Two Mates for a Magistrate (6 page)

“Stop this,” another voice came. Dietrich turned and looked at the second man. The brunet stood very close to Fritz, and Dietrich’s attention shifted. “We don’t mean you any harm. We only want to help.”

Dietrich was not convinced at all. He bared his fangs at the second wolf, silently telling him to step away from Fritz. The other man didn’t even blink. “Besides, do you want your mate to see you like this? Like a savage animal?”

This argument succeeded in penetrating through the haze of fury clouding his mind. His eyes turned to Fritz, and his heart fell at the shock and horror he could see in his mate. Just like the night before, the wolf recoiled, whimpering in distress, and Dietrich turned back into his normal form.

For a few moments, he couldn’t breathe right, and his limbs seemed uncoordinated. Now that the adrenaline of battle dissipated, he could no longer feel his wolf as one with him. He shivered and collapsed on the ground.

The sound of footsteps reached his ears, and then a warm hand touched Dietrich’s naked skin. His mate’s scent invaded his nostrils, driving away the chill. “What’s wrong with him?” Fritz’s voice came in concern.

“He’s losing control of his beast, but beyond that, we’re not sure,”

the blond man answered. Strikingly, he didn’t seem to be affected by the change at all. “Once our superior arrives, he can tell us more.”

Dietrich forced himself to leash the animal, focusing on the urgency to keep his mate safe. It was difficult because the wolf wanted the same thing, and refused to be denied. When at last Dietrich succeeded, he opened his eyes and struggled to his feet.

“Who are you people?” he asked, proud when his voice didn’t shake.

“I am Sebastian Morrigan, and this is Marcus Deacon,” the second man answered.

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“We’re spirit wolves, like you,” the blond—apparently named Marcus—said. “And we don’t mean you any harm. Like we were telling your mate earlier, we just want to help.”

Dietrich’s mind whirled. Spirit wolves? He didn’t know anything about that. He only knew what his instinct told him. A beast lived within him. It wanted to take over and would do so if Dietrich allowed it.

But these two men didn’t have his problem. They were clearly very comfortable with their own wolves. Hell, Marcus had changed between his two forms with such ease it humbled Dietrich. He gritted his teeth in frustration at the realization that he couldn’t keep his mate safe. Well, perhaps they were better than him at this spirit wolf thing, but Dietrich still had his mother’s witch powers. He never used them to hurt people. It was the one rule Aarika instilled within him. But if they tried anything against his mate, Dietrich would break it and not regret it.

“Just back off,” he told them. Through the howls sounding in his head, he somehow succeeded in summoning his powers and casting a ward around him and Fritz. “We don’t need your help.”

“Oh, I think you do,” the man named Sebastian said. “You do and you know it. You can’t handle this on your own.”

“I can protect my mate just fine, thank you,” Dietrich growled back, unsure as to why he even engaged these people in a debate.

“Can you protect him from yourself?” Marcus asked softly.

There was genuine kindness and concern in Marcus’s voice. The wolf remained restless, but at the same time, it felt honesty coming from Marcus, and acknowledged his own helplessness. The two strangers were right. Dietrich didn’t think he could hold back forever and keep himself from hurting Fritz. He’d barely managed to do so the day before, and the situation seemed to be growing worse by the second.

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Conceding defeat, Dietrich lowered the ward. He kept his expression as cool as possible and said, “Fine. I’m willing to hear you out, but if I see anything suspicious, you’re going to regret it.”

Sebastian nodded. “Fair enough.” He stole a look out the alley and then turned to Dietrich once again. “We have to get out of here. I don’t think the humans noticed anything, but it’s still not safe. Come on. Follow me.”

Dietrich had nothing else to do but to oblige.

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In a weird development, Fritz found himself stealthily following the men through Trier. It almost made him laugh, since both Dietrich and the other wolf, Marcus, were naked. Of course, the sight of Dietrich’s nakedness hardly caused amusement in him, but rather, aroused the lust lingering from the night before.

The other men seemed tense, and Dietrich occasionally threw gazes Fritz’s way. A peculiar mix of feelings swirled inside Fritz. He couldn’t understand anything anymore, and he walked on autopilot while trying to process what he’d seen in the alley. Wolves. Men turning into wolves. The claws had been something out of this world, but this… This was madness.

