by M. A. Church
“Mark? Mark!” Panicking, Hunter tried to push Mark back on the bed. The stiffness of Mark’s chest muscles shocked him. How the hell could he breathe?
While they tussled, Mark’s gaze locked onto Hunter, but there was no sign of human awareness in his eyes. Just pain and anger, a deadly combination. A cornered animal was a dangerous animal.
Mark’s face had a bluish tint to it, and he was making gurgling sounds. Was Mark strangling on his own spit? Hunter had no idea. Before he could decide what to do, Mark lunged up and slammed both hands into Hunter’s chest.
Hunter flew off the bed and hit the wall. The sheetrock crumbled around him as he slid down. Mark dragged in air and howled again. Hunter cringed at the sound. There was no doubt that was an Alpha howl.
Hunter struggled to his feet and launched himself at the bed again. Somehow he had to calm Mark down, but damned if he knew how. Just as he grabbed Mark, Mark turned toward him, snarling. His mouth pooched out and formed a muzzle. But just as quick, it morphed back to normal.
Mark shrieked.
A paw, not a fucking hand, whizzed past. Hunter barely managed to get out of the way. Holy shit, Mark had almost slit his throat. As he watched, the paw turned back into a hand.
“Holy hell,” Hunter breathed as Mark twisted and shuddered, various body parts transforming into a wolf then back to human. The transformations were becoming more intense and rapid.
Hunter had never witnessed something like this. Ever. A bitten wolf never shifted before the end of the three-day time period. They just didn’t, but here Mark was, doing…. Goddess only knew what he was doing, and Hunter had no clue how to help him.
Mark screamed again as his body arched.
Hunter reached for his cell phone just as his bedroom door slammed open. “What the fuck was that? I heard an Alpha howl and—oh goddess! Hunter? What the fuck is going on?” Zane yelled, dropping the to-go bag of food on the floor.
Mark howled again.
“Holy shit,” Brax whispered from behind Zane. “What the hell is happening to him? He’s an Alpha? But how?”
“Help him, please, Zane!” Hunter cried. “He’s trying to change, but it’s not time. I think he’s fighting it, and that’s going to kill him! What do I do?”
As they watched, Mark’s legs shifted into a wolf’s, but the rest of his body was human.
“Stay back, Brax. You can’t take on an Alpha,” Zane warned.
“Not a problem.” Brax grabbed the forgotten to-go bag and hauled ass out of the room.
Zane started stripping. “Lose the clothes and change, Hunter. Maybe our wolves can help. Now!”
Or maybe they’ll kill him because he’s an out of control Alpha in their territory. Still, Hunter peeled off his clothes and called to his wolf, even as Mark kept partially shifting. The bed finally broke, and Mark rolled onto the floor.
This was the stuff nightmares were made of.
After Hunter and Zane both shifted, they crowded closer to Mark. Mark snapped at them. Finally, heartbroken and desperate because Mark wouldn’t let him near, Hunter howled. The sound was powerful, but heavy with desperation. Zane joined his voice to Hunter’s, but his was full of encouragement and hope.
Mark finally stopped trying to attack and lay on the floor between the two of them, whimpering. Broken. The twitching slowed, then stopped. He shivered, and then the change swept over him. A fully-formed wolf lay panting on the floor, and a deep sigh came from Mark as his breathing returned to normal.
Hunter approached carefully, whimpering deep in his throat. Would Mark recognize him? Typically, when they shifted, they retained some of their human cognizance, but nothing about this was normal.
Mark had never seen Hunter in his wolf form, either. Hell, he hadn’t even met Zane, who was standing at attention next to Hunter. And how would Mark’s wolf react to the two Alphas standing so close? This could go all sorts of wrong.
Mark opened his eyes.
Hunter dropped his belly to the floor and edged a little closer. The last thing he wanted to do was startle Mark into attacking. Mark blinked hesitantly, then he whined.
If Hunter could cry in his wolf form, he would’ve busted into tears right then. The confusion and fear in Mark’s eyes lanced his soul. Hunter moved a little bit closer, and Mark inhaled deeply. Hunter prayed Mark would recognize him, not only as pack, but also as his mate.
Mark’s tail thumped on the floor.
