by Flynn, Donna
Alec groaned, bringing the palm of her hand to his lips and placing a kiss there. “I don’t want her, or that cocky moron she’s with, anywhere around you.” The twinkling sound of her laughter greeted his words and he growled again, earning the confused stares of those around him.
Mercy leaned in closer so no one would hear her. “Relax, you’re letting your beast get the upper hand.” She placed a kiss on his neck. “Besides, one should always keep their friends close and their enemies closer.”
That was the second time someone had told him that within a week, but he was growing weary of all of the doubt surrounding the people around them daily. He wanted nothing more than to take her away, make her his, and forget about everything else.
“Just trust me, Alec,” she whispered, taking his hand in her own and squeezing it tightly.
“Always,” he whispered, leaning towards her for a kiss, forgetting where they were until a long ruler slammed down upon his desk and he looked up into the eyes of their very angry teacher.
“Alec, this is English class, not a make-out joint,” the teacher said, her small bird like eyes piercing his.
“Sorry,” he said pulling his arm away from Mercy and sitting back in his seat with a grin. “She’s just irresistible.”
The class broke out in laughter and the teacher turned to glare around the room until everyone turned back to their work. “Please try to control yourself until after class,” she warned, turning away and walking back to the front of the room.
Mercy looked to Alec and smiled, but said nothing until the end of class when they were leaving and he slid his arm around her brushing his lips across hers. “Control,” she murmured with a chuckle.
Alec laughed and pushed her against the nearest wall, his body pressed dangerously close to hers, his lips hovering just a hair away from hers. “With you, I have no control,” he murmured.
“Thankfully,” she said breathlessly just before their lips met in a kiss that heated her body and placed thoughts in her head that nothing to do with control and everything to do with reckless abandon.
“Get a room,” Gina said as she walked by, winking at Mercy.
“Don’t I wish,” Mercy, said earning a growl from Alec, who was staring down on her with a frown. “I know, I know, you promised my brothers we would wait.”
Alec nodded, not trusting himself to say anything.
“Well then, I guess we are done here.” Mercy ducked under his arm and began to walk away, but he pulled her back against him, pressing his lips to her shoulder.
“We will never be done,” he whispered huskily in her ear. “I will want you for the rest of my life and even after.”
Mercy laughed and pulled out of his arms. “You’d better,” she said taking off down the hall, knowing he would pursue her and that she would let him succeed in catching her.
*****
It wasn’t until lunch that Alec’s thin thread of control snapped. They had been enjoying their meal with their friends when the male Were who hung out with Jaden approached, his eyes locked on Gina.
“Oh God, here he comes,” Gina said to Mercy. “If he doesn’t leave me alone, I swear I’m going to punch him.”
Alec and Rich turned to watch the arrogant male who approached, both of their bodies tense and ready to spring.
“Hey, Gina,” Wren said, taking the empty seat next her, ignoring the two males who glared at him.
Gina turned to look at him seething with anger. Even though she found him incredibly attractive, she wasn’t looking to start anything with him. He was trying to rip her best friend away from Alec and that alone was reason enough to dislike him, but it was clear he was also a player and she was done with that type of guy. “Go away,” she said irritably.
“Don’t be like that sweetheart, I know you’re attracted to me,” Wren purred, ignoring the glare she bestowed upon him.
“Look, I know your type and I’m just not interested, so just back off.” He reached out and ran his finger down her arm and she grabbed his wrist clenching it so tightly he flinched. “Touch me again and I will break it.”
Rich laughed and Wren jumped off the bench toward him. Fists flew, blood spurted, and people screamed moving swiftly out of the way. Rich took a punch to the jaw that floored him and Alec immediately rushed in, slamming Wren in the stomach and knocking him across the room and into a table full of teenagers, who hollered and sprang to their feet. Wren jumped up and ran towards Alec ready to return the hit, when Jaden stepped between them, capturing his gaze and compelling him to stop.
“I told you to control yourself, Wren.” She looked to Alec with a thin smile. “I’m sorry, he won’t bother you again.”
Alec stared at the male who had just moments before been full of rage, shocked to see him standing still as statue, uttering not a word. “Uh…yeah, keep him on a leash,” he said before turning to Rich, who was getting aid from Mercy and Gina, who fussed over his split lip like he was a conquering hero.
“Let’s go, Wren,” Jaden said angrily. She walked out of the cafeteria with Wren following behind like a lost puppy and everyone slowly returned to their lunches.
“Are you okay?” Mercy asked, laying her hand on Alec’s arm.
“I’m good. I just wanted to knock his lights out and am a little upset I didn’t get the chance.” He took his seat and pulled her down onto his lap. “There’s nothing like a little squabble to get the blood pumping.”
He was riled up and had no outlet to take it out on since Jaden pulled her lackey away and Mercy knew it. She felt his wolf stirring inside of him wanting to be free to seek out the other male and prove he was superior. “Alec, I don’t want to fight with these people, it won’t help our cause. Let’s just ignore them, and hopefully Jaden will keep him under control.”
