My Mystery Mate Ch. 06-08

Joe moved his hand over to her bare tanned leg, the tingles running through his fingers as he did so. He was shocked that she couldn't remember, but she had suffered a serious head injury so maybe it was to be expected. She was still looking out the window, and he could see the tear moving down her cheek. His wolf was howling in him that his mate was in pain. "You don't remember your name, or where you are from?"

She shook her head. "I can't remember anything before waking up this morning. I remember waking up next to you, wondering if you were a fling I had because there wasn't any luggage, anything except your clothes in the hotel." He growled a little at the thought of being a fling, but she continued. "My cat doesn't remember either. I try to remember, but I can't and it makes my head hurt when I concentrate too much."

Without taking his eyes off the road, he moved his hand to cover hers. "It's all right, we'll figure it out together. We had to leave suddenly, before the men got to you." He held her hand as she relaxed into him and looked his way. Joe explained from the beginning what she had missed; finding her almost dead in the river, and the realization she was his second chance mate. How he got his Alpha to bringing them to the El Paso Pack hospital. The extent of her injuries and what he had done while she was in the coma. The implants in her body, one containing a code and the other a timer designed to kill her if not removed in time. He told her everything Richard had done to get them out of there before the Telluride wolves could get to her and kill her.

She had closed her eyes for part of it then started sobbing. "None of this makes sense! I'm not a bad person, I know that, and my cat is upset that I'm being blamed for all this."

He slowed down as they passed a farm, out front was a Harley Davidson for sale. "My love, we will figure out your past, but know one thing... you and I have a future together. Luna doesn't make mistakes, she gave us each other to help each other through this. I don't care if every other person in the world is against us, I will be by your side until my last breath." She sniffed a few times, a look of confusion on her face. "Do you know about wolves and mates?"

She thought for a moment then shook her head no. "If I ever learned, I can't remember. I can't remember a lot of things." She moved her fingers up his muscled arm, enjoying the tingles that radiated from them. "Why does it feel like that when I touch you?"

"It's part of the mate bond. Wolves believe they have a soul mate, a destined, one person the Goddess has made to be their other half. Without that person, we can never be complete or truly happy. That person becomes the most important part of our life, and their happiness our goal. To help us find that person, we use scent. Wolves recognize their other half by it, and the tingles when we touch confirm we are meant for each other."

"But I'm not a wolf, I'm a cat. I don't remember what kind of cat, but my inner cat speaks to me and in my mind I can see her slinking around, sleek, black and powerful." She closed her eyes and communed quickly with her cat, who roared in her mind.

"I've never heard of it before, but werecats are not very common. Until I met you, no one I knew had even met one. Luna works in mysterious ways. If she made you my mate, then there is a reason for it." He smiled and rubbed her thigh, causing her to stretch into it as she moaned.

"So I don't understand, you said I am your second chance mate, right? Where is your real mate?" She was instantly sorry she asked, the pain flashing across his face could not be hidden. "You don't have to tell me, I just need to know if she is still out there. I don't want to get in the middle of something."

He took his hand in hers. "No, she's gone." He wiped a tear away then took her hand again. "Her name was Daria. I rescued her from some Cartel smugglers a little over a year ago; she was human, but we fell in love. We only had a few days together, I was waiting for permission to turn her into a wolf when she was killed by drug smugglers." He focused on the road for a while, she squeezed his hand as her own eyes teared up. "She was my everything, even for that short time. I would have killed myself right there if my desire for revenge wasn't so high. It took a while, but I found and killed the man who had ordered her death, and then I was going to wander out into the wilderness and find a way to end it, just to be with her."

"So what happened?"

"Renee Hastings happened, like a force of nature that she is. She is the Alpha Female who turned the man responsible over to me so I could have my revenge. In return, she made me pledge that I would find a way to live, to move on, maybe to find happiness again." He looked in her eyes then back to the road. "Her mate had been killed only days after they met. She was going to kill herself too, but when she found herself pregnant she had something to live for. She later found her second chance mate in the Alpha of the Gila Pack. She's happy now, she has twins that will be a year old soon. She's an amazing young woman. Just like my Daria. It wasn't easy, but I found ways to keep going until I found you. You are the second chance Luna has given me. Now I live for you."

