The Alpha's Mark

by Elliott, Jaime

  “Morning,” she said. She found herself drifting toward him in the wake of everything else happening in the kitchen. One of the pups ran into the kitchen and grabbed onto a woman’s leg, asking for something. Eira couldn’t quite make out his words. She waved him off, and one of the older boys came and grabbed him, picking him up around the waist, grabbing a piece of bacon on his way out. “Uh, what’s up?” she asked Asher.

  “Oh – ow! Shit. Sorry. – it’s Matthew’s birthday. He’s that one.” He pointed over to a boy sitting on the counter near the sink who Eira hadn’t noticed before. The boy had red hair and a smattering of freckles, and he held a plate in his lap, which he was carefully eating the remains of a donut off of. He couldn’t be more than four.

  Eira nodded. That actually seemed like sufficient explanation. “How goes waffle making?” she asked.

  Asher stuck his burned finger in his mouth and glared at her. She laughed.

  One of the women called, “Introduce us!”

  “Fine, okay, Paige, this is Eira.” Asher nodded to the woman who had spoken. Paige had long dark hair and honey-brown eyes. She looked kind, Eira thought, but that could have just been the apron and the pancake making.

  “Hi, honey, nice to meet you. You look good,” she said. “The way some people were talking, you were half-dead when our Ash brought you home.”

  “Oh, well. I can’t say, but I do feel much better now.” Eira smiled at her. She wanted to feel uncomfortable about the subject, but Paige didn’t seem to mean any of it confrontationally. Which was … weird, for her.

  “You look good. Those jeans fit nice,” she said.

  “Paige is the one who gave you the clothes,” Asher said helpful.

  “Oh,” Eira said. “Thank you. I can’t tell you how nice it is to wear this and not Asher’s smelly old things.”

  Everyone laughed, which was her goal, and she smiled with them.

  Asher poured more batter into the waffle iron, carefully. “Paige has got Matthew—” At the sink, the little redhead raised his hand high. “—and Joseph. They’re two of the little ones. Mel is over there doing salad, and that’s her husband Daniel. They have three of the older kids in the family room, and one little one. And then this is Cara and Mads, they have one pup as well.” Everyone waved their greetings, still occupied with their tasks. Now that she looked, everyone was doing something, and not all of it had to do with breakfast. Mel was peeling and cutting potatoes, and a pot of water boiled away on the stove. Her husband, Dan, had fruit piled in bowls on the counter, and cut them into small pieces. Cara was rolling out dough on the counter, while Mads stirred something in another pot.

  “This isn’t all for breakfast, is it?” Eira asked.

  Paige laughed. “No, of course not.”

  “It’s my birthday!” Matthew said. He seemed to be licking the actual plate now, even though to Eira’s eyes it was completely clean.

  “Matty wants a picnic for his birthday,” Asher explained, removing another waffle without burning himself.

  “In winter?” Eira asked.

  “A winter picnic,” Asher said. “With a bonfire.”

  “Oh, well. That seems reasonable,” Eira said. She looked around the kitchen, bustling and busy and efficient. Occasionally, one of the little ones would burst in and be subsequently shoo’d out of underfoot, or one of the older ones would be called to round them out again. “Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked. Asher smiled at her, soft.

  Eira fell into the routine of the kitchen, helping with what was handed to her and eventually settled to washing the dishes just to keep the mess down. Paige was friendly and talkative. Matthew, sitting next to the sink, helped her stack the clean bowls on the side where they wouldn’t be in the way. She wished she could subtly reach up and touch her soul-mark. Even without touching it, she could feel the contentment and warmth bleeding through from Asher. Maybe it wasn’t all from Asher. Maybe it was just the atmosphere that was cultivated here.

  It felt like a home. She could make a home here. She glanced sideways at Asher, and tried not to think that too loud. It felt fragile, like if she wanted it too much, the universe might just come and snatch it away, because that’s what happened to her.

