Fated Shifter Mates

by Jade Alters

  “I can't believe you gave me up that easily. I never had you figured for a snitch, Chase.” I felt bad calling him a snitch. I knew as soon as I took Cheyenne that when they pressured him, he would crack.

  It was his nature to be honest and to be honest myself, I was impressed that it took him two days. I wasn't going to tell him that though.

  “Damn it, Ridge! She had it all figured out already. There are posters of this girl's face in the post office in town. She disappeared at the same time you did. You're not answering your phone. Did you think you'd just waltz back in with a mate in a week and no one would notice?”

  “Once she's mine there won't be anything anyone can do about it. Once she changes...there's no going back.”

  “Do you know for sure that you can even change her?” Chase hit an exposed nerve with that one. We had both lost our pack so young, before we had reached the age of maturity where the elders took us aside and explained it all to us.

  I'd seen the mating rituals growing up. I'd watched them bite each other underneath the full moon and become as one...but I'd never seen it happen with a human. I'd heard tales of how female humans were taken and bitten and changed, but I honestly had no idea if a bite was all there was to it.

  That's why I hadn't bitten Cheyenne yet. I wanted to make sure I got it right on the first try.

  “I can change her,” I said, more confidently than I felt. “I'm waiting for the moon to be full tomorrow night.”

  “Then why didn't you wait and take her tomorrow night?” Chase asked.

  “Because she goes to the club on Friday nights. It was the safest place to take her. I'm sure her employer has cameras set up and she lives with a roommate in an apartment complex.”

  Chase was pacing and every time he heard a sob come from the other room, he stopped and looked in that direction with a distressed look on his face. “Is she okay?” he asked. “Is she eating?”

  “What kind of monster do you think I am? I've caught a rabbit or fish or squirrel every day and I even cooked it for her. She's eating well, and she's fine. She just doesn't understand yet that this is what she wants, but she will.”

  Chase snorted and shook his head. “Sometimes your confidence borders on arrogance. What if she doesn't want this? You're not just talking about changing her. You're talking about changing her and everything she knows to be true, Ridge. What if it makes her miserable? Will you be okay with that?”

  “I can sense that she wants me, as much as I want her. She'll come around to it soon, I guarantee you she will.”

  “None of that matters. Chelsea will be here in a few minutes, and unless you want to go back to being a lone wolf, you better be ready to do whatever she says to clean up this mess.”

  “I'm not giving up my mate,” I said, stubbornly.

  Chase started to say something else, but the sound of the pack's Jeep driving up out front, had both of our attention. Chase's eyes were wide. He looked like he was the one about to get kicked out of the pack. If that was the worst that Chelsea had planned for me, I could live with it, as long as I had Cheyenne.

  I braced myself as Chelsea stormed inside.

  She was carrying the baby carrier and I could hear one of the babies cooing inside.

  I almost chuckled at the thought of our fearless alpha, taking her pup or sometimes all of her pups to work with her. Luckily for me, I was smart enough not to underestimate our alpha.

  She was strong and smart and capable enough to lead an entire pack made up mostly of men. She never backed down from a fight, or a challenge and judging from the fire in her eyes now, I knew I had to be ready for both.

  “What in the hell are you doing? Have you lost your damned mind?” She spun on Chase before I had a chance to answer and said, “And you! You tell me where he is and then race up here to warn him? We're you plotting to get him out of here with the girl and I got here too fast?”

  “No Chelsea, I...” She was finished with him, for the time being. She turned back on me and said,

  “Well? You've got two seconds to explain yourself. This will be your one and only chance before I meet with my mates and we decide what your punishment will be for this. You've put the fate of our entire pack in jeopardy, Ridge...do you even realize that?”

  “She's my mate, Chelsea. Once I change her...”

  “Change her? You brought her here to change her, against her will?”

  “No! I thought after a few days she would warm up to me. I know she has to go into this willingly. I just needed some time to...convince her.”

