by SL
"I've been after Ray for years ... years!" Mary Lynn raised her
voice, shrieking like a banshee. "How dare you come to town and
take him from me! He's my mate! Mine!"
Heated anger filled the room. "Mine!" she repeated and then
growled, emotions rolling off her in violent waves.
Nausea overwhelmed Jac as she detected movement beneath the
woman's skin. Fur rapidly replaced flesh. Mary Lynn morphed, her
shape changing into a big, tawny-colored wolf.
Jac gasped, realizing it was the same wolf that had attacked her in
the alley on Main Street. Her blood ran cold.
The she-wolf wasted no time taking advantage of her shock. It took
a flying leap at her with fangs bared. Jac screamed. Wielding the
phone receiver in her hand, she swung with all her might, landing a
swift blow against the side of the creature's head. Knocked off-
balance, the she-wolf fell sideways, momentarily stunned as it
stumbled onto the tile.
Run Jac! Run!
Ray's alarmed voice echoed in her head. Without hesitation, she
scrambled for the door, swinging it open. She dashed down the porch
stairs as the cold night air chilled her. But, she didn't stop. Mary
Lynn would soon be on her heels.
The gravity of the situation hit her hard. She had to escape the she-
wolf's fury ... or she was dead.
* * * *
Ray never considered himself psychically gifted, yet beneath the
full moon, his sithech-senses were sharp and keen. He knew Jac was
in danger. Cursing the slowness of his truck under his breath, he
punched the accelerator. The truck barreled down the road.
The moon's silvery beams lit the road ahead. He was almost there.
Ray's skin itched as the sithech-blood coursed through his veins.
Despite her flirting, he'd never thought of Mary Lynn as a threat.
Now, to find out she was Jac's attacker was just too much.
Ray sharply turned the wheel. The truck rolled up the gravel
driveway. He silently prayed he wasn't too late. Hang on, Jac. I'm
coming, he conveyed.
Hurry! His heart clutched in his chest. "Oh God," he exhaled a
sharp breath. He heard her in his head. The connection between them
was strong. Ray gritted his teeth. His vision blurred with red-hot
anger and desperation. He slammed on the brakes, halting the truck
with a sharp jerk.
He pushed open the door and ran toward the back of the house.
The backdoor swung on its hinges. An uneasy feeling coiled in the pit
of his stomach. Ray raced into the kitchen.
"Jac?" he called out. "Jac!" The house was eerily silent. The
telephone cord had been ripped from the wall, the kitchen chairs were
asunder, but no sign of Jac or Mary Lynn. He ran back outside,
sniffing the air for clues. Near the woods came the strong scent of a
she-wolf and the familiar scent of his mate.
"Damn!" he cursed, undressing as he ran. His skin was sensitive,
the sithech inside him rippling outward while black fur spread over
his physique. By the time he reached the edge the glade, his human
shaped had morphed into wolf form. Racing on four-legs through the
thick mass of bare trees and evergreens, he caught wind of her scent.
It was laced with fear.
Jac, I'm here! He conveyed as he tore through the darkened glade.
His sithech-senses were on high-alert, his night vision sharp and keen.
He leapt over a fallen log, following their scents deeper and deeper
into the moonlit grove.
Just ahead he detected the sound of scuffling and the low, vicious
growl of an angry sithech.
Adrenaline coursed through Jac's veins. The she-wolf had been
clever, cornering her near a thicket of thorny bushes. Jac glanced
around, picking up the closest thing to a weapon she could lay her
hands on. The tree limb was heavy, but she brandished it in front of
her, attempting to keep the she-wolf at bay.
"Back off, bitch," she hissed, swing the branch at the stalking wolf.
The creature's eyes glistened with malice, a growl rumbling in the
back of its throat. Its fangs were bared and fur was bristled as it
paced. The she-wolf was attempting to wear her down. If she gave
into her weariness now, the wolf would attack.
Hang in there, she consoled herself. If she could only hold out
until Ray got there. But then what? Jac pushed the question from her
mind, keeping a watchful gaze on the wild, rogue sithech.
The she-wolf darted to and fro, preparing to strike. "I said, back
off!" Jac shouted, shoving the hefty branch between her and the
snarling beast.
Jac! She heard Ray in her head. He was getting closer. However,
the she-wolf's focus was solely on her.
Out of the corner of her eye, Jac saw movement in the bushes.
A large, black wolf raced from the foliage. "Ray!" she called out,
relief washed over her, her attention wavering a split second. The
she-wolf dodged the branch and sprang.
She screamed when the she-wolf pounced. The large black wolf
snarled and jumped, too. Ray, in full sithech-form, knocked the she-
wolf clear while Jac scrambled back, close to the thicket for safety.
Jac's mind was reeling as she watched the two wolves clashed
together in a vicious fight of fur and fangs.
Once more, there was rustling in the bushes from the direction Ray
had come. A group of shadowy figures emerged, running toward
them. "There they are!" A voice came from one of the crowd. Jac
blinked with surprise. Megan, Ernie and Bruce raced toward them.
"Are you okay?" Bruce asked, kneeling down beside her.
"I-I think so." She made a frantic gesture to the two fighting
wolves. "B-but someone do something. They're going to kill each
other!"
"Not if I can help it," Megan cocked the gun in her hand and
headed toward the wolves.
"Don't worry, Jac. It's a tranquilizer gun," Ernie explained, draping
a jacket around Jac's shoulders. "It should put Mary Lynn out like a
light."
