The Secret Wolf (A Full Moon Mercy Novel) (shifter / MC romance)

by Ana W. Fawkes

  “Oh, hello there,” he said with a fake smile.

  “What are you doing here?” Lucas asked.

  “Mountains. They’re beautiful, aren’t they?”

  “This is Mercy territory.”

  “I’m sorry?”

  “Full Moon Mercy,” Lucas said. He didn’t need to point to his jacket to spell it out for the man. It was clearly labeled, and clearly this man didn’t care.

  “Just passing through.”

  The man started to walk the road, directly at the yellow line. Lucas whistled and called for the man. He didn’t listen. He walked with a cocky attitude and it pissed Lucas off. Deep in his throat he began to growl, a warning to anyone near him, including Leah. He didn’t have time to worry about Leah, other than her safety.

  The man froze and turned his head. “Something wrong?”

  “You know where you belong,” Lucas said. “With the rest of those rotten pieces of shit up there. This isn’t Reckingdune land. You know that.”

  “I’m sorry, you must have me confused…”

  “Cut it,” Lucas bellowed. His voice sputtered between man and beast.

  The man’s eyes flashed a deep yellow, black silts that ran vertical. He then lunged to left and began to run, on foot, faster than what any human could ever imagine seeing. The only good that came was the man didn’t shift right in front of Leah.

  Lucas looked back at Leah and pointed. There was no time for words.

  He had to follow the man into the woods. The way the man smelled and how fast he moved told Lucas everything he needed to know. It was one of the Reckingdune crew, messing around in the mountains of Mercy, trying to stir up trouble. The second Lucas felt comfortably hidden by the trees, he jumped and became a beast. His paws hit the ground and he ran with fury. His eyes were focused and intense, looking straight ahead, catching the sight of the man in front of him. Lucas was much faster than the man, catching up in mere seconds. Obviously this man hadn’t done his homework and hadn’t realized that it was Lucas he tried to mess with.

  Lucas came off all fours and pounced on the beast in front of him. He took it with ease, rolling along the ground, taking easy command of the scene. A swipe of his paw tore open the other beast’s chest. It let out a painful howl that lasted longer than Lucas thought it would. Lucas moved from the beast and watched it writhe in pain. He shifted back to human form and put a foot to the beast’s throat.

  “Stay off our territory,” Lucas warned. “Get up and run back to your pups.”

  The wolf let out the same long howl again and Lucas knew what it meant. He stared down and let his ears focus as intently and he needed to do. He slightly bent his knees and prepared himself for the attack. Another wolf snuck up behind him, Lucas could hear it. He could feel it. And when he finally was able to smell it and judge its distance, he spun, shifted, and prepared for another fight. It was a larger beast, wide and thick shoulders, a long snout, white foam dripping from its mouth. This one was hungry, desperate for some kind of meal. Even if it mean igniting a war with Full Moon Mercy. Lucas had no intentions of dying right there, especially with Leah right out on the road waiting for him.

  As the beast came forward with greater speed than Lucas could possibly block, Lucas prepared himself for the hit. The wolf attacked, leading with its paws, knowing that it would hurt more than cause actual damage to Lucas’s chiseled body. The two fell to the ground, snarls and teeth snapping. Lucas needed to gain ground and protect himself. The easiest kill was to go for the throat. Even the largest of beasts could be killed that way. Luckily for the wolves, they were instinctively trained to protect their necks and Lucas had no doubt he could handle himself with the larger beast. Lucas swatted his massive paw at the face of the beast, scratching, trying to do anything to get it off guard. The wolf was strong, snapping its jaw over and over. It had no control over itself, leaving Lucas with a window of opportunity. While the wolf could only focus on feasting, Lucas focused on surviving. He managed to get his right paw free and with a hard thrust forward, he attacked the wolf’s exposed belly. Lucas felt his claws tear and fur and flesh. He felt the warm ooze of blood. It made the large wolf on top of him look down for a second, just enough time for Lucas to attack. Lucas’s mouth clamped down on the wolf’s neck. He didn’t bite as hard as he could have and he didn’t twist his head, thus snapping the neck of the beast.

  Lucas wanted to send a message.

