To Come First

by J C Rae

  The enforcers surround their little group and I can’t help but smile. “Looks like your back up, well, backed up!” I can’t help it, I laugh at my little joke. Nica, however, doesn’t seem to find anything humorous in my words.

  Stepping towards me, she snarls loudly. “The challenge still stands you bitch and I plan on ripping you apart!”

  She jumps towards me, only to freeze when Uncle steps forward with his own snarl. I have to say, his is much scarier.

  “You have dishonored this pack, Nica. You and your friends are hereby stripped of pack status and sentenced to the pits. Enforcers, make sure they make it there, mostly in one piece.”

  Without delay, the Enforcers grab the group of five and start corralling them away. Nica’s friends are struggling to get away, demanding that they didn’t know what she was up to and are innocent. Somehow, during the confusion, Nica is able to break away from the man holding her. Instead of running for cover, the dumbass comes straight for me. I’m done playing nice! If she wants a fight then I’ll give her one.

  Stepping forward, I warn the guys that I got this. When she lunges towards me, I don’t shy away. Instead, I head straight for her, grabbing her by the neck and slamming her down into the ground. I didn’t train all these years for nothing. Moving over to pin her, while squeezing her neck, she starts struggling. Her scratches would bring blood to my hands and arms but I don’t feel it with my shield in place.

  Pulling her up by her neck, I slam her down into the ground. When she realizes that I won’t be letting go, her growl turns feral. Her body shimmers and I know that she’s changing into her wolf. Letting go quickly, I jump to my feet and settle in, ready for her.

  Judging by her eyes, I can tell that she’s no longer thinking rationally. She jumps straight for me, causing me to quickly slide to the side. As she passes, I pull my dagger, glad that I remembered to strap it on earlier, and slice down her side. Her growl as she turns back towards me proves that I didn’t miss. Smiling slightly, I cock my head towards her.

  “Now would be a good time for you to give up, bitch. You will not beat me.”

  She refuses to listen to my advice and once again, charges straight for me. I would think she would fight better, especially since she’s been with this pack since birth, but maybe I’m giving her too much credit. I guess she’s too used to letting everyone else fight for her. She seems like the typical bully that likes throwing around threats but has nothing to back it up.

  When she gets close to me, she jumps, only this time I drop to my knees and slide my dagger thru her stomach. I can feel the blood splatter around me as she drops straight to the ground. I’m not sure how much more she can take but it looks like she’s down.

  Turning towards the guys, I’m surprised to see that they are all closer than I thought. They all kept their distance to let me handle this but that doesn’t mean they were leaving me on my own. I feel some kind of emotion in my chest but I push it down. Now is not the time to try to figure out those damn feelings. We need to clean up this mess and figure out what to do about Alpha Caden. It seems to me that he’s trying to cause chaos here and I’m not entirely certain that it’s just because he wants to kill Uncle.

  I’m about to ask what happens next when all of their faces change. A shout of “No” echoes thru my head and I have just enough time to turn around before I’m tackled to the ground by a wolf. Seems Nica had more left in her than I thought. The impact with the hard ground knocks the air out of my lungs and my head slams so hard that it rattles my teeth. I’m sure I would be shredded too if I didn’t have my shield. I have just enough thought left in my addled brain to bring my dagger up just as she goes for my throat.

  I know that she can’t get thru to me but that doesn’t stop the fear that fills my body. Just as she’s trying to latch on, I slide my dagger to the side of her wolfy head and strike quickly. If she wants to play, then I’ll gladly oblige, but she doesn’t realize that I play for keeps. As the blade slices thru her ear and up into her brain, she seems to realize what’s happening and tries to back pedal off of me. The only problem with that is that she can’t because her body already knows what her brain is trying to deny.

  She slumps heavily on me and I watch as the light leaves her eyes. I hate that I had to do that but the next person she wanted to bully might not have been as lucky as me and I would not let that happen. Too many times I saw that happen and I was afraid to put myself out there because I didn’t want to care. This time, I think I’m finally ready to prove that I’m worthy.

  ◆◆◆

  Nica’s friends saw the whole fight and knew that they weren’t going to get out of this punishment so they stopped struggling with the enforcers and followed them to the pits. Releasing a shaky breath, I turn towards the guys. Luca is still in his wolf form and, now, so is Bryce. He must have changed when she took the final lunge towards me. Randolf and Braxton look towards me and hesitantly reach out at the same time.

  I don’t hesitate to take the final steps towards them and relax into their hold. Knowing that someone can’t hurt you doesn’t stop that adrenaline from taking over and making you second guess everything. I breathe in their scents and my whole body turns to jelly. Bryce and Luca both rub against my legs and it’s like my whole world comes to a stop. Something clicks in my chest and I feel whole for the first time, ever! It’s so overwhelming, my body starts shaking.