As badly as Hunter wanted to celebrate, he instead crept closer until he finally was able to lick Mark’s paw. When Mark’s wolf didn’t snarl, Hunter relaxed. Good. That was a good sign. Hunter couldn’t imagine what must be going through Mark’s head right now, so he did the only thing he knew to do—he lay down next to his mate and rested his head on Mark’s back.
Zane carefully backed away and then changed back into his human form. Making his movements as nonthreatening as possible, he dressed.
But before he left, he looked at Mark. “Hello, Mark. I’m Zane, and I’m Hunter’s brother. Welcome to the pack. You’re safe here. Your introduction to us was certainly rough, and you gave us all a scare, but you’re okay now. Be at peace.”
Zane nodded to Hunter and closed the bedroom door.
Chapter Seven – Mark
THE NUMEROUS odors were overwhelming, but that damn woodsy scent with a hint of pine stood out. He inhaled deeply. He’d noticed it before but hadn’t known what it was.
Comfort.
Home.
Pack.
Mate!
The words streamed through his mind, and there was a rightness to them. They made absolute sense. It all made sense, especially that last one. He now knew what the enticing scent was—it was the wolf who was his, who belonged to only him. Silly human worries about how that came to be faded from his mind. He wanted to properly greet his mate and then go exploring.
Struggling up, he lurched around the room. He hit the dresser and snarled. Getting used to four paws instead of two legs was a trip. Out of the corner of his eye, something furry caught his attention, and he twisted around to see what it was. It wagged at him. He yipped at it. It wagged again, almost as if taunting him. Huh. Couldn’t have that. Maybe he should try and catch it!
Round and round he went, chasing that thing that was apparently attached to the back end of him. Dizzy, he staggered against the ruined bed, caught the sheet with his claws, and down he went. Hind leg kicking, he barked at the offending object.
Someone snorted.
Ever so slowly Mark turned to see the other wolf in the room. How could he have forgotten his mate? A huge white wolf rested on the floor, yellow eyes watching Mark. Hunter was gorgeous, and holy moly, the power rolling off him had the fur on Mark’s neck bristling. Hunter was ridiculously powerful. But so was Mark.
Mate. Mate. Maaaaate!
That lovely scent called to him, and Mark shook the offending sheet off his paw and hopped up. Arranging his body just so, he puffed out his chest and preened for Hunter. After all, he was a damn sexy wolf. Well, he was pretty sure he was. He’d worry about who was more powerful later.
His nails clicked on the floor as he barreled over to Hunter. How he knew Hunter was his, he didn’t know, and frankly he didn’t care. That was his mate, and nothing else mattered. He flopped down, wiggling against Hunter.
He needed to scent-mark Hunter and wanted Hunter to do the same to him. They needed to smell like each other. His wolf demanded it. Everyone should know his Alpha was now off the market. Hunter licked Mark’s muzzle, and Mark gladly copied him. That was what he was talking about!
He jumped up again and started sniffing the bedding. Hunter had better hope the only scent Mark found there was his, or he’d… he’d do something, he just didn’t know what exactly.
Hunter snorted again.
Mark lifted his head and told Hunter what he thought about that snort with a barrage of odd sounding barks. Luckily, the only other scent there was Mark’s. Still, maybe he should make sure.
He lifted his hind leg—and suddenly a rather large wolf had Mark by the nape of the neck, growling. Oh hell no. He was not okay with that dominance display and returned the growl.
Ha! His was just as fierce. Happy, he wagged his tail.
Hunter let go but nudged Mark away from the bed. Maybe that was a bit much, but this instinct thing was a bitch. Turning, Hunter left the bedroom. With one last look at the bedding, he followed Hunter.
The back door was slightly ajar. Hunter pushed it open with his head. They were going outside? He could totally get behind that. He’d spent entirely too fucking long flat on his back.
But as soon as he was out of the house, he froze. The amount of scents overwhelmed him. They bombarded him from every direction: trees, grass, other wolves, flowers, motor oil, fumes from a car that had passed by recently, food. He could smell it all.
He’d never had vision problems, but it was as if he’d viewed the world through a haze and now it was gone. Not only were things much clearer, he swore he could see farther, even though it was night.
