"Thank the fates," Sin said. "There is no way we want her to go through the change unless absolutely necessary. None of us know what the transformation will do to her body."

"Youre right," Michael said. "We arent about to do anything that will harm our mate."

"Plus theres the fact sh.e.l.l have to drink our blood. Can you see her doing that?" Taylor asked.

Mari had been about to walk into the kitchen when she heard the men discussing what shed decided. Tessa had hurried away when Stefan had called to her. The sweet little boy had been standing at the top of the stairs with a cheeky grin on his face, looking flushed from his nap. All Mari had wanted to do was go up the stairs, pick him up, and cuddle him, but since he wasnt her child shed changed direction and headed for her men.

Anger began to simmer deep inside, and even though she knew they were trying to protect her, they were making decisions about her life without discussing it with her. She was more than a little piqued that they hadnt sought her out to talk to her. Instead they were talking with Tessas mates.

At the mention of her drinking blood, she felt all the blood drain from her face and turned away. Maybe they were right after all. She was just a human woman and didnt really have any idea what she had been asking for.

Her stomach roiled as the picture of her drinking blood from their wrists like some vampire formed in her brain, and she headed toward the front door on shaky legs.

What were you thinking, Mari? Just the smell of blood makes you feel sick. You are deranged if you think you could drink it without barfing.

Mari stood on the top step of the main house and breathed in deeply. She was thankful the fresh air dissipated her nausea. The anger that had been simmering in her gut waned, and she realized that her men were right this time. Right at this moment, she felt rather insignificant. From what shed been told, she and Tessa were the only women who werent werewolves.

Although it didnt seem to bother Tessa any, it bothered Mari. Shed never had to rely on anyone for protection or anything for that matter, but she knew that Taylor, Sin, and Michael only had her best interests at heart.

She realized that she had walked quite a distance away from the main house, and since shed been lost in her thoughts shed meandered pa.s.sed the cabin she was sharing with her mates and deep into the trees. She turned around in a circle, trying to get her bearings, but she couldnt see any buildings and had no idea where she was or how far shed come.

Mari felt a bit stupid for having wandered off, and although she knew she could call to her men using their mind link, she didnt want them to castigate her about her lack of diligence. So she took a deep breath and started walking, hoping it was in the right direction. She stopped again after about fifteen minutes when she thought that she should have been able to see some of the cabins by now and knew she was hopelessly lost.

Just as she was about to reach out to her men, she heard a low, rumbling growl and turned to face the bushes. Golden, glowing eyes shined out from amongst the branches and foliage, and her heart started to race. Mentally cursing her foolishness, she started to back away. The wolf that came out from the brush was huge, causing her fear to ramp up another notch. And then the lines of the wolfs body began to go fuzzy and she watched in a kind of horrified awe as the wolf changed to a man.

Maris face heated when she faced a naked Ashton, and she turned her face away from his nakedness.

"What the h.e.l.l are you doing out here by yourself?"

"Um...I was just thinking and didnt notice where I was walking."

"d.a.m.n it, Mari. You cant do that. You could end up getting hurt."

"So you know about the danger?" Mari asked.

"Of course I do." Ashton took a step toward her only to stop. He c.o.c.ked his head and then sniffed the air. "s.h.i.t! We have to get out of here." He moved closer and gripped her upper arm before leaning down and whispering in her ear. "Call your men. Now!"

Mari stumbled when he shoved her away but was able to keep herself from falling by clinging to the branch of a tree.

"I always knew you were a coward, Con."

Maris heart stuttered in her chest, and fear like shed never known before permeated her heart and soul. She moved behind the trunk of the large tree and peeked out from behind.

A muscular wolf with a scraggly brown coat of fur slowly stalked toward Ashton. The sounds coming from its mouth made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.

"Taylor, Sin, Michael, I need you."

"Mari, whats wrong, baby?"

"I...Oh s.h.i.t."

"Mari!" Sin yelled.

Mari was too scared to reply. The wolf had just leapt into the air and was on top of Ashton before she could shout a warning. She didnt even see Ashton change into his wolf form because she was looking around for something to use as a weapon. When she spied the thick, short branch on the ground, she hurried over to it and picked it up.

When she looked back to see the two wolves snapping, snarling, and biting each other, her stomach flipped over. The black wolf yelped when the brown one bit down on its leg and blood began to pour from the wounds. The black wolf released the other ones leg, and as its back legs bunched, the claws on its front paws slashed at Ashtons belly, ripping it open. The brown wolf crouched over the injured wolf, and then it turned its head and pinned her with its gaze.

Mari knew she was in deep s.h.i.t and her first instinct was to run, but there was no way she could outrun a wolf. So she tightened her grip on the branch and faced it head-on as she slowly stepped away from the tree. She needed more room to move. The last thing she needed was to lose the branch in her hands by hitting the tree trunk.

"Mari, were on our way," Michael said.

"Hurry."

He moved away from Ashton and then changed back to his human. "That f.u.c.king coward is going to know what its like to live without you," Con snarled as he took a step closer. "He killed the love of my life. Hes not going to live a long, happy life if I cant."

