by Flynn, Donna
Mercy paced her bedroom after her confrontation with Alec. She was too frustrated to sleep and so angry she wanted punch something, but instead of resorting to violence, she decided to walk off her rage, and she quickly ran downstairs and out of the back door. The fresh air of the outdoors laced with the scent of evergreen brought calm to her restless emotions and allowed her to think more clearly. She realized Alec had seemed clueless about why she was so upset and reminded herself all she had actually seen was Alec talking with Amber. It was not as if they were engaged in an embrace or anything unsavory, so her jealousy was unfounded. With that in mind, she walked to the small copse of trees between his house and theirs, wanting to apologize immediately for behaving so badly.
She had just begun to step through the trees when the sound of feminine laughter mixed with Alec’s familiar male laughter stopped her in her tracks. Her eyes narrowed, and on the ground, a few feet in front of her Alec laid on top of Amber, his hands at her sides as he held himself over her, her hands all over his body as they both giggled and laughed. Mercy’s heart began to pound wildly, her body tightened, and her spine began to swim in her back, and she couldn’t breathe. She backed away quickly before Alec sensed her there moving into the forest as the beginnings of the shift came over her. She tried to call out for help, but her words were mumbled and barely audible as the shift rapidly overtook her. Memories of her recent shift were fresh in her mind making her tense and afraid, which only added to the amount of pain she was experiencing, and she fell to the ground unable to scream or let anyone know what was happening to her.
*****
“So what has you on edge?” Amber asked as Alec moved off her, looking suddenly serious his eyes darting around them as if searching for something.
“It’s nothing.” His eyes moved to the wood line as his wolf awakened inside of him, immediately sensing something was terribly wrong.
“Fighting with Marcy?” she probed.
“It’s Mercy, and no, not exactly, fighting would require knowing what the argument was about, but I have no clue.” Fear and pain slammed into him and instinctively he knew he had to find Mercy. “If you’ll excuse me, I have something I need to do,” he told her, already moving towards the forest, fearful of what he might find there.
“Alec?” His father raced towards him, his face stretched with worry. He felt Mercy shifting and ran as fast as he could towards her house to find her. “Where is Mercy?”
Alec shook his head. “I don’t know, she told me, she was going to bed, but I feel her in the woods, and her scent is strong as if she passed here recently,” he explained before racing deep into the trees.
The sound of limbs snapping and heavy footfall behind them signaled Cade and Lucan had also sensed her shift and were following, but his only thought was of finding Mercy before it was too late.
*****
Mercy drug herself further into the darkest part of the forest afraid a human might hear her, go to investigate and find her as she shifted. Her arms and legs moved shifting bone and flesh to accommodate her wolf form as hair sprouted from her flesh taking every remaining inch over. She cried out, writhing in agony on the dense forest floor, scared and unsure how to stop the shift. Her wolf was unrelenting, it was angry, and it wanted to be free. She closed her eyes, rested her head on the leaf-laden ground, afraid to look, scared to see the horror of what her body was going through and after what seemed like an eternity, but was really only a few minutes, the pain receded and her wolf lay on the forest floor panting heavily.
Mercy opened her canine eyes to the forest surrounding her, finding it unlike anything she had ever seen before. Everything was brighter, greener, and so much more amazing than she had ever noticed. The smell of the evergreens and dry leaves were comforting and brought a sense of familiarity to her wolf. Her keen eyes immediately located the many forms of wildlife that surrounded her and with a howl she took off, bounding over fallen trees and other debris, chasing rabbits, deer, and anything else that offered her the chance to run after it. It was scary, thrilling, and opened her eyes to the world Alec and her brothers lived in, and although she still had fears, it bonded her to her wolf in a way she would have never thought possible.
*****
Alec, who was running as fast as possible, stopped suddenly, feeling Mercy’s joy as her wolf raced through the forest. “She has shifted,” he said, thrilled she had survived the shift, but worried what her wolf might do now that it had its freedom.
“But how, she has never done that alone before?” Lucan asked in astonishment.
“I don’t know, but she’s hunting. You and Cade need to get to the house. We don’t know her state of mind, her wolf might be too scared to recognize you, and she could attack. I wouldn’t want either of you to have to fight her. Only dad and I can control her now.” Alec stripped off his clothes and forced his body to shift so fast they could barely discern where the man started, and the wolf began before he dove into the forest and took off to find his mate.
“Go home, we will find her, I swear,” Gregory told them, morphing quickly to join his son in the search for Mercy, his wolf turning to glare at the two brothers who had yet to move.
They nodded, then ran back towards the house knowing for the moment they were useless to their sister. If she was scared and hunting, she might not recognize them as family, and if she attacked, they might have to hurt her. That risk neither was willing to take.
