“What the hell does that mean?” Lucas asked.
He took his hand away from Vince and made a fist.
“She can’t stay here, you’re right,” Vince said. “It would be a big mistake. She’d be in the way. Your mind would be twisted, Lucas. I know that. But she can’t go home either. She can’t strip. She can’t do anything. Every day from here on out she’s going to grow.” Vince looked at Lucas. “She’s already gotten bigger from the first time I saw her. I felt it move, too.”
“I felt it move,” Lucas said.
“You touched her then.”
“I did,” Lucas said.
“And you’re sure there’s nothing there?”
Lucas stared at Vince. “Nothing. For the life inside her, yes. I felt it through my body. I wanted to feel more. But it pains me that it’s the wrong woman.”
“And I’m going to assume you have a right woman in mind?” Vince asked.
Of course Lucas had the right woman in mind. He didn’t go down that path with Vince though. It was best to move on.
“Do you have a plan?” Lucas asked.
“I always have a plan,” Vince said. “It’s why I needed to talk to you.”
“I’m here, keep talking.”
Lucas enjoyed the rest of his smoke while Vince collected himself.
“Dr. Aldis Carane,” Vince said. “Does that name mean anything to you?”
“Not at all,” Lucas said. “Should it?”
“Probably not,” Vince said. “But it will. He’s going to save your ass, my ass, and going to do his best to keep Debbie alive.”
“Keep her alive? You really think she’s going to die from all this?”
“She’s human,” Vince said. “I can’t predict how the human body will react. When the urges kick in…”
“What urges?”
“When someone like us begins to reproduce, the most basic instincts become the most important. The urge to feed the life inside becomes that of primitive need. It’s important to remember that.”
“Which means what?”
“It means what it means,” Vince said. “What I’m trying to tell you, Lucas, is that Debbie won’t be staying here. She won’t finish carrying here either.”
“She’ll give birth elsewhere?”
“With Dr. Carane,” Vince said. “He understands these kinds of situations.”
“So it all works out then.”
“It’s not that simple though,” Vince said. “We have to travel north for this. Very north. Into…”
“Orenoblood,” Lucas whispered.
“That’s right. We have to pass through them. When they catch scent of a human carrying a shifter, it’s going to get interesting.”
“They’ll kill her,” Lucas said.
Vince shook his head. “I think they’ll want her. Then they’d have Full Moon Mercy blood to raise and understand. On top of that, it’ll be your blood they have then, Lucas. Your seed. Your life.”
Lucas closed his eyes. “What a fucking mess.”
Vince grabbed Lucas by the shoulder. “But a mess we can do together. Remember that, Lucas. I’m here for you. For this life. For everything we’ve always done together and everything we will do together. Lucas, we have new blood in our pack. Think about that.”
Lucas considered it. It was nice to think about. It was nice to hear. But what did it really mean? It meant that Lucas would be a father. He would have to care for the life of a shifter. But Lucas could only think of Leah and her reaction to all of this. Would she be able to handle it? Would she fall in love with him? Accept him? Accept the life he had created? If she walked away for good, it would hurt Lucas, but he would have to understand. He had begun to stake his claim to her and that bond would forever exist, but Lucas knew he could pull away if he had to.
But it also meant he would never truly fall in love with another.
“You’re thinking about her,” Vince said.
“Who?”
“The one you brought here,” Vince said. “You can’t stop yourself, can you?”
“I can’t,” Lucas said.
“You will. This will all work out. Just like with the Reckingdune crew. It will all work out.”
Lucas looked at Vince. In the privacy of the conference room, the moment started to become between just the two of them. For a second, Lucas considered hugging Vince. He almost had the sense of need hit him, the need to be protected by a father.
“How does this all work then?” Lucas asked. “With taking Debbie. How will you explain it?”
“Simple,” Vince said. “She needs a doctor to care for her. I know the best doctor for her condition. She understands what’s inside her isn’t all human. That alone is enough of a secret to keep her hidden.”