No way could a human see this well. He shook his head. He could pinpoint birds moving around in their nest, right down to the limb said nest was on in the leaf-covered trees. He glanced down. He could hear bugs crawling through the grass.
Hunter grunted, and Mark looked up, forgetting about the birds and bugs. Hunter stood proudly in the moonlight. The strength in his body was apparent, and although Mark had never seen a real wolf up close, something told him Hunter was bigger.
Hunter yipped, turned, and leaped forward. Intrigued, Mark fell in behind him. The power in his body amazed him. Following a rocky trail, he noticed trees he wasn’t familiar with. Unable to help himself, he stopped to sniff one.
There’s ponderosa pine, bristlecone, white fir, and mountain mahogany mixed with aspen around here.
Mark stumbled back and barked at the tree.
It’s me, silly, talking to you. Not the tree.
Mark glanced around wildly. Who’s me?
Come on, Mark. It’s me. Hunter. Your mate. Alpha werewolves have the ability to speak to pack members. Plus, we’re mates, so you should not only be able to hear me but feel my emotions. Hunter nuzzled Mark. Didn’t mean to startle you.
I can hear you!
It’s a common thing for our kind. Let’s explore, but we’ll go easy. You won’t be used to this high, thin atmosphere. For a while, the altitude will pose a problem for you, but you’ll get used to it.
Holy shit, I can totally hear you!
Hunter huffed in amusement.
Together they followed the gravelly trail. There was lots of evidence of wild animals who’d been in the area.
See that one? Hunter stopped by some tracks. It’s deer. And that one over there? Bobcat. There’s also elk and mountain lions around here. Sometimes we can even see wild horses on the lower slopes of the ski resort.
Mark’s stomach rumbled. Deer actually sounded good. Wait. Did you say mountain lion?
Yup.
Hold on. Isn’t mountain lion just another name for cougars and panthers?
It is.
Mark gulped. Are we safe out here?
We’re werewolves. Trust me, we’re the baddest thing around. Plus, there’s the whole dog vs cat thing. They avoid us, so don’t worry.
Mark wasn’t too sure, so he decided to keep his eyes open. You mentioned a ski resort?
The Day Canyon Ski Resort is co-owned by me and my brother, Zane. It’s located at the top of Day Canyon. I live on the outskirts of Dayville. It’s a village that’s not far from the resort. Zane and I are co-alphas of the Day Canyon pack. He runs the resort, and I run the village.
Brother?
You met him right after you shifted, but you may not remember. Things were pretty intense. Brax was there also. He’s a Beta. I’ll go into that more later. Right now, we need to keep you hydrated. There’s a mountain stream not far from here. Let’s go there.
Mark paused. He tried to remember shifting, but all he recalled was being mad. And scared. Terrified out of his mind might be more accurate. After that, there was nothing.
Come on!
He trotted after Hunter, but his thoughts turned inward. He’d shifted into a wolf. Instead of being freaked out, he was completely cool with it. After all, this was so much more awesome than being just a plain old human.
The stream Hunter mentioned wasn’t far. Although he couldn’t see it, he could smell it. He had no problem hearing a whooshing then crashing sound. Maybe there was a waterfall? That’d be neat. He followed Hunter as they loped along. When they arrived, he just stared. It was as breathtaking as he thought.
Lowering his head, he drank. He honestly couldn’t remember ever tasting water as pure and refreshing. Seeing his reflection did startle him, though. His face was mainly white and gray with some tan. That was interesting. Why was he not white like Hunter?
Once they had their fill, Hunter plopped down. Obviously, it was rest time, so Mark joined him. He loved nature, but he tended to gravitate toward beaches and hot weather. But this was certainly nothing to snarl his nose up about. It’s beautiful here.
You should see it when it snows. And yes, it snows here. We’re high enough.
Um, I kind of figured since you said there was a ski resort. ‘Ski’ being the key word there. Mark nipped Hunter’s tail.
You’d be surprised how many people don’t realize it can snow here. They hear Nevada and automatically think of hot, dry desert. Which there is. Definitely. But there’s this too.
