“Well, are you going to tell me or not?” Aleeza demanded as they drove the borrowed car back to the Pack house.
Dib smiled at her with his deep green eyes glinting in the setting sun. Liam was typing furiously into his laptop as they made their way up the deserted street.
“We’ll be alone soon, love, don’t fret.”
She wanted to punch the man. Ugh. Then again, he had a point. They were in the enemy’s car. Probably bugged. She sighed at her own naivete. She should have known better.
The fifteen minutes she had spent outside that strange house with Liam chattering away about nothing at all had made her nervous as hell. Yes, he was doing his job, but she regretted telling Dib to go in alone.
By the time she’d worked up enough guts to suggest they go in, her mate had come outside with a plastic cup full of water for her. When she looked at him questioningly, he nodded and she grabbed the cup, practically spilling it. She’d almost forgotten their ruse.
Not her fault. She was a paralegal, not an undercover agent. Finding her Alpha’s mother was a super important mission, but she didn’t want to risk her newly marked mate in the process. If that made her selfish, she was selfish.
“Easy, macushla, we’re home now,” Dib took her hand and helped her from the car. Home. Not home, but their temporary home while they were in Georgia.
The Pack house looked as bleak as ever. Gray and muddied, cracked pots, and broken sidewalk. She shook her head and tripped, almost falling while dislodging one of the stones that marked the pathway.
“Aleeza, you alright?” Dib hauled her to his side and ran his hands over her to see if she was broken.
“I’m fine, sorry, just crampy again,” she murmured.
“Hey look!” Liam crouched down to replace the loose brick. He pointed to a piece of paper, then quickly covered it in his palm as Ivan and Tamaz came to meet them.
“You have trouble?” Ivan asked too gleefully.
“No trouble,” Aleeza answered before Dib could. Her mate was volatile enough around the short Georgian Wolf.
Liam passed the note to her on the pretense of handing her a shopping bag while Dib tossed the car keys to Tamaz.
“The Alpha reminds you the full moon is tonight. We shall take you to your room-”
“I am sure we can find it ourselves,” Liam growled the words.
“No, it is our orders, come,” Tamaz lowered his eyes and led the way.
Aleeza turned her head catching Ivan’s glare. The way he looked at her when he said see you seriously creeped her out. Dib took her elbow and helped her navigate the path. Not a moment too soon. Her stomach clenched and she gasped with the pain.
“Aleeza?”
“Hurts Dib,” she whimpered as they walked down the hallway. He took the bag and thrust it at Liam, hoisting her up in his arms.
“Okay baby. It’s gonna be okay.”
“She needs doctor?” Tamaz asked, barely dodging Ivan’s thwack against his head.
“Shut it, Tamaz. We offer no aid. Not our orders.”
“Get in room,” Ivan pointed his weapon at Dib and Aleeza, “You too,” he ordered Liam to follow.
“Until tonight,” Ivan laughed. The sound of a lock being clicked into place echoed in the room.
“What the fuck? They are locking us all in here?” Liam asked. His questions sounded far away. Like he was under water or something.
Her focus on the growing pain in her lower abdomen, she gasped as Dib lowered her onto the bed. Her mate was tense and agitated. She wanted to comfort him, but she was hurting too bad to do anything.
“Macushla, please talk to me. What’s going on,” his anxiety washed over her.
Suddenly, she saw him, Dib in front of her. The concern on his face obscured by the bright golden light that surrounded him. She felt their matebond tug and pulse. He wanted to protect her, save her from her pain.
“It’s my Wolf, Dib. I think she’s close,” she moaned and turned on her side, suddenly her clothes felt wrong. Too tight.
“It’s too soon. Fuck, I thought this wasn’t supposed to happen yet! Where are those pills David gave you-”
“No pills, Dib-” she shook her head. The last thing she wanted was to suppress her Wolf. She’d wished for this her whole life. A little pain was not going to stop her now. Okay, a whole fucking lot of pain. Still, she could take it.
“Okay, sweetheart, let me try and help?”
She nodded. Relief filled her mate as he exhaled. Liam paced by the door, his own Wolf rumbling inside of him at the state she was in. She recognized his concern. He was her Packmate and was there for her too.
“Aleeza, you have to let her in. Don’t fight it.”
“Dib, the sun doesn’t set for a few hours yet. And this is her first Change, it’s going to be painful,” Liam spoke from his place by the door.
“Well, it doesn’t fucking matter, does it? Get someone from the Pack on the phone, Liam. My mate is in pain, I need to know how to help her!”
She blocked out all the surrounding noise and focused on what was happening inside of her body. She knew the situation they were in. It was too dangerous for her to get help outside their Pack. Relying on the Black Sea Wolves was not an option.
