Ezra POV

He stops the bike, kicking out the kickstand with his black booted foot. He rips the key out of the ignition, ending the overly loud noise, leaving a gaping hole of silence.

The power that fills the wind around us is suffocating, and it becomes a chore to even breathe. I'm going to have to get use to it if he's staying here, I know that.

The three werewolves around us all look like they're in pain, Stacey even winces and rubs at her head a little bit, and Reid hugs her tighter.

He slides off his helmet, shaking out his thick black hair. Ruby colored eyes roam around our small group, narrowing on Stacey and Reid entangled with one another, then shifting back to me.

When he gets off the bike, stands up and makes his way over to us, The Alpha and Beta of the Green Pack are literally shaking in their boots.

As soon as they catch sight of his face, Alpha Green shudders.

"Oh, dear Moon Goddess." Green whispers, but we all heard him, and I think we all agree.

Bright red scars surround his left eye and trail down Veiler's cheekbone. They're intimidating to look at, and only add to his already terrifying demeanor.

Lycans don't scar unless it's with silver before they shift for the first time, meaning someone attacked Alpha Veiler as a child with a silver weapon.

The thoughts of hurting a pup in that way is horrifying.

The King himself stops in front of me, the leather jacket he wears is a bit noisy as it strains against his shoulders and chest.

He is taller than each of us, other than Hyrum that is. They're about the same height.

"Blackmore," He says gruffly, and I shake his outstretched hand.

"So you do remember me?" I ask lightly. He nods, looking me up and down with his calculating red eyes that are constantly glowing like an LED light.

"I let Onyx know if you ever considered retiring from the Guard you'd be welcome to join my ranks." His voice is deep, one of the deepest voices I've heard, with the slightest hint of an accent that I can never seem to place. "Though I doubt you ever will."

"Why is that?" I ask.

"I know your type, I've seen it all before. Too restless to quit the Guard and settle down." He replies, his dark words slow and measured. He's giving me a stare that makes me feel like he can see straight through me.

"Well, maybe before, but not anymore. I found my mate, and I'd be willing to do anything she wants." I say reverently.

Veiler's reaction is not one I'm expecting. The red ring around his pupil glows brighter, his glare deepening. I'm shocked when he growls, automatically backing away.

The guy is terrifying, and probably the only person I am truly afraid of. My natural instinct is to put distance between us.

Alpha Green and Beta Thorn jump back like he's about to blow. Who knows, maybe he is.

Savannah places a hand on his arm, seemingly trying to calm him down. They share a look, wordlessly communicating. Veiler huffs in annoyance, still looking royally pissed.

No pun intended.

"It seems lots of us are finding mates." He grumbles, black eyebrows drawn tightly together as he eyes Reid and Stacey.

If it were anyone else staring at them, I would assume Reid would growled. Lycans are very protective over their mates.

The fact that this is Alpha Veiler makes it different.

Reid is many things, but he isn't suicidal.

Veiler turns around, his large chest huffing and puffing as he walks over to the nearest tree. Even from here I can make out his veins bulging in his neck with the anger he's feeling.

Man, what set him off?

We all jump when there's a furious yell and then a cracking sound. We watch in shocked silence as the tree topples to the ground, sending icy flurries everywhere from the fall.

Alpha Veiler stands directly in front of it, his arm still outstretched from punching it, breathing like he just ran a marathon.

"Talk about anger issues." Whispers Ace from the sidelines.

I can't help but agree.

Turning back to the group, the two leaders of the Green Pack look like they're ready to shit themselves, and I wouldn't be surprised if they did already.

"Well, as great as that show was, my wee bonnie mate and I need to get indoors before the sun shows up." Fraser, the apparently Scottish vampire, pipes up for the first time.

Savannah looks at him and nods before glancing to me.

"Could you show us where we're staying?" Savannah's eyes flick to Veiler and back to me. "Somebody needs some down time, if you couldn't tell already."

