Taming Her Beastly Mate

“Look who is moping now.” Odell turned to look at Conner, who kept glancing behind him. Susan insisted that Gia stay behind so they could spend some time together. Her leaving was so sudden and this was something she needed. “Kai is handling it much better than you.” She nodded her head to the red-headed man walking in front of them.

“Epona is going to visit with her family as well. They are a bit hesitant over our relationship and the suddenness of it as well. They aren’t against it though. Kelpies can just be very particular about things.” Kai looked ahead to where Clover and Sion were walking. They were next to the lycan prince and princess as they led the way. It was interesting to see Sion seem to take to Aiden. He could see him talking and conversing with him as if they were friends. This was not Sion’s way at all. Usually he was fairly aloof with other Alpha’s but maybe it was because of the agreement that had been made.

“Why couldn’t we take the quads through here?” Jamie g*****d as he dragged his feet for emphasis.

“Yeah, because quads are super quiet and won’t alert anyone to us coming.” Kurt snorted as Jamie shot him a sideways glance.

“They are going to know we are coming anyways. These aren’t humans we are stalking. Yo! Warrior chiefs! Why have we taken a step back from the modern world?” Jamie watched as silver eyes turned to look at him. A genuine sweet smile resting on her face.

“I know I am not exactly from this era, but even I can do the math that we would run out of gas. Surely you are not that dense.” She grinned at him as the others next to her chuckled.

“Oh… well that makes sense.” Jamie had a sheepish grin on his face.

“We should have brought Epona along as a pack horse. We could have her carry the extra gas we would have needed.” Conner received a murderous glare from Kai as Jamie began to laugh, walking up next to him.

“Now this man gets it.” Jamie beamed as the two men chuckled next to one another.

“It’s like there are two of them.” Odell grimaced as she faked a gag.

“I’d like to visit your pack sometime soon now that you’ve merged. I’d like to see how it runs. I heard you have two sets of officers?” Aiden watched as Sion nodded his head.

“You are more than welcome to visit. It would be an honor to have you both as guests. Yes, we found it beneficial to have two sets of officers. It may seem a bit confusing, but it works for us. All of our officers are dedicated to the pack and to each Clover and myself. However, if anything major goes down each of them can focus their attention entirely on their person. It isn’t as if they aren’t there for the other, but that there is nothing dividing their attention. Since each of them are competent warriors in their own right. Of course, Clover and I are very capable. Not to mention, most of the time I will be the one to protect my Queen.”

“I don’t need protecting.” Clover listened as Sion chuckled and nodded his head.

“If you did though, I am here.” He winked at her, a small smile resting on his lips.

“I don’t know how you are doing it…” Aiden shook his head as Sion looked over at him curiously. “How you are able to let your mate walk into a dangerous situation while she is pregnant.” He listened as Sion snorted.

“It isn’t my first choice,” He grumbled.

“Let?” Clover chuckled and turned to look at Aiden. “Nobody ‘lets’ me do anything. I am here because I have chosen to be here. Do you think Sion should be able to tell me no?”

“Now you put your foot in it.” Sion mumbled, giving Aiden a sideways smile.

“If Diana were pregnant, the child growing inside of her is part of each of us. Going into a dangerous situation could also be putting the child at risk. My mother did this, so did my aunt, and my grandmother for that matter. Everything turned out okay. And chances are it would be okay, but what if? What if it wasn’t?”

“Are you saying I shouldn’t have a say over myself because I am pregnant?” Clover glanced over at Diana who was now waiting for Aiden’s answer curiously.

Aiden shook his head. “You are misunderstanding… yeah our baby would be important to me but that isn’t my main concern.” His eyes met with Diana’s. “The pain… the hurt you would go through if something happened because you fought. I can be here for you, but how could I help you with that? I know the amount of guilt you would have. You would be beating yourself up and weathering that storm alone.” He sighed as his eyes softened. “My mate tends to carry her burdens on her shoulders instead of sharing them with me. My thought is still on protecting my mate and her emotional state. She has been through enough.” For a few seconds it was quiet before Diana spoke up.

“Then imagine her emotional state if you don’t return. She would constantly wonder what if. What if she had been there? If there is a chance that me being there means you are safe, then I will take the risks. Because we are stronger together, we shouldn’t be apart. I’ve lost a lot already, as you know. I won’t lose you, while losing the hypothetical baby would be hard, it is nothing like losing you.” Diana smiled at Aiden and then took in a slow breath. “I know I’m not the best at sharing my burdens and I can see that worries you. I’ll try to be more open.” Aiden’s strong arm encircled her waist, drawing her closer until she felt the heat of his body radiating with an intensity that made her tremble. His grip was like iron, tightening around her until it seemed like the two were bound together in an unbreakable embrace.

I can’t lose you, Aiden.

I can’t lose you, Dee. Not physically and not emotionally. Aiden pressed his lips on the top of her head as he continued to keep her close. He wasn’t sure why, but something inside of him screamed not to let her come.

“Well I feel worse about it now.” Sion laughed as he looked over at Clover. “He does have a point. If anything were to happen—”

“Then this is when the big bad Alpha protects his mate so nothing does happen.” Clover winked up at Sion, whose chest rumbled with a gentle baritone laughter.

