17. Lila
17
LILA
I sat cross-legged on my bed with my laptop open and Max curled next to me. The door was open because I didn’t see the point in closing it; I knew they could hear me through the door. Besides, I kind of liked listening to Weylin and Kage argue in the kitchen while they attempted to cook.
I was going through the case files on the task force server. The teams had been busy gathering information on the murdered alphas, and within one day, they’d surprised me with the amount of time they put into this investigation. They were more efficient than any team I had worked with before.
A little nervous, I checked my watch, knowing my next heat wave should be hitting relatively soon. With what happened earlier with Weylin, I was warming up to the idea of them being a little more hands-on.
I picked up my cell and dialed the number Weylin had given me. It rang for a bit before going to voicemail. I rolled my eyes and texted Emma.
Lila: This is Lila, pick up.
I waited a moment, and then this time when I called, she answered on the first ring.
“Lila!” She seemed relieved. “I am so sorry I didn’t tell you about the whole luna thing before.”
“Oh, uh, that’s fine. I wanted to ask you something.”
“Anything. I did try to find Clark’s information, but I don’t have access to the gamma files.”
“That’s okay, don’t get yourself in trouble looking. Did you know about them eating hearts?” I lowered my voice, but I knew they could still hear—what would it matter? Weylin had already told me.
Emma paused before answering. “Yes. I mean, I know of it. I’ve never participated, and from what I know, they haven’t in a long time.”
“What do you know about it?” I asked, the detective in me coming out. I didn’t want to divulge my knowledge, in case it would prevent her from saying more to me than what I already knew.
“Well, it’s an old practice, like stone-age old. I learned about it in class when covering ancestral history. I don’t know if you have any abilities or powers beyond that of a normal shifter.”
“Such as…” I was almost nervous to remind her I wasn’t exactly sure what was normal for a shifter.
“Well, persuasion, for one. It’s a clan trait and normally runs in immediate families only. They can project or convince you to do or think something. However, you can only use it on someone with a lower rank than you. So, you wouldn’t have to worry about someone like Clark persuading Rainor to do something. Oh, and Rainor’s claws are naturally coated in aconite, When he attacks with them, whatever wound he creates on another individual takes longer than natural for a shifter to heal, thus resulting in scars.”
My breath hitched. “Weylin?”
“Yes. I didn’t see it, but I heard about it. That’s when Kage started stricter rules with Rainor. That’s when the lockdown rooms were built.”
“What do you mean, lockdown rooms?”
“It’s a room they stick Rainor in anytime the beast is getting out of control. There are two at the office and two within the condo building. I’ve seen Kage and Weylin both wrestle with the beast and shove him in there.”
“For how long?” I asked.
“I don’t ask questions, but the longest I’ve seen was three days. He’s always a mess when he comes out.”
Everyone suppressed Rainor’s wolf. I got that he had some emotional self-regulation problems, but supressing one’s wolf couldn’t be the right solution. “Kage is an ass,” I said, maybe a little more loudly than I had been talking. “It seems anything that doesn’t go his way gets shoved into a neat little box.”
Speaking of…
“I owe you an apology,” I said.
“What? Why?” Emma seemed genuinely confused.
“I know you’re Kage’s luna, technically his mate, right? I sort of…well…went into heat and kissed him,” I finally spat out. “And he finger fucked me, but I swear it was the heat. He feels absolutely nothing for me.”
Emma laughed. It was light and sweet and caused me to smile. She was much more relaxed on the phone than in person, and I was liking it. “That’s why he hasn’t been home.”
“I’m so sorry. I can kick him out of the house and send him back.”
“Please don’t. As we speak, I’m soaking in a hot bubble bath with a glass of wine. Lila, I have never felt so relaxed in my own home as I do when he’s not in it.”
That made me sad. “Has he hurt you?” I asked, knowing it was time to stop beating around the bush.
“No! Of course not. I mean, he’s rude and a bit short with me, but he’s never hurt me. If anything, Kage has saved me.”
“Are we talking about the same Kage here? Kage Cridhe—tall, dark, grumpy alphahole.”
Emma laughed again. “Alphahole?”
“Yeah, it’s a term used in the romance books I read, combination of alpha and asshole . I’ll send you a reading list.”
“Yeah, sounds like the same wolf.”
I could hear the water sloshing as she moved, and I was slightly jealous. I needed a soaker tub, not my late-seventies shallow tub, where the water never covered my breasts and knees at the same time. I had yet to have a shower, my wolf not allowing me to wash away Weylin’s scent.
“I’m going to tell you something, but you have to promise me you won’t tell a soul. The implications could be dire.”
“Emma, anything between us will always remain between us. You are the closest thing to a friend I’ve ever had.”
“Friends?”
I smiled. “Of course.”
She cleared her throat, as if the thought of someone considering her a friend was enough to become emotional over. I blinked my eyes rapidly and looked back to Max, running my fingers through his fur.
