Chapter Ten

I SAT ON THE BED, rolling my shoulders. It was over, finally. Another tribe council I’d survived. The tedious meetings, the backstabbing attempts my friends had fended off for me, the long formal dinners, the constant feeling someone would jump out of the shadows and try to kill me again. My men had recovered fast. If they hadn’t been werewolves, they might have died from their wounds. They would have been trapped in hospital for months, then endured grueling physical therapy to recover their strength after spending too much time in bed.

I was flying out in the morning, returning to Mongolia and my tribe. It wasn’t all bad news. From a business standpoint, we were doing better than ever. I had Shiki and the others to thank for.

Cristian unbuttoned his shirt and took it off, dropping it on the floor. He sat behind me, pulling me between his spread legs and started kneading my shoulders. “How are you holding up?”

I leaned back, seeking more contact. He stopped the massage and crossed his arms around my chest.

“I’m all better now.”

He chuckled and buried his nose in the crook of my neck. “You’re easy to please.”

I sighed and raised my arms, locking them behind his head. “What can I say, you have this mysterious power over me. You make me feel relaxed. Then it switches to horny beyond belief.”

Cristian cupped my face, turning me slightly. His lips hovered over mine and suddenly there was no air to breathe. He pressed a kiss to my lips, keeping me there, close, without taking it any further. When he pulled back, my eyesight was turning hazy.

I stared into his eyes, mesmerized by the golden flecks in them. I didn’t have that, I had the straight up golden circle around my irises. He had both, which I knew was a little unusual.  I got up and straddled his hips, sitting on his groin. He hissed as I pressed into his erection and I rolled my hips, just to hear another sound of pleasure from his lips.

Cristian moved back on the bed, dragging me along. It was awkward and hot at the same time, the way he clung to me and wouldn’t let me go too far. I settled between his spread legs, shuddering when he gripped my ass and pressed our cocks together.

I reveled in the heat of his body, his scent enveloping me, and the strength of his arms as he held me.

Cristian cleared his throat and fussed around, trying to settle against the headboard. “So…” he bit his lower lip and looked through me instead of at me. “Wanna take the lead tonight?”

I coughed out a laugh and blinked rapidly. “Take the what? You mean… top?”

Cristian groaned and closed his eyes. “No. Yes… I mean, sort of.”

I pinched his chin between my thumb and forefinger and lifted it, waiting for him to open his eyes. “What exactly do you want to know? If I want to fuck you, as in my dick in your ass? Sure. Do I suffer from a sudden bout of dominance? Then, no.”

“No?” His eyes widened, his lips moving without making a sound. He frowned and stared at me, rubbing his chin. “But you’re a beta. Alpha in waiting. You’re a dominant wolf.”

I huffed and moved back from him, sitting with my legs folded under me. “Cristian, it’s not that simple. Try to tell me what to do or expect me to quietly follow anywhere outside of a bedroom, and unless it involves fucking, I will rip your head off. In bed though? I like a dominant partner.” I shrugged and looked away, avoiding his intense gaze. “That’s a lie, actually. I don’t like a dominant partner. I need one.”

“Are you serious?” There was a tone of reverence in his tone. “That’s… unexpected.”

I huffed and let my eyes meet his. “Tell me about it! Finding a partner was always a tough one. Especially within my tribe. Not of them looking to dominate their future alpha…”

“Is that why it didn’t work out between you and Shiki?”

My jaw dropped, eyes so big, they hurt. “You—”

“He didn’t tell me,” Cristian said. He smiled, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. “I figured it out on my own. No matter how close a friendship, you two are too at ease with each other. Only past lovers act like that.”

I sighed and rubbed my forehead. “Cristian, there was nothing that could have worked out between me and Shiki.”

“Because of Blake? I kept wondering if it hurt you to stay Shiki’s friend.”

I laughed and shook my head. “You are the most caring man I’ve ever met. Also an idiot.”

He opened his mouth to protest, but I placed my hand over it and shook my head. “I don’t hurt at all around Shiki and Blake. Shiki is my best friend. I never wanted it to be more, he certainly never wanted anything like that. We were horny and we enjoyed the fuck out of those particular benefits of our friendship. But there were no romantic feelings involved.”

