Chapter 4 – Obsessed
Rex
Her age held me back, and I did everything possible to avoid being near her.
Werewolf shifters reached maturity at eighteen, at which point their wolf would awaken, allowing them to shift into wolf form. This was also the age that a normal shifter could find their mate, the other half of their soul. Unlike werewolf shifters, who lived twice as long as humans, lycan shifters lived for hundreds of years, which meant that lycans didn’t reach full maturity until twenty-five.
I’m a born lycan—one of the first born in over a thousand years since lycans went extinct.
We’re the most powerful beings on the planet, destined to maintain order and balance in the supernatural world. A world shared by vampires, mages, and shifters. We dominate the human world even though they’re ignorant of our existence. We’ve built generational wealth, power, and political connections in their world.
My Greek ancestors were the last lycans to rule before the extinction. The blood of the ancient royals runs in our veins along with the blood of the Gods, making our beasts stronger. My father, Alpha Ares Crow, was blessed by the Gods. His golden wolf, Apollo, reawakened the lycan gene. He’s determined to ensure we get it right this time.
If we’ve learned anything from our past ancestors, it’s to respect the wishes of the Moon Goddess, Selene, or suffer the consequences. The Gods were not only magnanimous and protective, but they were also jealous and vengeful.
The Moon Goddess created mate bonds between shifters and rarely granted a second chance mate. Most shifters eagerly welcomed and cherished the discovery of their true mate, though a few had rejected a mate for selfish reasons and taken a chosen mate. A werewolf had the best chance of producing offspring with their true mate. It wasn’t unheard of for a chosen werewolf pair to produce a pup, but it wasn’t very common.
Werewolf packs had been much larger than lycan packs during ancient times. It didn’t matter if lycans were outnumbered because ten lycans could easily slaughter a hundred werewolves. Lycans were built differently than wolves… in more ways than one.
The lycans of the past had started rejecting their mates in favor of those with a higher rank, hoping to produce stronger heirs that never came. They became elitists in their selection. Human mates were detested and considered an insult. Even though lycans had venom and could turn a human, many chose to kill their mates, which caused their beasts to go mad.
Now that lycans had been reawakened, the entire shifter world had all eyes on us.
The beast of a lycan was feral compared to the inner wolf of a werewolf shifter. Lycans were driven by primal instincts, so we had to work harder to maintain control. Alpha males tended to exercise dominance and control in every aspect of their lives, including sex.
Plenty of willing females in the pack were hoping for a chance to be with me. A few had caught my attention briefly, but nothing beyond a night. By the time I turned twenty-one, I preferred to visit the city to quench my lust—no strings attached. The last thing I wanted was to find my mate in the pack and have her resent me for my previous escapades.
I remember the first time I attended an event at the Sanctum in Manhattan.
I watched as Ranger escorted his submissive for the evening to a private room while Caspian sat in a quiet corner charming the panties off a blonde. I sipped my whisky and scanned the room, eager to wipe away the memory of the morning. My beast had been on edge all day since she stumbled into the kitchen soaking wet.
“Nan?” She cried out, busting through the kitchen door.
“Maeve!” Mitza greeted her. “You’re soaked. What happened?”
I was seated with my sister at the table in the corner, and she hadn’t noticed us yet.
“Denise pushed me in the pool. My cell phone is ruined, and Nan is going to kill me,” she cried.
“Most phones are waterproof,” Storm chimed, and Maeve looked stunned momentarily. Her eyes shifted from my sister to me.
“S-She.. stepped on it,” Maeve said softly, turning her embarrassed gaze to the floor.
“I’ll get you a towel,” Mitza rushed to a cabinet near the broom closet and returned with a pool towel. “Your grandmother went to town with Jarvis to pick up a few things for me.”
Maeve was wearing a beige-colored dress that clung to her body, but now that it was wet, it had become nearly transparent. Her wide hips and curves gave her a softness I wanted to explore. She shivered as Mitza handed her the towel, and before she wrapped it around her body… I spied her beautifully hardened nipples. My beast stirred, and desire shot to my cock.
I gritted my teeth and turned my attention to the window. Taking a deep breath, I felt disgust flow through me. What the hell was I thinking? What kind of pervert was I? She’s a pup, barely sixteen if I remember correctly. A low growl rippled in my throat; my beast was frustrated with my shame.
