Chapter 19: Matched Names

Wolfgang

I was sitting in my office with Remus and Max, going through the preparations for the alpha summit that would be carried out in a month.

There, I hoped to gain more comrades and alliances for the upcoming war with the rogues.

We’d discovered that the person leading the rogue army was none other than Klaus, the son of the rogue who had murdered my mother and father.

After our first encounter seven years ago on the battlefield, he had been gathering more rogues.

And now they’d been spotted around the border of our village.

This summit was invaluable if we were to be ready to deal with those bastards once more.

“I happened to meet Miss Craton yesterday, as she was heading out to the backyard forest. She claimed her wolf needed a run,” Remus commented.

I came out of my thoughts with a jerk.

“What? Why didn’t you inform me right away?” I growled at my gamma.

“Relax, alpha. I didn’t allow her to go,” he continued.

“Good. The forest is dangerous at the moment.” I relaxed.

What was wrong with that girl? It was as if she was eager to put herself in danger.

“She should have asked me to escort her if she needed to go out for a run,” Max cut in. “I would have been more than happy to.”

“She is forbidden from leaving the premises until further notice, Max. She shouldn’t have even been in the backyard.” I shot back at my beta.

To be honest, I was pissed at the very idea of him being alone in the forest with my mate.

~“So she is our mate,”~ Cronnos commented in my mind, snickering.

“What? Is she some sort of captive now? Why are you being so harsh on the girl, Wolfie?” Max asked.

“He claims to have her under surveillance for the robbery incident from the party. But I think there’s more to it,” Remus said.

He pushed aside the files he’d been looking at, then took off his glasses to wipe them off.

“What do you mean?” Max asked.

But I knew where he was heading with this. I could feel my body tensing up.

“I’ve been watching the girl for the past couple of weeks,” Remus said, “and I don’t sense any kind of ill will in her. I don’t think she is a thief. I’d advise you to remove the warning you placed on her, before she gets hurt.”

“So Rory is here because of some misunderstanding? Smooth move, Wolfie,” Max said.

He waggled his eyebrows at me. “Why don’t you come clean, and accept that you have feelings for the girl. I mean, she’s really cute.”

“You both forget that I am currently in a relationship with Tallulah,” I shot at them.

“Yeah. So it’s just a coincidence that you started dating that crazy chick right after I pointed out how obvious you’re being about giving Rory special treatment.”

He grinned. “Come on man, we get it. You like her. What’s wrong about that?” Max questioned.

“I do not like that woman. And I told you before, even if I had the intentions to commit to a she-wolf, I’d seek someone more suitable to name as my luna, which is why I started dating Tallulah.”

I raised my eyebrows. “You could say you made me realize that, Max.”

“Whatever, dude.” Max finally gave up, rolling his eyes. “Luckily, Rory hasn’t found her mate yet. Maybe she’d like to date me instead.”

I could feel my blood boiling at the thought of Aurora dating any other male.

“Yes. That’s the strangest part. Neither Alpha Wolfgang nor Miss Craton has found their mate, yet their wolves share the perfect match names,” Remus said thoughtfully.

I could see Cronnos’ ears perk up as he heard this new piece of information about our mate.

“What do you mean?” I asked him, not wanting to know his answer.

“Didn’t you know that Miss Craton’s wolf’s name is Rhea?” he asked.

A special type of shock coursed through my body. I had never felt anything like it before.

“What? You’re kidding, right? Who told you that?” Max asked, excitement clear in his eyes.

“Miss Craton happened to mention her wolf’s name when we were talking yesterday. I cannot deny how surprised I was at the coincidence,” he said.

He peered at me over his glasses. “And yet, it seems strange that she hasn’t felt any pull toward a mate, specifically to you, Alpha Wolfgang.”

“Why would she feel any type of mating pull toward me? It’s a coincidence, yes, that we share match names, but that omega she-wolf and I share no other bond.”

I glowered at them. “And I’d advise you two to drop it before I lock you both in the dungeons for pissing me the fuck off.”

I stood from my desk and headed out of the office.

This new piece of information was too much to digest.

Aurora’s wolf’s name was Rhea.

~Moon Goddess, is this some sort of punishment? Why do you insist on matching me with that omega wolf?~

As I walked down the passageway on my way to the stairs, the familiar, sweet scent of a certain she-wolf caught my attention.

Images of the night I’d kissed her came back to my mind. My body longed to touch her again.

~Control yourself, Wolfgang,~ I reprimanded myself, shaking my head. ~I can’t let the carnal urges take over.~

If this mating had been under different circumstances…if I’d accepted Aurora right then and there, I would have marked her by now, completing the mating bond.