Mark rested his head on Hunter’s back. Hunter lay partially in the moonlight, which turned his fur almost a silvery color. Mark closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of the night, something he didn’t hear often thanks to where he lived.
When Mark’s stomach voiced its displeasure with its current status, Hunter climbed to his feet and nudged Mark. Time to head home. You need to eat.
Since he was hungry, he didn’t argue. The trip back took almost as long as getting there since Mark kept getting distracted by various sounds and smells.
Once in the kitchen, Hunter brushed against Mark, then he sat down. Now, to shift back, I need you to be totally relaxed. I want you to visualize your human form in your mind. See yourself. Hold that picture in your head, and when you feel a tingling, don’t panic. Just let it happen. Your body will go through a change, so that’ll feel odd, but it won’t hurt, unless you fight it. Don’t fight it, Mark. Seriously. Let it flow through you.
Ah, right. Mark shifted from paw to paw. Look, this is kinda freaky, you know?
Hunter eased closer and mouthed at Mark’s muzzle. See your human form but pay attention to me. You can do this. Hunter sniffed at Mark’s throat. Nipped at it. Close your eyes and just… let go. I have you.
Even though he was nervous, he followed Hunter’s advice. Seeing himself in his mind wasn’t as easy as one would think, but he managed. The tingling that Hunter mentioned started, but Hunter kept distracting Mark by rubbing against him, so Mark didn’t have time to focus on being afraid.
The tingling grew and kind of turned into a pressure. It built, then sort of popped. Kinda like a can of soda that had been shaken then opened. That was the best way he could describe it. Energy rushed through him, things got hazy, and he felt really, really weird. Almost like he was standing outside of himself. Then the haze lifted, and the otherworldly feeling retreated. He knew he was crouched down. Cool air caressed his naked skin, and the hardwood floor under his feet was cold.
“You did really good, Mark.” Hunter petted Mark on the shoulder then gently squeezed. “You can open your eyes now.”
When had Hunter shifted? Mark collapsed on the floor, his ass hitting it hard. “Ho-ly shit.”
Even though his sense of smell wasn’t as strong as before, it was still far better than when he was human. Same went for his vision. He didn’t remember actually changing into a wolf, but everything after that was crystal clear.
Sitting cross-leg
ged, he rested his elbows on his knees and held his head. It was almost too much—just a full-on information overload. Not to mention how powerful he felt now. Well, he was tired, but there wasn’t that bone deep exhaustion he’d started feeling when he pushed his body too far.
Even though he wasn’t that old, little aches and pains had begun to make themselves known. Sometimes his knees popped when he knelt down. He was stiff occasionally when he first got up. Over the past couple of years, pulling all-nighters had become less enjoyable. The aftermath was never worth the fun.
“You okay?” Hunter knelt next to Mark.
And there was the other thing he was struggling to deal with. It wasn’t that he turned into a wolf. No, it was the whole fated mate concept. As a human, that notion was really nothing more than an abstract idea.
He got it, but he didn’t really get it. He damn sure did now. Hunter had talked about how a mate was that one special person—a balance. A counterpart that fit perfectly.
He hadn’t mentioned the need to be with that person or that there was literally some sort of fragile silver thread tying them together, reaching from his heart to Hunter’s. Could that be the mate bond? It was just as vital as the oxygen he breathed or the beating of his heart. It all made sense now. Hunter was the other part of him.
“Mark?”
Mark lifted his head. “Yeah, yeah, I’m okay. Just overwhelmed.”
“I know. The first shift is never easy. Sit tight. I’m going to get some night pants for us to put on. Then we’ll eat.”
“I… okay.” Mark watched Hunter walk out of the kitchen. Jesus, the man had an ass on him.
When Hunter said that he would be right back, Mark’s first reaction had been to ask Hunter not to leave. He literally couldn’t stand for Hunter to be away from him, at least not right now. Was that a mate thing? Or a werewolf thing?
Sweet baby Jesus, he was a werewolf. An honest to goodness, walk on four paws and had a tail, werewolf. He’d changed from a man into a wolf. If that wasn’t mind-blowing enough, he sensed another presence within him. All this was still new, but he had a feeling that was his wolf. His ear twitched. Now that was something he’d never thought he’d be saying.