  He rolled on top of the wolf and kept his jaw locked as tight as he wanted, keeping the wolf subdued. Lucas clawed at the beast’s stomach one more time, making sure it wouldn’t try to get up and do anything else.

  Lucas then jumped from the wolf and shifted back into human form. If he stayed as a wolf he wouldn’t be able to control himself much longer. The thrill of the kill, the need to taste flesh, and the urge for revenge would all be exemplified as a wolf rather than a human. As a human he had a little more reason, and he had the reminder of another human waiting for him.

  “Get the fuck out of here,” Lucas said as he wiped blood from his mouth. He spit on the ground a few times, getting the taste of wolf blood from his mouth.

  The first wolf slowly changed back to human. He stood with slashes down his chest, bleeding profusely. It would be wiser to stay as a wolf, for the flesh and muscle had a quicker response and heal time than as a human.

  “This is Full Moon Mercy territory,” Lucas said. “You know that. You come here again, or you kill someone else, I’ll personally eat your hearts.”

  The second wolf stood and shifted back to human. He was a tall man, thick with muscle. He looked more of a bodybuilder than a member of a dirtbag crew like the Reckingdunes. Lucas kept his eyes focused, just in case something else happened.

  The second man had a tattoo on his chest, written clear - Rev.

  “Are you Rev?” Lucas asked.

  “I know who you are, Lucas,” Rev said. “You think you’re tough, don’t you?”

  Lucas looked at the blood on Rev’s body. The wounds on his neck, the gashes on his stomach. Lucas certainly had kept self control. He could have put his entire paw through Rev’s body, not to mention utilize the fierce pressure of his jaws to tear through his neck and spine.

  “Go back to where you came from,” Lucas said. “Show yourself to your crew. This is your only warning.”

  “Warning,” the first man said. He had a hand to his chest and took heavy breaths. “Warning… sure…”

  “Wait a second,” Rev said. He put his head back and took a deep breath. “I smell… something…”

  Lucas’s hands balled into fists. He really hoped Leah hadn’t been dumb enough to come into the woods. He couldn’t turn around and find out because it would allow an opening for an attack. There was a belief that between crews, a respect existed that man would kill man and beast would kill beast. It meant the two guys from the Reckingdune crew standing in front of Lucas wouldn’t shift into wolves and eat him. But Lucas knew better. That was complete bullshit. Unspoken respects were worth the blood flowing through Rev’s veins. They meant nothing. They were simply words and nothing else. Maybe there would be a time when respect would be had, but right now, it was about survival, control, and respect.

  “I smell someone,” Rev said. “A woman. Beautiful woman. She’s right out there. She’s not in a car… she’s just there…”

  “Fuck off,” Lucas warned.

  The first man smelled the air. “She’s human. All human.”

  “I’ll make one call and you’ll all pay,” Lucas said. “Do you want to start this war?”

  “No,” Rev said. “I just want to satisfy my hunger.”

  Rev took one step and that was it. Everything happened fast and became a wicked blur for Lucas. If he was alone, it would have been much easier to deal with, but his protective instincts and heart could only focus on Leah and making sure she would return back into Mercy alive and well.

  As Rev came forward at Lucas, his eyes were intent on enjoying a meal. Lucas threw a
fist and hit Rev in the face. Rev bounced back and the first man froze. He wouldn’t engage Lucas in a real human to human fight. Rev pushed at Lucas and Lucas pushed back. He didn’t want to end up in a wrestling match with the big guy. He needed to hit him and take him down.

  Rev punched Lucas in the gut, taking his breath for a second.

  “I’m going to take her,” Rev said. “I’m going to eat her… starting right between her…”

  Lucas came up with an uppercut and connected hard. It felt like Lucas had just punched a brick wall. Rev laughed and Lucas lost his mind. He brought his right hand back and as it came forward, he let out a roar that was more beast than man. As Lucas’s hand changed into that of a beast, he knew it would become nothing but trouble. Lucas’s claws hit Rev’s human skin and cut through it like nothing. His entire paw went into Rev’s stomach, and as he tried to quickly pull his paw back out, Lucas saw enough blood, flesh, and even organs to know Rev wouldn’t survive.

