Desert Heat (Complete)

{Allie’s P.O.V.}

Dorian, Deacon, Apollo, and I were sitting in Dorian’s office going over training schedules and instructors that will go to Yellow Moon. Now that we were all good terms again, not that we were on any bad ones, Dorian and I planned to go the week of spring break. Apparently, a lot of the females miss my training them in yoga and hit cardio because I make it fun.

“You guys should come down for New Year’s then. We always go to Brandon’s club called Trifecta, and we get the VIP lounge on the second floor. Bryce, the big werebear is head of security, and since Brandon owns it, we eat and drink for free,” I tell Deacon and Apollo.

“We will talk to Lucian about it, but that sounds like a good plan,” Deacon replied.

“How are they doing?” Apollo asked.

“They’re great! Siobhan actually works there, as a bottle girl when she is not working as a bottle girl at Kane Beach Club in the summer. Since Bryce is head of security, he can keep an eye on her, and make sure no one gets too handsy,” I reply.

“I can’t believe Bryce even lets her do that still,” Deacon said.

“Let her? Have you met Siobhan? She is the one with the balls in the relationship. She pushed a 20-pound bear cub out of her v****a, she’s the boss in that household,” all the guys started to laugh.

“So, big guy, I’m sure Shorty here is the boss in your packhouse then,” Apollo asked.

“What? f**k no, I’m still the Alpha in this house. I just can’t tell her what to do because she holds the same rank as I do,” I was about to say something when the door burst open, and in came running Lucian and Cianna. “Lucian! Do you not know how to knock!?” Dorian shouted.

“Sorry big man, but this is important,” Lucian said.

“Lucian, you better explain yourself for being disrespectful,” Deacon said.

“Brother, Cici just told me something that you need to know,” Lucian replied. We all just looked at him. Cianna closed the door and proceeded to speak.

——-

“WHAT?!?” we all shouted at what Cianna told us.

“Cianna, are you sure about this?” Dorian asked.

“I’m positive Dorian, I know firsthand that Heather has slept with mated and marked males. She is the reason why a lot of the females don’t hang out with her after they find their mates,” Cianna says.

“Baby, didn’t you say it’s unlawful for someone to put their hands on a marked wolf? Let alone sleep with them?” I asked Dorian.

“Yes, it is, but it’s more than that, Allie,”

“What do you mean?”

“Shorty, this explains why Deacon’s wolf didn’t react to Heather even though she was his mate. She’s what we call an ‘impure’ or ‘tainted’ wolf,” Lucian says to me.

“Yeah, I know what those two words mean, but I have no idea in what context they are being used right now,” I tell him.

“Allie, it means that Heather is an impure wolf. Deacon’s wolf didn’t feel the mate bond, because Heather sleeping around with mated wolves made her an impure mate,” Dorian tells me. I just look at him waiting for more. “It means that even though Heather marked Deacon because she is impure, her mark on him has no value, and Heather doesn’t have to accept his rejection, their bond was there fully there to begin with, at least not for Deacon,”

“Wait, are you saying that her mark is meaningless? As in Deacon can have a chance at a second chance mate?” I ask him with eagerness.

“If that’s what he wants, and if that’s what the moon goddess is willing to give him,”

“D!” I turn and smile at him. He has a small smirk and nods his head. “Why aren’t you happy?” I ask with concern.

“I am happy, I am, but not I’m not going to get my hopes up for a second chance mate. Those are rare,”

“But there is still a chance,” I tell him, and he smiles and nods again. “Wait, what about the physicality of the mark? If D does find his second chance mate, won’t that mark confuse her?”

“It shouldn’t,” Apollo says, and I turn to look at him. “If Deacon is blessed with a second chance mate, then the mark will start to heal and fade, almost instantly,”

“Really!?” Cianna and I ask together. All the guys nod. I jump from Dorian’s lap and jump for joy. I was so happy for Deacon.

“Yay! I’m so happy for you D! I thought I would need to kill Heather for f*****g up your future, but now I don’t have to!” I jumped onto Deacon’s back and gave him a k**s on the cheek. “Cianna!! I need to hug you!!” I say and jump on her too.

“Oh, okay,” Cianna hugs me back “I don’t know why I deserve a hug,”

“Are you kidding? You just saved my best friend’s future! You saved your Alpha’s future, your brother-in-law’s future, and your pack’s future!” said to her while shaking her back and forth in my hug.

“Well, when you put it that way,” she said.

