Runt of the Litter (10 page)

Opening up the connection in his mind, he tried to
take the pain away from her. She wouldn’t let him.

“Fuck,
Tori,
look at me.” He
cupped her cheek. “Look at me, baby.”

She stared at him with her pretty blue eyes. The pain
was clear to see in her depths.

“I love you,” he said. “You’ve got to trust me.”

“I trust you, and I love you. No matter what happens I
love you.”

“Good, relax, open your mind to—”

She jerked in his hold as her body bent at an odd
angle.

“She’s not even eighteen yet. What’s happening?” her
mother said, crying out.

“Everything about Tori has been premature,” Paul said.
“We should have seen this coming.”

Jack didn’t have time to listen to them.

The car sped toward their home.

Hold on, Tori, baby. Hold on and fight this. You can’t leave me. I won’t
let you leave me.

“It hurts, Jack. It hurts.” Tori took great gulps of
breath as her body started to fight against itself.

The car raced toward Tori’s home. Her father pulled
open the door, and Jack ran toward her home. Each of their homes had a special
basement for the change. Rachel was already waiting with the door open.

“How’s she doing?”

“Is she going to be okay?”

“This isn’t normal.”

All of her siblings were firing questions, but he
didn’t have time for them. Once she was on the floor, he rushed to wet a cloth
to press against her forehead.

“I’m here, baby. I’m here.” He dabbed her head as her
parents and his father rushed downstairs.

Emma rushed to his side. “Honey, is there anything we
can do?”

“I don’t know,” Tori said, crying out. “It hurts so
much.”

Jack wiped the sweat away, and slowly in his mind he
opened the door that connected them as mates.
“
It’s
okay, Tori. I’m here.”

She turned to look at him with her eyes wide. “It’s
real, Jack. It’s so real.”

“What’s going on?” Emma asked, growling.

Neither of them spoke, and Jack was so caught up in
Tori’s amazed smile that he didn’t have time to stop Emma from ripping the
scarf off her neck. Paul entered the room just as Emma turned on Jack.

“You fucking bastard,” Emma said. “We trusted you, and
you broke pack law.”

“Emma,” Paul said.

“No, I’m not listening to you. For the last two years
you’ve left him alone with my daughter and convinced me she was safe.”

“She is safe with me,” Jack said. He’d hoped that
their secret would have remained a little longer than the start of her transition.

“Jack, is this true?” David asked.

“I gave her the mating mark, but I’ve not broken pack
rules. I swear I haven’t touched her sexually.”

Emma snorted.

“The need was never there,” Jack said. “I never wanted
her for sex. I only ever wanted her to be strong enough to get through this.
She has to get through this.”

“Call the alpha. I want him here.”

“Jack?” Tori asked.

“I’m here.”

“I feel you. This is so amazing.”

“We’re mates, Tori. You finally feel it to. We’ll talk
more after we get through this together.” He kissed her temple, holding her
tight in his arms.

“Carl, get him out of here,” Emma said. “I can’t
believe you let this happen.” Her glare was pointed at Paul.

“No!” Tori’s scream stopped everyone in their tracks
as Carl wrapped his fingers around Jack’s neck. “I want him here. Jack stays.”

She held onto his hand with as much strength as she
could. He held her hand tightly in his.

“I’m not going anywhere, baby.” He glared at Carl.
“I’m her mate. You can’t deny me the right to be with her.”

“Why did you do it?” David asked.

He looked toward his father. “Mates are connected. I
gave her the mating mark in the hope that I could take her pain.”

Emma stared at him. “You’re trying to take her pain
away?”

“Yes. I haven’t practiced this before. She’s got her
walls up and won’t let me in.” Staring down at Tori, he stroked the hair back
from her face. “You’ve got to let me in. I can’t help you if you don’t let me
in.”

“I don’t know how.” She arched, filling the room with
her agonized cries. Jack couldn’t do anything but call on his wolf.

“Open, Tori. Let me in. Let me help you.”

Time passed as he repeated his demands, trying to get
her to open to him. He couldn’t handle her keeping him out.

The power of the pack alpha flowed into the room. Jack
looked up to see Luke in the room. Marshall was upstairs with Scarlett. He
scented his friend close.

Ignoring the alpha, he focused on Tori.

Her bones broke, crashing together. She was lasting
longer than he imagined, and suddenly she took one deep shattering cry then
nothing. The wolf inside him howled as Tori collapsed to the floor, her heart
taking a final beat.

He didn’t wait around going to her side. Turning her
onto her back, he pressed on her chest, pumping her heart.