I nod, still glancing wearily at the beast. We turn around, and with that we head back to our cabin in the woods.

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"Home, sweet home." I announce, stretching my arms wide as we enter the building. It's eerily quiet as the gang walks in, until Stacey opens her mouth.

"Wowza. This place is great!" She grabs Reid's arm and squeezes, "Where's our room, honey bun?"

Reid's face goes scarlet again, and I can't hold back my snicker. It seems Stacey is more eccentric than even Ace.

"I don't think it will be a good idea to share a room until we've marked each other."

"Then mark me, go ahead. I don't need no fancy ceremony, baby. Lay it on me." She tilts her head and stands on her tippy toes. Reid glances around, his neck and ears also turning a brilliant shade of pink.

"Not here, not now. We'll talk about this later."

Stacey huffs in annoyance, dragging her purple bag to the base of the stairs while she mumbles under her breath.

We all go into the kitchen, and when we do I immediately spot Klepto sitting silently at the breakfast table. She holds a strawberry pop-tart in her hand and a glass of orange juice in the other.

"Klepto, this is Alpha Veiler and his Beta, Savannah." She stares at Veiler with a terrified look that I'm sure he gets all the time.

"This is your mate?" He directs the question at me, but Klepto answers instead, a sassy lilt to her voice.

"Sorta, kinda, but I'm open to offers." She says, and I narrow my eyes at her with a ghost of a smile.

Yeah, she's definitely making me work for it.

"Mates are not something to be joked about." Veiler says, his voice grew dangerously cold and unfeeling, not that it was warm and sunny before, but this is a whole new level.

The urge to growl at him rises up, but I know who I'm dealing with. This is the King.

I do, however, step right in front of my mate. Not backing down.

He gives me a look.

"Would someone please show me to my room?" He asks, and Hyrum volunteers, they disappear down the hall and then up the stairs and I can suddenly breathe easy now.

One thing I noticed was that he said the word please. Of all the times I've seen Alpha Veiler, I've never heard him use polite language. It's a known fact that the King does not use words like "please" and "thank you".

It's sort of bizarre.

"What's up with him?" I ask Savannah, and it's like she immediately knows what I'm talking about.

"Let's just say, a lot has gone on these past few months." She sighs, rubbing at her forehead.

"What she means is Hendrix." Stacey cuts in, folding her arms over her chest as she leans against Reid.

"What, like the famous guitar player?" Ace asks.

"NO" Miranda and Stacey reply simultaneously, both wearing fixed glares.

Savannah holds up a hand while the other continues to run at her temples.

"Shut up, both of you. If he hears you mention her, he'll go on another rampage and I'm not in the mood to be cleaning up again." She points upstairs, "Unless you want to pick up the trail of destruction he leaves behind."

"Not me! Reid and I will be too busy." She says fluttering her lashes up at him. He looks away, but wraps his arm around her shoulders.

"Am I missing something?" Asks Klepto, looking at Reid and Stacey with her eyebrows raised.

"I'm Stacey." The Asian girl holds her hand out and Klepto shakes it slowly. "I'm Reid's mate. Try anything with him and I'll kill you." She says softly, her smile so innocent you'd think we were discussing the weather.

Reid has a sheer look of panic, and he grabs Stacey's shoulders, pulling her back against his chest before whispering in her ear.

"Klepto is Ezra's mate. No need to get defensive, doll." He reassures her, and she looks up at him with a wicked smile.

"Doll? Ugh, I love it. Just take me to your room already!"

A sound from behind draws my attention to Fraser, the vampire that keeps to himself. Him and his mate have been so quiet in the background that no one even noticed their presence until now.

Fraser has gone around the room and closed up the shutters and pulled the curtains closed tight, sealing the rays from getting in through the windows.

I suddenly feel bad for not remembering their aversion to the sunlight.

The vampire goes to his mate, carefully removing the large cloak wrapped around her shoulders.

