“She’ll be better when I get her some food and drinkable water. The longer her body stays distressed, or feels distress, and unwell, the longer she’ll hold her form to protect the pup. I need to get her out of her and somewhere safe that she can replenish and recover before attempting to shift back.”
Mike looked at the sports watch on his wrist and illuminated the blue clock face screen. “Okay, let’s move out then, and get to that hospital by dawn break. We’ll be close enough to civilization that we should be able to get some water at least for her.”
“Can you do a dead man’s hold on her?” Mike asked.
“I’m not sure that would be very comfortable for her. I’ll manage.” Wiatt said stroking her fur. “Just hang in there baby. We’re almost there, right?” Wiatt said looking at Mike for some sort of reassurance.
“I think we’re about halfway there. Follow the green line.”
“Alright, well let’s keep going.” Wiatt said sliding his arms under Tatum who lifted her sleepy head and licked his face when he got close to her. “Love you to.” Wiatt puffed lifting her back up into his arms.
“So you two are engaged right?” Mike said starting off again.
“Right.” Wiatt grunted finding his footing and starting off with Tatum in his arms again.
“When’s the wedding?”
“We haven’t got around to setting the date yet. Tay has issues with my mum wanting in on the bridal action.” Wiatt explained.
“Oh that old chestnut.” Mike laughed.
Mike’s continuous chatter about everything and anything related to Wiatt and Tatum did the job it was supposed to do and distracted Wiatt from the heavy weight of his pregnant pack mate in his arms, and the lapse of time it took them to navigate their way underground and back out to the surface again. Emerging near the hospital.
Wiatt didn’t think he’d ever been so grateful for fresh air before as he was when they emerged back into the realm of a sleepy city waking up slowly. He inhaled deeply and felt the cool air brush his skin with it’s fresh touch.
His sense of urgency fought with a need to momentarily rest, in once again being in the public realm of an unfamiliar city that had offered so much hardship already to Tatum and him, was again, on alert.
35
Mike took the decision making out of his hands when he said “Hang back here.” as he began climbing up the hill, that they had existed out onto. “I’ll see if I can’t get some water and a lay of the land out here.” Wiatt, grunted and slowly lowered Tatum to the ground and slid down to sit with her. Wiatt sat down atop of the duffel bag Mike had been carrying. Looking at Tatum and frowning. Her breathing seemed to flow evenly, he noticed as he put a hand to her stomach as it lifted and dropped with each breath. But she’d been beyond docile, she’s been almost semi-unconscious for the whole trek through the underground.
“God I hope you two are okay.” He muttered patting her fur softly. “Or Paris won’t need to skin my hide, I’ll damn well do it myself.” He muttered softly. There was something he could do to help her, he thought. He could lend her some of his power so to speak. Alpha werewolves were alpha for a reason, because they could do what beta wolves could not do. They could control they’re shape shifting and assist or push it on other wolves too. Wiatt hadn’t thought previously to experiment with Tatum beyond the basic skills he knew would help her, like assisting her shape shift, happen easier than it would if she did it on her own.
But now the thought occurred to him that he could bring on his werewolf shape shifting power, and focus the energy of it onto Tatum. It might be what she needed to get her out of the irregular slump she appeared to be in at the moment. Granted, they were both knew to Tatum’s pregnancy and what was happening, and learning along the way. But so far, she’d had no problems or unexpected things happen to her or the pup.
Wiatt decided to lay down beside her, just for a brief moment, till Mike got back with the water for her to drink. “You’d tell me if anything was wrong right?” Wiatt said looking at the sleeping wolf curled in on herself as he curled up behind her. Sharing his body warmth with her, protecting her from the crisp morning air.
“I don’t know what I’d do without you in my life now Tay.” Wiatt yawned, stroking her fur slowly. “Life’s far more interesting with you in it.” He watched the rise and fall of her body as she continued to sleep and breath shallowly. She didn’t look right to Wiatt, but there wasn’t anything obviously wrong with her either. There was no blood loss, no open wound, no bones out of joint. He ran the palm of his hand over her body, feeling for the muscle under the fur that she wore.
