Chapter Three

 

A few hours after his meeting with Zoey, Dominic was summoned to the Arena to meet up with Arturo.  The Arena was owned by the Blood Oath pack, and it had a casino, magic shows, and musical acts. 

It was best known, though, for its no holds barred cage fighting between shifters of all species.  Dominic fought there sometimes, when his wolf was too restless and howled for release.  Well, he fought there until he was banned because it took too many referees to haul him off his opponents, and it took the med-mages too long to heal them.

 

Also nobody wanted to fight with him these days.  Pussies.

 

He and Romano walked through the casino floor, where slot machines ka-chinged, waiters glided by with trays of free drinks, and gorgeous half naked men and women in gilded cages shifted from animal form to human form for an audience of dazzled non-magics.

 

            Romano trotted along at Dominic’s side, ever so slightly behind him.  It was a pack hierarchy thing.  The higher in rank walked in front.  

 

Romano had worked directly with Dominic since shortly after Dominic had turned.  He seemed to think he owed Dominic his life, which was technically true.

 

There had been a magic flare-up, which happened from time to time at random.  Romano and Dominic had been doing their weekend of monthly guard duty service, required of all Warrior class wolf shifters, when trolls came swarming through.  Trolls were a particularly scary lot, because they were both cunning and vicious, unlike ghouls or ogres, who were just mindless killing machines.

 

They’d overwhelmed the guards and managed to drag Romano halfway through when Dominic lunged in and dragged him back out.  He still had flashbacks; so did Romano.  The portal opened to the Chaos Realm.  Being in the Chaos Realm scrambled people’s heads, to the point where being trapped in there too long meant incurable madness.  Something had burned Romano’s face when he was in there, scarring him and leaving him a permanent reminder of how close he’d come to madness.

 

Ever since that day, Romano had stuck to Dominic like a burr on a wolf’s tail, and was far, far more loyal to him than Dominic deserved. 

 

The two men strode past the guards who flanked Arturo’s office. The guards acknowledged them with a slight nod.

 

Arturo’s sprawling office was where he conducted most of his business. Gilt-framed oil paintings of wolves adorned the walls, and on the left side of the room of the room was Arturo’s hand-carved mahogany desk.  Behind it were wall to ceiling bookcases with sliding ladders.

 

A door at the far end of the room led to Arturo’s bedroom, Dominic knew.  Arturo often entertained female company there – strictly to satisfy his animal needs.  Werewolves were a lustful bunch, and until they committed to a mate, they were quite free with their affections. 

 

Arturo wasn’t at his desk today.  He was at the far right end of the room, seated in a throne-like chair in front of a hand-carved table with paws for legs – the paws of a rival mob boss.  Arturo’s cousins Carlo and Ottavio were sitting next to him on the right, and Giuliana sat next to him on his left.  Reclining in a chair to the right of them was a dark-haired, narrow faced man who looked vaguely familiar, and smelled of powerful magic.

 

Arturo wore an exquisitely hand-cut raw silk suit, the color of gun metal, tailored to fit his 6’5 height.  His shiny black loafers were Italian, custom made for him in Milan.  He had thick dark hair with a silver streak through it, and a smile that made wolf cubs cry, and never seemed to reach his amber eyes.

 

Giuliana nodded at Dominic and Romano as they walked up. She had her usual frown stamped on her pretty forehead.  Recently turned 20, she was growing restless, chafing because her uncle Arturo was so overprotective.  She was a med-mage, with strong healing powers, and her wolf was a large, vicious bitch who loved a good scrap, but Arturo never let her go into the thick of battle. She was allowed to treat people at the pack’s clinic, but never in the field.  Most of the time, she worked as Arturo’s secretary, and when she wasn’t doing that, she was accompanying Dominic and Romano on their non-dangerous jobs, which let her see just enough action that she didn’t openly rebel.  Yet.

 

Ottavio and Carlo, two brothers, look a little like Arturo but with more squared off faces.  They had strong jaws and thick dark brows and bristled with brute strength.

 

Arturo had turned them himself, back in the 1950s.  Ottavio was a Capo, and Carlo was his loyal guard dog.   The turn had gone wrong with Carlo, and now the seven foot tall murder machine was childlike and dumb as a rock, but still deadly.  Ottavio fawned over Arturo to a degree that Dominic found by turns amusing and sickening.

 

           The dark haired man, Dominic realized, was Benedict, a member of the Council of Mages.  That didn’t bode well.  The mages didn’t get involved with minor pack issues, so something big must be brewing.

 

Arturo was eating from a sterling silver tray of antipasti.  As Dominic and Romano settled into chairs facing him, he nodded his head at Giuliana.  She handed a pair of golden tongs to Benedict, because he was a guest, and he politely took a small salami roll and ate it.  Then she offered the tongs to Ottavio and Carlo, because they were senior to Dominic, and also related to Arturo by blood. 