  Mo coming in through the back door interrupted her maudlin thoughts. “Oh, hey,” he said. “I forgot this was today. Man!” He did his rounds of greetings, leaning over to kiss Eria’s cheek first. His lips were cold and his icy nose pressed against Eira’s cheek, and she felt herself flushing at the familiarity.

  But that was nice about Mo. No question, no hesitation, just automatic inclusion. “Where did you come from?” she asked once he settled back on her stretch of counter. Matthew had gone to run off with the other little ones, so Mo had taken his place as dish-stacker.

  “Just got in from work,” he said. Eira sensed Asher’s attention shifting over to them, though he didn’t move his head or lift his gaze.

  “Oh,” she said. She knew that a lot of this pack worked off the reservation, with humans. Logically, it was fine. It made more sense than the isolationist philosophy of Blackwater. But instinctually, she felt her gut clench. “I didn’t know you worked nights.”

  “Ah, yeah. You just missed me coming and going yesterday. It’s okay.” He took a damp dishtowel and dried the bowl she handed him. “I usually go to sleep about now, but I’ve got to pull an afternoon shift today, but it’s okay, because after this I get four days off.”

  Asher did look up at that. “Aw, you gotta go?” he asked.

  “Yeah, man. I get off at four, though, so I could catch the tail end of the bonfire, maybe?”

  “Yeah, come by.”

  Eira asked, “What do you do?”

  And Mo looked a little cagey. “I’m a dancer,” he said. There was a stubborn tilt to his chin, but still a hesitation in his voice, like he didn’t want to tell her, or didn’t want to hear her reaction.

  “Oh,” Eira said, her mind drawing a blank. “You mean like …”

  “I take my clothes off and dance on stage, yeah.”

  And somehow, that wasn’t what she expected. She didn’t know why it caught her so off guard, but it did. She didn’t like the idea of him doing that, and she didn’t know if it was just distaste for people, or because she was feeling protective. Was Morgan even old enough to work at that kind of place? “That seems ... isn’t it dangerous?”

  Mo studied her, puzzled. “Not more dangerous than being a bartender, or working overnight security.” Both jobs that she knew plenty of people in packs did. “The money is really good, and I’m stronger than most humans if anyone tries anything.”

  He was right. “I guess that makes sense,” she said. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to … whatever. I guess my initial reaction was just … protective?”

  Mo laughed. “You and the rest of the pack,” he said. “And I didn’t even grow up here. I was an adult when I came to them.”

  “You inspire our murderous protective instincts,” Asher said dryly. “Get off the counter.”

  “I am helping,” Mo argued.

  “I’m done washing, actually,” Eira said, taking the dishtowel from him to dry her hands.

  He stared at her balefully. “Betrayer,” he said. He hopped off the counter anyway. “I’m going to shower and head back out.”

  The assorted pack called out goodbyes as he left.

  The ice crunched under her paws as she put her nose to the ground, breathing in the stories there. She felt free, bigger than her bones, breathing the clean crisp air into her lungs. The wind rippled her fur, causing a shiver to run down her body.

  She hadn’t run in … it must have been months.

  To her right, Asher nudged her with his nose. His wolf was a sizable sleek brown and tan to match her white. She wanted to shift back to human just so she could touch his fur with soft fingers. He had bright eyes and expressive ears and she just wanted to bite at them.

  He nudged her again, jabbing, and he wiggled, unable
to contain his full-body excitement. His paws danced on the snow. Let’s go, let’s go.

  Eira’s wolf matched his for size, which was surprising because she was a rather petite woman. Her wolf had always been large, which had been embarrassing before, but now just felt exciting, because Asher was asking for an equal, and she was giving it to him.

  She let him sit for another few seconds, thinking she was ignoring him. She could feel his emotions easily, almost like they were touching soul-marks. Everything was just a little closer to the surface. He shifted from excited to worried to confused to confident, just before he jabbed her again.

  She twisted her body and nipped at him, open-mouthed, and then threw her body weight onto him, bowling him over. She landed on her feet before he did, and she ran.

