Mating Brand: 3 (Mating Heat) (2 page)

The front door slammed with enough force to shake the old
cabin and Charma collapsed to her knees, tears sliding down her cheeks. Her
obligation to her family was tearing them apart. She knew Brand would run
himself into the ground to work out his frustration before he returned from the
woods behind their home. She had at least an hour.

It took all her strength to rise to her feet. She couldn’t
destroy the man she loved, yet that was exactly what would happen as their bond
grew. One day she’d have to return home and leave him. If she left now, he’d
only have a few months of memories to get past. Her sobs carried her into the
bathroom to take her pills. She nearly choked on them and the bitterness that
carried them down her throat.

She gazed at her pale reflection in the mirror. Her
blonde-and-brown-striped hair mocked her. Lots of humans had streaked hair, but
hers was actually striped. It drew attention and she’d been asked many times
where she’d had it done. To avoid unwanted attention, she’d dyed it. It was a
trait she had stopped hiding at Brand’s insistence since hair dye made his nose
itch. Her long, now-natural hair flowed to her waist. She pulled her mass of
wavy hair to the side and turned enough to see her back.

The dark spots along her lower spine were something she
always hid beneath clothing or with her long hair. They were markings she’d
been born with, ones that reminded her that no matter how much she wished she could
change her heritage, it would never happen. They kept her from passing as human
but the shifter world was destroying her one day at a time.

Her gaze lifted to stare into her blue-and-yellow eyes. The
yellow flecks in her irises seemed more pronounced from crying. She reached for
the contacts that would hide that uniqueness from humans and make her appear
totally normal.

There was only one thing to do. She had to leave Brand to
spare him more pain. She loved him too much to be selfish. More tears spilled
until they blinded her but she moved on wooden legs to pack her things. She
needed to be gone before he returned.

She threw back her head in anguish and stifled a scream.

* * * * *

Brand howled with grief after a quick search of their home.
Charma’s clothes no longer hung in the closet with his and her car wasn’t
parked next to his truck when he rushed outside. He panted, sniffing. No gas
exhaust hung in the air. She’d been gone for at least half an hour or he’d have
smelled the engine still.

He spun and went back inside the house.
NO!
He couldn’t
bear the thought of never seeing her again. The first shirt he grabbed ripped
in his hands, making him aware that his claws were out.

“Fuck!” He had to pull himself together enough to get
dressed without damaging everything he owned. He didn’t bother to put on shoes,
just jeans and a T-shirt. He snagged his keys and rushed out the door.

Please break down
, he prayed as he threw his truck in
reverse and nearly slammed the tailgate into a tree in his rush. Her car was an
old clunker and had an oil leak he’d planned to fix but she hardly drove it. He
stomped on the brake, threw the vehicle in drive and punched it. The ass end
slid on the grass as he took off.

His frantic gaze scanned the road ahead as he took the
curves far too fast for safety. He only slowed when he entered town, afraid the
cops would pull him over. He couldn’t waste time getting a ticket.

Where would she go?
She didn’t have many friends. The
fear of discovery was too great. The college girls loved to go swimming at the
river but his Charma was afraid they’d see the faint spots trailing down her
spine. He’d assured her a hundred times she could say they were tattoos but she
didn’t like to lie.

Oh, baby. Where are you? Don’t do this. Don’t leave me.
He drove past one of the dorms, searching for her car. It wasn’t there. Within
ten minutes he was sure she hadn’t gone to crash with Dina or Barbara.

Panic set in. She might have left town altogether. He made
his way to the main highway and checked out the gas station. She wasn’t there
but he stopped anyway and went inside.

The guy behind the counter frowned at his bare feet. “No
shoes, no service.”

Brand wanted to snarl but terrifying the clerk wouldn’t be
to his advantage. “I’m sorry. My girlfriend is missing and I’m worried
something has happened to her. She drives an old rusted Ford.”

“Ah. The one with the cool two-toned hair down to her butt?”

“Yeah. Charma. Have you seen her lately?”

The clerk nodded. “She was in here about forty minutes ago.
She filled up her tank and bought a few candy bars.”

Filled the tank.
He felt as if someone had punched
him in the gut. “Did she say where she was heading? Ask for directions? That
car breaks down.”

Suspicion narrowed the clerk’s eyes. “You guys have a fight?”

Brand reached up and ran his fingers through his hair in
frustration. “Yeah. It was stupid and I stormed out. I came back and she was
gone. Please tell me what you know. I can’t lose her.”

