RISE OF THE LYCANS - Mates and Bonds

Selena

The Alpha I met at the Café this morning was here. Dressed even more impressively than earlier today, he was seated with the other Alpha. I hadn’t noticed at first glance, but they had a strong resemblance. A brother or cousin.

What was he doing here? Was he following me? My mind spun, and I broke eye contact when Grandma asked a question about visiting a guillotine.

The main course arrived, and I looked down at my duck. I had a strong craving for beef bourguignon with fresh bread, but it wasn’t on the menu for tonight.

“Woo, wee,” Dori said. “This lambchop is delicious, but for the price, I could have purchased the whole lamb from Farmer Coonce back home.”

“Look at that!” Persephone pointed. The lights on the Eiffel Tower started twinkling in a light show.

“It happens every hour on the hour in the evening,” Jose told her.

“You can see it sparkle at night from my balcony.”

We had just finished the main course when Erick came to the table to greet us. “Such a pleasure to meet Jose’s friends,” he said in a heavy French accent. “How was your meal?”

“It was wonderful as usual,” I stood to hug him. “Erick, this is Dori and Persephone.”

“Ah, yes!” His eyes lit up. “The Cousin and the Grandmother.” Though they were technically Lukas’ cousin and grandmother, no one corrected him. As far as I was concerned, they were my family, too. Erick reached for Persephone’s hand first and seemed to admire her flawless beauty.

“Thank you for a wonderful evening. Everything was delicious,” Persephone thanked him before he turned to Grandma.

“I hope you enjoyed the escargot. Jose asked me to prepare them, especially for you,” he reached for Grandma’s hand.

“Enchanté,” she said as she clasped his hand. Jose let out a low chuckle… she had gotten it right this time. “They tasted like salty mushrooms cooked to perfection with garlic. Thank you!”

“I sprinkled them with a little bit of magic,” he said, grinning.

Grandma held tight to his hand and paused for an awkward moment. With a smile, she turned his hand over to admire the triple moon tattoo on his inner wrist.

“You certainly do have a gift,” she nodded and released his hand.

“I hope you’ve saved room for dessert. We have a special tableside classic planned for you,” he told us.

“Well, hell!” Grandma smiled. “I’ve never met a dessert I didn’t like.”

Erick had a second dinner service to prepare for and returned to the kitchen after wishing us a goodnight. I tried not to look, but I could feel the Alpha’s stare from across the room. I sipped from my glass of water and tried to focus on the night view of the city.

A flambé trolley was wheeled out and I recognized the crêpes Suzette being prepared. Grandma Dori watched closely as the dessert chef cooked them in the stainless pan tableside. The orange in the sauce smelled delicious, and my mouth watered. We watched as he folded the sauce-drenched crepes into small triangles and swirled them around in the sweet sauce over the fire. He reached for the liquor bottle and poured a generous amount into the pan as he flambéed it. The flames danced high, and the dessert chef leaned back, adding to the dramatic effect of the flambé.

“He’s going to burn the place down!” Grandma Dori shouted as she swatted the flames with her cloth napkin. The tip of her napkin caught fire, and she instinctively whacked it against the table, causing her entire napkin to catch fire.

“Grandma!” Persephone screeched, tossing her glass of water on the napkin.

The burning napkin was extinguished, and Grandma pushed away from the table, knocking the trolley cart over. I watched with horror as the entire bottle of liquor splashed over the neighboring table, and the burner came crashing down. The table, chairs, and carpet that had been soaked instantly caught fire.

People started screaming and rushing for the exit. The kitchen staff wasted no time and quickly rushed out with fire extinguishers in hand. Before I knew what was happening, the handsome Alpha was beside me and hurried Grandma out to safety. An alarm sounded just as we reached the exit, and I looked back to see puffs of white filling the air from the fire extinguishers.

“Well, that was a memorable experience,” the Alpha smiled.

“Grandma, that was a flambé… it was supposed to ignite like that!” Persephone told her.

“He nearly caught my hair on fire,” she snapped back, and the Alpha roared with laughter.

“Erick could lose his job for this,” I told her. “His boss will know the fire started at the table he reserved for us.”

“It’s okay,” the Alpha said. “I wanted to remodel the restaurant anyway. Now I have an excuse to do it sooner.”

“You own this joint?” Grandma asked.

“I do,” he nodded. “It’s been in the family for generations.” By family, he meant pack.

“I’m so sorry,” I started to say, but he shook his head.

“Please, don’t be,” he said with a smile. “Save a dance for me tomorrow night, and we’ll call it even.”