  She could feel the thrill echoing between them, heart pounding, chests heaving, paws digging into the snow. He caught up fast, nipping her hind legs as he caught up. He threw his weight onto her, tumbling them both down, and they tussled, grinning and letting the frenetic energy carry them. She caught his ear and tugged, hard, and he yelped.

  It was cute. She knew she was broadcasting her amusement and pleasure, especially because he grumbled at her, low in his chest, and tried to bite her ear.

  She twisted and kicked him away, and he skidded in the snow, and pounced, paws throwing her back down.

  And then someone else caught up with them, throwing their (very slight) weight into the fray. It was one of the pups – Eira didn’t know them well enough to know who it was, but he smelled like pack, and Asher didn’t seem surprised by it, so she went along with it, letting the pup pin her down and lick her ear.

  It wasn’t long before more and more of them came to join and soon they had what had to be most of the pups in the pack all pouncing Asher and each other. Eira lay low and let them jump on her, triumphantly balancing all four paws on her back before someone else tugged them down. One of the littler ones lay by her head and pawed at her ear; she made a grumbling sound and tilted her head to avoid the swipes from little paws. After a little bit, Asher cleared the pups off of him and came over to settle the ones who were jumping on top of Eira.

  She didn’t mind them, but she smiled when Asher came over, and she licked his muzzle. A few of the adults were coming around now, and they provided backup for the rowdy pups. Once Eira was sure that they had it handled, she nudged Asher again, nipped his chin, and ran.

  They did that for a few hours. When they all finally circled back to the picnic area, Eira felt exhausted and satisfied. She shifted back into her human skin and couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her lips. She just felt happy. She didn’t think about it until some of the others started arriving back, but she hadn’t rushed to collect her clothes.

  Everyone had brought warm clothes to put on after running, but no one was in a rush to get dressed again, nakedness treated as a matter of course. Which was nice. It was somehow freeing, to be able to shift as she pleased, without worry about who was going to see her naked. If she didn’t care, no one else cared.

  Asher came over to her, holding out her folded pile of clothes. “Thanks,” she said, and she couldn’t help but run her eyes over his form, grinning. Since she was allowed.

  “Problem?” he asked, the little shit, because she could see his fingers curled into his palm so he knew there wasn’t a problem.

  “Nope,” she said, taking the pile of clothes and turning on her heel to go dress herself.

  Almost everyone was dressed again by the time she came back wearing jeans and boots and the thick sweater again. The pups were all bundled up and dressed, and most of the adults now, too.

  The sun was beginning to sink low in the sky and the air was getting just a bit too chilly to be naked and human. A few people were beginning to unpack the food. Someone had put together a giant picnic table, where most of the food was displayed and laid out. In the grassy area to the side was a collection of large quilts laid across the grass, which Eira just wanted to lay down and sleep on. Mads was beginning to set up the wood for the bonfire, and she looked like she was the only one doing it, so Eira went over to see if she needed help.

  “Can I help?” she asked as she approached. “Or will I be in the way?”

  Mads smiled, white teeth standing out against the darker shade of her skin, and she said, “You know how to build a fire?”

  Eira nodded.

  “Then you can help,” she said. Eira watched what she was doing for a little while, her sure hands setting up the bottom of the fire, structuring it with larger logs holding up the airways for the kindling. Eira started setting it up on the opposite side to match. They worked quietly together for a while, and it was nice.

  Eira nearly jumped when Asher put his hand on her back. “Jeez. What?”

  He smiled a little. “Come get food,” he said.

  Eira looked to Mads, who waved her off. “I can start a fire,” she said. “It’s all set up anyway. Thank you for your help.” She waved them both off, and Eira let herself be pulled away.

  Asher led her over to the table, weighed down with food, and put his hands on her hips as she picked up a plate. “Are we …?” she started, but she trailed off. Didn’t exactly know how to ask.

  “Are we what?”

  “I don’t know. You’re being pretty handsy. Are you okay with … the pack knowing?”

  He pulled back and turned her around, hands on her hips. “Knowing about you? About us?”

  Eira nodded. “Yeah.”

