Fighting Fate

CHAPTER 12

Fiona relished the wind through her fur. She opened her stride, covering more ground as she picked up the scent of a nearby pack. She slowed as she drew nearer, it was foolish to approach a pack unannounced at a run.

As she trotted up a rise, she yipped to warn them of her presence. The signal was used by all Werewolves, unique to their kind so the wolves wouldn’t mistake them for hostile newcomers. Every dozen steps, she yipped again until she finally heard a terse response.

It came from a scrubby area off to her left. Swiveling her ears and eyes toward the pack, she stopped. She could only see two from her position, likely the alphas scoping out who had disturbed their afternoon. She recognized the leaders of the Junction Butte pack.

As she slowed to a walk, her ears flattened slightly and she kept her tail loosely hanging behind her. Though they would recognize her as Were, she didn’t ever display dominance while patrolling a pack. In spite of her caution, she noticed their tails standing erect and she received a low growl from the alpha female.

Stopping in her tracks, Fiona lowered herself down, and looked up at the pair. They were clearly on edge and she couldn’t blame them. It had been a long summer for them too, and they were as ready as she for some solitude.

Fortunately, the majority of Were visitors had left and the summer season was all but finished. Her patrol today didn’t require much interaction. She was doing basic reconnaissance; head count, location, and general condition of the pack. She could keep her distance and gather intel without pushing the patience of the alphas.

After several moments lying in wait, she saw the alpha male lower his tail and relax his ears. He approached her, his female just a step or two behind him. She now saw a few other faces curiously watching.

Fiona waited calmly for them to reach her. Each stretched out their muzzles toward her, familiarizing themselves with her scent. As she saw their bodies further relax, she tapped them each on the chin with her nose, recognizing their status as alphas.

The female still seemed on edge as the two turned back toward their pack. Fiona felt safe enough to follow at a distance, and soon discovered why she had received a tense welcome.

The carcass had been picked over, but a few lower ranking members of the pack were still gnawing at it. Some pups were tussling with a bone they'd detached from the skeleton. Fiona made no move toward the kill, it wasn’t hers to share.

She sat on her haunches, keeping her posture aloof and uninterested in the meat. The alpha male dropped lazily to his side, no longer bothered by her intrusion.

Fiona glanced around, counting the pack members and taking stock of their weight, coat condition, whether they had injuries, or if any seemed sickly. Taking mentals notes she’d commit to paper later, she was satisfied.

She had a soft spot for a particular wolf in this pack, and her heart swelled when she saw him sitting off to himself, away from the boisterous pups. He was getting old now, by lupine standards, but she remembered his birth and was always happy to see him or any of his litter mates. He seemed to know she had sought him out and he bowed his head acknowledging her. It was an unusually human gesture. She nodded in return and without further ceremony, turned to leave them in peace. He’d made no move to interact, so there was no reason to linger today.

She’d barely gotten out of the territory when she heard an anxious bark from the trees to her right. Swiftly turning to follow the sound, she couldn’t quite register what she was seeing. A strange wolf was tearing toward her, his tongue lolling from his mouth. Four others raced behind in the distance, yipping at him in warning.

He would be upon her in only a few moments, his eyes meeting hers with an intensity she couldn’t comprehend. Cursing herself for not being alert enough to hear his approach sooner, she felt her hackles rise. He already had momentum; she’d never be able to outrun him from a standstill.

The only choice she had was to hold her ground. Lifting her tail to assert herself, she squared off and bared her teeth.

***

The growl that rumbled up from her made Broc check his stride. Surely, he’d just taken her by surprise and he’d see the vicious expression melt from her face as she recognized him. But she crouched lower and snapped her jaws, preparing to defend herself.

To defend herself?

From him?

Wait, no…it had to be the others behind him she was concerned about. To her eyes, this likely looked like an attack. It had to be them she was preparing to fight.

But the fierceness in her eyes didn’t soften, and didn't register him as anything other than a threat.

How could that be?

He’d caught her scent miles away and his legs had nearly buckled beneath him. He and the boys had been loping along with Owen and Maggie Marsh. They’d been “handed off” to the James pack earlier that week and the Betas were introducing them to their territory.

They’d looked forward to catching a glimpse of one of the packs, but all thoughts of protocol had left his mind completely when he’d caught her scent. His head had whipped around and an ecstatic bark leapt from his throat unbidden. Tensely, he’d searched the breeze for her direction.

Einar and Kieran had barely turned to see what the problem was before he had shot off. He could vaguely hear them and the Marshes yipping at him to stop, but his mind was bent on following her scent.

The magnetic pull could only mean one thing. His mate was out there. And he’d get to her as quickly as he could, consequences be damned.

