Chapter Seven: All Kinds of Revelations

Mateo braced himself for the truth, a truth he knew would only add onto the guilt he was already feeling. After talking to his sister, he knew that he was wrong over how he handled everything in regards to Juniper. He does trust her, but he would need to prove it because he was sure she wouldn’t just roll over and accept a statement.

“You need to understand that what we’re about to tell you is the truth and the absolute truth. We witnessed it ourselves and it was the most amazing thing in the world,” Boris spoke up.

Mateo nodded. “We’re listening.”

“Alright! As you should all know, there are different kinds of witches in the world, and the most powerful of those witches are the Naturalist witches. They are the only witches that are able to manipulate and control the elements at will. Fifteen years ago, one of the oldest witches around, Odessa, who is actually the oldest Naturalist witch, collected an army of other witches. She put them under her control and ordered them to kill all the Naturalist witches around. They succeeded in killing everyone, except one. They couldn’t kill him because he’s only half a Naturalist witch, and half a sorcerer. His sorcerer side saved him,” Balthazar started off, before giving them some time to digest his words.

“Ten years ago, a little girl experienced something that freaked her out as her whole body came alight with fire, yet she wasn’t burning. Since the sorcerer had already known of this, he’d told her grandparents what to do when the time comes. It turned out that she had the ability to control the elements, which meant that she was a Naturalist witch. A few days ago, she had her first shift as a werewolf. Being an Alpha’s daughter, she was meant to shift five years ago, but she didn’t because the witch in her was still in training. On her eighteenth birthday, she unknowingly became a full witch, which allowed her wolf to then come out; something you all got to witness when she had her first shift, if I’m not mistaken,” he said. They nodded in agreement.

He continued. “Yesterday morning, in Monte Carlo, she had to complete her transformation by accepting her witch, except that’s not exactly what happened. Instead of a simple procedure, she was confronted by both her witch and her wolf. They stressed that accepting the both of them would bring her problems in the future, but that she had a great destiny to fulfill and would need them both. They gave her the choice to choose one of them and lose the other, but she chose to keep them both. As a direct descendant of Odessa, she’s currently the most powerful being on the face of the planet, and as your Luna, she’s going to need your help with the troubles coming in the future. She’s the only one who will be able to defeat Odessa when the time comes.”

Silence washed over the room with a mixture of confusion, disbelief and awe. Mateo and his pack members didn’t know what to say. They’d all known that Juniper must be special for shifting so late, but they never, in a million years, thought that that was the reason.

“So, I was right? She is a witch?” Anastasia said lowly.

“Correct dear! She is the third and only other Naturalist witch, and only they can teleport themselves and others,” Boris emphasized, looking straight at Mateo. The Alpha couldn’t help but feel even more stupid in that moment.

“You’re Balthazar, the half witch and half sorcerer, aren’t you?” Sam asked the man wide-eyed.

Balthazar nodded. “Correct!”

“Why kidnap her?” Alexa asked.

“Mateo wouldn’t have let us talk to her otherwise, and don’t even try and deny it,” Boris said, staring the Alpha right in the eyes. Mateo shrugged, knowing that his words were true.

“So, you only kidnapped her to help her accept her witch and then bring her back? What do you get out of it?” Orion asked.

“We need hers and your help. As you’ve all learned, Mark here is Juniper’s half-brother. Dayton and Gail Evigan are not true mates. Before they mated, Dayton had found his true mate, Mark’s mother. Soon after they mated, she was kidnapped. He spent time looking for her, but he soon gave up and deemed her dead. She was pregnant while she’d been kidnapped and was alive until she died giving birth to Mark. Four years later, Dayton mated Gail while Boris and I found Mark at an orphanage. We adopted him and raised him. He is the rightful heir to the Litmus Pack, and we need your help to help him claim his title,” Balthazar explained.

Mateo narrowed his eyes. “Why now?”

“The plan was to rescue Juniper first, but we didn’t know where she was until she surfaced on her birthday. We planned to get her the next day, but her parents kicked her out of the pack before we could reach her and she ended up here. While Mark wants to take up his rightful title, he wanted to find his sister first and make sure that she was okay before doing so,” Boris replied.

Mateo formed a new respect for Mark in that moment. He understood just how much of a sacrifice Mark had made from that alone. When an Alpha male doesn’t get treated as so, it can get very irritating for their wolf. Mark’s wolf must be going insane knowing that his title is about to be given to someone else and that he had to wait to find his sister first.

“You have our help in whatever you need, but Royce is going to be a challenge for you,” Mateo pointed out.

“Juniper said the last time she checked, he didn’t want to be Alpha,” Balthazar commented. Mateo couldn’t believe it.

“Son of a bitch lied to her! Royce has always wanted to be Alpha. When his pack was wiped out, he thought it was over for him and his dream, until he stumbled onto Litmus and found out that his little brother had been chosen to be the Alpha-to-be after he defeated June. Royce couldn’t have that, so of course he told Dayton and Gail the truth about who he was. Since he’s older and stronger than Jacob, they made him Alpha-to-be. It was everything he wanted and more. His old pack was only twentieth in the world, so to jump from twentieth to second is a huge achievement for him. He will not let that position go without a fight,” Mateo explained.

“Why lie to June though?” Anastasia asked.

