Theft of the Heart

Hello to all and thanks for reading. Also thanks to everyone who read and commented on my previous chapters. I've had this one finished for a while but couldn't submit because I wasn't completely happy with it and the exams kind of snuck up on me so I had to get back to it. Hope you enjoy reading and please vote and comment, tell me what you think.

Thanks to Axelotl for the editing and the help he gave me with this chapter, I changed some things after he did his job so any mistakes you find are all mine.

Happy reading

Qu

******

Josh thanked the petite omega who was walking out of his quarters. "You are welcome, Alpha. If there's anything else you need, please call me. Doesn't matter what time it is, I'll be here," she said, hesitating by the entrance.

"Thank you, Nelly, you'll be the first one I call on," he said as he made his way to his freshly made bed. He knew why she wanted to be the first to be called. He knew the curiosity around his mate would be extensive, especially considering she is human and also the circumstances which brought her here. But Josh didn't care, as long as he had his mate in his bed where she belonged. He would figure out how to deal with the rest of the pack later on, he thought as he gently laid her down on the bed.

He turned to see Nelly still hovering at the entrance casting inquisitive glances at his sleeping mate. "That will be all Nelly, please close the door behind you."

"Yes Alpha," she said, seeming appropriately ashamed to have been caught staring.

Liz giggled at that, "I'm pretty sure she's going to be grilled by the entire compound about what she just saw. They're probably all itching to find out all they can about the Alpha's mate. Most of the unmated females were hoping you'd choose one of them. A lot of hearts will be breaking tonight, you know," she said as she checked up on the sleeping girl one last time.

"Yeah, you're probably right," he said, thinking of a certain blonde he had shared his bed with less than an hour ago. At least I never led her on, he thought. There was never a point in their long relationship that Josh had even hinted that what they were doing was anything more than fucking. He only hoped that she would also find her mate soon so that she could be happy, she at least deserved that.

Josh was brought out of his musing by the sound of Liz. "Like I said, she will be fine, I'll send someone over with some mild painkillers for her in the morning. Her head will probably be aching something bad when she wakes up."

"So why mild painkillers if the headache will be bad?" Josh asked, concerned for his mate. The thought of her in pain unsettled his wolf.

"Because she's human. If I gave her the painkillers I give to the adult wolves, she would be knocked out for several days. I doubt you'd want to spend that many days with her unconscious. And besides, the ones we give the pups should be sufficient enough for her headache, if not all you need to do is tell me and I'll take care of her for you," she said, packing up her medical bag.

"If that will be all Alpha," she said, waiting to be dismissed.

Josh looked up from his mate and smiled at his sister in law. "Yes, thank you Lizzy," he said as he enveloped her in a tight hug. With a kiss to the temple he walked her to the door.

She hesitated by the door and asked, "So you're not mad at me?"

Josh looked down at her in confusion, "Why would I be mad at you?"

"For potentially exposing the pack, if she hadn't been your mate..."

"If she hadn't been my mate—" Josh said, cutting her off, "I still wouldn't be mad at you. It was Danny's responsibility as Beta and my second in command to make sure that the perimeter was clear, not yours. You did nothing wrong."

"But I shifted, and she could have seen me," she continued nervously.

"Hey, hey," he said, grabbing her by the shoulders in an attempt to calm her. "Liz, everything worked out for the best, just the way Luna meant for it to happen. You found my mate for me and for that I will forever be grateful and indebted to you. You have nothing to worry about, ok?"

"Ok," she replied shyly. He kissed her temple once again before she left.

He meant what he said about being eternally grateful to her. As her Alpha and brother in law she would be always precious to him, but for finding his mate and taking care of her like she has she would always have a special place in his heart. He heard a soft knock on the door as he was making his way to his mate. He could scent his brother and Scott on the other side of the door.

"Come in," he said, sitting by his mate's bedside. He didn't want to be far from her anymore. As soon as the two men left he would finally do what he's been aching to do ever since he saw her, and that's to surround himself in her wonderful scent of wild flowers.

