Changed

by E. M. Leya

  I'd tried to spend time with him, getting to know each other, but he was distant, tired, and seemed nervous to open up to me about his life and who he was. I wanted to know everything, but with all that he was going through, I wasn't going to push.

  I wished I could take away the pain and suffering he was going through. I willed the shift to come so everything would ease.

  "You got a minute?"

  I glanced up to find Justice leaning against the office door. "Sure, what's up?"

  "I've got the plans for the recording studio finished. I thought you might want to take a look." He held up several rolled papers.

  "Hell, yeah!" I cleared a space on my desk and waved him over. "I didn't think you'd get to that until next summer."

  "With all the time stuck at home, I've had a chance to work on things I hadn't planned on." Justice unrolled the papers.

  "Yeah, Mark was a bit unexpected, but I'm glad that if anyone other than me had to bite him, it was you." I touched Justice's arm. "Thanks for being here for him."

  Justice sighed. "I did it out of anger. I wanted to make sure he didn't fuck us over. Things were so fucked up and I honestly wanted him dead, but I get why Kurt made the choices he did. Mark wasn't guilty of killing anyone. Now, knowing he's your mate, I'm glad things worked out the way they did."

  "Will you be able to forgive him?" I knew only a little of what happened, but enough to understand that Justice had every right to be pissed off at Mark. If he hadn't been my mate, I probably would have hated Mark for standing by while his friend had tried to kill my twin.

  "Yeah, I can let it go. Once he's wolf, his thinking will be different. Honestly, I think he was just a naïve, young kid who was looking for acceptance. Having you and pack around will give him a family. I think that's what he needs." Justice rolled his shoulders. "Anyway, give the plans for the recording studio a glance and let me know if there are any changes. If Mark doesn't shift soon, I'll probably start breaking ground on it this week."

  It had been a dream to have my own recording studio. Being wolf, it sucked to spend weeks in a big city, using the studios that were available to us. Having one here would give us the freedom to record in peace and be close to home where we could relax and shift if we wanted to. We had a forest behind the house to run and work off stress if we needed to. "Thanks for doing this."

  "Of course. Anything to get you home more often." Justice smiled.

  Being twins, it was hard to be apart as often as we were. Being on tour for months at a time was hard. We would talk on the phone, but it wasn't always enough. I missed running through the forest with him, working out in the weight room together, and even just sitting on the deck as we watched the sunset, enjoying a cold beer together.

  Our parents were gone, and we had no siblings. Our mother had died right before she was due to give birth, our father having cut us from her seconds before she died, saving us. Then he'd passed after being shot by a human after being chased through some rancher's property. It was a senseless death as we all knew better than to hunt livestock. To this day, we had no clue why our father had chosen to go after the sheep instead of sticking to the forest and hunting deer or elk.

  "I just talked to Will and told him I needed to be here for a while. I'm not sure what will happen once Mark shifts, but I figure it will be a while before he's able to go with me on tour. I need to let the band know what is going on, but wanted to talk to you first and make sure you're okay with them knowing everything." I glanced at the plans on the desk as I spoke.

  "It's no secret that I took Mark with me and why he's here. The whole pack already knows that. If you're ready to tell them about him being your mate, then tell them. It's probably best not to have anyone over after he shifts for a while. He needs to learn control and I think having a bunch of other wolves around might make things more stressful." Justice pulled up a chair to sit beside me. "I'm actually glad you're here. I have no clue what I'm doing once he shifts. I know it will come naturally to me, but at least with you here, you can be the nice guy while I'm all-controlling and dominate."

  "Good cop, bad cop?" I raised a brow.

  "So to speak. He'll feel a natural bond with you, hopefully, that will be enough to keep him in control. The biggest issue we'll have is getting him out of wolf form. From what Kurt said, it's mostly just teaching the wolf to allow the human equal control."

  "More than equal control. I spend more time in human form, trying to keep my wolf back than the other way around. There have been moments on stage where my wolf gets pissed and surges forward. If I didn't have such good control on him, I'd shift mid-concert."

