Missing Ch. 01-10

He looked up at me with his smoky grey eyes. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"As soon as we complete our mating, I'll automatically be part of the Baxter Pack unless you are planning to move to Ireland."

His eyes got wide. "I hoped you'd come here. Trackers and warriors are the same Pack rank. I know I'm an apprentice right now, but that's because I haven't been around here to take the advancement tests. Do you want me to join Dublin?"

"NO," I said quickly. "It's just that if I change Packs right now, it affects me in the Warrior Games. I'm sure the Baxter Pack already has a Tracker in the competition?" He nodded. "I couldn't replace her, and I wouldn't be part of the Dublin Pack anymore. I'd get disqualified."

He looked at me funny. "Surely, there is an exception to be made! Matings are sacred!"

"I checked the rules before I came here. Since so few women compete, and the others here are older and mated, there is no exception to the rule. If we fully mate right now, I'm out of the competition. More importantly, it screws the Dublin Pack in the team competition. A disqualification means ZERO points towards the overall Pack title. I promised them I would compete for them, and I mean to do that."

He squeezed my hand. "So we don't fully mate until after the competition ends, Bonnie. It will be hard, but I can wait." I could see the wolf in his eyes. "I can wait as long as you let me mark you now. I don't know if I can handle all these males looking at you without my mark on you."

"Thank you," I told him. "There's more."

"I get a free set of steak knives?"

I let out a laugh. "No, silly. There are more reasons why you might not want me as your mate. You need to know everything before you mark me."

"Just tell me, my mate."

I took a deep breath and let it out. "I was an orphan, Sean. My mother was human, my father an unknown werewolf. The Dublin Pack found me in a Belfast orphanage and brought me in. I owe them my life."

"They could have killed you."

"They aren't the only Pack that sees 'half-breeds' as weak and unable to rise above Omega rank. I grew up with all the taunting and bullying. I threw myself into tracker training in case I had to stay there, but I was hoping I'd find my mate and go elsewhere."

He squeezed my hand. "My Pack isn't like that, and I don't care. Anyone can see how strong you are. The Baxter Pack will be stronger with you in it." He looked up at me with lust in his eyes. "Can we mate now?"

I let out a breath. "There's one more thing, Sean. The worst thing." Tears formed in my eyes as I worked up the courage to tell him, knowing a rejection might soon follow. "I can't have children."

He sat up, looking at me in shock. "What? Why?"

I moved the pillow aside, exposing the scar along my left hip. "I ended up in the orphanage because my Mom was attacked in the streets of Belfast," I told him. "They never caught the person who stabbed her three times while she was pregnant with me. One of the three punctured my body while I was in my thirty-fourth week." I could see the anger and the sorrow flashing across his face. "The doctors performed an emergency C-section for me. They couldn't save my Mom, and they barely saved my life. The doctors had to remove my uterus, Sean. I can't ever have a baby." I broke down crying, and Sean gathered me into his arms. He was sobbing on my shoulder, his wolf howling with pain and anger. I'd known about my medical condition for years, but I hadn't understood the impact until now. This male would see his bloodline end with him unless he rejected me for another. I let him rock me in his strong arms until I could talk again. "I know this is a deal-breaker. I've been preparing myself for rejection since I came of age."

Instead of crushing me, Sean snorted and started to laugh. I tried to squirm out of his arms, but he wasn't letting me go. "Mom's linking me. She wants to know what's taking so long."

"What did you tell her?"

"I told her my mate was worth the wait," he replied.

My eyes got wide. "You're not... you...."

"Luna made us mates, and she doesn't make mistakes," he said as he held my head between his hands. "Some of us never find their mate, and they never have children either. I have my mate here in my arms, and I'm only twenty. I'm lucky, Bonnie."

"I'll never be a mother," I said dejectedly.

"You can't get pregnant, but you still have ovaries?" I nodded. "There are options now if we want a baby. We could harvest eggs and use a surrogate, or we could adopt. I'm not giving up on you because of something that happened before you were born."

My wolf was thrilled with her mate and eager to move things forward. I had to make sure. "You still want to mark me?"

"I want to do a lot more than that, Bonnie. I'll settle for letting everyone know you are mine for now."

