~~

Reece

~~

The howl was female, we only had two female wolves with us today, Sarah and Lisa, they were supposed to be guarding the building unless they had already done the first switch. I raced through the trees until I came across the she-wolf that had howled.

She was lying on her side, blood seeping from a series of gashes in her left flank. I could see her pain as she tried to keep her eyes from quivering. She didn't want us to think she was weaker because she was a woman, and crying would make her seem weak.

"What's happened?" I asked in what passed for speech when in wolf form.

"An intruder tried to make it past me, but I stopped him. He no doubt thought I would be easy because I was female. He learned otherwise." I could hear pride in the series of yips, growls, grunts, and barks she spoke with.

"Where is he now?" I asked, this was what I needed to know the most. "Did he get away?"

"I'm sorry Alpha, he did get away. But I did injure him as well, he should be bleeding." She was eyeing the ground as she talked.

"You did good." I told her. "See to it she is looked after." I commanded before following the slight traces of blood and paw prints from the enemy wolf.

I had followed the trail for nearly six miles. The blood was less frequent, he was healing, but I had his scent and prints. I needed to find him. I needed to know why he was after my mate.

But then I hit it. It was like a barrier, but instead of stopping me in my tracks, or making me bounce back off of it, it seemed to cut off my senses. Or at least lessen them. I couldn't smell the wolf anymore at all. I could barely see the prints on the ground. I couldn't even hear my own breathing, ragged as it was from anger, running, and now frustration. Something wasn't right here.

There was definitely a powerful Warlock close by. Someone much stronger than the ones from before. This one was the true enemy. He was the one I needed to find.

"Go back." A voice rumbled in the air around me.

"What is it you want with me?" I demanded.

"I don't even know who you are, wolf." The voice seemed to be speaking through the air, not like there was a person near me at all.

"I am the Alpha of this area." I growled.

"Well, Alpha wolf, I don't need you." The voice chided.

"Then what are you after?"

"I think you know that." The voice, whoever he was, chuckled.

"You want my mate?"

"Why not? You don't want her." He seemed to be pleased with himself.

"You can't have her." I screamed at him.

"I will get whatever I want, and you can't stop me." I could feel the pressure in the air intensifying. He was trying to suffocate me.

"I will stop you." I yelled at him once more before I turned around and ran back toward town. I heard the voice chuckling as I left. He thinks he won, just because I am leaving. Let's see him fight me face to face. I thought.

I went back to where I had left my clothes and shifted back. I wanted to go check on the she-wolf who had been hurt. I was sure it had been Lisa, but I wasn't positive. Today had given me a lot to think about.

If the man who spoke earlier was the mastermind behind all of this, then they weren't after me, they were after my mate. But why? What could they possibly want from her? I would find out sooner or later. But it was looking like today would be her last time out of the estate for a while.

I was dressed and had driven to where they had taken the injured she-wolf all while lost in thought. I had been right. Lisa was the one who had been hurt. She was doing better now. Just shifting was enough to take care of most of her injuries. There was nothing left but bright pink scars now. In another hour they would fade to nothing but white scars. They would look years old by the end of the day.

"Is everything alright, Alpha?" Vincent asked me when I went to check on how things were going at the university.

"Just thinking." I answered him. "How have things been here?" I asked him. My Little Bunny's four primary guards had all insisted on staying at the doors all day. They said that other than a quick break, if needed, they would guard the doors all day. I was proud of all four of them in that moment.

"No problems, Sir. I know there have been issues elsewhere, but it has not reached us here. The Luna knows nothing of what has happened." Vincent was a good family man, but when it came to his job as a warrior, he was also one of the most capable we had. He was extremely loyal, highly dedicated, and he could think quickly on his feet if he needed to. I was glad I chose him for her.

"Good, I don't want her to know about anything that happened today. Not yet anyway." I praised his efforts in keeping her safe.

"Might I ask why you're keeping it from her? She would likely not be very happy were she to find out." He offered me his advice.

"Yeah, I gather she wouldn't be." I laughed. "But today is looking like it will be her last day out for a long time. And you know how she will respond to that too, I'm sure." I watched as he grimaced at the thought.

"Not pleasantly." He admitted.

"Exactly."

"Might I offer some advice, Sir?" Shane, one of the twin guards said as he came walking over. He had apparently heard our conversation.

"You should not have left your post." I growled at him.

"I put someone else on the door for just a moment." He smiled sheepishly.

"Fine, go ahead." I snapped. "Say what you wanted to."

"If tonight is to be the Luna's last night out for a while, you should make it as special for her as you can." He smiled as he spoke.

"What do you mean?" I asked him.

"Come on, Alpha, you're a man that knows how to treat a lady, aren't you?" He joked with me.

