book #1 : war of beasts

#2 David

a door pulled shut quietly waking him from his sleep. reaching out to the stranger next to him he realized his bed was empty. David sat up wiping his hands down his face. " crap! didn't even get her name." he got up out of bed making his way to the bathroom to wash up. the hot water cascading down his face as flashes of last night rolled through his mind. Emerald green eyes haunting him. when he was finished he stepped out toweling himself dry. his phone started buzzing. " hey dad." he answered in a sarcastic tone. he couldn't hide his disdain for his father. his father was king over werewolves but he lacked the love he needed to be a father. David was sure his father only had kids to produce an heir otherwise he would have been content with no kids at all.

" your twenty second birthday is next week. this is your coming of age where you can find your mate. I expect her to be suitable for this kingdom if you choose to mate with her. we can not afford someone who is not going to add noble birth right to our lineage. "

" father I can rule with or without a queen. and some day when the time comes I will chose a mate worthy of our lineage just like I have been taught since birth." he was tired of having this conversation with his father. his parents were both of noble birth and they were chosen mates over fated mates. their bond was never strong and when his mother passed away his father grieved but not in the same way he would have had he they been fated mates. Or in the same way he would have if he had been in love with his mother. David had wanted a fated mate when he was younger but as he got older he wasn't sure he even had one. his mother had always told him about how it would feel the sparks that would be between them. like last night every time they touched he felt little jolts of electricity between them. his wolf wasn't saying mate. his wolf liked her. there was something he liked about her but he wasn't out right saying she was his mate.

" are you listening David?" his father's voice rang out of the phone.

" yes father of course. I just have a lot on my mind with business here. I still have a lot to do for the hospital. maybe we can talk about this another time?" his dad grunted in disapproval but relented. " father you don't have to worry. when I chose a mate she will be a perfect queen."

" I have faith you will chose correctly. someone fitting for the crown. I will talk to you later David you need to get your work done." the phone went dead and David sank into the couch. emerald green eyes flashing through his mind. he sighed in frustration and got dressed. he had a lot to do before the renovations were finished at the hospital. the king family had been involved in different businesses and the hospital where both human and werewolves were seen was a pet project. it helped them keep their identity undercover mixing with humans. he took the elevator to the car garage where the driver was waiting for him. at least he could hide himself in work and hopefully not be thinking of last night and those beautiful emerald green eyes.

He definitely needed a distraction. when he pulled up to the front doors of the hospital he was immediately surrounded by men in suits following him and everyone talking to him about different problems happening. he was reading papers and signing papers and listening to everything that needed his attention. " Mr. king, sir the emergency room is completely outdated and needs an upgrade to be able to continue to be effective in treating people." the man cleared his throat and took a deep breath before continuing. " we have very talented staff who have had to make a few adjustments to maximize treatment with equipment that can't do the job. we can't keep improvising and putting patients at risk."

" do you have papers for me to read over and lists that show what needs improvements? I need tangible evidence before I make any decisions but rest assured that patient safety is of utmost importance."

" sir, please just visit the emergency room and look around. make a surprise visit so you get the real story. you will see what I'm talking about." the man looked at David with pleading eyes. the man's suit wasn't like the others. it wasn't as refined and put together. David smiled.

" I find that an excellent idea. " David smiled and opened his office door closing it on all the men behind him. that actually wasn't a bad idea. David hadn't actually been through the hospital on surprise visits to really see the day to day operations most of the time he had people report to him and tell him what needed help and that was how he got his information. maybe he was out of touch with the real needs because he no longer actively got involved anymore. he sat down looking over the mountain of paperwork he needed to go through until there was a knock on his door. " Come in."

he looked up to watch a blonde haired long legged beautiful girl walk in. his shoulders slumped when he saw her. Chloe, not who he wanted to see today. " David darling," she looked around not approving of the state of his office. " I was stopping in to see how my boyfriend was doing. come give me a kiss." David stared at her for a minute before doing what she said. by no means was she ugly. she had long beautiful toned legs and a toned body but David dated her to pass the time and somehow his father and Chloe feel like she is marriage material. David didn't want to marry her. he didn't like the way she treated people. one thing his mother instilled in him was a queen should be strong but kind. Chloe was a far cry from kind. he got up and went around the desk and kissed her cheeks not wanting to be intimate with her. the thought was turning his stomach.

