Fated for Two

Everard stood with a growl of his own, saying, “How did they know we were here?”

“Either someone told them, or they have scouts watching my truck,” Brenton answered.

“We have had multiple sightings of them recently, so they're most likely watching all of our movements,” Farrah agreed as she stood also. “It took them a while to get here, so whoever was watching probably followed us before going to get the rest of them.”

Brenton hummed his agreement as he turned from the window to ask, “Farrah, can you fight?”

“I can,” Farrah answered. “My dad was beta and believed that we all should know-how and started training me before my shift. Since I’ve been here, I’ve been training a bit with some of your women warriors. My wolf is tough.”

“Everard?” Brenton questioned softly.

“I’m stronger, I can hold out until the warriors get here if I have to,” Everard answered.

“Then let’s go,” Brenton said as he headed for the door.

As they hit the front door running, Brenton shifted as he jumped from the front porch. He gave a warning howl, meant for the rogues and to let the pack know he needed backup.

Everard needed a bit longer to shift because it had been so long since he had. He gave a grunt of pain but as soon as he was fur, he also took off with a howl of his own.

Farrah, the only one who still had her clothes on, pulled her dress off and quickly shifted. Jumping off the porch, she headed for the smaller-looking rogue. She’d told Brenton she could fight; however, she didn’t know how much stamina she would have since she hadn’t fought much in her fur.

Brenton tore through the first rogue he met and quickly moved on to the second. He ended up being tag-teamed by it and a second one. He was worried backup might not come quick enough and he knew Everard’s wolf was still weak from being malnourished. He was also concerned about Farrah and how much fighting she’d really done. He'd barely killed the first rogue when another one jumped him from behind. He felt like the rogues knew he was the strongest and were trying to take him out as fast as possible.

At that moment a howl went out and it sounded close. He knew instantly it was the pack warriors, and that help was on the way. Hearing the howl of the pack wolves, the rogues seemed to almost pause, except the one Brenton was fighting. As he killed it, he saw three of them take off for the woods. His warriors came up the drive, three of them splitting off to follow the rogues that were leaving.

Farrah finally finished off the one rogue she had been fighting the whole time as the warrior wolves ran in. She was panting hard and decided it was time to begin training more seriously and get into shape. Turning, she found Everard laying on the ground, covered in blood and unmoving next to two dead rogues. Her wolf let out a whimper as she ran to him, shifting to cry out, “Everard!”

Falling to her knees next to him, she picked up his head and lay it on her knees as she begged, “Please, be okay Everard, please, please, please.”

His eyes blinked open, but they were cloudy and glazed with his pain.

Farrah began to move her hand over his body, looking for injuries. She found a few minor cuts and one major one on his stomach. When her hand came away from his stomach covered in blood, she had to choke back a sob as she whispered, “You’re going to be okay, Everard. We’ll get you patched up and you’ll be okay in no time.”

“Is he okay?”

Farrah looked up to find a man she didn’t know.

“I’m Chad, a warrior for Alpha Phillips,” the unknown man said.

Farrah nodded and said, “Sorry, I’m not sure who everyone is yet. Where is Alpha Phillips?”

“He went with the others to try and catch the rogues that ran. He wanted one alive, if possible, to get information from. I don’t see it happening, they’ve been pretty wily until now, but maybe we’ll get lucky,” Chad explained. “So, is he going to be okay?”

Farrah sighed as she looked down at Everard. His eyes were once more closed, and he was breathing harshly. She answered, “I think so, he just hasn’t fought in a long time. So, the fight took a lot out of him, and he was hurt. We need to get him patched up though before the bleeding leaves him even weaker than he already is.”

Wolf Everard’s eyes flickered open, and he whined.

“Can you shift back to your skin?” Chad asked, crouching down.

Wolf Everard turned his head to look at him. He shook it, “no”.

“His wolf is still weak from being malnourished for so long,” Farrah explained. “Maybe if he just lays there and gets some rest, he’ll be able to shift soon.”

“Hm…” Chad hummed as his gaze moved toward the forest line. He watched as three wolves burst through the tree line. Recognizing his alpha, he told her, “There is Alpha Phillips now.”

Two of the wolves stayed back, waiting for their alpha’s next command.

Brenton continued forward and in just moments he was in his skin and kneeling next to Everard, asking, “Everard, my wolf brother, are you okay?”