“I missed my dessert,” Grandma told him. “But it was still a lovely dinner.”

“Thank you,” he smirked. I don’t own the Palace of Versailles, so try not to set it on fire tomorrow night. If you’ll excuse me, I need to check on my staff.”

Before he left, he leaned down and whispered in my ear, “Keep her away from Notre-Dame. They have candles inside.”

And just like that… Alpha Handsome was gone.

“You know Monsieur Darc?” Jose asked.

Darc… he was one of the Darc pack Alphas. When we met, something told me he was either a Darc or Orléans Alpha. I couldn’t exactly tell Jose that Monsieur Darc was Alpha Darc and that he could turn into a vicious werewolf shifter.

“He can’t shift into a lycan,” Stella whispered glumly.

“I met him this morning at the café. Turns out he’s also going to the fundraising event tomorrow night.”

“Girl! If you married him, I bet he’d buy you any chateau your little heart desires. Then you wouldn’t have to move, and I could come to visit you anytime,” Jose continued as we followed the evacuating people down the stairs. “That man always looks like a dreamy Vogue cover.”

“Do you know who the other man was with him?” Persephone asked.

“Sorry, I was trying not to get my eyebrows singed off,” he replied.

Jose decided to wait for Erick since the rest of the dinner service was sure to be canceled. We walked down the street away from the turmoil to find a taxi and headed back to my apartment.

“The night is still young,” Grandma Dori complained as the taxi stopped in front of my building. “We should go down to the Moulin Rouge, catch a show or something.”

“We have breakfast with the family in the morning,” I reminded her.

“Nuh-uh,” she shook her head. “You have breakfast with the family in the morning. Persephone and I are going to the Louver Museum.”

I wasn’t going to argue with her. Shifters from around the world would be busy getting ready for tomorrow’s ball. It was an all-night affair, so they would likely be taking late naps and going to beauty appointments anyway. My phone chimed, and I retrieved it, expecting to find a reminder text message from my father about breakfast. Instead, it was my sister.

The message read, Can you come get us?

I was going to call her but decided to text in case she couldn’t talk.

Where are you?

My phone chimed again, Club Ouh là là – 1st District.

I’m on my way. I sent the text and tucked the phone into my purse.

“Sol texted me. I need to run out for a little bit.”

“Great, we’ll come with you,” Grandma Dori offered.

“No. I don’t know who’s there, and I’m not getting in trouble for harboring you two.”

“Is she okay?” Persephone asked.

“She will be. Stay in this apartment and get some sleep. We have a very busy day tomorrow… I shouldn’t be long.”

I walked faster than most humans, but the first district was just across the river from me. I could probably be there faster than the time it would take me to find a taxi or take the metro. I wasn’t sure where club Ouh là là was, so I looked it up on my phone.

It didn’t have any reviews yet because it just opened this week. It was classified as an adult entertainment club, but in Paris, that could mean anything. My mind raced as I walked faster. It could have been anything from a cabaret club to a sex club. Somehow, I knew this would be Cynder’s idea. My little sister was mild and shy, but Cynder was always convincing her to live her best life.

The club was on the corner, and the outside was inconspicuous. An older gentleman, who’d be classified as a silver fox, was dressed in a well-cut suit holding a clipboard. He may have been human, but the guard standing behind him in black slacks and a black dress shirt was definitely a shifter. A Gamma or strong Delta, maybe.

Reluctant to approach them, I texted Sol. I’m here. Can you come outside?

I watched a Bentley pull to the curb, and the driver rushed around to open the back door. A well-dressed man wearing a black eye mask stepped out of the vehicle, holding a leash. My jaw dropped when I saw the female attached to the end of the leash. She was wearing practically nothing. Her head hung low, her eyes trained on the ground, and her long blonde hair was braided back.

“Monsieur Claude,” the silver fox with the clipboard nodded and pulled the door open to welcome the man who was fully clothed and his mostly naked pet.

I realized exactly what kind of place this was and wondered how my sister and Cynder managed to get inside. The shifter at the door would have sensed they were she-wolves. Could this have been a trap?

My phone chimed. No. We’re stuck in the locker room in the basement.

Stuck? What the hell did she mean by stuck?

“Excuse me,” I called to the man with the clipboard. “My sister and her friend went inside, and I need to see them, please.”

“Are you on the list?” he asked, his eyes trailing from my face to my feet.

“Well… no. I just need to go inside and speak with my sister. I’ll be real quick.”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

“I’ll pay the entrance fee,” I added.