" Chloe I told you I didn't want to date anymore so you aren't my girlfriend." he brought his hands to his temples rubbing the headache forming.

" I feel you will come around my dear. you will see we are a perfect match." he growled under his breath. his wolf slinking away in his mind. Jonathan had never liked her. he always sank to the back of his mind every time she was around in a way to try to control the urge to rip her apart. there was always something he didn't trust about her. she would do anything to gain power. it was always her driving desire. David would give her that if he chose her. " have you eaten? I came to see if you have had lunch and if you would accompany me?"

" I can't Chloe. I have a lot of work to do."

" lunch between two people isn't a bad thing David."

" it is if one of those people want more."

" what am I going to do jump you on the table in front of the humans?" she smirked at him. " besides I never heard you complain before...."

David was getting irritated and had a lot of paperwork to do. he didn't have time for this banter. " no, now if you will excuse me." he stepped away from her and went back to his desk sitting down. immersing himself in paperwork. he paused for a second then looked up at her as she walked out. " Chloe?"

" yes?"

" what would you do if you found your fated mate? do you think you could be happy?"

" not sure where this is coming from but I would have to reject him if he wasn't of noble blood. We have to keep our line pure. people like us have to keep the line going. we have a duty to our people not to pollute our lineage so we don't have the luxury of those choices." David watched her walk out the door. he supposed she was right. his mother had always given him the fantasy of a choice that for some reason she felt he didn't have to chose someone different other than his fated mate. his father on the other hand always made it clear in the royal line it wasn't about love and fate but about carrying on their pure lineage and that meant choosing someone who would carry that on. loosing his mother at eighteen was hard but worse was promising her he would wait for his fated mate before choosing a queen. she just wanted him happy and in love. she wanted him to have better than what she had chosen for herself succumbing to the pressure of her parents. in the end it was just himself his mother and his brother holding her hand when she passed away. their father was away on business and didn't make an effort to come back. that was the thing about a chosen mate, the same love and desire wasn't there. their father showed his respects to the people who lost their queen but he went on business as usual while David and his brother mourned her death. he never even looked into how she got sick. she was a wolf and usually wolves never get sick but his father just moved on like she never existed. he had his heirs and that was all that mattered. David threw his pen down on the stack of papers in front of him in frustration. he needed a change of scenery to get his mind off of everything. David decided it would be a good time to check on the emergency room like the man had suggested.

David made his way to the elevator and pushed down. maybe this distraction would give him the answers he needed to bring this hospital up to date and more competitive. if only David could focus on anything right now. maybe it was his promise to his mom that was bothering him most. he had a lot of responsibilities that weighed on him and his father added more to it by trying to force him to chose a mate. soon he would be taking over as king and his father would be stepping down. wouldn't it be nice if he could just never chose a queen, he thought. that would piss his father off. the doors opened and he began walking down a long hallway to the emergency department. he paused at the entrance peering through the small window. he watched as people were busy with patients going back and forth. the area was run down. barely adequate. the equipment was old and he watched as a nurse came in tinkering with a machine trying to make it work. he listened to her calling another person to come over as he ducked away from the window.

" Abby! Come help with this machine!"

" Carole I'll be right there." he could hear some shuffling and some footsteps. he was entranced by the angelic voice. his eyes opened wide in acknowledgement of who the voice belonged to. " if management doesn't replace these machines soon we won't be able to operate functionally anymore." all of a sudden the machine came to life with small beeping noises. " this isn't going to last but I got it working for now."

" so tell me about last night with tall gorgeous man you disappeared with Abby." he watched as Abby swatted at her friend.

" no not something that's going to ever happen again so no need to dwell on what happened even if he was perfect. I don't know his name and I have a boyfriend. " David cringed as his wolf perked up in anger at the thought of her with anyone else. calming his wolf down he continued to listen.

" Abby you barely talk to him and you certainly don't love him. you tolerate him because he fits into some future timeline you have for yourself. you deserve better than that. think about it. I worry about you."

" Carole I'm fine. people like me we don't get love we more business transaction our lives. love is a fairy tale I don't have time for." he watched as they both walked out of the hallway and went back to work. he mulled over what she said about love. his life was like a business transaction too. he shook his head. he was getting too deep into someone he only met once. he needed to stay focused. he walked away and headed back to his office. her name was Abby.