I turned to straddle his body, letting him pull me close as we kissed. I could feel his excitement trapped between us as the mating pull surged between us. "Mark me," I whispered as I moved my hair out of the way, exposing my left shoulder.

"My love," he said as his wolf came out to play. His jaw and teeth changed slightly as his teeth extended, and then he bit into my shoulder. The initial pain changed quickly to pleasure as our wolves melded; I barely held her back from marking him in return. That would have to wait a few days until we were free to complete our bond.

He licked at the bloody markings after letting me go. His saliva would help stop the bleeding, but mating scars would remain. His scent would join mine, and every werewolf around would know Sean had claimed me.

His marking had only made him more excited, but I wouldn't be able to hold back if we made love. I used my hand to help him release onto my stomach. "We should shower and go back out to meet your parents," I said as I looked down on the mess.

"Fine, but I'll be laying my scent down on you again before we leave the room."

I could live with that. I loved his scent too.

Ch. 5

Sean Wood's POV

As hard as it was to let her out of my arms, I knew I had to do it. I held my wolf back from grabbing her and tossing her down to complete the mating as she walked into my bathroom to shower. "It's not going to be easy for me to hold back," I warned her over our newly-activated mate link. "Especially when your bare butt is wiggling like that as you walk away."

I could hear her giggle as she closed the door. "I'm tall, skinny, I have the chest of a ten-year-old, and my butt barely holds up my belt," she complained. "I don't know what you see in me."

"Perfection?"

"Don't tease me."

"I'm serious, Bonnie. You're not like the other girls out there. You're long and graceful, like a greyhound in your wolf form. I was fascinated by you before the scent even reached me. You're the fastest wolf I've ever seen; it took everything I had to catch you, and I only ran a mile!"

"Yet I finished in third place?"

I heard the shower starting. "You were gaining on them," I replied, happy I was able to overcome my mate's logic. "When do you compete again?"

"Tomorrow. The bracket should be out soon. Bonnie was the only female to make the top thirty-two."

I linked with my Dad and asked him what Bonnie McDonald's seeding was and when she'd compete next. "I should know before you get out of your room and introduce us to your mate," he teased me. "Your mother is already planning the mating celebration, and the Alphas want to meet her."

I brought Mom into the link, quickly telling them why I was only marking her until the competition was over. Dad understood and said he'd speak with the Rules Committee and see if there was another way. "You two are going to have to be strong to resist the mating pull, but Bonnie is special. She's going to be an asset to the Baxter Pack."

I didn't know how to tell them about her background or infertility; now was not the time. I'd have to say something, though, before Mom started buying baby clothes and talking about grandchildren. "Mom, can you have Bonnie's things brought over from the Pack House?"

"I'll take care of it," she said.

"Bring it to my room, Mom. She's in the shower now."

"What are you doing talking to me? Don't you have better things to do?"

"My wolf and I are barely holding back as it is, Mom!"

My Dad was having none of it. "A man going into the Green Berets should have the self-discipline to hold on a few more days," he told me. "Bonnie should inform her Alpha as well."

"We'll take care of it." I heard the water stop. "I need to go." I dug through my dresser, finding a T-shirt and a pair of drawstring shorts for her, and set them on the bed. I unpacked my bag while clearing out some drawers in my dresser and making room in my closet for her things. I turned around when the door opened and froze. Bonnie had one towel around her red hair and another around her body, one not quite long enough to cover everything. "You're so beautiful," I said when I was able to talk again. I took a few steps, kissed her on the lips, then pointed at the bed. "You can wear those until your things arrive. I'll be out in a few minutes."

"Sean?" She pulled my neck down slightly, only needing to tilt her head to get our lips to touch again. Our bodies molded together as we kissed, tingles erupting everywhere. Her eyes were hooded and her wolf forward when she finally pulled back. "Hurry up."

I practically ran into the shower. When I came back out, Bonnie had dressed. She was by my desk, looking at the photos on my wall and trophies on my bookshelf. "It's probably best we remain clothed around each other, or my wolf may not wait," she told me.

"You tempt me like no other," I replied. I got on the bed, moving my pillows so I could lean back against the headboard. Bonnie moved next to me, my arm holding her to my side as we talked. "I can only hold off my parents and my Alpha so long, and Dad reminded me that you should inform your Alpha."

