Sugar Creek: Marigold's Werewolf Mates Part 1

SUGAR CREEK.

MARIGOLDS WEREWOLF MATES.

Becca Van.

Chapter One.

Mari's breath caught in her throat and her heart stopped beating for a second when she saw the large cow running toward her moving car. She slammed her foot on the break and tugged on the steering wheel to avoid the animal, all the time cursing the rancher who hadn't fixed a hole in the fence or let the animal get loose in the first place. It was too late to react when she saw the large tree branch near the shoulder of the road to steer away from it, plus she didn't want to hit the cow and kill it or herself. Her heart was now pounding in her chest and she was breathing so quickly her mouth was drying out.

When she felt the front wheel of her car hit the branch and then the undercarriage of her vehicle, she hoped it hadn't ripped a hole in the bottom. She tried to turn the steering wheel so her back tire didn't hit the large limb, but she had been driving too fast and her reflexes werent swift enough. Just before she came to a complete stop the back tire went up and over that branch. Annie cursed up a blue storm because she probably now had two flat tires instead of one.

The only solace was that her car had stopped on the shoulder of the road and not in the middle of it. After taking a few deep breaths and getting her rapidly beating heart and her breathing to slow somewhat, she looked about for the wayward cow. She muttered under her breath when she didn't see it and wondered if the stupid beast had gone back to where it had come from or if it was still running up the road for another unsuspecting driver to come upon. She reached for her purse and cursed again because the contents were strewn on the floor of the pa.s.senger foot well. After releasing her seat belt and picking up her stuff she unlocked her cellphone and nearly threw it back onto the floor when she saw there was no reception.

"f.u.c.king great." Mari got out of her car and, after seeing that she did indeed have two flat tires, grabbed her purse, locked her car and started walking. She looked for the cow as she walked along but couldn't see it anywhere. When she heard a loud moo, she jumped so high she nearly fell over. There on the other side of the fence was the d.a.m.n cow she'd nearly wrecked her car for when she swerved to avoid it, placidly eating gra.s.s as if it didn't have a care in the world. How it got back on the other side of the fence she had no clue, but at least it was safe again.

"d.a.m.ned animal has no idea what the h.e.l.l it just did," she muttered under her breath as she continued walking. At least she could stop worrying about it getting hit by another car and ending up dead. Although why she was worrying when it was probably going to end up in the supermarket she didn't know. No, that was a lie. The thought of any animal being in pain and suffering made her feel sick.

With a sigh, she pushed the cow from her mind and just hoped that either someone came along and she could hitch a ride or she got to Primrose's place soon. She wasn't sure how far away she was from her friend's but she wasn't about to sit in her car all night long. She listened to the crunch of gravel underfoot as she walked along the side of the road. Even though her eyes had adjusted to the dark as much as they could, it was still d.a.m.n dark. The moon wasn't at its zenith and the clouds in the sky concealed what little light there was.

Mari didn't see the small rock or hunk of bark her foot landed on but she cried out with pain as her ankle rolled and the next thing she knew she went a.s.s over teakettle into a ditch. The only consolation was that she landed on gra.s.s and not the road or the gravel and hadn't ripped the skin from her hands or knees as she went tumbling.

In a fit of temper, she lifted her head and screamed. It didn't help the situation but it did make her feel a little better. She grunted and groaned as she got back up onto her hands and knees. Pain shooting up her ankle made her grit her teeth, but she couldn't give in, because she had no intention of sitting in a ditch all night long. Gathering her courage and trying to push the pain to the back of her mind, she got her good foot on the ground and pushed up with her hands. Of course, being on one leg was precarious, but just for a moment she was steady. Then she had to go and put her injured leg down. The pain was so intense tears formed in her eyes and then she was falling to her a.s.s again.

Well, it looked like she wasn't going to be walking anywhere for the next little while. Resigning herself to rest for a bit, she prayed that someone came along to help her, or that she miraculously got phone reception long enough to call Prim to come help her.

Sinclair and Michael Avero sat down across from one of their new pack members, Taylor Henderson. The man who had challenged and won against his Alpha, and had decided to join his small pack with Sugar Creeks pack, looked like hed just lost his best friend.

"Whats up?" Sin asked after taking a sip of his beer as he glanced around at all the pack members socializing at the Sugar Creek Inn.

"Nothin," Taylor replied.

"Doesnt look like nothing," Michael said as he leaned forward. "Are you regretting joining your pack to ours?"

