Bonded to the Pack (Born to be Were)

by Flynn, Donna

  Mercy sat back against the headboard and bit her lip wondering what could be taking them so long. There were so many reasons the law was no longer a valid one, but Weres could be sticklers for tradition and they might find abolishing one of the old laws went against the grain. Not that it mattered in the least. She believed Alec would fight for her and win, but she worried what could happen to him in the process.

  “It’s going to be fine,” Alec said shoving the blanket off his lap and moving to sit beside her.

  “How long have you been awake?” she asked.

  “Long enough to know you’re worried about everyone, but yourself, as always,” he said pulling her into his arms. “Never again ask me to remain in the background when your life is in danger,” he growled against her ear. “I can’t bear to see you hurt. It near killed me to back away and leave you with that monster.”

  “I hope I never again have to ask such a thing from you,” she murmured, savoring the feel of being in his arms again. Her fingers latched onto the strip of leather around his neck and she smiled. “You found it,” she said softly.

  Alec looked down on the small Angel in her fingers and smiled. “I love the gift, and will always cherish it, but I love my real life Angel so much more.”

  “As I love you,” she whispered just before he kissed her.

  *****

  Hours later, as Mercy’s brothers and Gregory sat around her room trading stories about their parts in the day’s events a soft knock came on Mercy’s door and Alec rose to answer it, unsurprised to find his grandfather there.

  “They have come to a final decision and wish your presence outside,” he said.

  “We’ll leave you two alone,” Gregory said.

  “Yeah, uh, we’ll be downstairs if you need anything,” Lucan added.

  Cade kissed Mercy’s head and joined the others at the door, pulling it closed to give them privacy.

  Mercy tried to move from the bed, but Alec was by her side instantly, refusing to allow her to go with him. “You need rest, I can handle this alone.”

  “Alec, this is my life too and I need to be there. Do not ask me to stay here. I am not a child who needs to be protected by you and my brothers any longer. I have to stand on my own two feet and do what I was born to do.”

  “You don’t ask a lot, do you?” he said tiredly.

  “I ask that you allow me the opportunity to do what I was born for, and help me when I cannot do so alone.”

  Alec couldn’t deny her. She was right, and he loved her too much to suppress her growth so he took her hand and helped her from the bed.

  “I need to get dressed,” Mercy said looking down on her flannel shorts and T-shirt with dismay.

  Alec nodded, but looked worried. “I will wait outside, but if you need me, call for help.”

  “I’m sure my brother would not appreciate my asking you to help me dress,” she said rising to her tiptoes to place a kiss on his lips. “I’ll be just a few minutes.”

  “I’ll be waiting,” he murmured going to the door and leaving her alone to get ready.

  Mercy smiled to herself as she gathered a clean pair of jeans and a shirt before walking to the bathroom to shower quickly and change. It wasn’t until she was at the mirror, clean and ready to apply her makeup that she saw the six-inch-long line that ran across her throat. She placed her finger to slightly puckered line and frowned. The mark didn’t bother her, it would soon fade away, it was the idea that one person could be evil enough to want power so badly they would kill to get it. She had listened to Alec so many times telling his father that the packs had to work together, that their combined efforts were the only thing that could truly stop the rogues. She hadn’t really thought about it one way or the other in her own mind, but with everything that happened she now realized he had been right all along. Micah had not been stopped because of Alec, or her. He had been stopped because of the combined efforts of many werewolves from many packs working together. It was the key to the future success of all of the packs and she now knew that was why her being the Born Were so important. She was a symbol they could all rally around, the product of two ancient bloodlines that had survived since the beginning of their creation and the hope that those bloodlines would continue on for many thousands of more years.

  “Are you all right?” Alec called out from her bedroom.

  Mercy smiled and opened the bathroom door the love she had for him shining in her eyes. “I’m good,” she said taking his hand, finally ready to embrace the future she had not so long ago believed would be the worst thing that could have happened to her and now was the only thing she wanted.

  “Everyone is waiting,” he said as he escorted down the stairs, through the kitchen and out of the back door to the porch where they could see the clearing and everyone assembled there. “No matter what, you and me forever,” he said, taking her hand in his own.

  “Forever,” she repeated, allowing him to lead her towards their fate.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The sun was setting on a hot summer day when the soft sounds of a flute began to play as Mercy started her walk down the long bower covered aisle that the females of their pack had created for their Alpha and his future mate’s wedding. Lucan held her arm firmly, his face pinched as he escorted her up the aisle towards Alec, who waited dressed in a tux despite the hot arid air that had plagued them for most of the day. To his left stood her brother Cade, his best friend Rich, and then Mason, who looked uncomfortable in his monkey suit as he referred to it. All of them were gorgeous, all of them smiling as they watched her coming towards them.

  “It’s not too late to back out and wait a little longer for this,” Lucan whispered,

  Mercy sighed and rolled her eyes. She had thought they were past that particular conversation.

  “Just kidding,” he said with a good-natured chuckle.

  “Luc, before we get there I have something I really need to tell you,” she whispered.

  “Anything,” he said tilting his head closer to her own.