She looked out again. "All this talk is making my head hurt again."

By this time, they had reached the house of the man selling the Harley. Opening up the center console, Joe took the cash inside and put it in his pocket. "We're going to have to change vehicles, we don't know if any of those wolves at the hotel saw it, plus they might have security camera footage. Follow me when I leave, and we'll find a place to stash the Explorer. Meantime, you can put all our stuff including the guns into bags."

Twenty minutes later, Joe was roaring out of the driveway on the 2002 Harley Electra Glide. They drove to the nearest town and parked at a mall. "This will be good, it will blend in and take a while to find. Can you help me load up the Harley with our stuff?" She nodded as she got out. They made short work of it, they didn't have much. He unscrewed the silencers from two of the pistols, then they each put one in the small of their back under the belts. He kissed her gently, raising back up he chuckled at her holding her hand over her mouth trying to figure it out. The mate bond was getting stronger with every minute they were together. "Come on, we need riding clothes. Bring the cellphones we took, I have an idea." On the way in, they put phones in the back of various trucks and autos; laughing, they thought of how many dead ends the wolves would be chasing down if they tried to track them.

Twenty minutes later, they came back out dressed in boots, jeans, T-shirts and matching leather motorcycle jackets. The large zipper pockets fit the pistols on one side, silencer and extra magazines on the other. Putting the extra clothes in the saddlebags, he took the burner cellphones out of their packages and removed the batteries. "They can't track them without power, so we will only use these when we have to, and only once per phone. We'll destroy it after each use, that's why I got so many." He put all but one in storage, then got on the motorcycle and fired it up. They both put on helmets then she got on behind him, plugging in they verified they were able to talk to each other. "I never asked, but can you drive a motorcycle?"

"I think so." They pulled out into traffic, she was enjoying the feeling of being so close to the big wolf she had started to think of as her own. "Maybe when we are away from everything I can try it."

"That would be good to know, but not now, I'm not riding bitch on my own bike." She smacked his had stomach, and he laughed at her reaction. "Now, any other questions you have?"

"Yes... how does mating work for a wolf?"

Joe flinched slightly, this was the part he'd been dreading, so he figured he'd just tell her everything he did and hope she forgave him. "We already talked about how mates recognize each other by scent and the tingling sensation, right? Well, the next step is they mark each other by biting the junction of the neck and shoulder of the other; the mating mark doesn't heal completely, it leaves visible scar tissue as a sign, kind of a wolf version of a wedding band. It also causes the mate's scent to become a part of your own, further letting everyone know you are taken. By biting the other, it also starts a connection between our emotions. And this is where I have to apologize."

She put her chin on his shoulder. "Apologize for what?"

"Marking someone is an irreversible act; it is reserved for those who accept the bond and agree to be marked. Marking someone against their will is a major offense among wolves, it's been likened to rape, but the evidence is permanent. The bond doesn't undo itself. Feel your neck."

She put her fingers inside her T-shirt, and felt the ridges of scar tissue from his teeth on the front and back. "You marked me." She looked back at him with shock and fear in her eyes.

"Yes, and I can't tell you how sorry I am. We were on the run, my wolf was going nuts that those men were coming for you, and I lost control and marked you. My wolf wanted the bond because he thought he could protect you better if he could feel your thoughts, your emotions. It also allowed me to take some of the pain from you, and helped with your healing. Still, I shouldn't have done it without talking to you about it first."

She put her head against his broad back, and didn't say anything for a while. He was glad she was speaking softly when she continued. "I've been talking with my cat about this. We understand why you did it, but we don't know how it will work. Cats are different, we don't form pair bonds. Cats go into heat and pick the dominant male who comes to them to mate with. We live solitary lives, we raise our young by ourselves. Other than the tingles, I haven't felt anything yet. Maybe the marking won't work on me."

