Wolf Mated, page 1
Wolf Mated
D.N. LEO
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
READER REWARDS
ALSO BY D.N. LEO
Afterword
Chapter
One
Ivy’s hand shook slightly as she dialed Ciaran’s number, a tumult of emotions spiraling within her. One ring, and to her surprise, he answered. Before Ciaran could utter a greeting, Ivy’s words tumbled out, raw and unrestrained.
"Ivy, wait--" Ciaran started but she barreled through his interjection.
“I can’t believe him, Ciaran! He just left, after all that happened!” She tried to control her voice, but it was impossible. “Killian and I, one minute, we ..we were so close. Closer than we have ever been. Intimate. Explosive. Our hearts beating in time with each other as if our souls were connected with an unbreakable bond. Then the next minute, he just ...”
“Ivy! You’re on a speakerphone—”
Ignoring him, Ivy continued, unbridling her most guarded feelings, revealing the intimate moments she and Killian had shared.
“We were together, Ciaran. Really together. Every touch was electric, every caress blazed like wildfire between us. It was both terrifying and exhilarating. It felt like that moment would last forever and we'd make a baby wolf right after that ...”
“Ivy! Stop!” Ciaran’s voice now held a desperate plea. He cleared his throat, trying to maintain a semblance of professionalism. "You're on speakerphone, and I’m in the middle of an international business conference.”
The line went deadly silent, save for the subtle shuffles and coughs from the dozens of shocked executives and entrepreneurs connected across the globe.
Ivy’s heart plummeted into her stomach, her face flaming.
“I tried to tell you," Ciaran continued, gentler now, containing a sigh, "your number is on my priority list, and it must activate automatically..."
Ivy's brain raced, attempting to backtrack, to somehow restore the situation.
But what had been said, could not be undone.
Amidst the palpable quiet on the line, a remote, stifled chuckle broke through from one of the anonymous listeners. Then, another, until a low roar of laughter echoed through the international conference call.
Ciaran chuckled. “Well, colleagues, in addition to our quarterly projections, it seems you’ve been given a special peek into the intricate world of an outback love affair. Let’s make sure we keep this exclusive insight inside our circle, shall we?”
"What's the baby wolf's about, and when can we expect the full story?" Someone asked. Many laughs followed.
Ivy cleared her throat. "Wolfie is our trademarked baby name. Now it's on your official record, so don't think about stealing it."
Ciaran interrupted, "We'll reveal the complete story at the Christmas party. I'll call you back in fifteen minutes, Ivy."
Before he hung up, she heard someone say, "But we never have Christmas party, Ciaran ..."
"Damn," Ivy cursed inwardly.
Fifteen minutes felt like fifteen decades. Ciaran's return call was punctual.
"Ciaran," Ivy swallowed the lump in her throat.
"Ivy, I've been doing some digging," Ciaran's voice was calm. It was as if he read her mind; he gave her the information before she asked. "Killian's in Tibet."
"Tibet! How...?"
"I have my networks, and trackers..."
"You had a tracker device on Killian, like spying on him?"
"Ivy, it's for his safety. And because we had just..."
"Thank you so much for doing that, Ciaran. If you need me to put the spying device in his food, I'll do that."
Ciaran sighed. "The location isn't a worry, Ivy. The people he'll meet and what he wants to do there is a concern. What happened between you two that led him there?"
The words spilled from Ivy, as if the floodgates holding back a reservoir of pain had burst. She told him of the intimate encounter gone astray, how her demon-infused blood had woven its way into Killian instead of the other way round, shifting the balance of power, interlocking their fates in a dark, ironic twist.
Over the phone, Ciaran's typing on the keyboard was audible. He said, "I've made arrangements for transport. Killian needs to attend this alpha challenge or he'll lose his alpha status. He has worked all his life for it. But we need forty-eight hours."
"No, Ciaran, we have just over thirty-six hours."
"You'll have to buy us the time, Ivy. I can make many things happen but unfortunately time isn't one of them."
"Even if we reach him in time, I won't be able to help him with the demon blood. He will try to get rid of it but that isn't going to work, Ciaran."
"One thing at a time, Ivy. We can't do anything from where we are now. Knowing Killian, purging the demon blood won't be the first thing he would do. Instead, he will attempt to control it which is the correct solution. But he goes to Tibet and the only person I can think of whom he would seek in Tibet is Tenzin, who is not news for good reasons.
"Why didn't he come to us first? If he thinks I am helpless then why didn't he contact you?"
"That you will have to ask him yourself. But firstly, we need to get there. I have organized transport - a private airline outside Melbourne. When you get there my people will take care of everything else and then I'll see you in Tibet."
“I'll make arrangements to buy time here, then leave for the airport.”
“See you soon.”
“Ciaran.”
"Yes, Ivy."
"Thank you so much. For always being there for us."
"It's a pleasure, Ivy. Killian's family. And you're his soulmate. You're family to me, too."