The full moon fever raced through Ray's veins. The alpha sithech
wanted blood ... the she-wolf's blood, but his human-side held him at
bay. If he purposely harmed her, the pack would question his actions.
And, being a pack guardian, they would hold him accountable for the
consequences.
The she-wolf still was rabid and fighting hard. The moon fever had
her under its grip, and in a bad way. Yet, he'd managed to wear her
down. From the other side of the clearing, he sensed Megan's
approach.
Step back, bro, she mentally conveyed. I need a clear shot.
Ray eased back, hoping Megan's aim was on the mark. If not, the
she-wolf might turn on her and he wasn't about to let that happen. He
certainly would kill the bitch if she attacked his sister –consequences
be damned.
Shots rang out. The she-wolf staggered back. She was hit. Two
small darts marked her tawny fur. Combined with weariness, the
potent tranquilizers took effect. The wolf wobbled on all-fours then
sank to the ground. However, it wasn't until the she-wolf closed her
eyes that he e
xhaled a sigh of relief.
He turned to where Jac and the others stood. She leapt to her feet
and ran toward him. "Oh Ray, thank goodness you're okay." The
genuine concern in her voice made his heart soar.
Smiling, she dropped to her knees beside him. "I wouldn't want
anything to happen to you ... not to my mate." Moonlight glimmered
in her dark eyes as she threw her arms around his neck, burying her
face in his fur. "I love you too, Ray," she confessed in a soft whisper.
Jac was accepting him as her mate. Ray was overcome with
emotion. He was one damn lucky sithech.
In an expression of pure joy, he tilted back his head and howled at
the moon.
* * * *
It had been a long and stressful night, but it was hardly over.
Returning to the house, Ray hopped in the shower, while Jac fixed a
pot of coffee for several pack members who'd come to help transport
Mary Lynn to safety.
Jac grinned as Ray strolled into the room in nothing but a towel.
"Do you need a hand with that?" Ray inclined his head to the
thermos and cups beside the coffeemaker.
"No, I've got it." She winked. "But you'd better get on some
clothes." Jac wagged a finger at him and smirked.
"All right, but I'll meet you down there," he called over his shoulder
as she grabbed thermos and cups, heading out the door. She made her
way to the shady glade, recalling the nightmare from the night before.
Yet, she'd survived ... thanks to Ray and Megan.
Dawn was breaking over the horizon. Jac was relieved, happy to
see the daylight again.
She stopped just short of the commotion as Derek and several pack
members unloaded a metal cage from the back of a pickup truck. Jac
cringed as a twinge of sympathy rippled through her.
"Is Mary Lynn going to be all right?" Jac asked, handing Megan the
thermos and cups.
"Yes, she'll be fine." Megan gave her a reassuring smile. "Bruce
and the boys will make sure she recovers and then the pack will
decide how to handle her transgressions."
"I can't believe she was trying to kill me ... and all because of Ray."
Jac frowned, shaking her head as she recalled the deadly she-wolf
chasing her through the woods.
"It's okay, Jac. Everything's fine now." Ray came up behind her,
placing his warm hands on her shoulders. Calming her with his touch,
he continued, "The moon fever affects each of us sithech differently.
The moon acts as a mirror, magnifying our reactions. Mary Lynn
must've lost control and her jealousy was intensified many-fold for
her to attack you."
"Well said, bro." Megan grinned, raising a cup in mock-salute.
"For a moment there, I didn't know if you could control your emotions
either."
"Believe me, it was difficult." Ray gave a weary sigh.
In unison, the three looked back to Mary Lynn, still in sithech-
form, unconscious on the ground. Bruce was kneeling beside her. He
stroked her fur, whispering to her in a low, soothing tone.
"He likes her, doesn't he?" Jac asked, her throat knotting with
emotion.
"They went out on a date the other night," Megan replied in a low
tone. "Yeah, he likes her, but my intuition tells me he's upset with
himself for not suspecting she was the rogue."
"Ah man, it's not his fault." Ray shook his head. "Hell, if it wasn't
for you and Ernie, we all would have been in the dark."
"Maybe you can take Bruce out for a beer later on." Jac smiled up
at Ray, patting his hand. "I'm sure he could use a good friend about
now."
"That's one of the things I love about you, Jac. You have a good
heart," he whispered into her ear, making her feel all warm and fuzzy
from head to toe.
Megan had slipped away, giving them privacy. Jac turned in his
arms, inhaling his familiar scent, the scent of wolf and man. "And my
heart belongs to you, my mate." She smiled into his handsome face.
"But, what about your career at The Inside-View?" he asked,
pressing his forehead to hers. "You'll be leaving town soon and – "
"No, I want to be here with you," she confessed. "I've thought
about moving to Heather Grove." Jac glanced up and smiled with
amusement at Ray's stunned expression. "Cameron White is looking
for a reporter over at the Gazette. I could take a job there or I could
start writing my 'Great American Novel'. What do you think?"
"That's my pixie!" He chuckled. "You know, a woman with
confidence is a real turn-on."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah." His breathless tone stirred something deep inside her. The
dawn's early light twinkled in his eyes while he leaned close,
capturing her lips in a sweet, sensual kiss. Jac's senses reeled, her
heart filling with love ... love for her sithech mate.
Without a doubt, both of their lives were changing and it was all for
the better.