  Asher sighed and pulled her closer, wrapping an arm around her waist. “Most of them already know,” he said. “Mo gossips.”

  She laughed a little bit, pressing her face to his shoulder and breathing in his scent just for a second.` “Okay,” she said. No going back now, was there? “What about your mom?”

  “She’s a little out of the loop,” Asher said. “I’ll tell her.”

  She nodded, kissed his shoulder and pulled away to get food.

  Everyone ate, lounging around on the combined blankets that were laid out in the field, or standing by the table. Everyone seemed tired and sated, except the pups, who still ran around, now fueled by sugar. There was a mix of human and wolf pup, all tussling together, most of them shifting between the two at any given moment. Eira smiled as she leaned her head against Asher’s shoulder, feeling a content, warm glow. She tried to just close her eyes and let herself feel the happiness without any of the darker feelings lurking at the edges, because she didn’t know how long this would last, and she wanted to hold onto it. To be able to recall it as a pure and happy memory.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  IT WAS WELL past dark by the time they packed everything up and made it back home. It was mostly dark inside the house, except for the kitchen, where Mo had the light on over the stove. He was leaning his hip against the sink, eating some leftovers.

  “We have cake,” Asher said as they entered. He put the plate down on the counter. Mo turned to smile at him, and even in the dim light, Eria could make out something not quite right.

  “What’s on your face?” she asked.

  Mo sighed. “It’s not a big deal. Don’t worry about it.”

  Asher frowned and stepped closer. “No, what’s up?” he asked.

  “Nothing,” Mo said. “It’s just a bruise, seriously. It’ll be gone tomorrow.” He put his dish in the sink and turned on the water. He looked over his shoulder at Asher. “Can I have some of the cake?”

  “Why the hell is there a bruise on your face?” Eira demanded.

  Mo took a deep breath, like he was trying to grasp onto his patience. Eira frowned at him. “I ran into some thugs on the train. It’s not a big deal. They didn’t do anything.”

  “Except bruise your face,” Eira snapped. Why was he acting like this was fine? “Why are you brushing this off?”

  “It’s not a big deal,” Mo insisted.

  Asher said, “Did they try to rob you?”

  “I don’t carry cash, I’m not stupid,” h
e said. “Look, it was some punk kids on an evening train, they tried to get in my face, I didn’t hurt anyone, it’s not a big deal.”

  “You didn’t hurt anyone?” Eira said. “They hurt you! Did the police get involved? Are they going to come here?”

  “No the police didn’t get involved,” Mo said, throwing his hands up. “It was like a three minute exchange, they shoved me, and then they realized that they probably shouldn’t mess with me and they ran off, tails between their legs. I didn’t hurt anyone,” he insisted.

  “I’m not worried about you hurting someone,” Asher said.

  “Why are you letting him take the train alone?” Eira demanded, rounding on Asher.

  He held his hands up, eyebrows raising in surprise, so she was probably reacting disproportionately, but she didn’t care. Why the hell was he letting Mo go off and get hurt by humans? Asher just said, “What would you like me to do about it?”

  Morgan cut in. “Letting? He doesn’t let me do anything, first of all.”

  “You know what I mean,” Eira snapped.

  “No,” he said, “I don’t, please enlighten me.”

  She made a frustrated sound behind her teeth. “It’s his job to keep you safe,” she said.

  “Okay. Well, first of all, he’s not Alpha. That’s his mom. So even if it was Alpha’s job to keep everyone safe, that’s still not his responsibility.” Eira opened her mouth to answer, but he steamrolled over her. “And second of all, I can take care of myself. I can go to work by myself, and come home by myself. It is my job to keep myself safe, no one else’s. I lived a hell of a lot longer on my own than with this pack, so it is not their job to babysit me.”

  “It’s still not okay that you’re getting hurt,” she muttered.

  “Until now, the pack was more worried about me hurting someone than being hurt, Eira. Okay?” He set the cake back down and took a deep breath. “I get that you’re probably coming from a place of concern, but don’t.”

  Eira clenched her jaw and said, “Fine. I’m going to bed now.”