A Mate to Howl For Ch. 13

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

*Authors Note*

Thank you to those who reached out to me and my family. It means a lot to have readers like you guys who understand the trauma my family is currently living with.

~~~

Good Ole Boys Pack Infirmary

Leesburg, Georgia

Tracker Lola Shaffer slowly opened her eyes to quickly shut them when she found the sunlight seeping through the window offensively painful. "Ugh," she mumbled as she gave it a second try and reopened her right eye, which was the furthest from the window. "Did you find the cat that shit in my mouth?" She groaned.

Lola knew without seeing him that Patrick was laying behind her. She had woken twice before to find him in the room. This time when she woke she remembered his name. She also knew that his scent, jasmine, and citrus was calming her. Lola cleared her throat and adjusted her body as she came fully awake. To her right side was a plastic cup with water. She stretched her arm only for Patrick to grab it first and bring it closer.

"The nurse said to sip it slowly." His husky voice whispered in her ear.

Lola was in lust with his accent. She knew he was from Australia and that he was her fated mate. She hadn't stayed awake long enough to learn how he came to find her. Just as she lucked her lips and sipped, Damian, the pack doctor opened the door.

Damian gave the couple a slight smile. "I am happy you are awake." He said stopping at the end of the bed and checking her ankles. Satisfied by what he found he approached her left side and lowered the blind halfway. "Patrick, if you growl at me this time, I will have to remove you." Damian's voice was firm. Often unmarked mates and even fully mated wolves get highly protective of injured partners.

"I think I have my wolf under control now, Doctor," Doof said as extended his hand to Damian.

Lola almost elbowed Doof when she thought of him being possessive. "Don't worry Damian, if he does I will have alpha Cullen kick him out." Lola sounded irritated. She looked over her shoulder to Doof, seeing his eyes lowering.

"You don't have to worry, I have my wolf under control. I apologize for earlier, I had just found my mate, and seeing she was injured I kind of lost control." Doof sounded subdued.

Damian nodded and gave his acceptance. "How are you feeling Lola?" Damian asked.

"Honestly? I feel like I was hit by a runaway freight train." Lola rubbed her right temple and then settled on Doof's chest, letting his scent wash over her. Her wolf was content to have his arms around her, though her human side was hesitant.

"I can give you something for the pain. I would like you to shift fit a few hours and have your work help to heal you." Damian's eyes touched Doof. "You as well. Just having you here is helping to speed her recovery." He slowly approached and slid the sheet lower so he could inspect her wound.

Lola had stepped in front of Kathy seconds before the assassin pulled the trigger. Lola was able to push Kathy out of the way, saving her life. "How bad is it?" Lola asked, drifting her eyes to the discolored bandage.

"You are very lucky. If the bullet had entered any higher it would have pierced your kidney. As it is, it knocked your appendix. I think I was able to remove it and clean up the damage. Another day or two and you will be able to get out of here. For now, I would like for you to shift as soon as you can. I understand you might have questions regarding finding your mate. Congratulations by the way," Damian smiled.

Lola didn't know whether to cry or laugh. "Thank you, Damian." Lola nodded and gave him a look that said she needed a few minutes alone.

"I will check in on you later tonight." Damian left the room, quietly. He knew they would speak again soon.

The moment the door shut Lola spoke again. "I am very tired, and sire, but I want to get to know you. I'm Lola Shaffer of the Gray Lake Pack. I am sixty-two years old and the lead tracker of my pack. Who are you exactly and how did you find me?"

Patrick shifted, moving his arms to hold her under her shoulders, and allowed his hand to cover hers. "I'm Patrick Janes, Beta of the Straw Hat Pirates Pack. We are a nomadic pack and travel as a bike club. I am known as Doof. I had pack business that brought me here. I was actually about to check in when they rushed you here. My wolf knew instantly you were our mate." His Australian accent was thick. "I knew I couldn't be without you so I stayed and have been beside you to help you heal."

Lola could hear the honesty in his confession and let her fingers interlocked with his. "I kind of like Doof." Lola finally admitted. She turned her chin and pressed her lips to his. The kiss was light. When she pulled away with a sigh she moved her body with a deep groan. "Okay, let's shift, while we can't complete the dating process, my wolf would very much like to mark you." She kissed him again, this time she poured some of her wolf's needs into it.

"As would mine," Doof said as he recovered from her kisses and inches out from behind her. He stood and started to strip as Lola eased from her gown. And in the quiet of the hospital room, two wolves found each other and bonded through mutual bites.

