Lycan's Mate (His Claim) Chapter 87

Fiona's POV

"Morning, Clara," I said with a small wave as I made my way past the front desk and towards the back where my locker stood waiting for me

"Morning…. Fiona," she stuttered, a confused expression on her face as she followed my every step until I disappeared behind the wall that concealed the lockers

I quickly dumped by belongings inside and pulled my hair in a tight bun before exiting back towards the main lobby. I wasn't surprised to see Clara eyeing Blake, Anthonio and Marcus with questionable eyes, no doubt sensing that they weren't a part of this territory. I couldn't help but smile as I noticed her fidget against her seat as she stared at Blake. I noticed her head bow slightly before a frown laced her features and she quickly averted her eyes back to me

"Uh, Fiona?" She questioned, her voice just below a whisper

I nodded in her direction, walking up to the desk until I was standing a few mere inches away from her.

"Yes?" I asked, puzzled at her tone

"Who the heck are they?" She whispered, pointing in the direction where the three men stood with nonchalant expressions on their faces. Anthonio was the first to react to her hushed question.

"You do know we can hear you perfectly, right?" Anthonio asked, not bothering to hide the annoyance in his words

Clara sent him a deadly glare before turning back to me. She opened her mouth to ask me once more, but her voice was silenced by a louder one coming a few feet away from where we all stood to the right. All eyes snapped in the direction of the sound and my eyes widened at the sight of him entering the lobby with the most menacing glare I have ever seen in my life. The once beautiful gray eyes were now a pitch black and a wide sneer overtook that beautiful smile he always wore to work. His eyes were fixated on Blake as he clenched and unclenched his fists at his sides. He stopped a few feet away from us, a small growl escaping his gritted teeth as his eyes turned a shade darker, if that was even possible

I noticed Clara from the corner of my eye duck her head and focus her eyes on something in front of her as she mindlessly messed with the hem of her skirt. The atmosphere in this room had not gone unnoticed by a few of the staff who stopped to stare at Dr. Samson who had this uneasy aura swirling about him.

"What are they doing here?" Ben all but growled in my direction

I opened my mouth to respond, but Blake's growl quickly silenced my unspoken words as he took a step forward in Ben's direction, like a predator stalking his prey. Ben immediately tensed, his eyes focusing back on my mate as another growl escaped his throat. Anthonio quickly took a step towards Blake, standing a few inches away from him as his glare intensified at the pissed off Alpha in front of him. Instead of taking his position on the other side of him, Marcus took me by surprise as he made his way towards me instead, taking on a protective stance. I craned my neck and noticed his eyes turn a darker shade of blue as his eyes focused on the men in front of him.

"You have no right to talk to her like that," Blake said through gritted teeth

"And you have no right to be here," Ben shot back.

"You are all forbidden to stay here.

"And what if we choose not to listen to you?" Anthonio challenged, a small smirk spreading across his face as Ben's eyes snapped to him

A louder growl escaped Ben this time as the same dark haired man suddenly appeared beside his Alpha. He stood tall and proud beside him as he faced Anthonio head on. Despite the small height difference between the two, Anthonio never once seemed intimidated by his intense stare. The four men stared at each other for quite some time before I noticed Marcus fidget in front of me. His muscles tensed as his eyes focused on the Beta standing beside Ben. He tilted his head in confusion before closing his eyes and sniffing the air. His eyes suddenly snapped open and the second they did, the other man turned his head to the left to stare at Marcus who was now glaring in his direction. The Beta raised his eyebrow in amusement before the sound of the Alpha's growls averted his gaze back to the two powerful men standing beside him.

Ben smirked in Anthonio's direction before answering,

"Have you forgotten which territory you stand on, pup?"

Blake took a threatening step forward, the distance between the two men diminishing drastically.

"And have you forgotten who you're messing with?" Blake took a threatening step forward, the distance between the two men diminishing drastically.

"And have you forgotten who you're messing with?"