I released him and pressed a kiss to his lips. “Next time, before you shut someone out and do your best to keep them at arm’s length, maybe talk to them first.”

He nodded, then tilted his head and stared at me. “Maybe.”

I rolled my eyes, wondering if I looked as childish as Shiki doing it. “Sure, be stubborn, that will get you laid.”

Cristian lunged and grabbed me. He rolled us over and landed on top of me. “I can get laid just fine. As for a next time… What if it doesn’t happen?”

I wanted to ask what he meant, but failed. He shut me up with a kiss and I got lost in him, in how he worked my body in a way that almost made me believe we’d been having sex for ages. The words were etched in my mind throughout the rest of the night. Did he mean he wanted this to continue after the council? Could it mean anything else? I hoped not, with every bone in my body.

***

We’d been locked in my father’s office for what seemed like hours. I was tired and hungry, I dreaded being stuck in one place for long. After those long days of grueling meetings at the council, this wasn’t what I wanted at my return home.

Yet here I was, debating options and reviewing information with my father and his trusted advisers. Most of them were alphas of the largest Mongolian packs. One exception: Dimitri. He was standing in for the loyal Russians. So very few of those… The Russian wolves who’d moved to Mongolia permanently, some lone souls, and the packs whose enigmatic leaders had traveled to Ulaanbaatar to meet me. It hardly amounted to a third of the tribe.

“Do we know who’s responsible for the attacks?” I asked, bouncing my knee. “It’s been a long time, we should have some reliable data.”

Father shook his head, his eyes fixed on the papers in front of him. He’s always been great with computers, but he prefers hard copies. He thumbed them for a while, then locked eyes with me. “Nothing confirmed. Most information points to the mob-stained packs.” His gritted teeth distorted the words slightly.

I groaned and grabbed the edge of the table. The mob had been this siren call for a lot of the Russian packs. It made for easy profits and gave them a sense of increased power. Of control over others. A lot of the packs gave in. Which means we were faced with the bulk of the Russians and we had little to no chance of this ending up as anything but a bloody mess.

“They aren’t a solid block. It’s why the information is hard to confirm. Some packs claim to know nothing of it, want to distance themselves,” Dimitri said.

“We can’t trust that,” Chinggis said, his head dipping. “It might be a ruse to send us on a wild goose chase. Or they might not be involved at all. We all know how mobsters are.” He sneered and I almost thought he’d spit on the floor. “They take credit for anything that makes them look menacing.”

I shrugged, my head tilted to the side, eyes fixed on the empty center of the desk we sat around. “I don’t know. I don’t think they’re jumping at the chance to boost their street cred.”

“Why do you say that? Are we trusting hunches now?” Batbayar, a mammoth of a man, stared at me, small, beady eyes filled with contempt. He’d always treated me like a child; nothing changed even after I became his beta.

“We can’t sit on our asses until we are 110% sure of who did it, old man. They are getting bolder. Soon enough they’ll rush this compound and try to kill us in our sleep.”

Batbayar snorted, looking away from me. “The impulsiveness of youth. All attacks have been repelled.”

I growl and slam my fist into the desk. “They weren’t repelled. I barely made it out alive in Russia. And my men almost died protecting me at the council.”

“That’s their duty, son,” he hissed, his voice void of warmth.

“I am not your son. I am the offspring of strength.”

He stood and towered over the desk, his eyes burning with rage. I grinned in response, hoping he’d push me. I never hid the fact I hated him. Always too cautious, always trying to placate the Russians, even when we would have been better off being firm and punishing them. They didn’t get this bold despite our shows of strength. We’d been too lenient of late and I never challenged him.

“Enough,” Chinggis shouted. He pushed his chair back and stood, towering over the meeting. He wasn’t the tallest in the room, but he seemed like he was. His alpha blood radiated through the room, every werewolf present looking down and sideways, their necks partly exposed.

Father glared at me when I didn’t show the same deference. His eyes softened and squinted, a sad smile on his face. I sighed and showed my throat, then slumped in my chair.

