by Flynn, Donna
Mercy opened her mouth to tell her that she was right, but Alec spoke before she could form the words.
“You are not a stranger. I have known you since we were children, and Mercy might benefit from your experience.”
He walked to Mercy and placed his arm around her pulling her close, missing the narrowing of Amber’s eyes, but Mercy saw it and knew her fears had been right. Amber wanted Alec, and she wasn’t even trying to hide it from her. Of course, to Amber, a wolf who was in full command of her beast, she must seem like no threat at all, but Mercy had no intention of letting the conniving witch before her have Alec. She might not have accepted her wolf, but she would learn how to just so she could kick the other girl’s butt and send her packing.
“I would be delighted to share my knowledge with her. After all, I am the daughter of an Alpha. I was born to be a leader’s mate,” Amber told them.
Her face was pleasant enough, but Mercy felt the warning in her words. Amber had issued a challenge, and she seemed entirely too confident she would be the victor.
“You certainly were, and someday, when the right Alpha comes along, I have no doubt you will convince him that you are the only one who can help him rule his pack,” Alec told her with a chuckle.
“Oh, I can assure you, nothing will stand in my way if I want a man.”
Amber’s eyes met Mercy’s and she shivered at the extreme dislike she saw there. Mercy trembled slightly, and Alec hugged her closer, but the chill in the room had nothing to do with temperature, and everything to do with the she wolf before her who wanted her man, or mate, or whatever Alec was to her. Either way he was hers, and she wasn’t going to lose him.
“Knock, knock,” Gina said opening the door and walking into the kitchen, her gaze falling on Amber, her lips bowed down in a frown. “Oh, I thought we were going to help Mercy shift this afternoon.”
“We are,” Alec told her, releasing Mercy. “I’ll get Lucan, then we can start.”
He left the room completely unaware of the tension between the two women, but Gina felt it immediately and knew Amber had been busy. Mercy might not be used to female werewolves, but Amber was, and she knew when they wanted something they would do anything to get what they sought no matter who they had to hurt to get it. “You know, it might be better if you let Mercy and her family spend this time alone,” she said, not even bothering to hide her dislike for the female she was addressing.
“Alec asked me to help since I have so much more experience than Mercy at shifting, and I would do anything for him even help poor little Marcy, who is so out of her league with an alpha wolf like him.”
Mercy snarled and took a step towards Amber, but Gina was quick to step in front of her, stopping her from doing anything stupid, knowing she was not ready to face another female werewolf. “This is not about Alec or you, it’s about Mercy.”
“That’s so cute the way you stick up for your friend, but let me assure you everything I do is for Alec, so stay out of my way.”
“Or what,” Gina hissed her own hackles raised by the females arrogance.
The two of them stared at each other, sizing one another up.
“Okay, let’s get going.” Alec said walking into the kitchen, Lucan following close behind. All three women turned to look at them at once and he paused looking between them all warily. “Is everything alright?”
“Of course, I was just telling Gina and Mercy that there is nothing I would not do for you,” Amber said with a wide smile.
“That’s sweet,” he told her, going to Mercy’s side and taking her hand in his. “You ready?”
“Do I have a choice?” she replied, all the excitement she had felt about learning to shift gone now that Amber was going to be present.
“If you’re not ready we can wait,” he told her, disappointment easy to read on his face.
“You know, some people never learn to embrace what we are. You should not try to rush it,” Amber said behind them, clearly delighted by her foes unease.
Mercy cringed. If she backed out, she would be giving Amber just what she wanted, a show of weakness, and there was no way she was willing to let her win. “No, now is as good a time as any,” Mercy told him, pulling his head down and brushing her lips across his, knowing it would aggravate Amber.
“Let’s do this then,” Gina said at the door, holding it open for Alec, Mercy and Lucan, but letting it slip out if her fingers when Amber moved to walk through.