Alec tightened his fist at his side and willed his wolf down to wait for a more appropriate time to be free and although the wolf whined inside of him, it did as he commanded. “For you, I will try, but I can’t promise anything. If he goes after one of my pack again, I will beat him within an inch of his life, if he’s lucky,” he told her honestly.
“Well,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. “If he goes after one of your pack you have my permission to kick his butt.”
“Mercy, we need to go,” Gina said next to her, looking slightly shaken by everything that had transpired. “If we are late to class again we are going to be in so much trouble.”
Mercy jumped to her feet, Alec rose from the bench next to her, and they hurried out of the cafeteria to class, unaware of the lone figure who stood at the bank of windows watching from outside. The man shook his head and smiled, then turned away from the window and shifted into a massive black wolf that trotted off into the forest that surrounded the high school.
Chapter Nine
Mercy sat upon the bench in the rose garden, listening to the sounds of the forest around her, enjoying a quiet afternoon while Alec spoke to a few more Alphas trying to garner their support. With the Elders coming so soon, everyone around her was tense and filled with worry, but she was oddly calm. She had decided after talking to Mason that her best course of action was to prove to the Elders that Alec wanted to embrace the old ways and that he would be an asset as her mate. If that failed, well, she had made plans for that too, but she didn’t want to think about that just yet. First, she would confront them, then she could make decisions regarding how best to proceed.
The noise of the forest around her ceased suddenly, and she sensed another’s presence. She turned to find Jaden standing at the edge of the wood line, watching her warily and offered a smile. Throughout the week, she had been everywhere they were and she had somehow managed to reign in her cocky male companion, for which Mercy was thankful. Wren now kept his distance, said nothing to Gina, and avoided Alec like the plague, which made things between them tolerable. “How are you, Jaden?” she asked in a friendly tone.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt, but I thought you should
know one of the Elders is coming earlier than expected.” She wasn’t at all happy one of them felt the need to come and check on her when Jaden had never failed them before, but there was little she could do. She had been undecided whether or not to tell Mercy, but in the end the girl had been pleasant and friendly to her, despite Wren’s rather disappointing behavior, and she didn’t want her to be surprised when an Elder showed up out of the blue.
Mercy was surprised Jaden would tell her that kind of information given their circumstances, but didn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. “Thank you, I will let Alec know.”
“He is very protective of you,” Jaden said walking a little closer.
Mercy smiled, recalling a time when she resented that protectiveness. “He loves me and would kill to keep me safe,” she told her.
“I can see that,” Jaden said stopping before her. “You are very lucky.”
“Tell the Elders that,” Mercy said, meeting Jaden’s startling blue eyes.
Jaden wanted to tell her that she didn’t agree with their plans, but she kept silent out of loyalty to the Elders. “I will,” she said instead.
Mercy looked at her quizzically. “I don’t understand you, Jaden. You seem like a nice person, why would you help the council separate two of our kind meant for one another?”
“I don’t get to choose where they send me,” she answered uncomfortably.
“You could say no,” Mercy replied.
Jaden saw red, hating that the beautiful Were before her had so many freedoms she had never known. “Do you think I have not thought about that,” she snarled, taking a step closer to where Mercy sat, her body trembling with fury. “We aren’t all protected and pampered like you have been! Some of us have to make our own place in this world and this is mine.”
Before Mercy could comment, Alec was there between them, shoving Jaden backward far away from his mate. Wren flew from the forest, slamming into Alec, knocking him back a few feet. Alec retaliated and buried his fist in the werewolf’s face with a fierce growl.
“Alec, stop,” Mercy screamed, as he tore into Wren with rage so dark she feared he might actually kill him.
“Wren, stand down!” Jaden ordered, at a loss as to why Wren had reacted so violently towards the other male who was only ensuring his mate’s safety.
Lucan and Cade appeared, tearing the two apart as others from the Elders’ guard came running from the woods. Gregory appeared with a large contingent of his pack behind him and moved to the front where the two groups stood separated by mere feet. Their bodies trembled with anger, and their snarls filled the once calm area as they stared one another down.
“Enough!” Mercy and Jaden screamed at the same time, stepping between the two groups back to back, each facing their prospective packs.
“He dared to touch you, a representative the Elders sent to protect the Born Were,” Wren argued heatedly, staring daggers at Alec, who glared right back, his body shaking with fury.
“He thought I was going to harm his mate. I understood that, you Neanderthal,” Jaden admonished.
Alec seethed, his body trembling with rage and Mercy reached out, running her hand down his arm. “She wasn’t going to hurt me, we were just talking.”
“I felt her anger, and she was too close to you,” he snarled.
“Her anger wasn’t for me, it was at her own situation and if you wouldn’t have burst in acting all macho, I would have explained that,” she chastised.
Gregory was the first to cool down. He called for his pack to back down and Jaden followed suit. The guard walked slowly back into the forest grumbling about not getting to fight, but following her orders despite the fact she was smaller and nowhere near their match in strength.
“I’m so sorry, Jaden,” Mercy apologized.
“No, I am sorry. I lost my temper. I should have known better,” Jaden said with a weak smile. “I’ll just go now.”