“I don’t blame you. She’s a babe.”

It took a lot of control for Brand not to lunge over the
counter and tear the asshole’s throat out for noticing that about his woman. “Did
she say where she was heading? I have to find her and tell her I’m sorry.”

The clerk hesitated. “No, but I saw her get on the freeway.
She went east.”

“Thank you!” Brand rushed outside, realizing he’d left the
door open and the motor running. He jumped in his truck and drove like a
madman, pushing the engine to the limit as he surpassed speeds of over a
hundred and ten, weaving through traffic, searching for her car. His enhanced
reflexes saved him from crashing a few times. The hope of catching up to her
lasted until he reached a four-way split on the freeway.

He tried to feel out her presence, using his senses to see
if he could track her but nothing happened. “NO!” He checked his mirrors and
crossed four lanes, only to slam on the brakes along the shoulder. He got out
and sniffed the air, hoping to catch her scent. It was a long shot but he was
desperate. Exhaust from the traffic choked him and he dropped to his knees
beside the open truck door. He bellowed, “CHARMA!”

Nine years later

The present

“Charma?”

She turned her head to peer at her sister. “What, Bree?”

“You’ve got that sad look on your face again. I thought we
were past this. You can’t stop me from growing up. I’m an adult.”

“I’m fine.” She lied with ease, something she’d spent years
perfecting. “I was just thinking about Dad.”

“Oh.” Her younger sister reached out to squeeze her hand. “He’s
going to do great. You heard Garrett. This won’t be his first surgery or his
last. This new procedure will help him get more use out of his leg so he doesn’t
have to keep depending on the cane.”

She had to turn away to hide the anger. “Yes. I heard him.”

“Garrett is so hot. I envy you. I want to find a mate as
fine as him now that I’m of age.”

A shudder ran down Charma’s spine. “I hope not,” she
whispered.

“I heard that.” Her sister snagged her arm and spun her
around. Charma couldn’t suppress the gasp of pain. Bree frowned and her gaze
lowered from her sister’s face to her arm. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing.”

“Let me see your arm. Pull up your sleeve.”

“It’s nothing. I bumped it last night.” She eased out of her
sister’s hold and forced another smile. “What dress do you want to buy? This is
your party. Garrett said to spare no expense.”

“Char.” Bree’s eyes narrowed. “Show me your fucking arm.”

“Such language from a teenager. Is that what they taught you
in school?”

Her sister hissed. “Show me your arm. You have a lot of
accidents. Is…” Her sister paled. “Does Garrett hit you? We had an assembly at
school about domestic abuse before graduation and I’m doing the math. I don’t
like what I’m coming up with.”

“Of course not.”

“Then show me this bump.”

“It’s just a bruise.” Charma tried to turn away but her
sister moved to block her.

“Show it to me now or I’ll assume your mate is hurting you.”

“Mind your own business.”

Her sister paled even more. “Oh. My. God!” Tears filled her
eyes. “I know it wasn’t a love match, but shit. Do our parents know?”

Charma glanced around the dress shop. “Lower your voice.”

“Your mate is abusing you and you’re worried about what
someone else will think? You’re not someone who would take that bullshit.”

She gripped her sister’s hand and tugged her inside the
dressing room, alert for any sign of someone approaching. The flimsy door
sealed them into the small area.

“You’ve got to calm down.”

“No! I’m going to tell his father. I’m going to tell
everyone!”

“No,” Charma hissed. “Listen to me. You’re old enough to
know the truth since you stumbled onto it. Everyone in the pride has known for
years about what’s going on. It’s not a secret that I was forced to mate with
Garrett. He’s a cold bastard but he’s the future pride leader. His father paid
for me to go to college after he decided I was the one he wanted.”

“But you never finished. You came home. You couldn’t owe
that much money and that’s no reason to agree to mate someone.”

“Dad was crippled and Mom was badly scarred. He could never
shift again after their car accident. He couldn’t protect our family so he made
a deal. He asked Garrett’s dad to allow me to go to college first. I had to
submit to the mating after I came home, regardless of whether I finished or
not. Do you understand?”

“No, I don’t. Why would you agree to that bullshit? You
could have taken a loan or something. Gotten a scholarship. How could you sell
yourself that way?”

“It wasn’t about money.” Charma took a deep breath. “Listen
to me closely, Bree. You don’t walk away from a pride unless you die. And I don’t
mean just one member but the entire family. Weakness is not tolerated. That was
the deal. I agreed to the terms to keep us safe. All of us. Dad was deemed useless
after that accident, unworthy of living.”

