mywolfprotector (12 page)

completely pissed, his expression savage. Marrok jumped up from the seat he was in, his dark

eyebrows drawn together as he stared at her. Taylor frowned back at him, bewildered by his reaction.

“Who is he?” Marrok bit out, his voice barely passing for human. The air around him grew

charged as Alexander and Ivan jumped to their feet in concern.

“Who is who?” She responded, puzzled by his question. “What are you talking about?”

He growled, the sound animalistic to make Alexander grab his shoulder. “The werewolf you

mated. I want his name now.”

Taylor glared at him. “You overgrown ass,” she spat out, angered at the accusation. “Do you

really think that people and wolves were falling in love and mating at the research facility? Hell no. We were too busy wondering if we were going to live to see another day, or trying to survive yet another test or procedure. How dare you accuse me of getting to do anything as carefree as mate someone.

What were you doing the last thirty years, Marrok? It sure as hell wasn't spent in the torment and misery I was going through.”

Marrok stared back at his mate in torment, breathing heavily as he fought to control himself.

“Carole Anne, take Taylor to the bedroom,” Alexander hissed to his mate, his tone urging her to move quickly. “I know he wouldn't hurt anyone, at least on purpose, but I highly doubt Taylor needs this right now.”

“Come on, Taylor,” Carole Anne said, picking up the tray and leading her away with a look of

worry over her shoulder. “I'm sure you must be hungry. We will leave the men to solve this mystery, while we get to know each other a bit better.”

* * * * *

inside of him. Her refusal to let him claim her was making him crazy, leaving him vulnerable in a way nothing else could. His wolf needed the reassurance of her devotion. She was refusing it, and it was destroying him, from the inside out.

He didn't believe that Taylor had purposely accepted another, but he believed a werewolf had

taken advantage of her innocence. Regardless of what had happened, he was her true mate. He'd never hurt her or turn his back on her, but he would have the other man's name. Nobody attempted to claim his mate but him.

Alexander didn't move until the door shut and the lock clicked in place. He released Marrok,

moving to stand in between him and the hallway as he crossed his arms across his powerful chest. With a pointed glare he asked, “What the hell, Marrok? Did it ever occur to you that you're the fool that mated her?”

Marrok stared at the closed door, fighting the urge to shift. “I never fucked her that night. I didn't finish it, so it couldn't have been me.”

“I beg to differ,” Doctor Sanders said, as all eyes swung in his direction. “I said she had some wolf essence in her. If you had enough contact with her, combined with enough intent and reciprocated desire, it's very likely that you did start the mating process with her. Certainly enough to give her an acceptable amount of essence to delay her aging and encourage her healing abilities.”

Marrok froze, turning his head to glare at the doctor. Immediately his body calmed, the

supernatural aura of the change dissipating. “So you don't think she mated with someone else?”

“Not at all,” Doctor Sanders replied calmly. “Didn't you hear her reaction? If that wasn't enough to convince you, though, our tests have proven it. Her body biologically is that of a twenty-five year old female. It had to of happened during the time you were together. Beyond that, we found a trace amount of your DNA in the blood tests.”

“Why didn't you just tell us this to begin with?” Marrok asked frustrated.

“I was working up to it,” he replied with a glare of his own. “It had to be presented in the proper order.”

Marrok was infuriated and embarrassed by the loss of his control. He growled halfheartedly at

the doctor, his cheekbones slightly tinged with red. Ivan slapped him on the back. “Don't worry about it, Marrok,” he told him lightly. “Welcome to the wolf version of married life. Be prepared to grovel. I predict that your ass will be in the proverbial doghouse tonight.”

The doctor changed papers, ignoring their bantering. “There's more, though. I want to talk to

you about what I discovered with the woman that came with her, Nicole.”

“What's that?” Alexander asked, moving to sit back down.

“As we can all see, she hasn't aged much, either. It started about fifteen years ago. Physically, she is in the same range as the average forty-year old woman. When we ran her blood work, we

discovered Nicole is carrying a trace of wolf essence as well. Unlike Taylor, though, her body contains traces of multiple wolves, and it doesn't appear to be long-lasting.”

