Shift Out of Luck

by Abigail Owen

  But he’d made his choice.

  Tala stood in the center of the gathering, legs planted wide, hands loose at her sides. The rest of their people, Marrok included, remained at the edge of the clearing where the trees started, giving the area the feel of a boxing ring.

  Rather than make the first move, Tala waited in silence. Someone else was going to have to ding the metaphorical starting bell. In all likelihood, Sandalio and his wolves had discussed their plan before confronting her there. No way could they miss the presence of many of both packs as they traced her path.

  Rather than watching their eyes, Tala focused on the torso of the dark gray wolf in the middle—Sandalio. Of course, he was the leader. She studied the movement of his body, staring at a spot mid-chest. She’d learned long ago that eyes might lie, but the body would telegraph what moves were coming.

  Taking deep, calming breaths, she readied herself for what she was about to do.

  As one, the six wolves lunged for her, deep growls ripping from their throats. In a flash, Tala drew out two knives from her vest. Rather than back up, she rolled toward them and, using her momentum, hurled her weapons as she came up from the roll. Two of the wolves—Sandalio’s son and grandson, dropped to the ground with a thud, the blades embedded between their eyes.

  Back on her feet, Tala snatched the metal whip from around her waist. With a flick of her wrist, she sliced open Sandalio’s face just as his hot breath hit her. He pulled up from his charge, giving her space to crack the whip, wrapping it around Connor’s legs. She tugged, setting it to tighten if he struggled. Three down.

  Before she could reset, though, a pair of massive arms came around her neck from behind, squeezing the life from her and threatening to crush her bones.

  “Watch her, Dolph,” Sandalio warned, his voice slithering through her mind. “She always has a blade on her.”

  Damn straight. As a female wolf shifter, smaller than the males in wolf form by a third or more, her ability with weapons was a strength—one she’d exploit to her dying breath. That ability had made her alpha. Tala stomped her foot, activating a mechanism in her boot which thrust switchblades out of both the toe and the heel.

  Using a self-defense maneuver, she dropped into a crouch, leaning forward, which made it harder for Dolph to squeeze her or pick her up. She thrust her hands in front of her, locking her elbows, which loosened his grip slightly, then jammed her right hand straight back behind her with a karate move, right into his balls. To give him credit, Dolph didn’t let go fully, but she’d created enough space that now she could swing her leg. She kicked her heel backward, aiming for his shin. The knife point hit bone with a satisfying crunch, and Dolph released her with a howl of rage and agony.

  He dropped to the ground, hand over his shin. “Bitch,” he spat.

  Tala had already slipped her Kubotan from the pouch on her sleeve. Hand gripped around it, she slammed the end of the hard instrument into his temple. Down went Dolph. Dead or unconscious, she didn’t give a shit.

  Sandalio and his other son hadn’t stood still, though. The lighter gray wolf shifter charged as she turned back to them. She couldn’t move out of the way fast enough, and his jaws snapped shut around her arm. Tala cried out as shards of pain splintered out from the bite. Her bones broke with a sickening crack. The wolf locked his jaw and shook her like he was trying to shake the stuffing out of a toy. Vaguely she was aware of a thundering growl followed by shouts and yelps.

  Marrok must be going crazy. Only he’d promised.

  The wolf dropped her to the ground. Tala lay there, head spinning, pain spiking up her arm and consuming her focus, a limp, broken woman. She allowed the tears of frustration and rage to escape her eyes, trailing down her cheeks. Visibly trembling, she held up her damaged arm, as though to ward off the wolf, her limb a mangled mess of blood and bone.

  “Don’t kill me,” she pleaded in a small voice.

  The wolf stood over her, his feet on either side of her, waiting for the kill order from his leader.

  “So weak. You never were worthy to lead.” Sandalio stood at her head now, looming. He gave a nod.

  A snarl ripped from his son before he lunged for her neck. Only Tala moved faster. With her one good hand, she whipped one of the steel sticks from a pouch at her ankle and jammed it up through the soft spot under the wolf’s jaw, through the soft palate of his mouth and into his brain. Just as she had with his father, only that time she’d spared his life. Not with this one.

