The Mechanic's Mate

by Mikea Howard

  “You looked so peaceful when I left this morning, I didn't want to wake you. Do you feel okay? I know that a first shift can be overwhelming, and I knew Domek would see you through it safely, but I just thought you might have questions about what you experienced.”

  Sadie sat, considering for a bit before saying, “I feel okay. In fact, I’m comfortable with everything that happened. I felt in complete control, even when our alpha told me what to do. Is that weird?”

  “Yes,” Kara said with a deadpan expression. Then cracking up, she added, “That's why we get along. But there must be some kind of questions you have that you couldn’t, or didn’t ask Domek. I mean, we’re trained as children on what to expect our first shift, and it still overwhelms us. I can’t even imagine what it would have been like for you.”

  Yes, Sadie had questions she didn’t dare ask her alpha, but she wasn’t sure she should ask anyone, really. Once again, her dieselhead upbringing stressed that you didn’t talk with others about . . . barney-mugging. How would she even phrase the question?

  Sadie gave it a try. “Well, I guess I do have one question. It’s about how someone might help a new wolf out with the pain. Is it normal for the experienced shifter to . . . um . . . take the other person’s mind off the pain by . . . doing things?”

  “By doing what, Sadie?”

  She could feel not only her cheeks heat, but her entire face felt warm with embarrassment. Kara’s eyes opened wide as her lips formed an ‘O’.

  “Oh! You want to know if it’s normal for us to use sex as a distraction, right?”

  Sadie nodded, biting her bottom lip, as she waited for Kara to continue.

  “Well, yes and no. It’s normal for a mated pair to use that kind of diversion, but only because they can’t keep their hands off each other in any circumstance. Your situation is different. I’ve never heard of Domek using sex to keep a new wolf busy during the shift. In fact, he’s known as a tyrant, demanding the wolf learn to embrace the pain.” It must have taken Kara a second to put it all together, then she exclaimed, “Oh. My. Goddess. He fucked you through the pain?”

  Sadie didn’t know that her face could feel any hotter than it did right now. She knew it must be red as a tomato. Covering her face she replied, “Yes, we barney-mugged when I couldn’t take the pain.”

  Kara hugged her tight, shaking with laughter. How could her new friend find this so funny? She had sex with another man, while mated to Eridon.

  Thankfully, Kara redirected her anguish by asking, “So, dieselheads call it barney-mugging, huh?” Laughing harder, she added, “Which of you was the barney and how did you get mugged? I want every juicy detail.”

  That got Sadie laughing loud enough to wake the pups. Kara grinned as she rose up. “No rest for the wicked. I guess it’s time to get to work.”

  Potty breaks led to circle time where, according to Kara, they picked new topics every week. This week covered the moon’s phases. Playing games and singing songs filled the rest of their afternoon. She smiled, surprised that although they remained in human form, the children played like pups as much as like kids. While none had shifted yet, a wolf dwelled inside each.

  During snack, she caught a whiff of Domek. Body heating, she scanned the room, but didn't find him anywhere. Sadie just assumed she must’ve smelled him because he worked in the building, going back to pouring juice into cups and handing out crackers. She’d seek him out when the children went home.

  Domek stood in the doorway, one hand braced on the door jam, the other on its knob. He tried to stay calm, but the wolf seated within the tiny office grated his last nerve. However, everything agitated him today. From the moment he dropped Sadie off to Kara this morning he had been . . . restless.

  “Arnost, I know you and your mate have a lengthy trip ahead of you and would like to get on your way as soon as possible, but I’m telling you that it’s imperative to not just your duty as ambassador, but to the lives of you both, to read all the background for the Alaskan Grizzly Clan. Karel has stressed that Anuun and his bears do not live as most bears do, tending to be quick to offend. I do not wish you to travel for months, to be eviscerated within minutes due to any avoidable mistakes! This clan contains the strongest group of fighters”-thumping his fist hard against his chest-”next to our own. Although we live in peace, basic Shifter politics require we have all allegiances lined up in case another Diesel War breaks out. Or worse yet, a war within our own Were and Shifter communities, thanks to the rogue numbers rising. Now do as your alpha says and be on your way!” Domek slammed the ambassador’s door, storming down the corridor toward his office.

  Dom knew he ran his poor ambassadors ragged. With just a handful, they all needed to take on multiple ambassadorships covering different breed enclaves. The job often took his staff and their mates from one side of the world to another. Each ambassador would be gone for months just to meet one breed for a day, traveling many more months to sign treaty alliances on a different continent. Blue Wolf needed someone stationed here just to receive, organize, report, and reply to all correspondence between ambassadors. It long ago became too much for him to do it all, but Dom continued anyway.

  Mind still adrift, he heard the daycare up ahead. Multiple small voices blended together, all excited about snack time. The rumblings of adult voices carried quieter through the pup’s higher pitched chatter. Even so, his ears recognized and tuned into one in particular in an instant.

  “Risa, you have the same number of crackers as Lida. We share evenly in this pack. You know that. Now here, let me help you with your juice.”

