Chapter 122 BONUS CHAP. 29 - VENOMANE
\-BLAYNE'S POV -
"Thank you, Blayne." Sianna took the Regant file from me and the cyan face towel fell from her hand. The folder contained the list of the thirty-one children who were to be placed into our education system. "I'll complete these later."
The swearing-in ceremony for the Regant Rogues was conducted four days ago and now Cleo has some peace. My protective arms encircled Cleo as she nestled up against my chest. I removed her tangled hair from her face. She moaned and tossed her right leg over mine, rousing my cock. She habitually did that which customarily led to intense early-morning sex. I kept my gaze fixed on her for almost an hour, savoring her warmth and her seductive aroma. I've been doing it every day before I pry myself away from bed. I left her sleeping this morning. She was a tired mess.
Unfortunately, the children were behind in their education and would require a special program to get them on par with the kids in our pack.
Sianna did not attend the ceremony, which unsettled everyone and sent Vance into an outrageous paroxysm of wrath. It made us realize that the fallout in their relationship was deep and frightful. When the elders made an appointment with her to discuss her Luna position and how her reticent behavior was beginning to affect the pack, she flagrantly declined. Only women were allowed in the house, excluding her Dad, Dave, and Vance's father, Victor.
She hugged the file to her chest under her left arm. It was her responsibility to direct the Social Services Division and provide them with guidance to cater to these children. Vance insisted that I deliver them before breakfast.
So here I am. The morning heralded a comfortable temperature with a soft cool breeze drifting over the land.
Sianna stood in the doorway of her three-story modern
contemporary house while I remained on the communal front porch embellished with rocking chairs, seasonal décor, and custom lighting.
Recently, Vance assigned small tasks for us to attend to her so that he can slip in gifts and greeting cards where he wrote little poems to remind her of his love and that he missed her dearly.
"No problem, Luna. Call me when you're done." I observed her uplifted appearance and mood and wondered what was the cause of it. "Is there anything else that I can do for you? Would you like to send the Alpha a message?"
Vance will be interrogating me when I get to the office. Therefore, I had to mention something about him and brace myself for the whiplash. At the same time, it was also a test to see how mellowed she had gotten in her resolve to keep the Alpha away. Was she ready for him to return home?
As her forehead wrinkled, her jaws and lips tensed, she hissed. "Give me a fucking break, Blayne! I told you never to mention him!"
Though her nose scrunched in annoyance, Sianna appeared lovelier every day. The rosy color in her face had returned and the weight gained from her previous pregnancy was almost gone. Her black wavy hair was neatly bundled in a high ponytail, and she looked more like her radiant former self. Earlier, I even received a fair smile from her when she opened the door to greet me. It was her new scent that required some acclimatization. It was like......baby powder.....and milk...... with..... roses. The aroma was quite maternal. It lingered even after losing her son.
After days of mourning the heir's death, she might have felt better after mutilating Jasmine. On that gruesome day, Sianna scared the shit out of me. I never knew that she had that grim reaper side in her. Even Duke was taken aback. Furthermore, Vance ensured that everyone who had conspired in Chloe's scheme was dead. Justice was served. Wasn't that enough for our Luna?
"I'm sorry, Luna." I hunched my shoulders and tilted my head conspiratorially with a lopsided grin. "I'm just doing my job."
She leveled her keen blue eyes at me. I wondered what conclusion she was deriving from her inspection. "No doubt. To report to your Alpha, you all come to spy on me." Her right hand reached up to my face and she pinched my nose between curled fingers and pulled. " Why don't you stay out of my damn personal life?"
I yanked my head back to liberate my sore nose, which subsided quickly. I placed my hand over my heart with the utmost allegiance." I'm your Gamma. It's hard to do that."
A moderate smile crept on her mouth and she raised an eyebrow. "Is Cleo officially living with you?"
"Yes," I answered with poorly disguised mirth and narrated the rest of the story as she listened excitedly, leaning to the side of the door.
"Congrats." To show her true happiness, she took me into a hug. Then she raised a finger and jabbed me in the chest, once. "Don't screw it up or I'll help Cleo to kick your ass.
"I won't." It was a heartfelt pledge. Why don't my friends believe in me? "I wouldn't because I love her too much." Time would prove my
words to be true.
"Aww, Blaynie is in love. I can't wait to tell Hailey." Sianna swooned. She was making light of my predicament, and I must admit that I
was relieved to see her so upbeat.