Mari took another step back and gripped the branch hard, the bark abrading the skin on her palms. She was so scared, but she wasnt going to go down without a fight. But when she looked into Con's cold, crazed gaze, she wondered if she would survive. There was absolute fury and insanity there.

"Spicer was mine. He took my heart away. Now I will take his."

A loud howl rent the air, followed by two more, and it was really hard not to drop the branch and take off running. Mari took a deep breath and tried to calm her fear as Con changed back to his wolf, but when faced with the huge beast, which was currently creeping toward her with murder in its eyes, she knew didnt stand a chance.

All of a sudden the wolf leapt off the ground, heading straight for her throat. Mari made herself wait until the last possible minute, and then she swung the branch with all her might straight at the wolfs head before jumping to the side.

The sickening crunch of the wood connecting with the wolfs skull turned her stomach, but she quickly jumped to the side, keeping him in her sights. That was Maris downfall. She had no idea there was another wolf nearby until it was too late.

Taylor's heart stopped beating in his chest when he heard Maris fearful call. He shoved his chair back and was on his feet running before he realized hed moved. He didnt have to look back to see if Sin and Michael were following him. He could smell the fear emanating off them for their mate. But that wasnt all he smelled. His Alpha and Betas were right on their heels.

He didnt stop to remove his clothes when he barged through the front door to the main house. There wasnt time. He called to his wolf as he jumped from the top step, and by the time his four paws. .h.i.t the ground, his clothes had ripped and fallen away from his body. He sniffed the air and latched onto Maris apple-cinnamon scent and sprinted away. He had a moment of panic when he ran around in a large circle, but then he shot forward toward his mate.

He heard the faint snarls of wolves fighting and he nearly stumbled with fear when a yelp of pain drifted on the air, and he prayed like hed never prayed before that Mari was safe.

The loud scream of terror and pain was almost too much to bear, but he pushed himself forward and ran faster than hed ever run in his life. The scene that greeted him was one he hoped to never see again. And the rage that hed been keeping at bay surged up through his body until every muscle began to quiver. Con was on his side and looked like hed been knocked out. There was blood on his head, but the f.u.c.ker was still breathing.

But what made him see red was one of the Sigmas from his pack with his mouth locked onto Maris arm. Blood was trickling from Waynes mouth, and it looked like hed bitten his mate to the bone.

Taylor surged forward and went straight for the f.u.c.kers throat. He growled as his teeth closed around the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds esophagus and bit down hard. Blood pooled in his mouth, but he didnt care. All the mattered was killing him so he could get to Mari. He let his animal take over, shaking his head back and forth in a frenzy of rage until he knew that Wayne was dead. He spat out the blood and tissue just as Con rose to his paws. He was about to pounce, but Sin beat him too it.

Sin leaped onto Con's back and sank his teeth deep. Con spun around fast, his wolf body bucking, but he wasnt able to throw Sin off. Sin used his larger wolf body to push the a.s.shole to the ground, and then Taylor heard bone crack when Sin severed the p.r.i.c.ks spine and no doubt his spinal cord, too.

Taylor pushed his wolf back and then hurried over to Mari. He knelt down at her side and tore open her sleeve. Blood continued to seep from her arm at a rapid rate. He applied pressure, hoping to stem the flow, but it didnt seem to be helping. Sin and Michael raced over to help.

"We need to change her," Michael said in a hoa.r.s.e voice.

Taylor swallowed around the lump of fear lodged in his throat, and although he couldnt reply, he nodded his head. He could see that Mari was losing too much blood, and if they wanted to save their mate, their only recourse was to give her their blood. He lifted his wrist to his mouth and tore into his own flesh with his canines. Sin pried her mouth open, and Taylor held his arm over it. He held still as his life-giving essence dripped into her mouth and prayed to the fates that she would survive. Michael leaned forward and began to ma.s.sage her throat, and tears burned his eyes when she swallowed convulsively. When hed gauged that hed given her enough blood, he moved back and allowed Sin to do the same.

By the time theyd all given Mari their DNA, the rest of the pack had arrived.

Lucien was giving orders for the bodies to be removed, and Rafe was helping Gabe with Ashton. Ashton was already healing, but it would be a few days before he was back to full speed.

Taylor checked Maris arm and was pleased to see that the bleeding had slowed and the jagged edges of her wounds seemed to be starting to heal. And thats when he knew she wouldnt be taken from them.

He carefully pulled her into his arms and held her against his body while Sin and Michael bound her injuries. When they were done, Taylor stood adjusted Mari in his arms and headed back to their cabin. He and his friends needed to clean their mate up and get her settled in bed. She was going to need a lot of rest to recover from blood loss and her wounds.

"Do you want me to call a doctor?" Lucien asked when he caught up to them.

"No," Taylor replied in a raspy voice. "We gave her our blood."

"You did the only thing you could." Lucien squeezed his shoulder. "She was bleeding out, Taylor."

