Unwilling: a shifter romance

by Hannah L. Corrie

  The man couldn't really do anything as long as they were in the supermarket, there were too many eyes and ears around to 'wolf out' on Darwin, but he looked tickled enough. As Harry fled into the general direction of the cash points, Darwin got shoved back against the baskets full of vegetables.

  "So, you decided to stand up for yourself, eh? Stupid, stupid decision," he chuckled and tried to grab Darwin, who skittered away through the fruit displays.

  "Nope, just trying to keep you busy until the cavalry arrives," Darwin replied with bated breath. He didn't try to flee, but he did his best to keep a few feet of distance between him and the dominant wolf. It was all he could do for now.

  If he attempted to run, the wolf would give chase and catch him sooner rather than later. If he fought, he would get beaten into a pulp for good measure. If he gave in, he'd most likely get raped or at least kidnapped to be integrated into that guy's pack, which wasn't that much better than rape. Out of options and with time running out, he could only hope that Harry would hurry up and find help.

  Jared

  Jared was ripped out of the most pleasant dream imaginable, minutes after he'd finally managed to lay down for a nap. Luckily for the culprit, the screeching of tires on gravel woke him before the loud bang of the front door shattered the peace and quiet.

  He sat up with a start, listening to the muffled voices outside as adrenaline-soaked blood rushed through his ears. Were Harry and Darwin back from shopping?

  Jared crawled out of bed as his pulse calmed. One of the voices was Harry's, but the other one was Rayne, and both of them sounded alarmed. Just as he grabbed the door handle, someone else pushed at it from the other side, resulting in a short tug-o-war before it swung open, leaving a decidedly panicked Harry to stare at Jared with his mouth hanging open.

  "Oh, you're awake! We need to hurry," he wheezed, turning around before he finished his sentence. Rayne stood next to the door, already putting on his jacket. His face was grim.

  "What's going on?" Jared asked, looking around the room blearily. "And where's Darwin?"

  Harry went through the door before he could answer, but Rayne hovered long enough to say, "Harry and Darwin were accosted by someone from the local pack, Harry came to get us, Darwin's still back there with that guy." Then he went outside too, leaving Jared to suffer through another bout of panic on his own.

  "What about Darla?" Jared yelled at the open door as he turned around to grab his sweater from the bed.

  "I'm coming with," he heard her call from the outside. As much as Jared doubted it was a smart idea to take a new werewolf into the city, there was no time to argue.

  They piled into the car and drove off before the last door fell shut. Rayne took the wheel, mostly because Harry looked about to keel over with panic. Gravel sprayed and tires screeched as he raced down the steep mountain.

  Harry filled them in. "We were shopping for groceries when this guy came up to us. He acted weird from the start, didn't even flinch when we reminded him of the deal we have with the local pack. I think he's sub-shopping and I think Darwin knows that. He kept the guy busy and made me get you," he said, breathing rapidly.

  "What's sub-shopping?" Darla asked with a puzzled, all too calm voice. She didn't care too much for Darwin's fate, but that had to be expected.

  Rubbing his face, Jared decided to concentrate on her. It would give him something to do other than worry about Darwin.

  "Rayne told you about submissives and dominants and all that, right?"

  Darla nodded. "And Alphas, yes."

  The car swerved onto the main road to Renton and Jared had to hold on to the door handle to keep himself from tumbling into Darla's lap. "Well, some packs need submissives badly enough to go steal them," he explained. "It's antiquated and cruel and requires a lot of stuff some would call kidnapping and torture, but those people don't care as long as they get the results they want. I've never met a pack that still practices that, but live and learn."

  "So they're trying to steal what, Darwin? How would that work in any imaginable way?" she said bemused, seemingly unimpressed with Rayne's mad driving. "Even if they take him by force, he’ll bolt the first moment he's not being watched. They can't keep him chained up for the rest of his life."

  When she saw the hard expression on Jared's face, she blanched. "Or can they?"

  The car was going sixty miles per hour right through town and Harry gave directions to the 'BigBuy' with panicked gasps.

