Mercer groaned, his body slumping as his eyes became unfocused. There was a thud as a body hit the ground, and the unmistakable sound of someone being winded as Miles chucked a second centurion onto the pile he was making.
I banged Mercer’s head against the wall once more to make sure he was behaving himself, before glancing over my other shoulder to check on Wren. Her hand whipped out to grab the guy’s hair, yanking his head down to meet the knee she brought up to his nose. The crunch of bones and cartilage and the dude’s accompanying howls of pain were music to my ears. With her mouth set in a vindictive sneer, Wren shoved him backwards, only to grab his shirt and deliver a knee to the balls.
I winced. Scrappy little thing. Maybe I’d been getting off lightly with Wren’s punishment of me all this time.
Wren dropped him to the ground, breathing heavily. Blood trickled down underneath her bangs, and bruises decorated her cheek and jaw. If there was a boot mark on her midsection, I’d make Mercer’s death even slower and more agonizing.
“Baby? How are you doing?”
“I’ve had better days,” she grumbled, resting her foot on the centurion’s throat. I doubted he’d even notice, his attention was very much on the family jewels he was still cradling.
“Miles, you good?” I asked over my other shoulder.
“All good here, Arch,” he affirmed, the two centurions still lying tangled on the ground at his feet.
“What’ll it be, Mercer? Are you going to scurry back to wherever it is you came from, tail between your legs, like a smart man? Or are you going to let me have some fun?” I gave him a bloodthirsty grin.
“We are not leaving here without the girl. I have promised Wren to the future Alpha of the Benedictus Pack in Ohio,” Mercer said hoarsely, my fingers flexing around his windpipe.
“Wren is not yours to promise to anyone,” Wren snarled. Her voice was rough as her wolf shoved forwards, pushing for control.
“You owe our pack allegiance. We cared for you as a child, allowing you to stay on our territory until you reached maturity.”
“You imprisoned her for six years, then cast her out,” I snapped. “She doesn’t owe you shit, and you’ll have a problem with the Audax Pack if you take their future Luna, and the Fortis Pack if you kidnap their Alpha’s niece.
“You thought you were coming here with all your muscle to snatch a lone wolf, but Wren’s got allies — probably more than you do — and she got them all on her own because she’s fucking incredible and inspires loyalty just by being herself.”
“Stupid pup,” Mercer sneered, even as his face turned a brilliant shade of red from oxygen deprivation. “Fine, have it your way. I challenge you.”
“An early Christmas present, how thoughtful of you,” I replied. Fuck, yes. Should I gouge out his eyeballs first for looking at my girl? Or rip out his throat for daring to speak to her?
I released Mercer, stepping back suddenly, so he stumbled to his knees. He climbed to his feet, already looking half dead, but glaring defiantly at me.
“I should rip your throat out and mail it back to your pack for even contemplating taking her,” I said thoughtfully, taking in the sorry sight before me. Wren sighed dreamily. She really was my perfect match.
“You probably shouldn’t kill him,” Wren said, sounding disappointed. “Too many humans around here. Imagine the paperwork.” I tilted my head, conceding her point. Dad would be pissed. And a little proud.
“Was that a wise move? I have three centurions waiting to grab the girl and now you’re not there to protect her,” Mercer sneered.
“Yes, I’m very worried about them as you can tell,” I deadpanned, motioning at the three shifters lying on the pavement. “Besides, Wren can protect herself. Which you must have realized, since you brought three centurions with you on this embarrassment of a mission.” His centurions whimpered on the ground, eager to assist their Alpha. Miles growled in warning, delivering a swift kick in the ribs to the one closest to him.
“That was unnecessary. My centurions can’t help it if they feel compelled to protect their Alpha.”
“Well, you could help it, if you stopped compelling them,” Wren said drolly. “I’d prefer not to kill them, since they’re just puppets in the Mercer Show, but make no mistake — Miles and I are more than capable of ensuring these three don’t make it home.”
Mercer growled, making a clumsy swing for me that I easily blocked with my forearm, taking advantage of the opening to deliver an uppercut to his jaw. Mercer stumbled back, grabbing the wall to steady his footing.
