VERBOTEN MATES

CHAPTER 4 *FACE OFF*

“Thank you, man.”

I say to Vitus my soon to be beta patting his back as I get down from the truck; I didn’t want my family to form a parade at the airport waiting for my arrival, hence I sent a message to Vitus the previous night telling him to wait for me at the airport. 

“It’s no big deal. I’m glad I could be of help. I’ll take that.”

Vitus offers, taking one of luggage with him as we both walk towards the entrance of my father’s mansion.

Unlike most packs with pack houses where members stay in different rooms or suite in one building, ours is different.

Every family has a portion of land distributed to them, where they erect small buildings for themselves close to each other for safety. Although our ancestors didn’t fancy the idea of living together in one tall building, they believed the pack members needed to be close to one another, hence they made sure the gaps between houses built weren’t much. 

The only building distance from the rest of the pack buildings was the Alpha’s mansion, which would become mine once I become Alpha and my parents would move out with my siblings to another house already built in wait for when I become the next Alpha.

“Is my family out of town?”

I ask Vitus as we got to the entrance, and the door isn’t flying open to my sister jumping on me or my mother pulling me into a bone breaking embrace.

“I don’t think so. I saw your sister last night.”

My hand paused on the doorknob as I turned, craning my neck, and I glared at Vitus. He his face morphed in confusion as I held my glare before he shakes his head.

“NO! It’s not what you think, Alpha. I saw her returning home with her friend. Not that I met her in private or something. I wouldn’t do that. She is sixteen.”

Vitus quickly dismissed my assumption and I nod, giving him a warm smile even though I find the sudden silence surrounding the mansion weird.

As I turned the doorknob and pushed the door open, dragging my bag in with me, a sudden growl rumbles down my throat as something wet splashed against my face and I was ready to pounce at whoever invaded the mansion.

“Surprise.”

“Welcome home.”

My family’s voice fills the darkness in the mansion and I groaned, now realising why the house was silent. This is what they planned to do. 

“You told them?”

I turn to Vitus, glaring at him for the second time today, and he grinned.

“I couldn’t refuse the luna when she demanded to know. Somehow she knew you would call me.”

Vitus responds, and I rolled my eyes. What a traitor.

“Can someone turn on the lights at least.”

The lights in the living room, flicks but not soon enough for me to prepare myself for the wrecking ball coming my way, as in my little sister. 

“Welcome home, Az, I missed you so much.”

She screams, jumping on me, and I staggered a few steps backwards before getting a proper hold of my footing as I hug her close to me and spun her around, like I used to when she was still an infant.

“I missed you too, princess. Where is that little devil?”

I set Irma back on her feet at my question, and she giggles.

“I am not little and you can’t spin me around like that anymore.”

Irma says choosing not to answer my question about my little brother and I smile placing a peck on her cheek. 

And she was right, she indeed doesn’t look like little any more.

“Yeah, you certainly look nothing like my thirteen-year-old princess. I better not hear that you have a boyfriend,”

I tell and she rolls her eyes, blushing as she did. Yes, she definitely has a boyfriend, I have to find that who that bastard is before the end of today, if he wants to date my little sister than he has to prove his worth to me first. 

I pinched her cheek as she blushed, raising my head up to the approaching footsteps and I starred and the boy walking towards me with a big smile on his face.

That can be.... My eyes widen, holy hell.

“Welcome home, man.”

My little brother greets pulling me in for a bro hug adding to my surprise, Man?

“What in the goddess name. I was away for three years and this happens.”

I say patting his back as I pulled away from the hug and did a once over on him again.

“Why are you in shock, I am a man now?”

He says grinning and I smack his head playfully.

“Man, my ass, you grew from a little boy to a boy. And you better add respect to my name and how you talk. I won’t hesitate to smack you simply because you are growing beards.”

I tell him, ruffling his hair, and he laughs.

“Of course big bring, you’ll my our Alpha soon. Need to respect the Alpha. Gosh, I missed training with you.”

My fifteen-year-old looking eighteen little brother says, and I chuckle.

“I am back now, we can resume training together whenever you want. Mama.”

I greet my mom as she comes into view.

“Welcome home son, I was waiting for you to round up your joyous reunion with your siblings, how was your flight?”

My mum asks, and I hurry to her side, embracing her warmly as I sniffed in her scent. Goddess knows how much I have missed her warm embrace and motherly scent. 

“My flight was boring the normal way. I missed you, Mama.”