  She rolled out from under him before he could collapse on top of her and pin her to the ground. Shoving to her feet, she faced Sandalio, who stared at the body of his son as a sickly pallor crept over his face.

  “I guess age doesn’t always come with wisdom,” Tala spat.

  “Mercy.” The plea echoed through her mind as a whisper.

  She held back a grim smile. Sandalio never was a fighter on his own. He’d always relied on numbers and smarts and vicious whispers in dark corners. A glance revealed Marrok, in wolf form, barely held back by six of his own.

  “I won’t kill you,” she said. “I believe my worthiness to lead should no longer be in doubt by the rest of the pack.” She glanced around the clearing. Her words weren’t a question, but a statement. The emotions reflected back at her told her she’d won her people’s respect. Again.

  For now, at least.

  Relief, almost comic in its intensity, passed over Sandalio’s features, his jowls quivering. “Thank you.”

  “I can’t say the same for my mate, however.” She nodded at the wolves holding Marrok back.

  “No!” the traitor shouted.

  They moved aside, and the black wolf was on the gray in one massive leap. He had Sandalio by the neck in an instant. With a vicious snarl, he shook Sandalio until he went limp, then dropped him in a pool of his own blood.

  Marrok stood over the body, fur standing on his back, teeth bared, as he growled over the corpse, crazed eyes trained on the others around him.

  The general rule of thumb was never to come between a wolf and its kill, but Tala stepped forward. “Hey,” she said softly.

  The black wolf turned stunning blue eyes her way, glowing with power and rage. He growled again, but more softly now. A hand raised toward him, she moved closer.

  “Tala,” Astra hissed from the safety of the trees. Tala ignored her sister.

  “I need you here. Marrok, do you hear me? I need you to come back to me.”

  The wolf looked from her to the body on the ground, and back to her. “He’s dead. He can’t hurt me ever again. You made sure of that.”

  The wolf quivered, indecision flickering as he held his ground.

  “Marrok,” she whispered. “Come back to me, mate.”

  He took one hesitant step forward, then paused, shook his head, and backed up.

  Damn. She tried another tack. “I need you inside me, mate.” Screw her own pride. She didn’t care who was listening. “I need to be claimed.”

  Blue eyes flared wide, and the wolf gave a soft snort, then moved toward her. Tala held still. Those around them held their collective breath. But he didn’t harm her. Instead he rubbed up against her outstretched hand, fur both soft and prickly against her palm, his rumble of satisfaction buzzing against her skin. Then the familiar shimmering surrounded him, and gradually man replaced wolf.

  Feverishly, he ran his gaze over her, giving a growl as he caught sight of her maimed arm hanging at a twisted angle at her side. That would hurt like a bitch to straighten but had to be done in order to heal properly. With a strangely choked noise at the back of his throat, Marrok tugged her into his arms, careful not to disturb the injured arm.

  “Did you actually just ask to be fucked in front of everyone?”

  Of course that’s what he’d remember. Her lips tipped up. “I wouldn’t put it quite like that.”

  He huffed
a laugh but remained serious. “Thanks for giving me the final kill. I don’t think I could have come back from the change without my wolf knowing he’d protected his mate first.” He gave a shuddering exhale, breath brushing against her cheek.

  That he and his wolf cared, warmed her from the inside out. The thought of losing her pack made her sick, but now she had a mate. A true mate, who would never abandon her. Tala stilled in his arms, her mind and heart turning that thought over. She’d never be alone, and that was good.

  His protection no longer felt like chains.

  Because I love him.

  Love… She loved her mate. God, she’d been such a fool. Happiness burst inside her like sunshine burning through early morning haze, the only dark cloud the question of his feelings for her. This was a mating of convenience, arranged for the sake of both their packs.

  Still, he was her mate and committed. They could start there. “Let’s go home,” she whispered.