“Hold on, doesn’t Heather know she is an impure mate?” I asked the guys.

“She may not,” Dorian says. I go and sit on his lap again to get his explanation. “If mated and marked wolves sleep around, their mates will feel their bond breaking,”

“Yeah, you told me that already,” I tell him.

“But in the case, a mated male wolf sleeps with an unmated she-wolf, only the male wolf’s mate would feel their bond breaking, but the unmated she-wolf doesn’t feel anything because she is unmated. Which means, if she does find her mate, she will feel the mate pull, but her mate won’t. He will sense there is something off about her,”

“That’s exactly what happened with Midnight. He could sense Heather, and smell her, but it wasn’t enticing, and he wasn’t drawn to her, but he couldn’t figure out why. He said that he felt compelled to reject her immediately,” Deacon replied.

“That’s why when my brother rejected Heather that night, he felt no pain from it. The bond was never there, to begin with, at least not for him. It works in reverse as well, say, for example, Deacon slept with a mated she-wolf before meeting Heather, she wouldn’t feel the bond with him; however, if Deacon does get a second chance, the moment he fully mates and marks his new mate, Heather will feel it,”

“So, she has no idea what she did wrong because she still felt the bond between them? And since she hasn’t accepted the rejection, she will still feel it break completely if D mates and marks his new mate?” I asked making sure I understood, and they all nodded. “So, even if she hadn’t forcefully marked him…”

“I probably would have ended up rejecting her anyways, or at least Midnight would have,” Deacon says.

“But wouldn’t her wolf, Delilah, know what’s right from wrong?” Cianna asked.

“Not necessarily, in most cases, an unstable human can make an unstable wolf,” Lucian said.

“Cianna, how old was Heather when she started sleeping with mated wolves?” Dorian asked her.

“Uhh..16 or 17, I think,” Dorian made his ah-ha face.

“Heather made herself impure before she even gained her wolf, which means, that her wolf came to her when she was impure,”

“But Mercury says that she shared my memories when I gained my wolf, so wouldn’t it be the same for Delilah and Heather’s memories,” I asked

“That is true, and Delilah may have even attempted to stop Heather from becoming too impure before it was too late, but as Lucian said, if the human side becomes too unstable, it can cause the wolf to become unstable as well. It’s actually why our wolves will stop communicating with us if we do something wrong that would hurt them,”

“So, if Delilah didn’t put a barrier between herself and Heather during her actions with mated male wolves, she became impure and unstable herself,” I repeat.

“It also means that Delilah is a weak wolf, regardless of Heather being the daughter of an Alpha,” Deacon added.

“Wow, this is a lot of information to take in,” I say rubbing my temples. Dorian rubs his nose against my neck holds me night.

“I’m right there with you Allie. I knew karma would catch up to her for sleeping around the way she did, I didn’t think it would end up being this big of a b***h slap in the face,” Cianna replied. “I just want to call her and rub it in her face!”

“Don’t Cici,”

“Why!?”

“Because we don’t want her trying to ruin any more of Deacon’s life. We need to keep her in the dark. An even bigger b***h slap to the face for her would be for my brother to find his second chance mate, and be fully mated and remarked,” he replied. We all nodded in agreement, and Cianna just shrugged. I was going to say something when I received a mind link,

Luna?

Hi, Lacie.

Is Cianna still here?

She is, they don’t plan on leaving until after lunch. What’s up?

I’m cooled down right now, and I want to be able to say goodbye before she leaves.

Sure. I will take her to you. Can’t have any males around you right now.

Thank you.

“Cianna, Lacie has cooled down for the moment, and wants to say bye to you before you leave,” I tell her.

“Yes, please!” I give Dorian a k**s and she does the same for Lucian.

I lock arms with her, and we head out to Aries’ townhouse.

{Dorian’s P.O.V.}

After Allie and Cianna left the office, Deacon and his brothers went to go pack their things before lunch. After they were gone, I mind linked Amber,

Sis?

What’s up, little brother?

I need you and Ronnie in my office

Sure, be right there.

A few minutes later, Amber and Ronnie came in.

“Close the door and lock it,” I tell them. Ronnie closes the door behind him and locks it. They both sit at the two guest chairs in front of my desk.

“What’s up Dorian?” Ronnie asked.

“Were you two aware that Heather is an impure wolf?” I asked.

“What? What do you mean by impure?” Amber asked.

“What else would I mean by that Amber?” I replied.

