The Change (Fated Series: book1)

Brandon

(Blackwood’s party)

Brandon searched for Nessa in the crowd. It was his responsibility to make sure she was taken care of. He needed to do this for her.

As soon as the waterfall of chestnut curly tendrils came to view he found himself conflicted. He wanted to rush and bury his nose into that luxurious curtain of hair. Nessa always smelled nice, but tonight there was an unmistakable hint of arousal surrounding her. He couldn’t quite well distinguish if it was hers or imprinted from all of the mateless wolves eyeing her with pure lust. Nessa was oblivious of their attention, which made the brunette even more attractive. Her fitted black dress showcased her curves. Brandon’s instinct was to tell them off. But he couldn’t. She was no longer his mate, nor fell under his command. Yet, the Beast in him still recognized her as his, and urged to protect her.

Juliet’s warm hand touched Brandon’s arm, bringing him back to the conversation at hand. These were Juliet’s people, not his. He longed to accompany Nessa on her descent down the stairs.

The moment the three girls reached the bottom of the stairs, Vincent approached them. It figured the imposing Blackwood Gamma would monopolize his newly found mate. Brandon remembered the flutter in the stomach, the shakiness in his hands, and the excitement in his body with every touch they shared. Nothing even came close to compare with a Fated. That natural connection and the ease of communication created a level of comfort that cocooned the mated couple.

Brandon discreetly watched the little group. Nicole lost interest first and headed to the refreshment table, which left Nessa alone among wolves. She watched the dancing couples with longing that almost made Brandon forget about his predicament. He wished he could ask her to dance just to see her face lit up with excitement, just as he had remembered it. He was proud to say he was solely responsible for it. Breathless underneath him, bodies inter tangled, her hair spread across the pillow – that was exactly where Vanessa belonged.

As their eyes met, Nessa’s expression turned stern. Brandon wanted to be by her side in that instant. Something must have happened for her to lose her composure like that. But alas, he was no longer her Alpha. He could however survey the room for any possible threat. Nothing seemed out of place, or suspicious. Blackwood was safe and he doubted rogues had infiltrated the borders much less reached the Pack House.

Juliet’s laughter focused his attention on her, before she patted his chest.

“Oh, let’s dance, too, Brandon,” Juliet told him. He smiled back at her and pushed her hair away from her face in a loving gesture. Finally something to take his mind off Nessa.

Yet, he couldn’t.

Everything reminded him of Nessa. From the waltz, to the decor, it was her style. It almost seemed like someone was trying to specifically impress her. Was it just a coincidence?

No!

The Blackwood’s Beta must be responsible. That rake! Not a minute ago he was courting another she-wolf, but as soon as Nessa appeared, he was all over her. If his relaxed posture around her was any indication, they were friends. The Beta shook his head at something Nessa said. It made her smile, and it was then that Brandon wanted to march over and chaperone them.

Instead of taking his reply as final as any respecting pack wolf would do, Nessa challenged the Beta. She grabbed his hand in hers and tugged him towards the general direction of the dance floor. She leaned all of her weight to move him. There was no way Nessa would be physically able to move the huge mountain of muscles in front of her unless he changed his mind. Surprisingly, the Beta didn’t give much resistance, gently held her hand in his paws and moved as she directed. Nessa gave him a brilliant smile and allowed him to engulf her in his arms. They were dancing too close. Brandon’s blood boiled.

Brandon gulped realizing the Beta had to be the reason why she accepted his rejection. There was no other explanation of it. Brandon quickly reviewed what he knew about Beta Cameron. Which consisted of mostly nothing! Alpha Ned made his trips with his Third in Command, Vincent, and left the Beta to take care of the pack. Some care he was taking.

Marcus’ POV

(in his office)

As soon as Michelle and Vincent left to join the party downstairs, Marcus linked with Cameron. Michelle had given him a clue to Nessa’s past, a way to understand his mate and he was not going to waste it. His Beta was a fan of the novel, and if someone could help him cramp it down to the essentials in half an hour or less, it would be him. Marcus could taste the anticipation of victory when he surprises Nessa with understanding even Fated mates did not share.

