by Mary Winter
In Her Mate’s Arms
A Shifters United Novella
by
Mary Winter
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, places, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
This book was previously released from a publisher. It has been reformatted and edited, but is mostly unchanged from the original version.
In Her Mate’s Arms
Copyright ©2018 Mary Winter ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Cover Art ©2018 by My Author Home
Book formatting by My Author Home (http://myauthorhome.com)
This Version Electornically Published July 2019
Original Electronic Publication Date: September 2018
Original Print Publication Date: December 2018
Published by Charmed Chicken Media
This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the author.
Other Shifters United Books by Mary Winter
Always Her Wolf
Chapter One
Kacie Wentworth dreaded the meeting she was about to have, so maybe that was why she paused outside the lodge of the Hat Rock Pack’s alpha and thought again about fleeing to the north and Shifters United. She’d become good online friends with Carmen, the alpha of the Lime Kiln pack, and her wolf growled at the prospect of facing her alpha. She took a deep breath and reminded herself she had nothing to fear, nothing to worry about. Just because she remained the last unmated female in the pack, a pack that grew smaller by the day, she didn’t need to be submissive to anyone. And that included her alpha.
Such thoughts would be blasphemy just a month ago, but things had changed. Their alpha had kicked Jacob out of the pack for going away to the Public Affairs school at Colorado State University, never mind that he wanted to pursue his political science degree with an eye toward helping shifters. And she felt stymied, forced to look for a mate she really didn’t want to grow a pack that was dying. They’d fade out when the alpha died. Everyone knew that except the alpha.
Kacie opened the door and stepped into the log cabin where her alpha lived. The stench of cigarette smoke filled the air, and she wrinkled her nose and tried not to cough. Dane, the alpha, sat bare-chested in a recliner, his bulk nearly overflowing the chair. He brought a cigarette to his lips and took a long drag. Beer cans toppled off the end table near his right hand, and she noticed the ash trays hadn’t been dumped in a while. Supposedly Carter’s wife was caring for him, but now she wondered if that even happened.
“Hello,” she said, closing the door behind her. “You wanted to see me?”
He waved the hand with his cigarette, sending a large trail of ash to the floor. She watched, hoping it wouldn’t spark the newspapers it landed on and thankfully didn’t. “Carter’s brother will be here tomorrow. He’s joining the pack. You’re his mate.”
Her stomach lurched. She swallowed the sour taste of bile because this was not how it was supposed to be. Never mind how old Carter’s brother was, even if he were younger he’d be far older than her thirty years. “No,” she said, knowing to defy her alpha would seal her exile or worse. She didn’t care. Not now.
“You don’t have a choice in this, girl. You will mate with him and that is my order. Give me your word.”
She stood. “No. I won’t. Other packs abandoned forced marriage a long time ago. I thought we were going to talk about the Shifters United treaty—”
He growled.
Kacie remained firm. She wouldn’t let her alpha bully her out of this decision. “It’s important we talk about the treaty—”
“I don’t give a fuck about the treaty!” He roared and bolted from the chair. He towered over her 5’9” frame by at least six inches. “I am your alpha and you will do what I say. We need fresh blood. We need pups and you’re the only female here to give them to us.”
Because your wife killed herself and Carter’s daughter ran away when she turned eighteen. That she’d stayed so long probably was a testament to her hard-headedness and determination. Taking a deep breath and trying not to choke on the rank aroma of her unwashed alpha, Kacie stared at him. “I think you’re wrong. My job is not to give the pack pups. If and when I do have children it will be with my mate, the man that I love. And I’ve been too busy being the pack’s whipping girl to even find someone.”
“Which is why we’re bringing you Carter’s brother.” He sighed and slammed his cigarette into the overflowing ashtray. “And you’re doing a piss poor job of your duties. Look at this place. It’s a mess.”
She bit her lip to keep from screaming at her alpha. That certainly wouldn’t help the situation any. Instead, she gave a soft sigh. “It’s not my job to clean your house or anything else. I have a job. And we really need to join the treaty.”
“We don’t need a fucking treaty! We don’t need anyone to tell us what to do with our pack. The Hat Rocks have been doing just fine for decades without some stupid treaty. Treaties are weak. They will ruin our way of life.”
“With all due respect, Alpha—”
Smack! She didn’t see the beefy hand coming for her, just felt the sting of impact that sent her sprawling across the floor. She hit a box filled with empty beer cans and sent them sprawling all over the grimy floor. Her face throbbed. “You have no respect. If you respected me you’d do what I said.”
Self-preservation kept her down.
The front door opened. She winced at the sound, scrambled for her feet and wobbled upright just as a stranger entered the room.
“Kacie, come with me,” he spoke softly and sternly. “I think your alpha is done here.” He offered his hands and she took it, clinging to it like a lifeline as she stumbled outside. Behind her, the alpha’s bluster followed, until the door closed. He turned to her. “All you all right?” He reached for her face and stopped. “You’re going to have a hell of a shiner.”
