Impromptu meeting

It was strange to wake up in the morning and realize that it did not disappoint me to be alive. For so long, it was the weapon in my hand anchoring me to life. When my eyes opened, and I felt the weight and intense warmth of Apollo wrapped around me, I wondered if my life really was meant for something besides what they had created me for.

The supernaturals all believed in the gods, and Alannah made it seem like my creation would have been a part of their plan all along.

The wolves worshipped the goddess of the moon and Apollo was certain that our destiny as mates wasn't wrong. No matter what I did or said, he wouldn't leave my side.

Even when he saw me with a weapon in my hand or covered in blood, even when he saw me transform into a hybrid for the first time... Apollo wanted me because of who I was. Not because of what I could give him, or what I could do for him.

Apollo Mathison, the great Alpha of the West Coast, wanted me as his Luna. Not a killer, not a creature hungry for death. He wanted what he knew I really was all along.

Calypso.

I could be a monster if I needed to be. When it came to life and death, Apollo knew I would never hesitate to kill. It was there in his eyes when he looked at me. He saw right through me to my very core, and he didn't flinch away.

It was only a few nights ago that I pointed a gun at him in the office of his suite, and yet it felt like years had passed. So much had changed in such a short amount of time.

The wolf within me was awake, and with it, a new side of me that was made to be dormant. My supernatural side, my soul, my are." I snorted and leaned up over him. "Try slumming it in the poor regions of a third world country because you're tracking a foreign dignitary on the run."

He didn't respond for a moment. Instead, he lifted his arm over his eyes to stare at me. There was a hint of a smile on his face, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "One day, I want you to tell me about the places you've been."

Apollo didn't ask about the people I killed or all the horrible things I'd had to do. No, he just wanted to know where I had traveled to.

Some strange feeling bubbled up into my chest and, without warning, I leaned forward to place a kiss on his lips. His arms wrapped around me with ease, and I let him hold me through the tender moment of affection.

"One day, I will." I brushed my nose against his and then laid my hand on his chest. "Alright, we can go to the hotel and clean up before we meet the wolves. Your pack is expecting you back around noon?"

"They are, so we have plenty of time. The sun is barely up." He lifted his head to look out of the aged curtains that offered little cover over the massive windows. "I will admit, although this place is dusty as all hell, I will miss the bit of alone time we've had. Thing are going to change massively when we see the few wolves I have left emotions. All of them now flooding through me and awakening me to a world that I never thought was possible.

The future was uncertain, but I knew without a doubt that he was there. Apollo would always be there.

As long as I did everything in my power to keep him alive.

"Can we shower back at the hotel before we meet my wolves?" His husky morning voice had a delightful shiver race up my spine. "This abandoned home, and it's cold water, aren't doing me any favors."

"Oh, what a big, spoiled puppy you here."

I didn't know what to say to him about our time alone. From the start of this mission, things had been flipped upside down and I didn't want to keep focusing on our relationship when there was more chaos on the horizon.

"A lot will change. I'm not sure how many wolves from your pack are, even in New York right now. Some of the ones we've come across are locals, so we'll have to go to the New York Alpha after we deal with your pack members. And we've got the coven backing us on this."

"This city stinks of wolf. Seven Alphas came for the meeting, and each one brought a handful of members from their pack. Zane is gone, and Jackson told me a few others have gone missing. A few I recognized from the other night." Apollo became silent. The weight on him having to hunt down his pack must have been heavy. Packs were always close-knit communities.

"How many wolves do you know of?"

"I've got my Second, Jackson. He's been around since my father was Alpha. I'd like to think I can trust him." Apollo ran his hand over his face as he sighed. "I've probably got ten wolves still in the city. When I talked to Jackson last night to let him know I'd be back, he told me everyone is uneasy with my absence and the disappearances."

"Understandable. It's been a couple of days since the mission to the warehouse and then everything that happened to me. But, if any of those ten wolves are part of this wolf gang to distribute Mist and the coup to take over, we should be able to handle them." With a groan, I pulled myself from Apollo's embrace to rise from the bed.

"I will warn you; I told him as I located my mate. The cover for today's impromptu meeting is introducing them to their Luna." His words stopped me in my tracks.