“Dorian, are you telling me that Heather had an affair with a mated wolf?” she asked.

“Not just one, multiple,”

“I’m lost,” Ronnie said.

“Hun, Heather is considered to be impure,”

“I got that, but…”

“Oh, for f***s sake, Ronnie. It means that Heather was never allowed to have a real mate. She is a tainted wolf because she slept with multiple mated males,”

“Not just mated, but fully mated and marked,” I added.

“WHAT!?” Ronnie exclaimed. “Dorian where did you hear this?

“Cianna,” I replied. The look on their faces was pure shock. “I’m going to assume you had no idea,” I say to them.

“No, we didn’t. No one had ever reported it,” Ronnie replied.

“Cianna says that it was because the mates were afraid of retaliation from Heather. Plus, Cianna said this started when Heather was still a minor,”

“A minor!? You’re saying that adult mated and marked males had s*x with a child!?” Ronnie exclaimed.

“That’s why it wasn’t reported,” Amber said. “On the other hand, this is good news for Deacon then,” Amber said, and I nodded.

“I don’t get it,” Ronnie said and Amber just shook her head.

“Babe, it means that Deacon has a chance of finding another mate,” she responded.

“But he’s marked,”

“Yes, but by an impure wolf. Her mark holds no value or meaning. If Deacon is blessed with a second chance mate, Heather’s mark on him will heal and will allow him to be remarked by his new mate,” Amber explained.

“Wow, I had no idea,” he replied

“That’s why we are told when we’re young to never sleep with a mated wolf, because it will ruin our chances of having a mate, forever. Either Bernie never told Heather this, or she simply ignored it,” I tell them.

“So, her wolf came to her when she was already impure. And if she kept doing it after gaining her wolf…” Amber said.

“Her wolf became impure as well,” I added.

“So, that’s why Deacon and his wolf were not attracted to her. His wolf could sense Heather’s impurity as a mate,” Ronnie said tapping his chin and I nodded.

“Damn, do we tell Bernie about this?” Amber asked.

“No,” Ronnie answered. “I’m sure that Deacon wants to keep this good news a secret, otherwise Heather will try and ruin his chances. Bernie doesn’t need to know, and this isn’t news for us to share. Heather will learn her lesson, and it’s going to be the hard way,”

“You’re right. Now that we have that all settled, let’s go eat lunch, and then be on our way. We have a long flight ahead of us, and I’m sure none of the kids are happy they have to go school tomorrow,” Amber said.

“I don’t know why you didn’t leave yesterday,” I tell her.

“Please, I had to plan to the very last minute. The kids haven’t been here since your wedding, and they love coming to see mom, dad, and their baby cousins,”

“Hopefully, the next time you guys come, there will be more baby cousins,” I say while putting my arms around her and heading out of my office.

“Ha! Allie doesn’t want more pups right now,” she says.

“Please, it’s not up to her. Besides, Allie can handle it, she’s the perfect mate, Luna, wife, and mother,”

“Wow, way to put me down, little brother,”

“Aww hun, I think you’re perfect too,” Ronnie says to her as he comes up to the other side, and she hits him on the chest. We all laugh and head downstairs for our last meal as a big a*s family.

{Allie’s P.O.V.}

“BYE AUNT ALLIE!!!” all of the pups hug me tight. Amber and Ronnie were leaving first since they had a long flight. Normally we would send them off, but since we had Deacon visiting, Dorian’s parents were going to go with them and were taking the twins.

“Aunt Allie, thanks for letting me read the books in your collection,” Cam said.

“Oh, you’re welcome kiddo,”

“Allie, take care now! Don’t be a stranger,” Ronnie said as he hugged me.

“Uhh…yeah, I probably won’t be going to your house again until Cam becomes Alpha,” I tell him.

“Whatever, come here, sis!” Amber gives me a big hug. “See you, little brother,” she hugs Dorian next.

“Safe travels you guys,”

“Amber, we will be touch regarding the condo complex,” Deacon says shaking her hand.

“Thanks for the gift cards, guys, I’m sure those will come in handy during Christmas,” Ronnie says shaking Deacon’s hand as well. They all smile and Amber’s family left. As soon as the front closed, I leaned against Dorian.

“I’m going to miss the free babysitting,” I say to him. All the guys laugh at me. “Ugh, tomorrow is my last day of vacation before I have to go back to school,” I whined.

“Come on Shorty, you got what, three weeks after this?” Deacon asked.