Wolf Everard whined low and reached up to lick a bit of blood from Brenton’s chest.

Brenton smiled as he ran his hand down Everard’s back. “I’m fine, just a few scratches, but you should see the other guy.”

Wolf Everard gave a slight nod and lay his head back down. He was once more panting as if the little effort of raising his head had tired him.

“I think he’s too weak to shift, Brenton, and he’s bleeding. He needs a doctor, maybe stitches,” Farrah said.

Brenton looked over at one of the warriors who had come back with him and said, “Jeff, quickly now, go get the doctor.”

Jeff gave a nod, turned, and took off down the road toward the Pack clinic.

Brenton then looked at the other and said, “Malcolm, go and gather a few men to dispose of the rogue bodies.”

Malcolm also gave a nod before taking off after Jeff.

“Did you catch the rogues?” Farrah asked.

“No, they managed to elude us somehow,” Brenton growled with an angry look. “We have to find out what they want. This can’t go on Farrah, it can’t!”

“I know, and we’ll figure it out,” Farrah told him. “For them to disappear someone must be helping them.”

“I agree because their scents disappeared at the highway,” Brenton huffed angrily. “I believe someone dropped them there, then picked them up when they returned.”

“Who helps rogues willingly?” Chad interjected to ask.

Brenton turned to look at Chad as if noticing him for the first time and angrily snapped, “Someone with death wishes if I ever catch them!”

Chad whined low and showed his neck in submission to his alpha.

Brenton sighed, rubbing his forehead as he murmured, “I’m going to hunt a deer for Everard. His wolf needs calories to make up for those lost in the fight. This will also help him heal faster.” He stood up and told Chad, “Stay here with them, hopefully, the doctor will be here soon. I have two other warriors checking the perimeter for more rogues but I’m pretty sure they’re gone. If you hear or see anything, howl a warning.”

“Yes, Alpha,” Chad agreed with another nod.

Brenton shifted and took off at a fast run toward the trees.

Farrah, beginning to feel exposed, lay wolf Everard’s head on the ground and stood up. Moving swiftly, she headed for the porch and grabbed her dress. Quickly putting it on, she went back to Everard and sat next to him. She began to rub his head without much thought as she gazed around her, constantly on the lookout for trouble.

“So, how does a woman like you end up with two mates?” Chad asked.

Farrah frowned up at him, puzzled by his question. So, she asked, “A woman like me?”

Chad shrugged and smirked. “You know, the bubbly outgoing type who plays the field and likes it that way.”

Farrah snorted and turned her face away from him. She could tell he thought highly of himself and probably had all the pack women in a swoon because he was cute. So, she said, “Go and bark up a different tree, Rover, this woman is happily taken.”

Chad grunted. “Rover? Look, I’m not interested in you, at all, I have my own mate. I’ve just never heard of a she-wolf having two mates before and will admit I’m having trouble believing it’s true, and I know I’m not the only one. I mean, we all know Everard had a mate and she was killed. That would make you his second mate, and Alpha’s first. So, I suppose my real question is, is it for real?”

“Oh, trust me, it’s very real,” Farrah informed him. “Nobody was more shocked than the three of us when we realized we were mates. We knew it was fated to be though because the feeling of the mate bond was too strong for questioning. We knew the moon goddess herself had blessed us and never dreamed of fighting it.” She chuckled as she remembered that first day and added, “Well, Brenton may have, mostly because of his anger with Everard, but it didn’t last long.”

“Are you happy?” Chad asked softly.

Farrah smiled down at wolf Everard as she ran her fingers over his head, scratching behind his ear lightly as she answered, “I am, we all are. I’d like to think we bring out the best in each other. Brenton says that I’m the glue that holds him and Everard together.” She laughed and wolf Everard opened his eyes to look at her. Leaning in to kiss his snout she said, “They were both hurting so much but now they have come together to lift each other up and the hurts are healing. The fact that they’re happy makes me happy.”

Chad looked away as two wolves came full speed down the driveway. They stopped in front of her, one lay a black bag next to wolf Everard that he’d been carrying in his teeth. The other wolf stayed a few feet back and out of the way. The one with the bag shifted to say, “Lady Alpha, I’m Doctor Pat.”

“Hi, I’m Farrah,” Farrah answered. “He has a large gash on his stomach. I think the bleeding has slowed but I’m thinking it might need stitches.”