 

Finally, she offered the tongs to Dominic.  Formalities had to be observed. Giuliana poured them each a glass of excellent red wine from Arturo’s personal vineyard in Italy, and they spent several minutes eating and drinking and remarking on the food and wine – it was truly superb - before they got started.

 

Arturo nodded at Mage Benedict. 

 

            “I’ll cut right to the chase.  We have received a complaint from the Bianchi pack,” Mage Benedict said to Dominic.  “Primo Bianchi states that you formally agreed to a mating contract with Fabiana Bianchi, which was intended to help unite your packs and act as a peace offering.” Peace offering, my furry ass, Dominic thought, his face impassive.  The Bianchi pack were the ones who had restarted the hostilities in the first place. They’d been staging raids on the Blood Oath Pack’s cash delivery trucks.  “And they say that after agreeing to this, you deliberately humiliated her by mate-biting another female right in front of her.”

 

            Dominic snorted with contempt.  “They’re lying.  Arturo, you know I would never agree to a mating contract without first seeking your approval and your blessing.” Arturo nodded slightly, and Ottavio echoed the gesture with a fierce nod of his own.              

 

“And you know that after the Bianchi pack approached us about Fabiana, and you told me that you would consider it, I made no further moves because I was awaiting your word,” Dominic said.  He turned and addressed Benedict.  “That was three weeks ago. Since then, when she texted me asking to meet up, I told her I was busy.   I have not contacted her, and I was not the one to invite her to the party last night, either.  I thought we weren’t inviting her to any more functions until the decision had been made, so I’m not sure why she was even there.”

 

“Neither am I,” Arturo said, with a hint of steel in his voice.  “Her name was on the guest list and we are not sure how it got there.”  That wasn’t good.   The party was at the Royal Palms Casino, where they usually held it; had their security there been compromised?  

 

Mage Benedict arched an eyebrow.  “Who wrote out the list?” he asked Arturo.

 

“I am in charge of the guest list,” Giuliana said with a frown.  “The guest list was printed out from the computer.  It is possible that it was an error because Fabiana was at the last two parties.  Her name has now been removed.  I did go over the list myself before the party, and she wasn’t on it.  Perhaps somehow an old list was printed out, instead.”   Dominic thought that an error sounded unlikely, and he could see it in Arturo’s face too.

 

The question was – what would somebody have to gain by sneaking her into the party? But Dominic wouldn’t discuss that in front of the Mage, who was an outsider.

 

Instead, Dominic continued, addressing Benedict. “Furthermore, even if I had agreed to the mating, a mate bite on a full moon supersedes that – unless I had already bitten and bonded with Fabiana, which would eradicate my ability to sense my true mate.  When a mate spots his female on the full moon, and marks her as his own, any prior agreements are nullified.   It has been this way throughout history.  This is understood by all shifter packs, including the Bianchis.  We honor the instincts of our wolves.”

 

Arturo nodded in agreement.

 

Dominic had only been a shifter for ten years, but before that, when he decided to make the transition to wolf, he had studied the rules and customs.  Shifters had only been out in the open since the 1950s, when the chaos realm re-aligned with the magical universe, but there had been small packs living in secret, scattered around the world, left over from the last magic waves. 

 

Benedict inclined his head. “I will verify that with Jeremiah.” That was the mage council’s shifter consultant.  He was a member of the Moonstone pack. They owned the family entertainment area in the south side of Encantado and were considered neutral when it came to the fight between the Bianchi’s and the Blood Oath pack.  They liked to present themselves out as respectable businessmen.  They would never have lowered themselves to take over any of the businesses owned by the Bianchi’s or the Blood Oath pack, so they weren’t in competition.

 

“The Bianchi pack knows this perfectly well,” Arturo said calmly.  “In fact, Primo Bianchi’s father claimed his mate on a full moon with a mate bite.  It is also accepted custom that a mating is not formally agreed to until the male has made it official by shifting into his wolf form and publicly biting his female, to announce his intentions.  That is the practice among all packs.  They appear to be using this as an excuse to declare war on us without sanctions.  It’s no secret that they want our territory.”  Dominic had been thinking the same thing, but as an underboss, it was not his place to speak for the pack.  It was his place to follow his Capo’s rules without question, and put the fear of wolf into any of their enemies.

 

“We are aware of the territorial dispute, and we will take it into account. The Bianchi pack has requested that I deliver a message to you.  Primo Bianchi is saying that to make up for the violation of your verbal agreement and the deliberate insult to their honor, they demand an immediate payment of ten million dollars and 50 percent of your territory in perpetuity.”

 

A deliberately outrageous and insulting demand, which the Bianchi Pack knew would be rejected.

