by M. L. Briers
And then the beast did something unexpected, something that neither man had ever seen before, it sat down…
‘What the hell is it doing?’ Rudd spat out. It was definitely a new one on him. The animal’s bloodlust should be in overdrive right about now. Cornered and with the instinct to attack, it should be snarling and spitting fire from its damned eyes as it lashed out indiscriminately…
‘Oh, spirits forgive me…’ Rick hissed, finally getting a grip on why this Were was acting so damned strangely.
‘Rick?’
‘She’s my mate. Rudd…’ Rick snarled towards his Alpha, his natural instinct to protect her battling within him against his duty to protect his pack.
Link dropped down from the branch and landed gracefully on his feet. He could have been stepping from a curb, because the thirty foot drop didn’t register as anything more taxing than that.
The werewolf reared at the sight of him. The unexpectedness of being corned by the vampire sent the animal’s bloodlust soaring with him and he snarled out his intent as the beast came at him, jaws snapping and claws slashing the air.
Link sidestepped the beast at the last second. Brining his fist down against the top of the animals head with all the force he could muster, and the beast’s front paws buckled as his jaw hit the earth. Skidding on front paws as his back ones tried to find a foothold within the earth, the beast couldn’t help but be rattled by the power that Link wielded.
Jack didn’t wait for the outcome of the Were’s fall to earth. She pounced on his back, her claws tearing into his flesh at the same time as her jaws clamped down around his neck.
The beast roared out with the pain of the injuries she had inflicted on him. Using his back paws to flip himself over, Jack still clinging to his back, as both wolves went crashing through the underbrush.
Link had to fight the urge to move in and take the Werewolf out. He was mindful of Rick’s warning to let Jack have the kill, and he would only take that away from her if it looked as if she was in danger, although just being in a fang fight with the mindless beast was danger enough as far as his rational was concerned. He was primed and ready to attack.
Jack didn’t let go, with her claws or her fangs. Using her back paws to push and roll the beast to where she wanted him, only then did she release one set of claws from within the animals flesh.
With one quick movement she wrenched the animals head backwards on his neck with her jaws and struck fast and furious across his throat. The animal bucked beneath her body as it rallied against death, but it didn’t take long for the beast’s life force to leave it.
Jack sprang away from the animal and watched as its final breath left his body. She tossed her head back and howled her victory, howled the news of the kill into the early morning sky. Just in time for the sun to rise over the hills in the distance.
“My mates got moves…”Link chuckled to himself, but Jack’s head snapped around on her neck and she hissed at him. “And a bad temper.”He teased as the She-wolf slowly moved towards him, her claws digging into the earth on route.
He watched his mates progression and knew that either one of two things was happening, she was either going to attack and he was about to have a very bad day, or she was clearing the blood and flesh from her claws as she walked. He was kind of hoping it was the later, but he was ready for anything…
Almost anything… He never expected her to nuzzle against his hand, brush the side of her face against him in an intimate gesture as she walked past him. Link grinned to himself as he turned to watch her stroll off into the woods. Rick was right, she was thanking him for the kill, maybe there was some hope after all…
‘I can’t end her.’ Rick took a long moment to consider what he had said. She was Were, probably newly bitten, and she was definitely his mate. How the hell could he end her?
‘The sun’s coming up. Nobody is going to end her.’ Rudd growled out, fighting every instinct within him to finish this now. But how the hell could he kill one of his own like this? Rick’s mate. How the hell had this happened?
The whimper from her lips caught them both by surprise. She dropped down on her front paws and lay on the ground before them. Her fur rippled as her muscles contracted. She was changing back into her human form and Rudd heard the long growl that came from his Beta’s lips. His wolf was torn between attacking before the change was complete and knowing his mate in her true form.
‘What the hell am I going to do?’ Rick was talking to himself as much as asking for his Alpha’s guidance.
‘Whatever you have too, she’s your mate.’ Rudd’s eyes took in the naked human form as she rested from the change. The transformation was never as easy for a Werewolf as it was for a Lycan. Their bodies weren’t prepared for it genetically, and changing was forced, not natural. It got easier over time, but she was out of time.
“You should have killed me.”The woman spat out, her head lifted and her eyes tried to focus on Rick as she lay curled on the ground.
‘How the hell does she remember what happened?’ Rick almost shook his head in bewilderment, and then he remembered that he was still in his wolf’s body and forced the change into his human form.
On his hands and knees before her, he eyed her suspiciously. Taking in her human scent was a lot more potent than when she had been Were, and his body shivered with the knowing.
“Who are you?”He growled towards her. Wanting to go to her and yet uneasy, the woman was a Were, this could only end one way.
“Alma.”
“And you are aware of what you are when you shift?”This didn’t make sense. She should be consumed with the bloodlust, unaware of anyone or anything. Her animal instincts should force her to feed, on anything that was unlucky enough to cross her path, but she’d had some semblance of control.