Alexander gave him a droll look. “Break it down, Doc, in simple terms that I can understand.”

Doctor Sanders grimaced. “It appears that the research facility has managed to partially

duplicate a mating, at least temporarily. Based on the repeated injections, I'm guessing that they were dosing her periodically with wolf blood. I'm not sure if they were trying to turn her, or experimenting to keep her from aging. My guess is a little bit of both. We all know it takes more than wolf blood to create a werewolf, but they probably don't.”

Ivan looked at him incredulously. “So what happens to her now?”

“I believe eventually the wolf essence will dilute and leave her body, unless she becomes mated to a werewolf. Otherwise, she will be completely human and continue aging, but she will always look younger than what she truly is.”

“Thanks, Doctor,” Marrok said, his mind racing. “We get one question answered, and there are

ten more. We are shooting in the dark here.”

“Let's hope like hell they haven't managed to do a true mating,” Ivan added grimly. They all

knew it was the only way for werewolves to sire offspring, if they could at all. They weren't prolific breeders. “There would be no end if they figured out how to breed us.”

Alexander sighed heavily. “Thank God there was no sign of offspring in that facility. Maybe we can stop all of this in time. It has to end, the sooner the better. Power is like a drug for some humans.

The demand for it just keeps growing until it's out of control.”

“Makes you damned glad you're part wolf, eh?” Ivan chortled.

“It's a nasty business,” Doctor Sanders agreed, standing up to depart. “I'm going to head to the tavern for a stiff drink. Anyone want to join me?”

“I believe I will,” Ivan said amicably. “It's been awhile since I stopped off there.” Waving

goodbye he followed the other man out of the door, bantering with the doctor about which whiskey tasted the best.

Marrok watched the two leave with amusement. Alcohol wasn't very potent for wolves with

their high metabolisms, but there was something to be said about the camaraderie that came from sharing a stout drink. The tavern was a popular hangout for the wolves in Wolf Town.

Carole Anne and Taylor rejoined them. She ignored him, but he could sense the anger and

disapproval rolling off of her. It was muted, but it was still there. He'd messed up with his mate badly, he just wasn't sure how to fix it.

“I'd like to visit Nicole,” she stated simply, directing her request to Alexander.

“I'll take you,” Marrok replied immediately, but she shook her head.

“I'd rather go alone. Can you tell me where she's at?”

Marrok stared at her in stunned disbelief. Despite his outburst earlier, he didn't deserve this. His mate was rejecting him again, and it simply didn't sit well with him. “Could you take her?” he asked Alexander, giving up. He needed time alone to regroup.

Taylor stared at him in surprise, but this time Marrok was the one to ignore her. She looked as if she'd expected him to insist on going but let down when he didn't.
Women. He'd never understand
them.

Alexander looked at his mate with his eyebrow arched questioningly. At her nod, he replied,

“Carole Anne and I will take her over. A guardian can bring her back when she's ready to leave. Is this acceptable to you, Taylor?”

“Yes,” she agreed, her tone curt. Taylor stared straight ahead, following them out the door

without a backward glance. It closed behind her with a finality that shattered his heart. Their mating should have been taking an entirely different course, preferably resulting in a lot of bed sport. Instead, she couldn't wait to be away from him, and it was tearing him up.

He gave them a moment to get out of the area before following them out. Although it wasn't a

full moon, the wolf inside of him was desperate for a run. Hopefully it would clear his head.

He walked around to the back of the house. It faced the woods, suiting his purposes perfectly.

Wolf Town was full of wolves at any given time, but Marrok generally preferred his privacy, unless he was on guardian duties. The wolf was a lot like the man. Both of them enjoyed their solitary runs.

Quickly he stripped and shifted, leaving his clothing in a pile. He took off with no clear

destination in mind. The night was cool, and it felt good against the heat of his body. Throwing his head back, he howled for the hell of it, enjoying his freedom more than ever. With the research facilities hanging over their heads, it made him appreciate his life in a way he never had before.