She hung up, swallowed a lump in her throat, then hurried to the backyard to look for Nina and Damien. She had no time to be sentimental about this. She may have come from nothing but a drop of demon blood, but she was determined not to let it destroy the family of the people she loved—those who had taken her in unconditionally.
Ivy burst through the back door, her eyes scanning the backyard for Nina and Damien.
The green space, usually a sanctuary for simpler times, now seemed fraught with the tension of the ticking clock in her head.
She found them, huddled over a laptop at a picnic table. Nina, her adoptive sister, was effortlessly sassy even in serious discussions, her fingers dancing over the keys with an intelligent finesse only a computer whiz like her could possess.
Beside her, Damien’s brow furrowed in concentration, his kind eyes reflecting the soft glow of the screen. As Killian’s protegé and the one seemingly destined to continue Killian's work, Damien held a silent strength, merging his strategic mind with a considerate soul.
Both looked up as Ivy approached.
“Killian is in Tibet.” Ivy shot to the point.
Damien's eyes darkened. "Boss didn't forget he has an alpha challenge coming, did he?"
Nina's gaze lingered on the bite mark on Ivy's neck, the reminder of Killian trying to turn her. "Damien told me about you becoming a member of the wolf family, Ivy," she said. "Now Killian's in Tibet! Should I put two and two together, or are you going to explain what happened?"
Ivy stood in the courtyard with her hands on her hips, a deep crease forming on her forehead. "The demon blood I'm carrying is too powerful for Killian to turn me. It also contaminated his blood."
Damien ruffled his hair in frustration. "Fuck!"
Ivy went on, "I called Ciaran and he's arranged a private jet, but Nina needs to drive me to the airport first—the private one. He said we'll need 48 hours for him to sort this out."
"We've only got a bit over a day," Damien muttered. "So, I guess you want me to stretch out the pre-challenge as much as possible?"
Ivy nodded.
Damien shoved his hands into his pockets. "It'll be like a mini-contest of sorts. If I do it right and go beyond the stipulated time, it should give Killian enough leeway."
"We should get going then. Thanks, Damien. Let's go, Nina."
“One thing though…” Damien shared an all-knowing gaze with Nina before returning his attention to Ivy. “When you see Boss, and if you need a push to get him back here in a hurry, tell him that Adam didn't go without leaving his mark. His protégé is stirring some trouble within the pack.”
“Adam West? Even if he had a protégé, he's dead, and he was cast out before Ciaran put a bullet in his head, surely that would make his protégé an outsider of the pack.”
Damien nodded. “In theory, yes.”
Nina gestured at the open laptop they were working on. “We did some digging to find out why he didn't come out earlier as Adam's protégé. Turns out, he isn't using his connection with Adam because that's a weak position to leverage. He's the son of one of the senior council members; he was born a wolf shifter and simply put, he has more legitimacy than Damien in claiming the deputy role.”
Damien continued, "But he hasn't been involved in pack business. He can't just turn up and claim a position; he has to fight for it. We know for sure the reason he's here now is due to Adam's death. Officially he'll use his blood connection as leverage, plus take part in the challenge to legitimize his role. It's not a concern; I can manage him. However, Killian should understand that Lachlan will try to disrupt us at every
Ivy nodded. "Killian's blood isn't pure wolf shifter. Now with demon traces on top ..."
"It's quite a cocktail," Nina said. "But we'll figure it out. Damien and I thought of finding a way to manage the situation without bothering you and Killian. Yet at this stage, we must use all the leverage we have."
"What's the guy's full name?" Ivy asked.
"Lachlan Drury," Damien answered her.
Ivy prepared to leave. "I'll make sure Killian gets the story straight. Thanks, Damien. Let's go, Nina."
Nina shut her laptop abruptly and followed Ivy out.
As Ivy and Nina hastened towards the car, an unfamiliar chill snaked through Ivy's body, inexplicable yet oddly recognizable. Her hand drifted instinctively to the pouch at her hip, where she kept her tarot deck.
Before she could get to it, her phone vibrated. She ignored it but, considering that it might be Killian's call, she fished it out of her pocket.
It wasn’t Killian on the line - rather, an anonymous number flashed across the screen.
She answered.
"Ivy," a voice sneered with malevolence, "Killian's mate."
"Who is this?"
"I'm his undoing..."
"Take your threat and shove it up your ass. You're Lachlan, the wannabe pack member."
He cackled. "Surely they haven't been wrong about you – smart, feisty, and from what I can see, gorgeous..."
Ivy glanced around; all she saw were trees in the bush surrounding them.
"You see? A true wolf would be able to detect me even from miles away. But you can't even find me. Killian isn't aware of my presence either. So hurry up and go seek your alpha - before he loses his title for good."
The call ended abruptly as Ivy hastily drew a card from her tarot deck. She gawked at the card and inhaled sharply in response.
"What does it say?", asked Nina, who, like many others, couldn't make out anything on the blank card in Ivy’s hand.
"Five of swords – an illusory victory or perhaps a hollow threat."
"Do you mean that Lachlan isn't really much of a threat?", inquired Nina nervously.
