Page 79 of In the Mouth of the Wolf

He laughed, but his expression was dubious. “And you want to get rid of her, too? What’s the catch?”

I swirled the ice in my glass, reminding myself who this was all for. “My Lunessa. I think the shock of our lifestyle scared her off. Omegas… they are our shifter equivalent in a way. Their appetites are voracious. They need several partners to fulfill them and are not open to sharing. The prospect of my divided attention made her angry.”

“Then find a new Lunessa,” he replied flatly, his eyes narrowing. “I am failing to understand why an omega would be a good match for a vampyr.”

I swallowed, taking a risk with my next words. “Because she is, quite honestly, more than enough for me. I got greedy with Jen and Grace, filling my biological imperative to create my servaglio. It’s taken almost losing her to realize I don’t need them.”

Will scoffed and crossed his ankle over his knee, leaning back into his seat. “This is why our strength is depleting, our powers disappearing. You young vampyrs have assimilated into human culture to the detriment of our species. Monogamy will never sate us. Our desires are too great for one female.”

“Vampyrs are weakening?” I asked. This was news to me.

“We used to fly, Michele. Did you know that?”

Fly? The look on my face must have confirmed something to the Elder, and he continued. “I suppose some of the loss of information is due to our kind’s lack of oral tradition and tendency towards isolation. It’s so easy to forget between the generations. I can assume, then, that your father or grandfather never told you, did they?”

I shook my head in disbelief. “No, never.”

“We used to be stronger, more virile… So many lost their lives in the Great War with the shifters. Those beasts cut us down to devastating numbers before a truce was found. Is breaking the treaty worth it for one omega Lunessa who, by all accounts, left you of her own free will?”

My hands curled to fists at my sides as I recalled the way that hulking blonde mutt had held her in the hotel. She only left me because of him and the others in his pack.

Between just the two of us, things had been perfect. I knew she would realize that soon. She might have even realized it now, but with four alphas foaming at the mouth to bond with her and claim her as their own, she’d never be able to escape them without help.

Jen returned, ready to go again, but Will pointed to a vampyr sitting at the bar, his eyes raking across my second’s generous curves. “His name is Charles, and he would love to eat your pussy right now. Won’t you let him?”

Charles beckoned her closer, licking his lips. “You don’t have to tell me twice,” Jen laughed. She blew us a kiss and skipped over, and I watched as she took the stool next to him, still completely naked and completely unashamed. He dropped to his knees and began devouring her, her eyes rolling back into her head as she leaned back against the bar.

My attention snapped back to Will as he spoke. “See? That is what we should be pursuing. Not a house in the suburbs with a white picket fence. Young vampyrs have grown soft, caring more about a woman’s feelings than their own needs.”

I didn’t answer. I could see his point of view and might have agreed with him before I had met Marlowe. But that party in Palo Alto had changed everything I thought I knew about myself, about this world. It was as though her very soul had imprinted on mine the moment our eyes met and I had caught the briefest hint of her pistachio and honey scent.

“A true Lunessa would welcome a servaglio,” he continued, “and the break it affords her to recover from her master. Then she can please him completely refreshed.”

“That’s just it,” I countered. “She’s never needed to recover. I only see my servaglio when I physically cannot be with my Lunessa.”

“Obviously,” he snorted. “Look at your second. She is starved for attention.”

My shoulders fell, turning around to see how Jen was doing. Another vampyr was now feeding from her neck, while a bar tender was pouring a shot into her open mouth.

And the sight of it did nothing for me.

This kind of lifestyle had been appealing when I was younger and single. But now? I would rather spend every evening at home, cuddled up next to Marlowe on the couch while watching her silly K-dramas.

The Elder wouldn’t understand that, though. No, the only way he’d understand was by fucking her.

“Jen is yours,” I said. “Once I depart for Wisconsin to retrieve my Lunessa, I will cede ownership to you.”

Will watched her, slowly stroking his cock. “And in return?”

“I only ask that you honor the agreement, and help me bring my Lunessa home,” I responded, clasping my hands together on the table.

His eyes shifted towards mine, narrowing. “Including my night with her?”

Unlike Jen, the thought of Marlowe sleeping with the Elder in front of me filled me with rage. But what else could I do? “Yes. As much as a vampyr loathes to share his Lunessa, if it means she is returned to me, and if it helps you see why she is so unique, then it will be more than worth it.”

“So be it.” He threw back his drink. “You will bring Jen to the Council and exchange her for your warriors when we call you. I’ll even add an additional ten, to be safe. I’m very curious to see if this omega is as good as you claim.”

I placed my palms on the table and bowed until my head touched the surface. “So be it.”

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