She looked less scraggly then she had when he’d first seen her lycan self come too. Wiatt put it down to a few things. Her finally understanding how to work with her shape shift, rather than fight it, and her being happier than she had been in quite a while, because she was with him.
“Love is a wolf.” Wiatt muttered as his eyes closed and he inhaled the scent of dirt, dew wet grass, lycan and fur in a foggy, crisp air. Sleep was instantaneous and Wiatt’s mind seemed at ease with all the troubles that had plagued them so far, anchored to the wolf he loved, he held tight to what he saw as his future.
36
Mike looked at his watch. He’d been gone for over thirty minutes. “Really need to keep up the running,” He muttered to himself, carrying a plastic bag of items from the convenience store he’d managed to locate nearest to where they had emerged. Which was to say, it was far away, several blocks in fact. He dialed Bg Sommers again, she answered him on the first ring.
“Mikey,”
“Just a brief update, so say the three of us come through unscathed so far and together. We’ll be heading off to the rendezvous point shortly.”
“Good to hear.” Bg replied back at him.
“Let Paris know will you?”
“Of course and Mike?” He waited for her to continue. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet, we’re still got a bit to go.” Mike replied. He picked up the pace and began jogging downhill. He was getting a familiar feeling as he began to jog. It might just be that Bg’s preemptive courtesy had got his nerves up again, but it was always this bit of the job that he dreaded and wanted the most out of all it. Getting the client to clear the area, safely. “This is the part of the job I love to hate the most, you know.” He said into the cell. “It’s the make or break of it all, doesn’t matter anything else I’ve done to get us to this point.”
“Mike, you’ve done,”
“It’s the part where I find out if I’m good enough, you know.” He said cutting Bg off. “Werewolves are all encompassing and powerful, just because they’re born to be that type of animal. Shifter’s aren’t like that, I mean how many animals are?” He went on. “But this, having a werewolf have to relay on me, depend on me with his life, for his life,” Mike paused and looked around himself, crossing the road. “That feels powerful.”
“Both Paris and I appreciate everything you’ve done for Wiatt and Tatum.”
“Bg you sound like a politician’s wife when you speak that way.” Mikey chuckled down the line at her.
“I get it you know,” She replied back at him through the phone. “I understand what you’re saying. I’ve been around werewolves, alpha’s in fact, my whole life. But I’ve never been like them, never felt like I could even compare myself to them.”
“You shouldn’t compare yourself to anyone Bg, you’re more perfect than the lot of them.” Mike said defensively.
“Well, until recently. It’s taken awhile to come into my own power. To know that I’ve got skills they don’t, that I am worthy of being not only around them of being associated with the alphas.”
“Good for you.”
“You see, I finally realized something.” Bg said back at him.
“Yeah?” Mike said looking for the section of street he had first came up onto. “What’s that?”
“Power’s a concept. I’m real.”
Mik
e stopped on the spot and listened to her words, let them sink in. “I think I love you.” He answered her.
“Make them stare Mikey, make them stare at you’re greatness.” He could practically feel her smiling down the phone line at him.
“I definitely love you.” He said getting his bearings and jogging onwards.
“It’s hard not to.” Bg joked.
“Good talk.” Mike admitted and disconnected the call, staggering his footsteps down the hill towards Wiatt who was laying on the ground. “Shit.” He skidded to a halt at the foot of the hill and kneelt down to look at the male and the wolf in his arms, both seemingly asleep. Mike reached his hand out towards Wiatt’s shoulder. “Hey, buddy,” Mike said shaking Wiatt’s shoulder.
Wiatt twitched and jerked awake, his eyes on Mike. “Must’ve dozed off.” He admitted sitting back up again.
“Yeah, well, it’s been one of those nights, you know. Lycans trying to kill you does tend to wear you down after awhile. Here.” Opening the plastic bag, he pulled out a bottle of water. Wiatt straightened up and snatched up both water bottles quickly.