"The only way to find out is to complete the bond. To do that, the pair makes love, and they bite each other when they climax. That ties their minds and souls together completely, and allows them to talk mind to mind, in human and animal form." She was silent, but at least she was holding him. "I'm not sorry you are marked as mine, but I am sorry about how I did it. Can you forgive me for marking you?"

"Yes, but we are going to have to eat soon. My cat is begging to be let out, she wants to hunt and kill something." She looked at the countryside, nothing but corn right now, so she settled in, letting the vibrations of the motorcycle relax her as they headed west. "Do you have a plan, Joe?"

"I have to make a phone call, I don't know if they will help us but I need allies right now. If we stay on the road, sooner or later another wolf is going to find us and this time they'll bring more than four guys. We need to find someplace safe while we figure out what is going on, plus we need to give you time to get your memories back."

"Will they come back?" She hugged him tightly.

"I don't know... I'm not the medical person, and the Doc who treated you I can't risk talking to since her mate was the one who helped us escape from El Paso. I guess we just see what happens. I know a guy, he's a good friend and a computer whiz. I'm gong to see if he can figure out what that code was on that chip that was implanted in you."

A few hours later, they pulled into a gas station/mini mart and grabbed some sandwiches and drinks while topping off the tank. Before they left, Joe pulled out a burner phone and, with some trepidation, called a number he knew by heart.

"Hello?" He heard babies crying in the background.

"Hello Alpha Renee, this is Joe Miller. I need to talk if you have a moment." There was the sound of a phone dropping, then it picked up again.

"Joe... I didn't expect to hear from you. Are you all right?"

"I'm still alive, Renee, and I'm with my mate. We're on the run, men from the Telluride pack are out to kill her. I'm not letting her go."

"I understand, Joe, but as an Alpha and council member I have to tell you a few things first. The Alpha Council has issued a warrant for your mate's arrest, Ker is accused of murder. After the aborted arrest attempt in Nebraska, it has now been amended. She is now 'kill on sight' and you are 'dead or alive.' IF you come onto my lands or into my control, I am obligated to arrest you and hold you for trial. I recommend you turn yourselves in and let the trial deliver what it does."

"I can't do that, Renee. She was badly injured when I found her, she has complete amnesia. She doesn't remember anything before she woke up in that hotel room in Nebraska. How is she going to mount a defense when she doesn't remember anything that happened?"

"I don't know, but we will find a way somehow. I don't want to see you hurt, Joe, but you will be found if you stay out there and more people will get hurt trying to find you. You understand the Alpha Council process, every Pack and non-affiliated werewolf in the country is looking for you. Even the human FBI has been brought in. The question for you is only how long you can avoid them. Like I said, you could turn yourself in." She paused for a moment, putting him on speaker so she could change Kelly. "Your only other option is to find a place where no werewolves are around, someplace remote that you could hide out in while your friends try to figure out a way out of this and she has a chance to regain her memories. Whatever you do, though, don't do it on Gila pack lands, and especially not on the old Santa Fe pack lands. Even though no pack lives there and no werewolves have permission to be there, they are technically under my control still. Do you understand?"

Joe closed his eyes and looked up, then let out a sigh. "I understand perfectly, Alpha. I'm sorry I can't turn myself in, after all it's not my decision anymore, I have a mate now. Thank you and give a kiss to Gary and Kelly for me. Is Michelle settling in to being the big sister?"

"She is. Stay safe, Joe, and trust your friends. You can always trust your friends." She hung up on him, and he immediately made another call.

"Enrique, it's Joe. I need your help... My mate had a chip implanted in her arm, with a numeric code. I need to know what that is." He repeated the sequence of numbers to him. "I'll call you back at 1800 tomorrow, until then I am off the grid."

"I'm on it, Joe. Something is fishy about this whole thing with you, and I'm going to figure it out. I don't believe your mate is a killer, and neither should you."

...

The sun was starting to set when they drove past a long stand of trees, and they could see a dozen deer grazing in the field nearby. Joe coasted to a silent stop and they got off the road, pushing the bike to cover. "They aren't spooked, we are downwind of them, you up for a hunt?"