“He wants her for himself! He was going to play the whole ‘I don’t see you in that way’ card and then pounce on her later. He knows there’s a deeper reason as to why she hadn’t shifted,” Valentine said in realization.

Mateo frowned. “It’s no wonder he has every Alpha in the world searching for her.”

“You mean he still doesn’t know she’s here, or that she’s shifted already?” Mark asked.

“No, he doesn’t. On the day June shifted, I took her down to the lake and she told me everything about her birthday, her life and how they met and all. When I asked her if she wanted to let him know that she was okay, she refused, insisting that she wanted to be stronger and a whole new person before seeing him again. I told her that she could accompany me to Litmus for his inauguration ball since they’ve invited all the Alphas to witness this spectacle,” Mateo replied.

“That’s the perfect place to crash with this announcement,” Max smirked. His thinking reminded Mateo of June. He understood why she loved being around him so much. They had an understanding of each other.

Orion chuckled. “Max makes a good point - evil, but good.”

“Alpha Mateo can only take a plus one. How on earth are the rest of us going to get in?” Sam asked.

“Boy, you have two witches; a really powerful Naturalist witch, a half sorcerer, an all-round feared Alpha and a pack of the strongest wolves around. Do you really think it’s going to be that hard?” Boris patronized, making everyone laugh a little, save for Mateo.

“Like June said, Royce’s defiance is meaningless because he isn’t the rightful heir to the title,” Balthazar added.

“I take it she agreed to help then?” Mateo asked.

“She’s my sister. What do you think?” Mark asked, deadpan. Mateo knew that he was upset about the fight between him and June.

“So, what are you going to do about Royce wanting June for himself?” Orion asked Mateo.

Mateo shrugged. “Nothing!”

“Doesn’t Royce have his own mate?” Alexa asked.

“His mate was killed when his pack was attacked,” Mateo informed.

“So, just like you, he’s mate-less and you’re both after the same girl?” Sam asked.

“That would be correct, except Mateo already has her. I don’t know what your fight was about, but you need to fix the situation. I know where she is right now and I’m not going to tell you where that is, but I will tell you that you need to seriously convince her to come back,” Balthazar told Mateo who nodded in understanding.

After his talk with Valentine, he was fully aware of the situation.

“So witches can mind-link too?” Max asked curiously.

“Only Naturalist witches can,” Balthazar replied.

“So you link with her using that side of yourself?” Trey asked. Balthazar nodded.

“While I’m not as powerful as Odessa and June, I do have certain capabilities that they do. Of the elements, I can only control fire and air,” Balthazar added. Something in Orion’s mind clicked.

“Matt, didn’t Domitius say that he needed a Naturalist witch to find out which covens the vampires come from?” Orion asked him.

Mateo nodded. “He did!”

“Ah, he needs a Naturalist witch to lift their coven signs. I cannot do that for him, but June can, except she’s going to need to train with a few spells first before doing a spell as big as that one,” Balthazar said.

“Will you train her?” Mateo asked.

“I will! I can actually train her while you come up with a way of making peace with her,” Balthazar suggested.

“That’s perfect! We can all help,” Valentine smiled at her brother. He was grateful for the offer.

“Here’s to bringing back June and saving the world,” Max cheered, making them laugh, save for Mateo. He just shook his head at his Gamma, both amused and relieved.

“I’m really sorry June,” he linked her, hoping that she would somehow get his message.

***

I made it to the hotel and went to the penthouse that Balthazar had arranged for me. I was drained from crying and from everything that had happened today. I really do believe that Mateo can be a mate for me. He just needs to believe it and prove it to himself before I can fully accept him.

Driving all the way here, I realized that I wasn’t mad at him anymore, and neither was I hurt. Yes, I needed space from him, but I wasn’t upset anymore. I think we just both really want this, but we jumped into it too quickly. We don’t really know each other.

Heck, I don’t even know myself.

I was away for five years and I haven’t really got to know the world around me yet. I’m not saying I’m going to suddenly take off and tour the world; I mean that I just want to take the time to figure out things like what my favorite food is and stuff like that.

I stripped off my surprisingly wet clothes from my body. Now that I’d admitted that I wasn’t upset anymore, it had stopped raining. Instead, the night was replaced by a cool atmosphere. It was actually pretty comforting as I jumped into the hot shower. I felt peaceful with my thoughts on everything I want to do with my life from now on.

“I’m really sorry June.”

I jumped in surprise at the intrusion of Mateo’s voice before I realized that I must’ve unconsciously let my block down. I didn’t really know whether to reply or not, especially since I could hear the sincerity in his voice. By now he must know the whole truth, and Valentine probably chewed his head off for letting me leave, but knowing her, she also set him on the right path.

“I’m sorry too,” I decided to reply. I think he was surprised that I actually did from how long he took to respond.

“You have nothing to be sorry about. I’m the one who made you feel bad without knowing the full truth,” he finally responded.

I sighed. “I know you did, but I also know that deep down you didn’t mean to. Besides, I’m the one who hid the truth from you in the first place.”

“Are you okay where you are?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m okay! I’m actually in the shower right now,” I informed.

“June,” he groaned.

“I’m sorry, but I am. I’m not sure if I’m safe though, since I’m not exactly on the territory,” I realized.

