by Multiple
Anticipation made Edge’s breath move quickly out his nostrils. The battle coming would be so sweet, and he would savor every minute of it because this was for Ivy, his mate. The challenge was more important than anything else had been in his whole life. Edge waited as he circled the room opposite Ian. The stalking lasted for several minutes and then the muscles in Ian’s front legs tightened right before he lunged at Edge.
Edge bunched his own leg muscles and pushed off the mat. He collided with Ian, their chests bumping into a mesh of orange and white fur. The air rushed out of Edge’s lungs in a quick burst, before he breathed in deep and gritted his teeth.
Ian growled a low rolling rumble as he slashed at Edge with his extended claws.
Edge hissed in pain as Ian’s claws scored down his front leg and pain shot through his leg. He jumped away from Ian and crouched to wait for Ian to get back on his feet. Edge’s heartbeat raced as he anticipated Ian’s attack.
Ian growled and lunged again. They struggled through the dance of the fight. Ian’s large paws swatted at Edge’s head and legs.
Edge knocked Ian back by head-butting him in the stomach.
Ian’s back paws slid backward. An Oof of air left his chest, and his front claws scratched at Edge’s back. Ian tried to regain his balance as Edge dug in with his paws trying to pin Ian to the ground to end the fight.
Ian managed to avoid the pin.
Edge whipped his head to the side and snapped his teeth together, barely missing Ian’s neck. The scent glands between Edge’s claws secreted his dark spiced marking scent, which was only ramping up Edge’s anger and making him sloppy.
Ian roared and slashed Edge across the shoulder with his four inch claws.
The slashes burned as if acid had been dripped on his skin, and the smell of the metallic tang of his own blood encouraged Edge’s impatience. Edge bared his fangs and hissed at Ian in an attempt to discourage the cub’s attack. Edge was a patient tiger, but he had had enough of this fight. The stupid cub had Edge’s ire burning so hot under his skin that the hold on his temper was ready to shatter like a rock through a plate glass window.
Edge circled around Ian, lunged and retreated to throw Ian off and mess with his head. Ian’s muscles were tight in his legs and shoulders, and the younger tiger jumped every time Edge came at him. It was time to end the fight.
Edge lunged in for the kill, toppling Ian to the ground.
Ian grunted as Edge took him down, but thrashed, trying to strike Edge with his unfurled claws.
Edge and Ian struggled, claws scratching deep, both pulling off clumps of fur and drawing blood.
Ian twisted left and right pushing at Edge’s shoulder with his head while Ian tried to get his paws under Edge far enough to claw the more vulnerable soft fur of Edge’s belly.
Finally, with a deafening roar that made even Edge’s ears pulse from the sound, Edge forced Ian’s shoulders back against the ground until Edge was settled on top of Ian, pinning the cub. Edge opened his jaws wide and wrapped his mouth around Ian’s throat.
Ian roared and the sound rumbled Edge’s teeth that were now locked on either side of Ian’s throat.
The razor sharp points dug into the soft fur, and blood, sharp and sweet, twanged against Edge’s tongue. Edge gently shook Ian by the throat making sure to leave marks of his dominance on Ian’s skin.
Ian’s body went slack, his struggling paw fell away from Edge’s body and a quiet whimper sounded through the gym.
Edge jumped up as soon as Ian stilled completely. Edge stalked away from Ian back toward his clothing. His smug satisfaction radiated through his body removing the last of his remaining anger at Ian.
Ian changed slowly. His bones reformed with an audible snap and his orange-stripped fur pulled back away from his skin almost as if peeling away a layer of Ian’s form. Ian stood and raised his hands high over his head stretching out his muscles.
Edge quickly brought his own change about, gasping when his own bones snapped. As he stood, his fur receded down his body.
Ian touched his fingers to his neck, and his fingers came away smeared with his own blood.
Edge couldn’t help but grin at the expression of surprise on Ian’s face. Had the cub honestly thought Edge would not mark Ian well enough for him to bleed?