“Move out of the way,” Luke said. Jack was pushed out
of the way, but his wolf slammed forward, opening his mind. He found Tori’s
wolf, and he was amazed. The cage within her mind was open.

“Come out. Fight for her.”

Her wolf howled, and suddenly Tori gasped as her heart
started to beat. Tori needed to die in order to release her wolf.

Before his very eyes he watched as the slender, weak
girl transformed. She got bigger, filled out, and suddenly she was on all fours
as her new body started to break, snap. Her wolf was fighting for release.
All this time she’d been a shadow of her own self waiting for the
transition.

“Mate?”

“I’m here, Tori.”

“Don’t leave me.”

He stepped closer, and Tori moved forward inhaling the
scent of his neck.

“
Mate!”

Before he could stop, she grabbed him tightly, biting
into his neck. In the background of the room he heard their parents arguing. He
didn’t care. The connection that bound them together opened up, and he felt
her. They were now bound together as a true mated pair.

“I love you, Tori.”

“I love you, Jack.”

She pulled away, and he watched in amazement as her
final transition took over. With tears in his eyes, Jack saw his mate change
and live. Minutes passed before she collapsed on the floor turning back into
her human flesh.

He moved toward her, kissing her cheek. She was alive
but passed out cold. “I’d do it all over again for you.”

“Come on, Jack. I’ve got to take you in,” Luke said.

“I know.” Jack stared at her one final time before
turning to face his alpha. “I’m ready to go.”

His hands were bound behind his back as he was taken
out of Tori’s home.

“Son, why did you do it?” David asked.

He was moved away from Tori’s house toward the alpha’s
place. Only the alpha could keep him locked away. Jack hadn’t known of anyone
who’d been placed in the alpha’s keeping.

“She’s my mate, Dad. I couldn’t just let her die. I
had to do everything I could to protect her.” He stared at each man in turn,
the alpha and the beta. “You’d do the same thing if you were in my position. I
love Tori with all of my heart. She could have died today. I was willing to do
anything to help her.”

“You could risk banishment or death, Jack,” Luke said.
“If Tori
wishes
no mating bond with you she could
request this. If she doesn’t make it through the night her parents could demand
it.”

“If Tori
wants
nothing to do
with me, I’ll do whatever she says. I’ll die loving her or I’ll leave the pack.
If Tori
doesn’t
live through the night, I already
asked for Marshall to take my life.”

“What?” David asked.

“Being without a mate is no life at all. You both know
it. If Tori
doesn’t
make it, I’m not going to wait
around.”

“You can’t take your own life. You could mate again,”
David said. His father looked so sad.

“It’s unlikely, and I wouldn’t want anyone but Tori.
Please, let me know if she makes it.” He entered the cage in the alpha’s house,
presenting his bound hands for Luke to remove the cuffs.

Jack watched as Luke locked the door. “I hate doing
this, Jack. You’re best friends with my son.”

“But I broke the rules. I know that, and I don’t blame
you for what needs to be done.” Jack wouldn’t have done anything differently.
He was prepared for whatever decision the pack came to.
 

Chapter Ten

A couple of days
later

Tori stood in the garden staring up at the morning
sun. She was fully turned, and her wolf was no longer bound in a cage within
her mind. The last couple of days had been a nightmare. This was her first
chance outside. Her transition had been a nightmare, too. Days and nights
filled with turning, changing, getting stronger. She stared down at her body
shocked by the transformation.

The years of eating heartily had actually taken its
toll. She looked healthy, full, and strong. Her stomach was rounded, her
breasts huge, and she had a large set of hips and thighs. She loved her body.
Some would call her overweight, but to her, she loved it, and wouldn’t change a
thing.

It was all because of Jack. She touched her mating
mark on her neck, yearning for her mate.

She was going to go to him.

All this time he must have been going through torture
knowing who she was and yet fearing her transition. She didn’t have any idea
what he’d been going through until she finally transitioned, feeling him as her
mate.

“You’re out here,” Rachel said, moving to stand beside
her.

“I’m here.”

Her sister was slightly smaller than she was now.

“How are you feeling?”

“Good.” She didn’t look away from the sun. Where was
Jack? From that first transition when he helped unleash her wolf, she’d not
seen him. Her parents had bombarded her with questions about him, what he’d
done to her, if she was afraid of him.

She missed him. Rubbing at her chest, she felt her
wolf mourning him the same as she was.

“What’s the matter, Tori?”

“Jack. I’ve not seen him, and everyone keeps talking
about him. Why isn’t he here?” She turned to her sister. The tears she’d tried
to hide finally decided to fall. “I miss him, and he’s not here. I’m alive, but
where is he, Rachel? Where’s my mate?”

“He’s in lock-up,” her mother said, walking out of the
back door.

