The Delta's Daughter Chapter 360

LYRIC

I didn't think I would be able to sleep. Not with the impending doom that hovered over the Golden Circle Pack. Over me and mine.

I thought calling and talking to my boy would help. It did but only for a few moments until he passed the phone to Lizzy. Who told me that Queen Tala had come to sit with them as well as Olivia, the former beta's mate. My mate's mother. They had brought the little prince with them.

She also told me security had been ramped up in the wake of what happened here and the Shadow witch's threat. They now had four guards posted outside the suite at all times.

It made me and my wolf feel just that little better that they were safe and being taken care of in my absence.

I closed my eyes willing for sleep to take me, yet also anticipating that when I did the nightmares would come.

I was on edge as it was, and Note was on full guard. I wasn't sure when I had fallen asleep, so over-exhausted that my body naturally let me fall into darkness.

At first, the vision of my mate filled my subconscious. The way he stared at me and locked his eyes with mine. The way he felt against my skin and lips. The way he made me feel.

All too soon those comforting visions began to twist and fade into something darker. Something sinister, and I found myself back, hiding behind those bushes with Lizzy's hand clamped over my mouth as the Rogue King severed my father's head. As his men lined up, one by one to defile my mother.

As usual, I didn't see much but my sister's screams and my mother's face with a lone tear sliding down her cheek as male after disgusting male mounted her, filled my mind.

Smoke filled my senses even though I was in a dream state. The fire licked high, tearing down our pack, building by building. My mother's corpse was laid out for all to witness. Her perfect skin was shredded with claw marks and the headless body of my father slumped against her.

I knew I was screaming - crying. But there was no sound to my horrific howl of helplessness.

I began to shake violently, and the sound of a male's panicked voice reached my ears. This wasn't in my memory; this wasn't the same dream.

"Lyric!" The voice boomed in my ears, overriding the deafness of sorrow from my memories as my subconscious recalled the terrible events. "Lyric the voice shouted again.

My eyes fluttered and the memories vanished in a flash.

Strong hands gripped my arms and on instinct I lashed out, claws and teeth seeking flesh to rip and shred. I growled and roared, still lashing out as my eyes focused on our surroundings. The strong hands moved, and a pair of even stronger arms gripped me. Pulling me tight against them and wrapping their legs around me to keep me still.

"I got you. I got you. Shh." The voice said, calming and soothing.

My breath began to slow, the tears began to dry, and my heart began to climb down. Only then did I scent him. Only then did I realize it was my Beta that had hold of me. Only then did Note back down and she too began to calm down.

Only then did I feel the electric sparks of his touch and his manly scent that had turned my wolf from a frenzied mess into a purring ball of fur.

I leaned back into the safety of our mate needing that contact and needing his comfort.

"I got you." He repeated. "It's okay." He whispered into my hair, kissing the back of my head.

"Help me," I whispered back.

I was broken, afraid of my past. Afraid to let someone in and the weight of running, of feeling lost had finally caught up to me after five long years of fear. "I don't want to feel like this anymore."

"Shh. I won't let anything happen to you. Or Zane. I promise." My mate said. Saying all the right things but I knew he couldn't keep that promise. Shadow would come for my son. He would take him. And he would take me.

I had been through so much and remained so strong, that I felt myself unravelling. It was as if the fight in me to deal with… everything, had just gone out of me. I didn't know how to fight Shadow on my own and even though now I knew I didn't have to, that there were others. That I didn't have to run anymore. It still did not settle the turmoil and fear that rung through me with each reoccurring nightmare and each terrifying memory I had when I closed my eyes.

The next time I opened my eyes, I found my face stuck to an extremely large and broad bare chest. The gentle rise and fall of Mike's chest beneath my face was warm and I immediately felt the sparks.

A little shocked I tried to remove myself from the way I was straddled over him. Except his large hand clamped down over my back securing me in place.

I wiggled again and that's when I felt him. Or it. Long and hard under my thigh. "Stop moving little thief." His gravelly voice had me stilling. His fingertips dug into my flesh, a strained groan leaving his throat.

"Let me up," I said tapping his chest, not at all daunted by the fact this position felt all too comfortable to me. Either that or my uncomfortableness with intimacy hadn't kicked in yet. "I drooled on you," I say in hopes that his bruising grasp would let me go.

Mike lifts his other arm. His hand swiped over his face, clearing sleep from his eyes before they blink open revealing those gorgeous hazel orbs. They looked right at me filled with hunger. I felt my face flush and looked away.

His grip loosened and I squirmed off of him, feeling his hard length twitch as my thigh brushed over it. My body shivered with the reminder of what it looked like.

Note perked up in my mind, tail mentally wagging and tongue hanging out at the image that came to mind. She wanted her mate.