No other wolf would have dared come near her once they saw my fang marks deep into her skin.

But here I stood, unable to accept her or reject her.

Her sweet aroma permeated the air, and as I caught a whiff of it, my body instinctively began moving.

She was not alone. She was in the company of another male wolf.

I marched along the passage and down the stairs, swerving into the kitchen. There I found my mate, sitting on the counter, while the sous chef sucked on her index finger.

They were the only two people in the room.

I couldn’t help the growl that escaped my mouth as I grabbed the cook by his collar and threw him aside.

“Tony!” I heard my mate shout behind me.

I turned toward her. She had hopped off the counter and was about to run over the guy.

This pissed me off even more.

“What the fuck were you two doing?” I growled as I watched her help the cook to his feet.

“Alpha Wolfgang, what do you mean? Aurora was helping me with dinner, and she was asking me to taste if the sauce was alright. I wasn’t thinking…” the cook, Tony, said.

“What’s going on in here?” Mrs. Kala rushed in with Beau and a few of the other maids. “Oh my Goddess, Tony! Are you okay? What happened?”

I glared at the man, then turned to face my head maid. I needed to clear this up before they misread things.

“Nothing, Mrs. Kala. Just a misunderstanding.” I glared at the young cook, daring him to say different, but he knew better, and he nodded in agreement.

“Just an accident, Mrs. Kala. I’m gonna head over to the infirmary,” he said. He began to walk off.

“I’ll go with you.” Aurora started to walk alongside him, but I stopped her.

“No. You’re coming with me.”

“He got hit in the head. I just want to make sure he’s alright,” she answered back.

Anger stirred within me once more.

“Mrs. Kala can go with him. Now follow me,” I ordered, leaving no room for further discussion.

“It’s alright, Rory. I’ll be fine,” the cook assured her. Mrs. Kala took his arm, and they both left the kitchen.

I started to head out the other kitchen door, when I noticed Aurora’s hesitance to follow. “Any time today, Miss Craton,” I growled.

I headed through the passageway, with Aurora close behind. I could feel her anxiety. She didn’t want to be near me.

~“Gee, I wonder why?” ~Cronnos said sarcastically.

Once I was sure there was no one around, I turned and grabbed Aurora by her arms, pinning her to the wall.

“Why the fuck were you alone with that man back there?” I growled at her.

“Mrs. Kala asked me to help Tony prepare dinner, because Beau had a school meeting with his son. The others were on their break.”

Fear was etched in her eyes.

~“Damn it. You’re scaring her!”~ Cronnos snarled in my head.

I released my hold on her arms, but I kept her trapped between my body and the wall.

I would be lying if I said I did not like the feel of her body close to mine.

Would I ever experience this feeling again if I rejected her, and took someone else as my mate?

“Alpha Wolfgang, please don’t punish Tony. I was the one who asked him to taste the sauce. I didn’t think—”

My anger roared again. Here we were, our mouths inches away from each other, with me fighting against my carnal instinct to claim her lips, and she was worried about the cook.

“You and that cook are not to work together again. I'll make sure of that,” I growled at her.

“What? How will that…” she started to ask, but I cut her off.

“I’ll have him reassigned somewhere else. He won't be working in the mansion again.” I told her.

Her eyes widened in shock. “You can’t do that. Tony had nothing to do—”

I cut her off once more. “I do not care. You two are never working together again. That’s final.”

I saw her eyes moisten with tears. Then she shoved me.

I didn’t budge, of course, but it still surprised the fuck out of me.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I asked her

“Trying to get away from you!” She glared daggers at me, her face contorted in rage.

“Oh really?” I asked her, pressing my body harder against hers. “It doesn’t seem like it’s working.”

“I hate you! I hate being your mate! I hate you!” she growled at me. Her cheeks were soaked in tears.

At that moment, I couldn’t control myself any longer. I kissed her.

At first, she fought against me, keeping her lips locked tight, but I didn’t let go.

She struggled against me for a couple more seconds, then I felt her surrender to me, allowing my tongue to explore every inch of her mouth.

Damn it. Why did she taste so good?

This woman was driving me crazy. I wanted more.

I took her arms and wrapped them around my neck, then caressed her slim shape from her waist down until her hips.

Her fingers gripped my hair. I could feel myself getting hard, and I involuntarily pressed myself harder against her.

I felt her moan in my mouth when she felt my shaft, turning me on even more.

I wanted this girl, and I wanted her now.

~Damn it, Wolfgang. Control yourself.~ I shouted in my mind, but my body wouldn’t register the command.

