Chapter 18: I Don't Hate Whistling

In another part of the square, Rafael felt a tug on his jacket as he made his way towards his friends. He turned and immediately became annoyed seeing Gregory’s face. Gregory schmoozed at him, “Rafael Cogsworth, as I live and breathe! You look as good now as you did when we were dating.” Gregory looked Rafael up and down and smirked. “Perhaps even better.”

Irritation found itself on Rafael’s face. “Why must you always bring up my moment of insanity when I thought for one moment you could be humanistic enough to warrant having drinks with? And stop calling me Cogsworth! My name is now Cogs, Rafael Cogs. I changed it just like you changed yours, Gregory Clothilde!” Rafael laughed at the fume on Gregory’s face. Saying nothing else, he left to join the royal family at the front of the square.

Emon shortly approached Gregory and leaned into him. “What do you know about the mystery alpha?” he asked.

Turning to Emon, Gregory scrunched his face. “You mean other than he almost skinned you alive for almost touching his mate? Not much.” Emon glowered at him, and he let out a laugh. “Don’t look at me like that. At least Rafael embarrassed me in private. Silent Alpha passed out tickets to your embarrassment like Halloween candy.”

“Mind your mouth, Gregory. Let us not forget what happened to the last person who stepped out of their place with me,” Emon fumed. Gregory fumbled with his fingers and stood quietly. After a moment, Emon spoke. “Why do they call him the Silent Alpha, anyway?”

“Apparently, he doesn’t talk often. Something about preferring that his actions speak louder.” The two watched as Kano’s eyes slowly locked with Emon. His face turned hard as visible rage appeared on it. Gregory fiddled with his jacket. “He certainly does the silent thing well. He’s not even looking at me, and I’m terrified of what his eyes are saying.”

Emon tried his best to maintain his composure, but the longer the massive alpha stared at him, he not only grew more uncomfortable, but deeply afraid. There was something about his pale blue eyes that frightened Emon the most. They were both foreign and familiar, and he couldn’t understand why.

Gregory nodded his head forward. “His mate is pretty intense, too.”

Waiting for Kano to turn to listen to Cayden, Emon’s eyes quickly darted to Essence. Her glare matching Kanos’, he realized she’d been staring at him the entire time.

Essence balled her hand into a fist, and placed it one at a time over each eye. Silently, she mouthed at him, “I’m going to blacken both of yours,” Emon’s mouth dropped, and she gave him a sinister grin before mouthing once more, “Bitch.”

“Jesus!” Gregory shouted, cocking his head back.

Emon nodded. “Yes, apparently they don’t make mates with class anymore. She’s crude mouthed, violent, and if I still ran the asylum, I’d certainly have her locked away for hysteria.”

“Maybe that’s the reason that Alpha Cayden destroyed Asylum D’Loons because you use to—”

Emon’s ragged breath stopped Gregory in his tracks. He gave him an evil grin. “Clothilde, you and your precious Cogsworth are truly the most fortunate out of everyone that my asylum closed. My only solace is that you two—and others like you—will burn in the hottest flames of hell.” He saw the man’s eyes well with tears, and it made him almost giddy that he could inflict pain on someone around him. Emon continued. “D’Arque is a name of honor and history. It was us that was once the very face and backbone of this pack. Tradition was maintained, order kept.” He cut his eyes at Cayden. “When his father announced he would be alpha, I thought we were headed in the right direction, but now I see he’s just as troublesome. All these changes, this whole red wolf initiative, all my family’s hard work down the drain!” He felt his anger grow as he continued to stare at Cayden. “But, don’t worry, soon I’ll figure out how to return to me what was always rightfully mine.”

In the front of the square, Cayden stood proudly in front of his pack and held hands with Anastasia. “Today is a grand day; I am here to put many rumors to rest. As you all may have heard; the alpha of this pack has finally found his luna.” Cheers flowed from the square as the pack members nodded in acceptance of Anastasia. Smiling sweetly, she looked towards Essence, whose breath hitched in her throat. Kano rubbed her back, soothing her. Looking up, she saw a small shy smile on his face. He watched as she slowly returned his smile, and he tilted his head, hearing his wolf.

“She would make an amazing luna.”

He had to agree. In the short time he’d known her, Essence had managed to not only steal his heart, but everyone that met her. She was funny, kind, supportive and fiercely protective—all the great makings of a luna. As he thought about the prospect of Blood Moon having such a great person in the forefront, for the first time in Kano’s life, the idea of being alpha didn’t sound so bad. Tuning back in, he heard Cayden continue.

“… the wedding will be held in this very square, and we hope that you all will attend. We want this to be as personable as it can be, so with that in mind, each of you should expect a personal family invite. We want you to know how much your presence is appreciated.” Clearing his throat, he beckoned Kano to join his side. “This is a perfect transition to formally introduce you all to someone very special to me.”

Kano rubbed the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable with the looks he received. Some looked at him in confusion, while others in fascination, but the ones that brought him the most discomfort were the ones that reminded him of his time at the fair.

Cayden smiled brightly. “This is Alpha Caysen. He has graciously agreed to be my best man and spend time with our pack, engaging and learning all about us. From this moment forward, there is to be no question of what pack he is the alpha of. His pack is currently considering relocation, and we will respect their privacy until things have been solidified.”