  "I can imagine Will having to explain that to the media." Justice laughed. "I imagine he'd find a way to spin it as some promotional thing using lights and cameras to form an illusion."

  "It's not a bad idea." I laughed.

  "Don't go there. Kurt would kill you." Justice nodded to the plans. "So, what do you think?"

  I looked over the plans, imagining the studio in my mind. "It's perfect. How long will it take to build?"

  "It depends on what else I have going on. I can get this done in a few months if I can get some of the other guys to help, but until we know what is going on with Mark, I don't want to bring a huge crew out here. I'll start working on it tomorrow, but it will be slow going. Once we get Mark under control, I have a couple of other projects to finish, but I'll keep working on this when I can. We also have to see how the weather holds out."

  "Thanks, Bro." I met his stare. "This means a ton to me."

  "I know, and if it gets you home more often, it's worth it."

  A loud cry echoed from the floor below us.

  "Looks like I'm needed." I stood, stretching my arms over my head. "I never thought I'd tire of sex, but this is crazy." Mark was in constant arousal and we were having sex every few hours to keep him from suffering.

  "I talked to Kurt this morning. He thinks Mark's close to shifting. He says to try and call out to his wolf while having sex. Force Mark to try and let his wolf come forward during sex. Make him focus on his wolf. It can't hurt to try and push things along if we can."

  "I thought we had weeks yet."

  "So did I, but Kurt said this was how it was for Josh right before he shifted. Maybe we've figured things wrong. Kurt mentioned that every wolf is different. He thought Josh would take longer than he did. He also said it might be the mating bond that is helping to pull Mark's wolf forward. That would explain why Josh's shift went quickly as well since Kurt was his mate."

  "Let's hope." I headed for the door. "I'll do what I can."

  I made my way down to Mark's room, my cock hard as a rock by the time I got there. His scent was strong, his need like a knife cutting into me.

  "Tavish…" Mark was on the bed, his cock in his hand as he tried to pleasure himself.

  "I know, love. I'm here and going to help you." I could have stood there and just watched him for hours. He looked so sexy on his back, knees bent, legs spread. I couldn't wait until this madness was over and I could slow things down and savor every inch of his body the way I wanted to. I longed to kiss him, feel his hands on me, and even take him inside me, but that wasn't going to happen as long as this was going on. The raw need was too strong for him to focus on slow and easy right now. I stripped off my clothes and climbed on the bed. "Roll over for me. Let me inside you."

  He stared up at me, but I wasn't sure he was focused enough to really see me. Desire filled his eyes as he rolled, going up on his knees, his fist never leaving his cock as he did so.

  "I want you to focus on your wolf while I fuck you this time. Search deep inside yourself and find him. Let him come forward and feel me fucking you. Let him share in your pleasure." I scratched my nails down Mark's spine, making his skin bleed, hoping the pain might help bring his wolf to the surface.

  Mark arched and cried out, but didn't stop stroking himself.

  "Can you feel your wolf?" I rubbed my cock over his ass, then spread his chee
ks and pushed inside him.

  "More." Mark rocked his body against mine.

  "Feel your wolf, Mark. I want to meet him. My wolf wants to fuck him too. Once you shift, we can run through the forest and hunt together. We can sleep under the trees, play in the lake. Let me meet your wolf." My own wolf was right at the surface and I had to hold him back. He wanted to shift and take its mate. I rocked my hips, starting with slow glides, teasing Mark, hoping the need would frustrate his wolf.

  "Fuck me," Mark cried.

  "I am, baby. I'm watching your ass spread around me right now. I love the way my cock looks inside you." Again, I scratched his back, leaving red streaks where my nails dug into his pale skin. "Does your wolf feel me?"

  A soft growl came from Mark, and his body went still as if it shocked him.

  "There's your wolf. Let him come out and meet me, Mark. I want to know him the way I know you. He's my mate too. Let him out." I increased my thrusts, taking him with more force as I howled, hoping my wolf's call would reach Mark's.

