The Shadow Howlers

Gunnar stared at the young woman with long, beautiful hair that reflected the sunlight like spun gold. When he saw the young pup in her arms, he felt like a knife had pierced his heart. Was she already mated? However, when the little girl jumped down and ran to a couple a few feet away, he felt relieved.

He turned back to the woman who was staring at him with gorgeous hazel eyes. Gunnar wanted to run to her, but he didn't think that was a good idea after what just happened, so he took slow, steady steps. She was doing the same until everything else just faded away, and they were surrounded by each other's scent.

"I… I'm Alpha Gun… Gunnar of The Shadow Howlers," Bianca smirked at him. He stood well over a foot taller than her but stumbled over his words like a lovesick teenager.

"I know who you are. I'm Bianca; my dad is Alpha Karl of The Last Moon Pack." She spoke with such confidence Gunnar couldn't help but smile. She was obviously younger than he was, but he didn't care. She was packed full of spunk.

"Well, Bianca, it appears you're my mate. I'm sorry about my less-than-desirable entrance to your pack. This isn't exactly the first impression I wanted my mate to have of me." Bianca crossed her arms over her chest and slowly moved her eyes over his muscular body, from his bare feet to his wild blonde hair.

"I don't know. I think you did a pretty decent job. You came in here, rescued an entire pack, and then walked out of the forest looking like that. You don't hear me complaining." Gunnar couldn't remember the last time someone embarrassed him, but she was doing a damn good job of it.

When someone cleared their throat, they looked around and remembered they were surrounded by the entire pack. Gunnar saw Bianca's face turn a cute shade of pink. He reached down and took her hand, leading her to who he assumed was Alpha Karl. He sighed with relief when she didn't snatch her hand away but held on tightly.

"Alpha Karl, I presume?" Gunnar asked, looking at the man standing on the deck of the pack house. He didn't look too impressed that his daughter's hand was in Gunnar's, but he wasn't letting go. She was his mate, and he was never letting her go as long as she accepted him.

"Yes. Please come into my office so we can talk. Bianca, you can wait here." Gunnar didn't like the look of defeat on his mate's face when her father dismissed her as if she wasn't important. Instead of letting go of her hand, he pulled her with him.

"Alpha Karl, your daughter is my mate; that makes her my partner. She'll be involved in every meeting I attend." Bianca looked at Gunnar with wide eyes. His partner? His mate? She couldn't believe he had called her those things already, but she was even more surprised that he had meant it.

"A woman's place is not in a meeting with men. She should be caring for the pups and arranging parties." Gunnar gripped her hand tightly when Bianca's mother tried to pull her away.

"Women are our equals, and I will treat Bianca as one. She'll never be treated as though she's less than me. I can care for our pups just as she can. She can make tough decisions, the same as me. My luna will be respected and second in command, even above my beta." Gunnar looked into Bianca's eyes.

His speech was more for her than her father. He wanted her to know that she would never be looked upon as less than any man in their pack. Karl threw his hands up but didn't say anything else as they followed him. When they got to his office, he made it clear he wasn't pleased. He spoke only to Gunnar, ignoring Bianca completely.

"What happened with your warrior was not okay. I appreciate that you got here in time to stop him from doing whatever he had planned to do, but my pack came close to being destroyed today," Karl said tightly. Bianca knew her dad wasn't as tough as he was pretending. He was putting on a show for the larger, younger, and more powerful alpha.

"Please accept my apologies. He will be severely punished for his actions." Gunnar looked at Bianca and saw her nod at him. He could tell she didn't blame him for Omar's actions.

"Bianca is your mate, so how soon will you mark her and have pups?" Gunnar was taken aback by Karl's bluntness. How could he talk about her as though she's nothing but a breeder?

"That is a decision Bianca and I will make together. She hasn't accepted me yet. I plan to let her get to know me and the pack before she decides. I will not treat her as a breeder for my offspring. I will show her the respect she deserves, and I expect you to do the same. She will not be treated as an object." Gunnar was having a hard time holding his anger in. It was obvious his mate's pack had no respect for females. He looked at Bianca, worried she'd be upset with how he addressed her father, but she was beaming up at him with gratitude.