"I'm glad you finally learned to knock," he said as he noticed his brother walk in ahead of Scott.

"Well I did say something about learning to knock when you finally found your mate. And besides, I'm not stupid enough to barge into your rooms while your mate is here and you haven't mated her yet. Maybe after you turn her I can go back to my pleasant self." Josh scoffed at his brother's words.

"Alpha," Scott said in acknowledgement, before approaching the Alpha and his mate. "May I?"

"Yes, please. I want you to find out anything and everything you can about her and her family if she has any."

"I'll try my best Alpha, I'll run her prints and see if anything turns up, hopefully I'll have something for you in the morning," he said as he took the human girl's prints. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful the sleeping woman was, Luna had really blessed his Alpha. "If she doesn't have a criminal record then we will have to wait until she wakes up and gives us a name."

"Thanks Scott," Josh said to the young wolf.

Scott quickly and quietly dismissed himself after doing what he had to do, leaving the two brothers alone. Danny couldn't help but notice how content his brother looked sitting next to his sleeping mate. Things were looking up for his brother. The pack was settling in nicely and starting from tomorrow would be able to freely roam and explore the pack land. To top it all off, their Alpha had finally found his true mate, if that didn't express Luna's blessing, nothing else would. He was happy that his brother would finally know what it's like to be complete, to have the other half of your soul with you.

"Let me take care of those cuffs for you," he said, unlocking the bulky cuffs with a set of lock picking tools.

"Do I even wanna know where you learned do that?"Josh asked his brother.

"Ask no questions, hear no lies, brother," he replied mischievously. "And now I will leave you alone with your ever so lovely mate," he said with an exaggerated bow. "Until tomorrow, or rather a few hours. Good night my Alpha."

Josh was finally alone with his mate. He studied all her features. She was stunning. She was a bit more petite than he was used to but she was perfect in his eyes. Everything and everyone else before her didn't matter. All that mattered was the small woman lying in his bed right now.

He thought of maybe removing her clothes so she could sleep more comfortably, but he didn't want her to feel self-conscious about her nudity when she woke up. He knew humans had issues with their nudity, something that the Were communities embraced. But soon enough she would too. As soon as they mated he would turn her and hopefully she would also embrace her nudity. She would be a strong and proud Alpha Bitch, as Luna intended.

He was happy that Luna had sent him someone to help with the burden and responsibilities of forming a new pack. He would have been able to run it efficiently before; with his brother as second in command and the brave Betas he has, the pack was set to be a success. But with his mate by his side it would be even better, any doubts that he'd had about heading back south to form a new pack melted away as he got into bed fully clothed and wrapped himself around his mate, the future Alpha Bitch of the Joshua Auris Pack.

It took a lot for him to decide to break off from their father's pack up north and move down here. Only a few of the original pack were brave enough to follow the new Alpha to the old pack lands their fathers had left centuries ago. With about a hundred and fifty Weres from the original Vance Auris Pack, most of whom were unmated, Joshua moved back to the lands his ancestors had once roamed and hunted on until only a few centuries ago. They had left the original pack with full blessings from their father and some of the elders in the pack.

It had taken a lot to get the support from his father. The old Alpha was set in his ideals and only another Alpha who had his respect could have convinced him otherwise. Josh remembered the argument he'd had with his father before he got his blessing to reclaim their ancestral lands.

"It's madness Joshua, you would condemn your people to death? It's swarming with vampire vermin down there! Do you think we moved up here for the weather?" his father had said to him in anger.

"How long would you have us hide from our birth right? That land belongs to our people, if we do not reclaim who do you expect will do it? We are not the same pack that ran from vampires all those centuries ago. We are stronger now, faster more fierce than ever before. Now is the time to take back what is rightfully ours."

"You think yourself better than the pack that left there in the first place, those vampires will attack first chance they get."

"Then they would be foolish. Father there is no coven that doesn't know the Auris name. It is enough to provoke fear in any vampire and any that do not fear us and are stupid enough to try to take us on will be made an example off. It is time for us to stop hiding father, do you doubt everything you've taught me? Do you doubt everything this pack has done? Trust that all the sacrifices you've had to make as Alpha are sufficient to offer to protection to any that bare your name." Josh said stubbornly.