He went and poured himself a glass of whiskey. Patience was his friend in the moment. No need to get all worked up for all the wrong reasons. Marcus smiled envisioning a different kind of work up which included a very willing Nessa.

Marcus scolded his wandering mind. His Beast wanted a mate, and it was bound to happen more often than not for his thoughts to linger and center on her, until they were mated. And for a lifetime afterwards, if Marcus had anything to say about it.

Cameron was expected any second now and Marcus was happy to know more about her. Although he would forever be under her magic, he could certainly work on demystifying some of the past Nessa chose to ignore. In his experience, Problems did not go away simply because they were unwanted. No. They festered and he vowed he would help Nessa have closure. They both needed that - individually and together as a Chosen couple. However, her needs would always supersede his. While he had time to mourn, how did you mourn the loss of someone who was not dead?

Nessa enjoyed texting now, didn’t she? The moment the thought bounced in his head, he fished out his cell phone from his pocket, rotating it between his fingers.

What to text?

He quickly wrote, I’m thinking of you. Too cheeky? Nah, he was never good at this. He hit sent as the door flung open and Cameron entered the Alpha’s office.

“What’s up, Boss?” Cameron asked, flopping on the empty sofa in front of the mahogany desk. While Cameron could be all strict and business with anyone else, he was more relaxed when it came to Marcus. They were friends for much longer than they were Alpha and Beta.

Marcus immediately detected Nessa’s delicious scent off his Beta. Cameron had kept her company, while Marcus was busy with his meeting. He would expect nothing less.

“You tell me,” Marcus suggested, internally debating if he should be pleased his Beta kept Nessa company, or infuriated because he spent time with her, and Marcus didn’t.

“Everyone is having a blast. And yes, despite my reservations Lee pulled it off. The music is surprisingly nice, the decor showcases in selfies, and even the overpriced food is edible,” Cameron reported. “You said, this was important.”

Cameron noted the urgency in the mindlink communication they had.

“Are you in a hurry?”

“Well, no. But you,” Cameron shrugged then continued, “I would hurry to wrap things up because our girl is smoking.”

“Our?” Marcus caught on the preposition, still debating if he should be jealous or impressed of the acceptance Cameron showed for his new Luna.

“Well, yeah. She is my ticket out of this hellhole,” Cameron’s fingertip encircled the paperwork on Marcus’ desk. “I kept her some company but I don’t compare.”

Cameron wiggled his eyebrows at his Alpha.

Marcus cracked a smile. Cameron had a way to include paperwork in any conversation. At times Marcus wondered if it was just a habit, an excuse he so often gave against stepping up as an Alpha, that sounded convincing enough for people. The fact remained, if Cameron was more than capable to ascend to an Alpha rank be great at it. However that also meant Marcus would be berserk. Gone. Nessa was Cameron’s last hope, he would not lose his best friend.

“Where’s the novel?” Marcus shot at Cameron. Only time could tell if the Chosen mating could balance off his decline.

“Right. Now you’re in a hurry,” Cameron chuckled, dropping the book in front of his Alpha. “How come it isn’t a chick lit any longer?”

Marcus eyed the novel. The book was a darn brick. There had to be a better way to get through it instead of reading it. Marcus was looking right at him. Cameron was a walking Google for everything ‘Taken’.

“You read it,” Marcus started, unsure of what to ask.

“In one breath. You’d be surprised how realistic it is. For a while there I thought Devenheart was a shifter. The way the book ended was too open for my taste. I guess there will be a second book, but I expected the death of her so-called mate. Piece of shit,” Cameron commented passionately. As the Alpha actively listened instead of jesting about the sex scenes, Cameron asked, “What changed?”

“Miss Devenheart,” Marcus smiled at the pen-name. It depicted the sass Nessa carried in her heart, “might have unwillingly brought attention to our doings.”

“Wow, she’s pack? In our pack,” Cameron quickly deduced then quickly shot, “Who?”

