Alpha's Mate (7 page)

“Is Kolya alright?” she whispered to Dmitry.

“My sister, Alena, is his mate.  He is probably blaming himself for this whole affair.  Which is ridiculous.  If anyone is to blame it is I.  I will talk to him once we are in the air.”

“Dmitry, I am sure it’s not your fault your sister was almost abducted!”

“I underestimated the danger to her.”

“Did you leave her alone?”

“No, I left guards in place.”

“So you left her protected and the protection worked.  She was not abducted.”  Violet pointed out.

“I appreciate your loyalty.  But I fear it is undeserved.”

“No, Dmitry.  I've been in your mind, remember.  You are a good man, who cares for others.  I am glad to be your mate.”

“Oh,
lyubov moya
, I do not deserve you, but I will keep you.”  Dmitry pulled her onto his lap and started kissing her.

When the plane took off moments later, Violet was too busy to notice.  She was completely enchanted with the man who held her so gently and made love to her with his kisses.  Violet heard someone clearing their throat and looked up to see Anton standing before them.

“I thought Violet might like to ride with the pilot for a while.” suggested Anton.

“Would that please you?” asked Dmitry.

“I've never been in the cockpit of a jet before.”

Dmitry escorted her up to the cockpit, introduced her to the pilot, and made sure she was comfortable before he left her to go back to his seat.  Violet liked the way he was so polite and caring with her, very Old World.

Dmitry walked back to where Kolya was resting on the couch.

“I am sorry, my friend.  I take full responsibility.” said Dmitry placing his hand on Kolya's shoulder.  “If you wish to challenge me for the Alpha position, I will understand.”

“I do not want to be Alpha, Dmitry.   I do not blame you, and neither does anyone else.  I spoke to Alena.  She is upset, as we all are, but not at you.  You did not cause our shortage of women, nor did you cause Fyodor, Lenka, and Igorek to make the attempt on Alena.  I am worried what will happen next.  When our women aren't safe in their own homes, how do we stop the madness?”

“We will find a way, Kolya.  If our unattached males cannot be trusted at home, then we will send them out into the world in search of mates like Violet.  I don't have all the answers, my friend, but don't give up hope.”

“If our males are like Fyodor, Lenka, and Igorek, maybe it is better to let our kind die out.”  Kolya said.

“You do not mean that.  Fyodor was always getting into trouble.  He hated authority and following rules.  He wanted Alena, and thought to take her, even knowing she was not his mate.  He was one bad apple, out of many good ones.”

“You will need to take a stronger hand, Dimka.  Our males must be willing to swear a blood oath to you.  If they are not willing, then they must be banished.”

“You are probably right.  But I want to speak to my father and the other elders, and get their opinions, before we take such a drastic measure.”  Dmitry said tiredly.

“There is more.  What if the pack does not accept Violet as your mate?”

“The mating bond is there for all to see.”  Dmitri growled.

“But she is human.  The council could still say nay.”

“The council is to advise me, not control my actions or decisions.”

“But, what if?”  Kolya persisted, unwilling to let the matter go.

“Then you will be Alpha, whether you want it or not.  I will not abandon my mate, Kolya.  What worries me more, than the council, is what Violet will do when she finds out we aren't human but lycanthropes.  I don't think I can survive her leaving me.  Where she goes, I will have to follow.”

“The pack needs you.  You must somehow convince her to accept us.  If she loves you, it will be easier.” Kolya tried to reassure him.

“I hoped to give her time to love me.  But this trip is going to make it hard to keep our existence a secret.  Don't forget she is a strong telepath, and already our bond is solid.  I can't lie to her, Kolya.”  Their people were in crisis, and Violet could be their biggest hope, or their biggest mistake.  If she couldn't find it in her heart to love him as a wolf, then their pack was truly headed for extinction.  “Besides Alena, what other females are unattached?”

“There is only Sonya.  She turned 16 last month.”

“Do we know who her mate is?” asked Dmitry

“She is very young still, but Alena thinks young Lukyan is destined to be her mate.”

“We must make sure and then handfast them as in times past.  Lukyan's family will then guard her, as well as her own.  I will not have our females put in danger.  How many unattached males do we have?”

“With Anton and myself included, around 30 or so, plus four juveniles.”

“I will think on this.  If Violet can give me a child with a wolf spirit, then the answer is to send them out looking for mates.”

“Violet has to accept your wolf first, Dimka.”

“I know, Kolya, believe me, I know.”

Chapter Six

Violet found the cockpit experience fun, but her thoughts kept going back to Dmitry and his people.  Who were they, and why was she chosen as his mate?  She knew in her heart she was falling for Dmitry.  The chemistry between them was electric, but it was more than chemistry.  She touched his mind and knew him, as well as she knew herself.  She realized he was holding information back from her, but she also sensed his need of her acceptance and love, like a huge sore only she could heal.  It was all very confusing at times.  She'd only known him for a couple of days, but already she couldn't see herself living without him.  Then there was the horrible grief she experienced when they were separated.  Could she stand living without him?