The door slammed back hard, but Amber quickly caught it and flashed a triumphant look at Gina before following Alec and Mercy into the yard.
*****
“It’s not that hard, Mercy. Focus, and call your wolf, the shift will happen naturally, and I will help if it becomes too much for you,” Alec said softly, his arms wrapped around her waist offering support.
“Maybe she’s afraid,” Amber commented dryly from the log where she watched. They had been at it for a while and to her immense pleasure, Mercy was utterly inept at shifting.
Mercy was embarrassed, tired, and became more defeated with every failed attempt she made to shift, and Amber’s belittling only made matters worse.
“She’s not afraid, she’s just learning,” Gina snapped, her anger at the interfering female reaching a boiling point. Alec’s gaze snapped to her, the censure there easy to read, and she lowered her head in submission, clenching her fists tight to keep her wolf in check.
Mercy felt the wave of dominance that radiated from Alec and her heart broke to see her proud friend lower her head in deference to Alec’s wishes. She glanced at Amber, who wore a satisfied smirk and knew she had to gain Alec’s attention before Gina forgot herself and went after Amber anyway, which would mean a grave punishment in response. “I’m fine, let’s just do this,” Mercy whispered closing her eyes, ready to try again if it meant saving her friend from trouble.
“Good, now call to your wolf, let her know you are willing to set her free,” Alec said softly, reassuring her he was with her all the way, forgetting all about Gina and Amber in order to focus on his mate.
Mercy concentrated hard, but all she could think about was Amber and how abundantly clear she had made it that she wanted Alec. With every failed try at shifting, she heard Amber’s snarky comments and felt even more embarrassed by her lack of experience, but Alec did not seem to mind. In fact, he kept her close, always touching her and offering words of comfort despite the disappointment she knew he must have felt. “I can’t,” she whispered, leaning back against him, feeling like a failure.
“It doesn’t matter, you have time,” he told her, hugging her close.
“I feel like a loser,” she muttered.
“You’re not, close your eyes and let me help.” She did as he asked and he held her close letting his wolf have enough rein to call to hers. He felt her stiffen and knew her wolf had answered the call. “It’s alright, relax, let her free,” he whispered, “She wants to run, Mercy, let her; I will shift too, you won’t be alone.”
“I’m scared,” she whimpered as her bones began to move and her body began to quiver like Jell-O.
“I’m with you, angel,” he told her, surprised by how quickly she was transforming. He let his own wolf free, so he could keep up with her, and soon they both lay on the ground in their wolf forms, their limbs tangled, her head on his neck as she took deep breaths of air. She whined, and he turned his head to hers, nuzzling her with his nose to reassure her before he rose to his feet.
Mercy’s wolf rose shakily next to him, small and compact compared to his massive size, but with a shake and a loud growl in Amber’s direction, she grew more confident. Alec nudged her towards the woods, but let her take the lead, and soon they were running through the expanse of forest that surrounded their home.
“Well, it looks like they don’t need our help,” Amber said, jumping down from the rock, brushing her hands together. “I guess I’ll just go and find Daddy, it’s close to dinner time anyway. Tell Alec I’ll see him tomorrow.”
<
br /> “Yeah, I’ll be sure to do that,” Gina muttered. “Not.”
“Hey, how did it go?” Cade asked, walking into the clearing to replace Lucan who had gone home to make dinner. His brother told him about Mercy’s troubles shifting, and he was encouraged that it appeared she had finally shifted.
“Alec had to help her,” she told him, sorry her friend was having so much trouble shifting.
“I was hoping she had done it by herself,” Cade said disappointedly. He knew Mercy would be unhappy that she had not shifted on her own, and hoped she would not see it as another excuse to deny what she was.
“Cade, I know this is off the wall, but what do you know about Amber?”
“Her father is one of the biggest pack leaders in the state. He and Gregory have been friends since they were children, so have Alec and Amber. Why?” he asked, puzzled by her question.