  Before I drop to the ground, I’m lifted into Braxton’s arms, bridal style. He looks at my face with worried eyes and then turns towards the other guys. “We need to get her back to the house. The bond is forming!”

  His walk quickly turns into a run as we head towards the house. I can’t seem to pick up my head but I know that they are all following. Uncle’s shout slows them down but they don’t stop. Behind me, I can hear Randolf shouting something to Uncle but I just can’t seem to catch the words. My head feels fuzzy even with my heart feeling full for the first time. I heard Braxton talking about the bond forming but I don’t know what he meant. I really want to ask but my mouth doesn’t seem to be working either. What the hell is going on?

  The next thing I know, I’m being laid out on a soft bed. I don’t remember coming inside the house and I’m kind of getting scared. I’m able to turn my head slightly and I see Braxton’s lips moving but I can’t hear anything. My chest is aching and I can’t seem to catch my breath.

  Randolf steps into view and he says something but it’s still just noise to me. Then he points at me and takes a deep breath before blowing it out. He continues doing it while pointing between us and I realize he’s wanting me to breathe with him. The first inhale I take isn’t very large but I still blow it out and repeat. With each breath I take, it starts getting easier and sound starts to slowly filter back in. I still can’t move but at least my chest doesn’t feel like it’s going to explode now!

  I can hear Braxton and Bryce arguing but I can’t see them. Randolf is still doing the breathing exercises but he seems to notice that I’ve calmed down enough to function so he says, “Beautiful, I need you to drop the shields around all of us. I know you’re scared but we would never let anyone hurt you. The bond is forming and we all need to be touching you so the pain doesn’t overwhelm us all. It’s going to be okay but we need the shields down. Please, I hope you can hear me. I know you’re scared but please trust us.”

  He keeps repeating himself, over and over, before it registers to me what he is saying. I drop the shields, not just ours but everyone’s, and try to reach out with my hand but all I can do is twitch my arm. He must’ve been holding my hand because he stops talking and looks down before pulling my hand up to his face and sighing.

  “She did it guys. She’s back but she can’t seem to move much. I felt her hand twitch and she’s watching me but I don’t think she can talk.”

  When he says that, it reminds me that I can mind speak so I try that instead. Focusing is harder right now, but I make sure that I include all four of them and then reply I c
an’t move but I can finally hear you again. I’m not sure what just happened but it freaked me the fuck out and I guess I needed a minute.

  Four relieved faces come into view and I would smile if I could. Wait, four faces. What the hell? My eyes dart between the three faces I know and the one that I have never seen before. High cheekbones carved into a masculine face are the first thing that I notice. Gorgeous gray eyes meet mine and I can see his vulnerability. He’s biting his lip like he’s nervous but from what I can see, he has nothing at all to be worried about! His voice enters my mind hesitantly, I was worried about you and we must be in our human form in order to complete the bond. I’m sorry if I scared you.

  Quickly, before he could retreat, I look right at him. You have no reason to be sorry. I have always told you that it was your choice what form you stay in. I’m just glad that I can finally place a less hairy face with the voice. Damn, you guys are all sexy as hell! Someone make sure I’m not drooling…please!

  They laugh but I’m not kidding. Once they settle down, it’s Randolf who decides to try explaining what’s going on. I’m sorry that none of us thought to tell you more about the bond and I’m sure you’re wondering what’s going on. Basically, wolves can scent who their mate is. That is the first step but it’s not the only thing that happens. Once all mates have connected, the next step is to seal the bond, which is what is happening now. We have all accepted the bond and we must all touch you to seal it. I’m not sure why you dropped like that because I have never seen it happen. But I would say it’s because you are human, or somewhat human, and you are reacting differently. The last, and final step, is Marking, and that is done during mating. No, that doesn’t mean that we all have to jump in the sack right this minute so get that look off your face. That means, when we are ready, we will each mark you. But we can discuss that more, later. No matter what happens, we will be here for you.

  As he’s saying the last part, the guys all look at each other and nod. It’s cute that they all seem to be on the same page and I’m not sure if it’s part of being in the same bond or if it’s because they have known each other for so many years. While I’m thinking about all this, I start to feel weird. I can’t pinpoint what’s happening, but something is coursing thru my body. It doesn’t hurt but it’s slightly uncomfortable so I decide I should tell the boys.

  I don’t know what happening but something feels different. Like, something inside of me. I can feel this presence coursing thru my body. Is that the bond?

