rat’s ass at the moment. His cousin was an adult, he could handle his own problems. Right then, he had his own Lion to worry about. The animal was on edge.
In fact, he was seriously pissed at Leo, and not because he wouldn’t let him snack on those two less dominant males. Heck, those Lions were not even on his radar at the moment. No, the beast inside him was angry at Leo for leaving their den with Sheila still asleep. His animal was livid he had not claimed his mate.
He was still reeling from the fact that Sheila had taken the reins from him almost immediately after he’d instigated a kiss. Sexy little she-Wolf had stripped her clothes, then his, teasing him with glimpses of her pale, silky smooth flesh. She was the hottest thing he’d ever seen.
His cock hardened at the memory of her delightful sexual aggression. She was so damn confident, so sublimely seductive with her ivory skin, sapphire eyes, and that mane of wild red hair. He was positively enamored of her. Leo swallowed, clearing his throat. He could admit it to himself.
He loved her. He was in love with her. The feelings were right there, and dammit, they felt good. It was just a shock. He knew he adored her, cared for her, and wanted her. Hell, he worshipped the feisty woman, or he wanted to, but she hadn’t given him the opportunity yet.
Next time.
Next time, Leo would have his fill of her the way he’d dreamed about. He’d start with that sassy little mouth of hers. It made him smirk when he thought of her kickass comebacks. She was so damn cute.
Yeah, he’d start with that mouth of hers alright. Kissing Sheila was like trying to hold on to the wind. She was everywhere at once, filling his senses and haunting his dreams. Wild, untamed, and fucking glorious. He’d claim that spitfire’s mouth with his alright. Then, he’d leave a trail of kisses down her smooth neck until he could savor the plump berries that tipped each of her splendid breasts.