Lycan's Mate (His Claim) Chapter 64

Unknown POV

I walked casually into the trees, the fallen leaves crunching soundly beneath my bare feet. Taking in a deep breath, a small smile spread across my lips. I always loved being surrounded by nature, despite my pack residing in a city. I had to admit, it always bugged my wolf and I how we had to continue strolling on about our lives without having the ability to shift for fear of a human spotting us. There have been many cases before where humans had discovered our species, but most of them were either killed by rogues (sadly) or welcomed into the pack. Well, not technically. They were just allowed to know and live amongst us as long as they never spread the word of our existence.

I stopped beside a tree, tilting my head to the side. Allowing my wolf to step forward, my ears picked up on only the sounds of the park's creatures scurrying about on the ground or high above the trees. I always had to be careful just in case some group of teenagers decided to smoke a blunt in the park's grounds. This has happened countless of times before, but they would eventually leave after midnight.

Seeing as I was the only one in the park, not even some of the pack members were here, I removed the brown shorts from my waist and tucked them neatly beneath a set of bushes. Making sure that no other animal would come by and take them away without my permission, I relaxed my mind, feeling my wolf immediately step forward happily.

'Finally,' he whispered quietly in the back of my mind before taking over.

Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I felt the transformation overtake my body. It shook violently, the small bits of dark brown fur beginning to spread out. Leaning forward, I felt my nails elongate into a set of claws and my nose begin to extend into a snout. I let out a small howl, low enough to not capture anyone's attention until I fell on all fours, my wolf panting heavily for the lack of shifting we've had for the past few weeks. He stretched out his muscles, turning his neck from side to side as his claws dug deeply into the earth below. Shaking off his fur, he began moving forward, a slow trot to get accustomed to his natural form before taking off into full run.

The sensation of the wind rushing through our fur made my wolf growl happily, his speed increasing with every step we took. He dodged the trees easily, relishing the soft earth beneath his paws. This was his natural environment, his home, and he always took advantage of every moment we could have to run freely this way. Most of the times it was to patrol the territory's grounds, avoiding the human eye of course, to make sure no rogue or unwelcomed wolf of another pack was to trespass on our territory. It rarely occurred since most of the packs in the states resided mainly on rural lands, so having any form of trouble that could cause a stir rarely happened.

Slowing down his pace, he walked casually towards the large pond. Leaning forward, he took a long drink before the sound of a twig snapping beneath someone's weight made him jerk his head upward. Immediately turning his head in all directions and listening closely for any other sound that could pierce through the night, he took on a defensive stance, baring his teeth and growling lowly. We stood there, unmoving, before something caught our attention from the corner of our eye.

Snapping our head to the left, a rather large gray wolf stepped out of the trees and began to make his way towards us. Recognition dawned on us both as we instinctively bowed our head respectfully to our Alpha, his eyes looking over me before he nodded in approval. Straightening my stance, I took in his appearance and knew he was here strictly for business. His eyes were a complete pitch black and I could practically sense the power of his wolf radiate off of him in waves. I tried to decipher his expression, but it was completely guarded as well as his mind. Despite the many years I had known this man, whenever he was in Alpha mode, I was simply his Beta and not his childhood friend. And yes, I am the Beta of the Lincroft Pack, so my stature was similar to his except for our size. He was at least a few inches bigger than I.

'Alpha,' I said respectfully, immediately turning serious as I waited patiently for his response.

His dark eyes revealed nothing for a few seconds before they began to change back into their normal shade. Apparently he was having an argument with his wolf but I didn't press on the matter.

'We need to arrange a pack meeting,' he said sternly, his voice expressionless.

I simply nodded.

'For what day?'

'Now.'

I stood there, frozen, as he turned around and began to make his way back towards the trees without another word. He's kidding me, right? We can't possibly have one so suddenly at this hour of the night.

'But Alpha, it's already late. Most of the pack should be sleeping by now.' I knew my words were a mistake because no wolf should ever question an Alpha's command.

He let out menacing growl before spinning around and stopping right in front of me in a flash. I didn't dare move, but I could easily hear my wolf whining in submission in the back of my mind.

'You dare question me?' He asked, his voice strong and powerful. As I looked up at him, I noticed his eyes were a pitch black shade and I knew better than to say anything. Instead, I bowed low and respectfully, a sign of submission for Alphas in our world. He continued to stand there, fuming, before he retreated back with another warning growl as he commanded,

'Assemble the pack. Now.'

Without another word, he disappeared through the trees with a tone of finality. Letting out a heavy sigh, I made my way towards the small hill in the center of the park. Looking around, I made sure there wasn't anyone before tilting my head back and letting out a piercing howl through the night. I knew one wouldn't be enough to alert the pack of this meeting, so taking another deep breath, my wolf let out another howl, this one louder than the one before. He carried on until the sound was drowned out into the cloudless night.