“Vanessa,” the name rolled off Marcus’ tongue smoothly.

“For real,” Cameron exclaimed, waiting for Marcus to say he was joking. Marcus wanted to growl at him. Nessa was no joke. She was his Chosen. Marcus would have scolded his Beta for questioning the level of confidence of his information, but his mind reached the she-wolf in question. It wasn’t as easy to establish a mindlink with her as with other pack member, but there weren’t many mateless wolves either. He felt through the link for any signs of pain or discomfort. Marcus’ first priority was to his Chosen, even if it felt like reading through a frosted glass. Her wolf was still as withdrawn as the day they mate.

“Wow,” Cameron replied and then inquired, “Is Pack Law here for her?”

“We can’t be certain,” Marcus replied.

“They could be investigating the realistic portraying of Shifter’s culture in her book. She made Pack Order look sound like a cross between FBI and CIA only to be outsmarted by a Beta. That had to hurt.”

“How much trouble are we looking at?” Marcus inquired about worst case scenario.

“It is still a work of fiction, but will go towards credibility,” Cameron started thinking loud, only for excitement to show on his tone, “She is writing. She has to be now that you guys are together. Oh, I can’t wait.”

“Pack Law are either trying to intimidate her, or force our plan,” Marcus replied.

“Do you want me to scan her computer?”

“No, the last thing we need is for her to think we are worse than Pack Law. She’ll tell us when she is ready. I heard that the novel is autobiographical,” Marcus prompted.

“That’s rumored yes. But… if it is true, I don’t see how she’d be with us today. In the book, the main heroine was marked, claimed and mated without a second claim before that ass started cheating on her and eventually chose someone else. That had to hurt more than the mere rejection itself had they not been intimate. I don’t think any wolf could survive it, much less be functional enough to write about it.”

“I have it on good authority the raw emotions are hers,” Marcus thought back at the things Michelle had said. It still seemed strange how she volunteered information about Nessa without so much as an inquiry. Best friends did that, or so Marcus heard. He still wanted to hear the whole story from Nessa’s sinful lips.

“Nevermind how the rejection part went down,” Cameron spoke. “How messed up do you have to be to give up on your Fated? Who would do that?”

“It beats me,” Marcus answered.

“You started bonding with her, didn’t you?” Cameron asked his voice sounding hopeful. Marcus didn’t object. “Wow! Congrats, man,” Marcus flashed him a signature smirk. Nessa was a catch and Marcus was darn proud of her. “No Alpha Cameron. Sweet. When is the ceremony?”

“Nessa doesn’t feel the pull because of her withdrawn wolf. Her Fated mate deserves to die painfully slow,” Marcus concluded. “She needs time to process it without a wolf. I am worried she’d be a target because of who she is to me. So until further notice, I’ll give her time before I mark her. Then we’ll make it official.”

“You’re right. She will be a target regardless. At least if she has your mark, she will have protection from our allies. Worth the thought,” Cameron shrugged.

“I don’t want to rush her,” Marcus replied.

“You might not get a choice, Boss. She’d be in Heat maybe a little later than normal because of her withdrawn wolf. But she will need you. You know how easy it is to start a rumor. You might not care, but Nessa keeps to herself. She might want time to reassure herself that you’re her Chosen, but I guarantee you she wouldn’t appreciate noisy pack members. Better get it done and over with. Then the pack will chill and give her some time to acclimate,” Cameron proposed.

Marcus grit his teeth, unwilling to admit he never once thought about HEAT.

“Also in the spirit of putting the past to rest, you two need to talk,” Cameron outlined.

Marcus scratched his neck, realizing his Beta’s point. There were things that needed to be said so their relationship wasn’t burdened by the past. It was just easier to ignore the common sense when he was together with Nessa as other more pressing things were quickly taking priority.

It was going to be a long night.

Nessa’s POV

(receiving Marcus’ text message)

“I’m thinking about you.”

