The Last Pack

22. TO FORGET WE ARE SLAVES

Titan had kept guard on the Luna’s corridor for three days, only letting Iselda pass to leave water and food outside the door. As expected, even though his mate had died, Fidella’s heat and scent had no effect on him whatsoever. He knew that nobody could replace his woman, the interest and desire had left with her. The Gamma had been forced to fake some well-timed coughs and growls of warning more than once to cover up the ‘cure’ that was alleviating the mystery wolf illness more than once, given the brotherly affection he felt towards his Luna, this was the most awkward part of his responsibility.

Even though Ewan had managed to keep the majority of the gladiators occupied in their training to the point of exhaustion, three warriors had attempted to follow the lure of the Luna’s heat. Titan had easily managed to subdue them, and Ewan had withdrawn a day’s food ration as a punishment. Usually, in a pack, to try and seek out a female in heat who wasn’t your mate had harsher consequences then feeling peckish for the day. However, this was the pack’s first time experiencing a heat, and they weren’t used to having to control their wolves to such an extent. Titan could tell it was their beast’s curiosity that had brought them near, and they accepted the beating that Titan had given them and the punishment Ewan had instilled without complaint. The truth of the matter was that the pack loved Luna Fidella, her stories had connected them to a past that they thought they had lost. Overall, the situation could have been a lot worse, and Titan was pleased with the outcome.

Conri emerged from Fidella and Iselda’s cell on the afternoon of the third day. Titan stepped to one side, and bent his head in respect to his Alpha. Following him, they went to the veranda to get some lunch. Conri was beyond starving after the last three days. Upon opening the cell gate, he was met with cheers and pats on his back. His mind-link heard comments of welcoming and best wishes.

“It’s normal, they can tell you are stronger because of Luna Fidella. A stronger Alpha means a stronger pack. You will find that they follow your leadership more now and their wolves might start to show respect through bowing, or not eating until you take your first bite. They might not be able to maintain eye contact. All of these are good things. They show the wolves are ready to be led,” Titan replied to his curious frown.

Ewan joined them at the table with his plate of roasted hog, eggs and olives. The arena games would begin soon, so all the gladiators would be fed a little more meat than usual to help them gain more muscle. He felt he well deserved this filling meal after managing the Heatons, who were irate after the second day, demanding that Conri return to training so that he would be the prize fighter for the gladiator games. Ewan had to consistently point out that if he returned there was a danger he could spread the ‘illness’ to the other wolves and then we’d have no entries in the competition at all. He was concerned about the consequences that Fidella would face when she was brought to the Dominus.

“So you made it back to us, I see,” Ewan began, determined to annoy him as payment for the stressful three days he had just had on Conri’s behalf. “I hope you placed her mark somewhere discrete, because I have no idea where to begin explaining that to the Dominus for you,” He continue with a small laugh, oblivious to the frown that appeared on Conri’s head.

“You did mark her, didn’t you?” Titan asked, concerned about the blank expression on Alpha’s face.

“What are you two talking about? I would never put Fidella in danger by leaving a blemish on her to be found,” Conri growled, irritated that they would presume to think so little of him. They clearly were incapable of understanding his devotion to her if they thought he would do anything that would put her at risk. Titan had had a mate of his own once, so surely he should understand how protective Conri would be.

“You are joking aren’t you?” Ewan asked, his spoon paused in the gap between his plate and mouth.

The responding silence spoke volumes. Titan could see his Alpha’s temper escalating and decided to intervene before Ewan ended up on his arse.

“Alpha, when your mate goes into heat, it’s the Moon Goddess’ way of making the couple accept the bond by mating and marking. The she-wolf is more likely to have a cub during her heat. The marking is when your wolves come forward and bites the neck of their mate. They will share a scent and all will know that they are taken,” Titan pulled his tunica to one side, showing the clear outline of a bite mark.

“This is from my mate, it was an image of two wolves howling at the Moon, but when she died it faded to the imprint of her teeth,” Titan explained.

“How would Fidella, and I even know to do that?” Conri asked, exasperated.

“Your wolves should have overridden you at the…the erm…the most pleasurable point of your mating,” Ewan replied, and Conri put his head in his hands.

“I blocked my wolf,” Conri admitted. He didn’t want to share what happened between them, but looking at the faces of his Beta and Gamma, it seemed as if his lack of knowledge left him no choice.

“We didn’t fully mate either. I didn’t want her to feel compelled. Einar didn’t like my thinking, so I blocked him out,” Conri gave as little information as he possibly could, conscious of maintaining their privacy.

“s**t!” Was Ewan’s succinct response.

“It must have been difficult for you to maintain such control. I’m glad. It shows you must really love her. I marked my mate the moment I saw her right in the middle of her family picnic. Cadogan took complete control,” Titan patted Conri’s forearm in approval.

“It does leave us with a slight issue. The Moon Goddess won’t see her bond as cemented and another heat will be sent. I’d say you have two or three months at best,” Ewan pointed out.

“Well, that gives us a time frame to achieve our plans for freedom,” Conri resolved. “How do you know about all this? Ewan, you have never lived in a pack, have you?”

“I wasn’t in a pack. Sometimes, especially in winter, packs would welcome me when I was a pup and had to hide that I was a werewolf from the humans I lived with. They would feed me and accept me, but I would always leave after a week or two. That’s how I came to know so much about pack life and the way of the wolf. I don’t know if there are any free packs left. They became less frequent as I got older. If it wasn’t for the kindness of those packs, I wouldn’t have survived to adulthood, and then where would you all be?” Ewan always ended his stories with humour, to soften the harshness of his youth.

Ewan rarely spoke about his time before Heaton House, but the few things he did share indicated how difficult his life had been. He was the perfect Beta with his quick wit, careful planning, compassion for those around him, but he was also ferocious when he needed to be, and determined, like with his hunt for answers about his birth. All these skills were born from the state of survival.

Ewan looked at his Alpha and friend and couldn’t help but see all the positive changes.

“Conri, what’s it like to have a mate?” His friend asked him.

“I don’t really have the words to explain, but she makes me forget I am a slave. I find myself making plans for a future that I didn’t even think I would have before I met her. She makes me a better man and a better wolf, she makes me be the Alpha for all of us, but I can only be this because it is what she needs,” Conri answered honestly.

For the first time ever, the quick-witted, playful Ewan was lost for words. He hoped he could have a mate one day that would make him feel that way. Titan filled up all their glasses and raised a toast.

“To the women who free us from our bonds of slavery!” They all c*****d their glasses together. One was picturing his past love, the other his present, and the last was picturing the love he hoped to find in his future.