“Dib, s’okay. Please, just don’t go-”
“Anything, anything you need,” he took her hand in his warm one, kissing her fingers. Green eyes intent, he watched her with his heart in his eyes and her own swelled.
“I think it’s happening,” her eyes glowed gold as she looked at her mate.
She could feel the need to turn into something else take hold of her.
“Shit, uh, Aleeza. Seff is on the phone and he says since we are inside, uh to make some room, and uh don’t think, just let it happen,” Liam spoke as if he was repeating instructions, which he was, so at least she was still making sense.
“Yes. Bed too soft,” she grunted the words. Breathing was becoming difficult and talking damn near impossible.
“Okay, baby, whatever you want. Let’s stand up okay? Liam, push some furniture out of the way.”
Dib’s order must have been followed because no sooner had he suggested it then he was helping her stand on the carpeted floor.
Sweat broke out on her forehead. She writhed and moaned. Her muscles on fire from the exertion. She felt hands on her. One set of hands, tugging her boots from her feet and freeing her from her clothing.
There was nothing sexual about it. She just needed the offending material off her. Yes. Free of her confines, her skin burning with her upcoming Change, she relished the cool air as it wafted over her.
Another spasm had her doubling over, gasping with the power of it. It was as if her stomach was trying to turn itself inside out, her insides attempting to claw free. Aleeza grunted like a wounded thing.
“She is burning up,” Dib growled.
“Seff says it’s normal,” Liam responded though the young Wolf was agitated as well.
Yes, Aleeza was burning up, raging with fever. Madness could so easily follow such intense pain, but she held on. She had a good reason too. Her Wolf demanded she focus. Free me. Need mate. Mine.
Aleeza swallowed and rode the wave of pain. She bit back her cries and groans. Minutes ticked by, hours maybe. She didn’t know how much time had passed. Agony took hold now, a fiery embrace enveloping her entire being.
Grrrr. Aleeza shifted to all fours. She’d seen Werewolves Change before, knew it wasn’t always pretty. She could only imagine what the others were seeing. Her bones cracked and shrunk, muscles tore and grew, reknitting themselves together as she crawled slowly towards that other half of her being.
Finally, agony fell way to a certain sense of rightness. Aleeza shook herself and crouched low in her new shape. She was Changed. Her Wolf rested back on her haunches. Tired, but happy. Fulfilled.
“Beautiful, macushla, so beautiful,” Dib’s whispered words reached her sensitive ears. He crouched beside her, smartly waiting for her to make the first move.
Happiness and joy reverberated in her soul at his nearness. Mate. Mine. She growled in her chest as she took in the world around her. Through her Wolf’s eyes everything looked different, slightly askew.
Liam knelt to her right gaping at her with surprise while his cell phone dangled in one hand. Dib crouched directly in front of her, tears swelling in his beautiful green eyes.
“Mate, you are gorgeous. So lovely, macushla. You scared me half to death though,” he mumbled and reached a tentative hand out towards her.
Impatient for his touch, she leapt on him, licking his face with her rough tongue. Dib allowed her to best him, wrestling her off, then embracing her loosely. Laughter and soothing words followed as she eased off her mate.
Confidence and strength coursed through her veins, Aleeza looked at her mate. She breathed in his fresh grass and earthy scent. The musk of his wolf hidden just beneath his human skin.
Yes, she was sure of them. Their matebond glowed between them, a living pulsing thing. Golden and pulsating in time with their hearts. Dib. She thought his name and his eyes met hers.
“I hear you, macushla, in here.” He tapped his hand over his chest and laughed. Pure joy and something else in his eyes. Could it be?
She had no time to ponder as someone knocked on their door. She smelled hair grease and body odor. Yuck. It could only be one person. Ivan. She bared her teeth and growled. Relaxing only when Dib sank his fingers into her deep brown fur.
“It is time to meet for run-” he stopped when his eyes landed on her.
“What is this? The moon is not risen yet! How-”
“My mate is ready for the run and will accompany us in her Wolf.”
“But how?” Ivan persisted.
“For months now, Ivan, Werewolves everywhere are able to Change without the moon. Surely your Pack has noticed this?”
“No. I mean, yes, yes of course. But she shall not fit in the car-”
The obvious lie fell from Ivan’s lips with something akin to wonder. Aleeza discerned that where the Georgian Wolf was not aware of the ability to Change between moons, he should have been. His ignorance was inexcusable. And the blame fell on the shoulders of his Alpha.
“I was assured it was within walking distance,” Liam said.
“Yes, okay. We shall walk.”
“Lead the way then,” Liam said and strolled out first. Leaving Aleeza then Dib to follow.