  Stopping short of the open area, he stayed just within the West Wing corridor. The late afternoon’s sun coming through the upper windows allowed him to stand hidden amongst the shadows, and he just observed unnoticed as she worked. He froze, taken by the way she moved from child to child with little effort. Ensuring she took care of each one, and each remained happy. Domek had to adjust his constricting pants every time she bent over to pick up a dropped cracker.

  Sensing something, she stopped and brought her head up, scanning the different corridors. He set himself deeper from view. She shrugged her shoulders and went back to work. Almost sneaking away, he paused when two pups did as wolf pups do, taking a verbal argument about food into a physical one by wrestling each other out of their chairs and onto the floor. While normal behavior at their age to establish pack hierarchy, supervising adults tended to quell it with a low growl. He stood in awe as Sadie took a different approach.

  She held one of their hands in each of hers, easing the pups apart. Sitting down on the floor cross-legged, she encouraged them to sit also. Resting one hand on each of their knees, she spoke to the children quietly, obviously intending to keep the discussion between the three of them. Domek stared, stunned, as mere minutes passed before the two pups stood hugging each other with genuine smiles on their faces. Sadie had not only talked them through it, but smoothed over any lingering resentments. Maybe I should make her an ambassador. Considering it only briefly, he rejected the idea. He would not tolerate being separated for months, maybe years at a time. Domek couldn’t imagine not being able to see her, smell her . . . touch her.

  Resolving the usual squabble in such a different manner caught every pup and adult’s scrutiny, pulling their attention to the hugging pair. Domek used the diversion, skirting the room’s edge, and slipping by unnoticed. Crossing to the East Wing he continued on to his office. He resumed his hunt for Marek. His beta wolf still needed to know about his encounter with Eridon last night.

  Chapter 13

  Sadie took a deep breath after the last parent picked up their child from daycare. Just about to fall over from exhaustion, she managed to stay on her feet; Sadie still rode the high from a whirlwind first day. Excited to tell Alpha about today’s time in Smitty’s shop and daycare, she headed down the East Wing. Approa
ching his office, deep rumblings of Domek’s voice came from under his door along with Marek’s scent.

  “. . . priority to find out what Eridon was talking about when he said he knew the one important thing to Sadie in Eureka.” Domek paused, adding, “I expect a full report tomorrow.”

  Sadie stood there, unsure if she should turn around. She startled when Marek popped his head out. “Oh, hi, Sadie. He’s done with me, so you can have him now.”

  “Okay,” Sadie said, taking a deep calming breath, filling her lungs with the scent of Domek. Even knowing the dangerous attachment considering their situation, in his presence, she didn’t care. Debating with herself about asking what they were discussing. She chose not to bring it up. He won’t let me do what I need. I know what that mechanical monster was talking about.

  Domek cocked his head suspiciously. Sadie held her breath, waiting to release it when he spoke. “I will want to hear about your day, but first you must choose if you want dinner as wolves or humans.”

  “Humans. Why?”

  “Improving your relationship with your wolf is necessary. If you let her out more you’ll find less resistance when returning to human. Feeling confident that she will not be locked away forever is key. We will practice your shift every evening while I help you let the other consciousness out when in human form in gradual increments. It’s something natural to us as born wolves, integrating both, but bitten ones must be taught. More frequent shifts will also help minimize shock afterward. Enough practice and you won’t experience it anymore.”

  “Will it hurt less then?”

  “No,” Domek answered bluntly.

  Taking her hand, he led her out, not bothering to close his door. Leaving Command Central they headed straight toward smells of savory meat and fresh bread. As her mouth salivated, growling noises echoed deep within. I’m becoming a bottomless pit.

  “Have you met Javier?” Unwinding their hands he slid his to rest on the back of her neck with a casual touch, idly playing his thumb along sensitive skin behind her ear.

  “No, I don’t think so. Not yet.” They approached a tall, solid male with dark brown hair, olive skin darkened to a brown by time spent under the sun, and dark brown eyes set in a face that left no doubt of his Spanish heritage.

  “He’s on cooking shift for us. We have someone on every night for those who don’t cook, or don’t feel like cooking.” At tonight's chef, he said, “Javier, this is my Sadie . . .” He jerked his hand away. “This is, Sadie. What do you have for us tonight?”

  Sadie tried not to read too much into his casual touch and slip up in calling her ‘my Sadie’, but couldn’t help that her stomach fluttered with butterflies, while sinking like heavy rocks all at once. Goddess help her, but she had doomed herself to be Eridon’s Sadie.

  Pushing that fact aside, Sadie rehashed the day as they ate, what she liked, didn’t like, plus what else she’d like to give a try.

  “It sounds like you enjoyed both areas,” Domek said. “I’m glad. I’d like to see how you meet my demands in my office too. The day after tomorrow I’ll have you spend some time learning basic pack politics . . . and if you feel up to it, I may have other, more personal, requests for you as well. They’ll help you better understand basic he-wolf/she-wolf dynamics in our pack.”

  How could just a few words do this? Sadie burned with fire, but still managed squeaking out, “Of course, Alpha.” She shoved a piece of bread in her mouth to keep from saying anything else she might regret.