“She seems very possessive of Alec, as if she were his mate and not Mercy.”
Cade laughed, understanding immediately she was looking out for her friend. “Amber has always been that way. She is an only child, and she does not share well with others. I am sure she sees Mercy as a threat for Alec’s attention, but he will handle it.”
She was glad he such confidence in Alec, but she doubted he was even aware of Amber’s interest in him. She knew from experience men could be rather clueless about things like that.
“Come on, I’ll walk you back to the house,” he offered, knowing Alec and Mercy would run for hours before coming back.
*****
Oblivious to anything but Mercy, Alec’s wolf ran close to its mate keeping one eye on the forest around them as she explored the area, and the other on her wolf, shocked by how appealing she was to him even in wolf form. She was a beautiful sight, her red fur so silky it shone in the dimming sunlight as he watched her chase rabbits, jumping over fallen trees with ease, never once faltering or backing away from a challenge. It was hard to believe that she was new to being one of them when she and her wolf flowed seamlessly with each other. The control she had over her animal side was astounding, and he could not have been prouder of her than he was as he ran alongside of her.
As if sensing his thoughts, she stopped and came to his side, leaning against his body. She rested her head on his neck, panting softly. She was tired, they had been running for hours, and it was time to shift back so they could let the others who kept watch over the forest get some rest too. He pushed his muzzle into her side, directing her to a clearing where they could have privacy to shift back. She gave him a tired but happy look as they entered the clearing, waiting patiently while he checked the area for any sign of trouble. When he found all was well, he turned to her, giving her a mental push to shift. As her wolf lay on the ground ready to transform he walked into the forest for his own shift so she could have privacy.
The shift back to her human form was so quick Mercy was stunned to find herself naked on the ground barely a few minutes after Alec had left. She quickly grabbed the clothing her brother had left behind for her, sliding into her underwear and bra before pulling a T-shirt over her head, then reaching for her jeans. The hair on her neck stood up and her spine tingled alerting her to another presence in the clearing, and she turned thinking to find Alec there waiting. Instead, she saw the black wolf that had attacked her at the river standing a few feet away, its red eyes glowing as it stared at her. Her first instinct was to run, but she knew it would attack if she did, so she forced herself to remain calm as the wolf drew closer, circling her, as she stood frozen in place. The animal advanced slowly, and she took a hesitant step back. Her foot landed in a hole causing her to stumble and she fell backwards onto the ground, landing with a solid thud on her butt. The wolf pounced, its teeth inches from her face, its warm moist breath feathering her cheek. One paw held her shoulder down as it moved its head closer to her neck sniffing her with its massive nose.
Fear and rage took over. Tired of being a victim, she pulled in all of her strength and shoved her knees up and into its belly with all her might, throwing it off her. The wolf whimpered as its body connected with a rock, and she scrambled to her feet running as fast she could go towards the woods where Alec had departed. Just as she made it to the tree line, Alec burst through the greenery, grabbing her roughly and shoving her behind him, placing himself in the path of the wolf.
The wolf eyed him warily but made no move to attack. He stared at Mercy on the ground, tears rolling down her cheeks, and growled with displeasure, then turned and ran off into the woods without a challenge.
Alec wanted to give chase, but the wolf had a clear advantage in his animal form and his mate needed tending to, so he called to the others in the area and sent them to hunt down the wolf that dared to attack his mate. “Are you alright?” Alec asked, pulling Mercy into his arms reassuring himself by touching her that she was truly safe before looking her over for injury.