“I miss you too, hijo primogénito. I prepared Maultaschen, and Mole.”

Mum says and my face brightens at the information, my favourite meal of all time.

“Gosh, Mama, you don’t know how much I’ve been dying to eat either of the two. Please tell me they set the dining.”

I gush and mother laughs, her tiny wrinkles folding in perfect symmetry underneath her eyes.

“So you get to hug every day but would neglect your father because of food.”

Dad grumbles, standing behind my mom, and I chuckled.

“You should know I am a sucker for mom’s cooking papa, but I am feeling charitable right now so come here.”

I reply, opening my arm for him, and he laughs, giving a very much awkward father and son hug as he pats my back.

“Welcome home Alpha.”

He comments and I nod, bowing my head in respect. 

“I told you no welcome parties.”

I frown at my dad, and he scoffed.

“There is no welcome party. Just a surprise welcoming.”

Dad says, and I hurry after mom,

“Vitus, come, eat with me.”

I call to my beta, who stood at the entrance in awkward silence. 

“Take your brother’s luggage to his room.”

Father instructs my siblings and they grab a bag, each dragging it upstairs to my room as I settled at the dining table, rubbing my palm together while I wait for mom to serve, Vitus and I.

**********

We were all halfway through eating, chatting and laughing as I shared my hunting experience in camp alpha with my family and Vitus. 

How I had fallen into mud on my first task, and the many times I had to deep hand in beehives searching for hidden items and other things. 

My father phone rings from his pocket and he we all pause the chit chat, maintaining silence so he could communicate with whoever called with no distraction.

"Yes, hello. Who are they?"

Father asks the caller as finish the last slice off on my plate.

"Tell them I do not permit an audience with them and do not wish to see them."

 Father says and I halt my hand movement, dropping to spoon, to pay attention to him. Dad excuses himself from the table and I drink what's left in my cup before following him.

"What!"

Dad growled and my eyebrow furrowed in confusion as I wondered who was making him angry.

"Make sure you follow them until they get here. That asshole."

Dad sighs, sitting on his chair in his office, and I took the sit facing him.

"Who was that, and why do you look worked up so suddenly?"

I asked dad as he reclines in his seat. 

"Beta Tiberius, he just called that Alpha Richard is on his way were. Even when I made it clear, I have nothing to discuss with him. That Tier (Animal) forced his way into the pack."

I stared at him as he explained to me, the enmity between our pack and Alpha Richard's pack was no news which makes me wonder why he would force his way into our lands if he isn't looking for trouble or a way to provoke dad. 

"Is there a reason he want's to see you? So much as entering the pack land without your consent?"

Father sighs, pulling out a drawer and he fish something out before pushing an envelope to me.

I eyed the envelope as I picked it up from the table, prying out the letter in it to read. My eyes scan over each word carefully so I wouldn't miss a thing and deep snarl rumbled down my throat even Scar was angry at the contents of the letter.

"Is he joking, those lands belong to our forefathers. What makes him think he can just dot ink on a piece of paper and you would hand him the documents of the land. He even called it a no-man's-land. How dare him?"

I snarled, ripping the letter. Who does Alpha Richard think he is?

"This was the same reaction I had. I don't know what has gotten over him. Just cool down till he gets here."

Just then a knock sounds from outside office's door and I stand up to get it knowing it was the asshole Alpha, I would become Alpha of this pack soon and I won't tolerate brutes like him, not now, definitely not never.

"I'll get that."

I tell my dad, already on my feet and walking towards the door.

"Don't go off on him yet. Let's here what he has to say or offer."

Dad says and I nod, turning the lock and open the door. Alpha Richard with his s**t-eating face walks in and push to close the door, but it got stuck making me turning my focus from glaring at Alpha Richards back to see what is stopping the door from closing.

My jaw slacked as I stare at the piece of meat standing before me, Alpha Torak the son of Alpha Richard had his foot sticking between the door and the door frame and his unwavering eyes pinned on me.

I gulp as I drink in the perfectly outlined shape of his face and his eyes, the most endearing pair of warm grey eyes I've ever seen. Why did I not notice how enchanting his eyes were before? 

He eyed me, tilting his head to the side in confusion, which caused the veins in his neck to pop out and my wolf Scar grew restless within me.

'I want to have him.'

Scar growled out in my head.

'Say no more, but we can't, we are back home.'

Goddess knows if I didn't know who is and I met him outside these pack lands, I would do anything to have him moaning out my name like a professional songstress.

