Mate or Fate

by J. L. Berry

  “Brandon, Mark, please!” He begged.

  Brandon stiffened at this, clearly unsettled by his lack of anonymity.

  They’re going to kill me.

  As if to reinforce this thought Mark grabbed a shovel from the passenger foot well and threw it at Brandon’s chest before dragging Elijah from the bed of the truck. Unable to walk due to his bindings Elijah was dragged behind Mark, the debris of the forest floor ripping at his jeans. Elijah winced as he was dragged. The position of his arms behind his back puckered his wounds which could not heal due to the silver still embedded in them.

  He could hear the sound of running water getting closer and the forest seemed to be thinning as more light penetrated the leaf canopy. They quickly reached a clearing next to a large waterfall plunging into a pool. The soil on the banks was soft underneath Elijah’s skin.

  Easy to dig.

  “Get on with it,” Mark instructed Brandon.

  Elijah met Brandon’s eyes with a silent pleading look to not do this, but he turned his back and started to dig.

  “No!” screamed Elijah. He started fighting against his bindings in earnest, the rope cutting into his skin.

  Mark swiftly kicked him in the stomach, “Shut the fuck up traitor!”

  Finally! By reacting Mark had unwittingly given Elijah a reason to keep fighting.

  “Please guys! Just leave me here, I’ll go away and never bother you again.”

  “Not going to happen,” Mark replied.

  “I won’t say a thing I promise, in fact I’ll live by myself or travel to the other side of the world. Whatever you want!”

  “What makes you think we would take the word of a traitor? You’re a disgrace.”

  “Brandon,” Elijah tried changing tactics, “Don’t do this man. Why waste your time digging a hole when you could be back home with Marie?”

  Brandon paused.

  Yes, progress.

  “He does have a point Mark,” Brandon started. “I can’t be bothered with this bullshit, digging this deep enough is gonna take forever.”

  “Have you lost your mind! We can’t just let him go,” Mark retorted.

  “I never said that,” a sickening smile spread across Brandon’s face as he stalked towards Elijah.

  Well, shit.

  Brandon signalled to Mark to help lift Elijah and between them they carried him to the edge of the forest pool. Then like a five year old child they started to swing him, back and forth, picking up momentum.

  “Three, two one.”

  Elijah was released on the upswing, launching him to the centre of the pool where he landed with a heavy splash. Still hogtied, Elijah sank down into the water trying not to panic. There was a slight current from the waterfall helping him drift but it was not enough to get him to the bank. As his body hit the rock bed he tried to shimmy along and get to shallower water, but the rocks just seemed to shift and drag him back to the centre.

  Ok next plan.

  Using what limited finger movement he had Elijah tried to grab a jagged rock to cut his bindings. His frustration grew as rock after rock was smooth, the long-term effects of the flowing water making his task impossible. His only hope was to call forth his wolf to break the bindings but the silver in his back had caused him to retreat so far he was like a shadow flitting through the depths of Elijah’s mind.

  We’re going to die he screamed internally.

  Elijah didn’t want to panic. It wasn’t in his nature. But there were no options left as he thrashed around in the water fighting the instinct to breathe. Spots began clouding his vision, this is it. He stilled, resigned to his fate. As he lost consciousness his blue eyes dulled, his lids closing as his body went slack.

  Chapter 4:

  Knock, knock.

  Drake politely rapped on the front door before walking in, he knew he didn’t have to but felt manners towards his future father in law were important especially as he was his Alpha.

  “Good morning Alpha, Luna,” he called on entering the kitchen.

  Drake kissed the top of Autumn’s head inhaling her cinnamon apple scent before sitting beside her at the table. Autumn blushed at the display of affection in front of her parents but smiled coyly at him.

  “Good morning Drake,” Luna Grey replied, “excited about your birthday BBQ tomorrow?”

  “Absolutely! Nothing like a steak cooked on the grill.”