"I most definitely know how to treat a lady and show them a good time. But are you suggesting I take her out when the city isn't safe for her right now?" I growled.

"The entire city isn't completely off limits, is it?" He asked. "There are some places that are safer than others. For instance, Gina's dress shop is completely run and staffed by wolves. And then there's Lawrence's restaurant over on Mountainview Pass, Kaleidoscope. It's five star, top rated, and beautiful inside. Added perk, is it's also staffed at least fifty percent by wolves, including those at the door. A few calls and you could have things set up to enjoy a quiet night with your mate and not have to worry."

I had to admit, he was very convincing as he spoke. And he was right too. I knew of the places he was talking about. Little Bunny definitely deserved one last hurrah before going back into confinement. I hated making her stay inside like that, but she needed to be safe. And I could just tell her it was for having completed her exams. But I would still want someone to watch the restaurant from outside, in case anyone tried anything.

"Shane, what are you and your brother doing tonight?" I smirked.

I had everything set and ready long before my Little Bunny was due to come out of the building. The twins were going to guard us from a distance tonight. And I would take my mate on our very first date ever. I was getting nervous. She could respond in many different ways.

I didn't have to wait too much longer for her to come out. She was smart and had kept up on her work even when I forbade her from going to class. The result meant she finished her exams with four hours to spare. We had plenty of time left for the day, but I was glad that we would get done sooner, this way we wouldn't be out that late. No need to push fate, with the other wolves or her.

They told me they heard her coming, so I got into position near the door she was likely to come out of. Vincent greeted her with a smile and asked how she had done.

"Well, I will know soon, but I'm sure I did alright." She smiled back at him. My wolf growled at the idea of another man being on the receiving end of that smile.

I Walked slowly toward them, as was the plan, and noticed when she realized I was there.

"Reece?" She was surprised. "What are you doing here?" She asked me.

"Well, these guys have been here all day, I thought I would check up on them. Looks like I got here just as you got done." I smile at her. "Come on, let's not block the door." I motioned for her to follow me. Her and Vincent both followed after me until we were under the shade of a nearby tree.

"How did you do?" I asked her.

"Fine, I think." She seemed nervous now.

"Good. Well, since I'm here let's go celebrate you passing your classes by having dinner together." I told her.

"It's a little early for dinner, and I'm not dressed for it." She tried to avoid the invitation, looking me up and down. I had gone home to change into a black Armani suit with a dark green silk shirt. The sun, just an hour away from setting, was glinting off my black leather shoes. I didn't ruin the look with a coat, I didn't need one right now anyway, I wouldn't need a coat unless it was somewhere below 0ºF outside.

"Well, we can get you ready for dinner then." I smiled, taking a few steps closer to her. She took a step back.

"I don't know." She avoided me again.

"Come on now, you don't want to make me look bad in front of everyone do you?" I asked, causing her to look around. It was then that she noticed that the other three guards had joined us as well.

"Go on Luna, you deserve to have some fun." Shane urged her.

"Yeah, you've been cooped up for a while." Shawn added.

"You should just enjoy it." David told her. Finally, she looked at Vincent.

"Go on Trinity, it will be alright." He encouraged her. I had a feeling he knew more than the others did, but his words seemed to be what she needed to crack. She turned to me and nodded.

"Alright, I am a bit hungry after all."

"Good." I said, taking her hand and pulling her toward me. "Shall we get you ready?" She tried to turn back to the others. "You gentlemen can go about whatever other business you might have." I called over my shoulder.

"Yes, Sir." I heard all four of them answer me.

"Where are we going?" She asked me. She looked confused and worried at the same time as I walked her toward the parking lot.

"To get ready for dinner."

"So, back to the estate?" She wondered.

"Nope, if I took you there, you'd likely try to get out of going to dinner."

"I would not." She insisted. "Probably." She added. I laughed at her words. "You seem to be in a good mood today." She commented.

"Really? That's the last thing I thought I would hear today, actually. Today did not go as I thought it would."

"Did you have a busy day as well?" She inquired.

"You can say that. I was chasing down leads all day." I said evasively.

"Hmm." She hummed as if she might have caught my meaning.

We were almost to the car now. Today I had no choice but to drive the Portofino. I knew she didn't like the Ferrari because it was ostentatious, but all the other cars were currently in use by members of the staff. I heard her scoff as I opened the door for her.

"All the others are in use." I told her as she sat down.

"Or you just wanted to look important while wearing that sharp suit of yours." She laughed at me.

I shut her door and walked around to slide into the driver's seat. The engine roaring to life drew the attention of several men, and quite a few women, on the campus. I could partly see why she didn't like the car. She wasn't used to all the attention. Well, we would have to get her used to getting all the attention from now on, wouldn't we?