Chapter 3 – Meet the Parents

Scarlett POV

The six of us, myself, Cayden, Bree, Jacob, Tasha and Channing are heading back to the packhouse when I realize there's someone I should talk to before I start making calls, so I start veering to the left, heading to the area of our pack lands where individual homes stand for those people who don't want to live in the pack house.

"Alpha Scarlett? The packhouse is this way." Cayden says with a slight laugh as he points when he notices me going off course.

"Before I head back to my office, I want to talk to my parents. Cayden, come with me. Bree and Jacob, you're both good with next steps?"

"Yes, Alpha." Jacob replies

"You bet, Alpha." Bree says as she gives me a thumb up.

"Tasha and Channing, thank you for your hard work today. Stick around and keep yourselves available to the patrols and the other trackers who may have questions about the scent or want to go see the area where it suddenly disappeared." I say to the two trackers as I continue left, getting further away from them, my Gamma and my Delta."

"See you later, Alpha and Beta."

"Let us know if you need anything else, Alpha."

"We'll get this figured out, Alpha!"

Cayden and I walk alone in silence for a moment. As werewolves, we have enhanced hearing, but I can tell he wants to continue the conversation we started in the mind link, earlier.

"Your parents, huh?" Cayden asks, slowly and quietly.

I take a deep breath, "yeah. I want to talk to them about all of this before I make any pack announcements or start calling people in."

"Calling people in?" Cayden says, sounding rather stunned as he stops in his tracks. "What the hell is going on, Scar?"

"I have a thought as to what that scent may be, but it's so insane, I can't believe I'm even thinking it." I saw as I continue walking towards by parents' house. When we arrive at their house, built to resemble an old log cabin, I knock on the door. They must have sensed me coming because the door opens almost immediately, and there he is. My here. My mentor. The man who taught me everything I know about being a good Alpha, taught me how to fight and how to drive a car. The former Alpha of our pack. My dad, Alpha Zeb Lobo.

"Scarlett! The prodigal daughter returns!" He exclaims with a big smile on his face, as though he didn't just see me yesterday. "And Beta Cayden! To what do your mother and I owe this great honor?"

I can't help but roll my eyes at his rather hyperbolic, but still endearing reaction.

"Hey, Dad. Is it cool if we come in?"

"Always." He replies, his voice changing from exuberant to serious, as he picks up on the fact that I'm not swinging by to see my mom and dad. He opens the door wider, stepping out of the way to allow myself and Cayden inside. "I guess this isn't merely a social visit. What's going, Alpha Scarlett?" My father says as he goes into full-on Alpha mode, himself. My dad may be retired, but he still is and always will be an Alpha. And it's only in moments like this that he addresses me not as his daughter but as his Alpha. Fortunately, we haven't had too many opportunities for him to need to use my title in the time since my Alpha ceremony. Largely because of the amazing job Dad did as the Alpha of the Crimson Snow pack, so it's been a pretty easy transition for me.

"Is that my beloved daughter, my first born, the apple of my eye?" I hear my mother's voice call down from upstairs as my dad, Cayden and I move from the foyer into the living room, giving me yet another opportunity to roll my eyes and my parents' silliness.

"Hey, Mom. Yeah, it's me. I have Cayden with me." I call out.

"Lovetta, honey, you should come down here. It seems that our Alpha and Beta need to speak with us." Dad says. Neither one says anything for a few moments and I know my mom must be asking him, in their mind link, what's going on.

"I'll be right down. Alpha Scarlett, Beta Cayden, make yourselves comfortable." She calls down, using the same formality as my father when realizing it must be something serious. As the three of us walk into the living room, I see Dax, my youngest brother and my Lead Warrior sitting in an armchair, leaning forward with his arms on his legs. He's clearly overheard the conversation between me and our dad, and also wants to know what's going on.

"Hey, Baby Bro." I walk over to Dax and lean down to give him a hug. He growly softly at the term of endearment, but I don't care. He may be an adult now and a Lead Warrior, but he'll always be my baby brother.

"Hey, Big Sis." He says, returning my hug with his own. "Whatever this is about, it seems serious. Should I go or do you want me to stay?" He asks, looking anxiously between our father and me. I think for a moment. I don't want my suspicions getting around the pack, creating panic or chaos until I'm certain of what we're dealing with and Dax isn't a ranked member. Hell, I even sent Bree and Jacob back to the packhouse, only bringing my Beta with me. But is also my brother, someone whom I trust with my life and the safety of our pack. And as Lead Warrior, he's a good strategic thinker and, if I'm right, would play a pretty big part in any course of action. Particularly if it means new and additional fight training for our pack. If that ends up being the case, both he and Bree will have their hands full.