"I already linked Alpha Heir Niall about our plans. He was the one who kicked you off of me, so he knows we are mates. He informed my Alpha soon after."

"What was the reaction?"

"He was pleased I wouldn't be switching Packs right away. We still have an outside chance at a Pack medal, despite Niall's loss in the first round of the Werewolf Combat competition. Beta George won the Archery competition and got bronze in knife-throwing. If he makes the final four of the fencing tournament, he should medal easily. Warrior Keane is in fifth place after the first two events in Modern Combat. Beta O'Malley had a first-round bye, then won his unarmed combat matches yesterday and today. Beta Finucane said that no one has ever had medalists in three of the five areas and NOT gotten an overall Pack medal."

"That's a tough ask in a competition this size," I said.

"None of them expected to get any points out of me in my first competition, much less medal in the Cross-Country run. They know I'm fast, but females rarely finish high in this event."

"You aren't like any other female," I said with pride. I got a send from my father; Bonnie was now seeded number five after three events, with the top thirty-two heading to single-elimination competitions. Her match was at eight in the morning, the bus leaving at seven. "I wish I could watch you in person," I told her. Since the tracking contest was all about scents, it was held in a remote section of forest land. Only contest officials and contestants were there to avoid overload.

"I'll let you know how it goes."

We stayed in bed for another hour, just talking and holding each other. I wanted to find out Bonnie's hopes and dreams before anyone else could start dictating other plans to us. "It's going to be hard for you with me being in the Army," I told her. I explained my upcoming screening for the Green Berets and the grueling training schedule I'd undergo if selected. "We would have to get married to get you onto the base or get housing, and that can take time to arrange. The Army has to sign off on it since you're a foreign national. Until then, you might have to stay in Ireland."

"My tourist visa is good for sixty days. Could I apply to colleges here? Get a student visa?"

"It's something the Alphas might be able to help with," I said. "It will be another four years minimum before I finish my active duty commitment, and I can return here. I'm sure to be deployed for half that time. You'll spend a lot of time here with the Baxter Pack while I'm gone."

"And I'm sure they'll want me to be employed since I can't be a baby factory."

I moved my left hand to your face. "My Pack isn't stuffy and old-fashioned, Bonnie. Our Alphas love having strong women around. The Luna is a redhead, after all." I got her to laugh with that.

Her stomach growled. "Sorry. I barely ate this morning because of the race."

There was a soft knock on the door. "Sean, I have her suitcase," Mom said.

"Come in, Mom."

She opened the door and peeked in, relieved to see we were fully dressed. I rolled my eyes at her. "We need to get over to lunch before the line closes down. Do you and Dad want to join us?"

"The Alphas asked us to dine with them in their quarters," Mom replied. "Fifteen minutes. Don't be late." She closed the door. "And NO, you don't have time for canoodling!"

"Then YOU don't have time either!" We got up, and Bonnie went to her suitcase to find suitable clothes. "I'll meet you downstairs," I told her.

Mom was waiting for me in the kitchen. "I like her," she told me. "She's spirited. She won't roll over and let you do whatever you want, and that's a good thing."

"She's amazing," I said. "We have SO much to do before I return to Fort Bragg, though."

"Everyone will help you, Sean. As soon as the Games are over, you'll be able to focus on your mating." We both looked up as Bonnie walked down the stairs, wearing white sandals with a sleeveless sundress. Mom got up and embraced her future daughter-in-law, practically bouncing with excitement. "I should talk to your Mom about the mating ceremony arrangements!"

"I'm an orphan, Mrs. Woods," Bonnie replied.

Mom's face showed her shock. It took her a second to recover. "Then I hope you'll let me help like your mother would have wanted," she told her before hugging her close again. "YOU COULD HAVE WARNED ME!"

"We were waiting to tell you both," I replied.

"We should go. George is waiting for us at the Alpha's office."

It was a short walk to the Pack House, and we got a lot of looks and congratulations as we walked there. My mark on her neck and my scent on her settled my wolf. "Word of your mating spread like wildfire," Mom told us. "Nothing like finding her in front of a crowd."

"And knocking me down at the finish line?" I blushed as Bonnie teased me.