Her own mother often spoke of knowing she would marry her father, from the first moment she saw him.  Was this the same thing, love at first sight.  Dmitry felt so right to her, like coming home after one of her assignments.  What was she doing?  Putting her work on hold to follow this man?  Violet hoped her intuition was working, because everything within kept pointing to Dmitry.  She wanted him, needed him.  She was in love with him!  It was like her parents, she somehow knew Dmitry was the one.  She sat frozen in shock.

Just then, the door to the cockpit was thrown open, Dmitry stood looking at her.  He reached out his hand and caressed her cheek.

What is it, lyubov moya?  You are upset.

Violet thought she could drown in the love she saw in his eyes.  Then she realized how very strong their bond must be.  He felt her shock and came to her, thinking something was wrong.

It is only my own thoughts upsetting me.

Come to the back with me.  I will give you thoughts not upsetting to you.
 She smiled and allowed him to lead her out of the cockpit, and to their original seats.  Violet was happy to see Kolya talking to Anton, he seemed to be feeling better.  Dmitry sat down and pulled her onto his lap.

“Now what has upset you,
milaya moya
?”

“What does that mean?  It is different from the other one you say.”

“It means, ‘my sweet’.  But I think you are trying to change the subject.”

“Yes, a little.”

“Tell me Violet.”  Dmitry spoke quietly, and waited.

Violet looked down at him, and he could see emotions crossing her eyes.  He thought he saw love and tenderness, and his heart fluttered in his chest.  How much he wanted to see those emotions as she looked at him.  Then the emotions were replaced with wariness and determination.  Dmitry felt as if a knife gutted him.  He stiffened, but still he waited.  He could try to take the information from her mind.  But he wanted her to trust him enough, to share her concerns.  He could not blame her for being wary, he was not completely honest with her.  But it hurt him anyway.

“Dmitry, everything is happening so fast.  I've only known you a couple of days.  I don't understand this mating bond, or how it works, or why me?” she finished with a sigh.

Dmitry looked at her and wondered what to say.  He could tell she was keeping things back from him, but figured it was more of the same.  She didn't understand what was happening to her.  He wasn't sure how to explain, but he would try, if only to take the wariness from her eyes.

“You are a telepath, so you know some people have more to them than others, yes?  My people also have differences.  We have abilities that could make us targets, or science experiments.  Like you, we keep our abilities to ourselves.  But we have gathered together for protection and support.  It was necessary to survive.

“One of our differences is the mating bond.  My people mate for life, with the other half of their soul.  The mating bond is an outside symbol, of the bonding, of the two halves of our soul.  You and I were born to be one.  I already told you, how we will need to be in contact with the other, if only with our minds.  But there is more.  Our lives are now entwined.  If something were to happen to you and you died, I would follow you.  I literally cannot live without you,
lyubov moya
.”

“People die every day.  A drunk driver hit my parents and killed them.  Why would you do this?”

“It is our commitment to our soul mate.  Why would I wish to live without the other half of my soul?”

“Okay, so our souls are bound, and we can't live without the other.  What if I didn't want to be bound?”

“There is always free will, you must have been willing, for the bond to appear and do its work.  It is easily seen between us.”

“I would be lying if I said I wasn't willing.  But how could I know, what I was getting into?”

“Are you saying you no longer want me?  Do you look for a way to undo our mating bond?”  Dmitry asked quietly.  He would never give her up.  Not now that he found her.  There must be a way to make her understand.  Her happiness was his.  They were meant to be together.

“No, I do not want to undo our mating bond.  I am trying to understand, Dmitry. Please don't be upset with me.  I'm sorry my questions are hurting you.”

“I am not upset with you, Violet.  This is new to me also.  Never before, has one of us found a mate in the general population.  Always it was within our own people.  I am as confused as you are.  The only explanation I have is you are a telepath, and that is why the bond is possible between us.”

Violet could tell Dmitry was upset.  So much for thoughts not upsetting, she mused.  But she was finished with the confusion and hurt.  Dmitry may not admit it, but he was hurt.  So she reached for him and kissed his lips.  She started gently at first, but when he allowed her to take the lead; she became more aggressive, sucking and biting at his lips between kissing him.  They finally broke apart, both of them panting, at the heat they could generate together.

“Be careful, Alpha, you'll cause the plane to catch fire.”  Kolya laughed at Violet as she blushed.

“I brought you a bottle of water.  Thought you might need cooling off.” Anton smirked.  He held out two bottles of water to Violet.

“You two are becoming way too bold,” growled Dmitry “Mind your manners.”

“Yes, Alpha,” they sing-songed in unison.  Violet couldn't help herself, she laughed.  They were like two little children, baiting their older brother.

Dmitry gave her a squeeze, and then reached for one of the bottles of water.  Violet was glad to see a smile on his face, even if it didn't take the worry from his eyes.