I took a small step forward, only to be stopped by a large hand grasping my forearm. I looked up to see Marcus with a serious expression on his face, his eyes dark as he shook his head. Pushing me gently, he stepped in front of me, blocking my line of sight without releasing his hold. I stared down at his hand and let out a frustrated sigh. Why did he have to hold me like that? Then again, I'm not surprised he did. I'm pretty sure he knows very well that I would've tried to stop a fight from occurring despite his warning for me not to interfere. Smart move on his part, might I say. But still! There's no need to fight! Again, why must Alphas be so freaking stubborn? I would really appreciate a logical explanation right about now

Just when it seemed like the Alphas were about to pounce on each other, a familiar voice filled the air, calming the dense atmosphere immediately. I peered over Marcus's figure as best as I could and immediately smiled as I noticed Joel walking slowly towards the powerful men standing beside the automatic doors. A frown was laced on his lips as he shook his head disapprovingly at the men

"What is going on here?" He asked, his voice soft and gentle despite the expression on his face. He turned to me and a small smile spread across his lips. I immediately returned it before he looked back at Ben who was still fuming with anger as his eyes never once left Blake's calm, yet intimidating form

"These men are not welcomed here," Ben said through gritted teeth

Joel eyebrows shot upward, his gray eyes twinkling in surprise at the young man's tone. Taking a step forward, he reached out and placed a calming hand on his shoulder, immediately snapping him out of his stupor as he looked down at the old man. I noticed Ben's figure relax, even if it was merely a small amount. I felt a rush of relief spread through me at the sense of the atmosphere lessening quite a bit

"This is no place to discuss this matter. Why don't we all head over to your office? We don't need such an audience," he said, gesturing his hand around the room where a few nurses had stopped to investigate the situation

Joel took a step back and motioned for the men to start walking towards Dr. Samson's office, which was located to the right from where we stood. Reluctantly, Ben turned around and took long strides away from Joel who stared at him with disappointment clearly seen in his eyes. His Beta followed behind without so much as uttering a word before Blake and Anthonio followed. Joel turned towards us and motioned Marcus and I to head over to him. Releasing my hand, Marcus slowly made his way to the old man before turning back to me to see if I was following. As I stopped beside him, I looked up at Joel who was now staring at Clara with apologetic eyes

"Please make sure everything is running smoothly while we're gone, dear," Joel said quietly in which Clara simply bowed in acceptance and went on to typing something on the computer

Facing Marcus and I, he smiled broadly at us both before placing a gentle hand on our backs and ushering us in the direction where the other men had disappeared. It only took us a few minutes to reach our destination before we entered the small room which seemed rather crowded than before. Ben sat on his usual seat with a cold expression on his hard features with his Beta standing to his right. Blake and Anthonio were currently sitting on the two seats seated in front of the large, wooden desk with the same cold expression as the other Alpha. Marcus immediately stepped to Blake's left until he was leaning against the wall. His blue eyes met mine briefly before he motioned with his head for me to stand between him and my mate. I looked up at Joel then, noticing a small smile on his wrinkled face before he nudged me towards where Marcus stood. I stopped reluctantly between the two of them, feeling secure to be in their presence but at the same time feeling uneasy as I felt cold eyes land on me. No doubt from Ben's. The second that I felt his stare, I immediately jumped at the sound of Blake's growl beside me. As soon as the sound was heard, I immediately felt at ease as Ben's eyes snapped at my mate's, a small growl vibrating throughout the room in response.

"Alright, enough with this childish behavior," Joel said, stepping beside Ben and placing a calming hand on his shoulder.