  "They could, but normally it would be too much trouble to try shit like that. Submissives need a pack, they need to connect to it. If you keep a submissive from his pack for too long, he'll find a new one and stay with them. Their instincts are very strong and all it takes to keep them is stopping them from running and being nice for a long enough stretch of time. If a submissive resists too long or keeps making trouble, they would let him go at some point." Jared suddenly grinned with fierce pride. "They probably wouldn't know what hit them if they tried to keep Darwin."

  Yes, he would make their lives hell, but they would do the same to him. Jared hadn't lied when he had told Darwin how other dominants wouldn't be as tolerant as Rayne. They'd beat him to mush if he mouthed off to them, and they would keep it up right to the point where either they got tired of hitting him or Darwin was broken beyond use.

  The 'BigBuy' sign came into sight just as Rayne reduced speed.

  "So what's the plan then? Are we talking angry words, angry fists or angry axe-murder?" Darla said, looking pointedly at Jared's face. "By the way, your eyes are turning yellow."

  Jared took a deep breath and shook himself. He had known on some level what he must look like, but Darla had the eyes of a normal person and for her to notice his eyes meant that everyone would. Not a good idea. Taking deep breaths, he tried to calm down his pulse and murmured, "You do what Rayne does or tells you to do. We don't want them to know that I'm the Alpha at this point, they would just wait until I'm gone and grab Darwin again. That would be bad, because I'm going to be out all the time. Rayne on the other hand will be home all day and they won't approach an Alpha. Understand?"

  Harry leaned over the back rest of his seat with a surprised expression. "That's brilliant! Where did you learn that?" he asked with admiring eyes. Rayne growled haughtily next to him, but he didn't react and Jared didn't answer.

  They got out of the car with Darla sticking close to Jared's side. The parking lot was nearly empty, now that the big supermarket had closed for the night, but a few cars here and there still waited patiently for their owners. It made looking for Darwin time-consuming and difficult. He could be anywhere and Jared was getting restless as he walked away from the car.

  "They wouldn't approach an Alpha because he can make them do things, right?" Darla whispered, barely keeping up with the male's angry stride.

  Jared wanted to snap at her, yell into her face that he didn't care about those things at the moment, but he couldn't. She was being helpful, hell, she even wanted to help the pack save one of their own, and he needed to do right by her if he couldn't un-wolf her. Taking a shallow, controlled breath, he nodded and whispered back, "That, and whoever that guy is, he is acting against the orders of his own Alpha, which means he won't get help from his own people if things turn sideways." A grim expression appeared on Jared's face as he followed Rayne and Harry, who was jogging circles to look for Darwin. "And boy, are things going to take a turn for the worse if I get my hands on that hillbilly."

  A low call broke their hushed conversation.

  "Over there," Harry hissed, trying to be quiet but failing. He was pointing over to a roofed shopping cart shelter at the back of the parking lot, then started running with Rayne hot on his heels. Jared could only see two pairs of legs through the maze of cart wheels, but he trusted Harry to recognize his own friend.

  "Remember, Rayne is the Alpha," he reminded Darla and sprinted after the two. He had to rein himself in to stay behind Rayne. His first instinct was to charge and splatter whoever had dared
touch his mate against the cheap plexiglass wall, but that would mean war. War wasn't good business, especially not on their first day as guests.

  What he saw when he finally reached the other side of the cart shelter left him angry and amused in equal parts. The attacker actually looked like a hillbilly, unkempt and dressed cheaply in dirty clothes, and he had a tight grip on a very dapper, well-dressed Darwin, trying to pull him away from the shelter. Darwin was having none of it. He had both arms wrapped firmly around a steel cross brace, spitting thick wads of saliva whenever the werewolf tried to get a better grip, resisting every attempt to peel away his arms from his anchoring spot. He already had a black eye and was standing crooked like something hurt in his back, but he wasn't going down easy.

  The urge to break the guy in two bloody pieces was almost overwhelming and he must have taken a step towards the two because suddenly Harry was there, grabbing Jared's hand like a frightened child. He didn't try to pull him back or stop him from moving, he didn't do anything else, but it was enough to calm Jared down.

