Falk Clan Tales - Chapter 9: Chapter 9

“Okay. Let’s start from the beginning, shall we? Seff, back off. Let’s go with formal introductions first, yes? Alright then, I’m Rafe Maccon, Alpha of the Macconwood Pack, my territory includes most of the continent of North America. This is Maccon City, my hometown and base of operations. You seem to know what we are and now you know my name, so, you are?”
Rafe Maccon sat at a table in a dark room at the back of The Thirsty Dog. Some place where they wouldn’t be disturbed. With him were Seff, his Beta, and Randall, his Third and another of his Wolf Guard. These were the highest-ranking Wolves in Fred’s Pack.
The Macconwood Pack was well known and highly respected in the supernatural community. She had little dealings with the Alpha and his Wolf Guard, but as promised, they came when she called. Tears threatened to roll down her cheeks as she realized the implication. She had a home. She had family. As long as she had Pack.
“Thank you, for the introduction, I take it Winifred contacted you when I made her acquaintance earlier this evening. Do not fret, I am pleased that she acted so wisely, and even more pleased to see you answer her call. Many a Pack that I’ve witnessed fail over the centuries did so because they lacked that which I see you have in abundance, loyalty and mutual respect.”
“Thank you for the compliment, but you didn’t answer my question.”
“Ah, yes, I am Callius Falk. I shall speak plainly. It is my desire to settle in this place with my Clan. We are four brothers, by birth and in arms, and we have waited a very long time and come a very long way to live in peace and freedom.”
“I see. So, you have all left your former Clan?”
“Yes. We have completed our servitude under Chief Blackthorne,” Callius answered the questions asked.
Fred could tell that he was being free with his answers, meaning he was speaking openly, and he was not accustomed to it. She wondered what he was hiding. More than that, she wondered if she didn’t grossly violate his privacy by calling her Pack here. But what was she to do?
“Why were you in servitude and for how long exactly, if I may inquire?” Rafe leaned forward, his Wolf Guard flanked him on both sides.
He was a good Alpha. He personally welcomed Fred to the Pack when she made the decision to stay. It was not something other Alphas did. The fact that he cut a striking figure was another boon in his favor. Nearly as tall and even wider than Callius. He was impressive. His black hair and ice blue eyes were legendary traits of the Maccon family.
Like many of the Pack, Fred was glad he had finally settled down and got married. She whole-heartedly approved his choice. Charley Maccon was amazing. She was an advocate for Pack families. Like Rafe’s own sister, Cat, who with her husband, Tate, opened a new youth center in town that was quite the success.
Fred volunteered there at least once a month. It was what made her want to get a degree in counseling. Troubled young Werewolves needed all the help they could get. The loss of her own brother taught her that.
Callius’ deep voice interrupted her wandering thoughts. Did she just hear that? He had been bound in servitude. To whom? For what? She was startled at his admission and at once wanted to destroy the person responsible. Possessive much?
“My brothers and I were bound for five-hundred years to serve at Castle Blackthorne,” he stated matter-of-factly.
“That is a long time for a, what are you exactly?” Rafe asked the question without subtlety.
“Ha, ha. It seems I have forgotten to mention that. I must be the first of my kind that you’ve seen hereabouts for quite some time,” Callius turned his golden eyes to Fred and smiled, a heart-stopping grin that made her melt.
He returned his attention to Rafe. Not a minute too soon. She didn’t want to make a fool out of herself in front of her Alpha by drooling all over the damned place. He seemed to be enjoying the mystery and grinned wickedly.
“Will no one hazard a guess?” he laughed and stood up from his chair. “I am a Dragon.”
Silence followed Callius’ revelation. Thirty long seconds of it before anyone spoke. The Wolves in the room looked at each other. Disbelief marring their features.
“A what?”
“A what?” Fred echoed her Alpha.
“A Dragon.”
“No way. How is it possible?” Seff, Rafe’s second, spoke up only to get a look from his Alpha. Rafe nodded for Callius to continue.
“This room is not big enough for me to fully transform, but shall I show you a little?”
“Yes, please do,” ever the diplomat Rafe smiled and lifted a hand in invitation.
Fred’s heart thudded in her chest. Her eyes grew large as she watched Callius remove his shirt and stand in the center of the room. Her eyes were riveted to a spot above his heart where a familiar looking rose was branded. Everyone seemed to hold their breath. Everything inside of her told her he was for real. But a Dragon? They only existed in fairytales. Didn’t they?
Yeah, right, Winifred, just like Werewolves.
Callius stood and waited while Seff, closed the door. He nodded his approval. They would need complete and total privacy for this.
He was pleased his mate seemed to accept his statement as truth. He sensed her wonder and wanted to beat his chest with pride. It was a primitive feeling, but he relished it. His diamond rose was a treasure indeed.