Horror crept across her sister’s features and she leaned
heavily against the wall. “Are you saying if you didn’t mate with that prick…?”
Her voice trailed off.

“Yes. Percy would have killed Dad, and if he had, Mom’s
scars and her surgery would have made it impossible for her to mate with
someone else to protect us. She can’t have more children and what male in a
pride wants a scarred-up human woman who is unable to give him offspring? It’s
unfair but it’s reality. You know Percy is ruthless and his son takes after
him. I wanted nothing to do with Garrett, then the car accident happened and
they had the perfect leverage to get their way. I had no choice and neither did
our parents.”

“You could have run away.” Bree nodded frantically. “We
could have fled as a family.”

“Do you think I didn’t consider that? Where would we have
gone? We’d have been inside werewolf territory if we’d gone anywhere other than
pride lands. We had to avoid the other prides because that’s basic protocol
when dealing with the weak. They’d have killed our parents and the worst would
have happened.”

“What could be worse than death?”

Charma hesitated. “Some prides, not ours, but a lot of them,
use half-blooded females for breeders to increase their numbers. They won’t
mate with them but instead force them to accept any male who wants to
impregnate them. Many of them at once if she can’t shift since ones like us can
breed litters. We wouldn’t have been given a choice and they don’t even allow you
to keep your babies. They are given to others to raise.”

“No.” Bree noticeably paled, horror reflected in her wide
eyes. “That’s barbaric.”

“Yes. You’ve been shielded from a lot of harsh truths, Bree.
Some other pride wouldn’t have waited until you turned eighteen or finished
high school before that hellish life was shoved on you. You get to pick your
mate now because we’re in a pride that doesn’t condone that kind of shit. Only
one man will touch you and your babies are your own to keep. Percy may be a
cruel asshole but he abides by the old traditions.”

Anger showed on Bree’s face. “That doesn’t change the fact
that we can’t stay here. Your mate is abusing you.”

Charma wanted to hug her sister but refrained. “You’re safe
in our pride. Megan mated a good male and his family protects ours now. I’m
just trapped because I belong to Garrett.”

“You should flee.”

“Where would I go?” Her shoulders straightened. “Do you
think I haven’t considered that? At least here only one male abuses me and I
get to see my family. It’s not so bad, Bree. Really. Garrett and I avoid each
other as much as possible and he’s seeing other women who take care of his
physical needs.”

Shock widened her sister’s eyes. “But you’re mated!”

“Lower your voice.”

“He can’t cheat on you,” Bree hissed. “He’s your mate. It’s
unnatural.”

“So is a loveless mating. It happens sometimes though. I’m
actually grateful he seeks other women. I keep praying he gets one of them
pregnant and sets me aside. It’s forbidden for me to leave him.”

“He’ll kill you. That’s the only way a mating ends.”

“He’s been ordered by his father to keep me alive. He’ll
shun me, toss me out of his home, and mate the new female as though I died if
he impregnates one of them. It’s rare but it’s happened. Percy told him to keep
me as a mate until that happens because he doesn’t want to make waves unless he
can justify setting me aside.” She absently rubbed her sore arm. “That’s why he
occasionally attacks me. He’s angry that he can’t snap my neck. Shunning a
sterile mate for a woman who can breed is acceptable to the pride.”

“You’re sterile? Oh my god.” Tears filled her sister’s eyes.
“I’m so sorry. Are you sure?”

A hum startled Charma and she reached inside her purse to
withdraw her cell phone. The timing was perfect, saving her from answering the
question. She read the display. “Quiet. It’s Percy.” She answered. “Hello.”

“Get back here. We have a situation,” Percy snapped. “Where
are you?”

“I’m a few minutes away. I’m coming back to the office now.”

“Hurry.” He hung up.

Charma studied her younger sister. “The important thing is,
what I did safeguarded our family long enough for Megan to mature and find her
own mate. Our family is protected now. That alone has been worth everything. I
have to go.”

“But—”

“I love you. Buy something nice for your party but not too
revealing.” She shoved cash at her sister and yanked open the door to flee.

“Charma?”

She paused, turning back to hold her sister’s gaze. “I have
to go.”

“You shouldn’t take that shit from Garrett.”

“I know but I don’t have a choice. Life isn’t always fair,
hon.”