The message Marcus sent her was bothering her to no end. The moment she saw it, she wanted to reply, “Think less, do more”. But how sassy could she be with him? And what did she really want from him? The conversation with Alpha Lee kept ringing in her ears. He had the audacity to give her permission to sleep with Marcus but not to expect his heart or title. Although Lee was clueless to the extent of her relationship with Marcus, she could easily see how others would arrive at the same conclusion. Alpha Ned was an eligible widower and would be the focus of interest of many she-wolves who saw him as an opportunity.

Nessa wanted Marcus. Rank was something irrelevant. Actually, she corrected herself, it would have been easier had he not been an Alpha. But when life decided to give you a Chosen, you didn’t get to ponder on the challenges that came along. You braved them.

Nessa took a deep breath. She decided, she was offended by the implication she was only good for some fun time for which she was expected to be paid for with gifts. Darn it, if that didn’t go against all feminine. Although Nessa wanted to punch Lee in the face, she decided life would deal him appropriate punishment. Karma was a bitch, and Nessa decided to focus on making sure nothing she did would come bite her in the future than to dwell on the small minded Alpha Lee.

Truth was, Nessa wanted everything. She needed Marcus’ attention, his affection and love, not to mention all those fun nights which even Lee was so generous enough to permit her to have.

She took a deep breath as her finger pivoted towards the send button. Should she send it or should she send a more casual message, ‘Where are you?’ which sounded just as good.

Nah. If she was going to reply, she might as well be herself. Marcus was the one to inform her they were Chosen mates, so it was time to test it.

“Think less, do more.”

That ought to do it and summon him. Nessa was done waiting patiently for him to show up. She was here for him, and could have cared less about the event. If he didn’t show, then Nicole’s idea to switch venues suddenly became appealing.

Marcus’s POV

Just as Marcus was about to open the door to his office, his cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He smiled at the notification and quickly opened the text.

“Think less, do more.”

Oh, the little minx did not know the half of it. She was all he could think about even without the sassier text. Now that he knew she shared his vision of what to do, he intended to find her and give her a smart ass reply in person. He only had to think of a way to tease her with the sexual undertone to the “Do” in her message.

As soon as the door opened, Marcus came face to face with Alpha Lee.

“I need a word,” Lee announced and made a bee-line around Marcus and to the mini bar in the den. Marcus took a deep breath trying to calm the beast in him who wanted his mate. It didn’t help to catch Nessa’s scent on Lee. Marcus felt jealous that yet another wolf had spent time with her while he was trapped in his office conducting meetings.

“Can this wait?”

“No. Won’t you offer me some of the good whiskey you keep in your drawer?” Lee inquired and eyed his desk. Marcus sighed and went to retrieve the bottle. By then Lee had made himself comfortable in one of the chairs, while two glasses were already set out on the little coffee table in front of him. Marcus handed him the bottle.

“So much for your hospitality,” Lee shook his head and poured the amber liquid in the two glasses, giving one to Marcus. It wasn’t the first nor the last time Lee helped himself to Marcus’ whiskey. He accepted the glass, allowing time for Lee to compose himself. Whatever Lee wanted to discuss, was pretty import or else Lee wouldn’t be this upset. Lee’s defense mechanism was goofing and it would only serve to waste even more of Marcus’ precious time. Time which Marcus could spend with Nessa. He wondered what she was doing. As the silence stretched, Marcus decided to text her back a flirty reply.

“I thought, you wanted to wait.”

He smiled at the text before sending it. That should keep her busy.

“Don’t tell me your next play toy is a human,” Lee commented assuming texting would be only a form of communication with a human.

Marcus gave him a cold stare, and wondered why suddenly Lee’s freshness was a major source of annoyance instead of entertainment. “Either way, you might want to look out for Vanessa,” Lee cautioned him.

Vanessa. That was why! Marcus was impatient because Rylee smelled like Nessa. He needed some alone time with her, so his Beast would finally settle. Marcus badly wanted to kiss her senseless and leave a lasting scent on her, so nobody would trouble her. His possessiveness was getting slightly out of control. With this rate, he was going to mark her before the evening was over.

“What about Nessa?”

“She wants to be a Luna,” Lee said and drank some from his glass.