By some miracle, they reached Sebastian and Marcus’s hotel room without being spotted—and without Fritz losing it. “So now what?” Fritz asked. He was so very confused, and more than anything, worried, both for himself, but also for Dietrich. He questioned his own sanity, but at the same time, he knew Dietrich would have never left him in the first place if something wasn’t seriously wrong.

“Now we wait,” Sebastian replied. He tossed Dietrich a pair of pants and continued, “Our leader should be here any minute now.”

“Your leader,” Dietrich repeated as he dressed. “Is he like the Alpha of your pack or what?”

The words were probably meant to be mocking, but they held an underlining thread of curiosity. “Something like that,” Marcus answered while he too put some clothes on. “He’ll be able to help,
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you’ll see. You’re not the only spirit wolf who’s lost control. He always guides us on the right path.”

“So I’m assuming there aren’t that many of us if one man deals with all this,” Dietrich prodded.

Marcus laughed. “We are more than you might think.” His expression became serious. “But he is no ordinary man. He’s always watched out for all of us.”

To Fritz, it sounded like a very selfish outlook on life. Leader or not, how could one person cater to the whims of many? There was probably some sort of system because otherwise, it didn’t make any sense to him. Then again, nothing in the past twenty-four hours or so made any sense.

The tick tock of the clock on the wall reached his ears, and it occurred to him at this hour, he should be at work, not talking about paranormal stuff with werewolves. “Well, I can’t just wait around for your leader to come,” he said. “I have a job, a life.”

“You can’t leave here either. The feral is still after you.”

Dietrich looked surprised, having obviously been unaware of the threat Sebastian and Marcus feared. “What are you talking about?”

Fritz opened his mouth to explain, but didn’t get the chance. “His boyfriend,” Sebastian replied. “Joseph Garou, was it?” He poured himself a drink and snorted. “Who knew ferals had a sense of humor?”

To Fritz, several things registered at the same time. First, Sebastian’s emphasis on Joseph’s last name. Garou. Oh, God. Loup Garou. Werewolf. Why had he never realized it? Then again, who’d have thought Joseph could be a supernatural creature? At the same time, Fritz acknowledged the second mentioning of the word “feral.”

What did it even mean? And of course, he noticed Dietrich’s reaction upon hearing Sebastian’s words. The man’s gaze turned to Fritz, all apprehension turned into anger. “Boyfriend?” he asked Fritz. “You have a boyfriend?”

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“He’s my ex,” Fritz replied automatically. “An unfortunate choice, if I might add. Don’t tell me you never had relationships before meeting me because I won’t believe you.”

He didn’t even know how he managed to keep his voice calm.

Perhaps Dietrich’s jealousy helped. Joseph had been a jealous man as well, but for some reason, Dietrich didn’t make him nervous or angry like the other man did, just hot on the inside. He saw both affection and passion hidden behind the outburst, and he reveled in it. It gave him something to focus on, other than the proverbial elephant in the room.

Dietrich didn’t reply and plopped down on a couch in the middle of the room. Fritz began to feel guilty about his outburst, but before he could apologize, a peculiar sensation invaded him, sending him whirling in a pool of confusion. It reminded him of the moment when he’d first seen Dietrich, yet at the same time so very different. His heart began to beat faster, and he clutched his chest, heaving when he had trouble breathing.

In an odd development, Dietrich seemed to be experiencing the same phenomenon, but not Marcus and Sebastian. They must’ve felt something different as well, and they obviously knew more than they were letting on. “What’s happening?” Fritz asked in a gasp.

Sebastian gave him a curious look. “It seems our leader has arrived.”

Fritz didn’t know why the spirit wolf ruler would have such an effect on him, and it unsettled him. He didn’t have the time to figure out a solution for his predicament. A knock sounded at the door, and Marcus rushed to open it.

Both Marcus and Sebastian bowed as a tall man entered the room.

His salt and pepper hair spoke of a somewhat advanced age, and his eyes held centuries of wisdom. At the same time, he didn’t look old.