  Rayne stopped about five feet away from Darwin and his attacker. Darla was staying between Rayne and Jared, ready to pounce if the situation escalated. Introductions were unnecessary at this point. Any werewolf would have been able to hear them come closer and at this short distance he probably smelled what they were too.

  "Let him go," Rayne growled forcefully, bristling to the threat in his own words in a way Jared had not seen on him before.

  The guy pushed Darwin against the side of the shelter with one hand at his neck, forcing him against the cold metal he was hugging. Then he looked over his shoulder, taking in Rayne's dark-skinned, angry form, and grinned. His teeth were yellow and crooked and a piece of one of the lower teeth was missing. "Who allowed the Mussulman to talk, eh?" he goaded, giving Darwin's neck a shove and smashing his forehead against the plexiglass in the process.

  To anyone else it probably looked like blunt force, but Jared recognized the covert threat instantly. That werewolf was racist on top of everything else, sure, but deep down he didn't care what color Rayne's skin was. It was a test, a fight of wills, to find out what kind of flavor this new pack was. And possibly a grab for power he couldn't get his hands on in his own pack. Jared wanted to step forward and take over from Rayne, fearing the dominant might misinterpret the situation and bring Darwin's life into danger, but Harry stopped him once more with a single twitch of his hand, reminding him of their plan.

  Minute changes in Rayne's posture made his presence more imposing. He was positively dripping menace and power, enough to give even Jared pause. He had known from the beginning that Rayne wasn't a pushover and undeserving of his low rank in the last pack— or packs, if one was inclined to believe Rayne's stories—, but whatever tight grip Rayne had on his own powers was now let loose. The result was breathtaking.

  "I'm in no mood to play games with you. I've had a shitty week and it will go on like that for the unforeseeable future," Rayne said with enough calm menace to peel off nail polish, "If you're looking for a fight, you have found the right playground. But be aware that my people are itching to rip something apart and we won't play fair."

  Jared grinned like a hyena and even Darla seemed to grasp the meaning of Rayne's words. If the guy didn't let go of Darwin at once, they would attack together and simultaneously. No duels, no going at it 'mano y mano', just good, honest violence. His teeth began to itch and pulse as his canines elongated and grew sharp tips, and this time, he did nothing to stop it.

  A flash of uncertainty, doubt, and worry went through the guy's face as he focused first on Rayne, then on Darla and finally on Jared, who was looming over everyone else not only in size and mass, but also in anger. He probably was trying to calculate his chances in a fight and realizing it wasn't looking good.

  His fingers around Darwin's neck twitched once, twice, then let go. Darwin swiftly pushed away from the cart shelter and stumbled towards Rayne. Red imprints stood out starkly against his pale skin where he had been grabbed. The way he hunched over told Jared a story of other, hidden injuries, and the thought sent a jolt of rage through his body, making him almost lose control over his shape.

  This time, not even Harry's warning tug could stop him from rushing forward, but he didn't go very far. As soon as he reached Darwin, he wrapped an arm around him and pulled him further back, pushing him behind his back to block the line of sight. Jared's face was on the way to grow fur, but he didn't care. Now that Darwin was safe, the panic deep in his chest settled and left all the space to rage, the need to rip the stranger into tiny, bloody shreds. 'One wrong move, just one, please,' his mind begged as he flexed his muscles, ready to pounce. Only Rayne and the necessity to keep their charade going held him in place, but only just.

  If he noticed what was going on behind him, Rayne didn't show it. "Good choice," he grunted, still keeping his presence on a level of lighthouse-like strength, "Now scram. If I ever see you again, I'll let my pack rip your legs off."

  A glimmer of hatred danced through the eyes of the unkempt werewolf as he turned around and ran, visibly unhappy about the way things had turned out. His last glance met Jared's eyes, who was still hiding Darwin behind his imposing form, and he smiled at the retreating man. It was a nasty, vengeful smile, a promise what would happen if he saw him again.

  "He's gonna try again," said Darla, sounding ill-humored.

  Rayne nodded. "Yeah, he probably will. God help him, but he will."

  His dark gaze scraped over Jared's tense chest, then he turned away. "Let's go home. Someone please hide our Alpha's face until we're clear of human settlements."