I couldn’t stop kissing her. I wanted more.

Suddenly, I heard someone coming down the hall. I quickly let go of her and put a good distance between the two of us.

We both were out of breath.

“I don’t want to see you near that cook again. Got it?” I told her, before storming off to the second floor and entering my office.

I took the time to compose myself. I didn’t want my beta and gamma noticing anything.

Remus and Max were eyeing me suspiciously, but I ignored them and focused on my computer screen.

“Had some fun, did we now?” Max snickered. Remus shook his head.

“What the hell are you talking about?” I asked, annoyed by his childish antics.

“Oh, I don’t know. When you left a while ago, your hair didn’t look the way it does right now?”

“Just look at yourself in the mirror, alpha,” Remus explained, looking bored.

I turned my computer screen off, and saw in the black reflection that my hair was a complete mess.

~This must’ve happened when Aurora put her hands in it. Damn it.~

Just remembering the feeling made my dick hard again.

~Aurora, you’re going to be the end of me.~

“You are both dismissed,” I told them, trying to bury myself in work.

“Yay!” Max shouted gleefully. He practically ran out the office. Remus was right behind him, but before he left he stopped and turned to me.

“Alpha Wolfgang, I highly recommend you withdraw that warning on Miss Craton’s record. The girl is harmless. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to her.”

Without waiting for a reply, he left the office.

~“Your gamma is right. We both know she isn’t a thief,”~ Cronnos said to me.

~“I’ll deal with that afterward, once I reject her,”~ I answered, opening my email.

~“Don’t let harm come to that girl because of your selfishness,”~ he growled.

I ignored him as I read through my hotel reservation for the upcoming alpha’s summit.

There was a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

Tallulah entered, wearing tight skinny jeans and a crop top that revealed too much of her cleavage.

“What do you want?” I asked, not bothering to look at her.

“I’ve missed you all day, so I came to see you. I see you’re still busy.” She came over and sat on my desk in front of me.

“As a matter of fact, I am, Tallulah,” I said, not really interested in what she had to say.

“Oh babe. When are you gonna start to call me baby, or honey, or darling. When you just say my name, it feels like I’m being scolded.”

She pouted thick lips that were coated in pink lipstick. I only glanced at her, then looked back at my computer.

She hopped off of the desk and came around it to stand right behind me. She began massaging my shoulders.

“You feel so tense, babe. Why don’t you take some time off and relax.” She nibbled my earlobe and trailed kisses down my neck as she spoke.

I couldn’t help picturing that it was Aurora who was doing all of this.

I took hold of her, and dragged her over my lap. I kissed her and she willingly responded, one arm wrapping around my neck while the other massaged my hair.

I found myself comparing her to Aurora, and it definitely wasn’t the same.

Right then someone walked in and gasped in surprise.

I looked toward the door and felt all the color leave my face as I saw Aurora standing there, hurt printed all over her beautiful face.

“Excuse me. Don’t you know how to knock?” Tallulah reprimanded her. “We’re kind of in the middle of something here.”

“Forgive me.” She quickly bowed her head and ran out of the room.

~Damn it!~

I pushed Tallulah off of me and ran after Aurora, but she was nowhere in sight.

Where the hell had she run off to?

I went up to her room, but she wasn’t there.

Why did she even come to the office?

I mind-linked Max and asked him if he’d seen Aurora anywhere.

To my surprise, he told me she was with Aspen in the rose garden.

~“She seemed distressed. Did you say something to her?”~ Max asked me through the link.

Yes. I’d made her see something she shouldn’t have.

~“No. Make sure Aspen doesn’t leave her side. Inform her that she is relieved of her duties for the rest of the day,”~ I told my beta, making my way back up the stairs.

~“Sure, Wolfie. I’ll tell her.”~

I walked back into my office to find Tallulah seated comfortably in my chair.

“I thought you would have left,” I told her.

“I was waiting on you, baby,” she purred, whipping her blond hair back.

“Let me rephrase that. I was ~hoping~ you had left.”

“Why?” she stood up, outraged.

“I want to be alone. Now leave,” I growled at her.

She stood back, clearly intimidated by my aura. “Fine. Only 'cause you asked nicely.”

She stormed out of the office, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

~“You’re sure a huge douchebag, you know that, kid? How much longer until you finally realize the harm you’re doing to our mate?”~ Cronnos growled in my mind.

~“Not now, fleabag.”~

I blocked him out. I really didn’t need to listen to his ranting right now.

~“Suit yourself, dimwit,”~ he said dryly before going quiet.