CHAPTER 5
Rachel sat cross-legged on the end of Carson's unmade bed watching her best friend as she paced back and forth, chewing on a fingernail.
“You'll get worms if you don't stop that. Oh wait, if you get worms then you will have to go see that hunky new healer. Don't you think he is yummy? ” She sighed wistfully. “I mean seriously, I could just spread him on toast and devour him with a glass of cherry soda!”
Carson stopped and snapped her fingers in her friend's face. “Earth to Rachel. I don't know if you're aware of the current situation, but I'm sorta in the middle of a crisis. I don't have time to go stargaze at men who are probably old enough to be my father. I hear he's been to medical school and internships and all that junk. He has to be in his 30's.”
The petite redhead shrugged her shoulders “Maybe. But, thanks to those lovely hot werewolf genes, he looks twenty – a perfect age for me. Oh, and speaking of hot werewolf genes, have you seen the influx of hotties that has been pouring in the lands? It’s like a smorgasbord of wolf flesh, and they are all here for you, girlfriend.”
“No, I haven't looked at them.” Carson threw herself on the floor and let out a miserable sigh. “What does it matter? By midnight tonight I will be forced into a loveless mating for the rest of my life and no hope of escape.”
Rachel slipped off the bed and hugged her oldest friend. “Maybe we should try to find the good in this. They say that imprinting is almost as good as life mate. I mean, well you will be fiercely loyal to him and he to you. Perhaps in time, maybe you can grow to love him.”
“You're deluded. Imprinting is nothing romantic. It's just a wolf's instinct, Rach, it's nothing better than wolf prostitution. That's why my father will compel me to shift and not let me change back until it’s over, because only a wolf can imprint.” She threw her head back against her bed. “I want MY mate. Rach, it won't be the same. Somewhere out there, he is waiting on me. If I give up now, I'm giving up on him. Not only will I be miserable, so will he. Did you know that some wolves would kill themselves rather than live without their mate? They say it's like half your soul and all of your heart is ripped out – that there's nothing anchoring you here anymore.” Carson's voice had dropped to a whisper. “But to keep living would be the true death. My whole life I’ve dreamed about my mating night; what I would wear, how it would feel to stand there under the full moon and know the person next to me loves me completely, hopelessly and madly. I don't want maybes, I want the certainty.”
Rachel's face lost all color. “I... I guess I can see what you mean.” She got up and walked over to Carson and grabbed her hand. “Why don't you run? Phase and just run, now... go as far as you can away from here?”
“Because our father has forbidden her from leaving the grounds,” Cayson walked in without knocking. Rachel jumped and dropped Carson's hand, her face flushing a deep red. It was obvious that she had a crush on her best friend's brother, but then again, Rachel tended to have a crush at one time or another on pretty much every unmated male for miles around, human and were alike. Her exploits in dating were becoming something bordering on legend. “I'll just...,” she mumbled and almost tripped over her own feet backing away from Cayson, finally sprawling across the bed.
Cayson leaned in and kissed his sister on the cheek. “Happy birthday, Squirt,” he mumbled and thrust a small box in her hand. It dawned on her. Today was their nineteenth birthday, but with everything else happening, she had forgotten.
“Happy birthday, Goliath,” she mumbled. “I've been so stressed, I forgot it was our birthday. I'm sorry, but I don't have a gift for you.”
“Just make it through tonight as your normal, irritating self and I'll call that gift enough.” He waved at Rachel. “Hey. How's it going?”
Rachel turned purple and her mouth opened then closed like a fish out of water.
Carson hid her laugh behind her hand and cleared her throat. Looking up she saw Cayson staring at her, his eyes full of sadness. Quickly she slammed a wall down on her emotions to protect him from picking up on them.
“Too late, Car, you've been broadcasting your misery for days now.” He whispered softly and rubbed her shoulder. “I wish I could do something. I even tried to talk to Father.”
Carson took a ragged breath. “So have I. I know he has to obey the council's orders, but that doesn't make it any easier. Whether or not he wants to, he will go through it and condemn me to a life without love. The best I could hope for is a young death, my mate's or mine, not that it would matter after imprinting. The bond will be severed forever.”
Rachel chewed her lip a moment, her foot starting to bounce as it did when she was thinking. “If she can't go on her own, can we take her? Just load her up in your jeep and drive away?”
