Katrina

"Alpha Samael has a message for you. Either surrender your pack to him peacefully, or prepare to die..."

The growl that rumbles from Seth doesn't seem to frighten the prisoner...instead, it only makes him laugh.

"Like hell we would ever submit to him!"

I run a hand up and down Seth's arm, trying to keep him from ripping through the bars to kill our only lead to the Cannibal Alpha. I want him dead just as much...but we need the information first.

"He figured you wouldn't..so he has another proposal."

His wicked grin sets me and Ziva on edge.

"A truce...in exchange for your lovely Luna...he's quite lonely without a mate you see..."

Let's just say that the events that occurred after that were quite unpleasant. It took me getting in Seth's way to stop him from slaughtering the poor bastard...and he only settled down when I ordered for the fool to be interrogated thoroughly...something I would've done myself if I wasn't so preoccupied with calming down my furious mate...

Who is currently letting off steam on a much needed run through the territory...at least that's his story. I know damn well he's been the one interrogating the prisoner...thinking that I'd be better off not seeing the deed...little does he know that I've done it myself a long time ago...actually, there's a couple of things he doesn't know about me...

Sighing, I make my way to our bathroom to take a much needed shower...feeling a bit disgusting from my visit to the prison, getting a very good look at my mates anger fueled handiwork...after returning from a long day on the training grounds, partially in the rain and mud. With Marcus out of commission, I've picked up his training duties and patrol shift...to say I'm exhausted wouldn't cover it.

I twist the knob on the jacuzzi tub, setting the water hot before pouring in the lavender scented bubble bath. I haven't had one of these in ages, but considering the past week I've had I think it's long overdue.

I let out a sigh of relief as I remove my dirty clothes and slip into the water, letting my hair sit on the edge as I lean my back against the towel headrest, the warm water and calming scent seeping into my skin and tired muscles. I close my eyes and try to let my whole body relax, trying to focus on the positive things for once since all this hell started.

First is that me and Seth are fully marked and mated, meaning our mate bond is complete. Even if it did end up with our Gamma being hurt the next day...

In speaking of which, the second thing is that Marcus is not only alive and recovering, but he also has his mate. Their relationship is already blossoming beautifully, making Tyron the only one of the four high ranking wolves that hasn't found his mate yet...much to his intense frustration.

And third is that Adri is pregnant with her and Ezekiel's first pup, which means I'm going to be an aunt soon...a thought that makes me ecstatic. With the hell shes gone through the past three years, my sister is finally living the life she deserves...training to be a pack doctor, being with her mate, starting her family...it's everything I hoped she would have...

The feeling of a hand caressing my cheek pulls me from my meditative thoughts, and I open my eyes to see the blue ones of my mate, a little darker than normal from the hunger in them.

"Don't you look alluring..."

I chuckle at his compliment, letting my gaze wander down his bare chest to the low slung waistband of his jeans...the fabric stained with dirt and grass.

~Have I ever mentioned how much of a sexy beast our mate is?~ Ziva purrs, I can almost hear the drool...but I can't say anything, I'm not much better.

~Only every time we see him shirtless...or completely undressed...~ I reply, her less than innocent thoughts already syncing with mine.

"You don't look so bad yourself babe..."

His soft growl makes me grin.

"Would you like some help angel?"

I raise my eyebrow, me and Ziva purring at his offer.

"And just what kind of help are you offering?"

He just smirks, reaching for the sprayer and turning it on, proceeding to wet my hair thoroughly, following it with massaging my favorite shampoo into my scalp and hair. His hands feel incredible, moving in circular motions around my forehead and temples, down to the back of my neck...

Goddess his hands are sinful...

"You sure do love to spoil me don't you?" I sigh, leaning into his touch.

"Very much angel...mostly because you seem to enjoy it so much..." He chuckles as he begins to rinse the shampoo out of my hair, using those same thorough movements to remove the suds.

"I sure do..."

I reach up to trail a finger down his chest as he puts the sprayer away, leaving a line of soap bubbles as I move downwards. The hungry look in his eyes returns full force...a low growl matching mine coming deep from his chest.

"I would enjoy it even more if you joined me, how about you?"

He wastes no time in stripping out of his clothes and joining me in the tub, attacking my lips ravenously as his hands move down my body underneath the water, sliding over my hips and thighs while my fingers tangle in his hair.

"Mine..." He murmurs as he moves from my mouth to my throat, and I gasp as he gently nips me there. Through my blur of thoughts I realize that he must be feeling territorial with all the talk about the rogue Alpha wanting me...

"All yours..." I murmur, and he growls when I wrap my legs around his hips.

