Lycan's Mate (His Claim) Chapter 73

Fiona's POV

I opened my mouth to respond before I replayed his words in my head. Wait a minute, did he just say....

I shook my head, trying to see if I had dreamt his words or not before tilting my head in question. I stared at the old man for quite some time before I found myself asking,

"What did you just say?"

He chuckled.

"You heard me, Fiona" .

I leaned back against my chair, analyzing him. Was he serious? Or was he just messing with me? It was either one of the two or I was still a bit shaken about yesterday's events. I'm hoping it's the third option

"You....you know about werewolves?" I asked slowly, hoping that he would just laugh and say that there is no such thing. Sadly, his response was completely the opposite

He let out a hearty laugh, the sound echoing across the backyard before his eyes settled back on me.

"Know about them? I've been one my entire life, love."

My eyes widened as I pressed my back even harder against the seat.

"You mean...." I trailed off, my voice completely failing me as I stared at him dumbfounded

"Yes dear, I'm a werewolf," he said with a small smile

"But you're...." I trailed off once more, giving him a once over before raising my eyebrows in question

A frown spread across his lips as he let out a soft sigh.

"Just because I'm old doesn't mean I can't still shift into my wolf."

"So you mean," I paused, trying to find the right words to say. This week has definitely been hectic.

"So you mean that you can actually, physically, turn into a large wolf without having to think about it?" He simply nodded his head as he stared back at me, amused by my reaction.

"And that means you actually have a wolf inside of you? One that you can communicate with and who can control you at any given moment?"

"Not control, love. We are able to grant them control if we want to, but they can easily make their presence known." Within seconds, his light gray eyes turned into a pitch black color before returning into their usual shade. Yup, he's definitely a werewolf.

"But I'm aware that you already know of this," he said suspiciously, taking in a deep breath before continuing.

"And as my senses show me, you're most definitely not one of us."I shook my head.

"No, I'm simply a human."

"It's quite interesting, really," he said thoughtfully, standing up and walking towards the grass just a few feet away from where we sat

"What do you mean?" I asked, watching his every move

He stopped abruptly, turning around and giving me a small smile.

"Being the first human mate to ever exist in our history. Not to mention being an Alpha's one as well." He paused, turning around fully to face me.

"And by the looks of it, you both have already met."

My eyes widened. "How do you know about that?"

He chuckled.

"It's easy to sense an Alpha as well as an Alpha's mate. They emanate this source of power that is unexplainable. My only question is, why are you not with him? You do know that you are in danger and with him not being around, he cannot protect you.

I let out a soft sigh as I stared down at the pavement beneath my feet.

"I don't deserve him. That's why I ran away. I know he'll find someone who can-" I stopped, my eyes snapping back to him as his last words registered in my head.

"Wait, what do you mean I'm in danger?"

He let out a heavy sigh as he looked past me and at something inside the building. "There's trouble in the horizon, Fiona" .

Following his line of sight, I slowly turned around and looked through the still opened windows revealing the cafeteria that now had some janitors wiping the floors and cleaning the tables. But it wasn't them that caught my attention. Not far off, standing directly outside the cafeteria's opened doors was Bret and another man. His face looked angry as he spoke down at the other man in front of him. His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides as his face began to turn a scarlet red. The other man stood there, taking in what Bret was saying before he seemed to tense. Slowly, yet swiftly, they both turned around and their eyes immediately locked with mine. It was then that I realized who the man standing in front of Ben was. It was the same man who had followed me into the supermarket and chased me all the way to my apartment. His dark eyes bored into mine and I immediately stood up and took several steps back the second I noticed them start to head my way

Looking over at Joel, I noticed the sad expression on his face as he stared up at me.

"How many more of you are there?" I asked desperately, looking back at the two men every so often as they made their way towards the patio where we now stood

"There's many more, Fiona. You live amongst werewolves from the Lincroft Pack," he informed me, looking back at the two men as well

"The Lincroft Pack?" I asked, my heartbeat quickening as I noticed the distance between the men and I decrease quickly

"Yes, that is our name."

"But what do you mean there is trouble in the horizon? What's going to happen?" I asked frantically, feeling the world around me spin as a million questions began to fill my head.

"I don't know," he said with a shake of his head before looking back at me.

"But I will tell you this Fiona, you must be careful. You may be a human, but you are still an Alpha's mate. Despite you rejecting your mate-"

"I didn't reject him," I interjected.

He shook his head.

"Oh, but you did by leaving him. And by doing so, you have allowed for others to hurt you or....claim you."

"Claim me? What do you mean claim me?" I asked worriedly as a little voice inside my head began to urge me to run and get home as quickly as possible.

"You will find out in time, love. Now go," he commanded before looking towards the double doors of the cafeteria the same time I noticed both Ben and the other man step onto the patio.