“I’m Fae. I knew what I would become when I was bitten. There’s a spell to stop the wolf taking over completely, encompassing Monkshood…”
“Wolfs bane is toxic to Were’s as it is to Lycans…”
“That depends on what you do with it and how much you use.”Her eyes took him in. Naked and poised in front of her as if he wanted to pounce, he didn’t look as if he wanted to rip her throat out, but he did look conflicted.
‘Rick, get her some clothes, some food, and take care of your mate…’ Rudd hadn’t changed back into his human form. If Alma posed some form of threat he wanted to be ready for her. But if it was true what she had said about a spell to keep her sanity as she endured the change, then they needed to know more.
‘My mate…’ He repeated on a shake of his head. If only he had found her before she had been bitten…
‘We need to know more about the spell, how in control she is when she shifts…’ Rick turned to look at his Alpha. What was the man thinking? Hope maybe, that they wouldn’t have to end her on her next shift? No, he couldn’t hope for that, it wasn’t the done thing. She was a danger to the pack. If he wanted to run the risk of keeping his mate alive he would have to leave the pack…
‘I know what you’re thinking, Beta. Don’t do anything rash. We have a month before her next change…’
‘You know as well as I do what this means for her…’ Rick was fighting on two fronts. Fighting the hope that maybe he could keep his mate alive somehow, and that he wouldn’t have to leave his family behind him.
“Will you just kill me and get it over with?”Alma’s body was still shaking from the shift to human. The pain in her joints felt just as if she’d broken all of her bones and they were resetting, which they were, just a lot faster than a normal human would recover.
Rick watched his Alpha turn tail and walk away. He considered her request for all of two seconds before he blew out a long breath. He stretched up to his full height and looked down on his mate as she lay on the earth, her brown eyes staring up at him expectantly. She winced when he took a step towards her, but he reached down and scooped her up into his arms, lifting her against his chest. She barely had the strength
in her body to resist him, but she lifted her hand and placed it against his chest, the effort to push him away was too much in her weakened state.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“Nobody is going to hurt you, Alma…”He growled gently against her cheek.
“Isn’t it Lycan policy to kill all Werewolves?”She gave up even trying to raise any energy to push at him. She was trapped in his arms, and the strength of him alone would ensure she stayed where he wanted her. Now she was Fae again she might be able to raise some energy to be able to use against him, but not yet, and for right now, that urge wasn’t within her.
“Why did you come onto our land if you knew that?”Nothing about this woman made any sense to him.
“I was tracking the bastard that bit me.”She hissed out, hatred in every word.
“Why?”He started off towards his cabin.
“To kill him if he tried to bite anyone else…”She admitted. Closing her eyes to the sights around her, she was just too tired to keep them open. She hated to feel this weak, this dependent on anyone else, it wasn’t in her nature, and yet he didn’t feel like just anyone else, he felt somehow familiar to her, and she tried to place where she knew him from…
“He’s dead.”Rick admitted. Knowing that the victory howl that Jack had let out was for the kill, thankfully there had not been two, nor should he be thankful for that?
“The vampire…”She smiled with the knowledge of knowing that the one who had turned her into a monster was now gone. It soothed her mind to know that he wouldn’t do it to another.
“Beta got the kill, but yes, the vampire was tracking him.”Rick felt her body ease within his arms, as if every inch of tension had just evaporated within her.
“Then I can die knowing that the job has been done. Put me down and finish this.”
“What kind of a mate would I be to end you?”Rick felt her tense again, and cursed himself for it. He should have waited until she was stronger, better able to deal with what he was telling her.
“I’m sorry…”Her words were barely audible, but he managed to catch them anyway.
“For what?”Rick growled down at her, shifting her in his arms so he could better see her face as she rested against his chest.
“When you lose your mate, you’ll go rogue…”Her hand was back against his chest, her fingers curled against his skin as she felt the pain of regret wash through her.
Guilt and remorse washed through her in equal measure. While she celebrated the fact that her sire was dead, he had still managed to ruin one more life before he died.
“We have a month before you’re next change, let’s just concentrate on that time…”He growled out, wishing he had taken the kill for himself, wanting to sink his claws into the beast that had hurt his mate, rip the monster limb from limb for daring to touch her. She felt so fragile within his arms, and his need to protect her would only grow with each day they were together.
He knew within him that when the time came for the pack to end her, they would need to end him as well.
Rudd took his time to shower. A myriad of thoughts were going through his mind, but the biggest problem was his Beta’s mate. If Rick took the decision to leave with her it would be a sad loss for his pack. If he decided to end her then they would have a rogue on their hands not long after that, either way the Beta would be lost to them.
The fact that she had seemed in control of her beast had shocked the hell out of him. He’d never known it to happen before. But that alone didn’t mean she wasn’t a threat to their pack. Even with the level of control she had exhibited the pack would be nervous around her change. Ultimately her fate would rest with him, and that didn’t sit well within him.