“Why are you doing this? You are not mated,” he growled.
“We’re fated mates,” Wren snapped.
“There is no such thing as a fated mate. It is a crude, barbarian excuse for claiming the first shifter you’re attracted to,” Mercer retorted. The centurions and Wren’s father made noises of agreement. Her cowardly mother was noticeably silent.
“Save the cult-y brainwashing spiel for when you’re on your own territory. It won’t work here,” Wren snarled.
Mercer glared furiously at Wren over my shoulder, enraging my wolf.
“Don’t fucking look at her,” I gritted out, my chest rumbling.
Mercer took a step towards Wren, teeth bared, like he had a fucking death wish. I’d happily oblige him. I rushed him, catching him by the throat and throwing him on the ground, dropping down on top of him with a knee to his solar plexus and my forearm across his neck. The air rushed out of his lungs with a satisfying whoosh.
“This is boring, are you going to fight back?” I drawled, tilting my head at the limp Alpha below me. Mercer said nothing, testing my paper-thin patience. “Fight, concede, or I’ll kill you. Look at you, holding all the cards,” I chuckled. Wren huffed a quiet laugh from behind me.
“I concede,” Mercer croaked, just loud enough for me to hear.
As tempting as it was to gut him out for fucking with my girl, I didn’t want to gain a reputation as a dishonorable challenger — especially when the wolf in question was so much weaker than me. A concession was a concession.
I stood, moving a few steps back without letting Mercer out of my sight, and lifted my arm, beckoning Wren forward. I needed to touch her, feel her skin against mine. I’d never been so scared in my fucking life as when I’d seen her pinned to the ground like that. Nothing could happen to her. I wouldn’t survive it if it did. Wherever she went, I’d follow her. Even in death.
Wren could be prickly at the best of times about my territorial behavior, but she surprised me by wrapping her arms around my waist and leaning her head against my chest as she calmly observed the wolves in front of us. I could feel the slight tremor in her limbs as her adrenaline high faded, too subtle for anyone to see.
Mercer shot a poisonous glare at Wren’s father as he moved to assist his Alpha, before slowly climbing to his feet. The bruising around his neck was immensely satisfying to my wolf.
“You won’t just be leaving with a pretty purple necklace if you make a return visit,” I warned him.
“It would be pointless,” Wren added. “I love Archer. I’m in love with Archer. He’s it for me. I’ll be a happily mated woman soon and of no value to you, anyway.”
Miles made a surprised noise in the back of his throat as he moved into position behind me, disregarding the centurions on the ground. I tightened my grip on Wren’s shoulders, not scenting a lie but not allowing myself to hope her words were true either.
“Say goodbye to your traitorous daughter, you will never speak to or of her again from this day onwards,” Mercer barked at Wren’s cowering parents, his voice raspy from his injured throat.
Her father immediately turned his back and followed his Alpha. “What daughter?” he muttered, solidifying my opinion of him. The centurions hobbled into line behind their Alpha, looking significantly worse for wear.
Wren’s mother, the infamous Heather, formerly of the Fortis Pack, hesitated for a moment, looking between Wren and the retreating backs
of her pack members.
Wren huffed impatiently under her breath. “Look, let’s not do this. You could have left the pack, George and Eloise would have been thrilled to have you back.” Heather’s face flushed, shamefaced at the mention of her parents. “You stayed in the Azymus Pack. You chose for me to grow up the way I did. Whether you regret those choices now, I have no idea, but honestly it doesn’t matter. What’s done is done.
“If there are others in the Azymus Pack who want to escape and don’t have the luxury of a supportive family like you do, then send them my way. And tell Marco where I am.” She let a hint of command into her voice with her last instruction and her mother nodded silently, giving Wren a long, despondent look before trailing after her mate and pack.
“Finally,” Wren muttered, cricking her neck like this whole confrontation had been nothing more than a minor inconvenience to her day.