“What?”

“Jack is where he’s meant to be. He shouldn’t have
laid a finger on you.” Carl added, coming toward her.

She took a step away from her parents, shocked by the
happiness on their faces.

“Honey, what’s wrong?” her mother asked.

“Jack’s my mate. Why haven’t you taken me to him?”

“He broke the rules, baby. He has to either die or be
banished. We thought he was there to protect you.”

“He did protect me. Jack called to my wolf as I was
dead. He opened the door for her to be set free. He’s my mate, and you can’t
keep me from him.” Tori moved toward the door intent on going to see her mate.

“You can’t save him, Tori. He broke the rules. They
may banish him as well,” Carl said.

Turning to face her parents she couldn’t believe their
anger. “Don’t fucking lie to me, Dad. I can save him because he’s my mate, and
I love him. I’m the one he broke the rules for, no one else. He saved me when
everyone else was prepared to let me die. Jack broke the rules to make sure I
lived. You owe him, and if Jack’s banished, then I’ll go with him. He’s my mate.
The love of my life and I will not be parted from him.”

She turned back to the back door.

“
Tori,
wait,” her mother
reached out, grabbing her arm. With a quick turn, she was out of her mother’s
grasp.

“I’m going to him, and I can’t believe you would let
them take him. Jack’s done nothing wrong.”

“He mated you, and you’re not even eighteen.”

“If he’d not given me his mated mark,” she pressed a
hand to her neck, “I would be dead now.” Staring at her father, her mother,
then her sister, she shook her head. “He broke the rules to save the runt of
the litter. He shouldn’t be locked away. He should be allowed to walk free
because he did something that no one else would do. Jack was willing to risk
everything to save my life. None of you would do that. The rules, they don’t
count here. I’m going to get my mate.”

She walked through her house ignoring her brothers and
sisters as they called out to her. Opening the front door, she heard the gasps
of neighbors, of fellow members of her pack. No one had seen her since before
her transition. They only remembered the runt that she’d been.

Tori spotted Marshall on the steps of his home with
Scarlett in his arms.

The moment he saw her, he stood.

“Where’s Jack?” she asked, wasting no time with
pleasantries.

“He’s in my father’s keeping.”

“Take me to him.”

“I can’t. You’ve got to go through the alpha.”

“Then take me to the alpha. There has been a big
mistake.” She needed to see Jack, to be close to him. The desire was so
shocking, scarily so. She was going to be eighteen next week, but she didn’t
care about her age. Jack was all she could think about.

Marshall stood. “Come on, I’ll take you to him.”

She followed him inside the house. They walked down
the long corridor, and Scarlett walked behind her. Marshall knocked on the
door.

“Send her in, Marshall.”

He glanced at her. “Are you okay to go in on your
own?”

“Yes.”

He opened the door for her. She spotted Luke sitting
behind a large desk. Entering the room, she closed the door behind her.

“You may have a seat, Tori. I’m pleased to see that
you’re alive and well.”

“Thank you.” She took a seat, rubbing her hands down
her thighs.

“Are you okay?”

“I want to see Jack. He shouldn’t be locked away like
this.”

“You’re aware of why he’s been locked away?”

“Yes. I’m aware, and it was wrong.”

“He mated with you, Tori. You’re not eighteen, and you
hadn’t gone through the transition.”

“I love him. We’re mated, and he only did it a couple
of weeks ago. Please, I’m begging you.” She leaned forward, gripping the edge
of the desk. “He’s my mate. The only one who should have any say of what
happens to him is me. He’s my mate.”

“You don’t want him to be punished?”

“Jack is a gentleman, alpha. He would never do
anything to be ashamed of. The connection he created between us with the mating
mark, it helped call my wolf. Nothing else happened.”

Luke sat back. “I had to follow the pack rules, and
your parents demanded that he leave.”

“I don’t care what they demanded. This is down to me.
I love Jack. He’s my mate, and I miss him. He has the right to see me.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m not going to change my mind.”

He took a set of keys out of his desk. “Follow me.”

Marshall and Scarlett were waiting outside. “What’s
happening?”

“I’m handling this, son. You can go.”

Luke walked away, moving toward the kitchen. She
watched as he moved down, going past the basement toward a door at the far end.
The scent of Jack hit her, and her wolf took note. Her body heated at the
smell.

The door was unlocked, and she didn’t hesitate.
Walking into the room she found Jack sitting on the bed. The moment she came
into sight, he stood.

“Tori.”

Going to the cage, she wrapped her hands around the
metal. “Jack.”

He touched her hands, and she grabbed his shirt,
pulling him to the cage. Slamming her lips on his, she melted against him. “I
love you. I love you so much,” she said, breaking away.