Lucas nodded. His mind traveled back to Leah again. Would this be the life she’d live someday? What would happen if Leah was to get pregnant by Lucas? If the cycles were lined up - from moon to beast to human. Would Leah be shipped away?
“Thank you, Vince,” Lucas said. “For taking this into your hands.”
Vince opened his arms and laughed. “It comes with the territory, bro. I’d never let anyone hang out there to hurt. That goes for Cooper, too. He needed that today. I hope you understand that.”
“Kind of dangerous,” Lucas said. “Right there in public.”
“Nobody saw a thing. The car is gone. The scene is clean. Looks like a drug deal gone bad. Chief Charlie had patrol on the south border of town, searching.”
“Why the south?”
Vince leaned toward Lucas and smiled. “So the north stays clear.”
Lucas knew what he implied. If the police of Mercy were focused on the southern part of town, that meant Full Moon Mercy could take care of the north and the Reckingdune crew without worry.
Lucas stood from his chair and looked down at Vince. Vince put a hand out and Lucas took it. They shook hands and Vince nodded. There was no more words to share.
When Lucas left the conference room, he stood and eyed the room around him. The men who were also beasts. The crew that made up Full Moon Mercy. They shared and celebrated life. Within the walls of the conference room, many of the men had no idea what was spoken. They were given orders and they followed those orders.
“Hey, Lucas!” Cooper howled from the bar. He had a drink in his hand and he looked happy.
Lucas waved to Cooper but didn’t go to the bar. He didn’t want to be near Cooper right then. Part of Lucas wanted to be angry with Cooper for not being able to control his urges. It seemed insane that Vince needed to set up the scene in the alley with Cooper, just to relieve his urges. But as much as Lucas wanted to be angry, he couldn’t. All the anger needed to be directed at himself. For what he had done with Debbie. Cooper’s urges took a couple drug dealers off the streets. Lucas’s urges created life.
When Lucas got to the door and left the top floor, he saw Ian at the bottom of the steps. Ian looked at Lucas and from the distance, Lucas could smell it.
Ian had been near Leah.
Lucas jumped down the steps, clearing eight steps in one jump.
“Hold yourself,” Ian warned. “There’s nothing to get mad about.”
“What did you do?” Lucas asked.
“I took her home, bro. She was outside when Cooper and I came back. She saw him covered in blood and got a little nervous. I got her home safe, don’t worry. I have two guys circling her building too.”
“You did that for me?” Lucas asked.
“Of course, bro. I have no idea what’s going on with you right now, but we’ve got your back.”
Lucas hugged Ian and left the club.
He needed to get to Leah and explain everything to her. She had the right to know all the truth, even if it would change the future Lucas wanted so badly.
*
The door opened and Mandy walked in. She was sultry and the sight of her made Vince’s body warm over. After talking to Lucas though it brought up some bad memories in Vince. Ho
w bad he wished he could have created life with Mandy. There was a possibility it wasn’t his body that wasn’t properly working. It was the greatest temptation in Vince’s life. He would never want to hurt Mandy in any way, but the thought of going out and creating life with another… kind of like what Lucas did.
“You look troubled,” Mandy said as she stood too far away.
“I’m thinking about too much,” Vince admitted.
“How did it go with Lucas?”
“It went,” Vince said. “He understands what needs to be done. He agrees. He can't stand that woman.”
“Well, she’s a stripper looking for her next score. Looking for a dollar, a bed, a shot of whiskey, who knows.”
“And now she’s carrying perhaps the future of this club.”
“I know it’s not ideal.”
“Ideal? I know ideal.” Vince looked away.
He shut his eyes, feeling as though he had hurt Mandy. When he opened his eyes, Mandy stood right in front of him. She ran both hands through his hair. She bent a little, letting her cleavage flood Vince’s line of sight. She pulled him to her chest. Smelling Mandy was like smelling heaven. That vixen blood and wicked desire kept Vince sane. The things she could do with her body, mind, and heart were as beautiful as the look of her eyes, face, hair, and skin.