She smiled widely. "My cat is busting to get out." She stepped back, taking off her clothes and leathers and placing them in the saddlebag, intentionally ignoring his heated look as she did so. Dropping to all fours, she concentrated on her inner cat coming forward and let the change overcome her. Seconds later, a large black jaguar was stretching out before him, her paws spreading to grip the ground. She shook her head, her short ears moving around to capture the noises around her. She lifted her nose and took in the smell of the prey, plus the heady scent that was her mate. She moved silently to him, rubbing her face against his hip before rubbing her side along his thigh.

"By Luna, you're beautiful." His hands worked their way through the short hair on her neck and shoulders; scratching gently, she arched up into his touch as the tingles shot through her body. In the fading light he could see she wasn't completely black, there were lighter patches of pattern just underneath, just enough to break it up. He could see why she was an ambush predator, at low light she would be near impossible to see in the trees above. He scratched around her chin as she looked in his eyes, when he stopped she yawned, showing her impressive teeth to him.

She butted her head against his leg, impatient to get started. "OK, this is how we can do it. I want you to move along this treeline, you see where the edge bumps out towards them? That is where they will flee to, so set up in there. I'll loop around to the right, I'll get as close as I can then I'll attack in your direction. With luck, we'll both get one." She purred into my side, then after another scratch she took off through the trees. She made no noise at all, her movements so graceful and liquid it took my breath away; her muscles could easily be seen beneath her glossy black coat.

He pushed down his excitement as he took off his clothes and shifted into my large tan and black wolf. It felt great to be hunting again, and as he worked his way along the ditch by the road he felt complete. "I have my mate, we are hunting together, we will make a life together." His wolf howled in agreement in his mind. He went a quarter mile or so to the next treeline that separated the fields. Joe moved as quietly as he could through the trees until he was even with the deer, they were still spread around the field and hadn't picked us up. He moved until they were between the bump in the opposite treeline and him, then started the slow stalk. He kept himself down, hiding in the corn, moving when the wind moved. It took about twenty minutes before he was close enough to start; lacking mental communication, he had to trust she was in place because there was no chance of seeing her.

He waited until the nearest doe had her head down before charging. The deer alarmed and fled away from him, but he had just enough of a jump that the nearest one had no chance. Leaping onto her back, his jaws clamped around her neck and bit down hard. Joe's weight took them over, and as we went to the ground he shook his head. There was a loud snap as her neck broke and it was over. Joe dropped the deer and looked up just in time to see the rest of the herd entering the trees. He could only see the shadow as his mate dropped onto the back of another young doe, her claws digging in as her jaws cut off its airway. It struggled but it was futile, when it stopped moving she roared in triumph.

She used her claws to rip open its belly, her head pushing in to get the liver and gobble it down. As she fed, Joe pulled his kill in his jaws until he was next to her. Dropping it by hers, he moved over and licked at the blood on her face. She rubbed her face against his, then they both went back to work. It took an hour before they were stuffed with all the meat they could handle, and he moved over to where she was lying on the ground. Joe started to lick her, cleaning the blood off her face and head. She relaxed into it, low rumbling purrs coming from her as he tended to her. When he was done, she returned the favor. Her tongue was different than a wolf's, it was rougher in texture, but it felt amazing. His wolf was basking in the attention.

He stood up and moved around her, cleaning spots of blood where he found them, eventually working his way to her hips. Her smell was intoxicating, and we all know that wolves like to sniff butts so it was natural to take a deep sniff and a lick. She purred and moved her tail aside, allowing him full access to her as he licked as her slit. She was becoming more aroused, and her lips swelled with the attention. She shivered as his long tongue traced her sex, then circled her butt. He moved back, pushing his tongue into her as he prepared her for him. She was twitching with excitement, her cat was all for what he was doing and her human part was enjoying the sensations. He kept at it for a minute or so until she jumped up; batting his nose with a paw, she turned around and suddenly sprinted away from him.