  Slowly, Mark started to move with me again, his body riding over my cock in perfect rhythm.

  I howled again, using the howl I'd use to call to another wolf as we raced through the forest together, then I howled again, a more guttural howl that I used when fucking in wolf form.

  "Can't…" Mark dropped his head to the bed, but still moved with me.

  "You can. He's close. I can smell him. I want to touch him, feel him with me. I want to hunt with him, share my kills with him." It was true. I'd had a dream the night before about hunting with Mark and sharing our kill together. I licked the blood from his mouth as we curled up together, full, and sated. I let out another howl, this one loud and desperate.

  Mark surprised me by howling back. It was a raw howl that pained me because it was one of a mate calling out in desperation for the other.

  "I'm here, Mark. I'm here." I howled back, calling to my mate, allowing my wolf so close to the surface that it was a miracle I could hold him back at all. As I let my wolf communicate, I focused on Mark's pleasure. Kurt said the shift usually happened during orgasm. If I could get Mark there, take him over the edge of the cliff he was teetering on, then I could maybe help his wolf come forward.

  I longed to see him, hold him, and love him.

  I fought to hold back my own release as I thrust hard into Mark, my fingers digging into his skin as the mixed scent of our sex filled the room. I hungered for this man, for the life we would have together.

  Mark's body tensed the way it always did right before he came. A loud howl erupted from him, filling the room, and touching something so deep inside me that I felt it to my core. I arched into him, my own release rushing through me. It was so intense that I almost didn't notice that Mark was shifting, his body pulling from mine. I screamed as the knot tore free of him, but forced myself to digest the pain and focus on my mate.

  He was beautiful.

  A dark wolf lay on the bed, panting. His fur was dark, almost black with streaks of gray. He wasn't huge, but not tiny either. I moved back, easing off the bed, unsure what his reaction to me would be. While I wanted nothing more than to shift and go to him, I needed to make sure he was safe and the situation was under control before I did anything else. "Justice," I called softly since I could smell his scent on the other side of the door.

  The door opened and Justice walked in. "I heard the howl and knew." He smiled at me. "You okay?"

  I nodded, though blood dripped from my cock from where Mark had torn from me. It was a mix of my blood and his, but it wasn't bad enough to worry about. Once I shifted, I would heal, and so would Mark if he hadn't already. "He's beautiful."

  "He is." Justice gripped my shoulder. "Be alert, ready for anything."

  I was. This was a new experience for both of us, and neither of us knew what would happen. I took a step forward, hoping the mating bond would be enough to keep Mark from attacking me. "Mark, are you okay?" I leaned over the bed, running my fingers through his soft fur.

  Mark lifted his head, then seemed to realize something was different and jerked back, the wolf growling softly.

  "It's okay. You shifted. It's over. You're wolf now." I kept my voice soft.

  Mark moved, trying to stand, but being the first time he'd been on four legs seemed to confuse him and he wobbled like a newborn colt before falling back onto the mattress. He sniffed, then shook his head and sniffed again.

  I had never felt such love in my life. Seeing my mate in wolf form intensified the feelings that were already so strong it was almost overwhelming. I wanted to shift and rush with my mate out the back door so we could explore the forest together and hunt. I wanted to curl up with him in the sun and nap. I wanted everything with him.

  "Easy, Mark," Justice used a stern voice. "We're here to help you. Don't fight us."

  Mark growled softly as he jumped off the bed.

  "He's going to run." I stepped toward the door.

  "No, he won't, will you?" Justice sent a wave of power through the room. I felt the small burst of energy, and while it didn't affect me, it did Mark. He whimpered, took a couple of steps back, then cowered.

  "I'm going to shift," I glanced at Justice, unsure how to help Mark calm.

  "Kurt suggested food and sleep for the first day or so. He warned me to watch Mark closely for the first week."

  I nodded. "I'll shift, then lead him downstairs for food."

  "I can't leave you," Justice warned.