Cayson shook his head. “The alpha's compulsion wouldn't let her. We would have to knock her out and even then, when she came to, she would be compelled to return. She literally has no choice. The word of the alpha is law. She could have left before he compelled her had she known. Father was smart to not say anything until she was here.”
Rachel let out a little noise of sorrow at her best friend then knelt beside her. “Maybe your life mate will be there. Maybe he will be the one to catch you and then you'll have your happily ever after.”
“It’s hopeless.” Carson whispered through the curtain of black hair obscuring her face. “Totally and completely hopeless. What am I going to do? How will I live the next 200 years without my mate?” She looked up at her friend and brother, their hearts breaking for her. She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. Unbidden, a pair of deep chocolate eyes flecked with gold and amber stared at her from her mind, the eyes that had haunted her dreams for several years now. The look of disappointment, betrayal and hurt almost ripped her heart in half. She felt the hot sting of unshod tears burn her eyes but forbade them from falling.
“Have you tried to, you know, see who you'll end up with?” Cay asked softly, his fingers tightening slightly on her shoulder. “Do that dreamer stuff you do to see what your future will hold?”
Carson shook her head. “It doesn't work like that. Mostly, I see other people's paths; glimpses and flashes of what they have done or will do. Sometimes I don't understand what I'm shown until the situation presents itself, but it's only for others, never for me. According to Manna, my teacher, it's the way it manifests. The gift will not allow you to influence others’ lives in ways to coerce your own into a specific path. So though I may know the lives of others, my own is shrouded in clouds unless by some chance I get a glimpse of myself through their eyes. It’s rarely enough to really understand what is going on, where I am or what's going on.”
“Well that just royally sucks,” Rachel exclaimed. “What’s the use in having all that when you can't even use it for yourself to be happy?”
“Sucks is putting it mildly. Once I tried to see my future, even when I had been warned not to attempt it. All I saw was a moon and then a migraine hit me so hard I was in bed for a week. No, I learned my lesson. No more dreaming for this girl.”
“Eesh. That's so harsh - have you tried to get around it? Maybe concentrate on your life mate so you know where he is?” Rachel asked. Cay touched her cheek and even with the shield up, she could feel him pulling at her emotions. He was trying to shoulder some of the pain and misery for her. She gave him a wan smile.
“I can't just arbitrarily dream people that I don't know. If I knew who he was, I could dream and find him... well, maybe... even that is iffy at times. I've heard it's possible for a dreamer to be pulled into a stream in really intense situations, but normally I have to initiate the dream by touching them.” Carson jumped up and started pacing. “But what I do know is that whoever he is, where ever he is, when whichever mongrel imprints on me, he will feel it, just like I will. We will both feel like our hearts and souls are torn in two.”
Rach
el whimpered. “How... how do you know that?”
Carson sighed. “I just do.”
.-~*~-.
The predator stood in the clearing watching as it filled with people. Crossing his arms over his chest, he sized up every male that appeared, trying to discern who would be his biggest rival for Carson; not that it would really matter since he knew for a fact he would be the winner. The rest of them may try, but when this was all over and done, he would be the one imprinting her, even if it meant an accident for some unsuspecting mongrel. The wolf inside of him paced, growling and snarling, trying to be freed of its mental prison. “Easy boy,” he whispered. “Soon, you'll be allowed to run and then we'll claim what is ours. First we imprint the girl and then take our place as beta. Just one small accident later, we take alpha.” His wolf settled slightly at the words but retained his vigilance. He turned his eyes back to the slowly swelling throng as the sun sank behind the forest. “Almost time,” he murmured.
He watched as the crowd parted and the current alpha made his way through followed by his mate and son. The pain was evident on their faces, but there was something more than just sorrow in the Jeff's stony countenance. There was determination and resolve. The predator snorted. He'd show them all what determination would get you. The fruits of years of labor were about to be harvested. He grinned in anticipation.
The assembled crowd quieted as the alpha climbed up on a small stage so that everyone could see and hear him. A few nervous snickers were quickly hushed and all eyes turned towards the platform.