“Not possible,” he said with that thick accent.

“Why is it not possible?”

“Your attire is not appropriate for our establishment.”

I looked down at my blouse, long skirt, and flats. My attire was perfect for an evening of fine dining at the Eiffel Tower, but obviously contained too much fabric for this club. I rolled my eyes. The sexist pig was not going to let me in unless I looked like a wet dream.

“Fine!” I snapped, pulling down my skirt and stepping out of it. “Is this better?”

“Not entirely.” He nodded towards my blouse.

Thankful I had slipped on a matching underwear and bra set, I stood with my head held high. I was not only a she-wolf, but I was also of Hispanic origin, which gave me a perfect light tan year-round and curves in all the right places. Judging by the rising tent in the Gamma’s pants, I must have passed the wet dream test.

“The shoes,” the man with the clipboard said smugly.

“These are Jimmy Choo’s.”

“I don’t care if they’re Coco Chanel, they’re still ballet flats. There’s nothing sexy about them unless you’re going to wear nothing but a tutu,” he smirked.

I entered a long, dark entrance hall to the beat of music. The club had a bar against the front wall, a stage on the opposite wall, a dance floor, leather sofas and chairs, and VIP alcoves. The upstairs seemed to have eight private balconies, but I couldn’t tell if they were occupied. I tried to move unnoticed, hoping to find the stairs to the basement without making eye contact with anyone.

I lifted my head and noticed the sheer elegance of the club décor. It was Paris chic with a dark and exotic feel to it. The walls had black and gold velvet-looking wallpaper, and the lights were dim and altered between red and purple. The sexual energy in the air was strong, and my wolf let out a low whine. Sure, I could have sex with anyone I wanted, but my wolf only wanted her mate.

The ground seemed to shake, but I wasn’t sure if I actually felt a tremor or if my nerves were getting the best of me. A wave of dizziness washed over me, but I continued to make my way to the back corner in search of the basement. A small group had gathered around an alcove to watch a naked woman being spanked with a paddle. My French wasn’t the best, but I saw a sign that said playrooms with an arrow pointing down and followed it.

The stone steps were like ice on my bare feet and a shiver ran up my spine hearing the cry of moans below. There were several shifters here tonight, and I could sense their energy. I silently prayed I wouldn’t run into anyone I knew and slowly continued down the stairs.

A woman in a leather dress passed me on the stairs, and I felt her hand caress my bare butt cheek.

“Yvette!” A man barked and went on to say something in French about touching, permission, and to go wait at the cross. I turned to find an Alpha I didn’t know standing at the top of the stairs.

“And you,” his eyes seemed to scold my skin as he looked at me. “Are you the she-wolf who stripped to gain entrance?”

“She’s with me,” the timbre of his voice sounded, and my knees nearly gave out on me.

“Of course, my King,” the Alpha bowed his head and stepped away.

I stood frozen in place on the stairs. His beautiful blue eyes had turned dark, and he seemed furious by my sudden appearance. His hands were clenched tight, and his nostrils flared. He took each step slowly and deliberately as he approached me. Without speaking, he leaned in close and placed his hand on the wall beside my head.

Instinctively, I closed my eyes and inhaled his delicious scent. My wolf let out another low whine, and I knew she had missed him. Before I knew what had happened, Lukas pulled me into his arms and pressed his nose into my neck. My heart was shattering again. How could someone who wasn’t my mate feel so right?

“Why are you naked, and what are you doing here?” His voice rasped.

“I could ask the same question,” I whispered as I opened my eyes.

“I’m not naked, Princess,” he replied.

“Not Yet,” I shot back.

“Is that an invitation?” He grinned, removing his suit jacket. “Alpha Orléans will be happy to provide us with a private playroom.”

He held his jacket open for me, and I turned my back to him so he could help me into it.

“Fuck!” He growled, and I knew he had noticed the back of my lace g-sting.

I pulled the jacket closed and found myself shoved against the wall with Lukas pressing into my back. I swallowed the moan that nearly escaped me when I felt his hardness pressing against my ass. This was a line we both knew we couldn’t cross, yet my body yearned to.

Lukas was a lycan, and lycans could only produce offspring with their fated mates. He needed to find his fated mate to produce heirs. As the Lycan King, he had to. My chest constricted at the thought… I wasn’t sure if I could withstand seeing him with another female. Knowing that he was taking her into his bed every night and mating with her.

“Lukas… I… I…”

“I want you, Selena,” he said in a low growl. “Now!”