"No, actually you stay. It would be good to get your take on this." I saw as relaxes back into the armchair a bit, while still keeping his elbows on his knees, like he's already planning a strategy for whatever is going on. He's a lot like Jacob in that respect, I realize. Like Jacob, Dax, while an adult, is also still young and is determined to do his job well (which he always does), taking things very seriously as to not be looked upon as a pup. That's when she arrives. The woman who taught me about compassion, taught me how to care for a pack, also taught me how to fight, and how to make the best damn chocolate chip cookies on the planet. The heart and soul of the Crimson Snow Pack. My mother, Luna Lovetta Lobo. When she walks into the living room, she immediately gravitates to my dad's outstretched arm that pulls her close to side. The pull of the mate bond. Even after all these years, my parents are still mad for each other. If Cayden and I had just stopped in to say hi, she would have come and given me a hug, but much like my father, she differentiates between her daughter Scarlett and her Alpha Scarlett.

"Alpha Scarlett, Beta Cayden. Is everything okay?" She asks, her big green eyes wide with concern and her chocolate brown hair still slightly damp from a shower. It's like looking into a mirror and seeing my future self. And I'll tell you, I could do a lot worse. My mother still turns heads and is still a beast on the sparring fields. I've never seen her in an actual battle, but I have no doubt she can still kickass.

"Hey, Mom." I say as I sit on the couch with Cayden sitting down next to me. My dad sits in another armchair as my mom rests on his knee. "To be honest, I'm not sure. I wanted to talk to the two of you before doing anything else."

"What's going on, Alpha?" My dad asks seriously, the look of worry on his face, growing.

"Last night, our patrols picked up on some strange scents that they didn't recognize, around the pack lands. Earlier today, Tasha and Channing went out to follow the trail, which they were able to for a while, until the scents just disappeared." I look from my parents to my brother, making sure they're all hearing what I'm saying.

"That's not uncommon though. Scents disappear as they get farther away from us." Dax responds, now starting to relax back into the armchair, while still keeping his brow furrowed with concern.

"That's exactly what Gamma Bree said," Cayden chimes in, "but the tracker insist the scents didn't just slowly start to fade. They just disappeared."

I take a deep breath, "Tasha and Channing also said that there were footprints around the scents," I take a pause before saying one of the weirder things I've said in my life, "of men's dress shoes."

"Humans can't outrun werewolves, especially not in dress shoes." Dax says, just as confused as the rest of us were when we met up with Tasha and Channing at the northern border. Meanwhile, I haven't take my eyes off my father as I watch his countenance change from worry to confusion until finally landing on something I never thought I'd see in my strong, brave Alpha of a father – fear. And then he confirms my own fear.

"No, they can't." He says looking directly at me. "But vampires can."

Chapter 4 coming soon

Chapter 4

Raul's POV

Sliding behind the wheel of my Mercedes after I stop for gas and all I can think about is how much I want to slide into Scarlett Lobo. I told her that I was in her area, when I texted to ask if she was around tonight, but the truth is, I've been at my own pack all day. It's been about three weeks since we last saw each other and at this point, I need to feel her soft pussy around my dick so badly, I'm practically feral.

I know we're not fated mates – and she knows it, too. We've both known it since her 18th birthday. But that didn't stop us from celebrating her birthday is ways that including lots of kissing, licking, sucking and fucking, kicking off an ongoing "friends with benefits" relationship. Sometimes we see each other pretty regularly, other times we might several weeks or even a couple of months without seeing each other. Our packs being about a 4 drive away from one another factors into that-it's faster by wolf, but without a car, I can't take Scarlett out to a nice dinner in the human town-but even if we lived closer to each other, we'd still be in a relaxed situation where it's okay that we don't see each other all the time. And it just means that when we do see each other, we come together with bang since we have weeks and weeks of sexual frustration built up.