“Okay. When Kage came to my pack territory, my alpha at the time had females lined up for him. My pack is known for producing quality breeding females.”
I groaned. “When you say it like that, it sounds like a sex ring.”
“I mean…if the shoe fits. I wasn’t allowed to be sold or traded, because, to my alpha, I was used and therefore damaged goods. He wouldn’t even give me away. I don’t want to go into too much detail. Kage chose me, he demanded me, and when he mentioned the word luna , my wolf practically jumped at the idea of connecting our pack with Cridhe Pack.
“I was so scared. I know what alpha types are like and, I mean, look at the size of him. I thought as soon as we got back to his territory, it would be the end of the distance and quiet he’d put between us. I was ready for him to act like ever alpha I had known. But he put me in my own condo, two floors down from him, and he never asked for me again. It took three weeks before my old pack alpha questioned how I was and if I was providing my services dutifully.
“I hadn’t even talked to Kage. I was given a credit card, access to drivers, and a fridge that was always stocked. Kage never asked more from me. When my alpha found out, he threatened to have me taken away. That’s when I was given duties. Cooking for him, working as a receptionist in the office, his personal assistant, I organize his life. He’s fine with me doing the bare minimum, though. He really doesn’t need me.
“And during your heat?”
“Are you sure you want me to tell you?” she asked, her tone laced with concern.
The odd thing was, as much as Rainor had made it seem like I was broken for not being bothered, it really didn’t bother me. The doctor bothered me—Emma didn’t. I felt at home with Emma. She reminded me a lot of my adopted mother, except my mother was human, so I couldn’t talk wolf things with her. “I’m fine,” I reassured her.
“My first two heats, Kage let me sleep through, but I think something happened because suddenly there was pressure on him to produce an offspring. The following two heats, he bred with me. I use that term because that’s all it was—breeding. I was provided with toys during my initial waves, given the choice of medication for the following waves, but during the main wave, the climax, he would walk in, do the job, not even look at me, and leave.”
“It’s so cold afterwards,” I whispered, mainly to myself.
“I had heated blankets and heating pads. Really, I preferred it that way. Kage and I have never clicked. I still shake around him, and not because of him, but because of who he is.”
“It’s odd, learning how intoxicating the scent of a female in heat is and then hearing that he only came in for his release and then left.”
“If there is one thing Kage Cridhe does exceptionally well, it’s denying himself any pleasure. Years of living under him, I have come to know this. The only reason he bred with me was to have offspring. It never happened, and so he gave me the option to sleep through it once again. I might be afraid of him, but Kage is afraid of anything that makes him happy. And he will do everything in his power to get rid of whatever causes him happiness.
“Be careful Lila. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I’m okay. He gave me the option too. They brought the doctor out here.”
“Dr. Thatcher? She’s good, but she reminds me of Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory .”
I laughed. “Yes! The mannerisms! Mentally, I was comparing her to Amy Farrah Fowler.” Emma started laughing with me. I turned my head to the bedroom door, hearing arguing coming from the kitchen. “I should get going, but before I go, the heart thing?”
“Oh, yeah, sorry. We got off topic. When a heart is consumed, the heart's power gets transferred from one wolf to the other, but there are some stipulations. One being, the wolf has to be alive at the time the heart is removed, and it has to be consumed immediately. The energy leaves the heart quickly.”
“This is really a thing.” I shook my head in disbelief. “How is this not illegal?”
“Well, it might not be against our laws, but it is frowned upon now. If people practice it, it’s done in private.”
“So, the triquetra doesn’t practice it anymore?” Somehow, I highly doubted that.
“There’s no point in them doing it anymore.”
“Why?”
“In order to get the full benefit of the heart’s power, you have to consume the heart of someone with greater powers than you. I mean, you could still gain something from consuming a lower-ranking wolf’s heart, but it just wouldn’t be worth it, it’s not enough to do anything. And that’s why I think the triquetra stopped—there’s no one around here more powerful than them.”
After Emma and I finished talking, I sat back, staring at my computer, just zoning out and absorbing everything. From hearts, to alphaholes, to Emma and I needing another bottle of wine and a full evening together.
I walked out to the kitchen and set the laptop down on the counter. Max kept going, running out the doggy door. The counter to the kitchen was shaped like a U, so while I technically stood in the living room, I had both hands on the counter while staring into the kitchen.
Kage leaned against the sink, glaring at the container of food in his hand. Weylin sat at the kitchenette table, eating out of it. Both containers were very familiar to me.
“Where did you get that?” I asked.
“Your freezer,” Weylin said. “It needed some seasoning, but it’s the only food you have in the house.”
I smiled. “Okay.”
“I have an order coming in. The refrigerator will be stocked soon,” Kage grumbled. With a sigh, he set the food down.
“I have some work to do. I was thinking of making it a day trip, since it shouldn’t take long. So far, the waves have been twelve hours apart, so I bet I can be back—”
“No.” Weylin and Kage spoke in unison.
I frowned, looking up. “I don’t see why it would be an issue.”