“Yeah, just about. Three weeks of classes, one week of finals, then one month break for Christmas and New Year’s,” I reply.

“Hey, so Deacon told us about the NYE party at Brandon’s club, we would love to come and hang out,” Lucian said with an eager Cianna holding his hand.

“Cianna, you’re invited too! Lacie can come too. Even though it’s 21 and up only, I’m sure Brandon can make an exception being the owner and all,” I tell her.

“Lacie doesn’t drink anyway,” Cianna responds.

“That’s good because Aries doesn’t drink much either,” Dorian said.

“Really? A bounty hunter that doesn’t drink?” I ask in surprise

“Actually, most bounty hunters don’t drink baby, it deters their train of thought when working,” he replied. I made an O shape with my mouth.

“Anyway, we really should be getting ready to leave too,” Deacon said, and I immediately pouted.

“Why?” I whined.

“One, our stuff is still at our hotel, and two, I’m ready to get home to make love to my mate and mark her,” Lucian said.

“Oh, that’s right…Damn,”

“Cici, let me go get your bag,” Lucian said and went upstairs. I watched as Cianna just swooned over his gesture.

“Wow, in love already are we?” I tease her.

“You have no idea, he’s perfect,” she said without even facing me. I look at the guys, and they just shake their heads. A few minutes later, Lucian came down,

“Take care Shorty,” Lucian said. I was about to hug him but stopped and look at Cianna first.

“Cianna, may I?”

“Of course, you guys are friends. I’m not really the jealous type either unless there is, of course, an ulterior motive,” she replies.

“Please, have you seen my husband?” I say with pride. We both laugh, and I give Lucian a hug. “Take care Cianna and congrats on finding your mate. I’m so happy for you both,” I say giving her a big hug.

“Thank you, Allie. Please take care of Lacie for me,”

“We will. Our pack is one big happy family, and she is good hands when it comes to Aries. That’s what Mikey and Dorian say, so I know that it’s true,” I tell her. “And you are always welcome in our home, even if you are without Lucian,”

“Thank you, that means so much,” I step back and Lucian and Cianna go out the door first.

“See you Shorty,” Apollo says, and I hug him. “Dorian, thank you for hosting us, even though it was longer than we initially planned,”

“It was our pleasure and thank you guys again for the gift cards. I’m sure Allie’s will be spent tomorrow for Cyber money specials,” Dorian replies and I just nod really fast. Apollo tips his hand and walks out.

“Bye D!” I jump in his arms.

“Oh, see you soon baby girl. Thanks for everything,” he says hugging me back.

“D, I know after what happened you wouldn’t want my help finding your second chance mate, but please let me know if there is anything I can do for you,” I tell him while hugging him tightly.

“Allie, I will always want your help. Now that I know there’s a chance for me, I’m more open to finding a mate, and letting you go,”

“Really?” I pull my head back and look at him.

“Yeah, I think it’s high time you and I just stay really good friends, and I’m sure once I find my real mate if that’s in the cards for me, she and you will be good friends too,” he said with such confidence. This was a totally different Deacon. “Don’t get me wrong, a part of me will always love you, but definitely in the more best friend kind of way,”

“D, that makes me so happy to hear!!” I hugged his neck. He squeezed me tight for a few seconds and then put me down.

“Dorian, thank you again. You two truly are amazing people, and I’m glad we are friends and allies,”

“I feel the same Deacon, and I’m happy to hear you’ll stop swooning over my wife,” Dorian replies and they both laugh. They give each other a bro hug, and we walk him out.

Apollo, Lucian, and Cianna are already buckled in ready to go back to the strip so the guys can check out and grab the remainder of their bags without having to worry about Heather since she was already back in Florida according to Bernie. He did tell her that Lacie and Cianna were no longer part of their pack and that they had found their mates while they were here but did not say anything in detail. As we anticipated, she was not happy and was full of jealousy.

We made it known to Bernie that Heather was not welcomed on our pack grounds either, and that if Heather wanted to see Lacie, it would have to be away from pack grounds, and Lacie would be escorted by our guards, especially if Aries was away on business. Even though they were sisters, Heather being as unstable as she was meant danger for Lacie right now.

We waved our final goodbyes as they left our house and headed out of the territory. I was glad that we would see them for New Year’s. Maybe I would get lucky and find Deacon his real mate. I still wonder why Selene would mate Heather with Deacon if she was an impure wolf,

“Because…”

“AH!”