  Sadie imagined giving herself a hearty pat on the back for hiking through trees, not once, not twice, but three times. She was cooking with gas now, and didn’t even stumble . . . well okay once, but didn’t hit the ground. So what if Domek prevented it by pulling her up. Improving at shifting dominated her thoughts because getting into Eureka to warn her father soon, forced its urgency. He’d remain safe for at least a short time. Eridon would need him as a useful carrot to lure her out.

  I really am a rabbit.

  A couple days maximum, then Pop should be hidden. Using that time to prepare, while sending a prayer to Gaia that she’d warn him while still getting back safely. Oh . . . and not slip up, letting her alpha know her intentions by accident.

  Domek took extra time explaining tonight’s shift procedures, and how long the two of them would stay in wolf form. He promised to just assist if any of her shift phases got stuck.

  Goddess that sounds awful.

  The plan outlined them remaining as wolves for a short period, thirty minutes, maybe one hour. Since he explained all details with his clothes on this time, she could listen and retain actual information. He warned her of how much harder this time would be . . . that in most instances a new wolf would wait longer after a full moon. Weaning down the length of time between shifts, but recent threats made it necessary.

  Shifting hurt just as bad, but surprised her with how smooth it proceeded until the reknitting started. Her human side stayed aware this time, thrilled that the wolf shared her happiness. Somehow she knew her wolf mirrored the desire to work together.

  I mean it is me. We are the same individual, right?

  As she got caught up in an internal tangent, a forceful head-butt redirected her thoughts. The big black wolf wanted to play, so took off running for a game of chase.

  Working as a team in one body proved more fun than either consciousness expected. Her whines of disappointment echoed off trees when Domek signaled that their time was up by leading her back to the clearing. Unsure if it would help, Sadie tried conveying a message of ‘tomorrow’ when the wolf began acting nervous, almost unwilling to pull back. Fortunately, she relaxed with Sadie’s repeated reassurance. Shifting back without him proved easier this go round. She only pleaded with Domek at the lull, where he’d helped last time.

  Giving her a look of apprehension, his face showed a myriad of mixed emotions as he guided her to her back, and pulled her knees up over his shoulders. The look faded as he licked between damp folds once, twice, and then began nibbling her clit with tenderness. His actions twisted her up inside. Casting a look down her body at him, as he turned his gaze up, feelings of contentment flooded in . . . Until the first pain of severed bones and muscles hit her. Jaw clenching, she threw her head back. At that moment Domek’s teeth bit into her now flesh covered hip while his fingers pinched her nipples.

  Pain bled into pleasure as he continued nibbling his way up, again and again, with each wave. As the last rictus of agony subsided a look of determination and resolve gleamed in his eyes as he went up on his knees, plunging in. Just her shoulders rested on the ground as he pulled almost all the way out then drove back in with a force that vibrated up her spine. Grabbing her hand, he used it to rub small, tight circles over her clitoris then held her fingers there firmly, giving a wordless command to continue without his help. Sadie, having never caressed herself before, started shyly, but as the feeling of euphoria built from that sensitive part she pressed down harder, circling with more fervor. She let this new feeling of both their ministrations ripple across her body, while trying to shield her heart.

  “That’s right, Sadie . . . touch yourself. Let me watch your body buck as those fingers rub on that pussy.”

  Every thrust sent shockwaves through her body, twitching and jerking on its own. Still rubbing harder, almost furiously with his words, the dam broke. Euphoria rolled over her, calling out, “Alpha, please!”

  Fucking harder, he pulled out shooting his semen on her breasts and belly. No longer in control of her own actions, a stunning urge to rub his come into her skin prompted her to do just that, shocking Sadie, and earning her a quick snarl of approval from Domek.

  He rewarded Sadie by lowering his weight, and kissing her, with care at first. Top lip, then bottom lip, guiding her mouth open and moving his tongue between them, similar to what his cock had just been doing. Allo
wing such an intimate action to take her over, she kissed him back mirroring his actions, straining toward him for more. As though she couldn’t get enough of him, drawn by a magnetic pull unlike she’d had with anyone else.

  He released her mouth, took a deep breath, then trailed little kisses around her ear. “You didn’t wait for my permission to come,” he whispered. “Maybe we should deal with that disobedience in my office. You have two days to decide.”

  Yes, two days’ time to decide.

  Chapter 14

  Sadie spent the whole next day in a daze. Her morning in the shop flew by so she wasn’t even sure that she accomplished everything she’d set out to do. She enjoyed working with Smitty though. He’d come over from time to time and curiously ask about techniques. Being the first smith he’d worked with who hadn’t learned their actual skills from him within this shop, Sadie came in with different methods. He said it breathed new life into the workshop. If her thoughts hadn’t been so preoccupied about tomorrow, she may have cried.

  Assuming she had done a good job hiding her wandering mind, Smitty interjected, “So you’re spending the day in the alpha’s office tomorrow? Guessing you’re a tad bit nervous about it?” He chuckled lightly.

  “Umm, no . . . yes. Is it obvious?”