“I’m fine, just some cuts and bruises,” she assured him as he sat her down on a smooth boulder checking over the scrapes to her legs. He was oddly silent as his hands ran over her bare skin making her body warm and tingly. She bit her lip to keep from moaning. His fingers moved over her thigh towards a large scrape from where she had fallen to the ground. His hands stopped moving, his breathing grew labored, and he looked up suddenly. Her breath caught in her throat. She could see a desire and longing in his eyes that matched her own, and she felt her cheeks flush with heat. He tapped his fingers against her skin as if uncertain what to do next, and she leaned forward capturing his lips with her own, winding her fingers into his thick chestnut hair, pulling him to her. Gently he pushed back, moving over her, their lips mingling as his body melded against hers. Her hands moved to his shirt, pushing the soft cotton material upwards as his own hand moved up her torso. She tore his shirt over his head and arched towards him feeling his emotions, reveling in the unchecked desire that poured in waves from his body.
Alec felt her easy response, knew it would be so easy to posses her when she was so overwhelmed with longing for him and his wolf urged him on, wanting to claim its mate. Want, desire, and need of his own had made him reckless, but deep down he knew he could not compromise his mate. “No!” He bit out angrily, pulling back from Mercy’s tempting body, aware how remarkably close they were to making the mistake he had promised her brothers would never happen. His body fought his mind, but as he looked down upon her, he knew he had done the right thing. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips kiss swollen, and she was too caught up in the moment to think clearly. It was not the time or the place for their joining. That would come later, when she was fully ready to commit to him.
“Alec?” She whispered uncertainly her voice husky, and laced with desire.
“We can’t do this, not until you are ready to accept me as your mate,” he told her lying on his back next to her, his own body trembling as it came down from the high it had been on.
“When will that be?” she asked, laying her head on his chest, hating the fact that she was so inexperienced with men, pack life, and relationships.
“When you embrace what you are and we move forward with our relationship. Until then, I promised your brothers I would respect you, and I will, even though it is killing me.” He ran his fingers through her red curls, sating himself with the idea that soon she would be his forever.
Mercy thought about his words and anger grew inside of her. As much as she loved her brothers, they were not going to tell her what to do when it came to her love life, and she had to make sure Alec understood that. “Alec, I love that you’re so close to my brothers, but they do not own me. Although I agree now is not the time for us to be intimate, I am not waiting for their approval to have sex.”
She sat up and looked down him her soft hair curling around her face, her lips kiss- swollen, and her eyes filled with desire, and it was all he could do to stop himself from pushing her back down and doing the precise thing he had vowed not to. “I can’t break a promise, Mercy, even for you,” he to
ld her, reaching out to tuck her hair behind her ear.
She caught his hand and kissed the palm, then smiled. “I’m not going to let my brothers rule my life. They have to let me grow up.”
“I think you will find that no matter what age you are, they will never believe you’re old enough to have sex,” he told her with a grin.
She recalled the many times Lucan teased her, saying she had to wait until her forties to entertain the idea of having sex, and shuddered. “I am so not waiting till I’m forty, which is what Lucan wants. That is not even an option.” He chuckled, pulling her down to him for another kiss.
*****
Lucan, who had begun to worry when Mercy and Alec didn’t show for dinner, burst through the wood line into the clearing shocked to find Mercy splayed over Alec dressed in only her shirt and underwear, engaged in a kiss that made his blood boil instantly.
Cade came out behind him his eyes finding the couple instantly, and he placed his hand on his brother’s shaking shoulder, hoping to calm him. “Don’t make a scene,” Cade warned, but he knew his brother was not listening. When it came to Mercy, he still saw her as a little girl and seeing her in such a grown-up situation would infuriate him.
Lucan raced to the rock, tearing Mercy off Alec, his fist connecting with Alec’s jaw before he even had a chance to realize what was happening. Mercy screamed and tried to grab Lucan’s arm, but Cade pulled her out of the way just as Alec bounded to his feet. Lucan gave him no time to recover, his fist moved through the air once more, but Alec blocked it and ducked low, hitting Lucan in the belly, slamming his shoulder into his midsection and driving him to the ground.
“Damn it, Luc, nothing happened,” Alec screamed, holding him down as he fought wildly under him.
“That’s because I came at the right time,” Lucan growled, shoving him off and pushing to his feet, his face filled with rage.