"What? No." Taylor sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. "I didnt want the responsibility of being Alpha, and before I made the decision to join our packs, I asked the few of our remaining pack members what they thought about it. They were in total agreement."

"So why the long face?" Sin asked. He really liked Taylor and respected the wolf for doing what was best for his pack. Plus it never hurt to have a cop on their side.

"I dont think everyone in my pack was honest when they said yes to the merging of our packs. Ive smelled rage coming from one of my pack members, but when I try to sniff out the source, I cant pinpoint who it is. They are doing something to circ.u.mvent the scent of their anger. Im concerned for the women and children in the pack. If this person is up to no good, they would likely target the weakest members."

"Have you spoken with Lucien, Rafe, and Gabe? Have you told them of your worries?" Michael asked.

"Of course I have, and the Omegas were warned to keep a close eye on the men in my pack. I thought youd have heard already."

"No. Weve been out on patrol," Sin said and then sighed before slugging down half of his beer. "Weve been...having some difficulties of our own to deal with."

Sin felt Taylor looking at him, but he kept his expression stoic as he once more glanced about the room. His eyes snagged onto Primrose, and her mates, his cousins. He was happy for Palmer, Edison, and Barrett, but it was really hard to watch them since he and Michael hadnt found their mate. The mated wolves were so in love with their women, and the women were so happy they almost glowed. Although he was happy for them, he seemed to get more and more depressed whenever he watched them interacting.

Some werewolves never found their true mate, and even though they could slake their l.u.s.t with any willing woman, it wasnt the same. Sinclair had a feeling that he and Michael would never find that one woman meant for them. He hated feeling despondent, and that was one of the reasons he and his brother had volunteered so much of late to go out on patrol. It was easier for them all around. For him because he didnt have to watch the loving glances or touches between mates, and for the rest of the pack because he wasnt sure how much longer he could hang on to his sanity.

His wolf seemed to have more and more control as time went by, and he was worried that his beast would take over totally. If that happened, he would be a danger to the rest of the pack and would need to be put down.

He and Michael had been sniping and snarling at each other more often than not, and even their wolves were angry nearly all the time. If their animals finally wrested what little control they had...He shook his head and pushed those disconcerting thoughts away. There was no use pondering on what could happen. He was still able to control his wolf, even if it was just barely, and he didnt want to even contemplate what would happen if he lost it totally.

He looked up when Prim laughed and decided he couldnt take any more. After draining the rest of his beer, he shoved his chair back and rose to his feet. Michael followed him, and he was surprised when Taylor did, too.

"You heading back home?" Taylor asked when they were all outside in the open, fresh night air.

"Yeah," Sin answered, then headed toward his truck.

"I know why youre leaving," Taylor said quietly.

Sin spun around to face Taylor and studied the mans face. His expression gave nothing away, but when he looked into his eyes, he saw the emotion in them that he was sure mirrored his own.

"I can see you do."

"Why dont you come back to our place? We can watch a movie or something," Michael suggested.

Sin, Michael, and Taylor got on really well, and in the three months Taylor and his pack had lived on Sugar Creek land, they had interacted often. He felt connected to Taylor the same way he was connected to Michael and felt like he was a brother of his heart. The man was straight as an arrow and didnt take s.h.i.+t from anyone, not even his own pack, nor from the young Sugar Creek Sigmas who had been causing a little dissension when the two different packs had merged. Taylor had handled them gently but with authority, and they hadnt been a problem since. Even Lucien, Rafe, and Gabe had been impressed with the way Taylor had handled the young males.

In fact Taylor was liked all around, but Sin was sad that their new brother was feeling just as down and antsy as he and Michael were. Taylor had never been an extrovert, but he was becoming more introverted as time pa.s.sed by and Sin began to wonder if he was having trouble controlling his wolf, too.

"Yeah," Taylor finally answered Michael. "Sounds good. Ill meet you at your place."

Sin watched as the tall, muscular man turned and headed to his truck before he got into the drivers seat of his own. Michael jumped into the pa.s.senger seat, and then they followed Taylor out of the parking lot.

Sin slowed his truck when Taylor did and tried to see what was happening. His eyes spied the car on the side of the road, and he pulled his vehicle onto the shoulder behind Taylors and got out. Michael was right behind him.

"Whats up?" Sin asked as he gained Taylors side.

