Dire Wolf Mates - Chapter 42: Chapter 42
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He’d lick and nibble his way further still to the curve of her belly, over the flare of her hips, to that delicate smooth skin of her inner thighs. Finally, he’d find paradise in between those gorgeous legs of hers. Her short-cropped auburn curls hid the passage to absolute glory that Leo was destined to claim as his alone. Just thinking about her made his dick hard and his mouth water. He wanted his little Wolf with him.
Here. Now. Always.
Roarrrr.
Leo really needed to calm his beast before the Lion claimed her without permission, and he’d already promised to do no such thing. Some alpha Shifters ruled with big shows of strength, but Leo had always appreciated a quieter, more subtle approach. Reining in his beast was difficult, but he would wrestle his Lion down every single time if it brought him closer to his ultimate goal. And of course, that was claiming Sheila.
His Dire Wolf mate had made her position clear. She would help him with his mission to solve the source of his Pride’s issues, but she wasn’t sticking around forever. Or so she thought. Little did she know he had no intention of letting her go.
The sound of motors revving got his attention, but he was needed in the interview room. Besides, he’d left her snug in his bedroom. He would join her as soon as he finished with the Pride. First, he’d have Montgomery cook them a few porterhouses as a late lunch. He’d feed her, make love to her, then he’d bring up their future. That sounded like a helluva plan to him.
His Lion would never be satisfied until she was truly claimed. Difficult with her insistence that this thing between them was temporary. He just had to get her to change her mind about mating him. Shouldn’t be too hard.
Yeah right.
He entered the King’s interview room and immediately went on high alert. This was where he would conduct Pride business acting in his father’s stead, where the King normally sat to hear his Pride’s concerns, and to rule on things that needed ruling on. Apparently, stuff had been left to slide this past month and there were many issues that needed his attention.
Leo stopped short at the sight awaiting him inside. What fresh hell was this? No less than a dozen Lionesses stood in a line, each of them with what looked like a file folder in hand.
Fucking George.
He snarled. Were those resumes? He bit off his growl, noting the shocked gold stares eyeing him like some prize. Leo straightened his shoulders, grateful he’d donned his at home uniform. The navy blue suit with the Crowley crest on his cuff links acknowledged his position. It also happened to be one of his favorites with a thin pin strip and a silk shirt underneath. He’d foregone his usual tie but wore the medallion of his station. A thick gold chain with a single Lion claw hanging from it.
Should he need to shift, it would be both large and strong enough to withstand the power behind his change. And if that younger cousin of his didn’t watch himself, Leo was sure to go all fierce and furry on his ass. Maybe take a bite out of the cheeky male’s hide.
Fuckface.
He had already told George no to the whole Lioness thing. Leo raised an eyebrow as he sought his cousin. Ah. There he was. George tried to herd the females into a line, swatting down the hairs on the back of his neck that were undoubtedly standing up because of Leo. He was pissed.
What was his idiot cousin up to now? He took out his phone and shot a text to Sheila, wondering if she was up. He asked her to respond the minute she woke.
Dammit.
He missed her. Yes, he needed her too. Not for the reason he told her. Not to dissuade these griping females. He needed her to settle his animal, to make him feel whole—because fuck knew she did.
Beautiful, tempting, sassy seductress.
“Leo! Excellent, sit down and meet the most eligible females the Pride has to offer!”
The females stood at attention. Some he knew from when he was a cub, others he did not recognize. They were all dressed up, like this was some kind of pageant, and George, the idiot, had the nerve to smile at him. Leo was going to murder him.
Grrrr.
“George, I asked you to bring the healer to me,” he said instead.
“Um, yes. I called, but he is delivering a set of cubs right now. I assured him you would be fine for a few hours. Besides you have other things to tend to, my Prince,” George whispered and nodded to the first female in line.
She was wearing an expensive suit that showed off her best assets. She had her blonde hair piled on her head in some sophisticated, and painful looking updo. Her nails were neatly trimmed and polished a staid beige color. She was attractive, sophisticated, a bit boring, truth be told.
The blonde woman flashed him a toothy grin, and Leo nodded politely. His Lion snapped and spit in revulsion. The beast wanted nothing to do with this or the other tawny-haired females. This was exactly the type of female he’d thought he would end up with when he was just a cub. But not him. Not now.
Adult Leo found his tastes ran much different from Leo the cub. What he really liked was dazzling redheads with hot pink nail polish. Sexy biker chicks in leather and ripped jeans. One in particular with bright blue eyes, skin pale as milky, and a Harley between her legs when he couldn’t be.
Yessssss.
“George, when did you notice my father started feeling ill?” he asked, ignoring the female.