“The time for twiddling our thumbs is gone,” he said, weariness sending cold chills down my spine. I’d forgotten he was not in the prime of his life anymore. It must have been rough for him, knowing his son and his tribe’s future were in mortal danger, appeasing his packs. He didn’t need me squabbling with Batbayar.

“We can’t strike without thinking either,” the old wolf said, his eyes snapping at me.

“Enough, Batbayar,” Chinggis interrupted him, his alpha voice demanding another show of obedience which Batbayar quickly offered. “They tried to kill this future alpha twice. They didn’t make us look weak to our tribe, they made us look weak to all tribes.”

I nodded and crossed my arms over my chest. “We came close to being bled dry by the other tribes.”

Batbayar laughed at that, a short bark that turned into a snarl. “Yes, at least you could handle that much with dignity.”

“I didn’t.”

“What do you mean?” He smiled at me, rubbing his hands together.

“The Sons, the Dacians, and the Dragons of the Fang backing us took care of it. Without them, we’d watch our tribe losing money on every contract.”

Batbayar opened his mouth to say something, but a sharp cutting motion from my father interrupted him. “We all know you do not want to cooperate with other tribes. It’s proved helpful though. My son had the right of it, sparing the young Dragon’s life.”

I covered my mouth with my hand, not wanting to gasp. My father had never supported me out in the open. He let me fend for myself until I convinced most of his advisors killing Shiki would have had dire consequences. Batbayar had been my most vocal opponent and Chinggis refused to take sides. It had been a majority decision, not an order from the alpha.

“Dimitri, have our allies sent any new information?” Father asked, his voice softening further.

Dimitri nodded, ignoring Batbayar and others who were still trying to get him banished from all decision making. Were he not the only connection we had to loyal Russians, my father might have done it just to shut them up.

“Good news, for once. More of the Russian tribes who are not affiliated with the mob responded to their attempts at contact. Some are willing to fight on our side. Others will stay clear of any conflict. Either way, it’s fewer enemies for us to tackle.”

“Good,” Chinggis said. He gathered his papers and stood. “That’s all for now. Our spies will continue to investigate and coordinate with all our allies. We’ll give it a couple of days and then meet again. We can’t delay taking action any longer. Not unless we want to have them attacking us in our homes.”

Batbayar tried to get Chinggis’s attention as he turned to leave but failed. He turned his attention to me, showing his teeth. I quirked an eyebrow and stood, straightening and clenching my fists. I knew he wouldn’t challenge me to a fight, he couldn’t take the beta position from me even if he were a few decades younger. I could dream about it. It would work better on releasing some of my tension than the punching bags in my gym.

Dimitri came close and clapped my back. “Let’s go, my friend. You promised me a sparring session.”

I threw my head back and laughed. “After you. And thanks for asking me to spar. After this meeting, I needed one.”

Dimitri smiled and held the door for me. “I can’t wait for this mess to be cleared. These meetings are not for me.”

I stepped outside and made my way to my cabin and the private gym. I didn’t have the heart to tell Dimitri his role as the alpha’s adviser was not temporary. I took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air and trying to clear my head. I remembered my holier than though sermons to Shiki after finding out he’d beat the crap out of some Chinese leaders during a meeting. The more I had to deal with Russians trying to kill me and some of the Mongolians challenging me, the more I saw things Shiki’s way.

***

I shivered as I entered my bedroom, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around my waist. The room felt cold after the steamy shower and my nipples hardened. I threw myself on the bed, face down, thinking that a few minutes of lying there would help me muster enough energy to get under the sheets.

Dimitri had kept me in the gym for far longer than we’d agreed. We were exhausted by the time we were done, and he’d then dragged me to his place for dinner. He’d drowned me in vodka and wine, stuffed me with his mate’s Michelin star level cooking, and walked me home.

It was late, I was bone tired, and it had been what I’d needed. Now, collapsed on my bed, my mind was void of worry. Or too inebriated to worry.

I rolled to my back and squirmed about until I got under the sheets, my towel discarded. I moaned at the sensation of cool, soft sheets on my skin. It felt like a gentle, full-body caress.