~~~

Three days later Lola was released from the hospital. Doof wasted no time claiming her body as he carried her into a small cabin Alpha Cullen had directed them to. Doof pressed Lola to the wall and inched her jeans off her hips. He lowered his mouth from his name Mark and kissed down her chest until he was on his knees. A second later he tore her satin panties from her body before his mouth cupped her sex. Doof's thumb moved with skill over her clit.

Lola cried out as she felt his tongue sliding between her already-soaked folds. "Patrick!" Like gasped, directing her fingers through his hair and forcing his mouth to where she needed him most.

Doof moved two fingers to her opening as his teeth found her nub. His eyes moved north as one of her legs rested on his shoulder. With a gentle push, he slid his fingers into her tight center. "Damn baby you are so wet for me." He whispered as he began to write the alphabet with his tongue and work his fingers in a come here motion. Doof managed to make it to M before his beautiful mate shattered on his chin. Doof quickly stood, freeing his click, and entered Lola before she could come down. He piston into her as he carried her to the bedroom. Neither would be seen until the following morning when they emerged for food.

~~~

Leesburg, Georgia

Good Ole Boys Pack

Valic walked behind his mate Hope Howard and kissed just below her left ear. "A penny for your thoughts?" He whispered. Valic had noticed Hope had been withdrawn since she woke up.

The nightmares had been coming more often, even leading to a few days of hell when she flashed back to the war. Hope was ready to consider going back on the meds for a short time. She could always get clean, again. She looked into the mirror and studied the circles under her eyes. She looked gaunt, and that confirmed what she needed to do.

But, she wasn't going to go in blindly, she needed to talk with her mate. Someone she respected and trusted. Valic was always first in her mind. So she drove out to speak with him. Luckily he wasn't on his moon. Hope stood on the balcony. When she felt his tender lips on her neck the session was made. "I was on medicine K 101. I kind of got addicted to it. It stopped the nightmares and the shakes. I was injured when an IED went off and suffered a traumatic brain injury as well other wounds."

Hope sighed. "Last night I dreamt I was back at the Mangadoom facilities where my real nightmare began." Her voice drifted as she recalled the dream and the day she discovered K 101 and her life descended into hell.

~~~

Five years ago.

Macon, Georgia

Mangadoom Head Office

Today, Hope Howard accepted the invitation to work for Mangadoom. Hope would go there to see the doctor and mingle with her friends. The drive across town went faster than the time before. She pulled into the complex, right up front in a spot marked visitor. As she stepped out of the Jeep Wrangler, she was greeted by Salem. He had been her friend for over seven years, having met his first day in Iraq.

"Gunnery," He said before giving her a full-body hug, lifting her off her feet as he did. "Damn good to see you."

When he set her down, she punched his shoulder playfully and then hugged him again. "When the hell did you get here?" She asked. "I didn't know you were involved at this location."

"Got in last night, saw your name on the appointment log when I checked in, and thought damn they got her too. I had to see you." Salem motioned his hand to the building. "Come on let me buy you a cup of coffee and we can catch up before your appointment and maybe later tonight a beer or ten?"

"Hell yes. Semper Fidelis" She said. Hope looked at her watch and then walked with him. She had been here a few times for interviews and knew the way.

"Have you checked out the facilities here?" Salem asked.

"Not really. I more or less came to check in and grab the meds. Why, what did you find?" Hope asked.

"Oh, you are going to love this." He said. He walked Hope down the hall to an elevator. Once inside he pressed the B. The elevator dropped 4 floors underground. He looked at her. "Don't freak on me Gunny." The doors opened with a hiss. The corridor was bright and short, dead-ending about twenty feet away. Salem motioned her to the hallway.

"Where the hell are we?" She asked, folding her arms over her chest. There was a little concern in her eyes, but also interest in what he was getting at. She opened her mouth to say something else when she heard the first whispers. Hope knew instantly what they were. She could hear them getting louder and the static buzzing ceased and one word resonated in her head.

RUN.