He’d known Rick all of his life. They had rough and tumbled together as pups. Had learned to hone their individual skills together, and had become established members of a strong pack together. The Alpha and Beta, how the hell could he end Rick and his mate?
He needed to find out about the spell that she claimed to have done. He needed to know if it could be replicated before every shift into her beast. He needed to consult his pack, perhaps they could build a place to keep her during the three days when she would change into her beast…
By the time he had finished showering he had a firmer idea of what could be done for his Beta’s mate. But all of that would rest on his packs willingness to put their faith in the little Fae and her spells, in being able to contain her when she shifted.
He felt a little easier within himself by the time he slipped under the covers with Macy.
In the early morning light that came through the gap in the curtains and illuminated the room, he leaned up on one elbow and watched her sleep. Having his own mate in his bed made him all the more determined that Rick wouldn’t lose his mate.
With the backs of his fingers he reached out and ran them down her cheek. Just the briefest of touches made his skin come alive with a sensation that flowed over his body like a wave of silk, heightening his awareness of how much he wanted her, needed her, and when she stirred, turning over onto her side towards him, her body instinctively searching for his, he saw her lids flutter open and felt a warmth within his heart that was for her alone.
“Good morning…”His gentle growl wrapped around her body like a comfort blanket and brought a light into her eyes that he wanted to wake up to every day for the rest of his life.
“Is everything alright?”The thought of him leaving her side last night pained him. They should have been mated by now, waking together as one entity.
“For now and hopefully it will stay that way.”His fingers traced over the length of her neck and the round of her shoulder, hesitating briefly where he would place his mark in her skin, claim her as his own.
The shiver that ran through her body at his touch wasn’t even half as devastating to her senses as the longing within her for him. The moment he had left last night she had mourned his loss beside her. It was akin to a craving, needing something so badly that she physically ached for it. With his fingers running down the length of her arm, that ache, that need was back inside her, growing in intensity.
Rudd traced his fingers down over her hand and she turned her palm upwards, lacing her fingers with his as he edged the length of his body against hers.
“Where were we?”She breathed out. Knowing what she wanted, and without a shadow of a doubt within her mind it was him.
She saw the wolfish grin that swept across his face. His eyes darkening with the desire that ran through him as he dipped his head and claimed her lips, one gentle kiss before his need to devour her, head to toe, took over him and he rolled her backwards on the bed, pushing their joined hands against the mattress and pinning her in place with the length of his body.
“Tell me you want me.”He growled against her ear before nipping at her lobe.
“More than I want to breathe right now.”Macy thought she could do without oxygen as long as she had him, maybe just a little oxygen and a lot of him.
He was working his way down her neck and every breath, every lick of his tongue, every kiss, was felt over and over deep inside. When he closed his lips over her skin and sucked hard her hips tried to find his, but she was pinned to the bed. With her one free hand she reached for him, stroked her fingertips over the satin skin and his growl was more than primal.
He moved down and his eyes caught hers, held her in his dark gaze. She watched his tongue circle her breast and the excitement flared within her. He lapped against the hard ache of her nipple and she wanted to explode with the flash of sensation that went through her sex. Her free hand went to the back of his head, her fingers fisted his hair and urged him on, and when he closed his lips over the hard bud and sucked, her back arched towards him and she moaned so softly, just as she had when feasting on the cake.
His hardness twitched with the need to be buried inside her. His muscles were tense from holding onto his desire for so long. He brushed his fingers up her inner thigh and she opened for him,
needing his touch as much as he needed her.
“Can we do this slow another time… I need…”She tried to squirm against him, but he was like an unmovable object, keeping her in place, it was as frustrating as it was exciting.
“No.”It was just one word, growled against her breast, but it was written in his eyes as he looked at her from under his dark brows. This was how he claimed her, this was his way, and she couldn’t argue with that, even if she was more than ready to explode from need…
His fingers found her sex and she groaned as they ran the length of her folds. “I want to know you…”He growled against the gentle swell of her belly and she shivered as his tongue licked against the heat of her skin at the same moment he pressed a finger into her channel.
She didn’t know whether to thank him or beg him for more as her inner muscles tightened around his digit, looking for more, looking for his erection, the same erection she could feel against her thigh. Damn it but she wanted to dig her nails into his backside, hoist him towards her and thrust up against him, taking him deep and crying out in her victory…
He was getting ever lower, just not fast enough. He’d let go of her hand and she reached for him, but he’d already shifted down the bed. He was going for gold, she was sure of it and she couldn’t wait much longer…
And then the world turned, and she realised that his hands had turned her on the bed and she was face down, the warmth of his body over hers as his breath touched the back of her neck and she really wanted to curse out in frustration.
“Rudd, seriously, I really want to feel you…”His lips closed over the back of her neck and his tongue teased as he sucked against the skin, and her body almost convulsed when he ran a flat tongue all the way down her spine. His body moved against her, chest hair touched her backside and his breath travelled back over the path of moisture he had created down her spine and she shivered right down to her toes.