  Lucas’s hand shifted back to human as Rev stepped back with both hands to his gut.

  “You’ll pay for this,” Rev said in a soft voice. “You’ll pay…”

  Rev collapsed to the ground while Lucas had to stand his ground. His heart raced and his mind spun. This was a very bad thing to have happen, but Lucas needed to make sure Leah would be safe.

  The first man looked down to Rev as he died. He fell to his knees and put his hands over Rev’s face. He closed his eyes and shook his head. It was apparent that Rev was important to the mountainside of the Reckingdune crew.

  Lucas stood with a stern face and looked at the man. “Get him and get the fuck out of here before more blood is spilled.”

  “It didn’t have to be like this,” the man said.

  “Remember who started this,” Lucas said. “You came out looking for me. You tried to set me up.”

  “You set us up,” the man said. “You broke a promise. This is supposed to our land now. He told us. He who leads you. We know you, Lucas. I have your scent in my memory. I have your blood under my nails. I’ll taste it, make sure everyone else does. You’ll never make it through this. Not after this…”

  The man stood and shifted into wolf. Lucas stood a defensive stance, ready to shift if need be. The wolf stared at Lucas and then threw its head back and let out a sad howl. He was in pain over the loss of his friend. The wolf then clamped down on Rev’s neck and began to run. In a matter of seconds, they were gone. The woods fell silent and Lucas stood, still breathing heavily. The smell around him was that of sweat, wolf, man, blood, and death.

  Lucas thought about what the man said. He didn’t want to believe a word that could come from the rotten mouths of the Reckingdune crew. It wasn’t possible they really thought the mountain belonged to them, did they?

  In need to get the hell out of the woods, Lucas turned and began to walk. He licked his lips, his teeth, and kept spitting, wanting the blood and the taste of blood out of his mouth. He also needed to see Leah and find out what she heard or what she saw. The sight of her alone would help to calm him.

  Lucas emerged from the woods, his arms at his sides. He saw Leah standing at his motorcycle, staring at him. When she saw him her eyes widened and she put her hands to her mouth. She looked terrified. For a moment, Lucas thought maybe he had forgotten to shift back to human. He looked down. He was human, all human. There was blood on him, but perhaps that wasn’t he most shocking part.

  Lucas realized he had forgotten to get his clothes and get dressed.

  He stood on the side of road before Leah, naked.

  13

  The sounds coming from the woods left Leah terrified. Each time she heard a new sound - a growl, a clawing sound, thundering noises - she considered going into the woods. But what would that do for her? Her mind was fresh on the sight of the large wolf from the night before, and something told her that if she did go into the woods, there would be more than one wolf.

  When the sounds finally stopped, Leah thought she heard voices. She stepped to the road but halted when a loud and lonely howl sounded. It sounded sad and stole her breath for a second. She’d never heard such a sound before in her life. That’s when Leah decided to just remain at the motorcycle as long as she had to. She had no idea how to ride a motorcycle. If this situation had turned bad or if Lucas was hurt - or dead - she was in big trouble. The walk down into Mercy could take hours, unless she ran. Even then, the twists, turns, and downhill slope of the mountain roads would make it hard to actually run.

  Leah waited, trying to keep herself calm, but as each second passed, it became harder to do so. She heard the sound of rustling, something coming from the woods. She stared, prepared for whatever would happen. If she was destined to be attacked and killed by some kind of wolf or beast or man, at least she would be gone. In the back of her mind she thought about Margie. Poor Margie, sitting in that room in the center year after year, waiting to die. Promising she would find her husband in heaven and find happiness again. Was that really the ultimate end to a life?

  As Leah’s heart pounded, Lucas came from the woods. He stopped at the end of the road and stood with his hands at his sides. His face was drawn, his eyes brown and beautiful as they stared at Leah.

  Leah was in shock. She put her hands to her mouth to keep from letting out a cry. She wasn’t sure what to focus on first… Lucas had blood on his body and he was naked. Completely naked, head to toe. She looked at the definition of muscle throughout his body and hated herself for it. When she looked between his legs, she was unable to stop looking at the thickness that she had so desperately wanted inside of her the night before, she felt her body warm over. Yet, she had to remind herself, there was blood on his body.