“You’re not upset, baby? They’re your family,” I murmured, peppering the top of her head with kisses. The smell of her blood was driving me and my wolf crazy.
“They’re toxic is what they are. I’m not going to keep people like that in my life just because we share blood. Besides, I have a new family now.”
Wren slipped out from under my arm and doubled back to give Miles a quick hug. “Thanks for the backup.”
“Always,” he replied, giving her a small smile before wisely backing up before I removed his arms from their sockets.
“So possessive,” Wren teased as I pulled her back to me, dabbing at the blood on her face with my sleeve and rubbing my jaw over her hair so she smelled like me again.
“Where are you hurt?” I asked, my voice just this side of a wolfy snarl.
“Just what you can see, and even those are already healing,” Wren assured me, petting my midsection the way she always did to settle my wolf. “You got there before the stomach stomping started,” she added, far too casually.
“Don’t joke about that, little bird. You don’t know how much I’m struggling to let those fuckers go.”
Wren reached up to cup my jaw in her hand, smoothing her thumb over my beard. “You know a murder on campus is a terrible idea, Arch. I’m okay. I knew you’d come. There was never a doubt in my mind.” There was so much trust in her eyes, it was impossible to doubt her sincerity. She’d never looked at me like that.
“Did you mean what you said?” I asked, holding my breath for her reply.
“The bit about me being a happily mated lady? Or the bit about me being in love with you?”
“Both. Either. All of it,” I rasped.
“Hmm.” She pretended to ponder the question, tipping her head back and pursing her lips thoughtfully.
“Don’t play with me, Wren,” I gritted out, my wolf pushing hard to claim her.
“Yes, Archer. I love you. Of course I love you. I think I’d known that for a while, but when I saw you stalk into that alleyway like an avenging demon, I knew it for certain. So, if you still think you’re up for the job of being my mate after watching me destroy that guy’s balls, then let’s do it.” She shot me a mischievous smile that went straight to my groin.
“My mate,” I rumbled.
“Yours,” she agreed simply.
“You might want to head back to pack territory for the claiming,” Miles suggested. I’d forgotten he was even there. He stood far enough back to give us the illusion of privacy, a slight smile playing around his mouth. “Get the swearing in stuff done while you’re there.”
“Excellent. What are we waiting for?” Wren asked, grabbing my hand and tugging me towards the car park.
“Last chance, Wren. You sure about this? This is for keeps, you’ll be all mine.”
“I’m already all yours,” Wren murmured against my lips, reaching up on her tiptoes to kiss me softly.
“Fuck this, let’s go.”
We walked briskly to the end of the alleyway where two of Wren’s humans were waiting for us. Well, her.
Fates, Wren didn’t even realize the loyalty she inspired. Yes, they were human, and yes, they were susceptible to her influence, but that didn’t mean they had to follow her the way they did. Humans responded to me, but I hadn’t unconsciously formed a pack of them based on sheer force of personality. She was a Luna to be reckoned with.
“Wren! Are you okay?” Indigo asked, rushing over and pushing herself tight against Wren’s free side. If Derek could shift, he’d have ripped out of his skin and taken a swipe out of Indigo. At least he wasn’t angling for the Alpha spot now. My wolf still hated him, though.
“I’m fine, thank you for keeping an eye out for me,” Wren said kindly, making eye contact with both of them.
“Do you need anything, Wren?” Derek asked, looking like he was seriously considering elbowing Indigo in the ribs. “Do you want to come out to eat with us?”
“We have places to be,” I interjected, lightly pulling Wren towards the parking lot. We’d be here all day with them competing for her affection.
“Let us know if you need anything! Anything!” Indigo yelled after us.
“I’ll see you guys later,” Wren called over her shoulder, giving me a dirty look.
“Don’t even, little bird. You’ll have to find a way to disband that pack of yours, you know.”
“What pack?” she asked, alarmed. I laughed, unlocking the truck and opening the passenger door for her.
I doubted it would be a problem. In a few hours, she’d be mated to me and give her allegiance to the Audax Pack. Her merry band of humans would fall apart naturally. It could be fun to tease her about it until she realized that for herself, though.
