The Elf's Royal Match (Book 4 The Wolves of Winter Valley)

Chapter 5 - Frustration On All Sides

Colt POV

I skipped taking the shuttle to the pitch and rode my Harley instead. I much preferred having the freedom to come and go as I pleased. Not that I could or would ditch training. Attending each session was a requirement for being part of the supernatural army Alpha Quincy-Raymond was building—unless injury or illness prevented it. And being part of the army was necessary for me to remain within the protective boundaries of Winter Valley. Besides, there was nothing I wanted more than to be a soldier. Well, I wanted my mate more, but being a warrior was the only thing possible at the moment.

The other benefit of being responsible for my own travel was arriving before anyone else and getting the lay of the land. The pitch was little more than an open field with three pole barn-style buildings scattered around two large circles carved out of the sod, leaving dirt packed by feet that had danced within in mock battle. I was assigned to the north circle, and after parking my bike, I began the trek across the field toward it.

Sinead’s light banana scent wafted over me as I approached. I clearly wasn’t the only one who thought to arrive early. My footsteps faltered as I debated going back to my bike and awaiting the other warriors, but she rounded the corner of the storage building before I could make up my mind. There was no point in retreating, and with a silent curse, I forced my feet to keep moving forward.

“Good morning,” she said, plucking a clipboard from a wooden bench next to the building.

“Morning.” My response came out as a grunt as I trudged to the edge of the circle with my eyes downcast. Just the tiny glimpse of her when she came around that corner was enough to awaken every nerve ending in my body and conjure all manners of prurient fantasies. Another scent rose, mingling with the banana, alarming me. Sinead was aroused.

I gritted my teeth against my own involuntary response and cursed when a chorus of voices announced the approach of the other warriors. Panicked, I jerked my head in Sinead’s direction and growled loudly. She jumped and stared at me. Confusion and hurt reflected in her eyes, and I looked away, so she wouldn’t see the guilt and regret in mine. When the scent of her arousal began to fade, I breathed a sigh of relief—primarily for her. I remembered the look on her face earlier that morning when she asked me to reject her. She’d been terrified by the thought that the others would realize that we were mates…

Wait a minute…

Why did that thought scare her so much?

Was she ashamed of me?

Did Alpha Quincy-Raymond or Isabella Lawrence reveal what they’d learned when I was scanned?

Sinead seemed heartbroken when I told her I didn’t want a mate. What changed?

I started forward to question her but stopped mid-stride when I remembered the approaching soldiers. My questions would have to wait until we were alone.

“Colt.”

Manners long ingrained urged me to turn around and greet the person who’d called my name, but I kept my narrowed eyes on my mate. “Good morning, Alpha.”

Natasha stopped next to me. I sliced a glance in her direction, then returned to watching Sinead. “Good morning. Is everything okay?”

“I don’t know. Have you or Ms. Lawrence told Sinead anything you learned from my scan?” I asked casually.

I felt her tense as she turned to face me fully. “I would hardly be worthy of my title if I could not keep sensitive information to myself, Mr. Nagy and Isabella is under strict orders from her Alpha to keep the information confidential. Your secret is safe.”

“I don’t know a whole lot about elves. I know they possess magical abilities. I’m just not sure what they are. Is she able to read minds? See into the past or the future?” I forced my attention away from Sinead and focused it on Natasha. She frowned.

“No. Elves are spell casters mostly, though they do have the ability to manipulate plant life. Why do you ask? Has something happened? Has Sinead given you reason to believe she knows something she shouldn’t? Obviously, you haven’t told her anything,” Natasha inquired.

After a quick look around to see if anyone was within earshot, I lowered my voice and said, “She panicked this morning when I pointed out that her body’s reaction to me would alert the other animal shifters to our connection and asked me to reject her.”

Natasha studied me for a minute, then shook her head and glanced at Sinead, who was going over something on the clipboard with an extremely tall, dark-skinned man. When she turned back to me, she sighed and began to tug at her bottom lip. “I think I know what that’s about and it has nothing to do with you directly, but that is all I’ll say. You’ll have to ask her if you want the details.”

Before I could press her further, the dark-skinned man called for everyone’s attention. Natasha patted my shoulder, then walked over and joined the man and Sinead.

“Good morning! For those of you who are just joining us, my name is Phil Dickson. I am the head trainer here at Winter Valley. I hope you are ready to work hard because you’ve got a lot of catching up to do. When I call your name, line up within the circle,” Phil instructed, then proceeded to run down the list in his hand.

When my name was called, I took my place between a young wolf named Mack, who’d recently turned 18, and a unicorn named Cressida. Cressida spun her silvery blonde hair into a bun at the nape of her neck and secured it while smiling at me.

“You’re really hot,” she said unabashedly.

Instantly uncomfortable, I casually took a step away from her and avoided eye contact as I answered, “Thank you.”

She turned toward me, undeterred by my apparent lack of interest. “Want to get a bite to eat after training? I hear the café here is top notch.”

Sinead’s sudden appearance in front of me stopped all brain function. Those periwinkle eyes sparkled and flashed with jealousy as she addressed me. “We have a lot to teach you in a short amount of time,” she said through gritted teeth. “Please save your courtship rituals for after training.”

