Bonded to the Pack (Born to be Were) (7 page)

Jaden
turned and pierced him with her ice-blue eyes, aggravated he had been the one
the Elders had sent with her. “The Elders care, and you should too. Our laws were
made by our ancestors to protect us and keep us safe. They are the rules all
Werewolves live by and our job is to uphold them. If she is indeed the Born
Were we have been waiting for, it is the Elders job to protect her, and prevent
another disaster like the one that happened to the last. ”

Wren
blanched. He had often been on the end of her fiery temper and knew she was
just getting started. “I’m sorry…” he offered, but could see by the tic of her
jaw she wasn’t pleased.

“Let’s
go, I have seen enough to report back to the Elders.” She took one last look at
the couple and turned away, stalking through the forest to where they had left
her car parked on an old service road on the other side of the forest.

“To
bad,” Wren said as he looked to the couple. “Wonder if he knew how close he was
to losing her, if he would care so much about that stupid promise?” He turned
quickly to follow Jaden, knowing if he didn’t keep up she would leave him
behind, which would mean a long haul into the next town where their hotel was
located.

*****

Mason
dropped out of the tree he had been hiding in after following the dark-haired Were
and her cohort. He looked to where Alec and Mercy lay, knowing he should
confide in them about what he had heard, but decided the best thing he could do
was to follow the other pair and find out what they were up to. Normally he
would have scented them and followed their trail at a later time but neither
one had any identifying smell, which he figured was why Alec’s pack had not
picked up on their presence in the forest. Quickly he turned and ran through
the forest, keeping himself hidden as he followed the pair to a small, sleek sports
car parked on the side of the road the forestry service guys used, then
followed them in wolf form to their hotel.

Chapter Four

By the time Saturday night came, Mercy
was a bundle of nerves.  Earlier that morning Alec had stopped by to deliver
two dozen blood-red roses, but he hadn’t stayed long, telling her he had some
things to see to for their big night. She wondered what he had planned and felt
her hands trembling as she anticipated the night ahead.  She wasn’t exactly
sure why she was so nervous. She was going to her senior prom with the only guy
in the world who mattered to her and she had brought the perfect dress for what
should be a great evening, but, something inside of her warned that everything was
just
too
perfect. She couldn’t help but think that soon the other shoe
would drop and all of her nightmares would come true.  

She dressed with the help of Nina and
Hailey who had come to stay for the weekend. Excitement bubbled inside of her
as they fussed and preened over her, both in awe of the gorgeous gown she had
chosen to wear.

 “Alright, it’s time,” Nina said,
turning her so she could look at herself in the mirror.

Mercy gasped and stared at her
reflection with amazement. In of the mirror before her was a female she had
never seen before. One who was too beautiful for words, who would make Alec’s
jaw drop, and his hands shake when he saw her for the first time.

“That dress was made for you,” Hailey
said behind her.

Mercy looked down on the emerald-green
silk and smiled at the way it hugged her every curve. The rhinestone belt twinkled
under the bright lights and the slit up the side of the skirt revealed her
silk-encased leg and the strappy rhinestone heels that graced her feet. Never
had she felt so grown up and sophisticated as she did in that moment, and all
of the anxiousness she had been feeling slipped away.

“Mercy, Alec is here!” Lucan hollered
from downstairs.

Nina took her hand in her own and
smiled. “You’re beautiful. Alec is so lucky to have you.”

“Thank you, Nina,” she said hugging her
tightly, thankful her brother had found his Bond Mate and was planning his own
Bonding Ceremony not-too long after hers.

“Cade said Alec has been calling all
afternoon to check up on you. I think he is more nervous than you,” Hailey
confided as Mercy hugged her and thanked her for her help.

“Well, why don’t we go and see how he
reacts to all of this, then?” Mercy said, satisfied she had done everything she
could to make herself irresistible for their big night.

*****

Alec stood in the front hall, waiting
for Mercy to come down the stairs.  His palms were sweating, and his heart
racing as he anticipated seeing her for the first time. She had spent the last week
tormenting him about the dress she would be wearing and now that he was finally
getting to see her in it, he was nervous as hell. He wanted the night to be
perfect for her and had done everything he could to ensure it, but still he was
worried something would go wrong.

“You need to calm down before we have to
get you a paper bag to breath into,” Cade teased.

“I don’t know why you are so nervous,
it’s Mercy, you have known her forever and she is your Bond Mate,” Lucan added
with a chuckle.

“I didn’t do the whole prom thing when I
graduated, so I’m a little unsure what she expects,” Alec told him.

“If it helps, I expect you to keep your
hands off her,” Lucan growled.

“Luc, this is my night.  You are not
going to ruin it by threatening Alec,” Mercy said softly from the stop of the
staircase.

Alec turned and looked to where his mate
stood.  His mouth fell open, his palms began to sweat, and his body shook with
desire as he took in the vision before him. Dressed in a gown that was one of
the most incredible dresses he had ever seen, she was sheer perfection. The
emerald green of the silk sheath highlighted her beautiful eyes and the sparkling
belt emphasized how tiny her waist was. When she moved to take the first step towards
him the tempting amount of leg revealed by the slit up the side of her gown
made his pulse race and his heart skip a beat. She was flawless, and he felt
like the luckiest man in the world that he would be the one holding her in his
arms all night long.