  He huffed a laugh. “Yours or mine?”

  “Better start with mine if you don’t want to do this again anytime soon.” Dominance reestablished, she needed to drive it home.

  “Good point.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Gradually, Tala blinked away the dream that still curled around her like a warm blanket. Marrok’s mountains and rum scent surrounded her. She adored waking to that scent, to his warm, hard body against hers every morning. Could she keep him, though?

  In the dream, she and Marrok had frolicked in the woods in their wolf forms. He’d nip at her playfully, and her wolf nipped back. She didn’t lunge and bare her teeth as had happened every fucking time they tried to be together that way.

  For two months.

  Ever since she’d had to put five of her pack down for trying to kidnap and kill her—Connor she’d exiled—things had been better. Fantastic even. Marrok was the most attentive mate anyone could ask for—considerate, kind, funny. Okay, a tad possessive and overprotective and still regularly oblivious. He couldn’t help himself. But more in the ways of a clueless mate these days. Tala smiled thinking about how he’d practically snapped Castor’s head off when the demigod had hugged her at his and Leia’s wedding.

  At the same time, Marrok’s respect for her as alpha was unwavering. She was included in every decision. He deferred to her frequently, in fact. After six months of living part time in each pack, they’d finally agreed on a new location where they would combine packs permanently. Construction started next week.

  The only fly in her ointment was her wolf. Mates played together as wolves, ran together, hunted together, fought together. Okay, her animal would fight side by side with Marrok, but that had happened on only a handful of occasions.

  Her wolf snorted, as disturbed by the dream as she, and laid her head on her paws. A wave of frustration skittered through Tala, coming from her wolf.

  Why? If you’re frustrated that’s not us, then why? You’re the one holding back.

  Her wolf snorted again.

  Tala’s cell rang, interrupting the daily argument with her wilder half.

  With a sigh she checked the number and frowned. Brimstone. She clicked the button to answer. “Delilah?”

  “I’ve given you six months to figure it out.” Her friend never wasted time with pleasantries.

  “Figure what out?” Tala glanced at Marrok and found him watching her with those bright blue eyes. He lifted his eyebrows in curiosity. She shrugged.

  A tsk came down the line. “Your wolf is trying to tell you something, love.”

  No shit.

  “What exactly? Because I can’t figure her out?”

  “You’re an alpha.”

  Still not following. “So?”

  “So is she.”

  “Okay?”

  Another tsk. “Claim your mate.”

  She might as well have added “dumbass” at the end of that, because Tala had been dense on this topic.

  The lightbulb finally clicked on. How had she missed it? The night of their mating, Marrok had given her a claiming bite. Her wolf growled every time he licked those silvery scars, which would never fade, unlike other injuries. Until that moment, her wolf had been even more eager for her mate than Tala had. Then she’d gone cold.

  “Gotta go.” Tala hung up and dropped the phone on the floor.

  She jumped out of the bed. Ignoring her naked state, she threw a pair of jeans folded neatly in a chair at Marrok. “Get dressed.”

  She hustled into her own jeans and T-shirt and slapped on a pair of running shoes.

  “What’s the rush?” Amusement rife in his voice, Marrok hitched a half smile her direction, one that made her heart beat faster, and she didn’t bother to control it.

  He laughed, and she knew he heard the change in rhythm. Marrok always seemed to gain pleasure from making her lose her cool.

  “Come on.” She tugged him until they were outside, then she ran into the woods, knowing he’d follow.

  “Where are we going?”

  “My favorite spot.”

  The location in question was an idyllic glen beside a babbling stream. The glen was situated next to a natural pool, though the water was often too chilly to swim in. Tala loved the spot for its quiet perfection. She could go there and let go of the pressures of her life. Even if for a short time.

  “Fine by me.” Satisfaction replaced his amusement. She didn’t have to turn around to know his smile had turned into glittering desire. The emotion curled around her through their link. No wonder. She’d shared her spot with Marrok a few times over the last months. Now the place held intimate memories.

