True Mate

by Patricia Logan

  All four werewolves snarled and bared their fangs. Vincent hissed back at them. And when I chanced a glance at my mate, he was glaring right back at the wolves, holding his broadsword in both hands, orange fire burning in his topaz eyes. Purple lightning swirled around the entire length of the massive sword, and I could feel the snap of electricity and magic in the air. Oddly enough, I felt my own beast rising to the surface. I didn’t want to change but I would if it meant protecting everything that was dear to me. Right now, that meant protecting Vincent, Sally, and the others who stood with us.

  “We don’t want trouble, werewolves,” Sid called out, holding his staff high. I was surprised to see the end of it glowing bright red as he pointed it at the wolves on either side of the road. “Let the sheriff go. There doesn’t need to be violence here today.”

  “Thisss is war…” The words took on an otherworldly hiss as Floyd growled through fangs which looked like sharpened knives.

  To say I was stunned was an understatement. I watched as he lifted his gruesome muzzle to the air and howled. The others took up a cacophony of howls in league with their alpha. More wolves began stepping out onto the road as they slowly emerged from the trees. I chanced a glance over my shoulder. Glowing yellow eyes surrounded us in a wide circle that was slowly closing as they advanced. I couldn’t believe they were planning an attack at Floyd’s direction. It seemed stupid that the pack would simply attack without provocation. I didn’t know much about packs and less about werewolves but Floyd’s actions and incitement to violence seemed shortsighted.

  I was proven wrong the moment Floyd suddenly shot forward, closing the distance between us in a matter of seconds.

  Vincent

  The moment Floyd charged; I felt an electric snap in the air. It felt as if an invisible barrier shot up from the dirt road and surrounded us. I watched in fascination as Floyd stopped in his tracks as he came up against a giant wall of pulsating red energy. Looking around, I saw that it ringed us on all sides, glowing like an otherworldly barrier holding us in and keeping the werewolves out. We were trapped inside some sort of protective bubble.

  Sally’s face lit up with a reflected purplish red glow as her eyes went wide. She still had her gun in both hands, pointed in front of her. I held my sword high in the air, purple magic swirling around it. I imagined cutting through the protective barrier with one broad stroke, letting the sword come down on the werewolf’s neck, but somehow bursting through the barrier seemed impossible.

  “What is this?” Romeo asked, reaching out toward the red bubble.

  “A sheet of protection, unicorn,” Sid said from beside us. “I can’t hold it very long, so decide what you’re going to do…kill the alpha or deal with him another way.”

  I turned to look at the witch and noted for the first time how he held his staff out in front of him, a whirling magenta red light reaching out long twisting tendrils from the end of the thick club. I realized that what I thought of as his staff was actually a wand of some sort. Even though I’d seen it before, it was like I noticed the tremendous power radiating from it for the first time. The glowing light stretched from the end of the wand to the skin of the protective bubble. From there, the glow spread out from top to bottom, encircling us within its confines.

  I felt equally relieved and worried because what the old witch said was true. Romeo had to decide what to do, and he was the only one who could.

  I glanced at my mate and spotted the determination on his face. I knew enough of him now to see that he had made up his mind. He turned to Sid.

  “Drop the barrier, Sid. The wolves have a choice to make here. They can fight or they can call for Floyd’s ousting and a new alpha.”

  I almost smiled. Romeo had made a similar decision the last time he’d faced off with Floyd and his pack. In front of my house that night, Sid had challenged him to go down a similar path. I realized that Rome had deliberately dismissed the witch’s suggestion of killing Floyd outright both times, choosing not to destroy the alpha but to encourage the pack to make their decision. I knew if the choice was a consensus within the pack itself, they’d accept a new alpha. And they wouldn’t look to avenge their former alpha even if he was evil and no good for his wolves. The brilliance of Romeo’s decision was not lost on me.

  “That’s not how it works, unicorn,” Sid said. “The wolves need a challenger. If no one wants to step up and take Floyd on, this will go no further than this standoff. I think we both know Floyd isn’t walking away from this with his tail between his legs.”

