find his golden eyes blazing brightly.
Falon swallowed and turned away just as Joachim bent one of the girls across the table next to her, flung her skirt up, and then thrust into her. The woman howled as she pushed back against him. The air warmed exponentially. The thick musk of sex rose around them, hanging like a storm cloud above them. Lucien had not moved. Falon dared not to.
Dishes crashed to the floor, chairs were knocked over, the tabletop vibrated as the wild wantonness of the rutting pack jostled for position. The females moved from one male to another, some returning to the first one. From what Falon could see, there was no ejaculation, just wild, crazy fucking.
“Why do the women take more than one man?”
“There are more males than females, but only two can pair.”
“How will they choose?”
“They will see which one fits best.”
Heat stung Falon’s cheeks. “That sounds so barbaric.”
Lucien shrugged. “It happens in most civilized human societies. In Lycan land it’s just concentrated and accelerated. But unlike the human world, once the marks are exchanged, the bond cannot be broken. Not by man, by beast, nor by any act of Congress.”
Not wanting to mention Rafael but wanting to know why the same did not apply to her and Rafael, Falon asked, “Then how do you expect me to act as if my bond to your brother does not exist?”
Instead of anger, Lucien looked at her with laconic eyes. The pheromones excited him on one level but drew his anger, for the moment, from him. “There are several factors involved Falon. One, Rafael is alpha as are you and as am I. But more defining is the Blood Law.” Lucien’s jaw tightened when he said, “You will always feel what you feel for my brother. That will not change even when he chooses another mate. He will always feel your bond to him, but survival trumps pheromones and love. The packs must reproduce or die. Love is a weakness we can ill afford. Rafael knows that. So do I.”
“Is that why you allowed me to leave today?”
He inhaled sharply, then exhaled. “I gave you the choice to leave today to show the pack you were either in or out. I cannot ask for their trust and confidence if they think my chosen one does not trust me. It will weaken the pack. A weak pack is a dead pack.”
“So, you would have let me go and then what?”
He exhaled in a long breath. “Then I would have done what I should have done a decade ago, chosen a mate and got on with pack business.”
“So any female will do?”
“No, Falon, not any female would do!” he hissed, looking hotly at her. “I have waited sixteen years for you!”
“You do not live by your credo, Lucien.”
“I always act with my pack’s best interests first.”
“Then you would have forgiven Rafael, and moved on.”
“You have yet to understand that strength and respect rules a pack. Though we walk the earth most of the time as humans, we are wolves first. In the wild, an alpha strives for peace in his pack. He does this by being just, confident, and strong. He does not hesitate to fight for his pack or clean house within his pack if there are those who would challenge him on even the simplest level. If I had publicly or privately said, ‘Hey, Rafe, even though I know you thought my chosen one was a Slayer even though she wasn’t, and killed her, I’ll forgive you.’ Do you know how that would have been perceived? Weak. Just a hint of blood and the sharks would circle before they would have torn me apart. There can be no show of indecision, weakness, or hesitation.”
Lucien’s golden eyes blazed. “Pack first, Falon. A strong pack led by a strong alpha is life. A weak alpha is a pack’s death warrant. There is no in between.”
Falon nodded, trying to understand more of what survival for the Lycan nation entailed. It wasn’t as easy as just staying alive, it was about dominance. And to dominate, one had to be strong, cunning, focused, and when the situation warranted:
Falon swallowed and turned away just as Joachim bent one of the girls across the table next to her, flung her skirt up, and then thrust into her. The woman howled as she pushed back against him. The air warmed exponentially. The thick musk of sex rose around them, hanging like a storm cloud above them. Lucien had not moved. Falon dared not to.
Dishes crashed to the floor, chairs were knocked over, the tabletop vibrated as the wild wantonness of the rutting pack jostled for position. The females moved from one male to another, some returning to the first one. From what Falon could see, there was no ejaculation, just wild, crazy fucking.
“Why do the women take more than one man?”
“There are more males than females, but only two can pair.”
“How will they choose?”
“They will see which one fits best.”
Heat stung Falon’s cheeks. “That sounds so barbaric.”
Lucien shrugged. “It happens in most civilized human societies. In Lycan land it’s just concentrated and accelerated. But unlike the human world, once the marks are exchanged, the bond cannot be broken. Not by man, by beast, nor by any act of Congress.”
Not wanting to mention Rafael but wanting to know why the same did not apply to her and Rafael, Falon asked, “Then how do you expect me to act as if my bond to your brother does not exist?”
Instead of anger, Lucien looked at her with laconic eyes. The pheromones excited him on one level but drew his anger, for the moment, from him. “There are several factors involved Falon. One, Rafael is alpha as are you and as am I. But more defining is the Blood Law.” Lucien’s jaw tightened when he said, “You will always feel what you feel for my brother. That will not change even when he chooses another mate. He will always feel your bond to him, but survival trumps pheromones and love. The packs must reproduce or die. Love is a weakness we can ill afford. Rafael knows that. So do I.”
“Is that why you allowed me to leave today?”
He inhaled sharply, then exhaled. “I gave you the choice to leave today to show the pack you were either in or out. I cannot ask for their trust and confidence if they think my chosen one does not trust me. It will weaken the pack. A weak pack is a dead pack.”
“So, you would have let me go and then what?”
He exhaled in a long breath. “Then I would have done what I should have done a decade ago, chosen a mate and got on with pack business.”
“So any female will do?”
“No, Falon, not any female would do!” he hissed, looking hotly at her. “I have waited sixteen years for you!”
“You do not live by your credo, Lucien.”
“I always act with my pack’s best interests first.”
“Then you would have forgiven Rafael, and moved on.”
“You have yet to understand that strength and respect rules a pack. Though we walk the earth most of the time as humans, we are wolves first. In the wild, an alpha strives for peace in his pack. He does this by being just, confident, and strong. He does not hesitate to fight for his pack or clean house within his pack if there are those who would challenge him on even the simplest level. If I had publicly or privately said, ‘Hey, Rafe, even though I know you thought my chosen one was a Slayer even though she wasn’t, and killed her, I’ll forgive you.’ Do you know how that would have been perceived? Weak. Just a hint of blood and the sharks would circle before they would have torn me apart. There can be no show of indecision, weakness, or hesitation.”
Lucien’s golden eyes blazed. “Pack first, Falon. A strong pack led by a strong alpha is life. A weak alpha is a pack’s death warrant. There is no in between.”
Falon nodded, trying to understand more of what survival for the Lycan nation entailed. It wasn’t as easy as just staying alive, it was about dominance. And to dominate, one had to be strong, cunning, focused, and when the situation warranted:
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