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.

Chapter 6

Scarlett POV

On our drive back to the packhouse, I mind link Cayden to let him know that I'm on my way back and that Raul will be staying the night so that he can also meet with Bruno and my parents in the morning. I then mind link Aurora, the pack's Head Omega, to let her know that Raul will be spending the night and to please make up a room for him on the Alpha floor. I know good and damn well that Raul will be sleeping in my suite with me-and frankly, Aurora probably knows it, too-but this way we can at least make it look that everything is platonic.

"Did you really just ask Aurora to make up a room for Raul to sleep in?" Cayden laughingly asks me in our mind link.

"Yes. Yes, I did." I say sternly.

Cayden snorts. "You realize everyone knows that the two of you are "friends with benefits", right?"

"Yes, I do." I sigh. "But I'd rather not give people more reason to gossip. It may be completely fruitless, but it makes me feel like I'm at least doing my part to keep my private life, private." While I'm mock arguing with my Beta via our mind link, Raul is calling his own Beta to let him know he'll be spending the night and having a meeting here in the morning, and to please keep things in order until he returns. Raul has a solid relationship with his Beta, but it's not the same lifelong friendship-type relationship that I have with Cayden, so his Beta isn't giving him a hard time about his plans.

We pull up to my packhouse, and after we get out of the car and begin walking towards the front door, I again feel his hand on the small of my back. I turn and look at him, giving him a sly smile as though to say, "don't worry, you'll be touching a lot more than that, soon enough." He smiles back at me, probably thinking the same thing I am.

When we walk through the door, Aurora is there to meet us. "Alpha Raul, how nice to see you again. We have a room made up for you on the Alpha floor, next to Alpha Scarlett's room. Please don't hesitate to let us know if you need anything or if there's anything we can do to make your stay more pleasant." She says, smiling at us. I'm sure she knows that he'll be sleeping in my room, but unlike Cayden, her smile and tone aren't tinted with that knowledge as though she's teasing us. Instead, she is courteous and professional, all Head Omega, as her title would suggest.

"Thank you, Aurora" I say, giving her a warm smile. Omegas need to feel appreciated, which in my case, is easy, as my Omega wolves are all lovely, kind and hardworking wolves. "And thank you for taking care of that so quickly. I hope it didn't take up too much of your time or throw your schedule off." I tell her, sincerely.

"Oh, not at all, Alpha. Do you need anything else?" She asks.

"No. Thank you, Aurora. It's getting late, though. You should call it a night." I tell her, genuinely wanting her to turn in for the evening as I really do worry about her working herself too hard. Omegas are very hardworking, wanting to please their pack members, but they're also typically not as strong as other wolves and therefore need more rest than others.

"Thank you, Alpha. We have everything ready for Leader Bruno's visit tomorrow, as well. I hope he likes bagels with smoked salmon and capers." She says, hopefully, her soft brown eyes sparkling.

I laugh, "As a bear shifter, I have no doubt that he loves salmon, so bagels and lox sounds like the perfect choice, Aurora. I don't know what I'd do without you." I tell her warmly, reaching out and putting my hand on her arm, making her blush slightly as she gives me a huge smile. "Alpha Raul and I are going to be in my office for a bit, but really, please do turn in soon."

"Of course, Alpha." She nods.

"Thank you for the room, Aurora." Raul says with a warm smile, making Aurora blush even more as she offers another smile.

"You're very welcome, Alpha Raul." She says softly as she turns away. Why, I do believe my Head Omega may have a bit of a crush on Raul. I can't help but think how sweet that is. Aurora is a wonderful Head Omega-I meant what I said when I told her that I'd don't know what I'd do without her-and since she's also unmated, I can only hope her fated mate turns out to be a guy as nice as Raul.

"Shall we?" I turn to Raul as I motion my head in the direction of my office.

"After you." He says, following me down the hall.

When we're both inside my office, with the office door closed, Raul grabs my arm and spins me around, pulling me towards him so my body is pressed firmly against his. With his arms wrapped tightly around my waist, he takes a deep look into my eyes, the blue of his speaking to his desire, before putting his mouth on mine in a deep kiss that has his tongue finding mine.

