The Mating

by Nicky Charles

  Growling in rage, Marla tightened her fingers around Elise’s collar, before she pushed her backward. Stumbling, Elise barely kept herself from falling, but she didn’t really care, a feeling of triumph was coursing through her. Finally, something good was happening on this miserable day. Sure, Kane wasn’t even acknowledging her existence, but at least Marla had finally been put in her place. It was with great satisfaction that she watched the other woman storming back and forth across the small clearing, running hands though her perfectly coiffed blond hair, and totally ruining the look.

  Finally, Marla quit pacing and stood with her back to the others, breathing heavily before spinning around and looking at Rose. “Now what do we do?”

  Rose spoke calmly and slowly, as if speaking to a child. She was staring straight into Marla’s eyes. “We don’t have to talk to her now about cheating on Kane. She and Kane are connected. He’ll know the truth about what’s going on.”

  Again, Elise frowned. What was going on? Yes, most would assume that, having a mental connection, Kane would know the whole story—even though he didn’t, she included wryly—but the way Rose was explaining everything made Elise uneasy. They seemed to have a different agenda than the one Rose had explained.

  Marla began to protest. “No!”

  “On the way here, we also ran into Julia. She knows I’m with Elise.” Again, Rose seemed to be explaining something to Marla. Elise looked from one to the other. It was as if they were having their own coded conversation.

  “I don’t care. We’ve waited long enough. The original plan stands. I’ll think of a way of dealing with Julia.” Shoving her hands in her pockets, Marla glared at Rose.

  Rose’s voice became slightly louder. “You’ll think of a plan! No way. I’ve kept a low profile through all of this, and I’m not about to let that change.”

  “It’s too late to worry about that now. We can’t pretend that we were just going to talk to her and let her go back home as if nothing was wrong. Even someone as dimwitted as Elise must realise something is going on now.” Marla gestured derogatorily towards her, and Elise felt herself bristle at the comment.

  True, she still wasn’t sure exactly what was up, but after all, there was a lot happening and she was doing her best to put it all together. Really though, what with suddenly finding herself mated, a new pack, a job, oil spills, people getting hurt, babies being born, red sports cars, rumours flying… Well, it was little wonder she was confused! Elise bit back a retort, and concentrated instead on what was going on in front of her.

  Rose was silent for a moment, and then scowled. “As much as I hate to admit it, you’re right. Julia knows I’m with Elise, so whatever happens, I’ll have to think of an alibi.” She turned to look at Elise, “Sorry about this, but you’re in the way of our plans.” With that, she pulled out a gun.

  Elise felt her eyes go wide as she stared at the barrel pointed towards her. Whoever would have thought that sweet, mousey little Rose would be in on this—whatever ‘this’ was! “What are you planning on doing?” She knew it was a dumb question, but couldn’t help asking.

  “Killing you.” Marla grinned. “We’re going to drug you, weigh your body down, and dump it in the lake. Kane will think you’ve run off with that kid, Bryan, and the way will be clear for me again.”

  An icy chill ran through Elise. The two women before her seemed so calm and matter of fact, as if they were talking about getting their hair done, rather than killing someone.

  “We can’t use that plan anymore, Marla.” Rose rolled her eyes, as if fed up with her partner in crime. “If Elise and Kane are blood bonded, he’ll be sensing her fear. She wouldn’t be afraid if she was running away with Bryan.”

  “Rose, when are you going to stop being such a wimp? The blood bonding doesn’t change anything. I’ve got Kane out of the way; he’s busy with another oil spill. Even if he and Elise are blood-bonded, his mind is occupied elsewhere. We have to do this. Too much planning has gone into it to turn back now.”

  “But we can’t use the runaway bride story anymore. If Kane knows there was no affair, it wouldn’t make sense for her to just run off.” Rose pursed her lips and her fingers flexed on the handle of the gun. Elise tensed hoping the woman didn’t accidentally touch the trigger.

  “Right.” Agitated, Marla chewed her manicured thumbnail.

  As Elise eyed the gun in Rose’s hand, the most inane thoughts began popping into her head. This was ridiculous. Werewolves didn’t tote about guns. They changed into wolf form and fought! Hadn’t either of these two read any popular literature lately? Of course, Marla wasn’t into the whole wolf thing, and possibly Rose wasn’t either, so maybe it did make sense… Elise gave herself a mental shake. She was definitely suffering from shock, if that’s all she could think about at a time like this! Get a grip, she chastised herself.

  The gun was still aimed in her direction, but Rose wasn’t paying attention to her. As the two talked, Elise began to inch away. She couldn’t believe that Marla was so desperate for Kane that she’d be willing to kill just to have him. And why was Rose helping? What was in it for her? Well, no matter; she needed to make her escape before they came up with a plan for her demise.

  “Maybe we could hold her for ransom, and send a note demanding cash. Once it’s paid, I’ll transfer the money into the Swiss account I’ve set up for us so it will be untouchable. Then we can still get rid of her.” Rose glanced at her absentmindedly and Elise froze, but the gun wielding woman made no comment and just returned to her conversation.