But, if I'm being completely honest, I was pretty bummed that Scarlett ended up not being mate, especially after we spent practically her entire 18th birthday party talking and dancing, nearly ignoring everyone else at the party. And I'd be lying if I said there haven't been times over the years that I've thought about asking Scarlett if we should take each other as chosen mates because even though it's not the bond of fated mates, there is something between us. But realistically it wouldn't work. We're both Alphas, leading our own packs and neither one of us are going to give that up, especially for a chosen mate situation. Hell, I don't think either of us would even give up being the Alphas of our packs for a fated mate. And even if we were willing to, it's not like our packs are next to each other. What would we do, live half the week at her pack and half the week at mine? We stay in our respective pacts and see each other when we have time, like we do know? That's not the way to have a relationship with your mate. But at the rate things are going, I may never find out what it's like to have a relationship with my fated mate. And that would probably be okay except that I know my pack needs a Luna and I need an heir. I can't just knock-up one of the other she-wolves I occasionally sleep with because pack law dictates that the only pups eligible to take over ranked pack positions are the ones that are the result of a mated relationship, fated or chosen. This is something my parents like to remind me of on regular basis.

I've let my mind wander to thinking about how much I'd like to have some pups, to picturing Scarlett naked, underneath me while I fuck her until she's panting, to wondering if my fated mate is even out there, to wondering if everything is okay over there at the Crimson Snow pack, remembering her text saying that she was dealing with some stuff and would call me later, when my cell phone starts ringing.

"Alpha Scarlett", I say, smiling as I answer the phone. "Getting excited for dinner?"

"Alpha Raul", she responds in her sultry voice that lets me know she plans on leaving me very tired, extremely happy and wonderfully sated at the end of the night. Or, knowing, early tomorrow morning. I realize that I've pushed my right foot on to the gas pedal, like my body is having a subconscious reaction to Scarlett's voice and is aching to get there. (Which, to be fair, it is.) I let my foot off the gas to slow back down a bit so I don't end up getting pulled over speeding. I don't really care about getting a ticket, I care about my Scarlett sex time being delayed. "What is your ETA?"

"My, my, aren't we an anxious little Alpha." I chuckle. And in reality she is little. At 5'2" it's almost hard to believe she's an Alpha. Up until you see her fight and then there's not question that the woman is all Alpha. She uses her small stature to her advantage – because she's small, she is quick and agile in a way that male Alphas generally aren't. But beyond that, she is also a smart and strategic fighter. I've seen her take down some of the strongest warriors out there because she used her brains just as much her strength. Thinking of what a badass she is is only making me again wish that she were my fated mate.

"For you? Always." She says and I can hear her smiling through the phone.

"Well, you don't have to wait to much longer, my insatiable little Alpha. I'm only about 30 minutes away."

"Can you drive faster?" She says, her voice sounding a little deeper and even sultrier. I suspect it's her wolf asking as much as it is her.

"Ruby? Is that you, little Alpha?" My own wolf Boris asks, pushing forward.

"It's both of us. We're both looking forward to dinner and dessert." Ruby practically purrs at me.

"If we drive faster, we might get pulled over and then it will just take us longer to get to you, thus delaying your satisfaction. And you wouldn't want that, would you?" I ask, teasingly. If I can't yet tease her in the bedroom, I'll tease her over the phone.

"Then drive as fast as you can without getting pulled over." Ruby says.

"Drive safely!" That time it's Scarlett. I can't help but smile that while she's clearly excited for a night of marathon sex, she is still concerned for my safety. It's another reason why our dynamic works so well – in addition to being crazy attracted to each other, we also genuinely like each other. I know if I ever needed anything, Scarlett would be the first one there. And she knows that I'd do anything to help her out if she ever needed it. I'm confident that if and when we both find our fated mates, Scarlett and I will remain friends and pack allies.

I chuckle as I say, "No worries, I'm being safe. But, hey, let me ask you...is everything okay over there? Your text said you were dealing with some pack stuff and then it took you a few hours to call...does tonight still work for you because if you have too much going on –" I say, trying to hide my disappointment that she may change our plans.

"Oh, fuck yes, tonight still works. Thinking about all the things we're going to do to each other is the only thing that has gotten me through this completely bizarre day." She replies.

I hope my exhaling in relief isn't too audible. "Bizarre day? What's going on, Alpha?"

Scarlett is silent for a moment before she responds, "It's too insane to get into over the phone, especially since you're not that far away. But, if you don't mind, can we talk tonight at dinner, Alpha to Alpha? Before we move on to turning each other into useless puddles on my bedroom floor, of course." I can tell she is trying to use flirtation as a way of covering up whatever else it is that's on her mind.

"We can ALWAYS talk Alpha to Alpha, Scarlett, you know that." I tell her sincerely.

"Yeah, I know. Thank you for that." She says and I can hear the appreciation in her voice. "Well, I had better finish getting ready so I'm ready to bounce as soon as you get here. I'd hate to keep you waiting." The flirtatious Scarlett returning.