"Bianca, would you like to come to The Shadow Howler's Pack with me so you can meet everyone and see how our pack life is?" Gunnar held both of her hands so she was facing him, and he could see if there was any hesitation or fear in her eyes. All he saw was excitement.

"I would love to. Bye, Dad," Bianca pulled Gunnar to the door as Karl yelled behind them.

"You will not disrespect me in my office. I am to be addressed as Alpha Karl." The couple was already down the hallway when the door shut behind them. Bianca pulled Gunnar to her bedroom so she could pack. When they got there, she closed the door and didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around him. Gunnar grinned down at her.

"I've waited a long time to find you, Bianca. If you accept your place by my side, I promise to treat you like a queen for the rest of my days." Gunnar ran his hand through her silky hair and chuckled when she shivered from his touch.

"I don't want to be treated like a queen. I want to be treated like your equal. As you can see, my dad doesn't have that philosophy. He'd rather make a random man the next alpha than me or my sister. Thank you for speaking up for me in there." Bianca put her hand over her mouth as she thought about her sister.

"What's wrong?" Gunnar asked with concern.

"My sister Trisha will be devastated that I'm leaving." Bianca plopped down on her bed, conflicted.

"Do you think your parents would let her come with us? At least for a little while." Gunnar asked, already liking the idea. Polly would love to have someone her age in the pack house. Bianca looked up at him with surprise.

"You would let me bring my sister? She's only four and can be a handful." She wanted to touch him again just to make sure he was real. What alpha acts like this? The ones she'd met acted like cavemen.

"Of course, I'd let her come. She's your family, and that means she's mine too." Bianca jumped up and hugged him. Her cheek rested on his bare chest, causing sparks to fly all over her body. When she pulled back, she looked up into his eyes.

"I want you to know I'm eighteen and a virgin. I've been waiting for you." She spoke softly.

"I'm twenty-six, and I'm also a virgin." Bianca couldn't hide her shock.

"What? How are you still a virgin? I thought alphas tried to have as many women as possible before mating?" She asked, and he shook his head.

"Maybe in some packs, but not mine. We believe in waiting for our mate. I'm really glad I did. Let's go see if your sister can come with us. I have a five-year-old niece who I'm sure will get along really well with her." Bianca grabbed her suitcase, and Gunnar took it from her before taking her hand.

"You have siblings?" She asked as they stepped into the hallway.

"I did. My sister and her mate were killed by rogues. Polly lives with me and my parents. She's been excited for me to find my mate so she can always have an excuse to stay with me. My mom tells her she needs to be around a woman who can be a good role model." Bianca stopped him when they got to the stairs.

"I'm sorry about your sister and her mate. I can't wait to meet Polly." When they got to the bottom of the stairs, Trisha was standing there with tears in her eyes.

"Are you leaving me?" she asked, her little lip quivering. Gunnar squatted in front of her.

"If it's okay with you, I'm going to ask your mommy if you can come with us for a while. My niece Polly would really like you, and I bet you could have lots of fun." Trisha's little face lit up, and she threw her arms around him. Bianca was shocked because her sister had never been like that with men.

"Mommy, mommy," Trisha began yelling.

"What are you hollering about?" Gunnar turned and smiled at the woman approaching them.

"Hello, luna. I don't think we've officially met. I'm Alpha Gunnar." He held his hand out to her and noticed the redness in her cheeks.

"I'm Anara; no one ever calls me luna." She said the last part almost to herself. Gunnar didn't want to comment on it, but after meeting her mate, he wasn't surprised.

"Mom, I'm going with Gunnar to his pack. We want to take Trisha with us. He has a niece her age and thinks they'd get along." Bianca spoke with an authority that Gunnar respected. She would make a great luna. He could see Anara hesitating.

"Luna Anara, I promise I will take good care of them. When you're ready for Trisha to return, we'll bring her immediately." She frowned but nodded.

"Thank you. It would be good for her to get some space from here for a while." Anara knew her husband had no respect for her or her daughters. Karl wouldn't even notice Trisha was gone.

After packing a small suitcase for Trisha, Gunnar led them to his jeep parked at the entrance to the pack lands. He couldn't wait to get them home. If he had his way, neither of them would ever leave. Trisha would be much better off in his and Bianca's care than in the toxic environment of The Last Moon Pack.