Chapter Nineteen: Part Two

"Mike." At my sharp command the wild immediately leapt for the group, snarling viciously. They scrambled away from the threatening wild and I narrowed my eyes at them before looking at Ainsley who had let the dress drop. "Take it off and put the shirt on. Mike will take care of them." I ignored the snarls and growls as Mike chased the young men off. She stared at me and I raised an eyebrow in question. "Do you need help? Do you want me to take it off for you? It's just skin." I shrugged but I looked away anyway, giving her a bit of privacy. I could hear the rustling of fabric as she changed and I rolled my eyes at her thoughts of modesty.

Nudity to shifters was as common as clothes were to mundies. We shifted so often that sometimes clothing was just a hindrance. The fact she was so shy with it let me know just how isolated she had been. I didn't doubt that her father most likely had her confined to his house or a room. He seemed the asshole type to do something like that. It also explained her abnormally pale skin.

There was a small cough from behind me and I looked over my shoulder. The band t-shirt was too big on her. It reached her mid thigh and kept sliding down her shoulder but it looked fine. A bit lazy but fine. It was definitely better than the dress, that much I was certain of.

I turned before walking over to her. "Looks good enough to me. Do you feel comfortable?" I watched as she pulled the shirt over her shoulder only for it to slip down the other side. She was too small. I knew Gamgam would have a fit if she saw her in her current state.

"It keeps slipping off my shoulders." Her cheeks were flushed red with embarrassment as she tried her hardest to get the shirt to stay in place. She was so modest it was almost painful to watch.

"It's too big, it's bound to happen." I grabbed her hand as she tried to adjust it again. "Stop fighting with it. It's not going to stay up." She scuffed her the toe of her flat against the wooden floor of the porch and I let out a rather irritated sigh. I honestly did not have the patience in dealing with someone so timid or shy. "Let's sit down for a second." I tugged her towards the porch stairs and I sat down, urging her to do the same before I let her hand go.

"I thought you were going to show me around." She settled into the spot beside me, sitting with her shoulders hunched and her head down. She looked like she was trying to curl up and disappear entirely.

"Not much I know to be honest. I've only been here a month." I hadn't really paid much attention to the territory. I didn't even really know how large it was. Based on the paperwork I did I knew that the territory extended up to the side of the mountain where two mines were and a logging company plus a sawmill sporadically worked. The village wasn't entirely exciting. It was essentially just houses and a kids park.

"There you are." At the panting voice I smirked as I looked at Jackass.

"Hello, Jack." My smirk widened at the glare he shot at me before he looked around with narrowed eyes, a frown etched deep into his face.

"Where's the wild?" At the question I looked around before smiling. Mike was still taking care of the cocky little bastards. That made me irrationally happy. I knew I shouldn't have been happy at the thought of a bit of blood and gore but to be honest it was part of my nature.

"His name is Michael and he is dealing with some assholes that were harassing Ainsley." I jerked my head towards the slightly trembling young female and Jack looked her carefully. "He should be coming back shortly." As soon as I finished saying it, Michael ran out from between two houses looking pleased with himself.

"Good pup." I patted my knee and he immediately placed his head on it so I could scratch at his face. His tail swished on the ground violently as his eyes went half-lidded in pleasure.

"So what are we doing?" Jack leaned against the porch stair railing and I frowned at him slightly before raising an eyebrow.

"Currently nothing." There wasn't much to do. We could wander around but I knew it would only tire Ainsley out and not to mention myself. I wasn't at even eighty percent functioning so a long walk was completely out of the question. I coughed into my arm and let out an almost raspy sounding sigh.

"You okay?" He honestly sounded concerned and I shrugged. Everyone was concerned about my health but I had to give them the fact that a sick shifter wasn't something that was even remotely common.

"A cold won't kill me, Jack. Is there anywhere I could snag a bottle of water?" My throat was starting to feel dry and the soreness would follow if I didn't stay hydrated.

"I can get one for you. You have your guard with you so I doubt you can get into much trouble." He eyed Michael a bit warily before walking away.