“I’ve opened the door. It’ll be easier for you both to
kiss and be together.”

Luke left them alone, and she entered the cage. Jack
pulled her into his arms, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“I love you, baby. Fuck, you’re alive. They told me
you survived, and I’d never been so happy in my life.” He cupped her cheek,
sinking his fingers into her hair.

“I’ve grown up.”

“You’re beautiful, Tori. You’re so fucking beautiful.”
He slammed his lips on hers. Their wolves brushed along each other, happy and
content to be together.

“You broke the rules for me, Jack. Why would you do
that?”

“I love you. I’d break every fucking rule in the book
to be with you.”

“My parents are pissed, but I don’t care. We’re mated.
When did you know the truth that I was your mate?”

He smiled. “That day you came back.”

“When I was sixteen?”

“I’d always been connected to you, worried about you,
but until that moment I didn’t know you were my mate. The moment I saw you that
day, I knew you were mine.”

“I can’t believe we’re mates. I always thought I was
going to die. I’m pleased you didn’t tell me the truth. I’d have spent the last
two years panicking.”

“You’re not dead.” He stepped back, admiring her body.
“And you’re hot.”

“I’ve always been hot.” She raised a brow, laughing
even as a tear fell out of the corner of her eye.

“To me you have been.” He held her close. “I’d do it
all again, Tori. I’d break the rules to be with you.
To help
you.”

She closed her eyes, relishing the feel of his arms
around her. He kissed her neck.

“If you’re banished or if something comes from you
breaking the rules, I’ll follow you, Jack.”

He stroked her cheek. “You’ll banish yourself with me.
Tori, you didn’t break the rules.”

“I know, but you’re the love of my life. I’ll follow
you, mate. I love you.” She kissed his lips. “I’ll follow you where I have to.”
She touched his cheek before taking his hand. “You don’t deserve to be here.”

Tori moved out of the basement, finding Luke waiting
in his kitchen. She nodded toward him, taking Jack with him.

“Wait, am I allowed to go, alpha?”

“The only person who has a say is Tori. She’s the one
you broke the rules for, and it’s up to her if you’re punished or not.”

“I don’t want him to be punished.”

She walked out of the house, and Luke followed.

Her family was outside waiting. Carl and Emma, her
mother and father, were holding each other.

Several of the pack had gathered to see what was going
on.

“I love him,” she said, speaking to her family. “I
don’t want anything to happen to him. If you can’t stand us being in the pack
together, we’ll leave and never come back.” She held Jack’s hand a little
tighter. The last thing she wanted to do was leave, but she wouldn’t be taken
from Jack.

“Is this what you want? He mated you.”

“What does it matter, Mom? I’m his mate anyway. We’re
a fated pair.” She smiled at Jack. “He saved me.”

“We don’t want to lose you,” Emma said.

“Then accept him. Accept us.”

Silence fell on the pack, and she waited for her family
to make that final choice. Her father stepped forward. He stared at Jack. “I
know you were mates and you’d do anything to protect my daughter. She needed to
make a choice for herself, and I see she has made that choice. Welcome to the
family.”

She breathed out a sigh of relief, resting her head
against Jack’s chest. Everything was going to be fine.

****

Four months
later

Jack swung the axe above his head, bringing it down on
the log. Winter would soon be upon them, and he didn’t want to spend too much
time out in the snow when it was. The last four months had been a test for both
him and Tori. They were mates, but because he did break the rules, he’d
followed all of her parents’ rules during that time. They were a mated pair,
but he was waiting for Tori to finish up her school. She was in her last year.

“Hey, you,” she said, walking around the back of his
home.

“Hello.” He touched the tiny box in the back of his
pocket. They were not allowed to move in together until they were married and
Tori finished school. Jack had asked for Carl’s permission to propose marriage.
Dropping the axe to the floor, he walked over to her, picking her up in his
arms. “How’s my best mate?”

“I’m your only mate, Jack Rowlands, and you should
know it.”

“I do.” Gripping the back of her head, he tugged her
down for a kiss. “I’m a one woman man.”

“Good.” She held him close, biting his bottom lip into
her mouth.

His cock swelled as he held her close to him. “God, I
love you.”

“You’re a charmer, Jack. Anyone ever tell you that?”

“You tell me all the time.”

“I wish my parents would get over their issues. I want
you, Jack. I love you.”

Tori was
ready for the next stage in their relationship while he was holding her
back. When they finally made love it was going to be as man and wife.

“I’ve already broken rules for you, Tori. I’m proving
to your mom and dad that I’m a trustworthy guy.”