"I'm sorry," I said vaguely recalling him holding me and waking me from my nightmares. Knowing it was his presence and his scent that calmed me enough to fall back to sleep. That was he who brought peace to my mind even if it was for just a while. I was appreciative of that. But I didn't want him expecting anything else.

"All good." He stood from the bed, and I went to turn away but noticed he was wearing a pair of hardly loose shorts. Something I hadn't noted when I was scrambling off of him. Still, my eyes wandered down where his cock tented and strained against the fabric. I gulped thinking he would definitely hurt me with that thing.

I had seen a penis before, but I wasn't sure if you could class his as normal, at the size of it wasn't. I didn't think. I blushed with my own thoughts.

"I came back late and heard you screaming." He glanced at me up and down in my shirt and shorts. His shirt. "I didn't mean to come in unannounced but…" His words trailed off and his eyes slightly darkened as he took me in.

"Thank you," I muttered in shyness. Because what else could I say? I went to avert my eyes from his hulking form but deep scratches on his other arm and side caught my eye. They were healing over but it looked like someone had clawed him.

"What happened?" I gasped out, rushing to his side to examine the injuries.

He grunted and I looked up at him to find his eyes already on me. His lips tugged into a flat line. "Oh, my goddess!" I gasped again, my hands running over the wounds, "I did this to you." I stated. Because I knew I had. I had lashed out at him in my feral state, a fight or flight reaction I had when I found myself trapped in those terrible memories.

"It's fine." He replied, capturing my wrists in his hands. Holding them still and away from him. "Lyric," He growled with a warning, his grip becoming tighter.

Yeah, probably not a good idea to let my hands roam over his body after yesterday and while he is in… Well, a state of arousal.

I snatched my hand back embarrassed and suddenly feeling exposed. "Thank you, Beta. I'm okay now." I wrap my arms around myself, not daring to look at him.

Mike grunts again and I hear him move across the room towards the door. The door opens, but before he shuts it behind him, "Nice shirt." He says and I can hear the smirk in his voice.

The door shuts and I flop back down on my bed embarrassed as fuck. I pull a pillow over my face and half scream into it except I get a nose and mouthful of his watering scent and it drives my wolf crazy, that and the fact I let him leave. Note was in my mind pushing me to touch, lick and taste our mate.

'We can't.' I growl back at her.

'He is our mate.' She snarls.

'No shit,' I tell her 'He loves another,' I remind her. 'I'm not what he needs or wants. It's just the bond.' I'm not sure if I'm reaffirming this to her or myself but she huffs and crawls back to the recess of my mind. Obviously upset with me.

It was very early in the morning; the sun had only just started to dip above the horizon. I was up now. So, I reluctantly showered, washing away my mate's scent that lingered on my body then cleaning up the room, making the bed, and taking one last sniff of the pillow he used before heading down to the dining room for food.

*****

MIKE

When I walked into the room I shared with Tobias, I could hear the shower going and him singing loudly. I burst into the room without a care.

"Hey, buddy!" He turned looking at me through the frosted glass door of the stall, a cheesy as shit grin plastering his face. "I knew you liked me, but I didn't know you liked me like that." He chuckled.

"Get the fucking shower Tobias," I said quite nastily.

His face fell to a frown. "Fuck off." He replied and turned around rinsing the soap from his body.

"Seriously dude. Out the shower. Now." I grumbled almost throwing my Beta aura at him and commanding him. Though it probably wouldn't have worked on him.

He ignored me. Fair dues. But he didn't understand the raging hard-on I had, that I woke with and that needed to be taken care of. Like right the fuck now.

I didn't care if I was being a dick. I didn't care if I looked and sounded like some homicidal mental patient. I needed to take care of an urge and the longer it went unattended too, the more my headache banged, the more my balls tightened and strained, creating my stomach to cramp.

Duke was not helping; his primal urges and instinct were pushing on to me to mark and mate Lyric or her wolf. I couldn't explain the sparks, the electrifying feeling her touch evoked from me and my wolf. I always heard about tingles and sparks between mates, but this went beyond those feelings. You could actually see little blue threads of light spark between our bodies, whenever and wherever our hands touched.

Finally, Tobias stepped out and I all but pushed him out of the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind him as he grumbled and protested asking me what my fucking problem was.

I clambered under the shower letting the tepid water wash down me. I took my dick in my hand and began to stroke it. Immediately a relieving feeling coursed through me. I braced a hand on the wall, stroking myself from base to tip and letting my thumb brush over the swollen head.

Images of Lyric, her soft brown eyes, those thick lips. Her perky breasts and the feel of her thigh against me all filled my head as I chased my own release.