***

Fiona had no idea who this could be, but she lunged forward with a wild bark, her sharp teeth on full display.

He skidded to a halt, mere feet from her. She saw nothing in his eyes but confusion, which made no sense at all. He’d charged her as if to attack.

Fiona didn't know who this was, but she could tell by his scent he was definitely Were. If he was a tourist, he clearly hadn’t any idea whom he was rushing. She couldn’t brawl with a visitor, but she still felt highly uncomfortable with his stare, and she couldn’t yet make out who was with him.

He was panting hard, and reached his nose out toward her. In no mood for pleasantries after such a surprise, she took a step back and growled a warning. He whined, eyes searching hers, pleading to approach as if he’d known her all his life.

Reaching out with her mind, she found she couldn’t link with him. Definitely a visitor then, not a member of any Yellowstone pack. When she gave no signs of allowing him to come closer, he sat on his haunches, taking her in. Utterly confused, she was relieved to recognize two of the other approaching figures.

“What the hell is going on Owen?” she linked to the Beta as he caught up first.

“He’s one of the longtimers! Drummond. He took off and we couldn’t stop him!” he replied, sending a glare toward the newcomer.

“Not exactly how I planned to meet any of them.” she said wryly.

The other two males had reached them and were gathering near their friend, clearly dressing him down for the unexpected exertion. They looked none too happy from having chased him however far he’d come.

“We don’t know what set him off, but he’s led us on a wild goose chase for 5 miles.” Maggie added, panting hard and flopping down to rest her tired legs.

“Well I’m no goose, last time I checked.” she said confused. What was this guy’s deal? He was still seeking eye contact with her, even though his friends were clearly demanding his attention.

“I’ll get to the bottom of it when we get them back home. They know we can’t mindlink unless they get accepted, so I’m in the dark here.” Owen was ruffled. The James pack ran a tight ship and he wouldn’t enjoy explaining to his Alpha how he’d nearly lost track of their guests on a routine territory tour. No doubt he'd be more than a little embarassed to admit he hadn't been able to catch the Scot.

“He looks like he knows you Fiona. Have you already met them?” Maggie asked

“No, it was Nat who took welcoming duty. Mac and Heather have made their appearances, but I hadn’t gotten the chance yet.” she eyed the stranger warily, his gaze did seem entirely too familiar.

***

Every cell in his body screamed at him to be near her. Her scent enveloped him, pulling his focus from Kieran and Einar. He winced as Kieran nipped his shoulder.

“Broc! Pay attention dammnit! What the f**k were you doing? Why the hell didn’t you wait? You’re gonna get us into deep shite and we’ve only been here 2 weeks!” Kieran was agitated and Broc ignoring him wasn’t helping.

“I can’t say I’m sorry Kieran. I couldn’t help it. Everything they say is true, it’s irresistible.” as he spoke, his eyes never left her. In lupine form, she was beautiful, her pheromones more powerful to his heightened senses.

But why wasn’t she responding to him in kind?

“Broc, my friend, everything they say about what?” Einar asked quizzically.

“The mate bond.” he replied simply, still longing to see the realization hit her. This was maddening. She was right there, and yet he felt like a ghost to her.

His companions were silent, which pulled him from his thoughts. The looks he received when he shifted his attention to them were utterly shocked.

“Mate bond? She’s your mate?” Einar’s tone was incredulous.

“There’s no doubt. It’s her.” Broc said with certainty.

“You’ve gotta be feckin’ jokin’ boyo. She’s…” Kieran raged before he was cut off

“You think I’m making it up Kieran?! You think I just ran for miles to get some exercise??” His inability to touch her was agitating him more than he could stand. A soft whine escaped him as he looked back toward her.

Einar, always level headed, spoke back up.

“But Broc, she doesn’t seem to feel it. Is there any way you could be mistaken?”

“No. I’m not mistaken Einar. I…” movement from the other group cut off his words.

Owen and Maggie were coming back toward them, while the she-wolf turned and headed off to the South. She glanced over her shoulder at him once with an expression he knew would be a frown were she in human form. That glance had him rising off his haunches to follow, but Owen Marsh stood squarely in front of him. He’d shifted while Broc was focused on the female.

“That’s quite enough pursuit for one day Mr. Drummond. We’ll be returning to your lodging, the Alpha wants to speak with you"

Owen’s tone brokered no argument, and he shifted back before waiting for any kind of acknowledgment. This was a man accustomed to giving orders.

Kieran and Einar pressed against his sides, urging him to turn back toward the James territory. Though his body longed to follow her, he knew his actions had already brought trouble to their cause.