No lines creased the perfect, aristocratic features of his face, and his muscular body made Fritz’s mouth water. He felt guilty. He’d only met Dietrich the day before, but he knew their relationship could be
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special. Several times, Sebastian and Marcus had mentioned the word

“mate” when referring to Fritz, so they must’ve known it as well. It was just too much to take in, and Fritz didn’t know how to deal with more, especially not the overwhelming attraction toward the new arrival.

“Greetings, My Lord,” Marcus and Sebastian said.

Fritz knew he should say something as well, but his words were clogged in his throat. He just stared at the man, his eyes occasionally straying to Dietrich and taking in the other man’s reaction.

Dietrich also seemed affected by the new arrival’s presence, but unlike Fritz, he did manage to get moving. He got off the couch and extended his hand. “Greetings. I’m Dietrich Dupont, and this is my mate, Fritz Bauer.”

A barely there smile fleeted on the stranger’s lips. “I know. I’m Wolfram Rozenstadt. It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”

Fritz finally managed to make his brain work. “So you are the leader of the werewolves?” When he saw Sebastian throw him a pointed look, he amended his question. “That is, spirit wolves.”

“Indeed,” Wolfram replied. “I’m the Magistrate.”

“Someone had a sense of humor when they named you, didn’t they?” Dietrich said. He must’ve realized his rudeness because he closed his mouth then opened it again, obviously meaning to apologize.

The man chuckled. “Perhaps,” he answered. “At least they didn’t name me Adolf.”

Wolfram’s laughter was infectious, and for the first time, Fritz began to feel more relaxed. “It’s a great name,” he said at last. “I’m honored to meet you.”

His words drew Wolfram’s attention toward him. “So am I,” he answered. Was it Fritz’s impression or did the man’s eyes briefly flash with arousal? No, it couldn’t be.

He groaned to himself and focused on controlling his libido. There were too many things he needed to figure out before he could
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surrender to his emotions. Wolfram seemed to agree. “Please, sit.

There is much we need to discuss.”

“My Lord, before we begin, we found out something of importance,” Marcus piped in. “A feral seems to be stalking Mr.

Bauer.”

Wolfram’s casual stance melted. “A feral?” he whispered almost inaudibly. The low tone didn’t disguise the anger in his voice.

“Who?”

“Fritz’s former boyfriend, as it seems,” Dietrich replied. His voice could have frozen molten lava, and it made Fritz wince. It didn’t help that Wolfram’s gaze fell on him once again, deep and piercing.

“Oh?” he asked.

The one word held as much chill as Dietrich’s entire phrase. Fritz took a deep breath. He imagined this was what a cornered animal felt like when it had no way out, and pushed aside his foolish musings.

“Look,” he said. “Joseph and I were an item a year ago. He always acted mysteriously, and I suspected he could be involved in some illegal business, but we broke up and I didn’t give it more thought. I don’t even know what a feral is. I’m guessing he is like you? Who are you people anyway? I don’t understand anything anymore.”

“I’m not sure how much you’ve been told, but basically, we are shape-shifters.” Wolfram replied. “Ferals can also shift into wolves, but they have no control over their animal parts. Their souls become corrupted, and they prey on humans for pleasure. Some of them are spirit wolves who lose their grip on their beast. They spread a virus through their bite, and the infected humans also become ferals.” His expression became odd, thoughtful, and somehow pained. “I don’t know through what miracle Joseph didn’t turn you, as well.”

“So I am feral, too?” Dietrich asked.

Wolfram shook his head. “Not yet.” He crossed the room and took Dietrich’s hand. Fritz watched in awe as a dim light glowed from where the skin of the two men made contact.

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When they broke apart, Wolfram spoke once again. “But you are on the edge. You need to learn how to accept and control your power as soon as possible.”

Dietrich took a few steps back, looking visibly shaken. He no longer seemed hostile in any way. “Can you help me?”

“Fritz and I will help you. Together.”

The click of the door closing signaled Marcus and Sebastian’s departure. Apparently, Wolfram’s words had been some sort of signal for the two spirit wolves. Or perhaps they meant to scout the area for Joseph or any other feral. Either way, Fritz couldn’t deny he felt relieved. A sense of contentment, comfort, and lazy arousal filled him. Dietrich sat back down on the couch, and Fritz joined him.