Chapter 9 Keepers

Gideon

My cell phone rings. Reaching for it, I knock the empty bottle of Jack-D to the floor. Last night, I dozed off on the couch once more. I never even took off my tie, even though my feet are naked.

Nothing got accomplished at the other alphas' meeting. My baby had gone missing. There was some mysterious she-wolf traveling through their region, but none of those worthless jerks had even heard of it. I filed a missing person's complaint with the human police, but I wasn't really hopeful that they would find her.

My cell phone rang once more. I never answered it on the initial attempt.

"What?" I lost it.

Jon says, "Alpha, the Royals called," in a somber tone.

"And?"

"They think they found her."

I put down the phone. The White House. This might be a ruse to get me there, but I'm going to the Capitol if my friend is there.

I gave Jon a call back. "Get eight of our best and fuel the plane." I end the call once more and stumble into the bathroom to take a fast shower. I feel both worry and excitement. I nearly hesitate to hold out hope that it is real.

Traveling across the nation only takes two hours. Soon.

"Alpha Black," the stoic Royal Guard said to meet me. These royals are heartless monsters with fixed expressions and blank eyes.

In response, I grunted.

"You will be meeting with Elder Mar-" "I will be seeing this she-wolf first," I respond. To shoot the breeze with some old fart, I am going to postpone meeting my partner for the first time in six months.

A tiny narrowing of the royal guard's eyes occurs. "If this she-wolf is your Luna, Alpha Black, it is vital you speak with Elder Markos first."

"Why?"

The scratchy voice behind me said, "Your mate, if indeed she is Luna Ophelia Black, has amnesia, Alpha Black." I turn to see Elder Markos, growing weaker with age, yet his dark eyes, hidden beneath bushy white eyebrows, are still piercing.

"Elder," I say quickly as I try not to reveal my shock at this new revelation. Loss of memory? I feel a little hope fading. Perhaps this she-wolf is not Ophelia. While time permits, I would like to inquire as to why they continue to believe she is my long-lost partner.

"Alpha," he greets me back. "I'll take you to the woman-wolf, but please be aware that she may have physical as well as mental injuries. She is easily broken."

"Take me to her," I growl. Hope blends with dread. Is my hopeless loneliness now over?

I smelled her first. Weak, then more powerful. Four Royal Guards are stationed in a room when the heavy oak doors open. Almost any wolf would recoil in their presence, but I am not your average wolf. I brush them off. The fifth wolf in the room is my main concern.

Ophelia of mine.

Doe eyes, full of unshed tears, blink at me guilelessly. Nothing except bewilderment and uncertainty-no love, hate, or recognition. I'm not recognized by her.

"I am your mate, little one," I remark in a kind voice. I'm resisting the need to rush over to her. I might easily act like an immature child right now and lose all sense of dignity.

She bites her lip, her shoulders slumped, her head slightly bowed, and her hands wringing in front of her. She shakes her head, and her eyes go down at what I've said. "That... that's not possible, is it?" Her voice is quiet and confused.

"It's more than possible, Ophelia."

She says it again, "Ophelia," tasting her own name for the first time in months.

"My Ophelia, my mate," I say with a smile, attempting to calm her apparent nervousness. My desire is to jump on her, give her a kiss, and embrace her, but Elder Markus's warnings make me restrain myself. Ophelia is weak, unwell, and has various injuries, including amnesia and trauma. I will have to wait until she heals to find out what happened to her and who took her away from me.

I was furious that Luna had been abducted and subjected to abuse. It is unfathomable that she failed to recall me. This is not what I had in mind for our reunion.

"You feel the mate bond, right, sweetheart?" I give her a gentle prod.

"I do, but... who... who are you?" she asks, gently nodding her head.

"Alpha Gideon Black."

She steps back, a strange expression on her face. Unconsciously, I go forward with my right foot, following her wherever she goes. Not wanting to frighten her, I follow her lead as she freezes again.

She says, "You are the alpha?" Her eyes are full of those tears again.

"Yes, Ophelia, I am."

She blurts, "I can't be your mate!"