“Tay, baby, wake up.” Wiatt said stroking the top of her head. “Look,” He said placing the opened water bottle under her nose for her to scent. Tatum’s eyes opened slowly and she panted, allowing Wiatt to adjust the water bottle so that it dribbled down into her mouth. Once she had craned her neck on a good angle, Wiatt feed her the water, like it was a baby bottle to be had.
“Jesus man, she needed that.” Mike said watching Tatum lick and drink down the water as it splashed into her mouth and out the sides of it as well.
“Hand me another one.” Wiatt said looking at the other two unopened water bottles in Mike’s hands.
“I got some food too, it’s not much, but it might help.” He said pulling open the shopping bag.
“The water’s good for now, I just want to get that down into her. Seems to be working.” Wiatt said watching Tatum lick the bottle and its sides for every drop she could manage to get. “I think it’s what she needed, by the look of it. She might have been dehydrated or cramping. Hard to say, when she’s in this form. We’ve never had any issues until now. But normally she wakes up a few times after she shifts, and drinks from a bowl. So, I’m hoping that’s all this is.”
“Well she seems to be coming good.” Mike replied watching Wiatt and Tatum together. “So let’s hope this does the trick, because I need to know she can shift, so I can call in the extraction.”
“Well if you’d give us a bit of privacy.”
Mike’s eyes widened. “You have to…” He mad a fist with his hand and moved his arm back and forth to indicate to Wiatt what he so obviously meant.
Wiatt tilted his head down and to the side and glared back at Mike. “I have to assist her with the shift, given her current condition, she probably could do with the help and I don’t need my fiancé to feel any more self conscious about what’s happening to her than necessary with you watching on slack jawed like some yokel.” Wiatt said flippantly.
Mike threw up his hand and sculled a mouthful of water from his own water bottle. “You could’ve just said turn around.” He said turning his back to Wiatt and Tatum as he drank more water.
37
“How you doing gorgeous?” Wiatt asked Tatum as she craned her neck for him to rub underneath as he removed the last water bottle away. “Ready to rejoin me?” He asked keeping up the scratching of her underside. Tatum twisted her head and angled it at Wiatt’s forearm, licking his skin in response. Wiatt looked at her as she glanced past him and he followed her line of eye sight.
“Dude, do you mind?” Wiatt remarked, looking back at Mike who was half turned around watching them.
“I’m curious.”
“I don’t give a shit about you’re curiosity. Have some decency.” Wiatt said waving a hand at Mike indicating he should turn back around again.
“Alright, but hurry it up.”
“That’s the thing about shifting, normally I could hurry it up, pull her out of it so to speak. Force her to change if I had to. But I can’t do it when she’s carrying a pup. It could be too much for her to cope with and she might lose the pup.”
“I don’t mean to harp on like a broken record, but we aint got all day and the longer we remain in the open the easier we are to find.” Mike said with his back to Wiatt.
“You see what I’ve had to put up with for company baby?” Wiatt said looking at Tatum. “I need you back Tay, I need you back with me.” Tatum sat up completely and looked straight back at Wiatt. “Yeah, I think you got fatigued with all of the action last night and you’re in no way ready to shift back. So we got problems.” Wiatt sighed heavily, trying to figure out what to do next. He looked over at Mike again and back at Tatum and back at Mike’s back.
“You can shape shift at will, right?” Wiatt said at him.
“Yes.”
“I have an idea, how you might be able to help me help Tatum, shift. I don’t think she’s got in herself to do it at the moment and we’re past the time she would’ve naturally shifted back by now.”
Mike turned around to face them both. “What did you have in mind?”
“We need to trick the shift into happening for her. But the only way that’s going to happen is if she, as in the wolf part of her, feels safe, secure and relaxed, there’s a kind of tipping point when you loose control, I just need to trip it up so that the shift occurs naturally after that, as it were.” Wiatt said looking at him.
“Great, what do I need to do exactly?” He asked wrinkling his forehead.