  “And are you going to have your wicked way with me there?” he asked, fingers laced with hers.

  “I’m going to claim you as my mate.” Not much farther now.

  Marrok went quiet on her, but she didn’t dare face him until they reached their destination.

  The glen welcomed them with warm breezes rattling through the aspen grove close by, the leaves a glorious golden yellow. Tala turned, ready to explain things, only to run into a wall of muscle. Marrok claimed her lips in a kiss meant to conquer. He picked her up by the ass and she wrapped her legs around him, reveling in the hard evidence of his desire thrust against her.

  In a swift move only a supernatural could make, he laid them on the ground. With a growl he pulled back. “If you think you’re going to claim me and show me how dominant you are…”

  Disappointment hitched in her throat. Would he deny her this? Deny them?

  Suddenly he rolled so she was on top, straddling him. He tucked his hands behind his head and grinned. “I’m all yours.”

  Tala laughed, then quickly sobered, as eager to claim her mate as her wolf, who was panting for it. Just to teach him a small lesson, she raked her nails down his chest, shredding his T-shirt and leaving long, red welts on the skin beneath.

  His smile disappeared, skin tightening over his cheekbones. This time, his heart joined hers in a rapid tattoo of beats.

  With concise movements she stripped them both of their clothing. No need for more foreplay; he was as ready as she. With a moan of pleasure, she sank down on his shaft, filled with him, stretched by him in the most delicious way. She dug her nails into his pecs, adding to the marks she’d left on him already, and slowly started to move her hips, setting a rhythm meant to tease, meant to build their desire.

  “Woman, you must be trying to kill me.” But he didn’t stop her or force her faster.

  Hands at her hips, gripping hard, he watched with fascination in his eyes that only drove her own desire.

  Across their mating link he fed her heat, and need, and an awe that she was his, something she reflected back at him. No need for pheromones.

  Sending him a smile a siren would envy, Tala leaned forward, letting the tips of her breasts brush his chest, her nipples tighteni
ng at the contact with his warm flesh. She ran her hands up his arms and tangled their fingers together as she set a faster pace. Climax would come fast for both of them today. Already he thickened inside her.

  Freeing her wolf slightly, her canines dropped in her mouth. With nibbling kisses, she moved across his jaw to the spot where his neck curved into his shoulder and lightly scraped at the skin there with her teeth, pulling a deep groan from him.

  As her orgasm built, tingling and pooling deep inside her, she licked at the spot, marking it as hers.

  Marrok bucked beneath her, and a starburst of pleasure exploded inside them both. In that instant, she sank her teeth into his flesh, claiming her mate for all time. Her wolf howled as something snapped into place inside her head.

  Marrok.

  She could feel him inside her, so much stronger than before—his emotions, his state of being. As though she’d been muting him and had turned up the volume.

  Her mate was…happy. Elated.

  Her mate…loved her.

  The sensation of his orgasm slammed into her through the connection, tipping her into another one, the waves of pleasure battering against her, and all she could do was hold on for the ride until they both slowed.

  Breathing hard, she pulled her teeth back and curled over him, catching her breath.

  “You love me?” she whispered, awe stripping her of her usual coolness. In six months, neither had said the words. She’d held back, waiting for their relationship to develop, giving him time to feel…something for her. She’d hoped and wondered.

  Marrok threaded his fingers through her hair and lifted so that he could place a sweet kiss against her lips. “I thought that was obvious,” he murmured.

  Tala shook her head, overwhelmed by emotions only this man could elicit from her. “I love you, too.”

  Another grin. “I know.”

  A silence fell over the glen, deafening in the absence of sound.

  Everything around them stilled unnaturally. Not a breeze, not a bird call, not a whisper of sound. With twin frowns, Tala and Marrok both levered up, his arm wrapped around her, to find every creature of the nearby forest surrounding them—birds, chipmunks, deer, elk, even a wolf and a bear. To Tala it seemed as though every plant, every drop of water, even the sun was focused solely on them.