"But you're all mine too..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Waking up the next morning, I open my eyes to see that I'm laying on top of my mate, my head pressed against his bare chest.

~Goddess what a view...~ Ziva rumbles.

~I agree. I love waking up to this...~

I shift slightly and press a kiss to his torso, continuing the trail from his belly button and up his chest, grinning as his purring becomes louder with each kiss.

"Now this is something I could get used to in the morning..."

His husky morning voice turns my cheeks a bit red, and I look up to see his gaze on me.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who enjoys being spoiled..."

I lean up to kiss him, and he chuckles as he tangles his fingers in my hair.

"Most definitely baby...especially by you."

He kisses me once more before groaning in exasperation.

"Don't tell me we're being interrupted again." I say with a scowl, getting frustrated by how much we get interrupted.

"I have a meeting with Blue Mountain tomorrow, I have to leave at three this afternoon..."

I growl irritably before turning to the clock, noticing it's still 10:30.

"You know...we still have plenty of time before you have to leave..."

He grins deviously. "I love the way your mind works angel..."

He rolls me on my back and kisses my mark, he doesn't waste time that's for sure.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Unfortunately, despite our much enjoyed personal time, Seth eventually had to leave for Blue Mountain...after I reluctantly booted him out the door despite his tempting idea of catching a later flight so he could stay longer...Goddess we're like horny teenagers...

Anyway, he left for his flight to Blue Mountain, and I stayed behind to do paperwork and fill in for Marcus along with Tyron...already starting to miss my mate...

It's not just general closeness or our private time together...but outside influences as well. With all the attacks and threats of a cannibal alpha looking for blood to spill...or a surrendered mate...Seth being off the territory and into no mans land where he can be targeted makes me nervous.

I know Seth is far from weak or helpless, and has probably had more fights than I have considering he's older than me...considering I'm 22 and he's almost 25, he's had more experience fighting rogues than I have.

In speaking of which, I have my own meeting with our in house rogue...since despite Seth's best efforts the bastard still won't talk. Claiming that compared to what his Alpha did to traitors or failures, there was nothing he could do to make him talk...

He hasn't met me yet.

The tapping of my feet against stone tile echoes down the halls, the soft drip of water accompanies my footsteps and the sounds of the guards heartbeats. As I come up to the only occupied cell, the guards straighten up at the sight of me.

"Luna, how can we help you?" Nicky asks, him being on of the warriors on this shift.

"I've heard he's been quite stubborn about talking...so I've decided to try my hand."

He doesn't say anything, probably out of respect, but the shock on his face speaks volumes.

"I pulled a few shifts in the prison of my former pack, so I'm quite familiar with the tactics."

He clears his throat and nods, proceeding to open up the bars carefully. Just before I walk into the cell, I turn to Nicky.

"May I borrow that blade of yours?" I ask.

"Of course Luna..."

He unsheathes the blade on his belt, the serrated hunting knife coated in silver and smelling faintly of wolfsbane. He places the handle in my open palm carefully, making sure neither of us touched the blade itself.

"Thank you, and feel free to leave for a little bit if you wish...this will be far from pleasant to listen to. It certainly won't be pleasant for him, because I don't like having my pack threatened by anyone..."

Nicky swallows hard, and I can almost feel the simultaneous fear and and slight attraction coming off the four guards...even Nicky....they should consider themselves lucky that Seth isn't here...and I'm so understanding.

"That won't be an issue Luna, we will stay here to cover your back if you need it."

I smile and walk the rest of the way inside the cell, and the rogue perks his head up to meet my gaze...an amused, twisted smile on his face.

"Well if it isn't Luna Katrina...don't tell me a beautiful thing like you is going to try to interrogate me too. Your enthusiastic mate couldn't get me to talk...what makes you think you can?"

I just walk towards him slowly, twirling the blade in my hand carefully, staring at it with interest as I thought about my last interrogation at Blue Mountain.

"You know, there are stories about certain Native American warriors. In times of war in the past, they would hand over prisoners to their wives when all other techniques failed...and for a very good reason..."

I look at him, a smirk on my face.

"You see, men's techniques are brutal...but they are often too fast and impatient. They tend to want answers quickly and resort to getting flustered fast out of frustration...."

He remains silent, watching me carefully.

"But the women...they were patient. They chose to interrogate slowly, making sure to do damage that was excruciatingly painful...but not enough to kill quickly."

My smile becomes a bit wider, and a slight flicker of fear appears in his eyes.

"They would use the techniques on the prisoners that kept them alive to suffer, and never lost their patience. By the time the woman were done with them...they begged for death."

I flick the blade against his jugular, his eyes widening as he flinches in response.

"So, what I'm going to do to you, will make my mates form of interrogation seem like child's play."