He ran for an hour or so before slowing down to a trot. He was near the Amish settlement,

someplace he had no desire to be. The month before, their leader had made it clear they desired no involvement with the werewolves. He hadn't been there, but he'd heard about it later. The wolves had been caught bare-assed when they were met up with by the Amish. He chortled at the thought.

Panting heavily, he stopped near a tall oak tree. The forest was dense here, the trees extremely old. It was completely silent and serene, perfect for a few moments of peace before he returned to Wolf Town. He was no closer to a solution to his problems, but at least he had run off the excess energy.

Problems always seemed to fade somewhat when you were drained. He still had a long ways to go

before he reached that point, but he did feel better.

Marrok was powerful, and he took pride in it. His body was honed and well-conditioned, his

bloodline ancient and strong. He would make a loyal provider for his mate, a faithful and devoted one.

Why couldn't Taylor appreciate that?

His body was burning with the need to possess her. If she didn't yield soon, he wasn't going to simply have blue balls. He was going to have balls set in stone. Frustrated, he pawed at the earth with his large feet and nails before ramming the tree with his powerful, hard skull. For good measure he did it twice, attacking the tree with a vengeance with his massive body.

The tree wasn't as old and heavy as the ones surrounding it, and it swayed and shook from his

actions. Something stirred within the thick, green foliage, as Marrok paused and looked up curiously.

His head tilted to the side in bemusement as the movements within the leaves grew in intensity.

A male's voice muttered, “Oh shit,” an instant before a heavy weight came crashing down

through the branches. Marrok jerked out of the way and watched as Connor landed hard on the ground, stomach first.

His round, pale ass appeared to glow under the light of the moon. Marrok wrinkled his snout,

utterly repulsed by the sight, before throwing his head back to howl in disgust. “My balls,” Connor screeched out in agony, his voice rivaling the best soprano singer. “My balls are broken. Stop howling, asshole, and help me.”

Marrok rolled his eyes, but he did stop howling as he lowered his head back down to look at

him. Would Connor's antics never seize to amaze him?

Connor was completely nude. He rolled over, his hands clenched around the area between his

legs. When he did, Marrok saw the large rock he had landed on and cringed. Leave it to Connor to land on a rock balls first, completely bare-assed, in the middle of the woods.

Marrok quickly shifted, crossing his arms as he stared down at Connor. “I'm a little scared to ask this, but what in the hell are you doing out here in a tree, naked?”

A pair of binoculars fell out of the branches, landing about two feet away from Connor. Marrok stared at them, arching his dark eyebrow, meaningfully. “You pervert,” he told him, in a disgusted voice. “You're spying on Amish woman now?”

Connor sat up, still holding his manhood with two hands. His black curls were dirty with twigs and leaves. Always pale, his features were now stark white, at least from what Marrok could see underneath the dirt mask.

“Shut the fuck up, Marrok, you bastard. Thanks to you, I'll never sire offspring. What in the hell are you doing out here, ramming a tree like an idiot? Who in the hell runs around doing that? I'm surprised the damn tree is still standing.”

He struggled to get to his feet before continuing, “If you must know, I was bird watching. At

least, I was, until you came along. Then, the next thing I know, I'm having to hold on for dear life as you try to murder the tree. Now, my balls have been busted on a rock, thanks to you. Next time, find a different tree to hunch on.”

Marrok snorted. “Bullshit. I wasn't born yesterday. You were watching something all right, but it sure as hell wasn't birds. What kind of mischief are you up to now, Connor?”

“Fuck off, Marrok,” Connor replied, bending over painfully to grab his binoculars and put the

strap around his neck. He walked a few steps, bowlegged, before stopping to glare back at Marrok.

He couldn't help it. The sight of Connor, hunched over and walking with his legs widened

impossibly, was too much for him to take. He threw his head back and howled with laughter. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he managed to get out, “All these years, I've had to put up with your bullshit and antics, but this has made every moment worth it. As long as I live, I'll never forget this. I guess it's really true. Payback is a bitch. I wouldn't have missed this for the world.”