“Okay, you’re worthy.” Ian laughed as if the whole challenge was dismissed. Ian retrieved his shirt from the floor and used it to wipe away the blood on his neck.
Edge just smirked that the cub would now tell him he was worthy. Of course he was worthy, Edge was an Alpha, and he couldn’t be anything but worthy.
Ian fastened his jeans and pulled on his blood-streaked T-shirt.
“Nobody hurts her and gets away with it. Got it?” Ian’s voice lost all of his usual humor. Edge paused in pulling on his clothes to stare at the younger man.
“I promise you, Ian, I intend to take care of her. Ivy’s specialthe one, my mate. She’s amazing.” Edge shook his head in disbelief, he couldn’t believe he’d finally found his mate.
“Yeah, you just remember that.” Ian strode toward Edge. “I’m outta’ here. I’ll see you tonight. You picking her up?”
Edge nodded. “Ian?”
Ian paused and glanced over his shoulder.
“I want to know what happened to Ivy when she was younger.” Edge pulled his pants into place.
Ian’s shoulders stiffened as he turned toward Edge.
“Can’t tell you that. You have to ask Ivy.” Ian acted like what Edge had said was no big deal as Ian leaned against the door and folded his arms over his chest. Ian’s body language lied.
Edge could see the weariness in Ian’s eyes. He blew out an irritated breath. He was happy that Ian would protect his sister, but it would make it harder to help Ivy. Edge could easily find out by making a few calls to the Alpha of their pack, but he wanted Ivy to trust him enough to tell him on her own. Edge had hoped he could get some clues about her secret from Ian.
“She won’t change because of what happened to her. I’m right, aren’t I?” Edge settled his hands on his hips as he examined Ian’s body languagehis stance, the tight lines around his mouth, his clenched jawfor any signs to lead him to the answer he sought.
“I. Can’t. Tell. You. Just let it go.” Ian’s color was getting ruddier with the slow anger Edge saw in his eyes.
Ian clapped him on the back and walked out the door without another word.
Edge sighed as the door clicked shut behind him.
At least Edge had a true right to Ivy now. He had battled a male of her family and won. His shirt scraped over his wounded arm and, as the cloth made contact with the raw wound, he hissed in pain
He hoped Ivy would see the challenge for what it wasan important tradition between families and packsand be proud that he had won the right to pursue her as his mate. Edge pulled over the collar of his shirt and inspected the cut in the mirror. He decided to head for the nurse’s station for some antibiotics and maybe a good-sized bandage. With his Were healing abilities, it would close up soon, but he wanted to make sure he didn’t risk infection. As he walked though The Haven to the nurse’s station near the lobby, he couldn’t help but wonder what kind of secret Ivy had hidden.
~~~
Ivy stared at the phone as it sat on the counter of her kitchen island. She wanted to talk to her parents. After everything that had happened, she was still the baby of the family, and the turmoil that had become her life made her yearn to hear her mother’s light and song-like voice or her father’s deep rumble. Either one would do. She just needed to feel some kind of connection with her family.
Even though she’d been kicked out of the pack she still kept in regular contact with her family. She just couldn’t be in the pack territory and was no longer recognized as a pack member. All that aside she still needed to hear her mother’s voice.
Was she strong enough to talk to her mother without breaking down on the phone? Her paren
ts couldn’t come down and help her with Mark, even if they wanted to. The pack wouldn’t kick out her family for visiting her or talking to her on the phone, but if they lifted a finger to defend her, the pack would draw the line.
Ivy picked up the phone and hit the speed dial. It only rang twice before her mother answered.
“It’s Ivy, Mama.”
“Baby, how are you? I’ve missed you so much.”
Ever since she and Ian had moved to the city a few years ago her mother acted like they had moved to China instead of San Francisco. Mom constantly worried over Ivy and Ianher twins, who were the youngest in a family of seven. Ivy, having been born last by a mere three minutes, was the baby of the family.
“I’m fine, Mom. I just wanted to call and talk to you for a few minutes.” Ivy walked over to her couch and curled up next to the armrest. Her mother’s voice sent a gentle wave of warmth over her, soothing her tense nerves.