*****
Alec ran through the woods, certain he would find her, but in what condition he was unsure. Panic and fear for his mate were hard to suppress, but he knew he had to think clearly to track her down. When in wolf form, he was one of the best trackers in his pack, and he prayed that that ability did not fail him now when he needed it most. He followed her scattered scent around the forest, stopping occasionally to examine a spot where her scent was strong, but she remained elusive. She was apparently either very lost or having such a good time, she wasn’t concerned about which direction she was going, and that was making his search harder. Either scenario was bad. Obviously, he didn’t want her to be lost and upset, but if she wasn’t lost and was just having fun, he feared someone other than his pack might find her or worse, a human who misunderstood her intentions could shoot her. His wolf growled at that last thought. It wanted its mate safe and free from harm, and his human side agreed wholeheartedly, so with determination he took off after another scent trail and hoped this one would bring him to his mate before anything happened to her.
*****
At the side of the river that ran through the center of the forest that surrounded their home, Mercy lay on the ground, tired and spent after hours of running and hunting. She had cornered many animals, but never had her human side allowed her wolf to harm them. Thankfully, the hunt had been enough to keep her wolf happy. Now, as she lay on the soft moss the wolf finally released its control over her and the shift back to her human state began. She braced herself for pain and it came suddenly, overwhelming her with its cruel and inexplicably violent tendencies. Every bone moved inside of her body moved, flesh quivered as it stretched to her human form, and just when she thought she could endure no more pain she was back to her human form, naked and worn out, but alive and unscathed. With the last remaining bit of her energy, she managed to pull some soft evergreen branches over her nude body, in case anyone found her, before falling into a deep, exhausted slumber.
*****
Alec felt Mercy’s shift back to human form and forced his own shift so he could approach her in human form when he found her and not cause her further upset if she were alert. He had felt her pain as she transformed and knew she suffered, but the dead silence he felt from her now was what caused him the most worry. Cautiously he approached the river where he felt her presence the strongest and smelled her scent above everything else, his heart racing with fear. He was terrified of what he might find after her last shift had gone so badly. The stories of all the failed shifts he had ever heard about
throughout his lifetime reverberated in his head, and he felt the tension inside of him mount. Suddenly he spied her still form peeking out from under the branches of evergreen and panic set in.
“She lives, son, I can feel her heart beat,” his father said behind him, stopping a discreet distance away as his son approached the unmoving body on the ground.
Alec knelt next to Mercy and stared down on her, his gaze transfixed on the forest nymph before him. Her arms lay crossed over her breasts, but he could see the steady rise and fall of her chest, so he knew she was breathing normally. He proudly noted that she had the foresight to cover her exposed body with branches, something he was thankful for since anyone could have found her before he did. Elated he had found her alive and unharmed, he bowed his head and gave thanks that she was alive before turning to his father. “I need some blankets to cover her with,” he called to him.
“I already called to Cade and Lucan, they are on their way,” Gregory replied, happy they had found his son’s mate alive and well.
Alec did not bother to respond, he turned back to Mercy, dropping his hand to her silken hair, pulling out bits and pieces of greenery and leaves as she slept on, unaware of his presence beside her. The mass of Titian hair had always drawn his attention, but now with the scent of evergreen and earth clinging to its silken tresses he found himself wanting to bury his face in it and sniff to his heart’s content. His gaze moved from her face to her firm athletic legs that peeked out from under the loosely scattered tree branches then over one perfect, naked thigh that was a temptation he didn’t need with her brothers on the way. He chastised himself for even looking when she was vulnerable, but could not force himself to turn away. He was a male werewolf, and she was meant to be his, it was only natural to be curious about what her body looked like. Without thinking, he slid his finger along one exposed thigh, finding her skin soft and moist from the moss she lay upon, and he knew he would never forget the sight she made lying there, a siren who called to his wolf as no other female ever had before or would again.
The sound of her brother’s rapid footsteps approaching had him jumping guiltily to his feet turning to face his father who watched knowingly, never saying a word. His face flushed with color and his cheeks heated with embarrassment that his father had been there as he so blatantly allowed his desire for Mercy to have free rein over him. Every fiber of his being wanted to take her away from everyone until she bonded with him, but somehow he found the strength to deny his urges and wait patiently for a blanket to cover her with.
Lucan came into view first, his face taut with worry; Cade followed close behind with Marlo hot on their heels carrying a large blanket on one arm. The men stopped immediately upon noting their sister’s naked state, both of their eyes narrowing on Alec who stood next to her, his face flushed, his body trembling. Lucan snarled angrily and began to stalk towards him. Alec growled from low in his throat in response, but managed to keep himself firmly in place, fearful his wolf might want to attack anyone who dared to interfere with him and his mate. Cade placed a hand on his brother’s arm stopping his advance before the two of them tore into each other. Lucan stilled and looked toward Gregory, who growled at his son forcing him to step away, so Marlo could go to Mercy.
Realizing what he had done, Alec ashamedly turned away, keeping his gaze on his father’s back as Marlo worked behind him removing the branches and wrapping Mercy tightly in the blanket.
“It is done,” she said moving to his father’s side, leaving Alec to carry her home.
Alec walked to where Mercy lay, lifted her in his arms then strode through the forest as everyone else followed quietly behind. As he walked into her house, and up the stairs, he couldn’t help but wonder why she had been so angry with him, and if it had anything to do with her shifting. Regret immediately took hold inside of him. He should have stayed, and made her tell him what had been bothering her. He had let her down, and now he had to find a way to fix it, and make her understand how very much she meant to him.