“I’m sorry,” Vince said. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“It’s okay,” Mandy said. “We’ll take care of business. We always do.”
“You’re right. Lucas needs time to understand his actions. He’ll come forward with us.”
“Did you talk to him about your claim to him?”
Vince shook his head. “Not the time right now. There’s enough going on right now. I’d hate to trouble Lucas even more. Right now, we need to get Debbie to Dr. Carane.”
“Agreed,” Mandy said.
Vince stared at Mandy. His mind ran wild, knowing what he wanted to do to her. If he took Mandy to his room right now, they wouldn’t emerge until morning.
A knock at the door interrupted Vince’s thoughts.
“Come in,” Vince called out.
The door opened and in walked Zayne. “Vince. Sorry.”
“I’m just passing through,” Mandy purred and slowly left the room.
Vince watched as Zayne tried his hardest not to look at Mandy. Maybe for some men they would get pissed off at another guy checking out their wife, but Vince didn't mind. It just proved how beautiful Mandy was.
“What do you have for me?” Vince asked.
Zayne produced some papers out of his pocket and put them on the table. Vince didn’t look at the papers because he wanted to hear it from Zayne.
“They’re at it again,” Zayne said. “I picked up some emails between two guys looking for some supplies, if you get what I mean.”
“Reckingdune must be hungry,” Vince said.
“Very,” Zayne said.
“When’s this going down?”
“Tomorrow,” Zayne said. “Daytime run.”
Vince took a deep breath. He looked at Zayne but couldn’t speak about the information at hand.
“Thank you, Zayne,” Vince said. “This is great.”
“Are we going to intercept?”
“I’ll take care of things,” Vince said.
Zayne frowned. Vince understood it. Zayne, just like all the crew out there, wanted nothing more than to get their hands - paws and fangs also - on a rival pack. Nothing tasted better than the flesh of the enemy.
“Just make sure everyone is ready for a call,” Vince said. “If something goes down, this is going to be last minute.”
“Got it,” Zayne said.
He rushed from the conference room.
Vince was finally alone. He put a hand on the papers in front of him. He read the papers, looking at the exchange between someone from the Reckingdune crew and someone who would never see the light of day again. The technology wasn’t coming from the guys in the mountains, this was coming from the west. They wanted to take their stake at the mountain, but Vince wasn’t going to allow it.
It also meant he couldn’t have a crew with him to do this. There was enough useless blood being spilled as it was.
Vince balled up the papers and threw them out. He then folded his hands and began to think. The more he thought, the more the urge to kill came over him. He smiled. It was a great life when a man could become a beast.
24
Lucas rode the streets of Mercy. His eyes were forward even though he could see everything around him. It felt like everyone needed protection. Some needed protection from each other, but most needed protection from the themselves. There was only so much Lucas and Full Moon Mercy could do though. Helping and protecting seemed to build up the urges that made the crew go wild now and again. Some went crazy and were sent off on hunting missions, like Cooper. Others, like Lucas, sought out comfort through passion. The passion with Debbie though wasn’t real. Lucas knew that the second he was with her. But that night, as it came back to him piece by piece, wasn’t how Lucas should have acted.
He remembered it all clearly by the time he arrived at Leah’s apartment.
He sat on his motorcycle, the engine off, and stared at the building.
The second he had finished with Debbie that night, he left. He dressed and rushed away. He had gotten onto his motorcycle and rode as fast as he could, going to the nearest patch of trees he could find. There he dumped his bike, literally, and dove into the woods to shift. He ran for hours, his body feeling super strong, his senses matching. He attacked trees and helpless animals, wanting the feeling within him to go away. Next came a complete blackout period which resulted in Lucas waking up to the morning sun beating down on his nude body as he lay in the middle of the woods.