  When they all start shaking their heads, I start to get a little panicky. The feeling is ramping up and I can’t seem to do anything about it. The best way that I can describe it is a strength filling me. Before I can full out panic, a wave of calm washes over me and I realize that I can feel my body again. Wiggling my fingers and then my toes, I tell the guys that feeling is coming back to my body. Their quick exhales that echo thru the room shows me how worried they were themselves.

  Just as I’m relaxing back into the bed, my whole body stiffens and I jerk to the side, ripping the guys hands from my skin. Their shouts of surprise echo thru my head as pain seems to take over everything. Curling up in a ball, I clench my fist against my mouth to try to keep from screaming. A muffled whimper is all that escapes but it’s enough to make the guys start moving towards me.

  “Guys, I don’t know what’s going on,” I clench out thru gritted teeth. “It feels like there’s something inside of me that’s trying to tear its way free! OH!”

  With that, I let out an ear piercing scream. A loud pop sounds thru the room, followed by the sound of shredding fabric. At first, I think one of the guys shifted but then I feel it. It’s me! I’m the one shifting. How in the hell is that possible? I make eye contact with Luca about the same time another pop echoes loudly. He must see the confusion and pain thru my eyes because he quickly grabs my face.

  “I don’t know how but it looks like you are going thru your first shift. Don’t fight it, please baby, don’t fight it. If you just let go, your wolf will take over and we will all be here to help you. Please baby, don’t fight it. I just got you. I don’t want to lose you.”

  He continues calmly talking to me and it finally sinks in what he was saying. I’m shifting into a wolf. How did this happen? Oh shit, I’m going crazy. It’s finally happened. Finding love and family has pushed me over the damn edge of reality in a way that all the beatings in the world couldn’t have done. Pulling my panic back, I try to do as he says and let my wolf take over. Closing my eyes, I try to visualize my wolf, then snort when I realize how stupid I must look.

  Taking a deep breath, I try again, but this time I feel something. Looking deeper into myself, I feel soft fur rubbing against my insides. She wants out. I don’t know how I know it but I just do. It’s like she’s trying to tell me that she doesn’t want to hurt me but she needs my help. With that thought, I relax completely, letting her take over. I just know that she will never hurt me and it’s like the pain stopped immediately.

  I take a minute to assess my body and realize that I feel great. Wow, talk about a 180! I felt like I was dying a minute ago and now I feel like I could run a marathon and not even break a sweat. Where the hell was all this energy hiding?

  The sensation of fur rubbing against my insides is back. It’s a little disturbing mixed with comforting. I decide to just stick to the comfort and go with it. I hear a hesitant voice but it sounds distant. It keeps asking if I’m okay. Actually, there’s more than one voice but they are all asking the same thing. I’m not sure what their worried about now because I feel better than I ever have.

  Finally, opening my eyes, I realize what the issue is. All four of the guys’ faces show shock and fear. When they realize that I’m looking at them, the shock and fear fades away to be replaced with awe. This lasts for a couple minutes before I’ve had enough. You’d think I grew wings or something with the way they are staring at me. I decide I’m just going to have to knock some sense into them and I start to tell them to stop. The only problem, it comes out as a bark!

  Quickly looking down at my body, or what used to be my body, all I can see is silvery fur. Spinning around, I try to see the rest of my body but all I end up doing is moving in a circle. After a couple rounds, I hear a chuckle and stop. Looking towards Braxton, he raises his hands. “You’re adorable Ash. You are a beautiful wolf!”

  The guys all agree with him, in one way or another, but I just harrumph, which causes all of them to break out in chuckles. Before I can do anything else, the door is smashed open. Uncle, followed by Matt and a couple of his enforcers, enter the room and then come to a complete standstill. The quiet lasts a few seconds before Matt breaths out, “Well, I’ll be damned! She’s a fucking wolf.”

  TO BE CONTINUED…….

  Dear Reader

  Wow, it's finally done! I hope you have had as much fun reading my book baby as I have writing it. I am so thankful that you have allowed me the chance of writing you a story and I would be extremely grateful if you would take the time to leave a review. Honestly, reviews are a big deal for all authors because this is how a reader will find out about the book and if they might be interested in reading it themselves.

  Please click HERE to leave a couple words. It doesn't have to be much and I would love to know how you feel about the story. Whether you write a couple sentences or a couple paragraphs, please know that I really appreciate it, so please please please......OK, I'm done begging lol.

  If you haven't already, please think about following my Reader Group and my Author Page. By doing this, you will be in the loop on any new books coming out, any special offers being passed around, and, of course, any cool giveaway offers!

 

 

 
ayscale(100%); -o-filter: grayscale(100%); -ms-filter: grayscale(100%); filter: grayscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share