“Ivy, tonight’s the full moon. Are you going out?” Ivy winced at the question. Her mother haunted her children about the mating moon, the unattached ones, anyway. Only the truth would appease her mother.
“Yes, I am.” She sighed low and quiet so her mother wouldn’t hear her. Always the same question. Even though she was the baby, her mother couldn’t wait for her to meet a male.
Some of her older sisters were mated and in the process of providing grandchildren for her parents. Her mom and dad were overjoyed at the prospect of more cubs on the ranch.
Ivy’s heart ached as she realized her cubs would never be at her parent’s ranch because she had been banished.
“Oh, how wonderful. Harold.” Ivy pulled the phone away from her ear at her mother’s loud yell. Ivy nearly laughed, her mother was usually so proper with her near-perfect manners, her voice had raised an octave with excitement. “Ivy’s met someone! Pick up the other line.” Goosebumps broke out on Ivy’s skin at the thought of having to talk with her father about Edge. She had always been her daddy’s little girl and having to discuss a male with him made her nervous.
“Iv, hello? What guy?” Her father’s voice boomed into the phone. Ivy smiled at his loud voice, but bit her fingernail.
“He’s named Edge.” She wondered what had made her call her parents with this information. Deep down she knew she would always need their approval in some form. Ivy took a deep breath and told them about Edge’s work he did at The Haven with the younger males.
Ivy’s dad mumbled in approval. “Ian called earlier and mentioned something about a worthy male, is this the same guy?”
“What do you mean worthy male?” Ivy’s gut clenched with an instinctual weariness, and she took a deep breath to brace herself for the answer she did not want to hear.
“I thought Ian told you…” Her dad said, but her mother remained silent on the other end. The silence told her all she needed to know.
“Oh, Daddy.” Ivy groaned as irritation made her gut ache with worry. “He didn’t! Tell me Ian didn’t challenge Edge.”
Challenging a prospective mate was an old tradition. A male in the female’s family challenged a prospective male and judged him worthy of their femalean old, stupid tradition, in her opinion.
Ivy gritted her teeth and clenched her fingers around the phone. Anger made her face burn, and she stood up to pace the living room. She would kill Ian. “I don’t need Ian to judge males for me,” she growled into the phone.
“Don’t talk to your father like that. Ian did what was proper. You should be proud of him, that he would honor you that way.” Her mother’s voice was stiff and chiding.
Ivy rubbed a hand over her face and prayed no one got hurt during the challenge. “I’m sorry. I just get so frustrated with Ian sometimes. He’s just such a male.” Ivy unclenched her teeth and tried not to growl at her mother. She took a few slow deep breaths letting the air in and out of her lungs until some semblance of calm returned. Ivy plunked down on the couch with her forehead in her palm.
“Ivy, you have to understand about the challenge, it’s just our way.” Ivy’s dad was always the peacemaker.
“I know. I just…” She squeezed her eyes shut and her shoulders slumped. Defeat made her breathing a little shaky. There was no sense arguing with them. They were as hardheaded as Ian.
“Now, Iv, you go on and have a good time tonight. This Edge sounds like a good Were.”
“All right, Daddy.” Ivy rubbed her index finger and thumb over the bridge of her nose. This phone conversation gave her a headache.
“I’m going to get off the line, love you, pumpkin.”
“Love you, too.” The phone clicked.
“It’s a full moon, baby, don’t forget it’s when we are closest with our tigers. Our hormones and our bodies match chemically with our mate’s.”
Ivy tried not to groan in exasperation. Her mother was on a roll today and here came the history lesson.
Suddenly Ivy was thirteen-years-old again and they were having “the sex talk” for the first time. Ivy breathed slowly to calm herself, but listened obediently. This stuff was important to her mother and she only had Ivy’s best interest in mind, which made being mad difficult.
“That’s why you can only get pregnant on a full moon after you’ve met your mate. It’s such a magical time.” Her mother sounded wistful, maybe she was remembering when she met Ivy’s father. “Plus, it’s tradition for males and females to enjoy each other. Anyway, I’ll let you go, call me later, okay?”