"Oh, you'll definitely be bouncing later, Beautiful" I flirt right back, to which she laughs a true, full-throated laugh. It's not easy to get that kind of genuine laugh out of Scarlett so it's always satisfying when I can make it happen.

"I can't wait. See you soon, Lover." Her calling me "Lover" always makes my dick immediately hard and tonight is no exception.

"Go finish getting ready so I can focus on driving before you get me so turned on I get into an accident." I growl quietly as I start shifting around in my seat. After we hang up, my mind (and my wolf) don't wait before pulling up more mental images of Scarlett naked. Naked and bent over her bed. Naked with her legs wrapped around me in the shower. Naked and riding me while my hands fondle her perfect breasts. But of course, like any Alpha, I can't help but also worry about a friend who may be in trouble, thinking back to her request that we talk at dinner, "Alpha to Alpha." I don't know what's going on, but I do know I'll do whatever I can to help.

These are my thoughts when I pull up to the gate of the Crimson Snow Pack.

"Good evening, Alpha Raul." The warrior at the guard house says. " Are you here to see Alpha Scarlett?"

"Hey, good to see you. Yeah, I'm here to see Alpha Scarlett. She should be expecting me."

"I'll let her know you're on you're here on your way to the pack house."

"Thanks, man, Have a good night." I saw as I start driving to the pack house.

As I pull up and park in front of the pack house, my dick gets hard all over again, as I step out of my car and see Scarlett waiting outside the packhouse, leaning against the railing of the porch. Her long, chocolate brown hair is in loose waves down her back and I can see her bright green eyes from here. Her curves look perfect in a red dress that wraps around her body, showcasing her cleavage as it ties at the waist. Her legs, perfectly toned from all her time training and sparring, look they need to be wrapped around me as she stands in a pair of black stiletto heels. Before she has a chance to move even an inch, I'm out of my car and on the porch of the park house, pulling her toward me and taking her mouth in mine. I let my tongue slid into her mouth by means of saying hello and she happily returns the gesture.

After a few moments of allowing myself to enjoy the warmth and sweetness of her mouth, I pull away, "come on, Beautiful. Let's go the faster we leave and have dinner, the faster we can enjoy dessert." I growl at her. "You can tell me what's going on, while we get a bite to eat."

Scarlett lets out a brief chuckle and then a sigh. "It's funny that you should use the word, 'bite'". She says as she links her arm in mine as we walk to my car.

Chapter 5 coming soon.

Chapter 5

Scarlett's POV

With his hand on the small of my back, Raul leads me to where our server is directing us towards our table. It's a completely innocuous gesture, but given that my hormones are already in overdrive, I'm grateful that the majority of the people in this restaurant are humans. But I do see at least a few shifters who obviously smelled my arousal when Raul touched me, given the way they looked up from their meals or conversations with their knowing smirks. Hey, we're all wolves, it's not like we don't know what we all do in our free time.

After we sit down and have our drinks brought over, Raul turns to me, "Okay, Alpha. You said you wanted to talk Alpha to Alpha over dinner before we move on to the non-work portion of our evening." He says with sly smile. "So, what's going, Scarlett? Is everything okay?" He's in Alpha mode, but he still moves his hand over mine on the table.

I take a deep breath, "Well...what do you know about vampires?" I ask, causing him to practically choke on his drink.

"What?" He says, trying not to cough.

"Last night my patrols picked up on some strange scents that they didn't recognize. This morning, two of my trackers went out to follow the scent trails to see if they could find where it was coming from. And see if they could figure out what it was." I say looking at him, trying to gauge his reaction. I can hardly believe what I'm saying, so I want to see if he thinks I'm nuts.

"And they came back with...vampires?" He asks with a combination of suspicion and incredulity.

"Not at first, no. But after Cayden, Bree, Jacob and I went out to the northern border to meet with Channing and Tasha, Cayden and I went to see my parents and –"

"Wait, back up. How did we go from a strange scent at your border to talking to your parents about vampires?"

"Tasha and Channing explained to us that as they were tracking the scents, they just suddenly disappeared. They didn't slowly start to fade, like whomever¬¬¬-or whatever-was leaving the scent had gotten further away. They just disappeared." I explain.

"Okay, well, that's definitely weird, but there could be other explanations that aren't vampires." He said as though he's trying to convince himself more than me.

"True. But there were also footprints along with scent trails before they disappeared. Human footprints. Specifically, men's dress shoes." I say slowly, watching Raul's face. His bright blue eyes grow large and then narrow as he squeezes my hand, his still covering mine. He then inhales deeply.