“Where are you?” he asked.

“At the hotel just outside our territory,” I responded.

“I trust in your capability to take care of yourself now that I know the truth about you, but I could send Max over to stay with you? Boris and Balthazar will be with you from tomorrow to start your witch training,” he replied.

“Witch training?” I asked in surprise.

“Yes! We need you to perform an important spell that will lead us to finding out where the vampires who attacked Ana’s home came from and Balthazar says you need to train before you can pull off a spell like that,” he explained.

“Why can’t Ana do the spell herself?” I asked.

“Domitius says it needs to be done by a Naturalist witch and Balthazar says he’s not able to perform it, so you have to,” he informed me.

“Oh, okay! I guess I’ll train with them then. What about Mark?” I questioned.

“He’s staying here so that I can teach him how to be an Alpha. He’s going to be training with me, which reminds me. You’re going to be training with Trey once you come back so that he can teach you the basics of combat,” he replied.

“Why can’t you teach me?” I unconsciously whined.

“Because baby doll, fighting with me will be your final training,” he replied smugly. I rolled my eyes even though a swarm of butterflies erupted in my stomach from hearing his term of endearment again.

“Whatever,” I giggled.

“Should I send Max over?” he asked.

“Yes please,” I replied sweetly. He took a while to reply.

“Okay, he’s on his way, even though he’s yelling profanities since you took his baby,” he replied. From the tone of his voice, I could tell that he was amused.

“It’s the only one I could recognize in that damn garage,” I mumbled.

“It’s okay! I gave him my car to drive, which I’m guessing you’ll be the one to drive back here,” he said. That struck a thought.

“Are you okay with me being away?” I nervously asked. There was a long pause.

“I won’t lie and say that I am, but I understand that you need time to yourself and I need time to work on figuring out everything too. I still want to be your mate if you’ll have me, but I know now that I have to work at it and convince you, so maybe this time apart is a good thing,” he replied. I could hear the vulnerability in his voice.

He really must’ve received some talk.

“Will you miss me?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“Every second, of every hour, of every day,” he replied without hesitation. My heart melted at his words. Even if I wanted to still be mad at him, I couldn’t - not after that.

“I’ll miss you too,” I whispered.

He sighed. “I have to go now baby doll. Please stay safe.”

“I promise I will. Goodnight babe,” I replied happily.

“Goodnight baby doll,” he replied before blocking his link.

I left the shower feeling a whole lot better than I did when I left the house. I’m glad to have made peace with Mateo. I know for a fact that it would’ve bothered me and I wouldn’t have been able to sleep. I think this way we’re both satisfied.

***

It’s been almost a month since I first stumbled onto Vistas territory, so it means that I’ve been away for almost three and a half weeks. It hasn’t been the easiest time.

Witch training with Balthazar and Boris is proving to be fairly easy. I’ve managed to grasp a lot of the stuff pretty quickly, surprising them and myself. I can now perform all basic spells, all next level spells and half of the hard ones without setting anyone on fire (you’d be surprised how often that happens).

Max has been with me the whole time. He wasn’t really all that upset that I took his car (although a lot of bribery was involved to achieve this ‘cool manner’). My brother has been drowning in his Alpha training, which means I’ve only seen him about twice since that day. Everyone else I haven’t seen at all, save for Trey.

Mateo and I have been mind-linking every night, getting to know each other. I’ve been telling him about my adventure to find out things about myself and apparently, he’s also learning a lot about himself through his new approach with some things, and his training of my brother.

I even think he may laugh one of these days.

He sounds happier and more carefree, but I miss him like crazy. There have been too many days when I’ve wanted to just go back to him and forget we ever took time apart. I know he misses me too because he doesn’t let me forget that he does. Things between us are honestly looking up and even I couldn’t be happier.

The only thing I hate my mate for is actually sending Trey here on a surprise visit to start my training. I was having such a lovely nap, only to be rudely woken up by that monster. Seriously, it’s not hard to figure out why Trey is our pack’s Enforcer. The boy is just good at what he does, and making other people do it too. You may not want to, but once you’re in it, you get better at it.

“You’re still not bending your knee in time, June. If you were fighting a vampire, they would’ve jumped onto your shoulders and ripped your head off. You need to do this right!” Trey stressed.

“What I need to do, is rest,” I panted. That made him and Max chuckle as I lay on the floor.

“This is the longest you’ve actually trained. I’ve never heard of anyone who willingly trained with Trey for more than two hours, let alone five,” Max said proudly.

“Yeah, well, my last training session is with Mateo and I want to totally smoke his ass,” I smirked.

“And we definitely don’t doubt that you will! I’ve seen him fight and I’m proud to say that you’re just as good as he is. That is definitely a fight worth watching,” Trey said.

“Thanks for the belief,” I smiled.

“It’s a pleasure,” he winked.

After calling it a day, I went to take a nice, long hot shower. My body was aching everywhere though, and that had never really happened to me before. I was awkwardly stretching in the shower, trying to get my muscles to work again, and I finally succeeded after changing the temperature of the water. When I stepped out of the room, dressed and all, I found that Max had made me lunch. Trey always goes back to the territory when we’re done training.

“Oh Max, you sweet little munchkin,” I beamed.

He raised an amused eyebrow. “I’m the little one?”