  Nodding, Marla’s eye lit up. “That’s good, real good. You know, Rose, you continually surprise me. It’s amazing what you can do with that computer at the bank.” Rose blushed at the praise, and Elise rolled her eyes as she continued to distance herself slowly from the women.

  “Now where can we keep her until the ransom is paid?” Rose furrowed her brow for a moment, but quickly brightened. “I know! At your apartment!”

  “All right, but how do we get her there?” Marla studied Elise who was hugging her arms around herself and pretending to be passively awaiting her fate.

  “Well, we could still drug her, but then you’d have to carry her to your car, and get her into your apartment unseen.” Rose decided.

  The comment drew Marla’s attention back towards Rose. “Me? Carry her? Why can’t you carry her?”

  “I came up with the idea. You have to contribute something.” Hands on her hips, Rose glared at Marla, obviously not realising the gun was no longer pointing at their captive.

  Sensing this might be her best chance, Elise phased into her wolf and began to run. A shout sounded behind her when they realised what she’d done, and several shots rang out. The bullets whizzed past, thankfully missing her and hitting the surrounding trees, causing chunks of bark to fly out like miniature explosions. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the other two women changing form and taking up the chase.

  Having a head start only gave her a bit of an advantage, Elise realised. She didn’t know the terrain in this part of the woods well enough to run at full speed. Keeping herself low to lessen wind resistance, she sped along as fast as she dared, constantly scanning the ground ahead of her for possible trip hazards, while keeping her ears attuned for sounds of pursuit.

  A ravine was coming up, and she wasn’t sure how wide it was. Could she clear it? It seemed awfully wide. Making a split second decision, she veered to the left, and ran along its edge while frantically searching for a way across it. As she ran, she berated herself for not having paid closer attention while walking earlier. She had no real idea where she was. All she knew was that the Alpha house was north of her present position. If she had the time, she would simply follow their scent back into familiar territory, but with two wolves on her tail, it wasn’t possible.

  Quickly glancing over her shoulder, she frowned. Only Marla was in sight. Switching her gaze forward again, Elise strained to hear what was going on behind her, but could only detect one pursuer.
Where was Rose? There was little time to think about it though. A fallen tree was coming into sight, and it spanned the ravine. If she could only make it that far…

  Movement just ahead of her had her growling in frustration. Rose had obviously gone cross country and was coming at her from the side. Elise dug deep, calling on all her reserves, and ran as fast as possible. The makeshift bridge was approaching. She could make it. Her lungs were starving for oxygen and she was panting heavily. She was almost there. Gathering all her strength, she prepared to leap, coiling her muscles, and launching herself through the air, just as a large furry object appeared in her peripheral vision. It hit her in the side, knocking her to the ground.

  The momentum of their bodies sent Elise and Rose tumbling. The edge of the ravine was approaching and Elise dug her claws in, trying to prevent herself from going over the edge, but it was no use. Clods of dirt flew into the air. Stones and shrubs bruised and abraded as she spun over and over. The air was filled with the sound of breaking twigs and clattering rocks, cries of fright and gasps of pain. Her leg caught in a crevice and she twisted. A bone snapped. She yelped in agony, then slammed to the ground in a sudden stop.

  For a moment everything was eerily still and quiet. Then Elise became aware of her own laboured breathing and cautiously tried to move. Pain shot through her and she bit her lip, holding back a whimper. Opening her eyes, she noted that at some point during the wild tumble down the ravine, she’d phased back to human form. Shifting her glance sideways, she saw Rose’s body lying a few feet away in a pool of blood, her neck twisted at an unnatural angle. Elise shut her eyes and swallowed the bile that suddenly came up her throat.

  A sound overhead drew her attention. Forcing herself to open her eyes, she turned her head. Standing at the top of the ravine was Marla. She was back in human form. Licking her lips, Elise managed to call out. “Marla, you have to get help. I…I think Rose might be dead and I’m pretty sure my leg is broken.”

  “Aww, now isn’t that a shame.” Carefully, Marla picked her way down until she was beside Elise. Looking around, she dusted off a rock and sat down, cocking her head sideways and staring bemusedly at the woman before her. “You know Elise, I’ll never understand what Kane sees in you.”

  “What?” The woman’s words were so unexpected that Elise was sure she’d heard wrong. Rose was probably dead and Marla was just sitting there! “Marla, you’ve got to check on Rose. She might still be alive and if we can get help in time—”

  “You’re so…so ordinary. Boring. Why he ever agreed to be mated to you, is beyond me.” Marla continued as if she hadn’t heard what Elise had said. “Oh well, you’ll be gone and then I’ll get him back. He always comes back. Guilt can work wonders on a man with a conscience.”