It was a male voice. She turned in the direction it came from just as Salem stepped in the same direction. "Down here," He said. "You know how we sometimes deployed and aided some of those government types? The black ops shit we were sworn to never speak of?"

"I don't know what you are talking about," she said. Again and again, she could hear spirits screaming for her to run. Hope thought she was going insane with the static buzz.

"Yes, those missions," he laughed. "Well get this, the company here has been working on a drug to enhance our abilities. Not only that, they have been testing prosthetic limbs and enhancements." He opened the double doors exposing a gym facility full of people. Some were lifting weights, enormous amounts, inhuman amounts. Others had replacement limbs and were doing inhuman feats as well.

"What the hell?" She said, more than concerned by what she was seeing.

"I know I was the same way until I checked it out." He walked over to the water cooler and poured a cup. He offered it to her before grabbing one for himself. "You are going to need this, trust me."

"Why?" Hope was a little curious about what was going on.

"You have to trust me Gunny," he said walking to a door to the side of the room.

Hope followed, thinking why not she was already here. She could still hear the spirits, but for some reason, they were muffled in here. When Salem opened the door she was greeted by a husky man.

"Ma'am," He said with a nod before walking out behind them, his aura commanding power.

Hope was reminded of an alpha wolf. "So what's going on here?"

"I told you, they are testing an enhancement drug, but that isn't why we are down here." He said, leading her down a second hall. He stopped at a door and smiled. "This is," and then opened the door. It was a private room with a table.

"Okay, enough bullshit Salem. What the hell is going on?" She looked at the table and at him.

"I told you to trust me. Look, Hope, you and the others, we had each other's backs. I have yours now. Just give them a listen," he held the door for her.

Reluctantly she walked in. She took a seat and folded her arms over her chest again. Salem sat beside her. When the door opened again, Harold and Julie walked in. Harold had been with her in Fallujah and Julie in Kabul, Afghanistan.

"Gunny," both said in unison.

Behind them, a man in a black suit entered. "Have a seat," he said using his nose on the only chair. He walked to the table laying a form and a pen on the table. "It's a standard Non Disclosure form. You can sign it and we can talk, or you can walk."

Hope looked to her remaining squad members and took the pen, signing her name. She set the water bottle she had been holding on the table. "You have my attention."

"Hope Howard, you have been chosen to be part of an experimental program to enhance your mind and body. You will be given the training to prepare you for combat of an enemy only believed to be in myth." He sounded dead serious. He placed a folder on the table.

Hope took it and opened it. There were photos and diagrams of what looked to be vampires. Yes, straight out of legends, he was right. She took her time browsing the information. "Are these real?" She finally said.

"They are real images. And yes, as you see creatures of legends are real. We have been tracking them for years. I am in charge of putting teams together, and I have been watching you since Baghdad. I have recruited most of your team, but they need a leader. The vampires are organized as are the werewolves. We know of a few locations out west and up north. The populace doesn't know anything." He said.

"And the government?" Hope asked. It was apparent these were MIBs and knew far more than they should. There was even a chance they knew about her true identity. She needed to play this cold if she wanted to walk away.

He didn't respond like she thought he would. "We do not report to the government. And before we get too deep, I need a hard in or out."

"Sir," She said out of habit. "I need time to digest this." She said, taking a sip of the water.

"You have 24 hours, to consider the offer," he removed the folder and turned to walk away but paused. "I know you became a paramedic to help others, but leading this team will help everyone." And then he walked away.

Hope put her hand up to silence her squad mates. "Before any of you say a word, I need time." She stood looking at them. "With that said, it is damn good to see all of you." She gave them a hug and a shoulder shove. They talked for over an hour before she left.

~~~

Hope turned and faced her mate. "I have to talk to Cullen. I got my memory back. I am sorry my love, but what I was involved in was bad, deadly in fact. You might find I will disappoint you." Hope held the side of his neck and brushed his lip with her thumb.

Valic kissed her finger and wrapped his arms around her. "You will never disappoint me." His lips crushed hers, reminding her she was not alone. When he broke the kiss he hugged her hard. "Let's go see him. I will be with you the entire time.

~~~

Leesburg, Georgia

Good Ole Boys Pack

Valic knocked on the office door and after hearing the command to enter he and Hope walked hand in hand. Valic's eyes moved from Alpha Cullen to a man and woman sitting on a long couch to the left side of the desk. Valic knew instantly that the man was Colin Andrews. An urge to force Hope behind was overriding his brain. "Colin," Valic finally said with great restraint.