“We can’t all be tall in life Maxi,” I teased.

He narrowed his eyes at me. “Juniper, are you calling me little?”

“I did no such thing,” I giggled.

“Oh, but I believe you did,” he smirked.

I crossed my arms. “Prove it.”

“I, uh,” he stuttered.

“Thought so,” I smirked.

“Evil,” he muttered.

I pecked his cheek. “No Maxi, I’m just smarter.”

“So, are you going back home anytime soon? I mean, not that this hasn’t been awesome or anything,” he quickly added.

“I want to,” I admitted.

“Then why don’t you?” he asked.

“I don’t know! Something feels wrong, you know? I feel like there’s still something I have to do before going back. It’s an itching feeling,” I explained.

“Scratch it,” he chuckled.

I whacked him with a cushion. “Idiot!”

“I’m kidding, but what do you think it is?” he asked.

“I don’t know! It’s like it feels like something bad is going to happen or attempt to happen,” I replied.

“And Super Wolf and her trustee sidekick Little Wolf will battle it together,” he mocked, making me laugh.

“There is something certifiably wrong with you,” I said.

“We can attest to that,” Balthazar and Boris said as they walked in. They’d gone to visit someone.

Max shrugged. “You guys are just jealous.”

“June, we need to devise a plan quickly. There’s a planned attack on the pack that’s due to happen tonight and we need to stop it,” Balthazar spoke. I gave Max the ‘you see?’ look.

“Who’s attacking?” I asked.

“A pack of rogues, but they’ve been sent by someone else. We haven’t been able to discover who that is at the moment, but we need to stop the attack in any case,” Boris replied.

“Okay! How many rogues are we talking about here?” I asked.

Balthazar pursed his lips. “About five hundred.”

“That’s a lot of rogues!” Max said beside me.

“Whoever is behind it is clearly getting braver by the second if they would dare to attack Vistas like that. The sneaky bastards would’ve hurt a lot of people since they were going to attack in the night,” Boris said angrily.

“How did you find out about the attack?” I asked them.

“We happened to be scouting the woods for a specific herb when we heard a group of rogues talking about how their pay was worth risking their lives to take down Vistas and that they couldn’t wait to attack tonight,” Boris replied.

“Alright! Has Mateo been notified?” I asked.

“No! We want this to be your first mission using your powers. He can hear about it once you’ve succeeded,” Balthazar replied. I nodded in understanding.

“Secret mission! Oh yeah!” Max said excitedly.

“It isn’t going to be easy, June. Five hundred wolves are a lot, but they’re also not a match for your powers if you get everything right,” Boris stressed.

“Max, you’re also going to be helping. You’re going to be our bait,” Balthazar smirked.

“Why do I not like the sound of that?” Max groaned.

Boris chuckled. “Probably because we’re going to have to injure you first.”

“Boris, I’m beginning to think that you’re a sadist that likes injuring me,” Max narrowed his eyes at him while I giggled.

“Just with you Maxi! There’s just something irresistible about you,” Boris said in a girly voice. Balthazar and I died of laughter while Max scowled.

We spent the rest of the afternoon coming up with a plan for tonight. According to Balthazar, I would be completely exhausted after tonight, so they made me eat a feast for two so that I could be fully energized. They even forced me into a three hour nap, but I was grateful for it because by the time the rogues came, I was ready for them.

***

Mateo sat in his office, going through all his previous ‘missions’. After Balthazar told him that he’d been running around in circles, he was furious to say the least. He was trying to find the common denominator between the missions, but he was coming up short. He was startled when Orion rushed into his office.

“I can’t even describe this. You have to come and see it for yourself,” his best friend said as he shook his head with a smile.

“What’s going on?” Mateo asked as he followed him out.

“Our Luna is kickass, that’s what!” Orion said before shifting into his wolf and taking off. At the mention of June, Mateo followed suit.

Mateo could see an orange ray of light ahead, but he never expected it to be what he ended up seeing. Right there, floating in the air above what looked like rogues, was his mate, and she was, as his Beta had said, ‘kicking ass’.

Her eyes were glowing white as she attacked the wolves with her elemental powers. She had them surrounded by the fire even though the fire was spreading onto both Vistas and Litmus territory. He was sure Dayton would be visiting him soon, but at that moment, he didn’t care.

He watched as Juniper killed the rogues one by one. By now, even his pack members had come to witness. He was sure that, by now, they would know that their Luna is quite the powerful creature. He honestly couldn’t have been more proud than he was at that moment.

When all the rogues were killed, she went back to normal and landed safely on the ground, except she was swaying as though she were lightheaded. Mateo had shifted and was at her side in an instance, catching her just as she was going down.

She gave him a small and weak smile. “You came.”

He kissed her forehead. “You were fantastic, baby doll.”

“I’m so tired,” she whispered.

“It’s okay, baby doll. I’m taking you home now,” he replied.

“I’d like that,” she smiled before passing out.

“She did it!” Boris said excitedly.

Mateo frowned. “You knew about this?”

“Yes we did. We found out that the rogues would be attacking, so we made this her mission to test everything we’ve taught her and she succeeded indeed,” Balthazar informed. Mateo was once again proud of her.