Dammit.

"Fiona," Ben said, his voice sounding a bit different than usual.

"Let us explain."

Not allowing him to speak another word, I dashed across the patio as quick as I could and towards the side entrance that was specifically made for the employees to quickly maneuver from the inside of the building and onto the patio without having to go through the cafeteria. I could hear them both calling my name, but I paid them no mind. I had to get out of here. This past week has been absurd for me, and now I knew why. Of all places I had to settle in, it had to be amongst another pack. The Lincroft Pack to be exact. How could I have gone so long without even noticing it? There had to be some signs showing me that I was amongst werewolves. And what if they knew about me being an Alpha's mate? If Joel knew, there was no doubt the others knew as well. The only question about that was, why hadn't they attacked or kidnapped me yet?

Rushing through the building, I made my way towards the front exit where Clara intercepted my path with a startled expression on her face.

"Fiona!" She exclaimed, her blue eyes widening in shock. Taking a step back, she gave me a once over before her expression turned to worry.

"Is everything alright?"

At that moment, the sound of my name was heard and we both looked in the direction of the source. Coming through the hallway was Ben and the strange man with determined expressions on their faces. As I stared at them, I noticed how angelic their features seemed to be. There was only one reason why they would seem so perfect in every aspect of the word. Either they had plastic surgery to resemble that of a model, or they were werewolves.

My eyes widened as I looked back at Clara and analyzed her features. She practically looked like a redheaded angel under the luminescent lights. Her skin was flawless and even though her eyebrows were now pulled together in confusion as she stared at the two men, she looked beautiful nonetheless.

"Clara, stop her!" the other man demanded, but I was too quick for them. Surprisingly enough.

Before Clara could look back at me, I was already making my way towards the parking lot where my car sat waiting for me. Unlocking the doors with my keys (which I was now grateful I had grabbed my belongings before going to sit in the patio) and entered the driver's seat as quickly as I could. Glancing at the rear-view mirror, I noticed the three of them exiting the building and calling my name. No way in hell I'm letting them get to me. I have dealt with enough werewolves to last me a lifetime. And to think that I never knew that these people, people I have known for quite some time now, were werewolves themselves. I had left Black Forest to escape that life and start anew. And yet, I blindly entered another pack, never once leaving that world.

Turning the key, I was glad my car roared to life in an instant with me putting it in reverse and exiting out of the parking lot, the only sound heard being that of the screeching tires as I entered the street. Knowing very well that their speed is a lot faster than that of a human's and probably having other werewolves walking these streets at this hour of the night, I pressed down on the accelerator and raced towards my apartment building.

Not even two minutes had passed and I was already parking my car in its rightful spot. Grabbing my bag and exiting the vehicle, I ran towards the stairs, locking the car in the process. I was just about to place my right foot on the first step when the sound of heavy panting caught my attention.

I spun around quickly, searching the trees and bushes that resided on this side of my building before I noticed two large figures emerge from within them. My eyes widened as two large wolves stepped forward, their dark eyes fixated on me. One was a large, brown wolf while the other was gray in color. It was then that their eyes began to change and what I assumed to be their natural shade of eyes remained. The brown wolf had light brown eyes while the gray wolf had light blue ones.

Wait a minute, I know these wolves. I have seen them many times before. They had practically become family, brothers really. Even with the small amount of time I had known them, the love I had grown for them was one I know I would've felt if I weren't an only child.

As recognition dawned on me, I took a step back, shaking my head as I secretly prayed that what I was seeing before my very eyes was simply an illusion. It couldn't be. How could they be here? They were supposed to still be back in Black Forest, Colorado. And if they were here, then that means....

I barely had time to register what was happening before I felt my back press against the wall behind me. I let out a small yelp as I felt a warm body press up against me. But it wasn't one of fright or even surprise. It was because of what I felt the second it came in contact with me.

It was as if someone had brought me back to life again. The sudden sparks that ignited between us made my heart stop for a matter of a second before it quickened in pace. The usual butterflies fluttered about in my stomach, making my breathing come out in rapid breaths. I closed my eyes as his lips pressed along the length of my jaw, traveling down my neck before settling between my neck and shoulder. His lips lingered there for a few moments, making me fight down a moan that threatened to escape from my now opened lips. My body involuntarily pushed forward, molding itself perfectly against him as I leaned my head back, relishing the sensation of his lips against my bare skin. I tried to fight it, but instead, my body and mind welcomed his touch, begging foBefore I knew it, he pulled away and leaned his forehead against my own. I tried to keep my eyes closed, but a longing to look into his dark eyes forced me to open them. The second I did, I let out a soft gasp as I noticed how pitch black they were, and the sound of his voice clarified how close to the surface his wolf truly was.

"Hello, beautiful."