Taylor nodded, knowing that Lucien was right. He and his friends hadnt wanted to change their mate, but he hadnt hesitated when her life was in jeopardy. He couldnt bear the thought of losing Mari. He hurried up the steps and walked over the threshold with Mari in his arms when Sin held the door open.

Michael rushed ahead and went straight to the bathroom to fill the tub. Between the three of them, they had her clean, dry, and in bed fifteen minutes later. Taylor didnt want to leave her side, but he was covered in blood so he headed to the shower. Sin was stepping out just as he entered the bathroom again, and Michael was sitting next to Mari, holding her hand.

There was no way in h.e.l.l they were leaving her alone. Not until shed gone through the transformation and woken up. Taylor stepped in the shower and under the hot water. Normally he wouldnt hurry and would enjoy the water flowing over his body, but this time he washed quickly and was walking back into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around his waist in about two minutes flat. He didnt even want to take the time to put some clean clothes on. He climbed onto the bed next to Mari and stared at her beautiful pale face, listening to each breath she took.

"Any change?"

Michael shook his head, and then he, too, went to shower. Sin was lying on Maris other side, watching their mate like a hawk. "At least we now know who was targeting you."

"Yeah." Taylor paused to swallow. "I just wish I had figured it out before Mari got hurt. G.o.d, she nearly died and its all my fault."

"No. You cant blame yourself, Taylor. Mari wouldnt blame you, and she sure as h.e.l.l wouldnt blame you for what someone else does."

"That doesnt make the guilt go away. It was my job to keep her safe. I didnt do that."

"It was our job," Sin said. "Do you blame me and Michael for her getting hurt?"

"No."

"Then how can you blame yourself."

"They were members of my pack. I knew someone was p.i.s.sed about the amalgamation. I should have spent more time trying to find the source of the angst. If I had, she may never have been injured."

"You dont know that, Taylor," Michael said as he entered the bedroom.

"I should have realized that Con would hold a grudge. He and Spicer were lovers."

"So?" Sin said. "Just because they f.u.c.ked each other doesnt mean anything."

"I always thought that there was something off with him."

"You mean crazy, dont you?"

"Yeah, I guess he was lacking a hairball or two."

"What about the other guy?" Michael asked.

"Wayne was one of Spicers cousins. A second cousin. He never seemed to care about Spicer one way or the other. I was keeping a close watch on Ridge and Chad. Id even heard Wayne spouting off to the other Sigmas about what a douche bag his Alpha was and didn't even think he was a threat. I guess blood is thicker than water after all."

"Dont beat yourself up, Taylor. You couldnt have known that he would be bent on revenge."

"But I should have," Taylor all but shouted. "I fought for the position of Alpha. I should have known what the f.u.c.k was going on with the Nomad Pack."

"No, that was my job."

Taylor, Sin, and Michael turned to face Lucien. Palmer, Edison, and Barrett were standing in the doorway behind Lucien. Primrose pushed her way through the men and hurried to Maris side, nudging Sin aside so she could sit close to her friend.

"Im sorry, Primrose," Taylor said in a quiet voice.

"G.o.d, you men are such idiots." She met each of their gazes before looking at Lucien. "How the h.e.l.l are you expected to know what everyone is going to do? Are you mind readers?"

"No," Taylor replied.

"Are you psychics?" This time her gaze was locked to Luciens, but none of them answered the rhetorical question.

"How the h.e.l.l were you to know that Mari would wander off? The only way you will know where she is at all times is to keep her under lock and key. Do you think that she will accept that? That any of the women living here would?"

Lucien sighed, and then to Taylors surprise he smirked at Prim before winking at her. "Prims right. We cant keep our women and children locked up. That would smother them and they would come to resent us. s.h.i.t happens! Life happens, and we just have to hope that the fates keep us safe."

"Hallelujah." Prim sighed. "You three need to go and get dressed. I promise to stay with Mari and Ill let you know if theres any change."

Taylor nodded and, after a last look at his mate, left to get some clothes on. He headed to the kitchen, where he could hear all the other men talking. Even though he felt a little better after Prims revelation, he wasnt going to be able to settle until Marigold was awake. He didnt think she would be upset that they had changed her into a werewolf. Especially after shed already asked Tessa, but reality was often harder to accept than theory.

But that didnt matter anymore. What mattered was that he and his friends stood by her side to help her through her first change and to make sure that she was happy and knew that she was loved.

Chapter Thirteen.

"Thank you, Prim," Mari whispered and then tried to moisten her dry lips by licking them, but it didnt help since her tongue felt as dry as a desert, too.

"Mari! Oh my G.o.d. Weve been so worried about you," Primrose whispered back and took Maris hand in hers.

Mari opened her eyes and stared at her friend. She seemed so much more vibrant than she remembered. After glancing around the room and noticing that everything seemed brighter with more clarity than she expected, she didnt need to ask her friend the why of it. She knew immediately that her men had changed her into a werewolf.

"How long have I been out?" She glanced toward the window and noticed it was dark, but to her amazement she could still see everything beyond the gla.s.s as if it were daylight.

"Half a day. Your mates got to in you the nick of time. They saved you from being killed."