Oh For Mates Sake
Chapter 42

We stood there talking for a long time. There was a lot to be said. I found out more about Sion being called Anubis and what that meant. I also now understood his new monstrous form I had seen. Sion explained everything calmly. I was su

At the end of the conversation, it was quiet for a couple of long minutes.

he decided to tell them about all of it, but I think at this point he was trying to lay his whole hand out.

"Okay, hold up." Joey said, shaking his head with his l!ps pursed. "You are telling me his mom was a wolf and his dad was a centaur. Dude... so how did they-" Oh. My. Gods. THIS?! This is what he came full circle to? Not the Anubis or lupine? He was more concerned about how Demetri's parents procreated? "Well actually, it is quite simple-" Demetri started to say as I started coughing.

"No. No. No. No. We don't want to hear it!" I shook my head adamantly.

"Speak for yourself! I'm dying of curiosity. So, if I want to put it to a centaur lady do I need to just mou "Right?! Exactly? Like as a female would she just put her rump up in the air or would she hook herself around his stomach?" Jude asked animatedly.

We aren't discussing this. We aren't discussing this." I turned to look at Odell, a woman to a woman, p

from behind?" Logan asked and I just about died.

with her to interject. I watched her nod her head, picking up on my distress. I was thankful she wasn't dense.

"You boys are so childish. Obviously, the female can take whatever her mate is serving. That isn't the issue. The issue is if what he is serving is a big enough portion. I mean not all centaurs are well endowed. I want to know when I am full and not have to guess." Odell said triumphantly as I mentally slapped my head. She didn't get it at all.

The subtle message of female camaraderie was lost on her.

"That sounds like a challenge," Conner said, looking at Odell with a slight smirk resting on his face.

"Unfortunately, most fail," Odell said simply looking at her nails. She lifted her gaze to look at Conner. And then they don't fail at one, they fail at having the stamina to keep going. Dobhars have a very strong l!b!do and we need a male who can perform on demand."

Did this woman have no modesty? I was sure my face was turning a dark shade of red, embarrassed other behalf. I could barely look at anyone.

"Okay, Demetri, I'm going to need confirmation. Would a male centaur have taken a female wolf from behind or wrapped her around his stomach Jude asked and I rubbed my hands over my face?

"it depends on the couple and how rough they like it." Oh gods.. "There is also the gift pond in the centaur village. It allows a centaur to shift to a human on nights when the moon touches the pond. You have to be standing in the pond to receive the gift. Which is probably how a lot of the couples actually prefer it." All that build up and they were able to have a normal romantic encounter. I was about to regain my composure when Demetri continued. "However, my parents didn't live in the centaur village." He chuckled and this was just too much.

"I think this is a topic you men can discuss on your own time and not in front of my mate." Sion squeezed me into his body, covering my face in his chest.

"Wait... what is going on there?" I heard Joey's voice and turned to look at him. He was looking at me intently. "I can barely see your mark."

A deadly snarl rippled from Sion's throat. "Why are you looking at her neck so closely?!" I felt his body quivering with anger. A trembling force that was waiting to attack.

I patted Sion's chest, making him look at me. Our eyes met and I could see the darkness begin to vanish. "It's okay, Sion." I then turned and looked at Joey. "It is fading since the connection was cra.cked. He just has to reclaim me, but he has to wait a couple of days before he can."

"That your mark though, right? It isn't fading." Jude asked, pointing at the star shape on Sion's face. I looked at Sion and realized Jude was right. The mark was visibly there and didn't look faded at all.

"Gosh, your conversations are so boring," Stilts grumbled, making me jump. He hadn't been here a moment ago. I was certain of that. I thought he had left but suddenly here he was. "Her sheya form claims her mate even in death. She's a dangerous creature that will sink her talons into your soul, claiming it as her own."

"What the hell is that?!" Jude asked with wide eyes.

"Funny that is what I thought when I saw you. I thought to myself, either werewolves are getting weaker or that one there is only an officer because of his father." Stilts grinned and I could feel the anger protruding from Jude's body. "Are you calling ME weak?"

"Oh?! Not just weak, but apparently dumb too."

Stilts' eyes flashed at him mischievously as a growl rippled from Jude's throat.

"Stilts!" I reprimanded and a wooden cane appeared in his hands as he swung it around in the air.

"Not a chance, sheya. Keep those pink silky ribbons to yourself. You won't be bewitching me with that voodoo." I watched as Stilts swung the wooden cane and could see a light spark from the end of it.

Sion snarled and narrowed his eyes at Stilts. "I don't know who you are, but be careful with how you speak to her, or you'll end up shorter than what you are."

"A short joke? Didn't see that one coming. Must have been above my head, right?" Stilts let out a snarky laugh and then sighed in agitation.

I'm the one who will be teaching your mate how to control her powers. And if you don't want to end up dumber than you already are, I suggest you watch how you speak to me."

"Careful Stilts. You try to touch Sion and you will invoke the beast within. And she can't control her powers right now." Demetri chuckled and I noticed Stilts looking at me nervously nodding his head. "True... she is the only one I have to fear here."

Stilts said with a small shrug.

"So, what are you exactly?" Denny asked, and I looked at Stilts curiously since I wanted to know as well. I knew he was part gnome but what else?

"So what are you exactly? Surely, you aren't the alpha of a pack, right? Say it isn't so." Stilts had a cheeky mouth that the wolves didn't appreciate.

