The Mechanic's Mate

by Mikea Howard

  Domek knew she wanted to run. It was obvious in her posture. The way her eyes darted around, looking for a means of escape, gave it away. But as an omega wolf, she remained submissive to his alpha bearing. Her very nature insisted she obey any direct command he gave. She fidgeted, fighting her growing arousal, her body responding to his desires. Unfortunately, his desire involved picking her up, turning her around, slamming her hips into that rotten tree, and grabbing her hair to take her until she couldn't see straight. Better yet, until neither of them could move.

  Unsure as to where this instant desire came from, Domek mashed his lids closed. He needed to get the feeling under control. Once satisfied that he could continue without being sidetracked, he eased his eyes open.

  She wore nothing more than a blouse. Remembering she’d mated the rogue he’d sworn to destroy, a low growl rumbled in his throat. He locked eyes with her again and she let out a little squeak. A wide array of emotion had passed through her golden gaze since he found her, arousal, anger, confusion, and even a brief bout of joy. Right now another one dominated.

  Fear.

  Chapter 2

  “What the hell is wrong with me?” Sadie asked.

  The man held his hand out to her; Sadie took it, not because she wanted to. I don’t. But even behaving like a sulking child, she had to. She refused to turn her eyes up, not wanting the relief that flooded her when his fingers tightened on hers. Warmth and safety ensconced her as it hadn’t for . . . a long time. Memories of cuddling with her mother filled her mind as tears filled her eyes. Keeping those memories locked down tight, they hadn’t escaped for years. She’d lost her so young. Sadie kept the loving embrace, the sweet smell associated with Mom locked tight in her heart.

  Great now I’m crazy and a sap . . . what is he doing to me? She glanced up at him, waiting on her patiently.

  He cocked his head, bluntly saying, “Since you came all the way out here, I assumed you were looking for me, for your pack. Unless you wanted to go rogue, because I can kill you now. If not, we should head home and get you settled.”

  Laughing out loud she glanced at his straight stern face. “Do I look like a pushover? You’re feeding me a line about the bumping me off part right?”

  His eyes glazed over as though she spoke another language.

  “Killing me, you’re joking right?”

  “No.”

  “Ummm . . . okay, then I guess that sounds ducky. Let’s scram?”

  Rolling his eyes at her impatiently, the Nattie demanded, “I don’t speak diesel. Can you speak plain English?”

  Born and raised in Eureka, in the lower east no less, she grew up speaking diesel. In her neighborhood, if you didn’t speak the language, you couldn’t communicate with half of your customers. Cutting the lingo would take some effort.

  “Sorry. That sounds great, let’s head home.” Her heart sped up as the corner of his lip twitched and he pulled her along.

  About twenty steps into their trek the adrenalin from her great escape had worn off. Her feet, which had never walked barefoot outdoors, hurt. Every muscle ached from the run into the woods.

  Sadie had run longer than this surely. I have, right? Without question, working as a mechanic had strained her muscles more than the trek here. It’s not like she sat around all day or was a stranger to hard work. Craning her neck up at the sound of a grunt, she forced the back of her head into an uncomfortable position until, at long last, his face came into view. No longer standing, the ground dug into her hip and he strained to pull her up again.

  Once he had her standing, the werewolf focused those blue eyes on her with keen interest. “When did you last eat?”

  “I don’t know, what’s today?”

  “Are you telling me you’ve been without food for days?” His mouth agape, he muttered, “You’re a new wolf, and you must eat!”

  “I’m sorry,” she said imitating his expression. “I was busy being locked up . . . by a no-good fakeloo artist . . . and, and . . . don’t look at me like that, as though I didn’t want to chew!”

  “Sit, now.”

  “I’m not your dog!” Sadie yelled, as her knees buckled, seated where she’d stood moments ago. It’s because I wanted to sit. Really.

  “You need to eat. You need protein to heal and to support your new physiology. I’ll shift and hunt something up quickly. Did Eridon shift in front of you?”

  How could this guy know that grifter Eridon bit me? Oh, werewolf senses, duh! “Umm no, can you smell him on me or something?”

  “Yes.” He sneered at her. “You will study me as I change because watching will help you at the coming full moon. Your first change can be difficult and I expect smooth transitions from my wolves.”

  What’s this appleknocker tryin’ to say, my wolves, what’s that supposed to mean?

  Needing to remain a sulking teenager for some reason, she sniped, “Yes, master.”

  “Yes, I am your master, but more importantly, your alpha. Do not use such a petulant tone with me. I’m just looking after you, not abusing you.”

  He cringed a little at the last statement, but turned and prepared for his shift all the same. All the signs of her previous experience with werewolves, so far, remained apparent across her skin.

  Stripping completely, he squatted, giving her a full frontal view. Then folded his clothes, pivoted and placed them just under the bush next to him. Glancing over his shoulder he conveyed the importance of each action. Sadie couldn’t get past the current view of his keen bare ass, muscular back, and solid legs.