I give him a sultry smile as I pull away, looking at him with my green eyes, "Shall I show you to my suite, Alpha?"

"Unless you want me to take you on your desk," he says, practically growling at me. The truth is, him taking me on my desk sounds like fun, but there are a lot of wolves still up and about the packhouse, and I don't need them hearing us or getting the scent of sex wafting from my office.

"Follow me", I say as I take his hand and lead him to the back wall of my office, the entirety of which is a dark mahogany bookcase. Pulling forward a copy of the epic poem "Beowulf", an otherwise-invisible door opens, revealing a staircase. It's a hidden passageway that leads up to my suite. My grandfather had it built as a means of both escaping and ambushing attacking enemy packs.

The bookcase door closes behind us as we make our way up the stairs. We'd probably be running up the stairs to get to my suite and dive onto my bed if not for the fact that we're already kissing and allowing our hands to explore each other as we try to make our way up the stairs, nearly tripping ourselves a couple of times. When we make our way to my suite, Raul picks me up and I wrap my legs around his waist and he pushes the door closed with his foot. His mouth and tongue are licking and sucking on my neck, causing my desire to warm and moisten my core. Raul can smell my heat, growling as he releases my neck and wraps my hair around one of his hands, pulling my head back so I'm looking directly into those sapphire blue eyes.

"Wanna fuck me?" I smile at him, obviously knowing the answer.

"Fuck yes." And in two strides, he has made his way across my suite to my bed, where he proceeds to toss me like I weigh nothing at all. He's immediately on top of me, slicing my dress open with his extended claw, kissing my neck, down to my breasts, where he spends time gently licking and nuzzling one, while softly teasing the nipple of the other with his hand. Most men seem to forget that my boobs are in fact, attached to the rest of my body and are far too rough with them, squeezing them in a way that isn't sensual and often times leaves the delicate tissue bruised. But, Alpha Raul knows what he's doing, as he gently moves his warm mouth from one breast to the other, making sure he doesn't neglect one as he continues his licking and nuzzling.

When he's gotten his fill of my tits to the point that I'm practically panting, he returns to kissing down my body, until his head is between my legs. He growls softly again as he runs his nose at my apex, nuzzling my clit. I let out a gasp as he again uses his extended claw, this time to slice my thong right off. He looks up at me, smiling as his blue eyes burn with desire.

"We had dinner and now it's time for me to finally enjoy dessert." He grins as he wraps his arms around my thighs so I can't pull away from him, which he knows I sometimes involuntarily start doing when I start orgasming from his mouth on my pussy. My back arches as I feel his tongue slowly encircle my clit and I can't help but let out a moan.

"Mmmm, like that, Alpha?" He says, obviously pleased with himself, as he starts nuzzling me again.

"Yes. Yes. Yes." I practically whine in a way that begs him not to stop.

He chuckles as he returns his tongue to my clit, unwrapping one of his arms from my leg, so he can slide a finger deep inside me. "You've been so wet for me all evening, it took everything I had not to 'accidently' drop my fork on the floor at dinner so I'd have an excuse to eat you for both dinner and dessert."

I can't help but bark out a laugh. "I'm not sure what to tip the waitstaff for something like that." I pant, my upper body jerking in pleasure as he slides a second finger in me. His tongue begins moving with more urgency as his mouth engulfs my pussy. I lift myself onto my arms so I can watch him as he devours me while his two fingers are pumping slowly, yet firmly inside me. He looks up at me again, giving me yet another sly smile as he curls his fingers inside my pussy, hitting my g-spot. This is when my body starts trying to involuntarily pull away, so he tightens the hold his arm still has on my leg, ensuring I can't squirm away.

"Oh, yes, yes, yes, Goddess, yes." I call out as he quickens the pace of his mouth against my clit until I'm gripping my duvet and tossing my head back in ecstasy.

"Oh, fuck me, fuck me, fuck me." I pant in almost a whimper.

"Whatever you say, Alpha" He says with a smile, sitting up and unbuckling his pants, releasing his big, hard, wonderful cock before sliding over me.

Chapter 7 coming soon