✽✽✽
It was a fucking miracle we made it to the cabin without getting pulled over because I was definitely treating the speed limit more like a loose guideline. Fortunately, Wren wasn’t trying to rub herself all over me this time or I’d have wrapped the truck around a tree for sure.
She wanted to, though. Wren watched me the entire drive, biting her lip, crossing and uncrossing her legs in her seat. Fucking tease.
Neither of us said a word as we pulled up in front of the cabin and exited the truck. I unlocked the door to the cabin and yanked her inside before the door was even fully open, slamming her back against it and pinning her hips to the door with mine, devouring her lips.
“Wait, wait,” I panted, pulling back and cupping her cheeks in my hands.
“Wait? Have you lost your fucking mind?” she growled, fisting my shirt impatiently.
I sighed, running my hand through my hair. “There’s something I need to do first, before we go through with this.”
“What could possibly be more important than this?” Wren’s eyes blazed like an inferno as she stared at me, lips pursed.
“First, wait here, I need to get a washcloth for your face. The blood is driving me crazy.” Wren nodded mutely as I disappeared into the bathroom and returned with a wet cloth, gently cleaning her face. The bruises had already faded and the scrape on her hairline had closed. There was no evidence of the confrontation on her face, but I still felt the echoes of the fear in my soul.
“There was something you wanted from me before we went through with the claiming, and I don’t want you to compromise on that because I defended you back in front of your old pack and your wolf is fucking gone for me.”
“Romantic,” Wren said wryly, though she looked at me curiously.
I dropped to both knees in front of her, smirking at the shocked expression on her face. She'd told me to get on my knees and beg, and I'd sworn I'd never get on my knees for anyone. I still wouldn't. But Wren wasn't just anyone. She was the one. The rules had never applied to her. It just took me a little while to realize that.
“I’m sorry, little bird. So fucking sorry. It never occurred to me that you wouldn’t know who I was to you, but that’s no excuse for avoiding you. So I am on my knees, asking for your forgiveness. You deserved better. You probably still deserve better, but I’m never letting you go.”
"You're on your knees," she repeated, looking stunned.
"Isn't this what you wanted, little bird?"
"I didn't think you'd do it."
"Don't you get it yet? I'd do anything for you."
I took advantage of her stunned silence and reached up to grasp her hips in my hands, pulling her close and resting my forehead against her stomach.
Tentatively, she ran her hands through my hair before kneeling in front of me, her body pressed against mine.
“I love you, Archer. And I forgive you.”
“I love you, Wren.”
I groaned at the relief of the crushing weight that had been slowly suffocating me, evaporating into nothingness. I thought I’d been apologizing because Wren needed it, but it turned out we both did. We needed a clean slate.
We leaned in, our lips meeting in a sweet, slow kiss that felt like it could be our first. Then my hands drifted down to cup her perfect ass, and I forgot all about sweet and slow because I was ready to bury myself balls deep in her and sink my teeth into that flawless neck.
“Bed,” Wren panted against my lips, her urgency matching mine. “You are not claiming me on the floor, fucking caveman.”
“In a second,” I grunted, roughly ripping off her clothes and mine. Wren moaned as my teeth scraped against the skin on her neck where I would bite into her perfect, golden-brown flesh.
Her legs wrapped around my hips as I stood, hauling her up against me, grinding against her and reveling in her breathy sighs and impatient growls.
“We’ll remember this day for the rest of our lives, don’t you want us to take our time?” I teased, nipping her lower lip.
“This will be the last day of your life if you don’t stop playing,” she snapped, biting my lip twice as hard.
I stood in the center of the room, banding one arm around her waist, grabbing her ass to hold her against me, my other hand snaking into her hair, wrapping it firmly around my fist so I could control her movement. Wren would fight me, if she wanted to fight me. She didn’t though, not at this moment anyway. She wanted my domination, even if it was only on a subconscious level. She wanted me to prove what a strong mate I would be.
Fire & Gasoline: A Shifter Romance (Audax Pack Book 1) Page 25