  Even though this man happened to be the cat's pajamas, dieselheads did not do this. You never just undressed in front of strangers. He stood and turned, presenting his left profile. This afforded her a clear view of his front and back while muscle, bone, and sinew reformed in a grotesque, yet beautiful way. His expression showed discomfort, but he never cried out. That has to hurt. The facade of effortlessness diminished when his face strained, his mouth became a muzzle, and he fell to all fours.

  Those stern ice-blue eyes stared at her from a beautiful, and enormous black wolf. He’s quite spectacular. Will I be that big? What color will I be?

  The wolf approached, cocked his head, and then took off to her right. Certain his head tilt was a ‘thing’ with him and meant something specific, she just didn’t know what. Intuition insisted Sadie stay put. Rebellion bubbled inside wanting to move just to show him he didn’t control her, but she elected not to.

  Sadie took a deep, centering breath. As demanding as this wolf came across, somehow his presence put her soul at ease. From birth, her mind had tended to bounce all over the place, but the moment Eridon’s teeth sank into her shoulder her mind’s restlessness intensified, leaving her downright unable to focus. Her thoughts still wandered, but now that this new man surfaced, some order contained the riot in her head.

  She relaxed, lost in the rustle of the leaves on their branches and the light breeze through the woods. When the dead rabbit dropped into view she just about jumped out of her skin, but Sadie overflowed with pride at not screaming upon the carcass’ appearance.

  Extra points for me, Dillinger!

  All internal celebration stuttered to a halt when his next words registered. “You need to eat the whole thing.”

  What?! She craned her neck up at him. Still naked, he slid his legs back into his pants, his intense gaze pinning her. She swallowed. “Raw?”

  “As a wolf you will learn to eat meat raw, however, if it will help you now I’ll make a fire and cook your meal for you.”

  Her heart melted a little. Though he meant nothing by his statement, no one had said, ‘for you’, in so long.

  “Ducky! I mean, I would like that.” The loud rumble in her stomach punctuated the sentiment, conveying her gratitude.

  He finished fastening
his pants, slipped on his boots, and headed in the other direction. Still shirtless, the sheen of sweat on his back caught her attention when the light through the trees touched it. Sadie tilted her head, curious if the run during the hunt for food or the pain of the shift caused his heavy perspiration?

  Staying within her sight he gathered kindling. He would glance over on occasion, like he expected her to run. Returning with both arms full, he squatted down close to her, and took care in arranging the wood and dry grass. Reaching into his pocket he retrieved a couple of stones.

  Is he planning on starting a fire with those, like some sort of old hat bush hound?

  Then she remembered exactly who she watched. The chances were that he detested basic conveniences, like lighters. What did I get myself into? Moments later the rabbit was cooking over the fire.

  “What’s your name?” she asked, keeping her focus on the flames licking over the spit.

  “Domek. But you can call me Alpha for now. We have some traveling to do. Your name?”

  “Sadie . . . Alpha.”

  “I like the sound of that, Sadie.” He nodded in the direction of the cooking meat. “Now eat.”

  Her gaze moved to the mouthwatering skewered carcass over the fire. Domek, her alpha, had provided the meal to nourish not just her body, but something deeper within, because her spirit rose at the sight of it too. “Okay, I need to chew somethin’ awful. Er, I mean, I’m famished.”

  Domek’s stare never left her as she ate, sucking every scrap from the bone. Not even an ounce wasted. Feeling a thousand times better, perhaps a little more powerful too, she turned her head up to Domek and found she still couldn’t meet his eyes without permission.

  How does he do that?

  Chapter 3

  Taking all of Domek’s control, he hid the rage rolling through him as his new wolf devoured the snowshoe hare. Unfortunately for the small prey, it could not run faster than him in wolf form.

  How dare Eridon treat my wolf so atrociously.

  Yes, she hadn’t been his wolf at the time, but she belonged to him now—his responsibility. First on his list entailed getting her back to the enclave, getting her cleaned up . . . and dressed. Her current state of undress presented a serious distraction.

  He focused on the forest beyond them and made the quick decision to drop her off with Kara. Close to the same size, she should have things for Sadie to wear. Besides, he couldn’t take this new wolf to his house, not yet. Things he pictured himself doing to her would be too much for any dieselhead.

  Mate or not, Eridon wouldn’t get her back. When he got his hands on that useless piece of shit, he’d show him real pain. The rogue would suffer to the brink of death. But Domek would be denied the honor of bringing Eridon his deserved demise. If his mating to Sadie had indeed completed, as it appeared for the most part, the bond linked her mortality with his. He refused to sentence this obviously innocent person to death. This woman’s guileless doe eyes weren’t trying deceive him.

  What was she thinking? Does she even know? Or did that psychotic rogue forget to tell her that small piece of information?

  Turning his attention back to her, she had just finished the last bit of hare and licked her fingers clean. Sadie pulled each greasy digit slowly from her lips, appearing to savor the flavor. He got hard once again and had to readjust his erection when she placed her thumb in her mouth and took it back out at her leisure.

  He fought the urge to walk over, take her by the hair, and force her head back, so she would stay still as he cleaned the juices from her lips and chin with his tongue. Instead, he picked up his undershirt and approached her. Kneeling, Domek grabbed Sadie by the chin and used his shirt to wipe her face.