  Darwin

  Everything hurt, but nothing was broken.

  It was a sobering conclusion but better than the alternative. Darwin had never been so happy to hear Rayne's voice and now, sitting in the car and huddled against Jared's body, his scent filling the air and his arm continuously stroking his flank, Darwin was relieved and elated in equal parts. His stupid, idiotically heroic plan had worked and he would— against all odds, at that— live to see another day.

  Even Darla had come to save him and was now chatting animatedly with Rayne, who had taken it on himself to chauffeur them around. Harry tried to fuss over Darwin's scrapes and bruises, but every time he touched Darwin, Jared made a deep, rumbling growl and pulled him away from the searching hands. He obviously wanted to do the fussing part himself, but right now he couldn't, so nobody else was allowed to.

  The strange odor of his would-be-kidnapper clung to Darwin's clothes like a bad afterthought. He wanted to shower and burn his clothes, but he'd have to settle for just washing them. As for the shower, the way Jared was acting promised no chance to do that anytime soon. Not before he had made sure his mate was alright and everything in order.

  Darwin could imagine how Jared would do that. Moreover, he was having a hard time not imagining it vividly and squirmed to hide the bulge in his crotch.

  When the car stopped, everyone jumped out, relieved by the prospect of being 'home'. Everyone but Darwin and Jared. Rayne threw a last glance back at them, grinned, and shooed both Darla and Harry inside to give them privacy.

  As soon as Jared had the chance, he grabbed Darwin and pressed him against his body. Possessive, powerful arms wrapped around Darwin's battered body, touching everywhere, and with each hiss and grunt of pain Jared growled softly. The close contact and the scent of Jared's anger and jealousy flooded his mind with endorphins and shuddering lust that lessened the pain considerably. Jared's big hands reached the hemline of Darwin's sweater, then they disappeared beneath the cloth and stroked over his back. They burned incredibly hot against Darwin's cold skin.

  "Off," Jared grunted, pulling Darwin's sweater up with a swift motion. "It stinks of that asshole."

  Although the air was nippy enough to harden his nipples with the first gust of wind that brushed his chest, Darwin complied. A strange, content feeling flooded his nervous system, fueling his need to feel Jared, his m
ate, against his naked body as quickly as possible. The sweater landed somewhere close to the front tire of the car, forgotten by both of them.

  Breathing in sharply, Jared pushed him back against the side of the car, leaning him over the cold metal and inspecting his chest with quickening pulse. His eyes and fingers followed the few darkening patches of skin where Darwin had been hit and the soft touches elicited a soft moan from his lips.

  When Jared grabbed the waistband of his pants to open it, Darwin buried both hands in his blond hair. "Someone will see us," he gasped, making no attempt to stop Jared as he pulled the pants lower, growling under his breath. Empty words, filled with hope they would be ignored.

  "They'll learn to cope," Jared replied, sinking to his knees. His lips touched the upper edge of Darwin's pubes and he licked a long, hot and cold line towards his chest. Darwin could hear the succinct clinking of a belt buckle, knowing full well that Jared was opening his own pants. His cock wept furiously with pleasure at the thought of having sex right there, against a car worth more than his college tuition, but his mind was still faintly concerned with the idea of dignity. It seemed wrong not to at least protest, even if he didn't want him to stop.

  "But,..." he protested weakly, tugging at the thick, sandy strands, holding his breath as Jared grabbed his thighs to mount them over the crooks of his arms.

  "If you want me to stop, just tell me," Jared whispered with a strained, shivering voice and stepped close enough to rest Darwin's ass on his throbbing cock. The hard, pulsing rod throbbed hot against his cool skin.

  Darwin wanted to tell him no, his modesty screaming at him, but it only made his own cock twitch harder. The lube he had bought— much to Harry's giggling delight— was inside in one of the shopping bags. No time to go get it. Instead of stopping Jared, Darwin spat into his palm, grabbed Jared's cock and did his best to offer at least a little bit of lubrication. They wouldn't last long anyhow, already on edge as they both were. Jared shivered harshly beneath the hasty, demanding ministrations, growling with eagerness.