“I’m fine,” she said, her words clipped. “I don’t know who you are, but thank you.” With her car keys in one pocket and her phone in the other—she hoped she hadn’t broken it when she’d fallen—she had everything she needed. She stepped toward her car.
“Sloan Dundrick,” he answered. “You sure you’re okay? I could drive you home or to somewhere safe.”
“I’m fine.” She pulled away. Right now she didn’t want to be around any male, especially one as handsome as he was.
He nodded. “I understand. I’d come here—” He bit off his words. “I see now I’m going to Shifters United to talk to them about the pack. It’s time your alpha realized this isn’t the 1950s anymore.”
She smiled. “Good luck with that.” Then, she opened her car door, got inside, and drove back to her tiny apartment.
Something about the man’s name bothered her. She racked her brain, trying to think about where she’d heard it before. By the time she arrived home, she was no closer to determining the source. She packed a bag and surveyed her apartment. Very little and all of it could be left behind. She put all the clothes she owned in a suitcase and her laundry basket, her shoes in a plastic bag on top. She’d miss the vet clinic where she worked, the other technicians and patients. She couldn�
�t stay. She texted the hotline Carmen had set up shortly after forming Shifters United for battered shifters. Seemed some in the community thought greater strength could let them do whatever they wanted.
Driving to Lime Kiln territory with all my belongings. My alpha just hit me. I’m out of here. Can’t do this anymore, not when he wants to marry me off… She almost added like a broodmare, only that probably wouldn’t be nice to the horse shifters. Her alpha hadn’t hit her before. He’d come close, and each of those times she swore that his hand on her flesh was a line she refused to cross. As far as she was concerned, Hat Rock could rot. She was done.
She already had her taxes and other important papers in a box in her closet. She added a framed photograph of her and her parents taken at the Grand Canyon when she was fifteen. Right before her father got transferred here with the forestry service. They’d retired in Florida, tired of the winter, the cold and the snow five years ago. She hadn’t been home, and maybe she ought to go. Except they hadn’t approved of her staying here, and she hadn’t wanted to go to gator country. Too hot and humid. If she didn’t have snow to run in, well, she just wasn’t living.
Maybe that’d been the wrong decision. Maybe things would have been different if she’d gone with her parents. And maybe she was stupid for thinking of those things. She finished putting a few moments into the box, then carried it to the car. By the time she packed the contents of her refrigerator into a cooler, her cell phone buzzed.
Safety offered with Iron Horse pack. Texting directions. A moment later a link showed up on her phone. The drive would take less than four hours and put her nearly halfway to Lime Kiln’s territory. Perfect.
Thanks. Leaving now. She carried everything to the car, texted her boss that she needed a few days to tend to a personal matter. The last thing she wanted to do was quit by text, though she knew it’d be heading in that direction, then she backed out of the apartment complex’s driveway. “Good bye, Hat Rock. I hope I don’t see you ever again.” Her only regret as she turned onto the highway was that she still couldn’t remember who Sloan Dundrick was.
~* * *~
Sloan glanced at his phone and smiled. Good. The crisis line worked as intended, and when he’d received the all-points bulletin stating an unmated female was fleeing Hat Rock territory, he knew it had to be her. His wolf yipped, urging him to hurry up and prepare their den before she arrived. He breathed deeply. He couldn’t rush this. She probably didn’t even remember him, though they’d met once last year at a multi-pack run. Her shimmering silver, almost white wolf, called to him, the pull to claim his mate so strong he’d nearly acted upon it. Only a stern warning from his alpha, that Hat Rock didn’t allow matings not handpicked by their own alpha, had kept him under control. He needed to move slowly.
Then the wildfires had broken out, and he hadn’t had a chance to go to see Hat Rock’s alpha. He’d known Dane McCull had a reputation for being a bastard. Until he’d seen him hit Kacie, well he just hadn’t known how big of one. He’d come to take Kacie away from there. Only his need to protect her, kept him from leaping into the action and challenging the alpha. He still burned with rage. His wolf growled.
Easy. He told it. We’ve got a head start on her and she’ll be in our den by nightfall. And then, he’d tell her how felt, claim her, and she’d never go back to her home pack again. Just, not do it in a stalkerly way. Even some things needed to change in the shifter community. Alpha didn’t have to mean asshole.
He made good time home, and when he arrived, he tidied up, ordered grocery delivery and waited. His keen hearing caught the sound of her car pulling into the long drive leading to his house. The cabin held his master bedroom, a pair of rooms for his sister and her adopted daughter, and in a separate building designed specifically to be a safe house with the state of the art security system, four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Until now, they hadn’t been used. He watched as she parked in front of the building, and grabbing an overnight bag, went to the door.
She was tired. He sensed her exhaustion and knew her face must be hurting her. Well there was a well-stocked first aid kit on the kitchen counter and ice packs in the freezer. He’d made sure of that. Warm lights welcomed her, and she opened the screen door and keyed in the code on the lock. A moment later she stepped inside.