“What? Oh, I don’t know. He has not been himself since Aunt Caroline passed away, but he didn’t start showing these signs till a few months ago, I think.”
“I see. And had his habits changed?”
“Really, Leo, I don’t know. Look, you should at least hear them out,” George said and tilted his head. Leo noted a group of older Lionesses had entered the room from the other side.
Fuck.
All of them were elders. He knew well that the females of any Lion Pride were the backbone. Even in the wild, the females were the hunters, the providers. They had the numbers and the strength, but a male was King. It was simply their way.
After the circle he’d attended a few days ago, Leo had expected some backlash, but even he could not have predicted this. The four Lionesses included Maribel Clover, Ruth Cunningham, Margaret Donner, and Evangeline Mayers, all present and accounted for.
These Shifter females were cunning, sharp, and determined hunters. Strong despite their silver hair and the signs of age on their once unlined faces. Leo’s father had allowed the elders to have a say in the way things were done within the Blue Valley Pride by listening to their council on more than one occasion. He would not undo all of his father’s work, but that didn’t mean he would go into this blindly.
Leo had spent years as a detective, he knew better than to trust people’s motives. Especially when they had their own agendas. These women would not approve of Leo’s announcement that he’d found a mate without their counsel. For one thing, his mate was not a female of their choosing. For another, she was not a Lioness.
Either way, they were going to be pissed. Something that would have worried younger Leo, but again, not now. Neither the elders nor the Pride would have a say in his choice of mate. He noted several of the females George had gathered for this introduction belonged to these Lioness’ immediate families.
Well, fuck me again.
There was just no graceful way out of this. He had to do his duty and at least allow them to present themselves. George was still smiling, idiot that he was. He nodded his head at the Lionesses once more, knowing full well Leo was not happy.
“The way I see it, cousin, this is the way our Pride has always conducted such things. You have a duty, you know.”
“I have found my mate, George. This will not change that.”
“Maybe you’re wrong,” insisted the younger male.
Leo growled unhappily. Of course, he wasn’t wrong. His Lion chuffed and snorted. He would not be happy about it, and he sure as fuck wasn’t changing his mind, but there were rules, and he had to at least appear willing. He had a protocol to follow.
Leo sat in his father’s chair and nodded for the first woman to present herself. He would pretend to listen, and maybe he would find out just what the fuck was going on here.
“This is Taylor DeBlume,” George said, smiling at the first boring blonde.
Leo huffed out a sigh. It was going to be a long morning.
Here. Now. Always.
Roarrrr.
Leo really needed to calm his beast before the Lion claimed her without permission, and he’d already promised to do no such thing. Some alpha Shifters ruled with big shows of strength, but Leo had always appreciated a quieter, more subtle approach. Reining in his beast was difficult, but he would wrestle his Lion down every single time if it brought him closer to his ultimate goal. And of course, that was claiming Sheila.
His Dire Wolf mate had made her position clear. She would help him with his mission to solve the source of his Pride’s issues, but she wasn’t sticking around forever. Or so she thought. Little did she know he had no intention of letting her go.
The sound of motors revving got his attention, but he was needed in the interview room. Besides, he’d left her snug in his bedroom. He would join her as soon as he finished with the Pride. First, he’d have Montgomery cook them a few porterhouses as a late lunch. He’d feed her, make love to her, then he’d bring up their future. That sounded like a helluva plan to him.
His Lion would never be satisfied until she was truly claimed. Difficult with her insistence that this thing between them was temporary. He just had to get her to change her mind about mating him. Shouldn’t be too hard.
Yeah right.
He entered the King’s interview room and immediately went on high alert. This was where he would conduct Pride business acting in his father’s stead, where the King normally sat to hear his Pride’s concerns, and to rule on things that needed ruling on. Apparently, stuff had been left to slide this past month and there were many issues that needed his attention.
Leo stopped short at the sight awaiting him inside. What fresh hell was this? No less than a dozen Lionesses stood in a line, each of them with what looked like a file folder in hand.
Fucking George.
He snarled. Were those resumes? He bit off his growl, noting the shocked gold stares eyeing him like some prize. Leo straightened his shoulders, grateful he’d donned his at home uniform. The navy blue suit with the Crowley crest on his cuff links acknowledged his position. It also happened to be one of his favorites with a thin pin strip and a silk shirt underneath. He’d foregone his usual tie but wore the medallion of his station. A thick gold chain with a single Lion claw hanging from it.
Should he need to shift, it would be both large and strong enough to withstand the power behind his change. And if that younger cousin of his didn’t watch himself, Leo was sure to go all fierce and furry on his ass. Maybe take a bite out of the cheeky male’s hide.