“Are you taking her back home? I know she’d like that. She didn’t want to come back yet because she felt like something was about to happen and that’s when Boris and Balthazar told us about the rogues. Now that that’s over, I think she really wants to come back,” Max explained.

“After that, I don’t think he was going to have it any other way,” Orion chuckled.

“It’s about damn time in any case,” Balthazar smiled.

Everyone returned to their homes while Max, Boris and Balthazar returned to the hotel to fetch everything. It turned out that Boris would be driving Mateo’s car back to the pack house; not that Mateo actually cared. With his mate in his arms, nothing and no one else mattered to him in that moment.

He got to the pack house and didn’t waste time in taking her to their room. He watched her sleep for a few moments before he remembered that there was something he’d wanted to do. He left for his office and got to the task, hoping to get something out of it.

“Santiago! What are you doing calling me so late?” Royce answered the phone.

“I was on the phone with an informant and they told me that they’ve heard that Juniper is in Argentina,” Mateo lied.

“Argentina? What the hell is she doing there?” Royce asked.

“I don’t know, but she’s with her mate,” Mateo replied. There was silence on the other line for the longest time, and Mateo knew that he had him.

“Oh! At least she’s happy,” Royce’s voice faltered. Mateo picked up on the fake tone in seconds.

“Yeah, so you should probably call off the search for her. She’ll come home when she’s ready to,” Mateo played.

Royce sighed. “That probably makes sense. Thanks for the help, man.”

“Anytime! How are the Alpha preparations coming along?” Mateo asked.

“I don’t know why, but Dayton has the pack members training like crazy. It’s insane, but then again, I don’t ask questions. Gail is the one working her ass off for the inauguration. Jake’s still mad and this chick Faith is on my case. I told her that she could stand by my side for the inauguration and now she thinks she’s Luna. It’s crazy man,” Royce chuckled. From what June had told him about Faith, Mateo knew that Royce was lying about her too.

“The perks of being an Alpha-to-be, Fallon. You’ve got to keep everyone happy,” Mateo pointed out.

“I know! If it wasn’t for Eddy, I would’ve got rid of her ass though,” Royce replied.

“Be nice,” Mateo warned.

“Yeah, whatever! How are things that side? Still the same old boring, scary pack?” Royce teased. Mateo was amused by his perspective.

“You know it! We’re still fighting off wolves who dare to think that they’re stronger than us,” Mateo cockily replied.

“Someone will eventually take you down,” Royce chuckled. That statement alone annoyed Mateo.

“Is there something you know that I don’t, Fallon?” Mateo asked.

“Nah man! I’m just saying that one day someone will figure out your weakness and use it against you,” Royce replied.

“It’s a good thing I don’t have weaknesses then,” Mateo said smugly. While other Alphas worry that their mates are their weaknesses, Mateo doesn’t even pay heed to that notion.

“Wow, that confident?” Royce asked, clearly sounding surprised.

“Yeah! The word weakness doesn’t exist in my books,” Mateo replied.

“Oh, well alright man! See you in two weeks’ time?” Royce asked.

“Sure,” Mateo responded.

“You bringing a date?” Royce enquired curiously.

“I’m bringing a Luna,” Mateo said before hanging up. He needed to leave Royce curious.

He left his office to join his mate in bed. She was deep in it, with his biggest clue being her ‘starfish formation’. He changed into his nightwear and got into the bed, pulling her into him. He’d missed her and he couldn’t be happier to have her with him.

His slumber was interrupted hours later by an incessant mind-link, as well as his wolf’s agitation. He couldn’t understand what was going on as he opened his eyes. Juniper was still sound asleep in his arms. He rolled over to check the time and found that it was ten to eight in the morning.

Who the hell could be linking him at this time on a Friday morning?

“What?” he snapped at the person.

“Alpha, there are people here to see you at the southern border,” one of the guys on patrol replied.

“Who is it?” Mateo asked.

“Alpha Dayton and some of his men,” the guy replied.

“Tell them to wait there,” Mateo replied before linking Sam and Max.

“Sam, Max, there are guests who need to be fetched at the southern border. Get them and take them to the main office,” Mateo instructed. He had two offices - one for main dealings like this one which was on the ground floor of the main pack house, and his personal one on this floor.

“Yes, Alpha,” they replied.

He was about to get out of bed when June cuddled further into him. She started trailing kisses on his collarbone, taking him by surprise. His arousal and the need to mate with her was growing as her hand trailed across his abs. He couldn’t even control his breathing, let alone Zeus. That seemed to satisfy his mate as she smiled on his skin.

“Good morning Mateo,” she purred in his ear.

“Good morning baby doll,” he barely got out.

“I missed you,” she smiled, looking into his now black eyes.

He sighed. “I missed you too, so much.”

She frowned. “Where are you going so early?”

“Your father and some of his men are here. I have to go and see what it is they want from me, although I have a sneaky suspicion it has to do with the fire you created yesterday,” he informed.

She raised an eyebrow. “What about it?”

“I think some of it made it onto their territory, so they’re going to blame us for it,” he replied.

“Oh! What are you going to say about it?” she asked nervously.

“I’m just as shocked about it. I mean, it was a round fire. When would I have had the time to orchestrate something like that when I didn’t know about the rogue attack?” he explained.

“Ah, that’s smart,” she smiled.

