Free The Mechanic's Mate by Mikea Howard Page A

didn’t belong to Marek, nor any of his enforcers, yet still resonated familiar. Sniffing the air yielded nothing with the breeze coming from the wrong direction. The howl cried out from downwind, further away from the enclave than where they stood. Every member of Blue Wolf knew not to hunt this side when a new wolf’s training took place.
    Instinct rang that something was not right, when the wind shifted directions he knew what trouble prowled out there. He sprinted back to Sadie who waited right where he left her. That’s my girl. They needed to get out of this open meadow . . . fast. Having her shift to human was not an option. Her first time would take too long, and she wouldn’t be able to move for quite some time after. No, she needed to stay in wolf form. But she had to run fast and keep up. The wolf heading their way ran almost as fast as Domek. Almost.
    Yipping and snapping to express the urgency of the situation, he ran toward the forest glancing back to make sure she followed. Considering the rate the other wolf would be coming for them, and Sadie’s top speed, they would never make it home in time. Domek needed to find a defendable location nearby. He remembered an abandoned black bear’s den he’d discovered a couple of months ago while hunting solo. It hid just on the other side of this hill. Please Gaia, let it still be vacant. He didn’t have time to defeat a bear, or wildcat, and still prepare for what might happen.
    He reached the hill’s crest and sure enough, there sat the opening. Leading Sadie to a patch of trees just right of it, he signaled with his muzzle for her to lay low and stay still. Dom needed to check it first. Stalking toward the entrance he breathed deeply, taking in all the scents. Nothing yet. Domek eased in just beyond the darkness, and exhaled in relief to find it remained empty. No fresh smells. No signs of use for many months. Perfect.
    Its small mouth opened wide enough for just one small bear, or in this instance, wolf to enter or exit. He slipped inside. The den itself widened large enough for two big wolves to move about comfortably. He exited to round up Sadie, herding her inside. She stood in the center of it with ears pinned back, tail halfway down, her hackles beginning to rise. Sadie must have sensed his anxiety as he prepared to fight if necessary, to protect her, to care for her. He blocked the entrance, making sure to prevent anyone’s ability to enter, or leave.
    “She’s not yours, Dom. I’m the one who found her. Sadie accepted me as her mate, not you,” Eridon called out from somewhere close by. “I’m quite surprised you chose to take her into the same woods as all the others. Obviously I’d know where you’d be on the night of my mate’s first change. Because it’s the same location you took me.”
    Damn it. That sack of shit had shifted to human. The physical differences would complicate things. Domek ducked into the den, checking on Sadie. As he expected, she had heard the other voice and began panicking. She shook, pacing the den whining. If he shifted now, with her so upset, it would throw her into the transformation as well. He’d have to deal with Eridon in wolf form. A little burrow opened just big enough for Sadie to curl into a tight ball. Domek forced her there, nipping at her heels, emphasizing his command to stay where he placed her by growling deeply. Eyes opened wide, she obeyed.
    Returning to the entrance he found Eridon had moved within visual range. He stood there, gray eyes showing no emotion. The bastard leaned naked against a tree as though he didn’t have a care in the world, the mecha arm crossed atop his other. Eridon did not have the solid muscle mass inherent in born wolves, instead his composition consisted of a leaner build. Domek knew this act set the scene for the bastard’s mental game, by showing no fear, even naked in his human form. That even though, smaller than him, Eridon had what he considered to be an