"Excuse me.?"

My shaft tightens at the thick baritone voice that escaped his mouth and I bounce out of the way, stylishly pressing my hand against my front to hide whatever misbehaved shape growing down there. 

I can't let my dad and he's sensing my arousal, not when there is no woman in our midst. How would I explain my sudden arousal to them? 

I swallowed as he walked passed me, my eyes training on his perky buttocks. The trousers he wore did me no justice as he pushed his butt up, exposing how large it is for a male.  

A cough resonate the room and I snap my eyes away from his ass to see my dad looking at me with a questionable expression on his face. 

I composed myself quickly to hide the lustful expression I had on my face as I closed the joined and took seat just a few feet away from Torak and his manly scent which for a weird reason if I concentrated harder, I could tell what he smelled like despite the scent of his perfuming. 

"Richard. I clearly told you I have no interest in the nonsense you wrote in that letter, so what are you doing in my land without a prior notice?"

Dad says eyes trained on Alpha Richard as he spoke. 

"You said that, but I didn't get your reason quite clear. Like I wrote in my letter, I want the land. I only came here to give you one last chance to rethink my offer."

Alpha Richard says, and I snarled.

"What flimsy offer was that. You think simply saying you would allow our packs into a land that belongs to their Alpha would make us hand over the document to you?"

I growled at him, and he snarled, fisting his hand on the table. My eyes briefly look over to Torak to see his reaction. To my surprise, the calm expression on his face didn't falter even though I just snarled at his father. 

"Control your pup Kane, I came here for you to him."

Torak's father gritted out, and I growled, I am no one's pup.

"You should control your tongue Richard, need I remind you, you are on my land without invitation."

I told him, holding his stare, and he springs up from his seat advancing towards me, barring his fangs and claws.

"Father, the boy is right, we are trespassing at the moment, the least we can do is come to a reasonable agreement instead of starring up more feud."

Torak says, his voice low and deep, sending heat shivers down my spine and I gulped, ignoring him calling me a boy. It surprised how calm he remained, unlike his father. 

The last time I saw him was about four and a half years ago, one time when I went with dad to the monthly Alphas meeting. 

I could swear he wasn't this god-enjoy looking then and this unexplainable desires I am having now for him wasn't there either. 

His father paused, turning to glance at his son before nodding.

"Be grateful, my son is a disciplined and a cultured man with manners unlike your bratty self."

Torak's father grumbles before going back to his seat, and I didn't the miss glare he threw at his son. 

"Richard, I would not have you in my pack and watch you threaten myself. Perhaps I didn't make myself clear enough in my response to your letter. That land belongs to my family and nothing on earth would make me give it out."

Father declares without breaking eye contact with him. 

"You live me no choice but to take it with force. If you won't give up the land in peace, there is no harm in having a little blood bathe before I claimed."

Scar pushed forward at his words and a guttural growls echoed through the walls at Richard's words. 

"LEAVE MY LAND."

Both I and Scar snarled at him, as I tried to keep a reign on Scar. I would not have any Alpha come into our land and threaten us no matter who he is.

"You heard him Richard, the ascending Alpha of Wolf wants you out of his land. The next time you set food on my pack land without a formal invitation, I'll have your head."

Father tells him, voice calm, but one could tell the power in it as he spoke. Torak's father scoffed, standing on his feet as he beckoned his son, who looked like he would rather be anywhere but here. 

"I warned you."

Richard says before closing father's office door behind him and Torak offered an apologetic smile before he stepped out. 

Father picked up the telephone on his desk ringing number and he gave the instruction that both father and son should send out of the pack lands.

"You did well, son. I am proud of you, Now I can entrust this people in your care without worrying."

Father praises and I bow, acknowledging his words. 

"Thank you, dad."

"Richard is always hungry for trouble, his son seems different though."

Father comments and I nod, deciding not to speak on the comment about the son. The last thing I want is my dad knowing that I have a thing for our enemy's son.

"We should go to your mother and siblings before they worry. Also, go see Laine, that girl has missed you. She wanted to stay here today and wait for your arrival, but her parents insisted she stayed home. "

Dad says as we step out of his office and nod. 

"I would in the evening."

"Good and no doing the freaky, remember the haze is tomorrow. You need to remain clean before the haze."

I nod and smiled at my father's words, but rolled my eyes mentally at their theory of keeping clean before the haze.

What's the different if I would still end up having s*x on the haze ground tomorrow.