  Without looking in the street, Leah began to run at Lucas. He since looked down and realized he was nude. He put a hand out and shook his head.

  “Leah, don’t.”

  “Are you okay?” she asked, ignoring Lucas. “You have blood on you.”

  The closer Leah got, the more she looked at the blood. She realized it wasn’t Lucas’s blood on his body. The way it was smeared, it was someone else’s blood. Or something else. She stopped with a just a foot between them.

  “What happened?” she whispered.

  “Leah… I had to protect you,” Lucas said.

  “Where are your clothes?”

  Leah’s eyes scanned Lucas’s body again. From his broad shoulders to his defined chest, to down between his legs. She couldn’t stop herself. She couldn’t stop wanting him either. Needing him. A burning desire had been ignited within Leah and she never felt the way she felt then for someone else. Maybe it was the tragedy and stress of the day, or maybe it was the danger and protection Lucas promised.

  “I have to get my clothes,” Lucas said. “I’ll be right back.”

  Lucas stepped back and Leah stepped forward at him. She slowly put her hand out and Lucas allowed her to touch his chest. She ran her finger down his chest and into the blood. It was thick and very warm, almost hot. Leah took her finger away and looked at it. Lucas disappeared into the woods.

  As Leah looked at the blood she could tell by the dark color that it wasn’t human. It was very thick blood too. She put her finger near her nose and smelled the blood. There was some kind of odor to it. The blood on Lucas’s body wasn’t human at all.

  When Lucas appeared again, he was fully dressed in his jeans and his white shirt. The blood on his body absorbed into the white shirt. He put his leather jacket on and ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back and out of his face. He approached Leah with caution and she hurried to grab his hands, making sure he knew she wasn’t afraid of him. She would never be afraid of him.

  “It’s okay,” she said. “I’m not scared.”

  “That shouldn’t have happened,” Lucas said. He looked over his shoulder and back to Leah. “We shouldn’t have come here.”

  “I thought this was part of Mercy,” Leah said.

  “So did I,” Lucas said.

  He took
Leah by the hand and led her to the motorcycle. He handed Leah her helmet. Leah put the helmet on and she watched Lucas get on the motorcycle. An urge came over her and she waited for Lucas to look at her to enact on it. When he looked at her, Leah made her move. She came at Lucas and kissed him, forcing her mouth on his, using the tip of her tongue part his lips and taste his mouth. Lucas opened his mouth and returned the kiss. He put a hand to the back of Leah’s head and kept her close to his mouth.

  The kiss lasted all of a few seconds, but it was enough for Leah.

  Lucas didn’t say a word after ending the kiss. He started the motorcycle and gave Leah a chance to get on. She wrapped her arms around Lucas’s body and put her head to his back. The motorcycle began to move but Leah could only focus on her mouth. She licked her lips and her teeth. She forced her tongue along the roof of her mouth. She wasn’t just trying to relive the kiss with Lucas, she was trying to figure out the taste that came from his mouth to hers.

  It didn’t take very long for her to know exactly what it was… it was blood. The same blood on Lucas’s body.

  The entire ride all Leah could do was think. She hid her head behind Lucas and thought about the taste of the blood, the taste of his mouth, and all she could picture was the sight of his nude body. She felt almost foolish calling his body perfection, but that’s what it truly was. It was an image burned into her mind, she knew, for the rest of her life. It left her feeling hunger for passion, feeling tempted and teased because she wanted to not just imagine Lucas nude again, she wanted to see it and feel his body.

  But she wanted more.

  She wanted to know his secret. Who he really was.

  It surprised Leah a little when Lucas took her to the club. In the daylight, the home of Full Moon Mercy was a tall, brick building. The front had the setup for the nightclub, the turned off neon sign, a black canopy, velvet ropes, all of which would be turned on and used when the time came later that evening. Of course, Lucas parked his motorcycle around back. There were some motorcycles there, nothing quite like the scene from the night before. Leah felt a little relieved. At least she wouldn’t be walking into a packed bar with a bunch of bikers staring her down. It dawned on her then to wonder if any of the other members of Full Moon Mercy were like Lucas.