Fuckface.
He had already told George no to the whole Lioness thing. Leo raised an eyebrow as he sought his cousin. Ah. There he was. George tried to herd the females into a line, swatting down the hairs on the back of his neck that were undoubtedly standing up because of Leo. He was pissed.
What was his idiot cousin up to now? He took out his phone and shot a text to Sheila, wondering if she was up. He asked her to respond the minute she woke.
Dammit.
He missed her. Yes, he needed her too. Not for the reason he told her. Not to dissuade these griping females. He needed her to settle his animal, to make him feel whole—because fuck knew she did.
Beautiful, tempting, sassy seductress.
“Leo! Excellent, sit down and meet the most eligible females the Pride has to offer!”
The females stood at attention. Some he knew from when he was a cub, others he did not recognize. They were all dressed up, like this was some kind of pageant, and George, the idiot, had the nerve to smile at him. Leo was going to murder him.
Grrrr.
“George, I asked you to bring the healer to me,” he said instead.
“Um, yes. I called, but he is delivering a set of cubs right now. I assured him you would be fine for a few hours. Besides you have other things to tend to, my Prince,” George whispered and nodded to the first female in line.
She was wearing an expensive suit that showed off her best assets. She had her blonde hair piled on her head in some sophisticated, and painful looking updo. Her nails were neatly trimmed and polished a staid beige color. She was attractive, sophisticated, a bit boring, truth be told.
The blonde woman flashed him a toothy grin, and Leo nodded politely. His Lion snapped and spit in revulsion. The beast wanted nothing to do with this or the other tawny-haired females. This was exactly the type of female he’d thought he would end up with when he was just a cub. But not him. Not now.
Adult Leo found his tastes ran much different from Leo the cub. What he really liked was dazzling redheads with hot pink nail polish. Sexy biker chicks in leather and ripped jeans. One in particular with bright blue eyes, skin pale as milky, and a Harley between her legs when he couldn’t be.
Yessssss.
“George, when did you notice my father started feeling ill?” he asked, ignoring the female.
“What? Oh, I don’t know. He has not been himself since Aunt Caroline passed away, but he didn’t start showing these signs till a few months ago, I think.”
“I see. And had his habits changed?”
“Really, Leo, I don’t know. Look, you should at least hear them out,” George said and tilted his head. Leo noted a group of older Lionesses had entered the room from the other side.
Fuck.
All of them were elders. He knew well that the females of any Lion Pride were the backbone. Even in the wild, the females were the hunters, the providers. They had the numbers and the strength, but a male was King. It was simply their way.
After the circle he’d attended a few days ago, Leo had expected some backlash, but even he could not have predicted this. The four Lionesses included Maribel Clover, Ruth Cunningham, Margaret Donner, and Evangeline Mayers, all present and accounted for.
These Shifter females were cunning, sharp, and determined hunters. Strong despite their silver hair and the signs of age on their once unlined faces. Leo’s father had allowed the elders to have a say in the way things were done within the Blue Valley Pride by listening to their council on more than one occasion. He would not undo all of his father’s work, but that didn’t mean he would go into this blindly.
Leo had spent years as a detective, he knew better than to trust people’s motives. Especially when they had their own agendas. These women would not approve of Leo’s announcement that he’d found a mate without their counsel. For one thing, his mate was not a female of their choosing. For another, she was not a Lioness.
Either way, they were going to be pissed. Something that would have worried younger Leo, but again, not now. Neither the elders nor the Pride would have a say in his choice of mate. He noted several of the females George had gathered for this introduction belonged to these Lioness’ immediate families.
Well, fuck me again.
There was just no graceful way out of this. He had to do his duty and at least allow them to present themselves. George was still smiling, idiot that he was. He nodded his head at the Lionesses once more, knowing full well Leo was not happy.
“The way I see it, cousin, this is the way our Pride has always conducted such things. You have a duty, you know.”
“I have found my mate, George. This will not change that.”
“Maybe you’re wrong,” insisted the younger male.
Leo growled unhappily. Of course, he wasn’t wrong. His Lion chuffed and snorted. He would not be happy about it, and he sure as fuck wasn’t changing his mind, but there were rules, and he had to at least appear willing. He had a protocol to follow.
Leo sat in his father’s chair and nodded for the first woman to present herself. He would pretend to listen, and maybe he would find out just what the fuck was going on here.
“This is Taylor DeBlume,” George said, smiling at the first boring blonde.
Leo huffed out a sigh. It was going to be a long morning.
End of Dire Wolf Mates Chapter 42. Continue reading Chapter 43 or return to Dire Wolf Mates book page.