Though I could see the smirk from Odel. She was enjoying this.

"Careful pixie," Jude growled, stepping forward. Stilts clicked his tongue and smirked at Jude.

"I've known kittens with a scarier bark than that."

"You may be a friend, but that doesn't mean a lesson can't be taught," Jude growled and I saw the gnomes' eyes flash green.

"Awe the wee pup is barely paper-trained and he thinks he can teach me something. Please, I eagerly await your lesson.

"Don't," Demetri said in a commanding tone. I watched as he looked down at Stilts with a frown.

Why do you have to provoke them like that? You've been around Shiva for too long. Look, you can't win in a battle against him." He was now looking up at Jude, who snorted, looking offended. "No regular werewolf could ever win against him. The truth is he is a powerful mixture. Two ancient powers joining as a hybrid bomb. He is a part gnome and part leprechaun. That little cane he holds has enough magic in it to knock us all unconscious. Except for Clover." Oh, part leprechaun! Okay, that made a lot of sense. "Clover.. you are that powerful?" Denny asked and I shrugged.

"That is what they tell me," I admitted uncomfortably. After all, it was me being a sheya that was an issue for the Sulfur pack before. I guess a part of me still felt like I had the Sulfur pack's judgment on my shoulders. There was this uncomfortable part inside of me that hated thinking about the Sulfur pack because remember the night I was attacked. Denny was staring at me and then a small smile reached his l!ps.

"We have really missed you." He said softly and Sion scoffed, noticeably curling his fingers into my side.

"What? You don't think we missed her?"

Denny looked up at Sion with a puzzled look. He stared at Sion for a moment before he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Is there some sort of problem?"

A dark chuckle came from Sion as his eyes snapped to Denny's. "Yeah, there is."

"Let's hear it." Jude glared at Sion, moving closer to Denny.

"I can't respect an alpha who has no control over his pack." A powerful aura flowed from Sion, and I could feel his muscles bulging next to me.

"And what does that mean?" Jude asked angrily, as Denny remained quiet with a more solemn face.

"How do members of your own pack attack another member?" Sion growled.

"The pack viewed her as an outsider" Jude tried to defend Denny, but Sion scoffed loudly.

"The alpha brought her into the pack. She is no longer an outsider at that point. Do your pack members know more about protecting a pack than their alpha? I doubt that is the case, so that means they don't have enough faith in their alpha to respect his decisions." "But-" Jude objected again, and Sion snarled at him angrily.

"My mate was attacked! Your pack tried to kill her," He looked at Denny with a dark icy glare." Where is the discipline? What happened to the pack members who attacked her?"

"I didn't tell them the names," I looked up at Sion as I chewed on my inner bottom l!p. His eyes met with mine and he smiled. I thought he was losing control, but he seemed very aware of his actions. He reached down and cupped my cheek with his hand, caressing my face with his thumb.

"My love, do you think that matters? If members of my pack attacked you and you refused to give me the names I would find out on my own."

"And how would you go about that?" Jude was getting angry and defensive on his alpha's behalf, but Denny stood there quietly taking it all in.

"Because I am an alpha!" Sion jerked his head to glare at Jude before his calm eyes met with mine again. Not once showing any of his aggression toward me. "Because..." His fingers trailed down softly brushing my neck, sending tingling waves over me. "As an alpha l would have questioned every pack member until they gave me names. And if not willingly, I would have ordered the truth."

"Says the alpha who doesn't have a pack-"

Jude began, but it was Denny who growled this time.

"Enough Jude!" Denny barked. "Sion's pack is being controlled, it isn't the same at all. On top of that, he chose Clover over his pack. He left his pack." His eyes came to find mine and they softened "I'm so sorry Clover..." "Denny no its-"

"It isn't okay. Your mate is right. As an alpha, I have to do better. I should have done better. It kills me... it haunts me what was done to you and what makes it worse is it was my fault. I should have been the type of leader my pack wouldn't have betrayed." I watched as his hands began to tremble; it was so hard to watch this. I hated it. I never blamed Denny and I didn't want to. "You should have been safe."

I stepped away from Sion's side and walked up to Denny. I took his hands and looked up at him with eyes filling with water that threatened to spill.

"You will be a great alpha Denny because you care. You will be a better alpha than your father."

"I have to do better. Clover, the truth is, as alpha, what I say should go. If I said you were my ate.. that should have been good enough. We know it wouldn't have been. And that is a problem one that I am going to work on. I'm happy for you, you found the one who was meant for you."

I can't imagine how hard that was on him to admit, out loud, in front of everyone. Those qualities are exactly why I know he will be a great alpha one day. He might need to do an overhaul of the pack, but he can do it.

Denny squeezed my hands and then released them. I stepped back into the eager embrace of my mate, Who now looked at Denny differently. I think he also appreciated his confession, and it was a step in the right direction.

"Look, it is getting late and the Seekers have been very active.. well I guess we know why now..." Denny looked at me and then glanced behind him. "Stay at the Sulfur pack tonight. We can at the very least offer our hospitality while we figure out the next move." Sion nodded his head in agreement. Honestly, what options did we have? It was either take our chances out here with the Seekers or take our chances over there. We were all tired and hungry.

And it would be good to be able to sleep on a bed tonight. Sion looked down at me and I nodded my head at him.

I felt Sion's fingers squeeze my side lightly and then he looked up at Denny. Thank you, tonight we will accept your hospitality."