  I looked over at the alpha who had changed to his full werewolf form. Even in this form, he was massive, larger by far than any of the other wolves in the pack, on par with Greg’s huge form but only barely. He paced back and forth in front of the barrier, fangs bared, eyes glowing with rage, anger, and hatred snapping off his back with sparks that made his fur rise like he’d walked across carpet in wool socks. Every so often he lifted his jaws and howled his fury and his pack immediately responded with eerie answering howls. Greg and Sam paced inside the bubble, growling like insane beasts, baring their teeth at their former alpha.

  “Drop the barrier, Sid!” This time, Romeo’s words were a command, and I felt a chill go up my spine.

  Sid nodded and lowered his staff. Instantly, the barrier dropped, the red glow fizzling with a pop in the air as it vanished. I also dropped my sword, planting the tip into the ground beside me as the swirling purple lightning disappeared.

  Floyd stopped his pacing as he lifted his face to the sky, perhaps stunned by what he was seeing. I couldn’t read his face in this form. I turned back to Romeo as my mate spoke.

  “Werewolves! I think you all know your alpha is immoral. He wants you to fight a war when all we want is peace. You’ve all seen our power. Is there anyone who despises thoughts of war? Do you detest the idea of your families being torn apart for one man’s vicious vendetta against the vampire by my side and against those of us who stand by him? Have any of the people you see here ever threatened you? Or have we left you alone to live your lives in peace? Who will stand up to this alpha who shuns two of your own for breaking bread with a vampire? Who will stand up to this alpha who hurts your females?”

  The wolves behind Floyd stopped howling, and the road was suddenly so quiet I picked up the sounds of crickets for the first time. What Romeo was saying to the pack was beginning to resonate with them.

  From what Romeo had told me, he suspected Floyd had been taking females against their will, disregarding family ties, and making a mockery of mated pairs. It was a horrific crime if true. But as I glanced around at the pack which had closed the distance between us, I could see the larger wolves beginning to lower their muzzles as they looked at the ground. Their fear and submission were both amazing and heartbreaking to behold. I couldn’t believe there wasn’t a single wolf who would fight for their families and their way of life. It seemed impossible to me.

  Then again, what the fuck did I know about werewolves.

  I watched the alpha’s enforcers, expecting at least one of the three wolves I knew as Renaldo, Rudy, and Mike to step forward and challenge Floyd. All three stepped back. Floyd growled and exposed his fangs in a triumphant wolf smile. Saliva dripped from the side of his curled lips like a rabid dog. He suddenly began to move toward Sam who stood unflappable beside his best friend.

  The threat to the smaller gray wolf was clear, so I wasn’t utterly shocked when Greg flattened his ears against his head and abruptly stepped into the gap between them. He began stalking toward the alpha. He loomed large as he approached Floyd, head lowered, snarling out a warning with an impressive show of fangs.

  Floyd stopped and stared at him, returning the snarl with glowing yellow eyes as he also lowered his wide head. He stopped in the road and instantly morphed into his half-man half-beast form. Savage claws sprouted from the alpha’s massive paws, and I knew what damage a single swipe of one could do. My own fangs were capable of similar damage. Floyd’s claws could easil
y slice through Greg’s neck like butter if he got close enough. I was quite sure that’s how he’d won his place in the pack. I didn’t have the details, but I knew however Floyd had secured his position, it hadn’t been only because he was the more powerful wolf. Something in his very demeanor told me that he wasn’t a wolf who played by pack law.

  I was even more surprised when Greg suddenly transformed. One moment he was on all fours, the next, he stood on two hairy legs, morphing into a half-man half-monster himself. The pack went wild, sending up a cacophony of howls, growls, barking like mad beasts. I had no knowledge of werewolf physiology, but I’d always thought that only an alpha could change into this horror movie form of beast. Perhaps Greg had it in his lineage somewhere. Romeo had not known he was a shifter and certainly not a unicorn until he shifted the first time. Was it possible Greg had a recessive gene in his ancestry as I suspected Rome had? I didn’t know anything about the big bartender werewolf.

  I turned to look over at Romeo who was staring right back at me, his dark brown eyes huge and round, looking even more surprised than I was.