  “I love you and I can never repay you for everything you have done for me, but I know how much you sacrificed and I will never forget it. You are my father and always be.” Tears pricked her eyes and her oversized bouquet of flowers shook in her hands as he looked down on her with fatherly love radiating from him.

  “Nothing I did was a sacrifice. You are my daughter and no one, blood or not, can take that away.”

  He looked to the row of chairs where Mather sat and she followed his gaze to the man she now knew was her birth Father. They had confronted her after the vote and introduced a stunned Mercy to him because Alec wanted no more secrets between them when they bonded. Although it had come as a shock, she realized it made very little difference. Mather and she barely knew each other and she wasn’t sure how their relationship would proceed, but he was not her father. Lucan was the man who raised her, who held her hand and hugged her close when she needed comfort, who taught her how to ride her first bike, and rocked her to sleep every night the first year she had come to live her brothers. He was her father and he would always be. “I love you, Luc,” she said, squeezing his hand.

  “Love you too, kid,” he said softly, trying not to let the tears that sparkled in his eyes fall.

  Mercy looked forward and saw the spirit of the former Born Were standing there watching over them. She raised her hand and a soft breeze began to blow shaking lose the tiny pink flowers that clung to the branches overhead and sprinkling them over Mercy, completing the beauty of the moment.

  *****

  “She’s beautiful,” Cade said to Alec, who stared at Mercy with his mouth hanging open as she walked down the aisle towards him.

  “Damn straight,” Rich said, reaching behind Cade to slap Alec on the back, happy his friend was finally getting the female he had waited so long for.

  “Do you think he knows he’s drooling?” Mason asked Rich playfully.

  “Wouldn’t you if you were lucky enough to find yo
ur Bond Mate?” Rich asked.

  Mason looked out on the sea of faces that had gathered to celebrate with Alec and Mercy, easily finding Juliet dressed in a soft pink blouse with a floral skirt and nodded.

  Alec couldn’t find the words to describe the vision before him so he didn’t bother to comment to any of them. Mercy moved gracefully towards him dressed in a soft, silky gown that hugged her curves gently and fell to the tips of her matching shoes. Her long sheer veil floated behind her as a soft breeze filled the air and flower petals began to shower her from the bower overhead. She was poised and confident, no longer the gangly young child he had adored from the first moment he met her, or the beautiful teenager he had come home to find a few years before: now she was a full-grown woman who was ready to take her place at his side. He couldn’t love her anymore than he already did and he would spend the rest of his life showing her just how he felt.

  Lucan and Mercy glided to a stop before him and she handed her flowers to Gina, who stood to her left with Nina and Hailey, who were her bridesmaids. Gina’s hands shook as she took the flowers and Mercy smiled, unused to seeing her friend so emotional.

  “Who gives this woman in marriage?” the minister said.

  “Her father,” Lucan said before lifting her veil to placing a kiss on her cheek then placing her hand in Alec’s outstretched one and taking a seat in the front row next to Gregory.

  The minister spoke the usual words of a wedding service but before they exchanged rings. he pulled a small sharp knife from his pocket and took each of their hands slicing the palms before lifting them high for everyone to see. “In joining your blood you are both declaring your bond to one another for the rest of your existence, is that your desire?”

  “It is,” they answered as one.

  “Let every Were know from this day forward that these two are Bond Mates, two souls that are now one, forever.” He pressed their hands together and Alec laced his fingers with Mercy’s allowing their blood to mingle together. Their assembled guests, who included, every member of Alec’s pack, all of the other packs’ Alphas, and the Elders, stood and cheered loudly.

  Everything after that went by so quickly Mercy barely had time to breathe before they were walking back down the aisle together to the soft sounds of the woodwind instruments she had hired for the ceremony

  *****

  Much later that evening as the merriment continued on in their absence, Alec lifted Mercy in his arms and carried her over the threshold of the home he had been building for her over the last few years. Once inside he placed her feet on the hardwood floor and closed the door behind him, allowing her a few moments to gather her thoughts and get used to the idea of this now being her home.

  “It’s beautiful,” Mercy said walking into the cozy living room where a large hearth stood as the centerpiece of what would be the area for meetings with pack members and a place she would rock their children at night and read to them on cold winter nights as they fell asleep in her arms. She walked through the open layout to the dining room that held a trestle table big enough for a small army and ran her fingers over the hand-planed wood planning their first dinner party in her mind. Next, she walked into a large open kitchen that was filled with new stainless steel appliances that shined in the soft lighting of the overhead lights.

  She turned and smiled over shoulder at Alec who watched her closely for any sign she didn’t like something. “There’s another room just through the kitchen,” he said his voice cracking slightly with emotion. He had envisioned the house, but every detail had been refined to fit Mercy’s likes and dislikes.

  “Wow,” she said as she stood in a massive room that had walls of ceiling to floor windows that looked out upon the forest that surrounded them. The view was so beautiful she couldn’t turn away and when he wrapped his arms around her from behind she laid her head back against him and placed her hands over his, sighing happily. “This is the most beautiful house I have ever seen,” she told him.