With each thought and each memory of her lips on me and the way her body against mine had me stroking harder and faster. My breath was ragged, and I roared out as I ejaculated hard onto the shower wall. My fist still gripped tightly around my still hard shaft.

"Fuck." I groaned. Thumping my other fist against the wall. My eyes opened to see the water wash my essence away.

'Not even close to the real thing.' Duke grumbled.

I washed and rinsed off, finally emerging from the shower once I felt back in control.

"You kicked me out to jack off?" Tobias stood there scowling at me, obviously not pleased.

I shook my head at him not even wanting to try and explain or apologize for my rude behavior.

"Alpha Timothy will be arriving shortly. Alpha Bret received a few of his warriors last night." Tobias changes the subject. Unfortunately, it was back to doom and gloom.

Tobias barges past me as I pull on a pair of slacks, bumping my shoulder on purpose. "Get your shit together Mike. Can't afford your mind to be on something other than this asshat of an alchemist." He says. "Shit like that will get you killed." He slams the door, leaving the room. The tone of annoyance in his voice didn't escape me.

*****

It was uncanny how much Alpha Timothy looked like his younger brother, Uncle Marcus - Lamia's Father. It was good to see him again. The last we met was on the battlefield for Riocht.

We now had less than 5 hours before the twenty-four window Senko gave us was up. We had talked, and we had planned. We put men in place and Alpha Bret gave Alpha Timothy the choice to take his men back home once he found out what happened yesterday and what we were facing.

He had scoffed at the thought telling us, "You young men know nothing of war. We stick together, That is why we all aligned under New Moon. This could just as easily find its way to our doorstep after they finish with you. No, no. Better to face it now. My men and women are trained and ready to defend our allies and the kingdom."

We were thankful for his support and determination to fight with us. Even with his numbers, we would still be outnumbered. And outclassed by those demon dogs. It's what I was calling them.

I watched helplessly as Lyric strolled into the dining room, filled her plate, and sat at the far end of the tables with a few other females. Not even coming to sit with Halley who was at our table.

At this point, I was only half listening to the discussions as my eyes were solely trained on her and my attention was indefinitely taken by her presence.

I was a fucking idiot to think I could stay with her last night and it not have consequences. The consequences being - the bond only strengthened and my need to be with her only solidified more. But how could we turn away from her when she and her wolf needed us?

The blood-curdling scream that came from her room had both my wolf and I panicking that something was happening to her. Bursting through her door, thankfully it wasn't locked, which in turn angered me that she didn't think of her safety. Seeing her thrashing around, a sheen of sweat coating her and her screams piercing and agonizing, I could only rush to her and take her in my arms before she mauled herself with her extended claws.

The fact that she lashed out at me didn't faze us. We just held her tighter until we felt the bond work its magic and she began to calm down. I let my royal beta aura wrap around her, pushing comforting and healing thoughts at her and her wolf. Duke paced with concern until she gently fell back into a slumber.

I meant to leave but she felt so right within my arms that I too fell asleep and slept well for the first time in weeks.

Then waking up this morning to her sprawled over me, wiggling and her thigh grinding against my morning wood - well we know how that worked out or worked me and Duke up.

Goddess, she was beautiful. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail falling down her back, images and thoughts of her on her knees, her hair wrapped around my fist while I…

I shook the thoughts away as I felt my cock thicken at the idea, willing him to relax and mentally chastising myself for thinking like that while in a room full of warriors and Alphas.

The air in the room shifted, becoming thick with tension. Drawing me back to the here and now. I looked around the table seeing the concerned look on Alpha Bret's face right before one of the Elite Warriors' mind linked me.

*Beta, we have movement, Seems like they are moving into position.* He came in loud and clear.

"He's early," Tobias said with a scowl, his green eyes darkening, pushing out his chair and standing.

I felt Duke push forward ready to protect the pack and his mate. "Wait," I say, not sure of my train of thought but something was off. He gave us twenty-four hours. A pretty specific time. "He won't move yet. I'm sure of it. Have our warriors and Golden Circles get into position. Alpha Timothy," I say turning to the older Alpha. Are you ready for this?"

"My warriors are ready. I will have them moved into position now." His eyes glaze over communicating to them and telling them the area they will be covering. Alpha Timothy rises from his chair too. Throwing his napkin on the half-empty plate. "I will take my place with my pack. May the Goddess shine down on all of us this day. And receive those who fall."

The words send a shiver down my spine. If what Duke told me was true, then the Moon Goddess was not there to receive us. She would not be looking out for us on this day.

My eyes find Lyric's and lock. *Stay in control.* I tell her, hoping she listens. I don't dare make it a command just in case she needs to run. I just hope she heeds my words and for once listens.