It would be difficult for the others to believe him. Dragons were an exclusive bunch. Choosing to step back from both the normal and supernatural worlds for ages at a time. The fact that no Dragon Clan had ever settled in the New World before now probably added to their doubt.
There’s no time like the present, he thought, and turned his attention back to the task at hand. Transforming was a natural thing for Shifters, but it had been a long time since he half-changed.
He called upon his inner beast and felt his perception of the world suddenly intensify. Callius growled as he felt the air around him shimmer with familiar magic. Light and shadow played across his features.
The searing pain that was the half-change was gone but not quickly enough. He felt his mate’s nerves heighten. He knew she could read his feelings and tried to shield her from the struggle between dragon and man. Soon, it will be over soon, love.
And it was. Within seconds. Callius faced the stunned room with even sharper vision than he had before. He zeroed in his mate. Every fiber of his being demanded he claim her and finish their bonding. It took more control than he thought he had to remain still.
The taste of her lingered on his lips and on his tongue. Honey and fire, the memory of his mate’s kiss while in his half-change with all his heightened Dragon senses threatened his sanity. But it was not the time or place for him to stake his claim.
Instead, he focused on what his audience saw. Long, black horns protruded from either side of his head. They spiraled towards the heavens, close to three feet in length. They were as sharp as they looked.
He swished his long, black tail back and forth across the hardwood floor. It was over six feet long, heavily muscled, and lined with razor sharp spikes along the back. A low rumble reverberated from his chest. It took him a moment to stifle the sound.
Though he was in control of his beast, his Dragon objected to the small space and the scent of strange Werewolves in the room. Especially so close to his mate. His instinct was to destroy every male near her, to rip their flesh from their bones and roast them over with his own flames. His golden eyes glowed brilliantly in the dark room. Es meus.
Gleaming black and gold scales covered much of his torso, arms, legs, and face in a pattern much like the armor of a medieval knight. His teeth were longer and sharper too, though hidden behind his lips. His fingernails grew thicker and longer as well. Much like talons, obsidian in color and deadly in battle. Every inch of him was weaponized. The perfect warrior. As had been his role for centuries.
He felt an increase in energy flow through his semi-changed body. Power and strength coursed through his veins. Fight. Defend. Challenge. Claim. The voice of his Dragon pulsed through him, but Callius remained vigilant and in charge.
He flexed his enormous wings in the small room. They grew out of his spine and were an inky black color on the back. The inner membrane; however, was lined with veins of brilliant gold. Like living marble.
The Wolves in the room were drawn to them as he knew they would be. Okay. So, he was preening a bit, but he couldn’t help it. The sound of his mate’s increased heartbeat was tantalizing.
He caught her gaze and puffed a stream of white smoke out of his nostrils. He would not risk breathing fire in such a small space, but he could not resist a little show. For his mate.
The way her silver-gray eyes widened with amazement left Callius satisfied that he had made a favorable impression. The Wolves would see strength and know he was more than capable of defending their Packmate. But he had no wish to threaten them and kept himself calm.
He was a FireDragon. Feared and coveted throughout the ages. Loyal and honest. He’d been without a home for too long. But no longer. He found his diamond rose and he meant to stay. Callius felt Winifred’s eyes on him and read the amazement in them.
Just you wait, my love.
He was menacingly beautiful. Unlike anything Winifred had ever seen. Power, energy, and raw, primal magic seemed too radiate from him.
Her heart began to pound. The room they stood in felt cramped. She felt exposed in front of their audience. Werewolves were good at reading emotions and she might as well be wearing a sign.
She wanted him. The strange, beautiful creature that stood before her. An intense attraction began in the pit of her stomach and spread throughout her body. She felt as if she was being pulled toward him, like they were connected somehow by some invisible rope or thread. She was hungry for him. Her heart thudded in her chest as her hands itched to trace his shimmering scales and exposed skin. She stepped forward without thinking. Callius seemed to watch her with curious eyes as she moved towards him.
Oblivious to their audience he turned and faced her. The heated look in his eyes melted whatever hurt had caused her to lock her heart in ice these last few months. Nothing mattered in that moment, just him.
The old building creaked aloud as the cold February wind blew outside. The sound stopped her in her tracks. What was she doing? Was she nuts? She looked over at the other Werewolves and noted a few raised eyebrows. She felt her blush and wanted to kick herself. Anger and embarrassment threatened to overcome her.
Callius flexed his wings. The movement was subtle, but it drew her Packmates’ eyes away from her. Was that his intention? She knew it was, he must have sensed her anxiety. She inhaled and almost swooned when she caught his scent. Cinnamon and Applewood.