Ainsley shifted beside me, her hand reaching out for Michael before she stopped herself. "He's not going to bite." I nudged Michael's head off my knee, he let out a heavy groan of dissatisfaction and I pointed to Ainsley. He simply moved over and flopped his large head into her lap. She froze and Mike nudged at her arm with a huff, his want clear. She hesitantly ran her fingers through the fur between his ears and he let out a groan of pleasure. I watched as a small smile crossed her face as she scratched at his scalp before moving to his ears. "Not so scary are they?" I smirked at the thought, I knew how dangerous both he and Ezekiel were but the simple moments of them asking for belly scratches or head rubs made them look incredibly adorable.

"He's like a really big puppy." She giggled as Michael licked her hand and I looked him over. A big puppy that weighed over two hundred pounds and looked like a savage beast.

"I bet those idiots didn't think that." I smirked at the thought as I looked at the various shifters that walked around the small village. It was like Ainsley and I were in an invisible bubble, their eyes slid over us without pause. All except one. I let out an irritated groan as Ian spotted me and waved over his head before jogging towards us. "Oh Mene save me." I didn't have the energy to place a fake smile on my face as he drew closer.

"Who's that?" Ainsley's voice was was a hushed whisper, her eyes on Ian as if he were a deadly snake.

"A pain in my ass." I whispered it back to her, like we were two stage hands hiding behind the curtain while the actors were on stage. He drew closer and I resisted the urge to sneer at him. His persistence was grating and I knew it had a lot to do with the bond influencing the disgust and irritated but I had never been one for persistent males and he was definitely persistent.

"Look who it is! Any reason you are out and about today? Looking for a mate?" He winked at me and I kept my face stoney. Even Michael picked up on my shift in mod, his ears perking up despite keeping his head on Ainsely's lap. He was watching, keeping tabs on the energy that swirled between Ian and I. I trusted him to step in if Ian and I started to butt heads. "What's with the look?" He grinned at me before I watched his eyes slide to Ainsley.

His smile faltered and he narrowed his eyes slightly. "Who's this funny looking thing" I wasn't truly a bad guy. He was nice and he could be kind but it was his persistence that soured me to his entire existence. That and the fact he spoke before he thought and half the shit that came out of his mouth was insulting or overly sexual. Ainsley hunched her shoulders forward, practically balling up to avoid his stare.

"I could say the same thing about you." I hissed it out and the tips of his ears went red. I gestured to Ainsley. "This is Alpha Marti's youngest daughter." At the gritted name, Ainsley's head came up and Ian coughed loudly. The noise seemed to startle her and her head bowed once more.

"Who did a number on your face?" Curiosity laced his tone and I watched as Ainsley's faint trembling grew worse. Her hands dug into Michael's fur, as if seeking comfort or escape in the shaggy black fur. To his credit, Michael took the rather painful looking bunching well, pushing his nose into her stomach as if offering a bit of comfort. I had never met a more compassionate shifter, wild or not.

"None of your concern, Ian. Isn't there a patrol you should be doing?" I couldn't keep the snark out of my voice. I was sick and I was tired and I didn't want to deal with his bullshit. Words swirled around inside of me. The truth would get him to leave me alone but that would seal my fate to the Fortis pack. It would require me to follow through with the claiming. To succumb to a life under Sterling's thumb. That is what my mother had instilled into me. It was how the Old Ways were and how Alphas were. They didn't like sharing power especially with their mates.

"Day off for the mate requisition. Alpha Sterling wants us to keep an eye out." He gestured to the stairs. "Can I sit with you?" He took a step and I stared at him blankly before shifting over, making sure there wasn't enough room for him.

"No."

"That wasn't very nice." He glowered at me slightly and I returned the favour. The bond tugged at me to make him leave, to send him away. The bond hated his presence and I honestly agreed. If he would have backed off after the first few times I had shot him down I was pretty sure my feelings wouldn't have soured worse than curdled milk but he hadn't and now here we were.

"You called Ainsley funny looking and a thing. I'm not feeling nice." There was a silent seething that was just barely visible to my words that Ian caught a hold of. It wasn't entirely fair, my mood didn't really have anything to do with him. I was angry with the cold, angry with myself for my emotional breakdown, angry at Ainsley's father for being such a-a. Well I would have called him a cunt but he lacked the depth and the warmth and it felt wrong associating him with anything to do with the female sex.

"What's wrong with you today?" He spat the words out and Mike's chest rumbled in warning but the growl went unnoticed as I stood up. Anger surged through me hot and violent. I wasn't it the mood to deal with anyone, let alone a thickheaded shifter who insisted upon trying to get into my pants.