“Lay her on the bed. If Marlo does not mind, she can help Nina clean her up and get her dressed,” Lucan said behind him.
“Of course,” Marlo said following them into the room where Nina waited, wringing her hands with worry.
“She is alright,” Lucan, told her hugging her close.
“Thank God,” she murmured, immediately setting about gathering clothing to change Mercy into when the men left the room.
As he laid her on the bed, Alec could not help but notice the tear stains on her dirt-smudged face and he agonized over her pain she must have endured without the help of a more experienced wolf nearby while she shifted. He had not been there when she needed him, and that tore him apart inside. The women moved towards the bed, and he stepped away joining the men in the hall so they could work on cleaning her up and changing her into pajamas.
“Son, she is alright. None of us could have expected this would happen,” his father said sensing his sullen mood.
“You’re right, we didn’t, but we should have, and from now on we will.” He turned to Lucan and Cade. “I’m sorry, I am not sure what she was angry at me for, but apparently she was very upset if it forced her to shift like this.”
“You can’t blame yourself for this,” Lucan told him, reaching out to pat his shoulder. Now that he too had found his bond mate he knew the horror Alec must be feeling, and sympathized.
“Although you can feel her emotions, you can’t read her thoughts,” Cade added.
“I know, but I can’t help to wonder what I did that started all of this.” He leaned against the wall trying to think about everything he said or did during their brief conversation, but nothing rang a bell. She had already been upset before he arrived, so something had happened between her waking and his visit to upset her.
The door opened, and Marlo poked her head out to let them know Mercy was decent. “She’s still out of it, but aside from a few scratches Nina said she is unharmed.”
“We will give you a few minutes alone with her,” Lucan said to Alec, sensing his need to be with her, to assure himself she was indeed okay.
Alec nodded and walked into her room, moving immediately to sit next to her on the bed, taking her hand in his own. She stirred as if sensing his presence, but did not wake.
“I was so scared tonight,” he told her. “I thought I’d be too late that you wouldn’t be alive,” he whispered closing his eyes as tears threatened to fall. She squeezed his hand, and he looked down on her, surprised to find her staring up at him.
“Why do you care?” she asked tiredly.
“Why do I care?” He growled, furious she still did not understand what she meant to him. “You are my life, the only reason I have for living, and you ask why did I care?” He let go of her hand and stood, his eyes fixed on her angrily.
“I figured that with Amber around you just forgot about me,” she told him tears shining in the corner of her eyes.
“What the hell does Amber have to do with any of this?” he asked gruffly, completely at a loss for why she would feel Amber was more important to him than she was.
“I saw you with her this afternoon, near the woods,” she told him, choking back the sob she felt rising in her throat.
Relief took the place of anger in his expression, and he chuckled softly. “She ran into me after I took a run, and we took a walk together. That was all.”
“It looked very friendly to me,” she said sadly, turning away from him, unable to keep her tears from falling.
Realization hit Alec like a lightning bolt. She was jealous of Amber, and had taken what she had seen out of context. He turned her face to his and smiled down at her, pleased she had felt jealousy on his behalf. “Amber is my friend, nothing more. We have known each other since we were children. I think of her as a little sister, nothing more.”
“Then how do explain the both of you lying together on the ground this evening, huh? Her hands were all over you, and you were enjoying it, do not deny it,
” she argued heatedly.
“You saw that?” he asked, looking chagrined.
“Oh I saw it, alright!” She sat up and poked him in the chest. “You say you love me, and then I find you rolling in the leaves with another female? This is what I worried about when you told me that you loved me. I could never be enough for you, not when so many other willing girls are around for your pleasure.”
She turned away lying on her side, ready to ignore him, but he refused to let her sulk and make more out of an innocent encounter than there was. He lifted her from the bed and placed her in his lap forcing her chin up, so she looked upon his face and could see the truth of his words. “I was upset after leaving you tonight. I ran into Amber accidentally, and she fell on the ground. I was helping her up, and she playfully pulled me down then started tickling me, but it was just two friends sharing a laugh.” She snorted, but he ignored it and went on. “I don’t think of Amber the way I think of you. It would be too disturbing.” He shivered to emphasize his point and saw a hint of a smile form on her lips.
“Really?” she asked, her eyes suspiciously moist.
“Really,” he told her, lowering his head to kiss her.
Mercy tensed as his lips brushed hers, the fear of what he was still very alive inside of her, but she forced herself to relax in his arms. No matter what Alec was, she had feelings for him that we’re not going away, and she had to get used to him being close if she wanted a chance to find happiness with him.
Alec noted her hesitancy at first, but he waited it out until felt her loosen up before pushing her further. Their kiss deepened and she sighed leaning into him, and he knew that although she was afraid, a part of her recognized and wanted him. It was a good start. One he fully intended to explore when she was feeling better, but he knew their time alone was running short when a loud knock sounded on the door heralding her brothers’ arrival. He reluctantly pulled away and sat in the chair next to the bed holding her hand.