"Somethings wrong." Taylor pointed at the tires of the small car, and Sin saw they were both as flat as a pancake.

He and Taylor both inhaled deeply through their noses at the same time, and then both of them growled one word. "Mate."

Michael looked at Taylor and Sin before sniffing the air. His brothers eyes changed from green to a golden, glowing yellow as his wolf came to the fore, and he, too, growled the word, "Mate."

"s.h.i.+t." Sin sniffed the air again as they all moved closer to the abandoned car. He couldnt smell any scent other than his mates delectable perfume. The closer he got to the vehicle, the stronger the aroma got, and his wolf nearly wrested control from him. The struggle between him and his beast was a hard one, but in the end his human side prevailed.

When he glanced at Michael and Taylor, he saw they had been wrestling with their animals, too. Both of their eyes changed from their normal colors to the glowing gold, then changed back again. He wasnt surprised to see claws erupt from the tips of Michaels fingers or fur race over Taylors arms before receding again, because hed just had the same thing happen to him.

"Theres only one fragrance here," Michael said once he had control of his wolf.

"Yes," Taylor replied as he met first Sins eyes before meeting Michaels. "It would seem that all three of us have the same mate."

"Yeah, but where the h.e.l.l is she?" Michael said in a growly voice, obviously fighting with his wolf again.

Sin couldnt stop drawing the sweet scent of apples and cinnamon in through his nose and deep into his lungs, and even though his wolf was pus.h.i.+ng to get out, he pushed the beast back down. They needed to find their mate.

"Michael, why dont you change into your wolf?" Taylor suggested. "You can track her, and Sin and I will follow. We need to find her quickly, but we dont want her freaking out by having three wolves coming after her."

"Good idea," Sin said before nodding at Michael.

Michael stripped off his clothes, flung them into the back of the truck, and called on his wolf. His animal walked around the small car sniffing, and then he took off down the road. Sin and Taylor followed behind, all of them eager to find the one woman who would complete them.

Sinclair didnt know how things would work out since Taylor wasnt of his and Michaels blood. In fact hed never heard of anyone who wasnt a sibling sharing a mate, but he wasnt going to question the fates. He, Michael, and Taylor had clicked from the start and were great friends. Surely destiny wouldnt have given them one mate to share if it didnt think they could do so amicably. But he wouldnt worry over that now.

What they needed to worry over was finding their woman. He hated that she wasnt with her car and wondered what had happened. He was worried about her, and he hadnt even met her yet. Was it a coincidence that two of her tires had gone flat at the same time, or was she in danger?

The thought of her being all alone and scared had the hackles on the back of his neck rising. A growl formed in his chest, and although he tried to contain it, it wasnt possible, and the deep rumble escaped his mouth.

They had walked nearly two miles before Michael stopped and sat down on the side of the road. Sin scanned the dark using his wolfs vision and spied a woman sitting in a ditch with her arms wrapped around her knees and tears streaming down her face. One of her hands was clutching at her ankle, and her mouth was pulled tight as if she was in pain.

His breath caught in his throat as he took at her beautiful, tear-streaked face. She had shoulder-length blonde hair, blue eyes, and one of the most stunning faces hed ever seen. He and Taylor walked over to her and squatted down next to her.

"Are you all right, miss..." Sin paused, hoping she would give her name, but all she did was close her eyes and whimper.

He could almost feel pain rolling off of her in waves, but he also smelled her trepidation, which he could understand. She was out in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night with two strange men and a wolf surrounding her. Michael had slowly crept forward and around her and was now leaning into her back. Whether she would have baulked in a different situation he would never know, but for now they needed to get her back home so that a doctor could be called out.

"My name is Sinclair Avero, and this is Taylor Henderson. We live about ten minutes up the road. If youd like we can take you back to our place and get you some medical attention."

"One of my friends is a doctor," Taylor said.

Sin nearly sighed with relief. Hed forgotten that Ashton Benet from Taylors pack was a general pract.i.tioner.

"II...please?"

"What happened?" Taylor asked as he and Sin squatted down in front of her.

"I swerved to avoid hitting a stupid cow and ran over a large branch. Two of my tires went flat. They must have punctures," she began to explain and then winced in pain before continuing on. "Since I didnt have two spares and there was no cell reception I decided to walk to find help." She paused again and drew in a ragged, pain-filled breath. "I must have stepped on a large stone or a piece of bark or something, I dont know which. My ankle twisted and I fell to the ground."

