A Mate to Howl For Ch. 11

All characters who engage in sex are to be considered over the age of eighteen years.

Side note: The previous chapter had an issue. When I selected the file to post, I posted an un-proofed version that contains numerous types. I will submit a somewhat edited version soon.

~~~

Lola Shaffer woke to the blip sound of a heart monitor. She lay on the bed with her eyes closed. The smell of disinfectant alerted her that was in a hospital and the pain in her chest told her that she was alive. "Shit," she whispered and sighed. After a deep inhale she decided that she wouldn't do that again. The pain in her chest skyrocketed. "Fuck," she moaned as her eyes fluttered against the overhead light.

"Try not to move around too much," a male voice with an Australian accent sounded from across the room.

Lola looked through slit eyes, discovering the source of the voice. The man was over six feet tall and had short-cropped black hair. He was tanned and she could see numerous tattoos along his forearms. When she took a longer look she could tell she had green hazel eyes. All in all, he was gorgeous. "Who... Who are you?" she crushed out. Her throat was dry and she knew a cat had shit in her mouth.

The man moved to the foot of the bed just as she screwed her eyes open with her palms. When she inhaled again, her wolf went on alert. Lola could feel her prancing in her mind.

Mate.

It was the only word spoken between the two of them. Lola froze in place. She had a mate fifty years before and he was killed in Vietnam while on a mission. Lola never thought the Moon Goddess would bless her with a second chance mate.

"I'm Patrick James, but my friends call me Doof." He offered as he reached for a glass of water and a straw. The doctor had told him he could give her a few sips. "I'm sure you are processing who I am to you."

Lola nodded as she took a few pulls from the straw. Once her throat felt better she spoke. "You are my mate." she didn't have any emotion behind her voice, but her eyes told him of her confusion.

Doof sat beside her and placed his hand on hers instantly feeling the electric current exchanging between them. "You seem as shocked as I am." His voice was quiet which didn't match his imposing figure. "You are still recovering." He said. "If you want I can lay with you and help you heal."

It is well documented that mates can help speed the healing process. It doesn't matter if they are marked or not, just their presence is enough. "We can talk and get to know each other or you can close your eyes and sleep. I will be here to protect you."

"Lola," she said, tightening her fingers around his. "Stay," she mumbled before falling back to sleep.

~~~

"Hey Jade," Doof said, quietly as he lay beside his mate. "I am going to be delayed here in Georgia. Something has come up." He smiled, though his long-time friend would not see it.

Jade Spencer, known as Luffy, to her packmates looked out of the hotel window and over the parking lot which was now filled with twenty different Harleys. She was the alpha of the nomad pack known as The Strawhat Pirates. Most werewolf packs had set territories but during World War II Jade had requested a group of warriors to help patrol North America and defend against invasion. She was part of the team that stopped the Nazi attack on the Horseshoe Curve located in Altoona Pennsylvania.

(Author note: Horseshoe Curve is a real location in Altoona Pennsylvania and was part of a Nazi plot to damage the infrastructure in the United States during World War II.

Taken from Wikipedia copyrighted to them:

"World War II and post-war

During World War II, the PRR carried troops and materiel for the Allied war effort, and the Curve was under armed guard. The military intelligence arm of Nazi Germany, the Abwehr, plotted to sabotage important industrial assets in the United States in a project code-named Operation Pastorius. In June 1942, four men were brought by submarine and landed on Long Island, planning to destroy such sites as the Curve, Hell Gate Bridge, Alcoa aluminum factories, and locks on the Ohio River. The would-be saboteurs were quickly apprehended by the Federal Bureau of Investigation after one, George John Dasch, turned himself in. All but Dasch were executed as spies and saboteurs."))

"How detained?" she asked her Beta and Vice President of the biker club.

"I found my mate." The phone went silent for a few seconds.

"Congratulations my friend. I am so happy for you." Luffy had a huge smile which caused her mate, Denny "Widowmaker" Fredrick to look at her funny. She saw him mouth 'what' to her. Jade held up a single finger to Widow. "Do we need to come there, or will you be bringing her to us?"

"It's complicated right now. She was injured during the trial and we just discovered each other. She is sleeping off the anesthesia right now. I will call as soon as I have an idea of where and what we are doing. I did speak to the council and they have approved your request to investigate the unpacked Weres. Tyler said he noticed a dozen or more that had come from Europe."