"Okaaay. But are we still sure it's vampires?" It's a fair question – none of the wolf packs have seen or detected vampires in years. When my parents were still the Alpha and Luna of our pack, they, along with some other packs, did battle against a group of vampires. My brothers and I were still pretty young so we were in a safe room and don't remember much of it, but legend is that the battle went on for days, resulting in causalities on both sides before the wolf packs came out victorious, sending the vampires back to their crypts where they came from. There were those who believed that the losses suffered by the blood-suckers was so great that they didn't just go back into the shadows, they left the country. It seemed plausible considering that there have been nearly zero vampire sightings in the years since. Which made everyone breathe a collective sigh of relief, considering how strong, sneaky and duplicitous vampires are.

"That's why Cayden and I went to talk to my parents, since they were part of the battle against those vamps years ago. I wanted to get their take. We took them and Dax out to the border where the patrols first picked up the scents and then out to the place where Tasha and Channing lost it." I sigh and look Raul directly into this sapphire blue eyes. "My parents confirmed that the scents what they remember as vampires."

"Yeah, that's pretty damning. But to fair, that battle was also a long time ago. Is it possible that they don't exactly remember the scents?" I cock my head and just look at Raul like he doesn't know what he's talking about. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I heard it. There's no way your parents would ever forget that smell." I nod, silently. "Are you going to call in any of the other Alphas and Lunas from that time, to confirm?"

"No, but I did call Bruno Osbourne." I tell Raul.

"The bear shifter? The Clan Leader of the Silver Cave Clan?" Werewolves and bear shifters haven't always had the best of relationships, but the bears did help the wolves against the vampires all those years ago. While it didn't result in any alliances being signed, it did allow for a "you don't bother us, we don't bother you"-type of dynamic. And Leader Bruno is also of my parents' generation and was a part of that battle years ago."

I nod. "Yeah. I wanted to know if his clan has also picked up on any scents. I figured if they had, they may have a better handle on where the vamps were coming from." Wolves have excellent senses of smell, but a bear's sense of smell is superior. "They haven't, but he is going to reach out to some of the other bear clans as well as to some of the lone bears he knows to see if they've picked up anything. He and some of his clan are going to come by the pack tomorrow to confirm the scent and have a look around. I'm going to have him sit down with parents, Dax and my ranked members to hear more about their experiences and start talking next steps."

"That's a good idea. Have you reached out to any of the other wolf packs?" He asks.

"No, not yet." I say, doubting myself. "As of right now, you're the only wolf who know any of this beyond my parents, Cayden and Dax."

"Bree and Jacob don't know?"

"Not yet. I wanted to double and triple confirm my suspicions before spreading the news, pack-wide. Vampires lurking around pack grounds is no small deal and while it's not something to keep under wraps, I also don't want to create panic. And I want to have an idea of the best course of action before I alert other packs. I don't want to show up with a problem and no solution." I say, taking a big swig of my drink to give Raul some more time to let everything soak in.

He nods. "That's smart." He smiles at me. It's a smile that is equal parts impressed friendship and equal parts desirous. What can I say, the man loves seeing my own Alpha mind at work. "Would you mind if I stick around for the strategy meeting tomorrow? I don't want to impose, but if this is something that the packs need to act on –"

"I don't mind at all." I saw faster than I probably should have. Truth is, I'd like for him to spend the night so we can have some more raucous sexy time, but I'd also like to have him in on the meeting – another Alpha of this younger generation to have my back in case Leader Bruno or my parents have ideas that I don't agree with or don't think would be best for a more modern pack.

Raul smiles, lifting my hand to his mouth. "I'll always have your back". He says, knowing what I was thinking without my even having to say it. Damn, why couldn't the Moon Goddess above have mated me to Raul. Okay, okay, I know why...we're both Alphas, leaders of our packs, and neither of us are going to give that up. "Was there anything else you wanted to talk about? Any more potential threats to our way of life to spring on me?"

I can't help but laugh. He's not wrong that the threat of vampires is scary as hell, but there's nothing more we can do about it right now. I've increased the patrols around the pack lands and have trackers on stand-by to go on the hunt if the patrols pick up on anything. We'll figure out more tomorrow when Leader Bruno arrives. "Well...I wouldn't mind ordering our dinner, eating quickly and returning home to my pack house so I can spring myself on you." I say slyly.

Raul motions for the server to come over and take our order. "Order the thing that is the easiest and fastest to make. We can come back here another time to enjoy the food." Making me laugh again. I'd probably laugh more if I had known just how little of it I'd be doing in the near future.

Chapter 6 coming soon.