As Mercy glided the down the stairs she
couldn’t help but smile at the look of unfettered desire on Alec’s face. He was
ramrod straight and seemed to be having trouble catching his breath as she came
to the final step. She placed her hand on his arm, felt his body shaking, and
knew she had succeeded in surprising him. “Alec?” She looked up into his eyes
and became lost in the emotions she saw there.

Lucan cleared his throat, glaring at
Alec, bringing him out of his shocked state. Alec placed a small corsage of
white roses on her wrist then lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back
of it. “You are stunning,” he said softly. Mercy stared up at him, saying
nothing, her eyes locked on his and he pulled her against him, kissing her
tenderly, careful not to ruin her hair or makeup.

“Ah hell,” Lucan said, turning away to
walk into the kitchen, unable to stand any more romance between the two of
them.

Nina smiled and followed him, wrapping
her arms around him and laying her head on his chest. “You have to let her go,
Luc. She’s not a child anymore and soon she will be part of a bonded pair.”

“I know that, but I can’t stand the way
he looks at her, it’s unnerving.” His body shook just thinking of the longing
he had seen in Alec’s eyes as he stared at Mercy coming down those stairs. If
not for Nina’s arms around him at that moment, he might have gone out there and
punched Alec for ogling his sister in such an unseemly fashion.

“I have seen you give me that very look
before,” she told him with a grin.

Lucan sighed. “That’s different; we are
adults.”

Nina looked up at him with a frown.
“They are, too; you just don’t want to see it.”

“Luc?” Mercy said, walking into the
kitchen looking upset. “Is everything alright?”

He wanted to roar that everything was certainly
not all right. That she had grown up too quickly and that her mate was a jackass
whom he wanted beat for looking at her so lustfully, but he couldn’t. Those
words would crush her, ruin her night, and possibly their relationship so
instead he forced a smile to his face and reassured her all was well. “Everything
is fine. I just wanted to thank Nina for helping you.” She didn’t look as if
she believed him, but didn’t call him out either, which he was thankful for.

“We are getting ready to leave. I just
wanted to say goodbye to you,” she said, walking to his side.

Lucan let Nina go, and pulled Mercy into
his arms, hugging her close. “You have fun tonight, but not too much fun,
alright?”

Mercy rolled her eyes and pulled back,
looking up at him with a frown. “You kind of made sure that couldn’t happen,”
she chastised.

“Someday, when you have children of your
own, you will understand,” he told her. “Go and have a good time, we will see
you when you get back.”

“Mercy, you ready?” Alec asked at the
doorway, devouring her with his hungry gaze.

“I love you,” Mercy told her brother,
hugging him once more before walking into Alec’s arms.

“You look beautiful,” Alec told her as
they walked out of the front door where a long black limousine waited to take
them to the local inn for the prom.

“Alec, you didn’t need to do this,” she
said as the driver opened the door for them and waited patiently as Alec helped
her inside.

“You deserve the best. I know that
recently I have made you feel unimportant by taking off every weekend and
keeping you out of the loop about my father stepping down so I wanted tonight to
be special. To do that I need to focus on you and not the road.”  Mercy sat
back in the soft leather seat and he placed his arm around her, pulling her to
his side. “I love you, Mercy, and I want to do everything I can to make you
happy.”

“Alec, you don’t need to do anything but
be yourself,” she said. “Of course if you wanted to forget that little thing
you promised my brothers I would be totally ecstatic.”

Alec growled and pulled her to him,
brushing her lips with his own. She was wrong to think he didn’t want her as
much as she wanted him, but he had learned to control that need, and he had
done a good job of it too, until recently. Now that she was older and more confident
in herself, she tempted him beyond his control. It seemed he was constantly
torn between his desire for her and his loyalty to her brothers, and it weighed
heavily upon him.

“Alec?”

Mercy looked up at him with worry and he
stroked her cheek before lifting her chin and taking her mouth with his own.
With gentle probing her lips parted and he laid siege to her tender mouth. To
his shock as his hand moved down her back he met nothing but naked skin,
causing him to groan loudly. He pulled his hand away and placed it on her lap,
thinking it safer there, but his hand landed where the skirt split, exposing her
silk-encased thigh to his fingers and he knew he had to get away from her before
he lost it completely.  “We need to stop,” he murmured, untangling himself from
her arms before things got out of hand.  

“Why,” she said breathlessly.

“The prom,” he choked out, pulling his
hand from her leg, and moving to the other side of the limo trying to regain
some semblance of composure.

Mercy lifted her head and met his
tortured gaze, feeling immediate regret for ruining the wonderful evening he
was trying to provide for her. “I’m sorry. I can’t seem to help myself when I
am around you.”

Alec chuckled and straightened his
clothing before reaching into the small refrigerator and grabbing cold water,
handing one to her before drinking down an entire bottle in one long swallow
hoping the cold would help calm his shattered nerves. It didn’t, but at least
he was able to think clearly again by the time car came to a stop outside of
the venue for their prom. While they waited for their turn to get out he moved
across the car to her side, and pulled her into his arms, brushing his lips
across her forehead. “Soon, Angel, nothing will keep us apart.”

“I know,” she murmured, burying her face
against this chest.

The driver pulled forward and parked, got
out of the car, and came to open the door for them. Alec got out, then reached
inside, taking her hand and helping her out of the vehicle before wrapping his
arm around her back, where once again his fingers met with her warm flesh.
Grinding his teeth, he moved it, letting his hand rest upon her waist as they
walked inside of the old Inn that had been taken over by loud pounding music
and an even louder group of teenagers. They walked into the historic ballroom
and found their friends already gathered around a large table waiting for their
arrival.