  “It’s good to see you feeling better.”

  Cleaning the grease off of her, he took careful care around the bruises that already lightened after some nourishment.

  “We need to get moving. We still have a bit of a hike to reach the enclave.”

  He helped Sadie onto her feet, brushing the dirty leaves from the back of her blouse. Lifting the shirt hem slightly, he slowed the action while continuing to clean debris off her bare bottom and legs. The perception of time slowed for him as he felt her body heat up in reaction, especially the area between her . . . Returning to himself, he removed his hands, making the hem of her shirt drop back into place.

  I need to get more clothes on this woman.

  Domek turned and proceeded to put out the fire, hiding any evidence that they’d stopped to eat. No need to advertise to anyone, especially Eridon, they’d been there.

  Sadie, aces now with food in her stomach, bounced to her feet. Though she’d never admit it, the way Domek fed her and even cleaned her up gave her butterflies. Of course Eridon gave her them too, at first. Her mom died when she was eight, and she lived with just her father for the past sixteen years, which limited Sadie’s knowledge of relationships.

  Pop wasn’t the warm and fuzzy type either, at least not since the love of his life was taken from him. However, she knew he loved her, in his own way. She’d worked with him, and he’d taught her his craft, until her skills as a mechanic surpassed his own.

  Known well for her mechanical skills, Eridon sought her out to design his arm. A beautiful piece of machinery made for a man, a werewolf, who listened as though he had a real interest in her. With the exception of his wolf days, Eridon visited every day, which kept him near. In hindsight, she’d missed obvious signs that the man he presented himself to be didn’t exist. Before he bit her, she’d believed the intensity of his gaze conveyed interest, and even enjoyed it. But once in captivity, it became a look she feared.

  Studying her like a bug under a microscope, he remained unfazed as she struggled against the ropes tying her arms together from elbow to wrist. Her limbs pulled tight behind her back, forcing her chest forward. Every movement hurt, and the more she struggled the more pain stabbed through her arms, chest, back, and even neck. She couldn’t help herself though. Sadie couldn’t relax when being stared at in such an unsympathetic way. The constant humming in her brain grew louder when he focused on her. He didn’t say anything though; Eridon would just give an occasional chuckle when she would cry out in frustration or pain. How many times had he hit or tied her for no other reason but to take pleasure from her reaction . . .?

  Sadie bumped into Domek when he stopped walking; she hazarded a glance in his direction. He stood silently, staring and causing her heart to race again, but not from fear this time. She tried unsuccessfully to meet his gaze again, but quickly glanced away. For that one brief moment she glimpsed concern, expressing what she’d been searching for from another person. What she believed she’d find when she’d mated Eridon.

  Stupid, DumbDora! Am I this much of a pushover now? Look at me with possible concern and I’ll fall in love?

  After a slight pause, he asked, “Are you okay, Sadie?”

  “Umm, yes? Why?”

  Taking hold of her face with gentle pressure, he got close enough to pull her body flush with his. “Look me in the eyes, Sadie.” Thanks to the direct command, she met his gaze easily. “When I ask you a question I always expect an honest answer. I am not someone you can blow off with a noncommittal answer. So again I will ask, are you okay?”

  “I’m sorry I was just remembering something and, and . . .” Her bottom lip quivered. Domek’s large hand cupped the back of her head, and pulled her to his chest in a tight embrace. That slight quiver became an all-out sob and tears began to spill.

  Tears! Again! My face must be a mess, and oh my goddess, I just blew snot on his shirt.

  “Shhh, it’s okay. You’re safe. Your alpha has you and whatever nightmare you survived is over. I’ve got you,” he lulled softly.

  Lips brushed a soft kiss on her head. Sadie fought the urge to cry harder, moaning. “And I’m a
complete dud as a werewolf. I have no superpowers, my feet hurt, I’ve never been in the woods, and I feel like a frightened rabbit. I’m weaker than that thing you just fed me.”

  His chest jumped under her cheek, clearly fighting the urge to laugh at her proclamation. But instead, he said, “No, little rabbit, being young and inexperienced means we have a lot to teach you. Also, your meal was not that easy to catch.”

  She smiled against his chest, took a deep breath, and pulled away from him. Mourning the loss immediately, she missed the comfort of him snuggled up against her. Where did that thought come from? Slow down, Sadie you just met the man.

  “Okay, I’m ready to scram . . . Er, go home.” Sadie wiped the snot from her nose with the hem of her shirt, and tried to hide the longing for more of his touch.

  Upon hearing his growl, she became aware of her error. So preoccupied with drying tears, she hadn’t paid attention when she’d exposed everything just below her breasts. Dropping the shirt back into place as his nostrils flared, her core flooded with moisture. “Oh goddess.”

  Domek turned and started walking, not even sure if they headed in the correct direction toward home. The way her scent of honeysuckle strengthened when she dampened for him. Torture. Unwittingly, she put him through torture, testing his limits, the way her first shift would test hers.