I muttered with a roll of eyes. "Luna, I'm human too. And besides, she's perfect."
It was just a matter of time until Cleo declared her love for me. She had long-standing trust issues, which made it difficult for her to accept her genuine emotions. She would eventually tell me since the affection was already there. I knew it. My wolf knew it. And her wolf said it. Therefore, as long as she stood at my side, I would wait
patiently.
"Neh." A faint, peculiar sound was carried away by the whisper of the wind and I dismissed it.
"Cleo, Zoe, and I will be having a movie night next week. Would you care to join us?" I might be putting my foot in my mouth but it was worth a try to give Sianna a reason to socialize with us.
"Since it's your family night, I will sit this one out." She shook her head in unwillingness.
Sianna thought I was being sly to attempt to set her up to see Vance. It was far from the truth. Despite my desire for them to reconcile, I would not put her in an uncomfortable situation with the Alpha.
"Neh."
My ears latched on to the soft cry that came from the upper floor. " What was that sound?"
"Nothing." Sianna quickly blurted with penitence, looking like a child who was caught in the cookie jar. "A cat." She deflected and the
front door slammed in my face.
"Heyyyy!" That was strange and unexpected. She was definitely hiding something. However, my day was too eventful to badger my Luna. For now, I'll keep this one to myself. So, I sighed and left.
^~^
I had a euphoric air when I marched inside the pack house. I felt on top of the world. The medallion sun shining in its glory was no match for the cloud nine I was walking on.
Our romantic date abroad a yacht on the vastly languorous ocean under the sapphire moonlight was superb. It spurred several rounds of artistic lovemaking. There will be more charming dates in the
future.
My baby was marked. There was no escaping me now. Cleo was mine.
All fucking mine and I could shout it across the universe. The way
that her eyelashes caressed the fragile, thin skin beneath her eyes and the peaceful, innocent expression on her face was compelling me to stay with her at home. Certainly, the pack would be alright if I
took a day off.
I went directly to the kitchen. The sounds of pans banging and the exquisite aroma of bacon sizzling, and pancakes cooking that wafted through the air enticed me. I saw my warriors and I inquired with a raised tone, "How's everyone doing today?"
Some choked on their tea or juice. Another one dropped the pancake
from his mouth. The others gaped. Though all of them gave me their respectful attention. Oh, come on! Can't a handsome guy be in a great mood?
I chuckled inwardly. They were not used to the jovial side of me.
"Carry on and don't be late for training." I swung around and proceeded across the hall and down the corridor to Vance's office.
The minute that I stepped through the threshold, I was pinned to the
blasted door. Vance's right hand gripped my throat. He vigorously sniffed me.
Then I remembered that Sianna hugged me. Her scent was all over me. Dammit! He was about to lose it. His head repeatedly swung across my two shoulders, up to my face, and down to my chest,
taking whiffs.
"Why the fuck do you smell like my mate?" He snarled and his claws tightened around my neck, blocking the flow of air into my lungs. Today was not an auspicious day to die. Not after just recently marking my mate and was getting ready to embrace family life.
"She hugged me. It was a friendly hug." I wheezed out. "She's yours. Not mine."
Vance was the one who sent me to his house. The obsidian eyes of his
alpha wolf sent mental daggers into my head. It produced a prodding pain in my cranium. My mind was about to implode. As my lungs labored, minuscule purple splotches appeared on my neck and in my
eyes.
"How dare you touch her?!" Vance said through his teeth with short ragged breaths, crushing my windpipe.
My pulping eyes darted to Duke. The son-of-a-bitch stood in front of the large desk with hands across his chest, amusingly avoiding my eyes. Why isn't he stopping this? Was he waiting for a frigging SOS before he jumped in? I'm going to kill him if I survive this.
Vance growled and his face drew closer to mine. My eyes widened in circumference and my body went stiff as brick-built wall. He was inching closer. What the hell was he doing? He closed his eyes, and his external nares sniffed me with a procession of rapid brief
inhalations. "Alpha, wake up. I'm not your woman." I pleaded as his nose touched my cheek and brushed back and forth, and his stubbles tickled my jaws. His hand slipped from my throat and he slumped on me as I coughed. Fragments of my windpipe began healing. "Please, Vance, snap the hell out of it."
If he kissed me, Cleo would feel the agony and accuse me of infidelity. What the heck would I tell her? Baby, I didn't cheat on you. Alpha Vance kissed me. Yeah right! She would never believe that one.