  “You haven’t seen it all yet,” he said, taking her hand and pulling her along behind him up the massive staircase that led to the many bedrooms and bathrooms for guests and their future family. “We can look at these tomorrow,” he said eager to be alone with her in the room he had designed for them. Her took her up another flight of stairs and wrapped her in his arms as she stared around the room that they would sleep in together for the rest of their lives.

  Mercy looked to the four massive glass doors that opened to a large porch where a lush retreat filled with plants and a hot tub waited. She looked through the open door that revealed a large master bathroom and then to the sitting area with a flat-screen TV so they could cuddle together at night and watch their favorite shows. Finally, her gaze fell on the massive bed that was the focal point of the room and she felt her hands begin to shake nervously.

  “Are you alright?” Alec asked worriedly.

  Mercy nodded, feeling silly for her sudden burst of nerves. For so long she had imagined being with Alec and now that time had come she was extremely nervous. No longer was his promise to her brothers valid; Lucan would not burst through the doors and interrupt them, in fact no one had the right to interfere and that big bed brought it all home for her.

  “I’ll go lock up and give you a few minutes,” Alec murmured, sensing her unease.

  It would have been so easy to let him go and indulge herself in her fears, but no longer was she afraid of the unknown. She grabbed his hand and stopped him from walking away lifting her eyes to his own tortured gaze. “Don’t go,” she said taking his hand and laying it on her hip as she moved closer to him, pressing herself against his shaking body. “I can’t get out of this dress alone,” she whispered in his ear.

  “Then by all means I will stay,” he answered his fingers moving to the back of the dress where rows of tiny buttons awaited him. “Did your brother help pick this gown?” he said with a chuckle.

  Mercy nodded. “But I had them conceal a zipper under those buttons,” she told him, placing a soft kiss on his chest as she worked the buttons of his shirt free.

  “Thank God,” he said, his fingers finding the hidden zipper easily and sighing at the soft sound it made as he lowered it down her back.

  Epilogue

  Mercy stood on the porch off the bedroom she would now share with her mate, watching the sun rising in the sky. Her life had changed in so many ways over the last few years, but always it had been leading to where she was now and she couldn’t have been any happier than she was in that moment. They had a lot ahead of them, but she knew with Alec as her mate and their families’ support, there was nothing they couldn’t overcome.

  “Are you all right?” Alec asked sliding his arms around her as he nuzzled her neck playfully.

  Mercy turned in his arms and looked up at him with a smile. “I am in the arms of the man I love and bonded to him for the rest of my existence. Is there anything better?”

  Alec laughed and lifted her in his arms carrying her back inside and shut the blinds that sheltered them from the rest of the world, wanting nothing more than to be alone with her, his heart, his life, his Bond Mate. Because now she truly was, in every way, bonded to the Pack.

  If you enjoyed Mercy and Alec’s story and want to keep updated on the next book in the Born Were Series or any of my other books please contact me:

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  Please read on for an excerpt from my new series.

  “Necromancy for Beginners”

  Prologue

  The full moon overhead was hidden by a passing cloud, making the night dark as pitch, as the two children crept down the sidewalk of the sleepy little town where they lived. The female child was excited and eager to reach their destination, but the male child was sullen and in no real hurry as he stumbled along sleepily behind her.

  “Come on, Hunter, I have a surprise for you,” the female said, tugging his hand. “We’re almost there.”

  The boy looked up eage
rly, happy to be close to their destination, but when he saw the large stone pillars connected to the ancient wrought-iron fencing that marked the beginning of the local cemetery, he dug in his heels, stopping their progress. “I don’t know what you’re up to, Hope, but it’s the middle of the night,” he squealed, chewing his lip nervously. “I don’t want to go in there.”

  Hope sighed, looking at her best friend with sympathy. He had buried his grandmother that morning in the exact cemetery they stood before. She understood his hesitance, but she had to get him to follow her inside, or all of her hard work would be for nothing.

  “Come on, I promise this is a good surprise,” she said, tugging his hand again.

  Hunter gazed into her big blue eyes, and he knew he was going to do what she asked despite his reservations about their being alone, in a cemetery, by themselves that late at night. “Fine,” he grumbled. “But if we get killed it’s your fault!”

  Hope never doubted he would go along with her plan. In fact, she had counted on his inability to tell her no, to get him inside the cemetery. “Okay, close your eyes now,” she told him, giddy with excitement as they reached the massive gate that was the only entrance in and out of the cemetery.

  The intricate curves and twists of metal were a true testament to the people who had at one time cared enough to make sure their loved ones were safe and protected even after their lives had ended. So protected, that the gates were locked tight at eight every night until seven the following morning when the old, cantankerous caretaker appeared to reopen them. Their being locked didn’t bother Hope, though; she had help on the inside to open the gates for them.

  Hunter gulped, staring apprehensively at the fence that kept him and the residents of the cemetery separated. He certainly did not want to go inside, but he also did not want to appear weak in front of Hope. She had been his best friend since they were in diapers. Where one went the other did too, which was exactly why he was standing in front of a dark, creepy cemetery in the middle of the night instead of in his warm, soft bed.