Vance Auris listened to his son and agreed with everything he had said but he still found it hard let go. He was right though. The thought of what could happen if they left his protection was enough to make him sick to his stomach. But he knew his son would leave anyway. Joshua was an Alpha and no command he could issue would make him change his mind. If he were to entrust the safety of his people to anyone it would be to him. The reputation the pack had fostered was legendary. The covens that had once terrorised his kind were now history all through the proficiency of Joshua, his Beta and second in command. There really was no one better to reclaim what was once theirs, it was just a pity he had to lose some of his best warriors in the process, since most of them would follow his son of a cliff if he led them there.

"Very well, I will give you my blessing, only if you let this old Alpha help," he said in resignation. "I know a vampire you could talk to make sure that you are at least settled in before the first of the vermin come sniffing at your door."

Nothing mattered to the young Alpha more than his pack, well until now that is. At over two centuries old he had almost given up on finding his mate, though he always hoped he would someday, which was the sole reason he never even considered mating with Julia. With their worlds expanding and travelling becoming so much easier for everyone, it was getting harder and harder for Weres to find their true mates. Most ended up settling for the sake of procreation; especially Alphas. A mated Alpha was seen as a strong Alpha, and a mated Alpha pair with pups was blessed by the hand of Luna herself, because pups were seen as a symbol of life itself.

He drifted off to sleep with thoughts of how their pups would look. Beautiful little girls with wild hair, and fierce little boys who would do anything to defend their families and their pack. Perhaps even the next Alpha will come out of their first litter. For now he could only dream.

*****

Danny headed to his cabin anxious to be with his mate. He already knew she was naked because of all the images she had projected into his mind. It seems her heat was making her as desperate as it was making him. He opened the front door only to be assaulted by the wonderful scent of a bitch in heat, and on their own accord, his hand began ripping his clothes off his body. They would not be disturbed this time, not even wild horses could keep him from his goal.

He left a trail of torn rags as he made his way up the stairs to his bedroom. The sight he came across nearly made him blow his load prematurely.

"Took you long enough," Lizzy said from the bed. She was lying on her back with her legs splayed open and her fingers buried deep in her wet cunt. "I'm sorry I had to start without you, Baby," she said with a slow sensual moan.

Danny was speechless. Only Liz had that effect on him. She looked so gorgeous lying there, her nipples erect, pussy glistening, cute little clit peeking from its hood and her back arching every time her fingers disappeared into her core. He could almost get lost just standing there watching her please herself, but his need for her was too great.

He walked to the bed like the hunter he was and ran his hands up Liz's smooth legs before letting his tongue follow the same path. Gods, she smelled so good and tasted even better, he thought as his tongue found the wet lips of her pussy. She moaned and buried her hands into his mop of blonde curls to push his tongue further into her opening. His tongue already familiar with the contours of her pussy dipped and prodded her warmth in a way only he could. Liz's soft moans only encouraging him to go deeper to gather her sweet nectar. A tightening of her stomach warned her of her impending orgasm but she still wasn't prepared for the intensity and screamed to the heavens as she came.

Danny moved up Liz's body with his tongue bathing every delicious inch her. He paid special attention to her sensitive pink tipped nipples and was rewarded with a low sensual moan from his love. His erection hovered over her entrance as he finally got to her plump kissable lips. Normally he would tease her until she begged him to fuck her, but tonight was not going to be one of those times. "I'm sorry Baby, but I'm not going to last this time, I'll make it up to you in a few minutes," he said as in thrust into Liz's depths with a passion past anything he had ever felt before.

Liz screamed as he bottomed out inside her. Her body was once again shaken by another powerful orgasm, this time it come without warning and it caused her muscles to violently squeeze Danny so hard that he had no other option but to spill himself into her warm confines after only a few minutes of heavy thrusting.

"Wow, you weren't kidding about the not lasting," Liz said with a quiet giggle when her senses finally returned to her.