Shaking his head to clear it, he regained enough composure to look contrite. It was the best he could do without the ability to mind link. He’d have a lot of explaining to do when they shifted.

Maggie led the way with Owen bringing up the rear, ensuring he didn’t take off again after the mysterious female. His head buzzed with confusion as they walked. Something was definitely abnormal. He’d gotten no response from her…no positive response that is. She’d been downright hostile.

It took him a few minutes to realize they’d begun walking along a dirt road. As his attention registered his surroundings, he heard the familiar rumble of an engine. The Land Rover appeared before them, slowing and stopping when it reached the group. Alpha Mary stepped out of the driver’s side with several tote bags. The rear hatch opened as well.

“Drummond, you can shift in the trunk. There’s clothes for you. Owen, yours are in the back seat”

Knowing he was being closely watched, he leapt into the trunk and waited for Alpha Mary to bring the door down. She opened a side door for Owen and he jumped in as well. He watched her deposit the tote bags near a clump of bushes and direct the other three to shift out of sight.

Owen had already shifted and was pulling on a pair of boxers. He followed suit, keeping his eyes down.

“Apologies Beta. I lost my head. I’ll ask you not to punish Kieran and Einar for my behavior.” He began to dress in the sweatpants and t-shift provided for him.

“It’ll be the Alpha who decides what’s to be done. And I don’t expect she’ll take kindly to you nearly assaulting a fellow pack leader.” Owen said with a flash in his eyes.

“She was an Alpha?” Broc snapped his eyes up in surprise.

“Beta.” Owen answered tersely.

He settled into a third seat and fastened his buckle. Broc climbed over into the seats and did the same. He wasn’t sure he wanted to sit next to the fuming Beta, but didn’t want to aggravate him further by choosing another seat.

Alpha Mary climbed back into the driver’s seat and craned around to look him in the eye.

“Quite a run Mr. Drummond. Care to explain yourself?” Her gray eyes were unyielding behind the wire rimmed glasses.

Before he could answer, Maggie slid into the passenger seat and Einar and Kieran opened the side doors. They knew not to say anything.

“Alpha, I broke protocol, I left the group, and ignored the authority of your Betas. I apologize. It was a grave error. Whatever the consequences, I am prepared to face them. But please, tell me who the she-wolf was. I must know.”

Discovering her identity was paramount, it flooded his mind.

“Must you?” the Alpha retorted, facing forward and popping the vehicle into drive.

“Yes ma’am. I have reason to believe she is my mate.” There was no use hiding it. His behavior had likely given him away. There was no chance he’d gain forgiveness unless they knew he had been seeking his mate.

Maggie gasped audibly and he heard Owen mutter “s**t” under his breath. Einar and Kieran turned concerned faces to him.

“I doubt that Mr. Drummond.” Mary spoke after a moment of shocked silence.

“With respect, Alpha, I know what I felt.”

“Broc is a straight shooter Alpha, and he definitely wouldn’t chase down a woman without cause.” Kieran came to his defense and he gave his friend a tight grateful smile.

“The mate bond generally goes both ways, yes?” Alpha Mary caught his eye in the rearview mirror.

Broc shifted uncomfortably.

“I’ll admit, things didn’t go as I expected. But I’m sure….” he couldn’t finish his thought before he was interrupted.

“I’ll not beat around the bush Mr. Drummond. She has a mate. And it isn’t you.”

His chest felt as if a ton of stones had been placed upon it. Suddenly, all the air in the vehicle had been sucked away. His lungs couldn’t seem to draw breath.

Without thinking, he bent forward, his forehead pressing into the seat back in front of him. It was only then Owen seemed to soften beside him.

“Broc, I know it can’t be easy to hear. But she’s not yours. There must have been some mistake, perhaps the wind led you the wrong way.” He’d placed a hand on Broc’s shoulder, attempting to soften the blow.

But the tone of his voice betrayed that Owen didn’t really believe the last statement. A mated werewolf would know there was no mistaking the bond

Broc had finally gasped and filled his lungs. Now he inhaled deeply, filling his diaphragm and attempting to calm his body’s reaction. He’d never felt so out of control, never let his senses overcome him this way. After what felt like an hour of silence, but was likely only a few moments, he was able to find his voice again.

“I still need to know who she is. Please.” The last word came out a whisper, likely only Owen hearing it. He glanced sideways to see Owen’s profile, looking up toward his Alpha. After a short nod, he turned to Broc and exhaled sharply.

“Her name is Fiona. Beta Fiona Avery.”

Broc’s eyes closed and he turned his face back downward to stare at his knees.

“Fuckin’ hell.” Kieran breathed