  Realising that Marla wasn’t going to do anything to help Rose, until she’d had her say, Elise tried to focus on the conversation. Even though she had a sinking feeling that she knew exactly what Marla was talking about, Elise decided to ask. “Gone? What do you mean I’ll be gone? I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Oh, I’m afraid you are, Elise. Rose and I had it all planned out. She lured you here and, just like she said, we were going to drug you, tie you up, and sink your body to the bottom of the lake. Then we’d convince Kane that you’d run off with Bryan. He’d be upset, but not overly surprised, given your recent behaviour. Of course, I’d be there to comfort him.”

  Marla sighed. “It was all going so well. Even the little glitches weren’t a problem. I managed to think of a reason for Kane to be in town that first day you met Bryan. Of course, in the end, Kane didn’t go, but he sent Rose instead and that was fine. She would have been able to be an ‘eye-witness’ when explaining your disappearance later on. And the fact that you were hiding the meeting by using that perfume I gave you, would only have increased suspicion that you were guilty.” She glared down at Elise. “Yesterday should have been the icing on the cake. Kane actually saw you with Bryan. I know he heard the messages and I set the diary out for him to see. How did he end up blood bonding to you? What went wrong?”

  Elise didn’t feel inclined to answer. Marla studied her for a moment, shaking her head, then shifted a bit and poked Elise’s shoulder with the toe of her boot, revealing the mark Kane had left. “I guess Rose was right. The blood bonding has put a bit of a kink in our plan. Eventually, Kane’s going to sense something’s wrong—the oil spill will only keep his mind busy for so long—and when he realises it, he’ll come looking for you.” Marla tapped her finger to her lips as she thought out loud. “The kidnapping and ransom story won’t work now, so the question is, what to do with you now? Hmm… I suppose I’ll have to arrange it so that it looks like you were killed. Ryne can be blamed again. He’s such a good scapegoat.”

  “Ryne’s a scapegoat?”

  “Of course. He’s hot headed, but I could never get him to do any real dirty work. He’s too full of annoying honour for that. I did manage to convince him to challenge Kane for the position of Alpha, but he just left the area after losing and has only come back once that I know of.” She touched her face as if remembering the bruise Ryne had given her. “Luckily, I had a pair of his old boots and enough of his sweaty gym clothes at my apartment that I was able to convince people he was still around. I covered my own scent with perfume so no one ever knew I was there. Then I wore his boots and clothes, making it seem like he’d been present each time and ensuring he was the one that got blamed for everything that went wrong.”

  That would explain the perfume and the other scent in the red car—it had been from Ryne’s clothes, Elise thought to herself. Still, she couldn’t figure out what Marla was going to gain from all of this. Stalling for time, in the vain hope that someone might come to the rescue, she decided to ask. “But why?”

  “I need control of the pack.“ Marla answered simply, while rising to her feet. She walked over and looked at Rose, then shrugged. “You’re right. She’s dead.”

  For all that she’d known Rose was dead, having it proclaimed out loud was upsetting. Elise felt tears prick her eyes. She hadn’t known Rose well, and even though the girl had been working with Marla, the fact that she was dead saddened her.

  Marla continued on in a conversational tone, as if she were discussing nothing more important than the weather. “It’s a shame in a way that she’s dead. Rose was actually quite clever, but no one paid much attention to her or ever suspected her of anything. You know the eagerly awaited environmental report? I gave it to her and she altered the version that Kane saw, making it seem almost worthless while the original went to Northern Oil. They paid us a tidy sum for that. And your gushing diary entries about Bryan? Rose wrote those too. She did a good job copying your penmanship, don’t you think? And some of the cheques she’s forged… Well, let’s just say that if anyone ever does an in-depth audit of the local bank, it won’t be pretty.” Shaking her head, Marla turned away from Rose’s broken body. “It’s too bad that she’s gone though. I had a few more jobs for her before I severed our relationship. Still, I suppose this will save me getting rid of her later on. Ryne can be blamed for her death, too.”

  Elise tried to shift into a more comfortable position, but nothing alleviated the pain. Her broken leg throbbed and the various abrasions covering her body stung. Trying to keep Marla talking so the woman held off killing her, Elise brought up more questions. “Why do you need control of the pack? If you want to be an Alpha female, why not just go with Ryne and start over?”

  Marla laughed sarcastically. “Are you serious? As if I’d ever go off and live like a pauper while Ryne tried to establish a pack somewhere. Being Alpha female is only a means to an end. I want money and this pack is loaded. Northern Oil is offering a fortune for the land, but most of the pack is too stupid to take it. Only Rose, myself and a few of the others seem to see things clearly. We can sell out to Northern Oil and we’ll be rich. “

  “But…you said that this was your home and you couldn’t leave it.”

 
; “I lied. Being a wolf isn’t that great. Rose hated being the Omega of the pack and wanted out of that stupid hierarchy system. And me, I could happily live as a rich human for the rest of my life, and that’s exactly what I intend to do.”

  “But how?”

  “Don’t you worry your little head, Elise. I’ve been planning this for ages. First I got rid of Zack by cutting the brake line—“

  “So that’s why you pretended to be ‘Marlene’ and hung out with Marty!”