  “Well, we are certainly looking forward to celebrating with you and welcoming you into the warrior training programme,” Alpha Grey advised, “and in a couple of weeks we can start planning your mating ceremony...”

  Autumn sprayed her orange juice across the table, shocked at her father’s blatant comment. She gaped open mouthed at her father spluttering for something to say.

  “Nate stop it you’re embarrassing them!” Luna Grey scolded but there was warmth to her green eyes that betrayed her amusement.

  Nathan Grey looked up at his beautiful wife remembering just how lucky he was and how he felt the day of their mating ceremony. His eyes darkened and the atmosphere in the room changed along with the scent.

  “Dear goddess parents, at least wait until we’ve left the house!” Autumn exclaimed rushing to leave the table and grab her bag.

  Drake chuckled at her embarrassment but followed in her wake.

  Definitely time to make an exit.

  He followed Autumn out of the house and down the path, a smirk on his face. He didn’t say a word though, knowing that Autumn was still not comfortable with how open wolves were with their affection when it came down to their mates. She wasn’t a prude, he knew how excited she got around him and they had shared many intimate moments before. It was more that she didn’t want to display her feelings to the world for some reason. Maybe that would change when she turned eighteen?

  “You know it’s completely normal right?” He reasoned with her after five minutes of walking.

  “Of course I do! But there are some things a daughter does not want to know about her parents.”

  “I’m sure you father feels the same way about you.”

  “Yes but we’re not... I mean we’ve not...”

  Drake laughed at how flustered she was getting, goddess she was adorable. He pulled her to a halt, gripping her wrists behind her back to stop her fiddling with her hands. He gazed down into her grey eyes, tucking a stray lock of her long russet hair behind her ear. There was a faint blush of pink to her cheeks which caused her alabaster skin to glow. Drake bent his head rubbing his nose along hers, soothing her until she relaxed and leaned into him. Letting go of her wrists, he cupped her heart-shaped face with his hands.

  “We will,” he said with certainty staring into her stormy eyes, “when you’re ready, and it will be worth the wait.”

  Autumn smiled shyly at him. She felt lucky to have someone who understood her and didn’t pressurise her like other wolves may have. The fact that Drake was tall, with a muscular swimmers body and the cutest dimple which could stop a train when he smiled was just a bonus. With the loss of her brother, Autumn had grown up with the responsibility of knowing she would be Luna and her choices would affect her whole pack. She took that burden seriously and wanted to maintain a dignified reputation.

  Rising onto her toes she crossed her arms behind his neck and grazed her lips across his. When she opened her eyes she could see Drake’s kind hazel eyes darken as his heart beat quickened. She swallowed in response unconsciously licking her lips as her own heart sped up.

  “We’ll be late,” she whispered.

  “I really don’t care.”

  Drake lifted her by the waist and she instinctively wrapped her legs around him. He thrust one hand into her hair urging her mouth to his while the other supported her weight. Like she weighed nothing, Drake carried Autumn into the woods to give her the privacy he knew she would want. All the while he continued to kiss her deeply, caressing her tongue with his.

  When he reached a secluded spot Drake could finally focus all of his attent
ion on Autumn. She dropped her legs from his waist as he pressed her back against the base of a giant tree. Her skin was flushed with arousal and she hummed as Drake moved to kiss her neck down to her collarbone. As he licked across the spot where her mating mark would go she groaned with longing.

  “Not yet,” he murmured, “But soon.”

  He continued to kiss his way back up her neck and to her plump pink lips, smothering the noises she was making. His hand grazed down her rib cage, his thumb finding her already erect nipple and drawing teasing circles around it. As he began kneading her breast Autumn started to pant.

  “Please,” she begged.

  Drake met her gaze, reassuring himself that she wanted his attentions and was not just trying to please him. Her grey eyes were more like molten silver and he could see the dark flashes of her wolf below the surface. Satisfied, he slid his hand lower.

  Thank god she wore a skirt today, his wolf growled in approval.