Duke sat on the edge of the desk stifling a laugh in his hand. I mouthed to him, 'I'm going to get you.'
"Alpha, I have something from Sianna for you." It was my only way
out of this uncomfortable position.
Snapping out of his reverie, Vance recollected himself and patted his
hands on my shoulders. "How is she? Is she okay? Did she ask about
me?"
Practically torso-to-torso, I sputtered hoarsely, "A-Alpha, you're too close to me. I love you buddy, but not in that way."
Duke's guffaw echoed in the large room. My misery was his
entertainment.
Vance's brows arched as he deciphered my interpretation, "Oh." Instantly, he removed his hands and retreated.
Phew! Thank goddess it was over.
"I'm traumatized, Alpha." Grimacing with chagrin, I checked my
shirt pocket and handed him the cyan hanky-sized face towel that
fell from Sianna in the doorway.
Then Vance grabbed the material from my hand, sniffing like a drug
addict who was hitti his next dose. "This never happened." He threatened and went behind his desk. "I mean it, Blayne. You'll lose your head if you repeat this."
"It's wiped from memory." I swiped my index finger across my forehead and flashed it away to indicate that the horrendous scene was immediately nonexistent. That wretched memory had to evaporate. I hope that I won't need therapy over it.
Hours later, we discussed the stretch of land that Vance had reserved
for the Regant rogues' occupancy. Even Vance was more distressed. He zoned out every minute with a growl. Damn, Luna Sianna was being seriously hard on him. A few weeks passed and it seemed like she was not about to let him off. Hopefully, the jolly temperament that I previously saw her in was a sign that things will improve. I learned my lesson from them. So when Cleo messed up Darlene, I
let that shit go. Not that it bothered me. Hell, no way was I going to talk about any bed warmers with my mate. That was the reason that I circulated her picture and let every goddamn wolf know that she was the woman I would spend the rest of my life with and that if anyone
fucked with her or Zoe, I would massacre them and their families. Five hours of meetings and intel briefings was exhausting, especially when your beautiful mate lay in bed, and I just wanted to crawl in next to her. But this meeting was necessary for the upcoming pack assessments. Cleo should be at the training ground with Sheldon, Rupert, and Pasco, who were training hard to pass my evaluations to become Senior Elites. The other Regant hunters will join our teams. "What teams do you have to deal with Venomane Kryme, Forlorn Colac, and Artic Werelocks packs?" Vance queried, perusing the file of pictures of our targets and battle plan. "Wade's team has Venomane, Esme's team has Forlorn Colac and Chad's team has Artic Werelocks." All of this information was engraved in my head. Each of these packs was a menace to the werewolf kingdom by not adhering to our pack laws. "Easy enough," Duke added, giving the impression that this was a
piece of cake to handle.
Venomane Kryme Pack has developed an underground arena where twenty omegas are released into their tunnels and have to pit against themselves for a chance of survival. The remaining three omegas got to inter-breeders to increase the omega populations. Their children are kept in orphanages and overseen until they become eighteen years old, when they are sent to camps to be treated like slaves or
whores. At age twenty, they have to participate in the deadly game. The event is held once a month. Indeed, today was the day of the Fangrymes Survivor game.
For this reason, they've allowed warriors and other pack members to
rape and assault them as they pleased. The only omegas that do not go to the camp are the ones that work in the pack house or the central area.
On the other hand, Forlorn Colac Pack had kidnapped children from the Artic Werelocks Pack. Pack members would be restless until their kids were returned and hereby blame the Alpha for their demise. This retaliation was a result of the Artic Werelocks Pack's part in killing their warriors to rob their jewelry stores and taking a few of their
female warriors as slaves. They were acting like a bunch of lawless scoundrels. Much worse than rogues.
The missions were simple. Return the children to their rightful homes. Obtain confiscated jewels from Artic Werelocks Pack. End the tyranny reign in Venomane Kryme Pack. All packs will be served the
relevant punishment according to werewolf laws. Missions involving children were the most taxing. Witnessing
children traumatized and injured was difficult to endure. This changed the atmosphere in the office to anger and uneasiness, a tension too thick to dissipate quickly.
"Employ the applicable laws and resolve these matters immediately," Vance scowled with a mean roll of lips, leaning back in his executive black chair and absentmindedly staring out the window with the hanky at his nose. Rugged was his new style. His emerald eyes were baggy and his hair ruffled with its long black silk strands
passed his shoulder with frizz that hung in various directions. "I want all the missions executed today."