  "I know." I quickly shifted, excited to spend time in wolf form with my mate, but the moment I shifted and stood beside Mark, he growled at me, flashing his teeth at me as he took a step back.

  My wolf whined at the rejection from our mate. While I understood it wasn't personal right now, I'd always thought finding my mate would be two-sided, with both of us excited and celebrating that we'd found each other. Never had the thought occurred to me that my mate would be a new wolf who didn't understand anything yet.

  I'd hoped that by shifting somehow Mark's feelings would change and he'd feel the mating bond between us and be unable to resist it, but evidently, he didn't.

  "Mark, we're your friends. Don't start a fight with Tavish. How about we go downstairs and I get you both some meat, then you can relax?" Justice moved to the bedroom door. "Come on, follow me."

  I turned to go with Justice, but that was when Mark attacked, his wolf springing at me, his fangs digging deep into the back of my neck as he tried to take me to the ground.

  I couldn't fight my mate. It just wasn't possible, so I was relieved when Justice sent a wave of power at Mark that had him yelping as he released me and fell to the ground. He whimpered as he rolled to his back, offering his neck and stomach to Justice.

  I forced myself to stay back. Blood trickled over my wolf's fur from the bite, but it wasn't bad. Shifting would heal me, but I wanted to stay in my wolf form to be with Mark right now. I moved to the doorway, starting downstairs, figuring this was something Justice and Mark needed to work out without my interference.

  My wolf was confused, not understanding why we weren't welcome. This was our mate, our life partner. He should have welcomed us, not fought with us.

  I got to the kitchen and curled up near the table, trying to be patient with things. In time, it would all work out, but until then, I needed to allow Justice to control Mark and help him learn everything he needed to. As painful as it was, the mating was secondary and training and trust had to come first.

  All I could do was wait and watch. It wasn't going to be easy, but allowing Justice to be what Mark needed right now was the only way this was going to work. I closed my eyes as I listened to them upstairs, sensed it when Justice shifted, cringed at the growl of authority my twin gave, and hoped that somehow Mark would see that we only wanted the best for him. The harder he fought us, the harder it was going to be for him to see that we belonged together.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Mark

  I loved the strength I had. My wolf shook with the
need to run, the need to fight. I'd never been strong, but suddenly it was as if I'd gained so much power that I could take on the world. I thought about all the bullies, all the fights, all the pain I'd suffered over my life, and I wanted to go out and seek revenge for all of it.

  I wanted to kill, which was a bit overwhelming to think about, but in some odd way, it also seemed natural. The thought of sinking my fangs into some human or some animal gave me a sense of power that I'd never felt before. The taste of blood from attacking Tavish was enough to make me crazy. I loved the coppery taste and wanted more.

  It was only the stupid burst of odd energy that came from Justice that kept me from feeding my hunger. He'd been scary enough as a human, but the moment he shifted into his wolf form, I'd been so overwhelmed with his energy that all I could do was submit to him. He had complete control over me with whatever unseen power he had. I didn't like it.

  I was unable to ignore his authority. Whatever control he had over me, it was strong. It made me shiver in fear as I cowered from him, unsure what he would do to me if I tried to resist. This was all so scary and strange. I was having trouble thinking, my wolf focused on its hunger, its need to hunt, its need to escape. The human side of me only got a few thoughts in between the raw needs of my wolf's thoughts.

  Justice brushed up against me, then nudged me forward. He barked softly, and somehow, I understood that he was going to get us food.

  My hunger was stronger than anything, so I allowed him to walk beside me to the kitchen. I paused only a moment when I saw Tavish's large wolf by the kitchen table. He was amazing looking, a thick body with a black coat with flecks or red. While his wolf matched Justice's, somehow, I was able to tell them apart. A lot of it was by scent, which I was starting to understand would now be a huge part of my life. I'd never been so consumed with smells. They were everywhere, and many were things I'd never smelled before.

  Beside me, Justice shifted back to human form. I tried not to stare up at his naked body, but it was odd to me to see how casually he moved naked around the kitchen without any shame from showing his body to me.