"There we go, love." He says gently, then reaches behind her to flicker on the light switch, adding some light to the dim room.

Everyone is looking at them now.

"Sorry everyone." The female says in her thick scottish accent, smiling with her fangs. "We aren't use to being out in the daytime."

Klepto's eyes are wide as she watches them, she's just now realizing what they are, and she doesn't seem too excited by the notion of vampires.

"Is there a room we can stay in with no... windows?" Fraser asks, and I nod, placing a reassuring hand on Klepto's shoulders as I talk.

"The basement has a bedroom, you're welcome to take it."

"Excellent, I thank you Blackmore." He says, grabbing his mate's hand and their luggage before heading down the stairs and into the darkness.

"Freaky, right?" Asks Stacey as she slides into a chair right beside Klepto, "They drink blood, I would shit myself if I had to drink blood. Nasty. And not being able to go out into the sunlight? I could never live my life only at night and then sleep all day, I've seen way too many horror movies for that. Try again, bitch." She rambles on and on, and I can see the admiration in Reid's eyes.

He's smitten already.

"So, your name is actually Klepto?" She asks suddenly, and my mate doesn't seem offended at the question. She even laughs.

"No, no. I'm just a kleptomaniac, so the nickname kind of stuck I guess." She shrugs her shoulders.

"Wait, so an actual kleptomaniac?" Miranda asks, joining them at the table.

"Yeah."

"Wow! What is that like? Is it fun?" Stacey presses, scooching closer until she's on the edge of her seat.

"Not exactly." Klepto looks at me and then back at the girls, "It's gotten me in some hot water every now and then."

"Oh, that is fun though. Who likes being a goodie two shoes anyway? Our friend, Hendrix, is a goodie two shoes. I can tell you right now that it's overrated." Stacey insists, then she starts giggling when Reid gives her an alarmed look. He is definitely in for a ride.

"So, how does the whole mate thing work out, anyway? Werewolves don't live forever, but lycans do. Do I turn into a lycan when you mark me, is that how this works?"

"No, you stay a werewolf." I say, and Stacey looks crestfallen.

"Dammit! So I'm just going to live a few hundred years and then die like everyone else?"

Reid growls low in his throat, taking a few steps forward.

"No, you won't die. The Moon Goddess wouldn't do that. When a lycan marks their mate, they are bound as one, our lives tied to each other, that means you'll live as long as I do, but you will remain a werewolf. You can't turn into a lycan, it's kind of impossible to change your DNA like that. Only vampires can change someone."

I ponder this, wondering what Klepto thinks of that since it apparently isn't common knowledge and I haven't even thought to disclose it to her.

If she accepts me, lets me mark and mate with her, then her family will eventually die, and she will be young forever, stuck looking exactly as she does now.

Would she hate that?

"Bonded forever huh? Lives tied to each other? So if I die, you die sorta thing?" Stacey asks, and Miranda is the one to answer this time.

"No. Typically if a lycan and werewolf are mates, the werewolf will definitely die if their lycan counterpart dies, but the lycan mate will still live if their mate dies, but they go completely insane. They no longer have a conscience, they don't think, they just destroy."

Stacey is completely flabbergasted, and she gives Miranda evil eyes.

"We've been best friends since high school and you've never told me any of this?!"

Miranda gives a small smile.

"You never asked."

Stacey huffs a sigh.

"Well, it's not like I knew I was going to have a lycan mate. Who knew we'd be this lucky, eh Klepto?" She elbows my mate, and I try and gauge her reaction.

She smiles, "Yeah, I guess. That is if your lycan's not an asshole."

There's a drawn out silence before all the girls start laughing hysterically together, even Savannah joins in.

Even though the joke is made at my expense, the corners of my lips turn up.

I don't care what Klepto thinks of me in that moment, I was just happy she's laughing.

Because for the first time, she has friends to laugh and joke with. Seeing the pure spark of joy on her beautiful face, that right there is a complete win.

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If you're reading this, I love you:)