"Whats your name, honey?" Sin asked.

"Marigold, but everyone calls me Mari."

"Mari, Im going to carry you back to my truck, honey. My brother is waiting back there." Sin paused to look at Michael. His brother gave Marigold a longing look before he stood up and took off running. "We need to get you some help, for that ankle. Well get your car towed tomorrow."

"Okay," she sighed before looking up at him and Taylor. "Thank you. I dont know what I would have done if you hadnt come along."

"Dont worry, baby," Taylor said as he took one of her hands into his. "Well take good care of you. I promise."

Sin moved in closer when Taylor released her hand, stood up, and moved back. He bent down, pushed an arm beneath her knees and wrapped one around her shoulders, and lifted. His wolf immediately started pus.h.i.+ng at him to claim her, and since she was in his arms and her delectable apple and cinnamon scent had wrapped around him like a living ent.i.ty, it was d.a.m.n hard to keep his animal at bay. He closed his eyes and breathed her in as he tried to control his beast and also hide the fact he was struggling for supremacy over his animal. The last thing he needed was for her to notice his eyes changing while he was fighting with his wolf.

When he was sure his eyes were back to normal, he opened them and headed back toward the trucks and her car. Taylor fell into step beside them, and his eyes scanned the darkness as if he felt someone was close by.

Sin inhaled deeply, but he didnt smell anyone close other than a rabbit, a fox, some field mice and cattle. He was sure there was nothing to be worried about, except for the woman in his arms.

"Where were you headed, honey?" Sin asked as he walked slowly. He was sure Michael would have had enough time to get back to the trucks and into his clothes, but he kept his pace slow and steady just in case. He didnt want Marigold frightened or shocked by catching his brother still in the nude in or in the process of dressing after changing back to his human skin.

"Uh...Ive been invited to my friends wedding and to visit for a few weeks. I havent seen her for a while. She invited me to stay on family land, and since Ive...taken an extended vacation, I decided why the h.e.l.l not. I meant to start out earlier but a few things came up that I had to deal with and then my tires went flat."

"Where is that, baby?" Taylor asked.

"Someplace called Sugar Creek."

Sin stopped and looked down at Marigold with ecstatic surprise. He wanted to howl into the night with joy, but he swallowed his happiness down and just ended up smiling.

"Who are you visiting?" Sin asked.

"My friend Primrose Costa."

"Well, it just so happens that we all live on Sugar Creek land and know Prim and her ma...fiances."

"You do? Oh, what a wonderful coincidence."

"You have no idea." Sin heard Taylor mutter and glanced over to see him smiling.

Sin felt like shouting to the rooftops. He, his brother, and Taylor had been so down, struggling to control their wolves. Hed been so angry with the world, and even though he knew the power struggle with his animal wasnt over, they now had a future to look forward to. The fates had intervened just in time as far as he was concerned and sent their mate right into their arms.

Now all he, his brother, and Taylor needed to do was convince Marigold that they were the men for her. Sounded much easier in theory, but he had a feeling it was going to be the fight of their lives.

There was so much they needed to learn about their mate and for her to learn about them, let alone telling her she was mate to three werewolves.

Sin was so excited to have his mate in his arms. He ignored his hard, aching c.o.c.k and pushed back against his wolf, and the d.a.m.n animal tried to reign supreme again and claim Mari. His heart was racing, his was breathing faster, and his erection was straining and jerking against his zipper. And every time he inhaled, her scent just got sweeter, making saliva pool in his mouth as if he was already tasting her. The longer he held her, the harder his struggle got, and although he loved having Marigolds slight weight in his arms and her soft warmth against his body, he was going to have to pa.s.s her over to Taylor or Michael. He could feel the points of his claws starting to push through the tips of his fingers, and fur was starting to sprout on his forearms.

"Taylor," Sin rasped out and was glad he didnt have to say any more. Taylor came close and took Mari from his arms. Sin spun around and headed into the dense trees off the side of the road. Once he was out of sight, he put on a burst of speed and then sank down onto a fallen tree trunk and breathed in deeply.

Now that he didnt have his mate in his arms or her scent surrounding him, he got control of his wolf. Although her scent clung to his clothes and skin, it was less pungent than when shed been in his arms.

How the h.e.l.l are we going to woo our mate if I keep losing control?

Chapter Two.

"Thank you so much for stopping when you saw my car," Mari said sincerely. "I have no idea what I would have done if you hadn't come by."