“There is no winning with you.”

Diana laughed, “What she said.” She then tilted her head up at Aiden, “All joking aside, I can protect myself. Your job isn’t to protect me. I shouldn’t have joked about that. I don’t want you putting that burden on your shoulders.” Diana watched Aiden’s green eyes stare at her quietly and then he shook his head.

“You are wrong. My job is always protecting you… it is my burden to bear.” He watched as Diana opened her mouth to object and he raised his brows at her. “I won’t give in. This stance is concrete.”

“I was just going to say… that I can understand that… so long as my job is to protect you.” Her silver eyes gleamed up at him, a small smile now resting on his lips.

“What she said.” Clover giggled up at Sion as he let out a sigh.

“You don’t need to protect me. Don’t you go rushing into danger for me. If there is anything that I can’t handle, I don’t want you anywhere near it.”

“Too bad.” She waved her hand dismissively. “If you need help you can guarantee that I’ll be there.”

“Clover,” Sion frowned as she shook her head.

“Really there isn’t any point discussing it. It isn’t like you can do anything about it. You would already be in trouble.”

“Actually, there is something I would do about it.”

“Sion, don’t you dare! I swear if you ever do that to me again!” Clover’s green eyes narrowed up at Sion, who simply shrugged his shoulders.

“My Queen, your safety is my only concern in this world. If I have to send you to another realm to keep you safe… I will. I can’t exist without you.”

Aiden let out a low whistle. “Another realm? Sounds like a very useful tactic.”

Sion nodded, “It was necessary at one point. I thought there was a chance I wouldn’t be able to protect Clover. I was afraid the nycrops would get to her first… so I sent her to where she would be safe.”

“Ugh, that b***h, huh? Yeah, that was the right move.” Aiden nodded in agreement.

“Do you hear this crap, Diana? Can you imagine how they would feel if we sent them to another realm when we were in trouble? Diana?” Clover looked over at the blonde-haired beauty whose face looked like she had seen a ghost.

“Dee, what is it?” Aiden stopped walking to stand in front of her. Her silver eyes were darting around the wood as her brows were knitted together.

“What is going on up there?” Kurt asked as he hurried towards the front. The others grouping closer as well.

“I got a faint whiff of something or, well, I thought I did. Maybe it was in my head? I don’t smell it now.”

“What did you think you smelled?” Aiden asked. As he did, a shrilling yell pierced through the quiet air. As if it was a battle call, it was echoed by hundreds… maybe thousands of more screams.

“The shrieks.” Sion’s forehead wrinkled as he looked at the trees. “They should have sensed my presence. I would have thought they would have tried to avoid me.” He glanced behind him at Conner and Kai. His eyes spoke the words they seemed to know. Odell was already front and center in front of Clover the moment the shrieks wails were heard.

“Everyone bunch together and stay right where you are.” Sion grabbed onto Clover’s arm and turned her into him. He tilted her chin up and stared into her green eyes. “My Queen, stay right here… please.” She nodded at him and he pressed a tender k**s against her forehead. Gently he pushed her back into Conner’s arms. “I can handle them… no matter how many there are. I just need you all to stay right here and don’t move.”

Diana’s heart was pounding in her chest as she watched the scene unfolding in front of her. The screams were getting louder and closer, and she could feel the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. Aiden was standing protectively in front of her, his hand gripping her waist tightly.

Suddenly, the trees in front of them began to shake violently. As the shaking continued, the wails became almost deafening. They were coming from all around them… surrounding them. The air around them grew colder, the icy feeling of vengeful souls.

Suddenly, a figure appeared through the trees, sprinting towards them with a look of terror on her face. As she grew closer, Diana could see that she was a young woman, her clothes ripped and torn, her eyes wild with fear.

“Help me!” she screamed, her voice hoarse with panic. “They’re coming! They’re coming!”

Diana felt Aiden’s body tense beside her, ready to defend her at a moment’s notice. But before the woman could reach them, a group of creatures burst through the trees behind her. White orbs began popping through the dense forest. Their wails tried to cause disarray among their targets.

They were unlike anything Diana had ever seen before. Though she had read about them before, this was her first time seeing a shriek. A shriek was a dangerous vengeful spirit that claimed the life of anyone who feared death or wished to live. They were bitter about others’ lives and the one they had lost. Now, they claimed the lives of all they had encountered. Though she heard that Freya and the Vampire King’s brother, Jester, were not killed by the shrieks. She also heard there were intelligent shrieks out there. One in particular was after those who loved. It could even speak.

“Hmmm well this is interesting.” Sion took a small step forward but stayed close to the group. They were surrounded and he was going to have to go into full protection mode. As Sion, he wouldn’t be enough to handle all of them. He was going to have to change his form. A dark cloud began to form around him and the shrieks halted in their place. His body began to change, growing in stature, with short black hair covering his body. His head grew into a snout as claws formed at his fingertips. Black chained shorts covered him, his abdominal muscles protruded out from under his thin layer of fur.

He was now in his form as Anubis, King of the Spirit Realm. And it was time to harvest some souls.