  Chelsea sat the baby carrier down. “I had such high hopes for you, Ridge. Let me talk to her.”

  “Chelsea...please understand. She's my mate. I know she is just as clearly as you knew who yours were.”

  “None of my mates tried to force anything on me, Ridge. That's the difference. This is our home, or it was. What do you think will happen when this girl goes back and tells everyone you kidnapped her? Our business here will be ruined. Our lives here will be ruined. You made a one-sided decision that affects this entire pack and unless I can think of a way to smooth this over...our down fall is on you. Now, unlock that door and let me talk to her. Chase, take the baby out to the car. There's a pair of emergency sweat pants and a sweatshirt in the back. Get dressed and wait for me there. The keys are in it if he wakes up, he likes to listen to the radio. We don't need the shock of seeing your white ass making things worse.”

  Chase put his head down in shame as he picked up the baby carrier and headed outside.

  I was trying to think of some way to refuse what Chelsea was telling me, but it was hopeless. I'd never fight her, and even if I did, she had four alpha mates who would have me in pieces just minutes afterwards. I took the key to the door out of my jeans and walked over and unlocked it.

  I expected Cheyenne to charge me again and when she didn't, I stuck my head in the room.

  The door to the little bathroom was open. I walked over to it with Chelsea on my heels and stopped dead in my tracks when I got there.

  “I'll be a son of a bitch.” The toilet was one that was manufactured for a motor home or trailer house. It was light and when the cabin was constructed, it had simply been sat on top of the hole that emptied down into the sewer underneath.

  The toilet was sitting in the bathtub and Cheyenne, was gone.

  Cheyenne

  I couldn't let myself think about what I'd just waded through or I'd be too sick to run. I had nearly lost my lunch when I lowered myself down into that hole. The worst part was that I had to duck my head under and push up through the pump that was set up alongside the house.

  I couldn't think about that though, I had to get far enough away that they couldn't find me, and go from there. I didn't know which way to go.

  The trees and foliage around me all looked the same. I looked up at the sun which was getting low in the sky, like the afternoon was going to turn to evening soon.

  It was bright and looked like it was about to descend down behind the mountains. I pictured the little town on the island.

  The mountains were to the west, and the beach to the east. I had to go away from the sun which would take me right past the front of the house. I didn't have any other choice though. If I got up deeper in the mountains before the sun went down, I'd be lost for sure, out in the night with God knows what kind of creepy, crawly things, or wild beasts.

  Dripping with funk of the sort I'd never imagined I would be bathed in, I began to jog along the side of the cabin, stopping at the edge of it and sticking my head around to make sure the coast was clear. I was shocked when I saw the Jeep, and even more surprised that it was running. I was about 12 or 14 feet away from it and I could see the front driver and passenger seats.

  There was no one in there...they'd left me an escape vehicle.

  Maybe.

  What if it was a trap?

  I was torn.

  I knew I should just keep running, but I had no idea where I was or how far I was fr
om town. There were too many variables in the little island jungle at night.

  When I first moved there, I was warned about a population of wolves that lived near the mountains, and different species of poisonous spiders and snakes...things that could be on me, things that could kill me before I even knew they were there. I decided to chance that someone had just stopped by, and maybe didn't know Ridge was harboring a captive.

  It was my best shot.

  I wasn't a runner, never have been. But I ran toward that Jeep faster than I'd ever run in my life. I was practically still in motion as I grabbed the door handle and pulled it open, swinging myself up into the vehicle practically in one motion.

  It's amazing what you are capable of when adrenaline was pumping through your veins.

  I threw the Jeep into drive without even closing the side door and floored the accelerator. The radio was on and between the loud music and the roar of the engine, not to mention the roar of the blood in my head, I didn't hear a thing. I flew down the dirt path until I came to a windy, paved road. I was moving the Jeep around those curves as fast as it would go when I reached up and adjusted the rear-view mirror...and saw a pair of green eyes, filled with fear, staring at me from the back seat.