“Oh, does she now,” Marcus laughed willing to entertain Lee’s thought process. If Nessa just wanted to be Luna, she wouldn’t have pushed him away or would have jumped at the opportunity the moment he mentioned them being mates. “Did she actually say that?”

Because if she had then that would resolve all Marcus’ problems and moral dilemmas. He could just mark, claim and mate her by tonight’s end. It sounded too easy to be true.

“Well, not in so many words. I informed her not to have grand ideas for your title, or she’d have to answer to me. Do you know what she did? She laughed and told me to see how the conversation goes when I ask you about your intentions. What’s going on, Marcus?”

“She told you to ask me for my intentions,” Marcus repeated with a grin. Lee nodded. “And you came here to do so?” Another nod. Marcus chuckled. Nessa had remarkably succeeded where no other she-wolf had. She had bossed Lee and the poor bastard didn’t even notice he was carrying out her will. The Alpha authority was rubbing onto Nessa nicely and it made Marcus proud. “She’s special.”“You can’t let a she-wolf go around telling stories. She is a social climber.”

“Careful now. She just bossed you and you felt for it,” Marcus smiled watching Rylee fume at the realization. “Serves you right for threatening her. She’s mine and I would hate to have to break that pretty nose of yours if you upset her.”

“Yours?” Lee’s interest peaked. “As in you are sleeping with her?”

“She’s my mate, so choose carefully what you are going to say next,” Marcus warned him.

“Wow,” Lee exclaimed as he did not expect this development then shook his head. “I didn’t see that coming! What are you going to do?”

“Claim and bond with her, of course. The only issue is the timing.”

“Sucks to be you, man.” Lee toasted then took another gulp from his glass.

“She’s all worth it,” Marcus felt his cell vibrate and opened her text.

‘Bring your sexy behind, or I am ditching the party.’

He smirked quickly replying, ‘Sexy behind? I thought you liked my front better!’

“Is that her?” Lee caught on the Marcus’ happiness. “Why doesn’t she link you?”

“Her wolf is withdrawn,” Marcus shortly explained. He fully intended on making her wolf resurface.

“Why?”

“Have you forgotten how Choice Mates work?”

“Chosen mates are between wolves who lost their intended mate or between humans and wolves. Damn, he died?”

“Not yet, but he will wish he was as soon as figure out who he is. The SOB cheated and rejected her,” Marcus replied and as his phone vibrated again.

’Ur front is not bad. But I am surrounded by handsome wolves.’

Damn that little minx. The implication was clear. She was testing his jealousy or possessiveness, either way, this was her way to summon him by her side. Wise! But he was smarter. He texted back.

’But they are not Alphas.’

She would not boss him as she did Lee. His wolf though was getting worked up at her suggestion that she could seek comfort elsewhere.

“I have to go,” Marcus told Lee.

“I don’t blame you. With the way she looks tonight, I hardly qualify as enjoyable company,” Lee said knowingly. Marcus growled in frustration. That served to confirm his suspicion. She looked ravishing tonight for Lee to have decided to comment on her looks.

Marcus’ Iphone flashed a message, ’They might not be Alphas, but I bet you they have all the right parts.”

That was it!

Marcus acknowledged Lee with a short nod then stormed off the room. As soon as the door opened, Marcus’ ears were assaulted by a cacophony of sounds, voices and music; an array of scents of pack, visiting wolves and Pack Law. The natural response was to tone down his senses and to experience the event as a human would. But even if Marcus saw a point in building anticipation in meeting her, the text he received from her made it clear she was impatient. The frustration she projected in their mindlink, allowed Marcus to effortlessly track her to a quieter corner where she was having a hushed conversation with a Pack Law wolf. Marcus immediately felt jealous from the privacy of their conversation. It wasn’t until rage flashed through Nessa’s eyes, Marcus’ stand relaxed. She was his.

But when the Pack Law wolf grabbed her arm, Marcus flushed all careful planning down the proverbial drain.

Pack Law may go to hell!

Nobody manhandled HIS MATE!