Weylin stood from his seat and walked over to me. I didn’t move as he came up behind me, leaning in so his chest pressed along my back. He nuzzled my neck, taking in a deep breath. “You smell exquisite. I refuse to share this scent any more than I already have to.” He spoke low in my ear, that voice doing things to me.
“Where is it you want to go?” Kage asked. “Can’t it wait?”
Weylin hadn’t moved away from me. In fact, he pushed himself closer, his fingers trailing along my arms as he pressed little kisses to my neck.
“I’m not in a wave,” I weakly protested. He felt so good and smelled amazing.
“Then, tell me to stop,” he growled. This time, his hands slipped up my arms and down my torso.
I sighed. I wasn’t going to tell him to stop. Especially as he slipped his fingers under my tank top and splayed them along my stomach. I cleared my throat. “I want to go to Ophidian territory.”
Weylin gripped my hips and pulled me back into his pelvis. “NO!” Kage roared. “You will never step foot onto that territory.”
Weylin continued pushing his hands along my body with even pressure, sliding them down my outer thighs. “I agree with the big man. No fucking way are you going there.”
“Baby, I have to. This is my job.” I gave a little pout over my shoulder at the same time Weylin moved his hands back up along my inner thighs, pushing my legs apart. I could feel his erection along my ass.
He took my chin with his hand, holding it still. “Don’t call me that unless it means something to you.” He nipped at my pouting lip. “You’re a naughty girl.” He grinned, his eyes darkening.
I looked away from him. I knew this wasn’t a wave, because I wasn’t in the middle of the usual hot flash, wanting to rip my clothes off. So, why the hell was I so turned on by him right now? I didn’t want his hands to stop, and by the feel of it, he didn’t want to stop.
“Listen.” I focused back on Kage. “This is how I work. I’ve done many cases where I needed more evidence for a warrant. I would shift into my wolf and search the property to be sure I was on the right trail. Ophidian is missing an alpha, but the MO just doesn’t fit. I have that gut feeling with this, and my gut is never wrong.”
Speaking of…Weylin was completely ignoring me, in his own world as he moved his hands back under my tank, feeling up my stomach, until he cupped both breasts with his hands. His head fell against my back as he groaned.
Kage’s eyes, while he attempted to keep them on my face, kept dipping down, tracking Weylin’s movements.
“The difference is,” Kage said. I pushed my chest into Weylin’s hands as Kage watched, licking his lips. “The difference…is. That.” He cleared his throat, his hands moving to his belt and adjusting his pants around his obvious erection. “Those are human cases. They wouldn’t think twice about a wolf on someone’s property. You’re able to be stealthy. This is a shifter case, and the moment you step onto their territory, they will smell you. Humans ask first and attack second, afraid of laws. There are no laws here for us, aside from his right to protect his territory.”
Kage stepped towards the other side of the counter.
“Ophidian will not hesitate to attack, maim, or kill you for the simple fact that you carry our scent along your skin.” With that, he walked past us, heading for the back door and leaving.
Weylin let go of me, spun me around to face him, then lifted me up onto the counter beside my laptop. “Tell me you didn’t let me cop a feel just to make Kage more sexually frustrated than he is,” he said, trailing kisses along my neck.
“Yes…and no.” I tilted my head to the side to give him more access. I could feel his smile along my skin. “Why won’t he let go?”
“Sexually or with the case?”
I huffed out a breath. “Both. I’m sure he’d be happier if he got laid.”
Weylin pulled back but remained standing between my legs, a hand on either side of my hip. “Are you offering?”
“No… Yes.”
“Your next wave is coming soon, I can smell it. Do you want to continue as before, or do you want to change things up?”
My pussy ached for cock, there was no denying it. I wasn’t sure if fingers would do the job during my next wave, and my vibrator was now broken beyond repair. I still didn’t want to fall asleep, though. Not knowing what was happening to my body freaked me out. “Can we continue as we have been, but can you be there in case I need more?”
He smiled. “Your wish is my command. Now, let me have a snack for being such a good boy.”
I raised my hips as Weylin tugged my pants down, refusing to fight him. The man was obviously starved, and boy, could he eat.
He pulled me forward until the edge of my ass was on the counter, nipping and licking along my inner thigh. He hooked both my legs over his shoulders and then looked up at me. “There is nothing in the world more beautiful than you right now.”
He started off slow, his tongue coming out, flicking, and doing lazy circles against my clit. Then he started kissing and sucking, lapping me up from bottom to top. My pussy was clenching, his tongue turning me into a hot mess. My hand found his hair, and I gripped it while grinding into his face.
That’s when Weylin added his fingers, slipping one into my ass and two into my soaked core. I called out at the sudden penetration, not letting go of him while riding the orgasm out against his face.
Once I came down from the high, I let go of his hair, ready to lean back on my hands and let him up, but as he stood, Weylin grabbed hold of the back of my neck pulling me until my breasts were pushed against his chest. “Next time, don’t skip three.”