  I screamed, he let out a bizarre little sound and then as I slammed on the breaks in the first clearing I came to, a baby started to cry.

  Chase

  I was surprised when Cheyenne jumped in the car, but even more surprised at how badly she smelled. I was going to say something when she first floored it and took off, but she was flying down the hill so fast, I was afraid to startle her. I looked over at the precious cargo next to me.

  So far, the 10-month-old baby was sleeping...like a baby. It was only when Cheyenne slammed on the brakes and started to scream that the baby woke up and chimed in himself.

  “What the hell is that?” Cheyenne screamed.

  I reached over and unbuckled the baby and took him out of the seat. “Just a baby,” I told her, holding the little man up and turning him so he was facing her. “See.”

  “Jesus!” she said, with her hand over her heart. “Whose baby is that?”

  “He belongs to our...to the employers of the company Ridge and I work for. His name is...”

  “I don't care what his name is. Take him and get out.”

  “Seriously? You're going to put me and this innocent little baby out along the side of the road?”

  “I was kidnapped. I swam through shit to escape. You were in on it. Get! Out!” I sighed and put the baby back in his carrier. He started to cry again while I buckled him into his seat. I was taking my time and Cheyenne realized it. “Hurry!” she snapped.

  “I think he's hungry. I need his diaper bag up there on the passenger seat...”

  “There's no bag here. Get out! You can call for a ride once you're out. He'll be fine.”

  “Oh, there's no cell phone service up here...”

  “Then walk back to the cabin. Your buddy is there, and whoever belongs to that baby too, I guess. Is your entire company twisted and in on this? What's your end game? I don't know anyone with money to pay a ransom.”

  “It's not about ransom. Ridge likes you.”

  Cheyenne laughed, a sad, squeaky sound. “Well, I guess that answers my question about why he's single.”

  “We do things a little...differently,” I told her, “But honestly, Ridge doesn't mean you any harm.”

  “He has a funny way of showing that...all of it. But, I don't care to hear excuses. Get out, now, and take that baby with you.”

  “Can I get the bag out of the back?”

  “Get out!” Before she finished yelling those two words, the baby was crying again and the passenger door was pulled open. She was obviously surprised to see Chelsea standing there. Chelsea wrinkled her nose, probably at the smell in the Jeep. I was sure I'd get the job of cleaning it out when we got back to the compound, and that would only be one of my punishments. “Leave me alone,” Cheyenne yelled at her.

  “I'm not going to hurt you,” Chelsea said, “I'm here to help you.”

  It was obvious that Cheyenne didn't trust her. At this point, I would be surprised if she trusted anyone. “If that's your baby, you better take him now, or I'm taking him with me. Either way, I'm getting out of here.”

  “Cheyenne, I can't let you do that until we have a chance to talk, okay?”

  “No! Not okay...” the door opened behind her and before she could react, Ridge grabbed her around the waist and pulled her out.

  She was kicking and screaming and Ridge was trying to wrestle her around so that he could get his hand over her mouth. When I took the baby and got out of the Jeep, it was just in time to hear Ridge yelp in pain and see Cheyenne with a mouthful of his flesh. He tried to pull his hand away, but it looked like she was biting down harder. I saw the transformation.

  It was likely caused by pain and rage, but Ridge lost control for just a second. His hazel eyes flashed yellow and his canines dropped.

  Cheyenne had to have noticed because she let go of him and suddenly she was as still as a statue. She stared at him for several seconds and then opened her mouth full of blood and began to scream again.

  It was only when Chelsea screamed “Stop! Enough!” in what the rest of us in the pack refer to as her demon voice, that she suddenly stopped.

  The baby stopped crying too and Ridge and I both froze. That was Chelsea's “I mean business” voice and if anyone didn't comply, there would be consequences.

  Once everyone was quiet and calm, Chelsea began snapping orders. “Chase, take the baby back up to the house in the Jeep. The other two are there with the midwife, you can leave him there. Cheyenne, are you going to walk nicely or do I have to have Ridge carry you?”