My own anger flared, and I opened my mouth to retort, then thought better of it. The response pulsing through my mind would have made it clear to anyone within earshot that Sinead was my fated mate, and that would have upset her further. It was her secret to reveal, not mine, regardless of the reason.

Unknown POV

“BRAXTON!” I shouted as I paced before the stone fireplace in my private parlor.

Where was that man when I needed him?

I bristled while I waited. My attacks against the supernatural communities around the world—while successful—were not doing what they were meant to do. The idea was to lure The Triad out into the open so that I could neutralize them and steal their powers before they were strong enough to defeat me, but nothing was working. Instead of running to the rescue, they were leaving the species under attack to defend themselves.

It would have been so much easier if my genetic link to their human pack member had worked. I still didn’t know how they managed to block it before I had even ingested the potion. That had to have just been a stroke of luck on their part because there was no way they could have had advanced knowledge of my plan. None of the witches and warlocks I had casting and brewing for me had contact with anyone off the island. It simply wasn’t possible. My island was protected even better than Winter Valley. Shielded by the magic of merfolk, it was invisible to all, undetectable by any means, and accessible only by me. You couldn’t even narrow its location down to a general area like you could with Winter Valley. As far as the world was concerned, my island didn’t exist.

My fury grew. Time was running out. Soon, those three flea-bitten mutts would be powerful enough to destroy me as the prophecy decreed. I had to get to them before that happened, but how? That was the question. I knew the general location of Winter Valley, but I couldn’t see it and, therefore, couldn’t infiltrate or attack it.

“BRAXTON!!!” I bellowed once more and allowed myself a smile of satisfaction when the door burst open, and the man in question came skidding to a halt in front of me.

His chin dropped to his heaving chest. “My apologies, Goddess. There was a minor fire in the lab and the flames were blocking the door.”

With a sniff, I turned and stalked back to the fireplace. “Is it contained?” I asked with only a passing interest.

“Yes, Goddess.”

“Good. We can’t afford to lose any more of our stock. I’m tired of spending my days tracking and abducting replacements. Now, where do we stand on the Winter Valley problem?”

Braxton walked over to the wet bar in the corner of the room, poured two fingers of brandy into a snifter, and brought it to me. Again, he lowered his head as he presented the glass. “We still haven’t been able to pinpoint its location beyond fifty miles. Our seers keep meeting with resistance when they try to see closer. The last one just collapsed from exhaustion an hour ago. I’ve had them all taken back to their cells to recharge.”

“This is really starting to test my patience,” I muttered as I tapped a pointed, blood-red nail against my glass. “So many powerful creatures under my control and I can’t locate one werewolf pack!” In a fit of rage, I hurled my glass into the fire, causing the flames to leap high briefly in reaction to the alcohol. It did nothing to soothe the storm inside me. The fury continued to boil until I was ready to peel my own flesh from my bones. I needed to kill someone. Spinning away from the fireplace, I started across the room while my mind went down the list of expendable creatures currently residing in my cells. Braxton flung himself between me and the door just as I settled on my choice.

“Goddess, no. Please. If you kill a prisoner, you’ll just have to replace them tomorrow. You said so yourself,” he pleaded.

With a flick of my wrist, I sent him sliding across the floor and continued out of my quarters. I had to kill. It was the only thing that stopped this incessant burning brought on by rage. Only killing assuaged the fear that sank its jagged teeth into me every time a mission failed.

Braxton threw himself at my feet. “Goddess, please. Use me. Don’t kill anyone. We need them.”

I stopped and stared down at him, intrigued. “Use you?”

He scrambled to his feet. “Yes, Goddess. Use me. There is another way to satisfy your anger. Let me show you, please, Goddess. You may like it better.”

“Show me,” I demanded and gasped when he flung me over his shoulder. “How dare you!” The indignity of being manhandled drew me to raise my hand to free myself.

Braxton swatted me hard on the ass. It stung a bit but also excited me, and I stopped yelling. This was going to be interesting, I thought as he hurried into my quarters and back to my bedroom. With the door firmly closed at our backs, he tossed me down on the bed and grinned in a way I’d never seen before. It was the smirk of a man who was in charge, a powerful man. My panties grew damp just looking at him.

He crawled onto the bed and straddled me, then gripped the bodice of my gown and ripped it open, baring my t**s to his hungry mouth. His teeth clamped down on my n****e, sending a sharp spear of pain through me. I cried out in both shock and anger. No one dared touch me this way. My body was to be revered, worshipped. I was a Goddess, not a w***e. Oblivious to how close he was to death, Braxton abandoned my breasts and attacked my mouth, chewing on my lips until they were raw and throbbing. When I could take his abuse no longer, I flipped our positions and attacked him with as much intensity, inflicting just as much pain. It was then that I realized my anger had abated, leaving a passion that burned even hotter. The urge to kill was replaced with the need to impale myself repeatedly on his rock-hard c**k. I tore my mouth from his and smiled into those eyes that pretended to care for me as I pulled what remained of my dress over my head. He was right. I did like it better.