  Drake skimmed one hand over her hip travelling down the outside of her thigh while the other cradled her neck. Autumn clutched at his muscular biceps in anticipation as she continued to kiss him. His hand glided under her skirt causing it to bunch at her hip. He rubbed teasing circles over her skin as he slowly made his way to the apex of her thigh. Pulling her thong to the side Drake guided his thumb up through her folds to centre on her nub.

  He rotated his thumb in circles, applying gentle pressure, just the way she liked it. Autumn threw her head back and moaned in delight at the feeling, her breaths coming quick and shallow. Drake began suckling on her neck while he increased the pressure and speed of his thumb. Her hands moved to his back, nails digging in, clutching him to her.

  She’s nearly there; his wolf was tense with the need to please her. He could smell her arousal and feel the wetness between her folds.

  “Drake please,” she moaned knowing what would tip her over the edge. Her skin was covered in a light sheen of sweat already as her muscles tensed.

  Wordlessly Drake slipped two fingers inside her and she clenched around him, her heart rate skyrocketing. As he slid his fingers inside her rhythmically, he continued to circle her clit maintaining the pressure and speed.

  “That’s it Autumn, let go,” he urged into her ear.

  As if by command she shattered around his hand, biting his muscular shoulder to dampen the sounds of her release. Drake smirked with pride as he held her tightly. So beautiful.

  “Better?” He asked.

  Autumn sighed in contentment unable to answer out loud, a satisfied smile on her face as she leaned her forehead against his. Yes she felt much better her wolf purred.

  Chapter 5:

  Autumn and Drake showed up thirty minutes late for their tactics lesson. They entered the classroom to hoots and lewd hollers from their fellow classmates.

  “Early morning booty call Drake?”

  “Nah everyone knows she hasn’t given it up yet.”

  “Clearly doesn’t stop her going to third base though!”

  Autumn was mortified. They were already late so she had no time to go home shower and change meaning everyone in the room would be aware of her recent orgasm. She scurried towards her seat as quickly as possible hiding her now beetroot red face behind her long hair.

  “Enough!” Drake commanded his eyes turning dark and nostrils flaring, “That is your future Luna you’re talking about. Have some respect.”

  The room quickly quietened as they took their seats and stowed their bags. Autumn shot Drake a warm smile and mouthed Thank you as their teacher for the day resumed the lesson. She had never heard Drake be so forceful before. I kinda liked it. He was becoming bolder with his birthday looming, she was excited to see what other aspects of him might be unleashed.

  “Now we’ve all settled down let’s jump back in shall we,” Mariah said to redraw their attention. Mariah was a member of the Lunar Forest warrior sub-group and a gifted tactician. Her blonde hair was cut short in a reverse bob which made her look far daintier than she actually was. Despite being five foot tall and around 110 pounds the woman was scrappy as hell. In a fight she used everything imaginable to her advantage. Rumour had it that she even bested Alpha Grey during a training session when they were pups using a cheese grater.

  “Ok, so we’ve already discussed how different types of weapons can harm us or at the very least slow us down. Next we need to be able to evade and disarm our opponent.”

  “Why can’t we just shift and rip them to shreds?” someone asked.

  “If you’d been paying attention you’d know the answer to that question,” Mariah replied with an arched brow, “Anyone care to remind our friend here why shifting is not always the answer?”

  Without prompting Autumn answered immediately, “You may not physically be able to shift. Silver is the most common method used to bind a wolf but even small amounts of silver in your body, like a bullet, can prevent you from shifting. I’ve also read that some drugs and herbs can be used to dull our perceptions, suppressing our connection to our wolf.”

  Mariah smiled, “Excellent. Nice to know someone has been reading the material.”

  Autumn blushed at the praise while Drake puffed out his chest, proud of her.

  “OK EVERYONE PAIR OFF and work through the sequences of moves and counter moves.”

