Lycan's Mate (His Claim) Chapter 91

Marcus's POV

'It wasn't?'

He shook his head.

'No. As a matter of fact, we were located more South from where we are now.' He paused, standing up and walking back and forth in front of me, lost in thought. Minutes passed before he stopped on his heels and looked over at me.

'An Alpha's duty is to protect his pack. To chase away any intruders who dare trespass and try to overpower his pack. But Ben's father didn't have the true power of an Alpha. He was only Alpha due to the mating ritual, meaning he was weak. He was unable to defend us, which led us to retreat to where we are now, in the city.'

'Why did you come here? There are many places in the west side where you could've settled,' I said, immediately thinking of the pack free areas that were in the central side of the United States

'My daughter's mate came from this area. His family were banished from their former pack many years before, so they resided in this location. While being here, they made progress which is why the park is named after them as well as many other establishments. So seeing as there was no pack residing in the area, he thought it was best for us to move up North. I have to admit, there were some benefits in moving here since his family had many connections around town and not many packs ever bothered us, seeing as we were in a location that nobody truly wanted. But sadly, we were taken away from our natural environment and forced to live in such a place.

'I'm sorry to hear that. I've only been here for a few days and I couldn't even imagine how it must have felt like to give it all up.' I paused, his first words suddenly processing in my head.

'I'm sorry to ask this Joel, but what exactly happened to your daughter?'

His eyes suddenly sparked with sadness, his once lively gray eyes dimming under the moonlight. He turned away from me then, his shoulders slumping as he sat by a nearby tree, his back facing me. I took small steps toward him, keeping a safe distance between us as I silently urged him on. As I sat there, staring at him with as much patience I could muster, I wondered if I had gone too far. Maybe I shouldn't have openly asked him like that

Letting out a soft sigh, I made my way to leave, only to be stopped by the sound of his voice

'It was when Ben was only seven years old did it happen. He was left in my mate's and my care when they went out on their usual monthly date. Everything was going well until I felt something odd in the back of my mind. I was used to my daughter's sudden blockage of the mind so I wouldn't enter when they were having their alone time, but even when she did, I always felt her presence regardless. This time, I had felt nothing. When I tried calling her, there was no answer. I had even tried communicating with her mate, but I felt absolutely nothing. It wasn't until an hour later when we received a phone call saying they had been in car accident and were pronounced dead on the scene.' He paused then, letting out a shaky breath before continuing.

'It was the worst day of my entire life. Seeing my only daughter, lifeless before me. But even as I looked into her gray eyes, I knew what had to be done. I took over her mate's position as Alpha once more until Bret became of age.' I nodded as I took in all of this information before asking quietly,

'And how was Ben? I mean, after his parents died.'

'Devastated, as any other child mourning their parents' loss would've been. He was able to get by until his eighteenth birthday. Unlike most Alpha's who find their mate immediately after midnight, it had taken him at least a week to find her. But when he did, it was as if his entire world was upright again. I had never seen him happier,' he said with a small smile before it faded just as quickly as it appeared.

'But his life seemed to be a series of unfortunate events. It wasn't until he turned twenty-four, just when they were deciding to start a family, did he lose her to a sudden rogue attack. Where these wolves had come from is still unclear to this day, but from that day forth, the pack seemed to go downhill.

'Because the loss of a Luna is practically the loss of a pack,' I said quietly, in which he nodded in agreement

In a blink of an eye, he stood up silently and made his way towards me. It was then that I realized how much bigger he was compared to my wolf. He stood a few inches taller than I and was longer in length. He stood proud and strong, and his power did not go unnoticed. I crouched down in submission at his presence, but never did I once break eye contact with him. He stared at me strangely, his head tilting to the side before he took one step back, allowing me to stand tall once more

'And if this pack is to ever continue to live among these borders, the next Luna must be a strong one, especially since Bret is not a true Alpha.'

My eyes widened in confusion at his words.

'What do you mean he's not a true Alpha? He's your grandson and the rightful ruler of this pack….isn't he?'

He shook his head.