The light from the bonfire cast shadows across Jeff's face, but it was plain that he was fighting emotions – torn between family and duty. Taking a deep breath, he schooled his features into a smooth mask and looked out over the gathered crowd. “Tonight, we are gathered at the demands of the Council,” he nodded his head at a small group of three men and two women standing apart from the rest of the crowd, “for the purpose of a mate run. My daughter, Carson Elizabeth Hennison is beyond the age of eighteen and being unmated, has become eligible for a run.” His voice cracked slightly as he delivered the required law, but he cleared his throat. “As it is written in our laws, any unmated male of age is eligible to participate in tonight's run.” He looked around the crowd and motioned Chase to join him on the platform. “Many of you have not met our new healer, Dr. Chase Blackston. He will not participate in the run itself but will be running with the pack to insure nobody gets hurt.” Turning to him he put a hand on the younger man's shoulder. “Thank you for your assistance in this,” he murmured then turned back to the crowd. “The run will begin here at this clearing and continue until she is caught. The chase is confined to our lands only. Once the... once she is captured, send up a howl and bring... bring her back here.” His hands shook. “She is my only daughter. I know the instincts of the wolf in a chase are hard to resist, but if she is harmed, there will be hell to pay,” he growled the last few words out. Several people shifted uneasily and whispered.
Miriah took a step forward, her beautiful face drawn, eyes red and puffy from obvious tears. She placed her hand in his and squeezed gently lending him her strength. Only she knew the war that was waging in him and how he had fought to find a way around this. Inside his wolf whined softly, calling to his mate in his distress. He heard her wolf respond and it calmed him. He squeezed her hand tightly then squared his shoulders.
“All of the unmated males who are participating in tonight's run please move to the left side of the fire and phase. Be warned, anyone fighting or posturing will be dealt with swiftly.” His words were a monotone but carried the power of his command. Around the perimeter, Enforcers made themselves known.
The crowd moved as the participants phased into their wolves watching and waiting for the moment the run would start. Jeff took another deep breath. “Carson, please step forward to the right side of the fire.”
The crowd parted again and she stepped out into the lighted area. Her hands were clenched in fists her whole body vibrating in a mixture of rage, sorrow and fear. Behind him, Jeff heard Cayson's gasp and winced knowing he would be feeling every emotion that Carson was throwing off. Even though Jeff wasn't an empath it was plain to him everything that she was feeling and his heart broke for her. Glancing to the council standing apart, his inner wolf, the protector of his children, snarled and sought vengeance. They were to blame for this. Jeff pushed him down.
Carson completed her walk to the fire, her head down, the heavy curtain of hair hiding her features. She was barefoot, wearing only a thin dress of periwinkle blue flowers and her hands made fists at her sides. Slowly she raised her face until it embraced the twilight sky. The sun had completed its circuit for the day and the gentle moon lifted its gaze over the treetops to stare upon the woman that stood surrounded by family, friends and strangers, but totally and utterly alone.
Jeff took one last look at her. She was so small and afraid and it tore his heart to be the one to do this. He reluctantly pressed his will upon her. “Carson, you will shift into your wolf and will not resume human form until you have been claimed.”
She felt the compulsion of her alpha to shift. Struggling for a moment, she could not resist and finally gave into it and started to retreat in her mind, giving the wolf sole reign of their combined body. If she had any hope of getting through this unscathed, it would be up to the cunning beast fighting to break free inside. Glancing one last time towards her family on the platform, everything began to bleed color, changing into washed out hues. Then her eyes locked onto the wolf standing to the side of her father. In one heart stopping second, she fell into his eyes, those beautiful chocolate pools flecked with amber and gold, and drowned.
Realization slammed into her with the force of a hurricane. It was him, her mate, the one she had been hoping for, been wishing and praying for. Their eyes remained locked upon each other and they sank into each other's souls. However, it was too late, much too late for them now; already the need to run coursed through her blood. Her body finished collapsing upon itself. Her legs and arms pulled and reformed, filling her ears with cracks and snaps. The olive expanse of human skin darkened as long thick fur in dappled dark gray sprouted and covered her. Her jaw elongated as her gums split shooting forth long canines. Almond shaped eyes reformed and changed as deep emerald faded into glowing gold. The simple dress she had been wearing shredded and fluttered to the ground in thin gossamer strips. Throwing her head back she howled, a long keel of anguish and longing, calling for him, begging for help - for someone, something, somewhere, anywhere to help her. Pushing with all her might she poured her frustration, anger, sorrow, need and love into the air and demanded a response.
What she got was far more than she would have hoped for.