As I made my way down the hill, I immediately sensed the presence of the other pack members through the mind link. It was faint at first until their presence became stronger and I instinctively knew they were now in their wolf forms, making their way towards the abandoned building at the far end of the park where no one would ever go, which is why we held our meetings there.

'Guess we better make our way to the meeting,' my wolf said reluctantly. I immediately knew the reason behind his tone and I simply nodded. This meeting should be interesting.

Making my way into the building, I simply nodded in the direction of my pack members as they bowed my way. It wasn't really one of respect, but rather one of recognition. They, as well as their wolves, sensed my high position in the pack and it was only by instinct for a werewolf to greet their Beta as such. I had to admit, I kind of liked it.

The floorboards creaked loudly beneath my weight as I made my way through the row of seats where the pack members were waiting patiently for the meeting to begin. Instead of walking towards the front where I should be standing along with the Alpha, I made my way towards the most beautiful blonde woman I had ever laid eyes on. My wolf immediately howled happily in the back of my mind as we neared our mate. Taking her in my arms, I kissed her tenderly before staring into her vibrant light brown eyes. I can honestly say that I could stare at them forever and never once get tired of doing so.

"Hello, my love," I said lovingly, holding her close to my side as I buried my face against her neck.

She giggled softly against me before pushing me away. My wolf immediately whined at the gesture before quieting down after noticing how she wrapped her arms around our neck and pulled us even closer. Her bright smile filled her features before a curious one took over.

"Do you know why we are having this meeting so late at night?"

I let out a soft sigh as I looked around the old, abandoned room where my fellow pack members sat who seemed to stare at me with the same question in their minds. A frown laced my lips as I looked back down at her.

"I don't know. He didn't say."

Her lips turned downright, mimicking my own, as she muttered, "He doesn't say a lot these days."

I raised my hand and traced my fingers against her jaw line which immediately made her shiver under my touch.

"You know why he's been this way."

She smiled sadly before nodding and turning around to look down at a little blonde girl who was sleeping soundly on one of the seats. My frown ultimately disappeared as I let go of my mate and scooped the little blonde girl in my arms. The action woke her up almost instantly and I was greeted with the same light brown eyes as her mother's. Recognition dawned in their depths as a smile spread across her plump lips, revealing adorable round cheeks. Without hesitation, she wrapped her tiny arms around my neck as tightly as she could as I held her.

"Daddy!" She exclaimed, her hold never once faltering.

I chuckled and passed my hand tenderly through her long blonde hair along the length of her back.

"Missed me, didn't you Oprah?"

She pulled back and nodded, a bright grin spreading across her lips to reveal a few missing teeth.

"I missed you this much!" She said while putting her arms in the air and holding them on either side of her head.

I widened my eyes playfully at her gesture.

"Really? That is an awful lot."

She nodded before returning back to hugging me as best as she could with the little amount of strength she had. Despite me being one to hold in my emotions, this little six year old seemed to bring the softer side of me. Especially my beautiful mate. I looked over Oprah's shoulder to look at Greg who stared at me lovingly with a small smile on her face.

The sound of someone clearing their throat brought everyone's attention to the front of the room where an old wooden stage lied, along with several seats towards the wall which contained a few of the elders of the pack. My eyes immediately met dark ones that made me flinch ever so slightly. His expression was hard as he continued to stare at me and my family with what appeared to be anger in those dark depths. I felt my wolf immediately growl in the back of my mind from the way he stared at Greg and Oprah with so much hatred that they quickly tried to hide behind me. I didn't care if he was the Alpha, he had no right to stare at them that way.

Trying my best not to snap at him in front of everyone and possibly have my life end before their very eyes, I turned around and handed Oprah to the quiet brunette seated behind me before giving Greg a quick kiss and making my way towards the stage. Giving one quick glance at my mate, who was now sitting beside the brunette who still held Oprah tightly in her arms, I stepped onto the small steps before stopping a few feet beside the Alpha.

With another harsh glare my way, he cleared his throat which made every pack member in the room be on full alert as their Alpha spoke.

"Good evening everyone. I apologize for this late meeting and I understand that we all need our rest for the night, but I can reassure you that there is a very good reason as to why you are all here."

Standing with my hands behind my back, I couldn't help but tilt my head, curiosity and interest taking over me as I felt my wolf step forward to listen in as well. As I looked around the room, I could tell the pack members were listening closely to his words just as much as I was. The atmosphere held so much anticipation that it felt like we were all going to drown in it if the Alpha didn't tell us why this meeting was so important.

Looking over at the 76 pack members that were seated in the building once more, I looked over at the Alpha whose body was completely tense with both hands clenched tightly at his sides. Taking a deep breath, he looked over at the eager crowd before his next words shocked us all into silence.