'It is true that Ben is the Alpha of this pack due to his lineage, but he is not a full Alpha wolf. In order to be one, you must be the direct descendant of the Alpha wolves themselves. Meaning, his father had to be of Alpha blood, not his mother. Despite the fact that he has earned his Alpha title due to his mother being my daughter, a female Alpha wolf cannot pass on the genes. Only a male wolf can.'

'So you're saying that because he inherited his Alpha power from his mother, he is not fully an Alpha wolf? But that means any wolf can overpower him, right?'

'Yes, which means this pack is in grave danger. He needs to find a mate to produce an heir that would be able to run this pack when the time comes. And he needs to do so immediately.

'Why?' I asked slowly, taking a hesitant step back

'Because only a strong, true Alpha can control his wolf, and sadly, for my grandson, he is slipping. I could see it in his eyes that he is hanging by a loose thread. And an Alpha who cannot control his wolf would only lead to chaos. Not only for his pack, but for himself as well.'

'And you think by finding a rightful mate for your grandson, everything will be alright?'

He shrugged his shoulders.

'I cannot say that everything will go back to how it should be, but the pack will be in a better state than it is now. And there is only one person who has a better chance at making things right,' he said with sad eyes.I looked at him with bewilderment until I noticed his eyes look past the trees and towards where the senior home stood behind me. Seconds passed before my mind comprehended his words and I spun around, immediately rushing towards her and leaving Joel alone among the trees. My wolf stepped forward and urged me on, making my speed increase tenfold until I reached the edge of the clearing. Without hesitation, I shifted back into my human form and slipped on my clothes. The second I pulled my shirt over my head, I raced to the cafeteria entrance and into the lobby

I stopped on my heels, breathing heavily until I reached out my senses and caught Fiona's scent just behind the counter. The second I turned to my right, she appeared from behind the wall, where I assumed her locker would be, with her hair hanging over her shoulders and a tired smile on her face. Her smile immediately faded as she took in my appearance

I continued to breathe heavily as she stepped towards me cautiously.

"Are you alright?" She asked slowly, placing a comforting hand on my forearm

I opened my mouth to respond, only to be interrupted by someone clearing their throat behind me. As I turned around, I was immediately met by wise gray eyes staring intently at me. Without a word, he stepped towards where we stood, eyeing us both before his eyes settled on me once more

Grabbing my free arm, he pulled me off to the side before staring up at me. "Blake trusts you to protect Fiona," he whispered lowly so she wouldn't hear us from a few feet away.

"Don't make him change his mind"

I tilted my head in question as another scent approaching us filled my nostrils. My wolf growled lowly in the back of my mind as I subconsciously took a step towards Fiona, grabbing her arm as gently as I could before pulling her towards the automatic doubled doors. She pulled away in protest, but never once questioned me as we exited out of the building and onto the almost vacant parking lot

Spotting her small car immediately from the corner of my eye, I practically dragged her towards it, feeling her body create a small distance between us both as I picked up speed. Pulling her in front of the driver's door, I urged her to open it with my eyes. Practically pleading. She eyed me weirdly before rummaging through her bag and pulling out a set of keys. With a flick of her fingers, my ears picked up on the sound of the doors unlocking and I immediately opened her door, pushing her inside until she was settled

Without hesitation, I shut the door tightly behind me and made my way over to the other side of the car, not caring if any wandering eyes were to see my abnormal pace as I made my way around. In one swift movement, I opened the door and slid in, closing the door quickly

"Drive," I stated with little to no emotion, and I was thankful when I saw her comply without retort

As the engine started and she began to pull away from the parking lot, I couldn't help but feel a pair of malevolent eyes burning a hole in my skull. Reluctantly, I spun around in my seat and met the darkest eyes I have ever seen in my life. My wolf shuddered inside me, but that didn't stop him from letting out a thunderous growl that I was happy to have contained as to not frighten Fiona more than she probably already was.His expression hardened as I felt my wolf step forward and I instantaneously snarled low enough for her not to hear. As I continued to stare at him as she drove away, I couldn't help but fear that we had all unknowingly entered a dangerous game that neither of us wanted to play.