It had been that intense.
He had managed to find his clothing and his motorcycle, just in time for Chief Charlie to appear, checking up on a call that a motorcycle had been wrecked on the side of the road. Thankfully it was Chief who took the call and not someone else.
Chief made sure Lucas was okay and then they were both on their way.
It was never spoken of and Lucas did all he could to block it out of his mind. He swore to himself that he would never see Debbie again. The urges and passion were becoming too great. He didn’t want to fuck a woman, he wanted to claim a woman. He wanted to share his body, his heart, and his secret with someone who could handle it.
That’s what brought him to Leah’s door.
He knocked and waited. He could smell her in the apartment and he would stand there all night if he had to. He wouldn’t knock for hours. He wouldn’t pound on the door. He wouldn’t threaten. He’d stand there and wait. Because he knew Leah could smell him right back. Whether she realized it or not, she could. They were connected and would keep connecting.
When the apartment door opened, Lucas didn’t say a word. He just wanted to present himself to Leah.
“Where is she?” Leah asked.
“Being taken care of,” Lucas said.
“Do you love her?”
“No.”
“Will you fall in love with her?”
“No.”
“Is she going to be okay?”
“I don’t know,” Lucas said. His hands were in fists. It was almost impossible to not go at Leah and touch her. “Vince has a plan. She needs to go to a special doctor.”
“A special doctor?” Leah asked.
“Leah, come on,” Lucas said. “You know what I am. She’s not. There’s complications.”
“Will she become one? Like you?”
“Why are you so worried about that?” Lucas asked. “You think it’s some kind of gift? Like I have some kind of special powers or something?”
“I don’t know what I think,” Leah said. “I was saved by a large beast. A beast that should have attacked me but didn’t. Then the hottest guy I’ve ever seen in my life appears before me and protects me. I can’t stop thinking about it, Lucas, and e
ver since we…” Leah looked behind her toward the bedroom. “Ever since then my body won’t calm down. I feel like I’m shaking, but I’m not.”
“Oh, Leah,” Lucas said. He wanted to reach for her but didn’t. “It’s because I’ve claimed you as mine.”
“Claimed me? What does that mean?”
“Can I come in?”
“Sure.”
Lucas was in the apartment again. It was nothing like the last time. The tension and passion lingered, but it wasn’t uncontrollable. Lucas stood respectfully and let Leah make all the moves.
“Can I get you something?” she asked.
Lucas shook his head. He was already looking at everything he wanted and needed. He didn’t say that though, not wanting to scare off Leah.
“What does claiming me mean?” Leah asked.
“In simple terms, it means I’m falling in love with you.”
Lucas put it out there, knowing the risk the words could offer to Leah. But this was about the truth. The truth was that the moment he touched Leah, he wanted to claim her.
“So what does that mean then?” Leah asked.
“It means that when I touch you, hold you, have you in bed, I’m connecting with you. I’m claiming you, Leah. You’ll be my only one, now and forever.”
“So you’re not going to get strippers pregnant anymore?”
Lucas turned his head and groaned. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to say to that.”
“How can I believe what you say to me?” Leah asked. “I want to trust you. I want your secrets. Your desires…”
“Then let me give them to you,” Lucas growled.
He moved at Leah, finally reaching his breaking point. He went nose to nose with her, still not touching her.
“Let me give them to you,” Lucas whispered. “All of them.”
“Tell me how it all happened then.”
“There’s a cycle,” Lucas said. “It involves the moon and the genes we’re made up of. I’m sure you’ve heard stories of the moon affecting people’s moods and actions. Yes, the old cliché of a full moon being scary with werewolves. That does exist. But there’s other cycles. Two weeks ago, in a stupid moment of desperation I did something I shouldn’t have. But it’s done now and what happened… it happened.”
The Secret Wolf (A Full Moon Mercy Novel) (shifter / MC romance) Page 16