“What’s wrong?” Storm’s voice rang through the mind link, but I wouldn’t tell her about my inappropriate reaction to fucking nipples. Nipples I wanted to suck right into my mouth.
“You should visit Denise and her parents. This pack doesn’t allow bullying, and she owes Maeve a new phone.”
“On it,” Storm nodded. “Come on, Maeve, I’ll take you home before I pay Denise a visit.”
“I don’t want to trouble you,” Maeve told her, but it was no trouble to Storm. She enjoyed enforcing and didn’t tolerate bullshit.
A night at the club that held my dirty little secrets was just what I needed to help extinguish any lingering desire. My eyes locked in on a female with dark red hair and full breasts. Her hair color was from a bottle, and her breasts were the finest money could buy. She wasn’t the young pup that had stirred my cock, but she would do.
The more I thought of my inappropriate desire for the young pup, the more frustrated I grew.
A few months later, I watched Maeve dancing at the Moon Goddess celebration.
I couldn’t help the scowl on my face as I thought about how soft and sensual she looked. She was mesmerizing and yet so… innocent. It was hard to believe she was only sixteen with a body like that. Maeve was curvy compared to other she-wolves and fuller in all the places human women paid to enhance surgically. I stood silently, using my lycan hearing to eavesdrop on conversations around me.
Several males desired her, and it irritated me. One talked about asking her to dance, while another said he wanted to sink his teeth into her ass. My fists clenched, and I wanted to knock his teeth out. I considered asking her to dance to keep her away from the other males, but I was no better than them. My beast wanted to sink his teeth into her ass, too.
Flaym danced with her, and I watched her laugh at something he said. Her head fell back, and a bright smile graced her face. I noticed other females' jealous gazes fall on her. Dottie was always chasing after Flaym, and she didn’t look too happy.
I returned my focus to the dance floor and noticed how open and unguarded she was with Flaym. She always seemed comfortable around him, and it irked me. I couldn’t help but wonder if something was going on between them.
Before I could suppress the strange feeling, Maeve approached me and asked me to dance. My response was quick and cutting. I insulted her by calling her a pup and watched as hurt flashed in her eyes. I needed to push her away from me because she was just a pup, and I didn’t want to give her false hope.
The pain in her eyes nagged at me, and a short while later, I went in search of her to apologize for being a dick. I followed her scent into the kitchen, but she wasn’t there. The metallic smell of blood mixed with her sweet caramel scent led me to the walk-in pantry. A vicious growl tore from me when I found her on the ground, unconscious.
Another scent lingered in the pantry, and I knew exactly who it belonged to.
“Maeve! Maeve, can you hear me?” I dragged my knuckles along her cheek. She didn’t have her wolf yet to help her heal, so an injury like this was serious. I lifted her gently, holding her close to me.
“I’ve got you,” I whispered. “You’re going to be okay.”
My brother rushed into the kitchen. “What happened?”
“Someone struck her with a rolling pin,” I snarled.
“Do you know who?” He asked with a low growl.
“Yes.”
“Give her to me,” he reached his arms out. “Find the person responsible and bring them to Dad. I’ll take Maeve to the clinic and call her grandparents.”
I hesitated for a moment, then gave her to Lukas. It probably wasn’t a good idea to carry her because my beast wanted to hold her close and protect her. I convinced myself that my beast was only protecting an injured pup and went to track Dottie down.
That was the day my father gave Dottie a one-year restrictive punishment. She was confined to her house and could only leave to attend school. I had been hoping for a public whipping, but it was her first offense, and my father was more lenient with pups.
When Maeve started her final year in high school, all the pups moved into a level four training class. My father had established different levels of training and regiments as they progressed. We were all on the schedule to help with the training classes. I avoided her by swapping my level four training days with Ranger for his level three class.
“Who are you trying to avoid?” Ranger smirked.
My fist tightened. “What makes you think I’m trying to avoid someone?”
“What’s the matter? A gangling group of giggling girls makes you uncomfortable?”
Maeve was anything but gangling. “I just thought you’d like to stay close to your little admirer,” I chuckled.