"You both know better than to act in this matter in front of others. Particularly in front of humans"

Looking down at Ben, his grip tightened a bit, catching his attention immediately. With a single nod, Ben reluctantly stood up from the seat and stepped around the man until he was standing directly in front of Anthonio. Without hesitation, Joel sat down and placed both hands on top of the desk, intertwining his fingers together and looking businesslike all of a sudden. To say that this was a surprise to me was an understatement. Where was the nice, calm old man I have grown to love? Because he is clearly not here at the moment. Instead, a powerful, wrinkled old man sat in front of me with a serious expression written on his features

"Now, please do tell me what seems to be the problem between you two," Joel said, looking both at Blake and Ben before either one of them could respond

"They're not supposed to be here," Ben muttered, his eyes fixated on Blake who seemed unfazed as he stared at the old man in front of him

"Yes, we have established that," Joel said tiredly, staring down at his intertwined fingers before continuing,

"The question is why are they not supposed to be here."

Ben went on to inform the old man the events that had happened merely a few days ago. When he was finished, Joel nodded in understanding before looking back at Blake who had a stoic expression throughout the long explanation that had been exchanged between the two men. Blake remained motionless for a few seconds before a smirk began to make its way across his lips. His eyes traveled upward until they landed on Ben, whose eyes had never once left him

Tilting his head, he intertwined his fingers above his lap and stared up at Ben before responding,

"Funny how you never seemed to mention how I, as well as my Beta and third in command, are supposed to stay a safe difference away from Fiona." Ben's expression hardened as another growl filled the air, but Blake continued despite of the sound.

"All you said was that Fiona had thirty days to make a decision on whether she would like to stay here or return back to my pack. So I believe you are in the wrong, dear Alpha.

Ben opened his mouth to retort, but was quickly silenced by Joel's hand lifting up into the air. Joel nodded in understanding before placing his hand back in its former place.

"That is true. There was no agreement made about you keeping a certain amount of distance away from her. But seeing as Alpha Samson feels a bit….uncomfortable with you three being here, why don't we make a compromise?" Blake's eyebrow lifted in curiosity, but his expression remained guarded as he spoke.

"What's your proposition?"

"You are to allow Fiona to attend to her duties here at the Senior home without a single disturbance. While she is here, you are all free to roam about the territory without being stopped by another pack member," Joel proposed, his face expressionless. Okay, seriously, what happened to my Joel

I looked down at Blake who was staring down at the wooden desk with a thoughtful expression. He pursed his lips as he nodded his head slowly.

"Very well. But I will not leave my mate alone with him," he said, motioning with his head towards Ben who had stood silent this entire time

Joel sent a quick glance Ben's way before he leaned forward on the desk.

"I see no problem in that. Will you personally want to be the one to stay with her, Alpha Black?"

Marcus took a step forward and bowed his head respectfully in Joel's direction before speaking.

"I volunteer to stay with Fiona, sir. I was personally chosen by Blake Friday night to be her guardian from here on out."

My eyebrows pulled together in confusion as I stared up at Marcus. Wait, what did he mean by guardian? I don't need a guardian. I'm more than capable of taking care of myself. I looked down at Blake who seemed to tense under my gaze but remained his composure as he continued to stare at Joel indifferently

Joel nodded his head once before a small smile filled his lips.

"I can't argue with that. The Luna's guardian must stay with her at all times when her mate is unable to." I raised my eyebrow in his direction and he seemed to notice because he cleared his throat before correcting himself.

"Or should I say, future Luna." He paused, sending a wink my way before he raised his voice, his tone emanating power and strength as it echoed across the small room.

"Now, to finalize things, I grant Marcus to stay with Fiona while she is at work, seeing as he has been appointed by the future Alpha of the Black Forest Pack to be her personal guardian. The Alpha, as well as his Beta, will not be able to pass through the Senior Home's borders unless given permission. Is that understood?"

Blake looked over at Anthonio, who immediately met his gaze the second he turned his head. With a single nod to each other, Blake leaned forward and extended his hand towards the old man. Joel leaned forward as well and took Blake's hand in his grasp and shook it with more force than I had anticipated

Leaning backward, Joel looked up at Ben and the other man before motioning towards the door