"Lucious," Colin said with a delighted look. Colin and Lucious had a sorted history. A hundred years ago Colin and Yuri had been hunting a rogue Were who began killing fledgling vampires and ran into Valic, who was hunting the same were-panther. Valic had orders to capture the man and Colin and Yuri had orders to kill it. In the end, it was Diospar, a Pixie from Cork, Ireland, who caught and killed the rogue. Neither Colin nor Valic we're happy with the pixie eating their prey.

"Alpha Cullen," Hope said, drawing attention to her. She could feel the edginess between the two. Hope couldn't decide if they were friends or enemies. But somehow she knew Cullen would not allow an enemy of the wolves to be on his lands without a protection detail. "Is this a bad time?"

Cullen motioned to the leather chair in front of his desk. "Please, have a seat, Hope. I asked Colin and Aria to join us." His deep voice radiated comfort.

"Of course, Alpha," Hope said as she sat down and regarded the vampires. When she was growing up, she heard of their existence but didn't meet one until she joined Mangadoom. Her mind filled with an image of a woman in chains. Amber. The name took hold in her mind and then she realized she was projecting the image.

It was Colin who spoke first and he was angry. "Where is she?" His jaw tensed as his hands formed fists. Colin could hardly feel Aria trying to calm him.

Valic made a step closer to Hope, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, Colin." It came out as a threat.

Cullen could tell Colin was close to losing his temper. Whoever the woman was in Hope's mind was not a simple person. Cullen let his Alpha dominance free, subduing Valic and catching Colin's attention. "Calm down, my friends. This is why we are here. Hope went undercover a few years ago. I had a druid suppress her mind and hide her true nature. She came to the Council after being contacted by an agency running First Team."

Hope nodded. "Mister Andrews," she wasn't sure to call him Colin so she went with his surname. "Amber Johnson is alive and being held in Kettering, Ohio. What you saw was a memory from last week." Hope glanced at Cullen. "Alpha, I remember everything now. I can give a full debriefing to the Council and Mister Andrews if you are ready."

Valic finally understood what Hope meant by he might be disappointed in her. Truthfully he was starting to see her as a badass. She did what numerous enforcers could not. She infiltrated a known human hunter organization. Valic's fingers gave a slight squeeze reassuring his mate he was there with her.

"Cullen, you and I have been friends for over two centuries. I am going to trust you for now. But you should understand the severity of the situation. Amber is Yuri's mate. He will want blood for any abuse age suffered and if this she-wolf is found to have harmed her, I will not be able to spare her." Colin's voice was thick with rage. He personally permitted Yuri to change Amber. Given Yuri's age, making a child would birth an incredibly powerful fledgling.

"I offer you my mind," Hope said before Cullen could silence her. "I assure you, she is alive because of me. Once I found out who she was and who she was married to, my mind started to become aware and I messaged Alpha Cullen."

"Hope," Cullen cleared his throat. "I will set up a video call. I am also going to compel you and I will allow Colin to search your mind as well. Lucious, I know you will want to be with your mate. Will I need to restrain you in silver or will you be able to maintain composure?"

Valic inhaled Hope's scent and calmed himself. "No, Alpha. I will be calm provided no one harms Hope." Valic spoke from the heart. He could and would remain neutral unless Hope was attacked. He didn't become a lead enforcer by not being able to control.his impulses.

Colin stood extending his hand to Aria. "Cullen, I will need to have Yuri and possibly the twins sit in on this call. For the protection of this woman, Aria and I will remotely have Yuri join the call. He is currently in Birmingham, Alabama, and won't be able to reach Hope. Will that satisfy your concern for her safety?"

Cullen nodded. "Yes." He then opened his laptop and sent a message. "Okay, we will return here in thirty minutes." Cullen left no room to debate.

~~~

When the group reconvened, Hope opened her mind to the vampire and Alpha Cullen. She answered all their questions about the location and condition of Amber. She also gave viral intel about the facility in Kettering, Ohio, and a second lab location in Dayton, Ohio. Hope was able to give guard schedules and rotations and three security codes to unlock blast doors.