Chapter Two – Leon
The Alpha Wolf chewed on a piece of jerky, smiling with amusement as he watched his mate-to-be struggling with the heavy canvas he had given her for a shelter. He normally didn't use any sort of cover, sleeping beneath a tree if it started to rain, or just pulling his blankets over his head. Yuliana wasn't used to such rough arrangements, though. For the first two nights, she had slept stiffly next to him only for him to wake in the morning with her soft, warm body tucked snugly against him while she shivered.
The feel of her next to him awoke all sorts of things in his body, and if he didn't start letting her have a place of her own to sleep, then he wasn't going to make it to the caves before he took her. And he was the Alpha, he was meant to have more restraint than that. So he had gotten the canvas. Clearly, creating her own shelter wasn't something she was used to dealing with.
When the pole she was trying to prop it up with toppled over onto her head for the third time, Leon stifled a laugh and jogged over to help her. Her olive tones flushed darker when she caught sight of him, the heavy canvas slipping from her hands.
He had expected the vampire king to give him one of the skinny, useless women vampires seemed most drawn to. He certainly hadn't expected a beauty like Yuliana, with her bounteous curves and clear eyes and sinfully-shaped mouth.
"The pole is to weight the front over a low-hanging branch," he explained to the vampire. "Like this."
He put the pole through the loops on one side, then swung it over a branch. Holding the canvas tight, he put a few rocks on the other edge to keep it down. He stepped back and gestured at the lean-to. Yuliana avoided his eye as she nodded.
"Thank you."
"Are you tired?" he asked. "If you aren't, then I would like to speak with you about a few things."
Yuliana retrieved her bedroll from the hiking pack Leon had replaced her old sack with and spread it out. "I'm not very tired."
"Good."
They settled down under the canvas lean-to. The dimness of twilight was on them, basking both their faces in a purple glow. As a Shifter, Leon could see as well in the dark as during the day. The same was true for vampires, he knew. Twilight, though, was a difficult time. Everything was in shadow, and his eyes didn't take know whether to focus on his human-based vision or his Wolf vision.
"Did Harold ask you to be my mate or tell you?"
"He asked."
"And why did you decide to accept the position?"
Yuliana twisted her hands. She ducked her head. "The king said that it would be of great help to our respective peoples if we started to get along and that I could help with that. So I decided that I would. I never thought I would really make a difference in the world, but if I can… then I will do whatever I need to do. I'm tired of war."
Whatever she needed to do. Disappointment hit Leon harder than he thought it would. It was what he expected. Given the plethora of propaganda that the vampires spewed about Shifters, it was surprising that any woman agreed to be his mate at all. But he had hoped for something different with Yuliana. He had hoped for a real relationship, even if he hadn't expected it. Maybe in time…
"I consider it an honor to have been approached with this," she continued, still not looking at him. "But…"
"But what?"
"But I think it is only right I tell you that I… don't know how to please you."
Leon frowned. What did she mean by that? He opened his mouth to ask, but the realization hit even as he did so. "Oh… you've never been with a man before?"
"I have not. I thought it might be what you wanted, but…"
He put his hand over hers, though his gut burned. Vampires did not take mates the way Shifters did. Who had decided that Yuliana shouldn’t partake in physical pleasures like their men did? "Among my people, physical intimacy is reserved for one's mate and only their mate. But that's because it's different for us. There is a physical change that happens to us when we bond in body. Once is all it takes to be true mates. So… I have not experienced it, either. But I understand that vampires often engage alpha lcal intimacies with many others—"
"Not me," Yuliana blurted. "I've wanted to, but… I haven't. But if you're a virgin, too… Maybe I'm glad that I didn't."
She smiled shyly at him, causing his heart to skip a beat. He smiled back. What he wanted to do was Shift and take her up to the mountain and leave the rest of the camp behind. He wanted to kiss her the way he had never kissed anybody before, to enjoy her body and watch her as she enjoyed his. But she was still so shy around him. He didn't want to pressure her.