 

Arturo barked a laugh.  “No wonder they didn’t dare to come to this meeting.”

 

Benedict turned his attention to Dominic.

 

“So the mating claim is official, then? You have brought her back to the pack territory?”

 

Dominic shook his head.  “No, tradition states that she does not have to return here until the next full moon.” Arturo nodded in agreement at this.

 

What he didn’t add was that the tradition sprang from the fact that in the past, before the development of the protective serum, if a Warrior class shifter bit a non-wolf, she would very likely not survive the bite. So she would be given time to say farewell to her friends and family, and would not be considered part of the pack until the next full moon had passed.  At that point, she would either successfully shift – a small percentage of the time – or not shift and remain human – also a small percentage – or shift into a madwoman, and be put down.

 

Dominic’s fur prickled under his skin at the thought. That won’t happen to Zoey.  His little, fierce adorable Zoey, who amusingly thought she could escape him – even though she didn’t really want to.  His wolf itched to be with her already.  It didn’t understand why he couldn’t just grab her and drag her back home with him.

 

“In that case, you could still marry Fabiana, and unite the two packs?” Benedict mused. “It would avoid a potential war.”

 

“You disrespect our traditions,” Arturo growled, before Dominic could answer.  “The wolf made its claim.”

 

“Very well then.  We will issue a decision by tomorrow at this time,” Benedict said, his dark brows drawing together.  “We have ordered them to refrain from any hostile actions until such time as we make our decision, and we expect the same of you as well.”

 

Dominic felt a swell of anger.  There shouldn’t be any debate.  He was shocked that the Bianchis were trying to dispute his mating claim.  He’d known that tensions were rising between the two packs and war was inevitable, of course.  The Blood Oath pack had the larger territory, they earned more money, and the Bianchis were itching to take a bite out of their action.  He just hadn’t expected them to pick such a chickenshit reason.

 

To keep the peace, the Council of Mages required the packs in their territory to follow strict rules of engagement.  The two packs had reached a truce twenty years ago.  If there was a dispute between the packs, and the Council agreed, then both sides could declare war on each other – but if non-pack members became collateral damage in the war, the Council would come down on them like a swarm of ogres.  The tourist industry was Encantado’s lifeblood, and anything that threatened that would be a death sentence.

 

Benedict stood to go.  “One more thing.   We’ve had our first ghoul sighting in years.  A human couple was camping in Scorched Earth, and they barely escaped.”

 

Giuliana gave him a startled look.  “What were they doing at Scorched Earth?” Scorched Earth was an area north of the city, near the Portal, which was under constant guard by mages and shifters.  A dragon had flown out of the portal a couple of years ago and burned down a wide swath of pine forest before the combined power of the mages took it down.   Lesser portals frequently opened up around there, spilling out various magic creatures – some friendly, some not.  It was a dangerous area for anyone, much less humans, who were so very soft and breakable.

 

“They were filming themselves, hoping to be on of those reality tv shows.”

 

“Ugh,” Giuliana said, although Dominic knew for a fact that keeping up with a certain TV family was her guilty pleasure.

 

 “Their dog went crazy barking and alerted them, they ran for their car and as they ran, the wind shifted and they smelled the ghouls,” Benedict said.   “They called the police when they got back in to town, about 5 a.m.  The police’s sniffer officers found ghoul footprints, and ghoul scent.” The sniffers were shifters who worked in law enforcement.  Dominic wrinkled his nose in remembered disgust; ghouls smelled foul.  “The ghouls walked to a river and then the scent disappeared.”

 

“Did the dog escape too?” Carlo blurted out.  Everyone turned to look at him.

 

 “Yes,” Benedict said, looking annoyed.  “The dog was right at their heels when they fled.”

 

Carlo looked relieved.  Ottavio gave his brother a look of contempt.

 

Unease skittered through Dominic.

 

Zoey’s neighborhood was pretty far north.   Of course, there were guard stations all across the city’s northern border, dedicated to keeping any magic spillover away from the city.

 

But still – one bite from a ghoul was fatal to humans, and mages too for that matter.  Within minutes, the bitten turned to mindless, rage filled husks of their former selves.  The fact that shifters were immune to the effects of a ghoul bite was one reason why they were so vital to the city’s defense, and why they mage’s council hadn’t made a move to eliminate them.

 

Dominic saw the look on Arturo’s face.  Ghouls walking to a river? It almost sounded as if they’d done that so they could wade in the water and throw off the trackers. That would indicate planning. Intelligence.  If there were some new type of ghoul spilling out of the portal, the type with the ability to reason, then humanity was hosed.

 

“They couldn’t have come through the portal.” Arturo tapped his fingers on the table, his thick brows drawing together.  “The guards would have reported back.”