“Don’t worry, baby doll! No one will know about you unless you want them to. I’ve already Alpha ordered any witnesses from last night not to tell a soul. They’re all really proud of their Luna though,” he said.

She sighed contently. “I’m glad I’m accepted.”

“That makes two of us, baby doll, but I really have to go now. The quicker I get to them, the quicker I can come back to you,” he winked.

“Then you’d better run, Alpha Mateo. I have a surprise for you when you return,” she said before she bit her lip seductively, making him growl.

He got away from her as she laughed and jumped into the shower, opting for a cold one. He had never in his life been this aroused before, and it was beyond frustrating. June was still laying on the bed when he stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist.

Her eyes darkened to the color of his wolf as she watched him put a T-shirt on. He’d put on his underwear and jeans in the closet. He could smell her arousal from where he was and almost gave in. His Beta’s mind-link brought him out of thought.

“Matt, where are you? Dayton is getting impatient,” Orion pointed out.

“I’m coming,” Mateo growled in response before closing his link.

“You’re very peculiar this morning, baby doll, but I like it. I’ll be back sooner than you know,” he told her. She smirked and got off the bed, slowly sauntering towards him.

“I sure hope so, Alpha Mateo,” she whispered before planting a light and chaste kiss onto his lips. Before he could deepen it, she’d disappeared into the bathroom.

“Tease,” he linked her as he went down to the office.

“Only for you, babe,” she giggled in his mind before shutting off her link.

Walking into the office, he shut off his own link as he took in the three men before him. It was Dayton, his Beta Roland and their Gamma Marcus. The old men looked pretty pissed off, but Mateo couldn’t have been the least bit bothered. Although his face was impassive, his mind was tingling with the excitement of going back to his mate.

“Took you long enough!” Dayton snapped.

“Hello to you too, Dayton! How may I help you on this very early Friday morning? I do have better things to do,” Mateo replied as impassively as his face looked.

“Why the hell did you set our territory on fire?” Dayton got straight to the point.

Mateo raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t act stupid with us boy! We were woken up to be told that our territory was on fire!” Marcus snapped.

“I was woken up to be told the same thing about my territory, so I don’t know what you’re insinuating,” Mateo replied.

Roland narrowed his eyes. “You mean to tell us that you didn’t start that fire?”

“I’m telling you exactly that. When I arrived at the scene last night, a whole lot of rogues had been set on fire. As to who did it, why they chose there to do it, or why they did it, isn’t something that I know,” Mateo explained.

“You’re behind this somehow, Santiago,” Dayton stated as he narrowed his eyes at the Alpha. Mateo couldn’t help but think about what his mate’s reaction would be to the accusation.

“Prove it,” he smirked in a very June-like manner.

“Don’t think we’re going to let this go Santiago! We will make you pay!” Dayton growled.

“As long as you’re making me pay for something I’m actually guilty of,” Mateo pointed out, effectively pissing the men off further.

“We’ll be back and you won’t look so smug anymore,” Roland sneered.

Mateo mock bowed. “I’ll be waiting for that moment.”

After that final mockery, they stormed out of his office. Mateo linked Max and Sam to see them off the territory once more. He tended to a few calls, impatiently, since he wanted to get back to his mate. He received a call from his friend and fellow Alpha, Chase. Chase had said he had some information for him.

“I didn’t think you’d answer,” Chase teased as he answered the phone.

“I told you I would and you know I keep to my word,” Mateo replied.

“True! I’m not going to waste your time, so I might as well tell you that the rogue attack from last night was rumored to only be the beginning,” Chase informed him.

“How do you know this?” Mateo asked.

“I’ve had one of my guys go rogue so that he can be trusted by the others and he reports back to me,” Chase explained.

“And you say the attack wasn’t the last?” Mateo asked for confirmation.

“Correct! Apparently, whoever is behind these attacks is really set on taking you down, although I hear the rogues didn’t even make it onto your territory. Your patrol team must be bloody brilliant to have reacted that quickly,” Chase said curiously.

“Something like that,” Mateo replied, not giving anything away.

“Always the vague one! Alright man, I’ll call you once I have anything new for you,” Chase sighed.

“Thanks for everything man,” Mateo said.

“You’d do the same for me,” Chase said before hanging up.

Mate was finally excited to get back to his mate as he put the phone down. Just as he was about to, Orion announced a new visitor, one he hadn’t expected to see in a long time.

He frowned. “Maya?”

“Hello cousin! You look excited to see me,” she mocked.

“It’s not so much that, as it is the fact that I never wanted to see your face again,” he said, deadpan.

“Don’t be rude Mateo, especially when I’ve brought a guest,” she snapped, before a guy appeared behind her.

Mateo raised an eyebrow. “And why should I care?”

“Because he’s very powerful and he doesn’t like his mate being treated like she doesn’t matter,” she smirked.

“That’s wonderful and all, but what the hell are you doing on my land, when I specifically told you never to return?” Mateo asked.

“I’m family, Mateo! You couldn’t have possibly meant your words,” she smiled sweetly. Before he could reply, his mind-link was nudged and he allowed it because of who it was.

“Babe, you’re taking forever! I’m bored and I don’t want to leave the room, because if I do, the girls will take me away and then we won’t have our quality time together,” she complained. He could imagine her pouting.