"It may take a while, but I'll always catch you, my love," I told her.

We made our way up to the office, where George was waiting. He took her hand as I introduced them before offering a hug. "Welcome to the family," he said.

"Thank you."

George led us into the conference room, where the Alphas waited to greet us. "Welcome to the Baxter Pack," Alpha Nathan said as we bowed our heads in respect. "Please, sit down."

"We're so excited that Sean has found his match," Luna Adrienne said. Omegas entered the room with trays of food, setting them before us. I could tell how nervous Bonnie was, so I held her hand as she settled herself. "Why don't you tell us about you? All I've heard is that you are a talented young tracker from the Dublin Pack."

"I'm just going to lay it all out," Bonnie sent to me before answering. I squeezed her hand in support. "Well, I just finished my second-level education and received my Established Leaving Certificate." No one knew what that meant. "I finished the equivalent of your high school on a college track," she finished. "I qualified as a Tracker when I came of age in April. I won our Pack competition, so I got to come here and compete in the Games."

Alpha Nathan looked shocked. "You're only eighteen, yet you are already a tracker?"

"Yes, sir. Becoming a tracker was the only way an orphan like myself could achieve status beyond Omega."

"What did your adoptive parents do?"

"I didn't get adopted, Luna Adrienne. No family wanted to take in a half-breed, so I was raised in the Pack House by the Omegas." She bravely told the story of her early life and rescue from the Belfast orphanage, the teasing, discrimination, and outright sexism she'd fought as she grew up. "I had to find a useful spot in the Pack because the Luna told me my background and condition would mean no male would ever want me as his mate."

The Alpha stared at her, and I could feel his anger at her treatment. "Condition?"

"Yes, sir. My human mother was pregnant with me when she was attacked and stabbed, and one of those stab wounds punctured my abdomen. The doctors delivered me and saved my life, but I can never have children."

Luna Adrienne left her seat and came around to Bonnie's chair, drawing her into a hug as my mate broke down crying. "It's all right, Bonnie," she told her. "You have a family now."

"You'll never be alone again," I promised.

Ch. 6

Bonnie McDonald's POV

"Good luck in the semifinals," Sean told me as he kissed me for luck. We were standing by the bus in front of the Pack House, the morning of the fifth round. I wished he could watch me, but only competitors and officials were allowed near the grounds. "I'm proud of you."

"I'll do my best," I said as I turned around. The Dublin Pack members were all here, joined by a large contingent of Baxter Pack wolves to cheer my departure. I waved to them all and thanked them for coming out before loading onto the bus.

"Popularity won't matter in the woods," a man said from the front seat as I walked back. I recognized Dante Miller as the man who was speaking; he was a thirty-six-year-old wolf from a Colorado pack. Oh, and the two-time defending Tracker Champion I'd be facing in the woods today.

I knew he was trying to get in my head, and I wasn't going to let him. "That's why I love being a tracker; nothing matters but the nose." I took a seat a few rows back on the opposite side. "I'm looking forward to matching myself against a wolf of your skill."

He snorted. "No female has ever medaled in this event, and you aren't that special."

I ignored his dig and the looks from the other two male competitors on the bus. I put headphones on and started Depeche Mode's "Violator" on my Discman. Forty minutes later, the bus came to a stop, and the other pair of wolves stepped off with their officials. We drove another five minutes before reaching a turnout along the logging road. "Let's go," the race official said.

The rules for each round were simple and started with a coin flip. I lost the toss, and Dante picked the western side of the road, hoping to take advantage of the light morning breeze blowing at an angle towards the road. I elected to hide first.

I removed my dress and shifted into my wolf, trotting back out and sitting in front of the Games officials. One of them placed a dog collar around my neck with a timer built-in. When started, it would count down sixty minutes, with beeps at fifteen and five minutes and a tone as time expired. After the tone sounds, any excessive movement would cause an alarm. Once you were hidden, you had to stay put or receive an immediate disqualification. In my hour, I could go anywhere to the western side of the road and lay down as confusing a trail as I could. Before the hour was up, I'd find a place to hide. At one hour, Dante would become the seeker. He gets timed until he locates me, and I get timed as I find him. If you can't do it in two hours, it's over. The shortest time wins.