Go to her. His wolf urged him to action. He waited. Just knowing she was safe was enough for now. Let her get settled. Then he’d go to her and he’d tell her everything.
Chapter Two
The safe house provided comfortable beds, a reasonably stocked kitchen, and most of all security. Not that she expected her alpha to come after her. No, he was lazy and would be just as happy she was out of his pack and his life. Oh he’d grumble about not having anyone to cook or clean for him, never mind that wasn’t her job to begin with. He’d either find someone else or not.
Her cheek stung. She glanced in the bathroom mirror, wincing at the bruised and puffy skin along her cheekbone. Her hip and elbow hurt where she’d landed on the floor. She’d found ice packs in the freezer and wrapped one with a clean dish towel and gingerly pressed it to her face. Iron Horse pack. She remembered them from an inter-pack event last year, and all of a sudden, it made since where she’d heard the name before. Sloan was a member of the pack. He was something like third to their alpha; that pack like most of them, was a lot bigger than hers. His large wolf with its dark, steel gray fur had intrigued her, but fearing retribution from her alpha, she hadn’t approached or many any advances.
She wished she’d had. Maybe now she’d get a chance to know him better, and heat stirred in her body at the thought. Except, he was apparently in her pack’s territory now for some reason and she was here, never to go back home. She frowned. Though the room had a common space, she curled up in the spacious bedroom, like a luxurious hotel room with toiletries provided, and lay there considering her options.
A knock on the safe house door startled her. She waited a moment, wondering if she should answer it. Then decided that perhaps it was someone checking on her and she better before she worried someone. Though she thought perhaps the person who kept the safe house would know the code to the door. Maybe they didn’t want to startle her. She went to the door, peered through it, shocked to see Sloan standing there.
She opened the door. “Hello?”
“Hi. I wanted to make sure you were okay. Do you need anything? Can I get you something?” He reached for her cheek than stopped. “I should have made him pay for hurting you. I’m sorry.” The anger rumbling in his voice startled her, not out of fear, but because she’d never had anyone stand up to her alpha, stand up for her before.
Her wolf nudged her and she opened the door a bit wider. “Come in?” She hated the hesitancy in her voice. “I thought you were…” She couldn’t bring herself to say back home. It wasn’t her home anymore.
“I left before I could do something I regretted. I’m on the safety team with Shifters United. It was something my pack signed onto right away, so when I got the text about someone leaving Hat Rock, I knew it had to be you. I’d actually gone to talk to your alpha about seeing you. We met at last summer’s event and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.”
“Oh.” Well that answered why he’d been there and how he’d gotten here. If he hadn’t shown up—No. She wouldn’t allow herself to think along those lines. This close she watched the light gleam off his blue-black hair, the way his dark eyes smiled at her, as if he were looking at the most beautiful woman in the world. His broad chest and muscled arms offered protection, and she suppressed the urge to cling to him. She wasn’t that kind of a woman. Except at the moment she was staring at him. “Shall we sit down? Would you like a drink?”
“Yeah. That’d be great. I just want to make sure you were all right and didn’t need anything.”
The insistent way he asked the question made her wolf notice. Mate cares for us. She stiffened. Oh no. Meeting her mate right now totally would complicate things. “I’m fine.
Thank you,” she reassured him. “Do you mind if I put some water on for tea? It always comforts me.”
“Of course.”
He waited while she started the kettle, and remained standing until she sat down in the arm chair, one leg tucked beneath her. “I’m sorry my alpha is such an asshole. I suppose it’s making things far more awkward than they have to be. I’d noticed you too, but you know why I didn’t approach or anything.” Damn, being around him made her as jumpy as a teenager on a first date. Except even then the shadow her alpha had cast prevented her from having a real life, getting to know wolves from other packs. “Do you have a place to run? I might want to stretch a bit tomorrow.”
“I’d love to show you the woods. We have lots of space.”
She relaxed. Maybe running in a place where she didn’t have to worry about anything would ease her nerves. “So, is this your home?”
“I live at the house next door. I share it with my sister and her adopted daughter. They’re the reason why when Carmen talked about creating a network of safe houses for abused women, I built this place. I’d tucked a lot of my money away from firefighting and this seemed like a great way to spend it.”
He didn’t elaborate, though Kacie already was forming a picture of this man. Kind, generous, brave to fight fires, willing to step in and challenge an alpha over a woman he’d already met. She steeled herself against his charms. “Thank you. I appreciate this. I kind of wasn’t sure what to do, but I remembered Carmen had set up the help line.” Her voice broke or maybe it was the throbbing in her cheek because her ibuprofen was wearing off. “I never expected my alpha to hit me.”
“No one does,” he said, and from the tone of his voice, she wondered what exactly he’d seen. “You can stay here as long as you need. I’d like to get to know you, especially since you’re in a safe place without your alpha. I’ll also let you set the pace. I won’t push.”