One moment, Jeff was standing on the platform watching the moonlight as it bathed his daughter in its soft glow. The next, the assembled were bathed in what could only be described as an explosion of emotions. At once, he found himself shifted into his wolf, forcibly and against his will. The beast was positively feral, snarling and howling, the world turned muted shades of monotone black and white. He wrestled for control from the beast, but he would have none of it. Finally, after several minutes, he managed to force the brute back into the recess of his mind and shifted back into his human form, gasping and shuddering for breath. Looking around it was obvious that the entire pack had been forced to shift and one by one were returning to their human forms. Behind him he heard the snarl of Cayson's gray and white beast as it fought against the human side to remain in control. However, he too lost the battle and Cayson stood, panting for breath, the strain of the ordeal causing his eyes to burn with an unnatural golden hue. As the pack changed back, naked bodies filled the clearing and they whispered among themselves, nervously. Jeff stepped in front of Miriah, shielding her from view as she returned to human form. Several of the pack were seen running up the hill towards their hom
es.
Jeff turned his attention back to the fire as it snapped and crackled. It took a moment for him to fully register what he was seeing. Carson had returned to human form and lay on the ground, eyes closed as if asleep. Her long black lashes laid upon pale cheeks, ebony curls framing her face. She was completely still and he jumped down from the platform to take a step towards her prone figure. There was a snarl, several of them actually, and he stopped but did not back away. Around him, the chaos continued as people finished changing and disappeared into the shadows.
One wasn't moving though.
A huge wolf stood over her body, lips curled back and fangs bared, golden brown eyes boring into his with no fear. The thick, lush, red fur stood on end, hackles raised and snarling a warning. Jeff stopped and exerted his alpha will towards him, demanding him to back down.
He was ignored.
He realized that while the red wolf stood directly over his daughter's body, four other smaller wolves had surrounded them and were also glaring and growling, warning everyone to back away. The beast inside in him demanded to take control, for the alpha to relinquish control and force them to back down. Jeff swore softly and fought again to force his animal to submit to him. He knew with emotions running so high, there was no way he would be able to stop the bloodbath that was waiting should his lose this battle of wills. Sweat beaded his forehead and finally he pushed the snarling beast into the back of his mind again. It growled and snarled but finally curled up and allowed Jeff to take dominance. Great. One problem down and five more to go.
“It's okay. I'm her brother, her twin. I know you are trying to protect her. Please just calm down, Dr. Blackston.”
Jeff's head snapped up and he stared as his son had approached the snarling beast holding vigilance over Carson's prone body. In a moment, he realized his son was right. The huge animal was Dr. Blackston who had been on the platform with him a few moments ago. Cayson dropped down on all fours and looked at the wolf's chest, not meeting his eyes, not challenging him. Slowly he crawled forward until he was just outside of the ring of snarling beasts watching him. He kept his voice soft, non-threatening. “I'm her brother. We met briefly when you first came here. Remember? We had a cup of coffee in the bakery. She's my sister and I love her. I would never ever do anything to hurt her. I can feel your anger. I can feel your fierce need to protect her. Now, please, feel my love for her. I just want to see about her. Please?”
Slowly the wolf stopped growling and determining that the man didn't want to hurt his mate, turned to check on her. Nosing her face, he whimpered softly then licked her cheek. The man inside fought for control of the animal but was systematically pushed down. Seeing that it would take more than words to calm the beast, he instead appealed to his instincts. “Let me take control again. I need to see about her. Remember, we went to school to learn how to care for others“. His wolf ignored him, insisting that he would be able to better protect her than any weak human. Chase tried again. “What if she's hurt? Look at her, how pale she is. She's not waking up, not opening her eyes. What if she needs medical attention? I need my hands, human hands, to see about her.” The beast huffed and reluctantly relinquished control allowing the human side to gain command. Quickly, before the beast tried for dominance again, Chase shifted and turned his attention to the woman that was lying on the ground at his feet. He shook his head. What had gotten into his wolf? Mate, the beast growled. She's our mate and I will protect her. He ignored the silly animal and willed his fingers to move. Pressing them against her neck, he felt the steady thrum of her heart beat, her breathing coming even and steady. He let out a huge breath of relief. “She's okay. I think its shock. I need to get her back to the hall.” Without another word, he scooped her up in his arms and ran back towards the hall, two wolves taking up position on either side of him.