Ivy shook her head solemnly."No, what concerns me is what Killian is getting himself into without any help or guidance. Plus, my usual spiritual and psychic connection with him… well, let’s just say that it's blocked!”
Chapter
Two
It was dark and bleak. Even more so than the underworld that Killian had been in.
The piercing wind howled over the desolate Tibetan plains, whipping up dust devils that danced across the barren landscape. In the distance, sheer cliffs of weathered stone loomed under a slate gray sky. The very air seemed saturated with the ancient, primal energy that permeated this forsaken place.
This wasn't the noble representation of the sacred Tibetan mountains. This was a forbidden land, occupied by those who were rejected by the temples and gods, and as a result, cast out by their own society.
Killian stood alone amidst the bleak terrain.
Like the land, the time here was forgotten.
He could feel the darkness in his blood responding to the primal forces at work here.
The demon in him liked what it saw, and the warrior wolf in him, his true self, whimpered. And that, for Killian, wasn't acceptable.
"Raven's whisper," Killian muttered the words.
He was uncertain if this would be successful. How much could one rely on the word of a dishonored outcast monk?
Killian was barely fourteen when they met. When he saved the monk out of compassion, he didn't give a passing thought about asking for a returned favor.
But here he was, in a desperate moment, repeating the word he remembered.
"Raven's whisper."
To his surprise, a subtle vibration underfoot shivered through the rocky ground as if the earth itself acknowledged his presence, and with a grumbling shudder, the seemingly solid mountainside before him began to morph.
The sheer rocky face shimmered, a mirage giving way to reveal what had been imperceptible moments ago. An imposing edifice, the temple was both awe-inspiring and terrifying, carved into the very heart of the mountain, its stony façade seemingly one with the rugged terrain.
The entry was guarded by two massive, intricately carved stone ravens, their beady eyes rendered with an uncanny precision that lent them an almost sentient watchfulness. Their wings, outstretched in perpetual flight, seemed to cast a protective barrier over the temple’s entrance.
Above, the treacherous cliffs loomed, a stark reminder of the isolation and inaccessibility of this sanctum, shielding it from the prying eyes of the ordinary world. Vines of thick, twisted ivy veiled parts of the rock face, nature and architecture intertwining in a symbiotic embrace that spoke of centuries’ coexistence.
As Killian stepped forward, the shadow of the mighty stone wings enveloping him.
He could sense the palpable shift from the earthly to the ethereal.
Inside, the temple extended far beyond what its external aspect suggested.
The air was a heady mix of incense and an underlying metallic tang of blood, a constant in rituals of dark magic. Whispers of voices, perhaps memories of prayers, or cries of desperation from past supplicants, seemed to echo faintly through the cavernous space, absorbed by the ancient, unyielding stone.
Killian didn't know what Tenzin was like at this moment, but he was sure the cast out monk's power was stronger and darker.
Killian watched, unflinching, as Tenzin stepped out from behind an old screen, a darkness that seemed to suck up all the light around it oozing from him.
Tenzin's eyes were like black pits, suggesting a knowledge and power that was both immense and terrifying. His robe moved as if alive, floating around him.
“You've come a long way, wolf." Tenzin's voice was soft, but it carried with startling clarity throughout the room.”
"You owe me a favor, and I'm here to claim it."
Tenzin chuckled. "No need for formality then. What do you need from me?"
Killian met his gaze. "Judging by the growth of your power since we met, I think you can tell what I'm here for."
Tenzin turned and walked toward a chair made of bones; as for what sort of bones, Killian didn't care to know.
The old monk sat and smiled. "You are right, Killian. I knew you were coming, I had a vision a couple of days ago. And now, seeing you in the flesh, it confirmed my prediction."
Killian arched an eyebrow. "Is your power enough to help me?"
Tenzin laughed. "What a way to seek a favor, Killian..."
"It's a request for a return of a favor, Tenzin."
Tenzin raised a hand. “Very well, there's no point haggling. There is no need to debate. This will take me a bit, and I'll be working at a deficit. But, in the spirit of paying it forward, I’ll do it. I'll be calling on you soon enough."
Killian said nothing, waiting for Tenzin to continue.
The ritual to purge the demon from your soul is not for the faint of heart," he began. "It will require tremendous sacrifice and pain on your part. Are you prepared for this?"
"I said nothing about purging the demon from my soul. It's merely a drop of blood that I consumed by accident. I'm looking for a way to control the effect of the demon's blood. Nothing more than that."
Tenzin chuckled. "If that's what you truly believe, you can go to a common witch and get it done. You came all this way to me, surely you know what you have is more than a blood contamination. Look, Killian, I don't think you even have time to negotiate."
"I only want to tame the demon's spirit. I won't be susceptible to your dark rituals."
Tenzin shook his head. "Then you really are a fool, Killian. The demon’s blood within you is potent, far more than you realize. It won't simply linger quietly. It's an insidious power, one that slowly corrodes, dominates, and eventually annihilates the host's soul."
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle upon the room.