“I’m thinking, you start shifting to a wolf form, like you did back at the hotel, I start shifting and if we’re in close proximity to her, then she’ll let her guard down and the shift will start.”
“What’s to stop it from not going through the full process?” Mike asked him squatting down beside them. Wiatt sighed and stared hard at Mike.
“Just work with me here.”
“Okay, Okay.” Mike replied dropping to a knee as Wiatt dropped back down onto his elbow and slide up behind Tatum, stroking her fur gently. Both males focused their attention on the Tatum who kept looking back at Wiatt as his fingers stroked her fur and touched her constantly. The scent of fur and animal came on strong and Wiatt had to fight the urge to look across at Mike. Instead he let his eyes shift and his teeth push through werewolf fangs through his gums so he bled. Knowing the scent of blood no matter how small, would get the attention of his lycan.
Tatum’s lycan self liked blood far more than she was willing to admit out loud or he would ever acknowledge. Wiatt wasn’t surprised by this fact as lycans tended to like blood. But it was still intriguing to see how much Tatum’s lycan seemed to crave it. But that was because Wiatt recognized the signs in lycan behavior around and near blood and without blood. He also thought it had something to do with how Tatum was turned into a lycan. The blood lust was born out of the blood she poured and waded through when Robbie Harkness had torn into her.
Sure enough Tatum’s wolf head twisted and she rolled over and up to Wiatt, trying to lick his face. Wiatt waited for her to touch his skin with her tongue and then he let go of his power, letting the ripple of it coat her tongue and tickle her skin and awaken the same shifting power she posed within her. He dropped his guard all at once when he felt the wolf power emerge and tugged gently, like he was playing with her shape shifting energy. Like a wolf with something in its teeth pulling against a force.
When he felt the snag from her energy hook in and saw the shimmer begin to rustle its way along her fur and glint along her skin, Wiatt dropped his invisible play thing and began rubbing himself along her form. His own semi-shifted features, reverting back to his human self. His own tongue licking at he blood in his mouth. Her muscles, began to flex and twitch and he watched in fascination as he saw she shifted from lycan wolf, back into curled up, naked female woman.
It was Mike’s hands who pulled out a jacket out of the duffel bag near the
m and quickly covered her up as Tatum’s eyes slowly opened and blinked back up at Wiatt.
“Hi there,” Wiatt smiled back down at Tatum before kissing the tip of her nose.
Tatum smiled back at him. “Hi.”
“How are you feeling?” Wiatt asked her softly, brushing hair back off her forehead.
“Little sleepy but okay at the moment.” She replied. Mike handed Wiatt another bottle of water.
“Have some water and see if you can sit up.” Wiatt replied, handing her the bottle. “I didn’t force you out of the shift, but I kind of gave it a push to happen. Pulled back when I thought you had it.” Wiatt said watching Tatum sit up and keep his suit jacket to her chest, drawing her knees up into herself as she looked at Mike who had politely and quietly wandered away from them and put his back to her.
Tatum put down the water and shivered. “Got any clothes for me or am I leaving this place near naked again?”
Wiatt frowned deeply. Her reference to her attack at Robbie’s hands made in light just angered him, when he thought of how she’d suffered. It also alleviated any guilt he might have been carrying with him regarding Harkness’s death at his hands. “In the bag. Tell me if anything doesn’t feel right okay, anything at all.” Wiatt said standing up and helping Tatum up with a hand. “Anything.” He repeated.
“Okay, mister overly concerned I will.” Tatum said back at finding her jeans and stepping into them.
Wiatt sighed and watched her dress. “I just want what’s best for you and I don’t think I could live myself if I was somehow responsible for anything happening to the pup because of my actions.” He said suddenly overcome with deep emotion as he walked over to her and put her head in his hands. “I love you.” His kiss branded her lips like a reminder that his love was true.
Tatum wrapped her arms around his neck and let him love her before resting her forehead against his. “I’ll take that.” She smiled slyly at him.
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