“I’m sorry, baby doll. I have an unannounced snake in the office and I promise that once I’m done with her, I’ll be with you,” he replied.

“You have one hour, Santiago,” she warned before shutting her link, leaving him slightly aroused.

“...and my mom said to come and tell you that my father has been murdered,” Maya finished.

“Sorry what? I wasn’t paying attention,” Mateo said.

“Really Mateo? You hate me that much?” she snapped.

“Calm down, Maya. I was talking to someone important,” Mateo rolled his eyes.

“I said that this is my mate Dante and he’s the Alpha of the strongest pack in Europe. We met a couple of months ago when I was on the run from a gang. Mateo, there’s a gang of people that are killing people in your name. My father is a victim and my mother is very upset. As you know, my mother thinks the world of you as her favorite nephew, but she is heartbroken and asked me to come and plead with you to do something about this,” Maya explained.

Mateo turned to the man. “Dante Iglesias?”

He’d heard about him, but had never actually met the man.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mateo,” Dante said, offering his hand, which Mateo shook. Dante Iglesias was a good man from what he’d heard.

Mateo turned to his cousin. “You say people are killing in my name?”

“Yes! It’s a group in Italy, which is what is confusing if you’re here in the States. Either someone is really pissed off at you, or you have an imposter going around pissing people off in your name,” Maya replied.

“How come you’re telling me?” Mateo asked as he narrowed his eyes at her. They didn’t exactly part on the best terms.

“Look, what I did was wrong, and only now do I truly mean my apology. I don’t expect you to suddenly forgive me, but like I said, we’re family. Just because you gave me the punishment I deserved, doesn’t mean that I hate you,” she replied sincerely.

Mateo raised an eyebrow. “And you’ve told Dante here everything about who you used to be?”

“It was hard and he didn’t talk to me for the longest time, but yes, I did. He’s forgiven me because I chose to be honest with him from the beginning. I really am a changed person,” she pleaded.

“I believe you, Maya, and I forgive you. I don’t know if Val and Max will be as forgiving, but you can try. I’ll get someone to investigate this ordeal in Europe and I’ll get back to you. Will you guys be staying?” Mateo asked them.

Dante nodded. “If you don’t mind.”

“I don’t, but your mate is going to have to apologize to my sister and my Gamma first. I don’t like discord in my house and my mate will not appreciate it either,” Mateo commented.

“Mate? You’ve chosen one?” Maya asked excitedly.

“Yes I have, but she’s getting annoyed with me right now. We’re supposed to be spending time together and yet I’m here attending to Alpha duties,” Mateo said as he shook his head.

“You can go to her now!” Maya shooed him.

“I have to get you settled in first,” Mateo said with finality.

“Val, Max, please come to the main office,” he linked them. Within seconds, they were there, and when they saw his visitor, they weren’t pleased.

“Alpha, with all due respect, why have you called me in here?” Max asked. He didn’t want to be anywhere near the snake that almost ruined his life.

“I’m going to have to agree with Max on this one,” Valentine added.

“Guys, I’m really sorry about what happened all those years ago. I’m a changed person and I really mean it this time,” Maya pleaded.

“That’s nice. Can we go now?” Val looked to her brother.

“Look guys, I know we hated Maya for what she did, but I genuinely think that she’s changed. This is her mate Dante Iglesias, the Alpha of the strongest pack in Europe. She’s already told him everything, so if she could be that honest with her mate, I’m pretty sure she means her apology,” Mateo argued on his cousin’s behalf.

“Did you forgive her?” Max asked him.

Mateo nodded. “I did.”

“I forgive you too, but only because I trust my Alpha’s judgment,” Max said as he turned to Maya. She looked grateful before turning to Valentine.

“Cousin, please?” she begged.

“I don’t like you Maya! We were sisters and you broke my trust!” Valentine snapped.

“I know, and I’m here, apologizing for everything,” Maya whispered.

“Valentine, could you please hurry up! My mate is waiting patiently for me and I would more than love to get back to her,” Mateo commented.

Valentine turned to him. “Then go!”

“They’re staying here, and Val and I will not have a house that is full of unsettled tension,” Mateo warned. Valentine looked at him for a while longer before turning to their cousin.

“Fine! I forgive you, but you’re going to have to earn my trust!” Valentine told her.

“Thank you Val! I won’t let you down,” Maya smiled.

“Now that that’s sorted, please arrange a room for them. I have somewhere else to be,” Mateo instructed his sister.

“You could show some excitement you know,” Valentine giggled.

“Oh trust me, I’m excited,” he smirked as he walked out of the office. He was about to go up the stairs when he suddenly found himself looking at dead bodies. He was confused until he saw Domitius, Orion, Trey and Boris beside him.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me!” he growled.

“I know! Another coven of witches has been wiped out,” Domitius said, surveying the dead bodies.

“That is not why I’m angry, quite frankly,” he said, annoyed. Even Zeus was more agitated by now.

Orion frowned. “What is it?”

“June has been waiting for me for three fucking hours now,” Mateo complained. The guys looked to each other before they burst out laughing.

“Seriously? That’s what has you so upset?” Trey asked.

“Excuse me, but I haven’t been with her in weeks and this day is not going the way I want it to,” Mateo said, deadpan.