"Today? Have you just noticed my apparent lack of affection or niceness towards you? Today of all days?" I couldn't believe that now, of all he times I had snarked at him, was the time he had realized that I wasn't nice to him. I was barely civil to him and ignored him half the time but he chose the day where I was sick, had to deal with an emotional argument with Sterling that ending in me crying, which was something that was tucked in my list of never to do. I then proceeded to let the bond gorge itself bloated when I let him feed me soup in my rather sincere apology for said emotional argument and subsequent breakdown. Then I had to trick Sterling and sneak outside only to deal with one fucked up Alpha who liked to hit his kid because her mother died during her birth only to steal said timid mouse of a shifter away from her abusive shit rag of a father.

"Are you shitting me right now?" I felt my hands clench into fists. I couldn't do much damage to him and it rankled me more. If it had been two years previous I could have knocked his block off but currently I was like a fucking kitten. I knew my level of power. I knew how strong I could have been but I was utterly useless and it pissed me off.

Perhaps Julia Savage wasn't the only one with an inferiority complex.

That thought made the anger boil over the point of no return. I knew it was unreasonable and unfair to aim the anger at Ian but Julia fucking Savage was not currently in my vicinity and that anger wasn't going to stay leashed for long. I hadn't even realized I had taken the few steps towards him until I punched Ian hard. My fist screamed with pain but I ignored it. I hadn't fought anything physically in a month and now that I had started, I doubted I would be able to stop.

"What the fu-" My other fist few out and caught him in the face, cutting off his sentence. I knew they weren't particularly strong hits, well stronger than a mundie's. They would stun him but not do any lasting damage.

"I." I punctuated the word with another punch. "Do not!" I slammed my fist into his ribs and he let out a small gasp as I knocked the air from him. The training my mother gave me sliding easily into my muscles, taking hold and easing the movement, making them more fluid. "Like!" Another one aimed at his throat that caught him off guard. I felt it hit and he gave a chocked sound, letting me know I had struck true. It was hard to see through the dark red haze of rage that had covered me "You!" I spun around and grabbed my own fist before using the added force to jam my elbow into his solar plexus. He doubled over and I aimed a wide kick at his head that sent him sprawling.

Someone wrapped their arms around me and lifted me off the ground. I struggled against it, the need to beat the words into Ian was strong. I would keep hitting him until he understood that I did not, nor would I ever, like him. The bond sent savage images of my fists pummelling him into my head, only fuelling the urge to beat him up.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Ian's voice was raspy and he coughed violently. More than likely he was trying to recover from my repeated blows that had been used to try and disable him by stopping his ability to breathe.

"You!" I practically snarled the word and the arm tightened around me as I was dragged kicking and cursing away from the barely beaten Ian.

"Me? What the hell did I do?" Ian's raspy shout sounded disbelieving and all I wanted to do was knock some sense into him with my fists, or feet, or maybe a brick if I could get my hands on one. The bond rewarded me for the violent thoughts with a rush of happy endorphins. It was kind of barbaric in how much it wanted his blood.

"Guys, let's just calm down. Alpha Sterling-"

"It always comes back to him, doesn't it?" He hissed it out, his irritation apparent and I froze in my struggling. He did not just go there.

"What?" Jackass sounded completely caught off guard by the statement and my sudden lack of struggling. The red haze was disappearing but it was leaving a strange sort of coldness in it's wake.

"Not you." He looked away from Jack, his eyes locked onto me. His gaze intense and piercing as he tried to find the truth. "Why him? Why does it always come back to him with you? I don't fucking get it. He takes risks that no decent Alpha should take and you hang around him all the time. I heard you even started doing his paperwork like some fucking secretary!" His face was red as he pointed at me and I shook my head. I knew about the rumors but it could all be easily explained away but I couldn't get the words out.

"Don't." The word was straggled and I felt my breathing come in harsh gasps. An unfamiliar feeling trailed icy fingers up my chest to my throat. I didn't know what I was feeling or why but I didn't want to hear him say anything else.

"What? That male killed my sister and I hear that he is getting personal with the female I like." His teeth clinked together as he snapped his jaw closed at the admission and I stared at him blankly.

"I'm not yours to like." I said it slowly, trying to make my mouth work properly, trying to find the will to lie but the icy feeling clutching my throat wouldn't let the lies come out.