"These fuckers deserve everything they're about to get," I stated with my right hand folded across my chest and my left hand rubbing my chin.
"Why don't we go with them on this trip?" Duke suggested to Vance, who grimaced with a growl. He hardly wanted to do anything other than sit on his front porch and beg Sianna to forgive him. For many
nights he had slept on the porch in his wolf form.
Advocating the three m musketeers idea, I put my hands on the desk, looking directly at Vance in agreement. "It could be what you need.
Get out of the territory and clear your mind."
Vance glared at me and scratched his left eyebrow, and pushed out an irritated breath. At least today he wasn't attempting to murder everyone that came across his path. It was only me on his death list
for amicably hugging Sianna.
"Come on buddy. It'll be just like old times." I encouraged. Although
the warriors would be on edge to have a brooding Alpha King around
them.
"Get off my damn case." Vance grabbed a pen from the glossy white ceramic holder that featured wrap-around printed white roses with green leaves. Ignoring us, he clicked the pen with his thumb and returned to signing the orders and affixing his royal seal. My cell phone chimed. "Hey, Mom." "Blayne, could you pick up Zoe around five this evening?" Mom asked and chuckled at her silliness when she told me, "I completely forgot that your Dad and I booked a night at Sandy Palms." "Uh, that's not possible. I've got three missions on my schedule
today. I'll set out soon." I pulled a chair and sat down. "Can't you bring her by the apartment to Cleo?"
"Cleo went to visit some relatives from her old pack and I should
have asked her what time she would be back, but based on flight
schedules......"
"Return from where?" My heart stalled for two seconds. Mor must
have misunderstood what Cleo had communicated.
"Her Aunt in Venomane. Didn't she tell you?" Mom asked, abruptly
becoming conscious of my lack of awareness of what she was talking about.
"Mom, Cleo goes to the training ground in the mornings and then she's with Keisha in the afternoons." I didn't understand why my mother brought up Venomane. I'm sure that Cleo would tell me if she was going to do something stupid, right? "I'm in meetings with Vance so I'll tell her to call you immediately." I sent Cleo a mind-link
and got no response.
"Okay. Make it quick because I want to know if I should cancel or not. "Mom stated.
I tried the mind-linked again, "Cleo, where are you? Baby, please talk to me."
What the fuck is wrong with that woman? My face paled with worry. We discussed that I was waiting on the order from Vance before we'd go together and charge the Krymes for their crimes. The order was practically in my hands and she went off without me. Impatient and impulsive. Cleo needed to trust me better. "When did Cleo tell you that she was going to Venomane?" I inquired
from Mom. I perked up, using my sleuthing abilities. "When I picked up Zoe for school she was dressed and left with us."
She informed me. "Blayne, should I be worried?" Shit! I placed my hand on my forehead. "I'm sorry, Mom." I dragged
the same hand down my face. I love my mate but she's a fucking
handful. "Please keep Zoe until we get back." Hesitantly, Mom responded with a disappointed exhalation, " Alright. I guess we'll have to cancel." "Thanks for helping out." It was best not to divulge Cleo's perilous choice to tackle the Krymes on her own. This information was now on a need-to-know basis.
As soon as the call ended, I dialed Cleo's number. Come on, baby,
pick up. It rang until the voicemail chipped in. With irritation
increasing, I promptly redialed. "Goddamn it, Cleo," I muttered under my breath through gritted
teeth as I dialed the number a third time. With that, Duke and Vance
observed me with interest.
I was afraid of what Cleo might do if her path crossed the Krymes.
The fact that she was an outsider to them denoted that Alpha Richard would have to grant her permission to enter his territory or she would be treated like a rogue. Unless she went behind my back and instigated the entire ruse and already got authorization to be there. I ought to be so bloody mad at her. Anything that she did could interfere with the mission. Now was not the time for her to be headstrong and defiant. I should not have listened to her when we argued over having an elite guarding her at all times. She complained that I didn't trust her since I always had someone looking over her
shoulder.
"What's up, Blayne?" Duke's inquisitive blue eyes trained on me while I remained on my phone, tapping my screen as I shifted into
my protective mode.
"It's possible that Cleo is at Venomane Pack." It made no sense to
hide it from them when she could be in danger. I brought up the GPS
to track her phone. Yes, she was in Washington. Dammit! Duke and Vance's expressions dissolved into concern. I glanced at
them and affirmed my previous assumption with a nod. "Let's take the choppers and go," Vance decisively ordered as he rose from the desk and we set off.