My phone started ringing and I groaned and the interruption. I enjoyed the dead silence of the compound at night. We were too far from populated areas and heavily used roads. So once the bulk of us went to sleep, there was nothing but quiet night out there. The thick windows and walls took care of whatever hum was left and one’s own breathing was the loudest sound one heard.

“Speak,” I mumbled, plastering the phone to my ear, eyes closed.

Deep laughter rumbled through the line. “Hello to you too. I could talk dirty to you if you insist.”

“Cristian.” His name left my lips on a whisper, longing gripping my heart and squeezing. I missed him, more than I thought I would. My body ached for him and my heart thudded in my chest, starved for his presence. What the hell was wrong with me?

“How are you?”

“Drunk and naked.” I licked my lips, my hand closing around my hardening cock.

Cristian groaned and cursed, his voice sounding muffled. “Don’t you fucking touch yourself!”

I whimpered, but released my cock. “That’s so not fair.”

“Not fair?” He laughed again, the sound sending tingles of pleasure down my spine. “You never call, you never write, and I’m the unfair one?”

Shame washed over me. He was right. I’d been awful at keeping in touch. At first, I didn’t imagine we would, and then… Then he’d tried his damnedest to reach out to me, to keep our connection alive. I always postponed it because the Russians, the meetings, my worrying kept me busy. And my fear. I liked Cristian. I was crushing on him like a teenage wolf in heat. And he felt so far away after I’d returned. I was afraid of how I felt.

“I miss you,” I said, the words registering too late. I was too drunk to say anything but what I felt. “I miss you so much, it scares the life out of me. I hardly know you.”

Cristian sighed, the silence seeping through my soul and chilling me to the bone.

“Sorry.”

“What for? Being honest with me? I miss you too, you know.”

“My body is on fire at the sound of your voice. Fuck, the thought of you gets me hard.”

He moaned, a deep, warm sound that made my balls ache with need. “You should get drunk more often.”

“You should come visit.” I covered my mouth with my hand, my eyes popping open. What the fuck did I just do? I had no time for this, my tribe was on the brink of civil war, and all I wanted was Cristian to hold me.

“Done. I can be there the day after tomorrow.”

I sat up, letting go of the breath I was holding. “Really?” I should have felt ashamed or at least guilty that I wanted him here so badly. That I cared about that more than I cared about the assassination attempts and the . The truth was the conflicts in my tribe wouldn’t be fixed anytime soon.

I closed my eyes, going back over my memories of him, the way he looked, his smile, that longish, ragged hair that always looked like he’d just woken up. His hands on me, his lips commanding mine.

“Are you still there?” I can hear the amusement in his voice and it relaxes me.

“Hurry up and get here.”

“Will do. Don’t you fucking dare come before I get there.”

I groaned at the harsh, commanding tone. “Why not?”

“Because I miss the taste of your come and I want all of that goodness flowing down my throat.”

I shuddered and groaned, squeezing the base of my cock. I could come from his words alone, and he knew it. “Stop teasing me then. I’ll save it all for you.”

***

“Go see the doc,” I said, squeezing his left shoulder, the one that had not been torn open. I didn’t know the man, I didn’t catch his name. He was from a pack in the south, the closest one to Ulaanbaatar. He had driven all the way here with his arm almost ripped off. All to let us know.

“That’s the third attack today,” Dimitri muttered. “No victims yet, but they are trying to sabotage us every way they can.”

“Injure our man, fuck with our businesses, keep us under threat. These attacks are not random.”

He shook his head and sighed. “No, they are coordinated. More of them here, in Mongolia. What do you think is their end game?”

I thought about it for a minute and exhaled. “Cripple us, distract us. I think they are planning a larger scale attack. They’re just testing our defenses for now.”

“More of them crossed into Mongolian territory.”

“Proves my point. We have to stay sharp.” My father’s ban on Russian wolves traveling freely to Mongolia was still in place. They didn’t care much for it and ignored it.

Dimitri took a side step, standing close to me. “We’ll keep them at bay. For now.”

I closed my eyes and rubbed, trying to clear my head and my vision at the same time. Dimitri was right. We could fend off their attacks. Maybe fight them off if they came at us in a larger group. But unless we acted soon, we’d be forced to stay on the defensive. We’d look weak.