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After eating breakfast, I pushed up from the table, swept Ivy’s hair aside, and tenderly massaged her shoulders. I smiled when a low moan escaped her lips.
“Axel, you and Trace meet me in my office after you finish breakfast.” My eyes slid to Devon. “Your plans for training?”
He cleared his throat. “We will be training every morning.”
“Good.” My eyes slid to Rage, and I only nodded. He would be gathering info out in the field about the vampire attacks. Sometimes that included intel from various ways. Some illegal, some not. All necessary.
I pulled out Ivy’s chair and when she stood, I pulled her into my chest and kissed the top of her head. She stiffened but after a beat she relaxed into me. “I’ll see you tonight for dinner.” I let her go and then headed for the office.
Sitting at the desk, I leaned back in my chair and laced my fingers when Trace and Axel strolled in and took a seat.
“Alpha,” Axel started. “Nice marks,” he smirked.
“It has been a great morning.” A smile spread across my face.
“So, you’re sure then? You’re not going to deny the mating?”
My wolf bristled but I kept control of his anger. I knew that Axel wasn’t being disrespectful. Only curious. “I would be stupid to let her slip away.”
“And what about her other half? Are you willing to accept it no matter what?”
I gripped the edge of the desk until my knuckles turned white. My teeth exploded into my mouth, but I kept tightlipped until I got my wolf under control. A worried look passed over Axel’s face, but he patiently waited until I could finally speak. Then, through clenched teeth, I warned, “Axel, this is not the time for you to talk about my mate.”
Trace spoke up and said, “I agree.” Turning to Axel, he continued, “the longer Luca waits to complete the mating bond, the more volatile his wolf will become. It’s best not to question him too much about Ivy right now.”
Axel studied me. Probably seeing my wolf staring back at him, along with my barely controlled anger that made my body tremble. He dipped his head once and fortunately changed the subject. “You wanted to see us?”
Letting the last of my anger fade away, I answered Axel first and then turned my focus on Trace. “Yes. Before we get started, do you have the preliminary report on Ivy’s blood?”
“Yes, but there are some…abnormalities, so I’ve had to do additional testing. I should have an answer for you in about five days.”
“What kind of abnormalities?” Axel asked.
Trace’s eyes slid briefly toward me. “I’m tracing her lupine DNA. If I can narrow down her genealogy, I can find her relatives. As for her other side, nothing showed up in our database. So, I’ve reached out to a friend of mine. Ryan’s running additional tests that will take just short of a week.”
Our database contained a network of supernatural power identification sequences. Magic could easily be identified in blood. But we were working with limited resources. “What species are we missing?” I asked, trying to fit Ivy into the correct box.
Trace pulled out his iPad and tapped on the screen. “We have cataloged most super-naturals. Our database contains witches, dark fey, mages, elves, demons, and vampires. And of course, we have all shifter DNA.”
“That sounds like most. Everything except light fey. Could Ivy possibly be a fey? She doesn’t have the physical traits.” Her ears were not pointed, and her hair, skin, and eye color did not fit the stereotype. But still, it couldn’t be ruled out.
“That’s why I have Ryan running additional tests on her blood. We will know soon enough.”
“Keep me informed.” And with that, Trace was dismissed. He closed the door behind him. “Axel, I know you have concerns about Ivy, and I would be lying if I denied being a little worried. But I cannot fight this anymore. My wolf is always near the surface, demanding that I mate her. My emotions are all over the place. But when I am with Ivy, I can’t explain the calm that rights everything wrong. When I touch her, the world and its problems melt away. “
A grin spread across his face. “I am truly happy for you, alpha.”
“Thank you. Now, do you have the quarterly reports? And what issues should I know about?” Then, it was time to work.
Chapter 17
Ivy
Training didn’t go very well, and I had the bruises to prove it. Despite all my previous instructions, my mind stayed stuck on Luca and our morning sexcapades. To say I couldn’t focus would be a huge understatement.
Devon frowned, then grabbed a towel and wiped his face. “You are distracted today.”
“Yep. I can’t imagine why.”