Luffy's unseen nod could be sensed by Doof. "Thank you, Patrick. Take all the time you need, but stay in touch. I need my beta back with me as soon as possible."

"Of course," he said before ending the call.

Jade looked at Denny, her almond eyes reflecting a curious gaze. "Patrick found his mate but she was injured. And the council green-lighted us to look into the growing number of unpacked coming from Europe."

"Whoa," Widow said as he wrapped his arms around Jade's waist and kissed behind her ear. "It's been a hundred years since Marabelle passed on. It's about time he got a second chance mate. I am truly happy for him." And he was. Denny and Patrick grew up together and had been friends since birth.

"So where are we headed?" Denny asked as an afterthought.

"Ohio." Jade had an informant with a group of Weres who were skirting the packs and keeping just north of illegal. "Alex is there and I have a feeling he is going to need us. Call Mommydearest and have her meet us in Dayton with the boys." Jade looked at her pack gathered below. "Come on my love, let's go have some fun. Tomorrow we will head out, for now, let's be free."

~~~

"Do you have to go?" Hope Carson looked at him from across the room. Hope had just finished unpacking the last bag of groceries. They had been out of necessities for a day or two. She turned to face him, holding a bag of Cheetos in her hand.

Walking to the kitchen table he grabbed a backpack. "I do." He said, dumping several shirts on the chair next to the table. "Jade called for help. She never calls. It has to be big. I can't say no." Steven "Chappy" McGregor started rolling his shirts and shoving them in the bag.

Hope let out a very audible sigh. "I understand." She joined him and started to fold his jeans. He was not a tidy packer. "I suppose you have no idea of how long you will be gone." There seemed to be an ache in her tone.

"As long as it takes." He said. "New York is a few day's ride." Chappy knew flying was a danger to his deep cover.

Hope reached across the table to a small baggie of marijuana and tucked it in the side pocket. Gaia had given her warriors the means to keep their rage in check when needed. "I was just starting to get used to you," she joked. She had been living in the same apartment with him for nearly six months. When she first moved to Los Angeles she needed a protector. Hybrids of her exceptional breeding were often poached or hunted. What started as a rocky and angry time slowly turned into friendship. And then into a commonality normally saved for lovers. But they were not lovers.

"Hope," he smiled. "I will be back before you know it. And I asked Smithy to check in with you." Chappy knew she didn't like being alone. She often had nightmares and would wake up and crawl into his bed for protection from her dream monsters.

"Smithy huh? How did you get her to agree to that?" Hope reluctantly handed him his backpack.

He grinned wide enough for her to see all his teeth. "I told her that you'd cook dinner for her and her boy toy. Just promise me that you won't piss her off while I'm gone."

"She is an alpha. All I have to do is breathe and she is pissed." Hope folded her arms across her midsection.

"That's true. Okay, avoid her when she and Leo are fighting and you will be fine." He set his hand on her shoulder. He looked at ease. "I left you my spare debit card. If anything breaks or something comes up, use it. I know you will pay the bills and keep everything going. I made sure there is plenty of money in the account in case you need to go wild." He laughed.

Hope nodded to him. She pulled him close, fumbling with the button on his shirt. She pulled her bottom lip with her teeth and hugged him tightly. "Don't go getting yourself killed, okay? I don't like losing one of the few friends I have or having to break in another wolf." She whispered. "Besides, I kind of like you, so you better come home. If you don't, I'm selling your truck."

He smirked at the thought of her selling his truck. Using his index finger, he moved her chin so he could look into her eyes. Something came over him at that moment. They had hugged before, but this time it was different. Chappy felt how right she was in his arms. He leaned to her, sniffing behind her ear before kissing her softly.

Hope was in shock, and leaned into the kiss, placing a little heat in return. Before it broke, it was all humid warm breath, teeth, and tongue. Looking into his green eyes she realized she was trembling. It was the first time in years that anyone kissed her. And not just any kiss.

Chappy moved his hand to her cheek and searched her eyes. He saw what he was looking for. Hope had felt it too. He gave her a look that said what he couldn't. He would be back and they would explore what this kiss meant. He grabbed his pack and without a word left.

Hope stood there speechless as the sound of his Harley faded and a tear glided across her cheek.