"That's such bullshit! Why do you throw yourself at him like you are some cheap, power hungry whore?" His anger rushed over me relentlessly and the icy feeling seared hotly to rage and I narrowed my eyes to slits.

"Because he's my fucking mate, you utter dumbass!" Silence rang out after my words made me want to choke. I felt my face drain of colour and Jackass set me on my feet quickly. I stared at the ground, unable to look around. There were dozens of shifters who were staring at me who had heard the outburst. Jack grabbed my arm gently as he tugged me away. I felt like a puppet, I couldn't move on my own.

"I think we should go back to the pack house, yah?" He asked it softly and I nodded, that would be the best place for me. He wasn't surprised because he had already known but that didn't stop my apparent comatose state. I had wilfully and quite loudly let the secret out. They would expect things of me, of him. I would be treated differently, a bit more untouchable. I hadn't wanted that.

"Are you okay?" At the silvery voice I blinked before holding out my hand almost robotically. Ainsley clutched at my arm tightly and I felt a cold nose bump my lower back in a gesture of comfort. Jack led us down the path as I tried to rationalize my utter stupidity. It had been a mistake to blurt it out but deep down, the absolutely, utterly terrifying part of it all was I didn't regret it. I had essentially stamped 'Sterling's' on my left ass cheek in front of dozens of pack members and I didn't regret one tiny millisecond of it.

In fact a tiny part of me felt a little satisfied that I had effectively ended Ian's attempts to woo me and the other parts of me knew the only reason I had said anything at all was because of the fucking bond. It hadn't been as sick as I had thought. I hadn't really wanted it to get out. I hadn't but I had been stuck between a rock and a hard place and I liked that it had been my choice in letting it slip out. I knew Sterling had wanted to tell people. It was in his nature but it had been me that spilled the proverbial beans and I liked that it had been. A bit of control in a situation that had no control for me to grasp. The conflicting emotions of me feeling a bit satisfied and a bit ashamed by my utter stupidity had me so distracted I hadn't realized we had made it back to the pack house.

"Why do you insist, Alex? We all know if you weren't going to drop her off here you would have abandoned her on the side of the road. She was never going to come home with you." Sterling's voice was sharp and Jack stopped, making sure I was covered from the ire of the two Alphas.

"You can't say that-"

"I just did. If the truth makes you uncomfortable then feel free to keep on lying to yourself but do not disrespect me by doing so to me." Sterling's voice crackled with ice and I almost shuddered under it. "Take Ainsley's things out of the SUV and you will never have to deal with her again. That is what you wanted, wasn't it? Shipping her off somewhere you would never have to see her again? Not have to be tempted into your shame?" Each word was carefully chosen to needle the other Alpha to make him bristle and act irrationally. Sterling was one hell of an Alpha despite his lack of power.

"You will never have to see her again. She will remain as a companion to my mate and all ties with Fors will be cut on her end. She will no longer be your 'issue'." There was no question in his voice. Sterling was once again letting Alpha Marti know what was happening and asserting his dominance in a way that had no power and, for some strange reason, was kind of really sexy. "Sean. Why have you come back?" Sterling wasn't looking over at us and I glanced down at my feet anyway. I caught sight of my hands and winced as I opened them. They ached rather painfully and I knew they would be bruised for quite a few days.

"There was a bit of a scuffle in the village." Jack shuffled slightly and Ainsley clung to me, trying to hide herself from her father's gaze. I could see Jack glance between Sterling and Alpha Marti.

"Please wait in the house. I will be there shortly." It was a curt dismissal that I bristled at but I was in no position to argue. I had attempted to beat the shit out of one of his pack members while still technically being a rogue.

I lifted my chin regardless and nearly dragged Ainsley towards the house. "You should see the interior of the house. It's completely over the top but you get used to it." I kept my voice polite and cheery and loud enough Alpha Shitrag could hear. "You will be staying in it with me. We can have all sorts of fun!" I opened the door and entered, dragging Ainsley behind me. Jack and Mike followed quickly.

Jack closed the door and stood guard before looking me over. "Why did you hit him?" He seemed actually curious and I shrugged.

"I had a shitty day and didn't want to deal with his bullshit." It was close enough to the truth. I didn't want to explain my issues with Ian because Jackass already knew most of them. He knew Ian was being persistent and my dislike of him hanging around. The fight was pretty much me hitting the end of my rope.

