A Mate Without A Mark

Reiss My butler stood in silence, waiting for permission to talk. I let him sweat for a bit before allowing it with a wave of my hand. "S-sir, they have infiltrated the Maple Pack. They are currently hidden and awaiting your orders." I looked at Carl without raising my head. After a minute of silence, I hissed through my teeth. "I don't understand why they need my go-ahead. They already know the rules. No witnesses. No harming anyone. A quick in and out. What more do they want me to say?" The servant bit his lip, but didn't dare look away from me. "I believe they said they wanted to let you know, and asked if there is anything else they should be aware of before they go about their task." Not one thing came to mind that they hadn't already been told. I swept my tongue over dry lips. "Carry it out how they want to. Stick to the rules and they'll be rewarded handsomely." "Y-yes s-sir," he stuttered. I raised my eyebrow. Why did he apply to work here if he's so scared of me? Surely, what I did to the chef days before couldn't be enough for Carl to fear for his life when he has done nothing wrong. "I-I'll go tell t-t-them right away." Carl spun on his heel, ready to leave the office when I remembered something. "Ah, wait!" He froze in place, hand on the doorknob. "Yes, s-sir?" "Remind them of this. No playing with fire. We don't want to get in trouble with the Councilmen for arson." After Carl left, I could go back to reading the report my finance manager sent me. This time, with a smile. The Maple Pack should have known by now not to mess with me. Yet they still insisted on playing games like a bunch of children. Fine. You want to play? Let's play. _______ 24 hours later Cindy I looked up at the bright afternoon sky. Today I should have spent the morning delivering newspapers and magazines to my neighbors. But thanks to the cruelty of one specific pack, I am now being ripped away from my home and loved ones. I zipped the suitcase and spun around to see my sister at the door. She was frowning, arms folded as she leaned against the doorway. “Mom said the driver will be here in an hour,” Claudia said. “Are you alright?” I faked a smile, not wanting to stress her out more than necessary. “I am, promise.” She approached me with a hug. I’m going to miss you so much while you’re gone. Be safe up there, okay? Those wolves are a bunch of assholes. Look what they did to Larry.” I returned the hug with an eager, tight squeeze. “I know, sis. I’ll never forget it.” The Maple Park was just as sweet as its name. Years ago, the previous Alpha wanted to try something new and transformed our humble living situation into a gated community. As long as you were a part of the pack, you were granted access to a house and protection. Maple Gardens became one of the most sought-after places to live by the outside world. But our Alpha never allowed humans to live here unless they already knew about werewolves or were mated to one. To accommodate different needs, houses could go up to three floors with enough space between each of them for a little privacy. I was grateful they didn't look the same, or else my morning deliveries would be quite boring. Most of the world didn't know that supernatural creatures existed. Those who did also knew how organized our communities were. Before the 21st century, shifters ran wild and did whatever they wanted. Hurt whoever they wanted to. That's why the Council Of Shifters was created 85 years ago. With their new rules, and negotiation with the government, things had changed for the better. This was the world my sister and I grew up in. However, it's not like I was there to see how it all went down. I was only a junior in college who just grazed my early twenties. Not to mention a human with no special qualities. Despite not being the same as others in my family, I loved my home more than anything. Hopefully, when I finish college and acquire my business degree, I'll be able to aid the pack in some way. But to do that, I would need to save money. That’s why I worked as a papergirl who did deliveries on the side. Coincidentally, one of my deliveries was to Larry’s house. Yesterday, I rang his doorbell with a large box of his in my arms. It wasn't long before the door swung open, and Larry McCarry appeared in the frame. A bright smile spread across the older man's face. "Ah hah! Cindy! When I smelt a human I knew it could only be you!" Larry was as friendly as he appeared. While most people here didn’t squint an eye at my genetics, there were some people that were less than pleasant, to say the least. So it was always a pleasure to see him. As he took the items out of my hands, he started talking again. "You know, I was on the phone with my brother, telling him to move in with me, and then all of a sudden I picked up a scent I didn't recognize. Not close to my house, though! It was during my morning run, near the training gymnasium. I reported it immediately to Alpha Colt. Be careful out there, Little Cindy." I accepted the money and bid him farewell, but I should have taken his words more seriously. A fire had broken out at the gymnasium. Its smoke created a dark cloud of smoke and embers. Men rushed to the scene. Sirens belonging to firetrucks further beat into me that this was reality. Families were ordered to stay inside. That’s where my sister and I remained as we waited for our parents to come home from their date. Claudia raised her head. "Mom and Dad are here." True to her words, I heard the door open and our parents' voices calling our names. They stormed into the living room, concern leaving their faces when they saw that we were unharmed. Claudia was the first to run to them and throw her arms around their waists. I hugged Mom as tightly as I could manage. "They hurt him," Claudia muttered, tears starting to build in her eyes. "We know honey." Dad rubbed her back. "He'll be fine once he recovers." "His screams were so loud..." Her sentence was interrupted by a hiccup. I looked at Dad. "Someone got hurt? Who? Was it bad? Is it someone we're close to?" He glanced at his wife briefly before speaking. "It's Larry. He went to investigate something at the gymnasium when the fire started. He suffered third-degree burns all over his upper body and areas in his thighs." Silent dread filled me. "B-burns?" I stuttered. "Yes, dear," Mom said. They walked us back to the couch. "But you know he'll be just fine in no time. Alpha Colt moved him to the pack house to get treated. Don't you worry, my darlings. Everything will be okay." It should have put me at ease, but it didn’t. Larry didn’t deserve any of this in no way, shape or form. And I wouldn’t believe he was alright until I saw him with my own eyes. That night, I snuck into the packhouse. Since I regularly delivered packages here, I knew that my familiar scent would not set off an alarm. We weren’t allowed to go to the infirmary outside visiting hours. If I got caught, there was a box in my bag stuffed with random stuff and a Gamma’s name written on it that I could use as a cover-up. Before arriving at my destination, I had to pass by Alpha Colt's meeting room. Should be easy enough. As I tried to sneak by, I heard Larry's name being mentioned. Without realizing it, my feet stopped walking right outside the door. "... third degree! Do you know how painful that is? The fire burnt off so much skin that he lost a ton of blood." "As I said, we had nothing to do with it! It's not our fault! None of my men brought any lighters." "You Highland Pack wolves are a bunch of liars! It's enough that you hurt one of our own, but how are you going to compensate us for the destruction of our gymnasium?" "Alpha Colt, please! We've already gone over this. What we're waiting for now is for you to choose who-" With my focus solely on their conversation, I didn’t notice when someone crept behind me. “You’re not supposed to be here,” a male voice said. I jolted. In an attempt to push myself away from the door, I ended up opening it instead. I fell on the carpet with a thud. When I glanced up, all eyes were on me.