“You mean like this party? It’s so old-fashioned to dress me
up as if I’m a piece of meat to shove in front of all the guys until one of
them wants to bite.” Her voice lowered. “Why do they make us find mates so
fast?”

“It’s because of the heat. They want women mated and settled
so there’s little to no risk of fights. Some guys can kill each other if they
want a woman bad enough when she’s in heat. Percy also doesn’t ever want
children born outside matehood. He thinks it undermines our society.”

“Haven’t they heard of birth control? I have.” Her voice
lowered. “Sex toys handle the heat just fine. It doesn’t mean I have to let any
jerk nail me because it’s that time of the month.”

“I don’t agree with these parties either but I can’t do
anything to stop it. It’s ultimately up to you whom you decide to mate.
Remember that and don’t allow Percy or anyone else to push you at someone you
don’t love. Trust me when I tell you that a loveless mating is the worst. I
have to go.”

She rushed outside and wasted no time reaching the edge of
town where the pride kept an office. She knew when she stepped inside the
building that something serious had happened. Nine of the strongest fighters
were clustered in the waiting room, all grim-faced. The door on the other side
of the room jerked open.

Percy Alter stepped out of his private office. To Charma he
was the epitome of hypocrisy. He may have appeared to be in his mid-forties,
handsome and kind, but looks were deceiving. He neared eighty in real years,
the good-looking face masked an ugly beast and he relished ruling his pride
with sheer cruelty.

“One of the prides has been attacked by werewolves.” Rage
sparked in his green eyes. “The pride leader lost two of his sons as well as an
unknown number of males. The joining call has been accepted.”

Fear instantly gripped Charma. She knew what that meant. The
main pride council had ordered some of the larger prides to send males to
assist a smaller group in a fight. They were at war. Had the werewolves finally
decided to wipe out all cat-shifter prides? It had been a threat hanging over
them for all eternity.

“You nine will go to represent our pride. At least thirty
males in all will be sent to the pride in need. That should immediately wipe out
the threat.” Percy turned his focus on Charma. “Turn on that damn computer and
make yourself useful. Pull up the information. The council sent pictures of the
targets.”

She rushed to her desk, tried to ignore her trembling hands
and sat heavily on her chair. The computer had been left on but the pride
leader didn’t know how to work one or turn on a monitor. Most of the pride
males didn’t excel in learning anything while in school except for sports.
Gaining an education wasn’t something they did beyond high school since it
elevated the risk of discovery of what they truly were. She’d been the
exception.

Of course she’d never finished college. Charma had been
forced to be the leader’s secretary after she’d returned home from Texas. He
depended on her skills, which afforded her some protection from his son.

The email waited in the pride’s inbox and she turned the
monitor until everyone in the room could see it. She gripped the mouse, opened
the file and pictures loaded on the screen. She kept her attention on Percy as
he stomped forward.

“There is the enemy. They are vicious killers.”

When the outer door opened to admit her mate, the scent of
him made her cringe. She avoided glancing his way.

“Father, what has happened?”

“A joining has been called by the council. You didn’t need
to come, Garrett. I’m not sending you. You’re too valuable for me to risk in
this battle.”

Charma fought to suppress her disappointment. For an instant
she’d hoped her mate might leave and she contemplated the idea of him being killed.
That would have been too neat, too wonderful, and good things never happened to
her. She turned her focus to the monitor instead, the angle of the screen just
out of her view until she pushed her chair over enough to see it more clearly.

The first face she glimpsed was of a young, handsome blond
male. Under his picture a name—Yon—had been typed in bold white letters.

The next picture flashed. The guy had black hair and intense
dark eyes. Another good-looking wolf who seemed to be in his forties. Alpha Elroy.
He didn’t appear mean but her gaze shifted to Percy.
He doesn’t either
but…total nightmare.

“That’s the pack next to the Bowmont Pride, right?” Randy,
the lead enforcer, stepped closer. “I’ve heard of them. They are known to be
pretty tough fighters and territorial.”

“That’s them,” Percy snarled. “They won’t be much of
anything for long. Charma? Don’t sit there. Get up and bring me food. I’m
hungry.”

She rose from her chair and entered the kitchenette. Not
only did she run all the pride leader’s errands and play secretary, but he’d
made her his personal servant and whipping boy as well. Her teeth clenched as
she forced her anger down. They’d smell it if she didn’t quickly get control of
her emotions. Percy would strike her in front of the enforcers and her mate,
something she’d do anything to avoid. She knew how much Garrett would enjoy
seeing her punished.