Danny chuckled and rolled them both over so that she was lying on top of him with his cock still locked inside her warmth. "Well, you made it hard to last, but don't worry, in a few minutes I'll redeem myself," his said nibbling the sensitive mating bite on Liz's shoulder.

A few minutes later he did redeem himself, thoroughly and until exhaustion claimed his mate.

******

Josh woke to the beautiful scent of wildflowers. His cock responded by almost burning a hole through his jeans. His mate squirmed in his arms and it was all he could do not to let out a loud groan. Her curves melded so perfectly with his body, it was so obvious that she was made especially for him. Josh decided to get out of bed before he did something stupid, like kissing his mates beautifully pouted lips, or grinding his straining erection into her soft centre.

It was still early, but if he wanted to keep his sanity, a cold shower was what he needed. With that in mind he headed for the shower and prayed that it would do something to calm his aching need.

Josh heard a soft knock on at the door as he exited his en suite bathroom. He knew who it was. He knew she would come see him eventually, just wasn't expecting it yet, at least not this early.

"Hey Maggs," he said as he opened the door. The plump motherly woman had her greying hair tied back in a tight bun. Josh could smell the bacon grease, flour and ground coffee on her plain frock. She had come from the kitchens, having risen early to organise breakfast like she did every morning.

"Good morning Joshua. The whole compound is abuzz with chatter about the attractive young human being kept in the Alpha's quarters. Would there be any truth to that?"

The young Alpha scratched his head managing to look appropriately contrite. "Well there could be some truth to that. Would you like to come in?"

"I wouldn't be interrupting anything would I?" she asked eying his bared glistening chest. "Because I also heard that this young lady is the Alpha's mate."

"You're not interrupting, she still hasn't woken up yet. And yes, she is my mate," he said as she stepped inside.

The elder woman stopped in front of him and looked up into his eyes as a smile formed on her wrinkled face. "Well isn't that something? We've only just moved down here and your mate suddenly appears in your backyard. Truly it's a sign from Luna that we were meant to reclaim these lands."

"That thought had crossed my mind," Josh said returning the smile.

"Maybe you should try to make yourself more presentable then. Try running a comb in your hair for a change," she chided as she walked past him into the bedroom.

Josh sighed, she always had a way of making him feel like a young pup again.

"Oh my, she is pretty," said Maggie looking down at the human sleeping peacefully in Josh's bed. "Our new Alpha Bitch. I'm happy for you dear."

"Thank you," said Josh walking up beside her. "You know, it's strange, I don't even know her name, but it feels... it feels like I've known her forever."

"Maybe you have."

Josh cocked his head and gave her a quizzical look.

"We were all made incomplete. Only by joining with our fated mate do we become a greater whole. Souls are meant to be joined, but we are inevitably split apart through death," she said sadly, remembering her mate. "But once we are reborn we can find each other again, in another form and another time. Congratulations, you have found each other again, and now you can go on to do great things together."

"I just want to make a home. To keep the pack safe and happy."

"That's a great thing in my book," chuckled the old lady.

Just then, Zan let out a loud sigh and rolled her head over the pillow. Both sets of eyes stared down at her as she continued to sleep. Maggie's expression had become more serious, "Have you considered giving her the bite before she wakes up?"

Josh was visibly taken aback, "What? Without her knowledge or consent?"

The old lady nodded. "It has to be done. She is the Alpha Bitch. When she is with her wolf she will understand."

Josh slowly shook his head, " It's not right. she needs to make that choice for herself."

"It's not a choice, you know that Joshua. She's your mate, she has to become one of us. You know what humans are like, he fears may rule her. She may be...difficult. What if she doesn't want to change? It would make things a whole lot easier if you would change her now. She will know she is meant to be with you."

Josh looked down on his mate and exhaled sharply. "No. I hear what you are saying Maggs, and it does make sense. But that's not how it's going to be." He moved his hand up and gently grasped the older woman's shoulder. "She will make the right choice. We are fated to be together after all. We have to believe that Luna will guide her in the right direction."