Doctor Pat nodded and set to work. He finished up in record time, just as Brenton and another warrior came through the tree line with a deer between them.

As Brenton started across the field, his deer dragging behind him, a truck roared up the driveway and five men unloaded from the back. They quickly set about loading the bodies of the dead rogues on the back of the truck. Once they were finished, they left once more, leaving one man behind which Farrah assumed was Malcolm.

When wolf Brenton reached them, Doctor Pat moved back out of the way murmuring, “Alpha.”

Wolf Brenton dropped the deer, giving the doctor a nod before turning back to the deer. Using his sharp teeth and claws he began ripping into it. Ripping out a large piece of meat, he brought it over and held it over the muzzle of wolf Everard.

Wolf Everard’s eyes opened, and his nose twitched at the smell of the fresh kill. His tongue came out to lick his chops before his mouth opened wide.

Wolf Brenton lowered the piece of meat, dropping it inside Wolf Everard’s mouth. Once wolf Everard was chewing, wolf Brenton went for another piece. This went on for quite some time until wolf Everard refused to eat more. Wolf Brenton gave a nod to the warrior who had been with him and the two others who had come up at some point. The three of them began to dig into what was left of the deer and as soon as it was completely stripped of meat, they dragged what was left toward the woods, possibly to bury it.

Wolf Brenton carefully cleaned the blood off wolf Everard’s muzzle. He then shifted and asked, “How is he doc?”

“He’ll be fine with some rest,” Doctor Pat answered. “He’ll have to rest for a few hours, maybe even a day as malnourished as he is. This resting will give him a chance to heal a bit so that shifting to his skin won’t pull his stitches.” Doctor Pat stopped and gave a sad sigh as he pinched his nose between his forefinger and his thumb. “Alpha Phillips, Alpha Steward’s wolf is nothing but bones. I had a hard time stitching him because there was no give that comes with having a bit of extra flesh. I’ll be honest with you, in this condition, he should never have shifted in the first place.”

Brenton growled his anger showing in the clinching of his fist and his now narrowed eyes. The doctor bowed his head submissively.

Farrah reached over and took Brenton’s hand in hers to calm him. She whispered, “It’s okay, Brenton.”

“No, no, it isn’t!” Brenton shouted angrily, his face now red, the vein in his temple pulsing. “I shouldn’t have asked it of him because I knew he was in no shape to shift. We should have just waited until backup arrived…”

“No, Brenton,” she whispered as she cupped his cheek in her hand, turning him to look at her. “He is an alpha, before that a beta, he knew what he was doing when he agreed to fight. He knew you needed him, and he was willing to help you and me in doing what had to be done. You should be proud of him because it shows what he is capable of. He’s already lost so much, Brenton, don’t take his pride from him too.”

Brenton closed his eyes, and she gave him a gentle kiss as he breathed deeply to calm himself. “You’re right, and I am proud of him, proud to call him my wolf brother.”

“Good, now let’s get him inside,” Farrah said as she stood.

Brenton took wolf Everard up in his arms, causing him to whimper in pain. Brenton murmured, “Sorry, my wolf brother, but we need to get you inside.” He turned to Farrah and said, “In the hall, next to the master bedroom, is a linen closet. In there you will find some spare blankets, get one, and lay it on the floor of the front room. We’ll place him there for now.”

Farrah nodded and ran ahead of them. Opening the door, she left it open as she went to do Brenton’s bidding.

“I gave him something to take the pain and help him to relax Alpha,” Doc said. “He may relax to the point that he will randomly shift, but if this happens make sure his stitches are still intact. If they aren’t, give me a call and I’ll come back. The house phone should still be hooked up.”

“Thanks, Doc,” Brenton murmured. He then turned to Chad and said, “I need you to go back to the pack-house. Tell Beta Owen I need to talk to him. Also, I want at least ten warriors to begin patrolling this area for rogues since it looks as if we will be here for a while.”

“Yes, Alpha,” Chad murmured with a slight bow, showing his respect.

Brenton thought for a moment before adding, “Also, have some of the women come and clean, the house is a dusty mess.”

“Yes, Alpha, how many women do you need?” Chad asked.

“Five should do it,” Brenton answered. “I only need a couple of rooms cleaned. Now go.”

Chad shifted and took off, taking the doctor with him.

Brenton turned and carefully carried wolf Everard inside.