“Mmmm,” she meant to do that in her head, but the sound escaped her lips.
Rafe cleared his throat, his ice-blue eyes were wide as he took in the semi-changed Dragon. His Wolf Guard seemed too stunned to speak. They just stared. Fred couldn’t blame them.
He looked like a warrior out of a fairytale. She wondered how impressive he’d be as his full Dragon. Would he breathe fire? Could he fly with those wings?
“Yes, to both your questions, love. I can in fact fly right now. And breathing fire is my specialty.”
Fred licked her lips. She had excellent hearing as a Werewolf, but she couldn’t read minds. His Dragon senses must be extremely heightened in that state. Maybe Dragons were telepathic? As soon as she thought it, he turned his head towards her and his golden eyes glowed.
“Yes. I can sometimes see into the minds of others. More so with you, love,” he narrowed his eyes and tilted his head, listening, “I can hear your Wolf, Winifred. I can hear all of your Wolves. They seem trapped in a way my Dragon and I cannot comprehend?”
“Yes. It is our curse,” Rafe spoke up, His voice tinged with sadness, “We remain separated from our Wolf-selves until the night of the full moon, but that is our concern. And we have someone working on that.”
Callius tilted his head. Fred heard the guarded answer from Rafe and was sure he had picked up on it too. She stilled, her nerves getting the best of her.
“I assure you, Alpha, that I am your friend, you have nothing to fear from me or mine,” Callius’ voice was even deeper in his semi-changed state.
He was obviously the stronger here and now, but he did not exert his strength in any way. He was respectful. And gentle. As if he knew how much it meant to her to have her Alpha and her Pack so close.
It only illuminated his strength to see him so humble in front of her Pack. He demanded nothing. He did not press his advantage in any way. For that alone, Fred’s heart melted in his favor just a tad more. Damn, that was so hot.
I can see your Wolf, my love, she is beautiful as you are now. Pure white fur with eyes as gray as a winter morning before a storm. She waits for you.
“Did you hear that? Is it true?”
“We didn’t hear anything,” Rafe answered, one black eyebrow raised in question. But she turned her attention to Callius.
“Callius? Can you really see her?” Her heart thundered in her chest. She could almost feel the warm communion between her soul and her other self, her Wolf, howling in her mind. A tear rolled down her cheek.
“Yes,” he answered with one simple affirmation.
In the blink of an eye, he shifted back to his human form. He was every bit as delicious as before, but this time it was more than Fred’s body that reacted to him. It was her heart.
“Sit down, please, Callius, let’s talk,” Rafe tapped the table. Fred stood where she was and tried to listen, but they were talking so low it was difficult.
After a brief discussion about territory and politics to which Callius made little demands, Fred gathered that he was welcome to stay in Maccon City. Relief coursed throughout her body. Now, why was that?
The men shook hands and Fred noticed a very strange smile on her Alpha’s face. Who was he smiling at? Not her. In fact, he was avoiding making eye contact with her.
“You must come to the wedding,” Callius spoke aloud as he stood with Rafe.
“Wait, what? What wedding?”
“Ours, of course.”
“But I just met you. I just met him.” Fred pointed at Callius while shaking her head. Did he just tell her Alpha they were getting hitched? No way.
“Love, you agreed. You made a bond with me, remember?” Callius’ voice seemed to drop an octave and she watched horrified as he licked the middle finger of his right hand. She immediately felt heat rise to her cheeks. He wouldn’t.
“Callius.” She wasn’t sure if the others noticed, but if she were being honest, they probably did. Ugh, Werewolves. Her Alpha smiled and put on his coat as his Guard continued to flank him.
“Well, Callius, I tell you what, if Fred here says yes, then I would be honored to attend. My wife loves weddings, especially now, in her condition.”
“Oh yeah. I heard about that. Congratulations, to both of you,” Fred smiled at him and offered her heartfelt congratulations, momentarily forgetting her own impending nuptials.
“Thank you. I’ll pass it on to Carlotta and, uh, I’ll let her know she might need some formal maternity wear in the near future?”
“Oh yeah, I mean, no. I am not getting married.”
“My sweet Fred, our bond is made. Marriage is the next step,”
“Cal, may I make a small suggestion?” Rafe interrupted.
“Certainly,” Callius answered though he never took his eyes off Fred.
“Get her to say ‘yes’ before making any wedding plans. And by the way, about that castle you’re looking for, I believe you are closer than you think.”
“That’s right,” Seff spoke up with a grin on his boyish face, “Wouldn’t you agree, Ms. Castillo?”
“Your name is Castillo?” Callius grinned broadly at her.
“Really?. Why did you tell him that?” Fred screeched.
“Ha. I think you are correct, Rafe, I have found my Castle.”