  After spending the morning in classes building on their tactical theory knowledge the group had moved on to practical sessions just before lunch to put what they’d learnt into practice. Mariah had just given them a demonstration of the moves they were to cover today and now it was time for the fun part. Drake winked at Autumn and gestured in a gentlemanly manner to a vacant area of the gym. She giggled at the formal manners given they were about to beat the crap out of each other as she deftly tied her hair up into a high ponytail.

  “Ladies first,” he offered lowering himself into a defensive stance.

  Autumn snickered picking up the wooden “knife” they were to practice with, well if he insists. She launched herself into the offensive manoeuvres striking with quick precision. Drake towered over her petite frame so she made sure to keep moving, using guerrilla tactics to avoid him getting the upper hand. Despite this he still managed to disarm her frequently, causing her fake knife to go spinning across the floor or commandeering it himself.

  “Don’t over think it,” Mariah advised, “although we’re fighting in human form today you can still use your wolf’s instincts to guide your movements.”

  “Ok, switch positions!” Mariah called out over the gym but she hovered to observe how Autumn and Drake would react now the roles were reversed.

  Drake approached Autumn far too slowly, half a second later she smacked the back of his hand with her fist and the knife flew across the room. Krav maga is awesome. Autumn raised her eyebrows at him, really Drake?

  “You better not be going easy on her Drake, it won’t help her in the real world,” Mariah remarked.

  Nodding, Drake picked up the pace and kept after Autumn, aggressively pursuing her. My turn. She zoned everyone else out; Drake was all she could see as her wolf came to the surface, his body moving fluidly like a leaf in the wind. The more she focused the more relaxed she became, her human muscles longed for more speed but no matter how fast she moved Drake was right there with her. Lunging, rolling, leaping, spinning.

  The whole gym had stopped to watch Drake and Autumn. Everyone present had been taking basic combat training for at least two years, but it was rare to see a pair so young move with that level of synchronisation. He dipped low, she reacted by jumping high arcing through the air, pivoting on landing back to face him, both seamlessly in pursuit of each other and the whole room held their breath to see who would falter first. They made war look like performing art.

  A bell rang in the distance signalling time for lunch. Autumn and Drake stopped and stood staring at each other, sweat running over their skin. Electricity seemed to crackle in the air, there was no doubt they were children of the Alpha and Beta with the
power emanating from them. Someone fake coughed as if to clear their throat breaking the tension. Autumn shook her head to draw herself out of the daze as her wolf receded. Now realising the whole gym had been watching them she blushed and dropped her gaze to the floor.

  “Anyone hungry, I’m starved!” Drake commented with an air of nonchalance.

  He casually hung his arm over Autumn’s shoulder and steered her towards the exit. Smooth. Under normal circumstances it wasn’t Drake’s style to be smug, but given both he and Autumn would be turning eighteen in the next month that display of power and skill was like sealing the deal towards them being accepted as the future Alpha and Luna. He smiled and kept his head high as they headed out to eat, damn right.

  Chapter 6:

  Elijah’s eyes ripped open, his pupils as black as night. His body contorted in a desperate struggle as his wolf fought for life. The rope bindings on his wrists and ankles strained and then snapped as he transformed into a large white wolf destroying his jeans in the process. Pushing off from the bed of the pool he ascended to the surface gasping for air. Adrenaline coursed through his veins giving him the energy to paddle to the bank where he hauled himself out of the water before collapsing.

  The water had finally rinsed enough silver from his back to allow his wolf to emerge but there were minute fragments which lingered, bedded deeply in his flesh. No doubt they would scar but that was of little importance right then. Elijah was in no fit state to take control so his wolf crawled slowly up the bank to find cover in the surrounding shrubs just in case anyone returned. It wasn’t ideal and certainly wouldn’t stop anyone finding him who really wanted to, but there was no alternative. His wolf was banking on Mark and Brandon being long gone by now. And so they rested. Just a few hours, that’s all they needed. Elijah’s face and bruised ribs began to heal with his wolf speeding up the process but the lashings on his back remained.