"Is that why you punched him in the throat?" His mouth twitched and he raised an eyebrow and I couldn't help but smile at him.

"I wanted him to stop talking." I grinned at him as he laughed loudly.

He shook his head, grinning at me as his laughter died down. "Here's your bottle of water by the way and the throat punch didn't work." He held the bottle of water out to me and I took it gratefully. I downed nearly half of it before handing it to Ainsley. She shook her head, holding onto my arm tightly. Seeing her father must have shaken her up worse than she had been. "Hey, we didn't get introduced. I'm Sean." Jack kept his tone low and coaxing and Ainsley looked at him for a brief moment, her blue eyes swirling with confusion.

She glanced at me almost accusingly, "You called him Jack." Her voice was a hushed whisper and Jack groaned when he heard them.

"Little miss Alpha Female calls me Jackass. Although I prefer Jack to Jackass." He scrunched his nose at me and I smirked at him.

"You deserve the nickname." My smirk turned into a smile and he shook his head as if sadly.

"You chase someone into a glacial river one time." He groaned but chuckled lightly afterwards. It was nice that he had loosened up around me. I could actually have a half-descent conversation with him at times.

The front door opened and Sterling stepped inside, I could feel the faint, lingering waves of Alpha power radiating off of him and I felt my cheeks turn red at what the bond was attempting to do with my sudden thought of what it would be like to let Sterling dominate me. "There was a scuffle." He said it flatly, his gaze never wavering on the uncomfortable shifter he had sent to protect me.

"Yes." Jack nodded hesitantly and I could see Sterling bristling at the word. I tried to tamp down the heat the sight caused. It was completely inappropriate to get all hot and bothered with people who could smell it.

"Who?" The word was bitten out savagely and the other shifter actually paled slightly and I honestly didn't blame him. Sterling did look a bit scary, deadly to be more precises and way too attractive for his own damn good.

"Umm, well you see." Jack drug out the last word and swallowed. He was nervous about speaking to his Alpha and I rolled my eyes with a sound of disgust.

"I attempted to re-arrange Ian's face." I held up my hands, showing Sterling my bruised knuckles. He was in front of me instantly, inspecting every one of the dark marks on my hands. His own shook violently and I knew he needed to touch me. "Go on but not too rough." I gave my hands a slight shake, hating how much I anticipated his skin on mine. He took on gently in his, looking at it carefully, inspecting the damage.

"She packs a mean punch. Punched Ian in the throat so hard I though his eyes were going to pop out." Jack sounded slightly impressed and amused at the same time and Sterling let my hand fall to my side before grasping my other one. Ainsley moved her hands from my arm to my shirt.

"Jack, Michael, please escort Ainsley to her new room." It was a soft command but still a command. Ainsley let out a small eep as Jack moved over and held out his hand with a low bow.

"My lady, please, let me escort you to your new lodgings." Jack smiled at her so softly that Ainsley stopped trembling. The title coming from his mouth was surprising and it was even more surprising when she loosened her death grip on my shirt to take Jack's hand. He placed it in the crook of his elbow and like an old school gentlemen started to lead her up the stairs. Mike, like the overgrown idiot he was, bolted up the stairs like a wolf possessed, barking frantically about nothing.

Sterling and I watched them until they disappeared until he turned to stare at me intently. "Why?" Sterling's grey eyes pierced into mine as I met his gaze and I narrowed my eyes slightly, a returning challenge to his own stare. I wasn't like Jack, I wouldn't be so easily intimidated.

"Because he wouldn't shut up." I said it casually and he inspected my hand carefully, his fingers going over the growing bruises in a touch that was lighter than a feather. I resisted the urge to shiver at the action.

"Why?" His eyes met mine again and I scrunched my face at him. My hands ached and I just wanted an ice pack to put on them before they started swelling. I truly missed my wolf in that moment. She would have healed my hands in no time and helped me drop Ian like a sack of bricks.

"Because I had a shit day and he seemed like a good candidate to work my frustration and anger out on." I stared at him before smirking and leaning closer to him. He narrowed his eyes slightly at the move. "I did something bad, Sterling." I felt a rather Cheshire cat like grin spread across my face as I went up on to my tip toes and brought my mouth close to his ear. He stiffened sharply, letting my hand go. "I told a whole lot of people you were my mate." I chuckled and I watched as he shivered as my breath crossed his skin.

"Oopsie."