 

“Yes, I know,” Benedict acknowledged.  “No ghouls have emerged from the main portal.  There’s always the possibility of a lesser portal having opened.”

 

At least lesser portals never stayed open long.  It was unheard of for them to be open for more than a few hours.

 

That wasn’t to say they weren’t dangerous; six months ago, one of them had opened in a shopping center on the north side of the city, and an angry twenty-foot tall ogre had come barreling out.  Seven deaths, thirty-seven flattened cars, total destruction of several city blocks.  Insurance companies were still rebuilding out the

 

Funnily enough, the potential danger of a visit to Encantado was actually part of the thrill for a lot of tourists.  However, if it got too real, and especially if it headed south, to the tourist areas, they’d be a lot less thrilled.

 

Arturo’s gaze never flickered.  “I can put my best scenters on it.  Maybe they can pick up something that the police missed.”

 

“That would be appreciated.  Have them report to our headquarters.” Benedict nodded at Arturo and the others, and left.

 

Ottavio waited until he was gone before spinning on Dominic with a snarl.  “Your wolf just had to bite her, didn’t it?”

 

“Yes,” Dominic snapped.  “It did.  Would you like to discuss the matter further?”   By which he meant, did he want Dominic to make him into a matching jacket and boots?

 

Romano let out a low, rumbling growl of support, but hung back.

 

Ottavio leapt to his feet, face going furry, and Dominic followed suit.  Carlo suddenly noticed what was happening, and quickly shifted, glancing up at his older brother, waiting for an attack order.

 

“Enough!” Arturo barked, and they were blasted with a wave of energy which froze them on the spot.  

“Ow!” Giuliana squealed.  The energy wasn’t directed at her, but she could feel it just by being so close.

 

Arturo ignored her. “I have enough to deal with, I don’t need to watch you assholes having a dick measuring contest.”  

 

Dominic couldn’t breathe. Spots swam in front of his eyes.  Ottavio’s face was turning purple.

When he released them, they both staggered back, muscles cramping, gasping for breath.

 

Arturo’s voice battered them.  “Ottavio.  We don’t control our wolves mating bite.  Dominic.  Ottavio is speaking out of loyalty to me and concern for the pack.  This matter is settled, what’s done is done.  Let it go.”

 

They glanced at him, and then very reluctantly, at the same time, each inclined their heads to the side, exposing our throat.  Under the circumstances, this meant they were calling a truce and apologizing.  To appear submissive like this was excruciating for both of them; it shredded at their wolves and made them howl with pain and rage inside.  Their beasts called for them to attack, to tear, to die before submitting.  Arturo knew that, of course; it was part of their punishment.

 

He stood there glaring at them for what felt like a very long time to make sure that they got the point.  Finally, he nodded, and they both raised their heads and took a step back.

His cold gaze swept over them.

 

“Both of you need to watch your backs.  The Bianchi pack has it in for us.  Put the word out.”

 

Dominic nodded, feeling a swell of frustration.  This should be the time that he dedicated to Zoey.   No matter what it took, he’d make sure that he had time for her over the next month.  He needed to woo her, to convince her to come home with him.  Sleep was over-rated.

 

Once he and Romano had left the room, he turned on his subordinate with a growl.

 

“You started going furry back there.  Don’t,” Dominic bit out the words.

 

“Just didn’t like the way he was talking to you.” Romano shot a dirty look over his shoulder.

 

“You think I need you to fight my battles for me? You think I need you to make me look weak?”

 

A look of shock crossed Romano’s face, but vanished instantly.

 

“I know you have my back.  I appreciate it,” Dominic said, tamping down on his temper.  Now that his wolf had bitten Zoey, it wanted her by his side immediately.  The memory of her sweet scent tantalized his nostrils, and flooded his brain with images of her soft, curvy body tangled up in his sheets.  And in his arms.

 

Romano nodded, his face serious.  “My wolf just reacts. That’s just how we’re wired.” Then he grimaced. “I didn’t mean it like…”

 

Romano was a born wolf.  He was closer to his animal than Dominic ever would be.  If Dominic had cubs – when Zoey gave him cubs – they’d be like Romano in that way.  That was a good thing; made wolves were considered lesser by some, lower in prestige.  He didn’t want that for his cubs.

“It’s fine,” Dominic shrugged.  “I’ll be on edge until Zoey’s part of the pack.”   Once a wolf had bitten its mate, it wanted her close at all times. His wolf knew that she hadn’t accepted Dominic’s claim yet, and it made the animal itchy and restless.

The fact that his wolf was taking to Zoey so easily soothed his conscience – a little.

 

A face from long ago swam in front of him, and he was ashamed because that faced had blurred with time and he couldn’t bring it back into focus.  I tried to save you.  I tried to die for you.  It’s been so long.  Is it wrong for me to want to feel something again?