Deja Vu

Drake

The scent of her perfume invades my nostrils as I tidy up the breakfast dishes. She just doesn’t get the hint to leave me be. This isn’t going to end well.

I turn to find her undressing, her eyes locked on mine. I quickly avert my gaze back to the table.

“Good morning, sweetheart. I missed you in bed last night,” she purrs. Her face scrunches up as she sniffs the air. I feel her hand on my back as I continue to stack the plates.

“Macie, what did we discuss last night? Didn’t you understand when I told you to keep your distance?” I step away from her touch.

“You can’t be serious, Drake. Why does your room reek of her scent?” She steps in sync with me.

I close my eyes, struggling to keep my temper in check. “I told you, it’s over between us. There can never be anything more. You need to accept that you’ll never be my mate.”

Her hand snakes around my bare chest. I open my eyes to find her standing there, completely naked. Her lips part slightly as she rises on her toes, aiming for my mouth. I step back abruptly, causing her to stumble and fall.

She quickly recovers, hands on her hips. “You couldn’t even help your mate off the floor?”

I growl in response. “Don’t push me, Macie. You’re on thin ice. My father won’t hesitate to banish you for insubordination.”

She reaches for me again, but I dodge her. What would Addy think if she walked in on this? Would she think I was cheating on her? No, once we find our mates, our wolves won’t let us be with anyone else. They’d stop us before we could do anything.

~Get her out of here, Drake, or I will,~ Diego warns me.

~And how do you suggest I do that? There’s no way I’m touching her.~ I step back again as she tries to reach for me.

Diego growls. ~Let me scare her. She’ll leave us alone after that.~

I walk away from her, spinning around as she follows me. “Macie, stop. You’re pushing your luck.”

She sways her hips, moving towards me. “I was hoping we could kiss and make up in bed. I won’t be a servant to the new Luna when I should be her. I’m the one who should be by your side, Drake. No one else is good enough to be your Luna.”

Diego snaps at her words. He takes over, shifting into his wolf form. She looks at him, eyes wide. A slow smile spreads across her face as she reaches out to touch him.

“My big bad wolf wants to play with me?” she coos, her hand grazing his muzzle. He snaps at her, causing her to jerk her hand back. “What the hell, Diego?”

He snarls, locking eyes with her. ~I suggest you leave before things get ugly. You’ve been warned, but since you can’t seem to understand, maybe I need to take action.~

She scoffs. “Please, you can’t hurt the future Luna of this pack.”

Drool drips from his teeth. ~You’re not the future Luna. I can and will hurt you if I have to. Get dressed and get out!~

She looks him over but doesn’t move. “You’re a handsome wolf, you know that? It suits Drake being so attractive.”

~I told you she wouldn’t listen,~ I roll my eyes at Diego.

He steps towards her, snarling. She steps back, slowly retreating from the room. He keeps his gaze locked on hers, forcing her to back out of the room and down the stairs. She bumps into the front door and he nods towards it.

~Open it,~ he commands.

“Why?” she glances nervously at the onlookers.

~OPEN IT!~ he orders again.

Her hand shakes as she opens the door. She backs onto the porch and he nudges her out.

~Shift,~ he growls.

The sound of her bones shifting fills the air. His Alpha aura radiates off him in waves. The pack members stop what they’re doing to watch the spectacle. Her small wolf stands there, looking at us in confusion.

~I’ll give you a head start before I hunt you down,~ he crouches, ready to pounce.

~Diego, please,~ her wolf pleads.

~She’s been warned multiple times and still doesn’t listen. I’m done with this. RUN!~ His command sends her sprawling onto her back.

She scrambles up, whimpering. ~Please, we’ll leave you alone. I promise. Don’t kill us.~

~Did I not give you an order? I suggest you obey,~ his eyes bore into hers.

She turns and bolts into the woods. I watch, thinking that’s the end of it, but Diego leaps off the porch a few minutes later with a roar.

~Diego, you can’t. Stop!~ I try to regain control, but he pushes me back.

He howls. ~If this is the only way to get through to her, then so be it.~

He races through the woods, hot on her trail. She looks back, trying to outrun him, but it’s futile against an Alpha wolf. He nips at her legs as she tries to dodge him. She changes direction, but he keeps up with every move.

~Diego, please don’t. We get the point,~ she pleads as she darts around a tree.

He skids to a stop, whips around, and takes off after her again. She’s tiring, but she keeps running, narrowly avoiding his snapping jaws. A red wolf joins the chase. Diego crashes into her as she tries to turn, sending her flying into a lake. She surfaces, sputtering, as we stop at the water’s edge. The wolf drags herself out of the water and collapses on the leaves.

~What do you want me to do, Diego?~ Flame asks.

Diego towers over the exhausted wolf. ~I submit. Please, I’ll keep her away from now on. She got the point.~

~If you don’t, I won’t hesitate to kill you next time. This was your final warning,~ he snarls.

Her head nods weakly as we walk away, not even winded from the chase. We hadn’t exerted much energy because she was weaker than us.

Flame chuckles. ~She didn’t heed Drake’s warning, huh?~

Diego shakes his fur. ~No, but I think she understands now. If not, we’ll have a small brown wolf for dinner one night.~

We walk back to the packhouse, chatting. He asks me about his sister finding her mate at the party and which packs he doesn’t want her to join. All the packs around here are fine, but there are some rumors about others. Alpha Tate’s pack has several rumors, but we haven’t heard anything about him attacking other packs or mistreating his members. He doesn’t travel much, so not many packs or individuals have seen much of him.

~Today is a big day for you, I hear. Your sister might find her mate while you announce yours.~

I stop, looking back at the path we came down. ~It’ll be a great day for both of us. How long did it take you to figure it out?~

He shakes his head. ~The way you sent Ryan to protect Addy gave it away. We haven’t said anything, but Drake’s actions hinted at it. His looks, his behavior, and of course, the confession.~

~You’re one of the few who know. Myra knows, of course, my father, and her parents. Macie is too dense to figure it out, but she will soon,~ I glance back over my shoulder.

~Don’t forget your sister banned her from the party. Make sure that’s enforced when we get back. She might try to show up,~ he stops, looking around.

~Do you feel that?~ I scan the area with him.

~Something’s off. I don’t know if it’s because all these males are coming into our territory soon. Having all these visitors from different packs has me on edge,~ we start walking again.

“I feel the same unease. Something about this doesn’t sit right with me. We need to double the patrols at the borders. We can’t risk an attack during the party,” I say, hoping my words don’t upset him.

He steps back, pulling on his shorts. “Your dad already gave that order. The other packs are doing the same.”

I roll my shoulders, trying to shake off the tension. “I need a shower. I can’t stand this smell on me. I’ll see you at the party this afternoon.”

I head back to my room, eager to wash away the grime before the day gets away from me.