When she says that, I suppress the searing wrath that rises within me. Is that all there is? I discover who my opponent is. I can slay the mutt and regain the affection of my babywolf within a few days.

"Why not, love?"

"I'm shattered! There is no wolf in my possession. I'm unable to conceive. I'm not Luna. She is crying as she shares these upsetting revelations. Even as my wolf and I cry in agony at the notion of our future family being gone before we even had the chance to start, every atom in my body yearns to touch her and ease her suffering.

"Ophelia, shh, sweetheart." She gives me a shake of her head and backs away from me. The nearest Royal Guard, witnessing this from a distance, bristles and tears well up in his eyes. It's her time now to follow in my footsteps, going backward for each inch I advance.

She clenches her chest, struggling to breathe but managing only faint gasps. Her eyes convey a stark terror that makes my stomach turn blue.

"Ophelia, calm down, sweetheart."

As I get closer and the Royals get closer as well, her fear only grows.

Anyone who approaches my companion too closely gets a low-pitched "Back off" from me.

Growls and gnashing of teeth fill the room as we all take positions facing one another.

"No!" Ophelia lets out a start, then turns and runs off. I'll give it a go. I must. My body's natural instinct is to chase after my partner.

"No, Alpha." The royal bastard advances. I give him a vicious roar, but he does not back down. These heartless jerks. This wolf was easily slashed in half, but will they continue to conceal the fact that I have a mate? Black Fur and the Royal Pack have not been on good terms for the past three generations.

"No?" I growl at him, my fury directed at his icy face.

"Miss Ophelia is delicate and under the protection of Prince Adrian." It is stated without feeling.

With scarcely controllable violence, I seethe. This jerk said her name once, then compounded his error by bringing up another man in the same sentence as my partner. I can feel my wolf pawing at my insides to be freed. I calmed him down, pleased to see the royal punk's eyes light up a little.

I wrap my hand around his throat. His face turns crimson as he grabs at my arm with both hands, his fingertips scrubbing across my skin. I don't let him go until I think I've explained everything. Wheezing, he collapses on the floor.

I go to see this prince. "Never let her name come from your filthy mouth again, mutt." He won't prevent me from seeing her. I own her. Naturally, I've been stopped. I'm taken to the king by the five royal guards. The old fool is doddering and senile.

"Where is the prince?" I furiously lash out at a guard. In principle, if not in actuality, Prince Adrian is the leader of this pack. I can't waste any more time on this jerk.

The monarch wheezes, "My son is busy with the kingdom, Alpha Black."

I cast him in a demeaning light. He's been courting my partner. I tightly clamp my jaw to contain the words that want to come out. "My friend is here, purportedly under his guard. I desire her return. Right now."

"You will have to wait, Alpha Black, for Ophelia's trial."

"Her trial?" A thousand absurd ideas flash through my head, one after the other. Did she break any laws?

"To determine if she is to return to Black Fur."

"You have to be kidding," I stutter, almost out of breath. It feels like someone hit me in the stomach. Thus, this is how they play. My Luna is being stolen by the Royals.

A pinch in my neck makes me smile a little too broadly. Tranquilizers. Fucking the cocks.

***

Jon gives me a shoulder clap. I'm not even going to look up. I just look down at the tiny wolf figure I'm holding. Tiny, dark, with glowing ebony eyes. Ophelia received it as a gift from a visiting alpha. Shortly after I claimed her years ago, she got it. She didn't even come into contact with it. She stated she didn't like it since it wasn't golden like me.

"That runt prince is a black wolf," I utter under my breath.

He murmurs, "He can't keep her for long, Alpha." "We just need to ride this out."

I don't even try to reply. I made my friend have a panic attack. She was utterly terrified just by my presence. I have no idea what transpired with her or who mistreated her. I was humiliated by the Royals and had to board my own plane to return to Black Fur. Because of that prick of a prince, I am absolutely unable to protect her.

He desires her all to himself. I'm not a moron; he is a MateLess alpha, and Ophelia is a goddess-born Luna.

There's a snap, and I turn to look at the figurine I'm holding. Beneath my thumb, the head of the black wolf hangs precariously.