Nods flowed around the square, and Cayden clasped his hands together. “As I’m also sure some of you may have noticed, Alpha Caysen does not say much. The rumors are not true, he can talk”—a smirk fell on his lips—“I’m sure Monsieur D’Arque can attest to that.” Emon’s leathery face turned into a full scowl as pack members around the square tried their best to stifle their laughs. “We will respect not only Alpha Caysen’s privacy, but we will also respect his desire to remain without words. Silent Alpha, as you all call him.”

From the crowd, a woman spoke. “Silent, but definitely deadly.” Flirtatious whoops shortly followed, and Kano blew steam from his nose. He didn’t like the attention, and picking up on his brother’s discomfort, Cayden beckoned for Essence to join his brother’s side.

Cayden steadied his voice. “As quietly charming as I’m sure many of you find him to be, Alpha Caysen has his mate. Her name is Essence, and she is also the best friend and maid of honor to Anastasia. All of us will show her the proper respect.”

Essence saw the glares on both male and female faces alike, and she knew it had to do with her not being a wolf. Feeling Kano’s hands around her waist, he pulled her to him and nuzzled his head against her hair. Tension around the square slowly lifted as Blood Moon watched the simple interaction of marking.

Cayden linked to his brother, “Have you thought about discussing with her the prospect of turning?”

Kano cut his eyes, and Cayden sighed. Wrapping up the rest of the introductions and business, Kano found his eyes drifting to Essence again. It had only taken thirty minutes for the entire pack—much like those who had already met her—to become completely enamored with her.

Kano caressed Essence’s face as he stroked deeply inside of her. Eyes gold, he locked them with hers, refusing to look away. There was something about the way her eyes seemed to change right in front of him as she climaxed that sent his wolf to the brink of madness. It was something he needed, something he craved, and the reason he could only be around her for so long before grabbing her again.

As insatiable as him, she matched his stare. Watching his eyes shift back and forth, she let out a moan as he took her mouth again. Bodies glistening in sweat, Kano planted lingering kisses on her neck, and he shut his eyes tightly to avoid seeing the unmarked skin behind her ear. Unable to resist, he kissed it, and his canines throbbed.

Essence opened her legs wider, and Kano let out a small groan. Digging her nails into his back, her orgasm approach. She felt his breath against her ear as his tempo increased. He craned her neck, and she pulled herself closer to him. Kano gently licked the spot behind her ear, and she shivered in excitement. Lowly, she murmured, “Kano…” He clenched his mouth as she climaxed against him. Breathing harshly, he jerked his face away from her ear and bit into her shoulder while he released.

She wrapped her hands into his hair, and lifted his head. “I can tell something is wrong. You’ve been off since we left the square. Was it too much? I thought you did fantastic, and I overheard a few say that they really like the Silent Alpha,” she said.

Kano gave her a sigh in return. Pulling from her, he sat up and ran his hand over his face. He was frustrated with himself for almost claiming her. He stilled when she sat up and laid her head on his arm.

She rubbed it gently. “Please, maybe I can help.” The worry in her voice made him feel even worse. He turned and faced her and slid his hand behind her hair. Rubbing small circles on the back of her ear, he watched her eyes widen. “Oh, I—” Essence’s face flushed, and she heard him sigh again. He shook his head and pulled away, but she quickly grabbed his hand. She rubbed her face against it. “Is that what’s been bothering you for the last few days?” Kano scoffed, and she chuckled. “Don’t get mad at me because I pay attention to you. It’s a good thing.” He smiled small, and nodded, and she felt her heart quicken. “I-I try to pay attention to you the way you pay attention to me,” she whispered.

The two sat in silence for a moment, processing the words unsaid. Clearing her throat, she murmured, “Does it hurt?” Kano looked at her and slowly shook his head. He took his hand and drew small light circles from behind her ear to different parts of her body. She bit the side of her lip.

“And I would turn… and then bite you, too?” she asked.

He nodded and kissed her fingers before using one to tap the back of his ear. She looked down at her toes, and Kano ran his hand over his face. He whispered to her, “Don’t feel pressured, Belle. I know you don’t want to stay with me.”

She looked up at him. “I-I do want to stay with you.”

He stared at her in utter disbelief, and she avoided his gaze, pushing herself to continue. “You know, I thought about whistling the other day, and I realized it’s not as scary as I thought. It seems scary when you think about such a big commitment it is to—um—whistle, but when you think about it in terms of the song, and how it makes you want to whistle, I can see why others whistle, and I-I think whistling here with you would be kind of nice…. more than nice.” Able to feel his intense gaze, Essence finally looked at him. The moment she did, he grabbed her into his arms.

Kano breathed her in and growled low in content. Not completely clear on all her words—but on the most important ones—he kissed her passionately, and her body melted against him. She pulled him down with her and he pulled the sheets over their bodies. He clasped her face between his hands, and she nodded, then smiled brightly.

“I’m sure,” she said. Giving her a bright grin in return, Kano kissed her again. As it intensified, they both jumped when the bedroom door flew open.

Cayden stood in the doorway and blew steam from his nose. “I’m truly sorry to interrupt, but Kano, there’s something important I need you to see.” The look on Cayden’s face told him all he needed to know. Quickly pecking Essence, Kano grabbed his robe and walked out of the room. Cayden paced back and forth in pure anger. Handing Kano a folded piece of paper, he crossed his arms to his chest. As Kano scanned the words, his eyes mimicked his brothers. His anger rose as he read the words of the note over and over.

“I know your secret, Alpha, and soon the entire pack will, too.”