"We are going to be at our destination shortly," he told her, trying not to stare at her mouth. "We will have three days in the cave. I wish I could give you more time, but unfortunately, we still have a lot of territory to patrol. You can either stay with me on patrol or the camp with the other women. But once we are in the caves, then we'll be able to find out if what everybody seems to think of sex is true or not."
She shivered.
Leon frowned. "Does the idea scare you?"
Yuliana chewed on her lower lip and shook her head. Not convincing at all.
"You can tell me the truth, you know."
"I'm… nervous," she admitted. "You're so big and I'm so small… Well, I mean, I'm much smaller than you. I know that the first time hurts, and I just don't know… I'm not very good with pain."
Leon brushed his hand against her arm. She shivered again. "It doesn't have to hurt, as long as we really take our time and not rush things."
"I think—"
A howl from the edge of the camp made him jump to his feet. All around, the other Shifters paused by their fires and tents, all their heads going in the direction the howl had come from. Moments later Jared, one of Leon's seconds that he sent to patrol the area around their camp, trotted into view in his Wolf's form. Something was writhing in his mouth. A growl rose in Leon's throat. Vampire.
"What is it?" Yuliana asked scrambling to her feet. She stood behind Leon as she peered at the giant Wolf trotting towards them. When Jared spat the vampire out at Leon's face, Yuliana gasped. She started forward, but Leon put an arm out, stopping her.
"Who are you and why are you here?" he demanded gruffly.
The vampire glared at him for a moment before turning to Yuliana. "Are you okay?"
"Yes. His name is Zak," she told Leon. "I know him. We were in all the same classes growing up until his mother married one of the generals. I haven’t seen you for years," she said to the vampire.
Leon frowned at he looked between the two of them. Just because Yuliana knew this vampire didn't mean that he was here for old time's sake. No, the Alpha had to treat this situation like he would if Yuliana wasn't here. He stepped closer to Zak, who visibly flinched as their faces inched together. The vampire was a good two feet shorter than him, which certainly helped give Leon the advantage.
"I asked you a question, vampire. What are you doing sulking around my camp?"
"I found him near the water supply," Jared grunted. "He's got a knife on him. I think that he was trying to puncture the tank and leave us thirsty on our patrols."
"No," Zak spoke for the first time. He glared at Jared and shook his head. "I was thirsty, which is why I was going to the water, and I had the knife to defend myself!"
"Then why are you here?" Leon roared.
Several of the closer Shifters shied away from him. Yuliana backed away several feet, her eyes wide. Leon spared no emotion feeling regret for frightening her. He could apologize later in private. Right now it was important to decide what to do with this vampire–and deducing what his intentions were the best place to start.
Zak flinched and crouched low to the ground, but didn't speak.
"Leon…" Yuliana inched forward. She laid a small hand on his arm. "Zak isn't a soldier."
"If he's a general's step-son, then he may be even worse. As I recall, the king's heir—"
"I came for her!" Zak drew himself back up. He still shied away from Leon's fierce scowl, but he straightened his shoulders and gulped in a deep breath. "I was going crazy with worry for her. Yuliana was my best friend when we were kids, and when I heard that King Harold had bullied her into agreeing to be a Shifter's mate, I knew I couldn’t stand by and do nothing."
Leon nearly flinched. Yuliana told him that she had willingly agreed to be his mate. But what if it wasn't true?
"You came for me?" Yuliana asked, eyes wide with surprise.
Zak nodded. "Hearing what happened… it made me realize something I should have told you a long, long time ago. I love you, Yuliana. And I can't let—"
"I chose to become Leon's mate," the small vampire whispered. "I'm not in any danger."
Leon frowned heavily. "Yuliana, go to bed. Zak and I have a lot to talk about concerning this."
He grabbed the vampire by the scruff of the neck and began dragging him off. Whether Zak was truly in love with Yuliana or if this was the vampire king's treachery remained to be seen… but Leon would find out, one way or another.