  “I'll walk,” she said, pulling out of Ridge's grasp. I felt a tickle of sympathy for my friend. I'd never seen him look so sad. He knew that no matter how this turned out that he'd probably ruined any chance he may have ever had with the woman he was sure was his mate.

  Cheyenne

  The woman gave Ridge a hard stare and with a huff, he began to follow me. She fell into step with me and said,

  “My name is Chelsea. I'm one of the owners of The Pack, Security Services.”

  “Well this is a fine way to run a business,” I said, sarcastically.

  She looked at Ridge again like she wanted to bite his head off, but in a calm voice she said, “This isn't about our business. Ridge is a...friend, and I came here to help him.”

  “Help him? It would seem that I'm the one who needs help. I've been held captive for at least two days and I'm covered in human feces.”

  Chelsea wrinkled her perfect little nose and said, “Yeah, sorry about that. I'm here to help you too. But first, let's let you get cleaned up, then, we'll all sit down and talk.”

  “And what if I don't want to talk? I want to go home. I don't want to “talk” to my captor and his “friends.”

  “We'll get you home safely, I promise. Just give me this much and I'll get you wherever you need to go, unharmed.”

  I wanted to scream again, but I controlled it. I walked faster and by the time we made it back to the little house, the...stuff I was covered with began to get hard and crusty. I was feeling sicker to my stomach by the minute.

  Chelsea opened the door and Chase was sitting there in a rocking chair, holding the boy baby. The little guy had fallen asleep on his shoulder.

  I hated to admit it, but they were kind of cute. “Go ahead and shower, Cheyenne. There should be everything you need in there. I have some clothes in the jeep. I'll get them for you.” I looked at Chelsea's small frame and raised an eyebrow. She smiled and said, “I'm sure I have something to fit you. Please though, don't take off again. I promise you'll be home very soon.”

  I didn't respond to that.

  If it wasn't a matter of swimming through shit again only to get caught a second time, I might try it again. I went into the bathroom and had to pull the toilet out of the t
ub before starting the shower. Once the water warmed up, I got in with my clothes on first. I scrubbed my pants and blouse with soap and once they were halfway clean, I peeled them off and showered myself. It felt so good to wash the literal shit out of my hair and off my face.

  I stayed in the shower until every last drop of hot water was used up, and then I finally stepped out and began to dry off.

  There was a knock on the door when I was just about finished drying. “It's Chelsea. I left the clothes on the bed.” I didn't respond. What was I going to do, thank her? I wasn't thanking any of them, for any of this. I was getting angrier by the minute just thinking about it.

  Chase and Chelsea had not come here to save me. If that were the case, they would have brought the police. They came here to save him...and that really pissed me off.

  I finished drying off and went into the bedroom and found the clothes she'd left for me. There was red and blue flannel shirt and a pair of gray sweat pants. Not exactly stylish, but warm, dry, and not covered in feces. I put them on and then reluctantly, opened the bedroom door.

  Chelsea had one of the babies in her lap now. Chase was starting a fire in the fire place, still with one on his hip. The other was asleep in the crib in the corner, and Ridge was sitting on the couch with a sullen look on his face. I avoided eye-contact with him and looked at Chelsea. “Okay. Can we get this over with so I can get home, please?”

  “Sure,” she said, handing the baby she held over to Chase who put him on his other hip, like it was natural. “Will you have a seat?” I looked at Ridge then, narrowing my eyes at him and then walking past him to sit down in the other chair. I wasn't about to sit next to him on the couch. I sat down and folded my arms across my chest.

  Chelsea looked at Ridge and then back to me and said, “You may not believe this, but Ridge is really a nice guy.” I snorted and Chelsea actually smiled. “I get that you're not going to believe that, but I promise you there's a lot more to him than what you've seen the past two days. What Ridge really is, is confused. He likes you, and he went about trying to get you to like him back, entirely the wrong way.”