  “What the fuck is going on?” Sally muttered under her breath. “Greg is an alpha? Since when?”

  Sid chuckled from beside me, and we all turned to look at the old witch.

  “You knew, old man?” I asked.

  The witch shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe.”

  I rolled my eyes and glanced back at Romeo. He’d turned away from Sid, lips pressed together into a thin line. He was focused not on the two half-beasts who now circled each other in the middle of the road, but on Sam. The gray werewolf was pawing at the ground and whining, letting out short chuffs and whimpers, in obvious distress at what his best friend and constant companion was about to do. Floyd was an experienced fighter with many battles under his belt. I suspected Greg was an average everyday beta, although Sally wondered if he was an alpha.

  I glanced away from the scene in front of me and looked up into the star filled sky, sending up a silent prayer. The moon was huge, hanging low, glowing bright yellow, and lighting up the entire sky. Clouds moved across it, and as I glanced back down at the scene in front of me, I couldn’t help noticing the eerie shadows that were cast on the two men who snarled at each other, circling, and preparing to attack. A moment later, both werewolves lunged for each other.

  Greg and Floyd crashed together, two snarling monsters, ripping and clawing, fangs tearing at thick fur. The wolves gathered close, boxing them in as they lifted their muzzles to the air and howled at the moon. I’d never seen a fight like this before. Both massive werewolves clawed through dense coats of fur, desperately trying to reach the sensitive skin beneath.

  I watched in awe as Greg drew the first real blood as he reared his wide head back and then in a flash, went for Floyd’s neck. His muzzle filled with vicious teeth barely scraped across the alpha’s skin when Floyd hit him backhanded, tossing Greg onto the ground with the back of one massive paw. Sam was going crazy, whining and clawing at the ground, whimpering as he watched Greg struggle to get to his feet before Floyd was on him, slamming him to the ground again.

  Floyd lowered his drooling jaws, aiming for Greg’s neck, and at the same time going for the soft skin of Greg’s belly with his front claws. At the last moment, Greg was able to headbutt Floyd but the blow to his wide forehead only stunned the alpha for a moment. The bartender’s underbelly didn’t get away unscathed as the alpha managed to shred him from chest to groin.

  Greg howled and rolled away but Floyd was on his back in seconds, again trying to close his jaws on Greg’s neck as he pinned him face first to the ground; he missed his vulnerable throat by inches, sinking his fangs into the younger werewolf’s shoulder. Greg let out a high-pitched howl as his pained protest went up. I felt a hand gripping my forearm and looked down, finding Romeo clutching me as he watched the horror play out in front of him.

  The scent of fresh animal blood hit my nostrils as Floyd slowly dragged his claws down Greg’s back, slicing him open. The bartender snarled in pain, and he rolled over again, managing to straddle the alpha.

  He lifted both paws and dragged them down both sides of Floyd’s face. The alpha let out a bloodcurdling howl, somehow managing to buck him off. He rolled away and fell onto his ass as Greg got back to his feet. He wobbled side to side, and I knew he was losing too much blood to keep going. He’d been shredded back and front, and a massive chunk of flesh was missing from his shoulder. Blood dripped from his underside, staining the white fur there and forming a pool of blood beneath him.

  My fangs tingled and dropped from my gums without warning. I’d spent too many years feeding on animal blood in lieu of humans for the scent of so much not to affect me. I hissed, and Rome turned to me, meeting my gaze with a shake of his head as his fingers gripped me harder. I reached for him, taking his bruising fingers in my own and squeezing tightly as we both returned our attention to the two werewolves. They lunged at each other again, and Greg sank his fangs into Floyd’s chest. I only noticed then that both sides of the alpha’s muzzle were bleeding from the deep grooves Greg’s claws had made in both cheeks. Seconds later, Greg was back on top of the alpha, and the werewolves were once again locked in mortal combat.

  The other wolves were going crazy and to my horror, I saw one charging in Sam’s direction, clearly caught up in bloodlust as the two huge wolves in the road fought to the death. Sam was totally oblivious to the danger with all his focus on Greg who was about to be slaughtered right in front of us.