“Please come back anytime. I am sure that after this, Alec will be a little more cautious before making an ass of himself again.” Alec growled behind her, but she ignored him.
“Maybe, but remember what I told you,” Jaden said before disappearing into the tree line.
Alec immediately pulled Mercy into his arms burying his face into her hair and taking a deep breath of her scent, assuring himself she was indeed all right. “Do not ever let her that close to you again,” he commanded angrily.
“Alec, she is not our enemy,” Mercy assured him.
“She is not our friend either,” he growled.
“You need to stop being so overprotective and trust my instincts.”
“I could not bear for you to be hurt,” he said his resting his forehead against hers. “You are my life and if anything happened to you, it would kill me.”
“Jaden isn’t going to hurt me, she is protecting me,” she told him with a chuckle.
Alec snarled and took a step back, clearly not amused. “This is not a funny situation.”
Mercy placed her hands on her hips glaring at him. “Of course not, but you’re making it more difficult than it has to be by acting irrational.”
“Well, one would think as my future mate you might listen once in awhile when I talk and do what I tell you to do,” he snarled angrily.
“You think because you’re my mate you own me, but guess what, Alec? I have a brain and I don’t need you to run my life!” she snarled back.
Alec crossed his arms over his chest and glared at her, but said nothing more.
“Mercy, if you two are done squabbling, do you want to tell us what Jaden was talking about?” Gregory asked.
“Oh yeah, she came to tell me one of the Elders is coming to check in on me.” Alec lifted his head immediately and she took a step towards him, wanting him to see she wasn’t an idiot. “She didn’t have to tell me that.”
“No, you’re right, she didn’t,” he said in defeat.
“I get the impression she doesn’t like what they are doing, but sometimes being loyal means doing something you don’t agree with.” She took his hand and looked at him pleadingly. “Do you think your pack members always agree with your father’s decisions? That they always want to do what he tells them to. Do you always agree with him?”
Alec knew she was right. There were many times he would have done things differently from what his father wanted, but he was loyal to his Alpha and did as he was told. “Maybe you’re right, but I still can’t bring myself to trust one of their people.”
“I’m no tasking you to trust Jaden, but could you at least trust me?” she asked softly.
Alec sighed. When she looked up at him with her big green eyes, there was nothing he wouldn’t do for her and she knew it. “Just don’t make a habit out of spending time with her, she’s the enemy.”
Mercy smiled and shook her head. “She’s not the enemy.”
“Mercy,” he growled.
“I know, I know,” she said taking his arm. “Let’s go inside. I think I have had enough of the great outdoors for one day.”
Alec took her arm, but looked back to the wood line where he knew Mason dwelled. He allowed his senses to roam and found him hidden deep in the branches of an old evergreen surveying the scene calmly. Mason tipped his head to him and Alec nodded, turning his attention back to Mercy knowing Mason would keep an eye on the Elders’ contingent for him. He didn’t completely trust him, but he did trust that he would protect Mercy. She had accepted him when no one else would and Mason had become fiercely loyal to her because of that trust.
“Whom do you think the council is sending?” Mercy asked Gregory.
“There are five members of the council. Alaric, who is the oldest, Gabriel, who is probably the most reasonable of them all and our best chance to get them to reconsider this whole situation.” He sighed and went on. “Olis, the newest of the members, is going to follow whatever the others do since he is still trying to earn their respect; Valdus, a descendent of one of the original Elders, is a wild card, he will vote
where he can best profit; and Ranak, the most stringent protector of our laws. He is the one we need on our side. If he can be swayed then the others just might follow.”
Mercy marked each of the Elders’ names and stored away the information he gave her. Once she met them it would be useful for her to know how best to deal with each member and just his brief description gave her some insight as to whom she would be dealing with.
“I have already spoken to Gabriel, but he wasn’t willing to commit one way or the other. I am hoping when they meet the two of you that it will become clear that you belong together and he will help persuade the others to back down. Unfortunately, none of them have found their Bond Mates so they won’t understand how special that connection is and that could be a problem.” Gregory looked to his son. “You are easy to anger where Mercy is involved and they might see any act of aggression as a challenge to their authority. It will be imperative that you remain calm before them.”
Alec nodded, but he was very concerned about what would happen when he faced the Elders. They were trying to take away the only female in the world meant to be his and he wouldn’t tolerate it. Mercy squeezed his hand and he looked down on her, smiling as if nothing was wrong, but he could tell by her frown she wasn’t buying it. Fortunately, she didn’t call him on it and he refocused on his father and the conversation he was having with Lucan.
“I met Alaric once when he came to see my father,” Lucan said. “Even back then he possessed a power that was vast. I can’t imagine how it has grown.”
“He can bring even the strongest Alpha to his knees with just one look,” Gregory assured him, giving his son a look that said to heed his words.
“It was Ranak who convinced them to enforce the law,” Cade said.
Gregory nodded. “There must be something on it for him, but I can’t figure out what.”
“Why did no one seem to remember this law until now?” Mercy asked, clasping Alec’s hand tightly, sensing his growing upset as the conversation continued.