~~~

Hope stirred from the memory and ran her hand over her face and then back through her hair. When she opened her eyes again, standing in front of her was a little girl. The girl was just staring and rocking on her toes. She was wearing a flour sack dress and had a blue ribbon in her hair.

"He is looking for you." She said.

"Who is looking for me?" Hope asked, and glanced around the apartment.

The girl pointed to the locket around Hope's neck. "Him. You know the one who left it with you. The wolf man." The girl rocked on her toes again, this time her arms shifted her dress.

Hope was wearing Chappy's grandmother's locket. He had given it to her when he first placed a claim on her. It wasn't to mate with her, but to protect her from others who would use her as a breeding mare. As long as she wore it while he was alive it was proof of his claim. He had bound a spirit to it to alert others she was untouchable.

When Hope started having visions of finding him in the mountains, she needed the locket to prove it was her. Her dream had been one of blood and death as well as magic and mystery. She saw Chappy in a silver light fighting a dark shadow. And only when she approached did the shadow flee. While she did not understand the mechanics of her visions, she knew she had to go.

While Hope was in the vision she had seen a red-headed woman slamming a locker and running to catch an ambulance. The decal on the side read Birmingham Alabama. The woman ran past a man, nearly knocking him over. As Hope looked back the man faded into smoke.

"When did you see him?" She kneeled and offered a smile. In Hope's dealing with spirits, she had come to understand their concept of location and time were askew from reality.

"I saw the wolf man earlier. He was with a wolf woman, and they were coming."

"They were coming? Were they coming here?"

The little girl glanced at Hope. "Do you think my dress is pretty?" She asked and spun around making it flair at the bottom.

"I love your dress." Hope reached out and moved some hair from the little girl's eyes. "Did your mommy make it for you?"

"No. My sister did. My mommy died when the bad man came." She looked down to her bare feet, her little toes moving against the carpet. "Forgive me, Miss Hope, I have been very amiss. I'm Jenna." She spun again.

"I'm sorry about your mom," Hope said with a kind and gentle inflection. She was a caring soul when it came to children who were trapped in the between. The between might not be what some Weres called it, but she always thought of souls trapped between the here and now and the after.

"You are such a brave little girl, Jenna. Do you want to walk with me and maybe you can tell me where you saw my wolf man?"

Jenna curtsied. "I would like that very much."

Hope Carson

Paradise Texas

Hope pulled the 1968 Ford pickup truck into a parking lot. It was nearly three in the morning and she had been driving for nearly thirteen hours and was exhausted. She leaned her head to her hands which were still on the steering wheel. "Well, Jenna, what do you say to get a room?" She glanced sideways at the girl. "Or should I just jump in the back like we normally do?"

Jenna could not feel heat or cold, not like Hope and the living. So it was not an issue for her. But the protection spell on the truck she could feel. "I think it wise we sleep in the truck until you find out where we are. I can't see right now. There is a spirit fog here."

"The bed of the truck it is." Hope pulled a hiker's backpack from the floorboard. Before she left California, Hope had installed a bed liner and protector just in case she needed to sleep in the truck. It had come in handy from time to time on long nights. And the trifold cover offered shade. As she lowered the tailgate she noticed a sign to the left.

Paradise Falls TX

Population 59

"Well, that's a first, a town smaller than nowhere's Colorado." She mused while tossing the pack in first.

"Hope," Jenna sounded a little frightened. "I don't like it here. It feels strange." The little spirit moved her hand through a mist and oddly it left holes, as though it was made by a supernatural entity. "It is tingly too."

Tingly was not a word she was used to hearing from Jenna. Tingly is what normal humans say when they encounter the supernatural.

"Jenna, why don't you get back in the truck until I have a look around." It wasn't a question, though it might have sounded like one. Hope was getting better at conveying her intent to Jenna through words and feelings.

Some say women are born with a sixth sense, some say they seem to know the future. But not all women get those impressions as quickly as others. Hope asked across the parking lot and along a footpath that seemed to lead to an all-night diner, or at least that is how the sign read.

She noticed the three cars and one truck in the lot. They were all older, late 1950's and early 1960s. The truck was a blue Ford. She would know the design anywhere. Chappy loved to tinker with his truck and often had Hope make trips to the store since his rage was cumbersome even off of his moon. While there she had become friends with Gary. Gary happened to belong to a car club and brought pictures to share. Hope didn't mind indulging the older man. She even looked forward to seeing what was next.