  Before I could call out a warning, Romeo turned, let go of me, and lifted his arm. I saw a purple sphere of pure magic swirling in the palm of his hand a second before he thrust out his arm. From the day I’d met him he’d been working diligently to learn how to control and concentrate his magic for a moment just like this one.

  The baseball sized sphere shot straight out at the rushing werewolf just before his jaws could clamp down on Sam’s vulnerable neck. Sam was caught in a blast of energy and surprise which took him to the ground as his attacker was blasted back across the road, slamming against a pine tree with a vicious crack. As he hit the tree, he let out a canine scream that was abruptly cut off.

  It was only as he began a slow, bloody slide to the ground that I recognized him as one of Floyd’s enforcers. The moment he hit dirt, he transformed into a huge, tattooed man, fell over, and died, face first on the ground. The back of his head looked like a flattened, bloody eggshell.

  I turned back to the scene in front of me. The two werewolves were now in full wolf form, and I realized that the energy it took for them to hold the middle form, must be unsustainable for very long. They rolled and rolled in the dirt, snarling as the howls of the pack continued to fill the woods around us. I heard a guttural canine scream and a clipped whine as Greg got Floyd onto his back and sank his jaws into the side of the alpha’s neck. Holding him down with all his weight, Greg straddled the massive wolf as Floyd reached back and clawed at his rear flanks. He somehow managed to drag his long claws down each hip, shredding fur and finding the soft flesh underneath it. If Greg survived the blood loss, I prayed he’d find enough strength to shift back and forth a few times to heal. I’d heard that was the only way a werewolf could heal deep wounds.

  Greg held on even though he thrashed side to side, trying to get Floyd’s claws dislodged from his fur. Blood pooled on the ground from both wolves, and I turned to Romeo who dropped his gaze to my mouth. With difficulty I closed my lips over my long fangs, ashamed of how I must look to him. There was no way I would be able to retract them until all was said and done, and we were away from this place where blood flowed freely.

  A sudden howl and a punctuated cry drew our attention back to the fray. Floyd was struggling to get up on all fours, blood pouring off his muzzle, running down the side of his neck, and chest. He took in heaving breaths as Greg stood over him. Finally, the alpha let out a long slow whimper, collapsing back down onto the blood-soaked road.

  I watched him slowly transf
orming back into a bleeding naked man before my eyes. Greg stepped back, bleeding profusely from where he’d been clawed in his back, hips, and belly, his muzzle dripping with blood from where he’d bitten Floyd. He stayed in wolf form, and I realized that this must mean something. As Floyd took human form again, I could see how exhausted he was, bleeding from just about everywhere there was skin. He slowly raised one bloody hand; his fingers no longer tipped with vicious claws.

  “Surrender…” he ground out softly, half breathless. I noticed only then, the vicious claw marks that had opened up his right side, exposing rib bone. The rest of his pack lifted their muzzles to the moon and howled.

  Greg swayed side to side, and he lifted his face to the moon, echoing the former packs’ howls. Sam bounded up to his side. In moments, the two werewolves were men again and Sam gently took Greg’s badly bleeding body into his arms and cradled him to his own naked skin, slick with his own sweat.

  “It is done!” Sid declared, calling out to the wolves. They howled in excited reply. “What do you want the sheriff to do with your former alpha?”

  Three male and three female wolves took form as humans in front of us. They were clearly mated pairs, and they stepped forward, looking right at Romeo.

  “Floyd raped our mates,” one man said. “For that, we want him scourged before he’s driven from Frederick pack lands.” Howls went up from the other pack members still in wolf form. “Sheriff! Please let us take him as pack law commands.”

  “You have my permission…as your pack law commands.”

  “It is forbidden for pack members to touch a disgraced alpha if he hasn’t died in the fight for his title,” Sid said.

  Romeo cut the witch a sidelong glance.

  Sid pointed to Floyd lying face up on the road, panting and bleeding. His breathing was wet, and I found it hard to believe that even a man as strong as Floyd would be able to withstand further punishment his pack intended to mete out.