“Okay, bye.”
Ivy replaced the phone in the cradle and ran her hands through her limp hair. That’s what happened when you were the baby, everyone watched out for you and everyone knew your business. Ivy stood and headed for the stairs as her mother’s words repeated inside her head. “It’s the full moon, it’s tradition.”
Ever since she was a little girl she had known the full moon was special, but it wasn’t until she reached puberty that she had realized the significance.
Her mother threw parties and barbeques at the full moon. Everyone had celebrated and all but danced naked in the moonlight. As a child, Ivy had watched from her window as everyone laughed and males and females left hand in hand at the end of the night.
When Ivy was older, she found out what couples did when they left the festivities. One night, she followed her sister and her sister’s boyfriend. Of course, her sister was several years her senior, but Ivy watched as they became so engrossed in each that they didn’t even hear her creep into the barn. Ivy had been shocked at first and a little scared to see the boy pawing at her sister, until she realized her sister wanted the boy to touch her like that. Things slowly began to click into place, and when they consummated the fondling with sex Ivy had been excited.
The urge to celebrate the full moon was embedded in all Weres, and Ivy was no different. She had never found a way to celebrate the mating moon correctly. Her memory of the full moon was clouded with Chad’s death. She just couldn’t seem to get past that fact that she’d killed him on a full moon. Ivy wanted to push away the past because being with Edge for the full moon would be glorious.
She decided to take a shower and get ready for her date.
Maybe she’d dress up. Ivy liked the idea of Edge seeing her dressed up. She could show off her body to him, tease him maybe with a tight shirt and a short skirt. She slipped on her robe and wrapped her short hair in a towel to dry. In her room she sorted through her clothes in search of the perfect outfit. There were so many different things she could wear, but she wanted to look sexy, and more than that she wanted to feel sexy. Ivy wanted to forget all about Mark tonight and just enjoy being with Edge.
Tonight would be the night for her to be bolder than usualher hormones were already ramping up making her skin tingle.
Ivy headed back to the bathroom and toweled her hair. Rubbing gel in her hands she messed up the back of her hair until it stuck out everywhere. Then she blow dried the front and fixed her bangs so they lay above her eyes. Ivy sear
ched for her favorite black skirt. The skirt came just above her knees and fit kind of snug around her hips. She couldn’t bring herself to drag on nylons, they just seemed so…well not her. The skirt would have to be enough.
Ivy found a shimmery silver blouse that would show off some of her cleavage and after donning her plunging bra, slid the blouse over her head. She had just bought a new pair of gorgeous strappy, black sandals last week that looped around the ankle and made her calves look fabulous. She opened the shoe box and inhaled that wonderful new shoe smell. Ivy didn’t indulge in things like that often, but she had a weakness for a sexy pair of shoes.
Ivy gently pulled the shoes from the white tissue paper like they were a rare treasure she had unearthed in some ancient city. She sat on the end of her bed and buckled the clasp on each shoe.
Ivy admired herself in the full-length mirror. Pleased with the picture she made, she donned a little bit of make up, just some eyeliner and lip-gloss. Most males liked the natural look and she didn’t even own perfume. With a male’s heightened sense of smell, the shower gel would be enough. The musky scent of a woman was important on the full moon.
When a female’s hormones kicked in and her chemistry aligned with the tiger, the wet desire between her thighs became an aphrodisiac to a male. A female’s scent was stronger, headier, so much so that sometimes even human males couldn’t resist the call.
A chill went up her spine, and she shivered. Was she really doing this?
Ivy could only imagine the pure passion and sexual heat she could find with Edge tonight.
As the sun set, the pull of the full moon on her body became a constant ache in her belly. Her skin tingled, and the fine hairs on her body stood up. Her nipples were hard from the simple contact of the fabric against them.
Ivy brushed a hand over her breasts, her nipples beaded beneath the fabric of her bra. Her breasts were hot, full and achy.