“I know she’s your chosen mate and all, but we need you here Mateo. These witch killings are serious and we need to stop them,” Domitius told him.

“Well, maybe if you didn’t let me piss off the only person who could help us, then we would have a lead soon,” Mateo retorted.

Domitius scowled. “What do you mean?”

“His mate is a Naturalist witch, whom I believe you were seeking,” Boris replied.

“Juniper is a witch?” Domitius asked wide-eyed.

“A very powerful one,” Orion confirmed.

“Well then, help us here so that you can get back to her,” Domitius told Mateo. Just as Mateo was about to complain, Balthazar flashed before them.

“Mateo, you need to come back with me right now,” Balthazar told him.

Mateo rolled his eyes. “Wonderful! Who needs me now?”

Balthazar crossed his arms. “Juniper actually!”

Mateo frowned. “She sent you to fetch me?”

“She didn’t exactly send me. She’s in heat and the unmated wolves of your pack are going crazy because the scent of her arousal is too strong for any of them to restrain themselves. Valentine, Alexa, Anastasia, Maya and Dante are struggling keeping everyone out as is, your Gamma and Delta included,” Balthazar explained. Mateo felt his whole world come to a standstill.

“Aren’t females with fated wolves the ones who go into heat a month after meeting their true mates?” Trey asked the question Mateo feared.

“What is your question, son?” Balthazar asked.

“Well, we all know that June doesn’t have a fated mate, or so she said,” Orion replied.

“I didn’t know about that,” Balthazar admitted.

“She doesn’t need me. She clearly has a mate, and I’m not it,” Mateo said in his cold tone. On the inside, strange emotions were stirring.

“That could be true, but I still need you to come back with me. As the Alpha, you need to control your pack,” Balthazar pressed.

“Fine!” Mateo snapped before Balthazar flashed them to the pack house.

Before Mateo could register anything else, he was hit by the smell of vanilla, strawberries and, surprisingly, pancakes. It was the most heavenly scent to him. He noticed that they were on his floor and the smell was coming from his room. He walked towards it, only to have an invisible force stop him, which had him growling like crazy.

“I put a magic barrier there to keep the unmated wolves away in case any of them got through,” Balthazar explained as he took it down.

Mateo wasn’t really registering anything the man said as he opened the door to his room. Laying on his bed, whimpering with need, was his chosen mate, or so he thought.

“MATE!” they both growled with inky eyes as they took each other in.

He closed the door and stalked towards her. She was dressed in red lace and silk underwear, driving him even crazier. He couldn’t understand what was happening, but he also wasn’t giving himself the opportunity of finding out.

All he knew was that he needed her, and he needed her now. She seemed to have the same thoughts as she got up to rip his T-shirt in half and throw it across the room. She growled in approval as her hands trailed over his abdominal muscles.

“You took your time,” she whispered in his ear.

“I know and I’m sorry,” he said breathlessly. The sparks flowing through them were powerful and they’d both never felt anything like it.

“Make love to me Mateo,” she purred. That was enough to push him over the edge.

Clothes and underwear were discarded as foreplay kicked into play. Their first kiss was explosive by all means, and they both felt like they were dancing on clouds. She was going insane from his teasing.

“You’re so beautiful, June,” he said in appreciation as his claw skimmed over her heated body. He quickly figured out that she likes it when he does that.

“You’re killing me,” she whined as he trailed kisses around her navel.

He smirked. “What do you want me to do?”

“Don’t test me, Mateo,” she growled.

“Tell me, baby doll,” he whispered in her ear as his fingers went exploring.

“Oh God!” she moaned.

“I’m not God, baby doll. Just a fucking sexy Alpha,” he nipped at her nipple.

“Mateo,” she whined.

“What do you want, baby doll?” he teased, kissing the insides of her thighs.

“You’re really making me say it?” she moaned once more.

He was talented, she’d give him that.

“If you want it baby doll, say it,” he smirked, his eyes shimmering with excitement and mischief. Her inner goddess came out to play.

“Mateo Diego Santiago, I want you to fuck me,” she demanded.

“That’s all you had to say,” he growled, highly aroused by her statement.

They both felt like they were riding the train of their dreams as everything around them fit into place. Desire and vigor mingled in a volatile dance of passion. They were both fast approaching the edge, and Mateo was shocked by his own need to mark her. From the look in her eyes, she was going through the same thing.

“Mark me,” she whispered as they neared their edge.

“Odessa,” he groaned. He couldn’t have cursed the curse any more than he did at that moment.

“Mark me Mateo,” she moaned.

For the sake of trying, he leaned into her neck, inhaling her scent before skimming his canines across her shoulder blade. He could hear her blood rushing through her veins, as well as her heart thumping in anticipation. He found his perfect spot before sinking his teeth into her skin.

They were both shocked that he actually managed to do it, but couldn’t bask in the shock as they were overcome by their powerful orgasms. June sunk her teeth into her chosen spot too. After cleaning the wounds, they were both panting.

“You’re my true, fated mate,” she smiled at him.

“And you’re mine,” he replied before kissing her again.

Minutes turned to hours and moans turned to screams. Teasing turned serious and they both had marks of their lovemaking on each other, but that wasn’t what made them happy as they finally lay next to each other hours later.

It was the fact that they officially belonged to each other and no one would ever question that.