That wiped the smirk right off his face. Mateo was my father’s Zeta, the warlord, and an Uncle to us. My brother Lukas had been in love with his eldest daughter, Selena, since they were in diapers. But it was Selena’s younger sister, Sol, who followed Ranger around like a lost pup. Sol was in the same class as Maeve, and while I wanted to avoid Maeve altogether, Ranger didn’t mind being close to Sol.
“She’s Mateo’s daughter,” his voice was gruff. “There’s nothing wrong with looking out for her and protecting her.”
“I never said Sol was the little admirer… you did,” I grinned.
Ranger agreed to swap classes with me and stomped off. Though there was a five-year gap between Ranger and Sol, he didn’t seem to mind her young age. He had never made a move on her out of respect for Mateo, but he also didn’t avoid her. Even as she gawked at him, he seemed to enjoy being around her.
I returned to the mansion with the books in hand. I thought I could sense her wolf when I entered the library, but I realized too late that the new moon would delay her shift. When I offered to pick up the books for my father, he asked me to perform a quick sniff check on her to confirm her age. A restlessness stirred inside me, setting my feral side on edge. Wanting to assure my beast that she wasn’t our mate, I agreed.
It had been almost a year since Maeve kissed me at the Halloween party. Since I had pushed her away and rejected her kiss. I had used all my strength not to take advantage of what she so willingly offered me that night. Maeve was young and naive. She had no idea what kind of monster lurked beneath my surface. The thought of all the dirty little things I wanted to do to her was driving me crazy.
I had tried to quench my need for her with others at the club, but it was impossible and maddening. Today was her eighteenth birthday, and she was no longer a pup. Tomorrow she’d have her wolf, and I’d still be mateless. I could finally end this ridiculous obsession with her.
“Dad sent you to the library?” Lukas asked as he fell in step beside me.
“He did. Did you know that Grandma Dori is at some book club meeting at the library, and they’re discussing BDSM?”
“It had to come from somewhere, I suppose,” he laughed. “Ranger is practically living at The Adonis these days.”
The Adonis was one of the oldest and most popular kink clubs in Greece. Our great uncle owned it, and if Ranger was spending time with our Alpha cousins in Greece, he was no doubt spending time at the club.
Sol had turned eighteen two months ago, and I knew Ranger was deeply disappointed when her new wolf did not recognize him as her mate. He hid it well from the others over the years, but I knew he had a soft spot for her. Ranger has been on an extended vacation these last two months in Greece, and I knew it was for the best.
“Do you think the Moon Goddess has cursed us?” I asked. “Catching the Tooth Fairy might be easier than finding a mate.”
“I’m down for some fairy hunting,” he chuckled.
“No one seems to be finding their mates.”
Lukas raised a curious brow. “Is there someone you want to be your mate?”
“I’m talking about Ranger.”
“Did you get the books?” My father asked as he appeared at the top of the steps.
“They’re right here,” I handed him the books.
“And the other thing?”
“Yes, her scent has changed,” I told him confidently.
“Whose scent?” Lukas asked.
“Maeve MacDougall,” Dad told him. “She wasn’t born in this pack, and the records of her birthday are unclear.”
“Flaym has always been sweet on her,” Lukas grinned. “Maybe she’ll be his mate.”
I suppressed the rumble of jealousy that threatened to rip my chest when I thought of Flaym mated to her. Were the flowers from him? Did he ask Grandma Dori for some of her special roses to give to her? Today was her birthday and I had showed up empty handed. What the hell is wrong with me?
“What were you saying about Ranger?” My father never missed anything.
“We were just talking about his vacation,” Lukas replied.
“Wondering how it was going,” I added. Wondering if he had managed to fuck Sol out of his system and if I needed to spend some time in Greece, too.
“He should be getting bored with The Adonis by now,” my father chuckled.
“You’ve been?” I asked without thinking. Of course, he’d been. An Alpha is naturally dominant, and clubs like the Adonis were a perfect playground.
“I think you and your sister may have been conceived there,” he smirked.
“What!” Lukas looked just as stunned as I was. Alpha or not… no one wanted to think about their parents and their bedroom play.
“I’m just joking,” he roared with laughter. “Whatever you do, don’t tell your mother what I said… she’ll have my balls.”