A young man wearing jeans and a leather jacket over a white t-shirt held the door and disappeared into the mist. A few seconds later she saw headlights from one of the cars come to life. Inside the dinner, a young waitress was behind the counter. She wore an old-style uniform and her hair was in a net. She looked up for only a second.

"The bluebird special is on the board, have a seat and I will be right there." She said as a bell dinged. The waitress grabbed a plate and set it in front of a man who looked like a cliche truck driver from the early 1960s. His only reaction was a tap on his coffee mug, to which the waitress presented a pot.

The far booth is where Hope settled. She looked up to a handwritten message written in blue chalk.

The daily special is...

Two eggs, two bacon, toast with butter, and coffee.

It seemed straightforward. Simple and exactly what she needed. Hope placed her cell phone on the table. She wasn't in love with her phone, but she was never without it. In the year since Chappy had left, she had never misplaced it and kept it close in case Chappy called.

The waitress walked over, her name tag reading Sharon with a big heart and palm tree logo to the side. "What can I get you, honey?" She had a slightly crooked smile and her cheeks were red as if she had been out in the sun far too long.

"Well Miss Sharon, I think I want the special if you don't mind."

"And how would you like that doll?"

"Scrambled please, and if it's not a problem can I get a slice of cheese on it?" Hope asked in a hopeful manner.

"Cheese huh?" Sharon nodded. "Coffee and water or just coffee?" The pencil seemed to tap on the tablet in a rhythm.

"Both, please. And maybe some information?"

The drumming continued on the pad. "The restroom is down the hall." She used her chin to give direction.

"Oh no, I don't need the restroom. I was wondering about the town. Is there a local market or hotel? I'm thinking of staying a few days." Hope started to tap her phone without thought. But was the drumming Sharon had started? It seemed to be hypnotic.

"The motel is down a few blocks and Miss Anne's will open in," she looked to the wall clock, "A few hours. She rents rooms." Sharon turned and placed the order on a spinner and sent it to the cook calling out, "I need two pigs with chicks, Ray."

Hope glanced at her phone, noticing there was no reception. Being in the middle of nowhere Texas, this didn't surprise her. What did surprise her was a weather alert. It said heavy rain with tornado activity. She glanced out the window and the predawn light was still blocked by thick fog. The fog seemed to grow thicker, almost blocking the view of her truck.

Glancing at the truck driver, her nails started drumming on the table. It was the same beat the waitress had been tapping. Thump. Thump. Thump. Tap. Thump thump thump. Tap. Thump. Thump. She repeated it a few more times before Sharon brought her coffee.

"Sharon, will it be possible to get that food to go? I want to get to the motel before the storm hits." Hope gave a shy smile.

"Honey there ain't been a storm here in years." She remarked. She looked out the window and back to Hope. "But yes, I can wrap it for you."

"Thank you," Hope added.

She stood up, slipping her cell phone into the back pocket of her jeans. She picked up the coffee cup and carried it to the counter. "Sharon, I will be back in to pay. I need to grab my wallet out of the truck unless you have iPay?"

"Of course you pay silly," Sharon said amused. "It will be $.95 when you come back in. I will have it ready."

Hope wasn't sure what she said that was so funny. And she had the strangest look about the bill. $.95 seemed wrong. Hell coffee was two dollars normally. She gave a nod and walked outside.

Hope approached the truck but felt as though someone or rather something has watched her. Pausing with her hand on the tailgate she quickly looked over her shoulder, spotting a figure step behind a tree, and not out the other side.

"Don't go, Miss Hope," Jenna said. "Something is not right here. I think we should just go."

Before Hope could respond she saw a man walking around the front of the truck. She looked at him, he seemed in a daze. "Hello?" She called out.

"You shouldn't be here." He said and kept walking, and faded into the thickening fog.

"Wait!" She called to him as she chased him into the mist. She felt strange suddenly and the temperature dropped. She kept walking, knowing the dinner wasn't too far. But instead of finding the diner, she found a small store. When she looked behind her, she heard a doorbell, like one that you hang on a store door. Hope looked again and the door was partially open.