The Mating Rules

I wake to the feel of someone pressing a cold disc on my chest, my eyes snap open and I growl warningly as the hand whips away and the face of our medical officer, Doctor Meadows swims into view above me.

‘Welcome back Luna’ he says grimly, placing what I now realise is a stethoscope onto my chest, listening to my heartbeat.

‘Caden? Hadley?’ I croak out, my eyes flying around the room to find it’s just me and the Doctor. I’m still in Hadley’s bedroom and I’m in the centre of his bed, the sheets pulled over the bottom half of me.

‘They have both stepped outside so I can examine you’ Doctor Meadows replies gruffly, ‘it was a bit of an issue to get them to leave but I won in the end.’

My fingers move up instinctively to my neck, feeling each side as the Doctor smiles down at me understandingly. ‘Both of your marks are there Lee, it’s fine.’

I nod, the ball of tension in my chest loosening, ‘what happened to me?’ I ask hoarsely.

The Doctor frowns, holding out his hand for me to take so he can help me sit up and press the stethoscope to my back. ‘I don’t know’ he replies honestly, ‘I received a frantic mind link from Alpha Caden demanding I come here immediately. I grabbed my things and when I arrived, Warrior Hadley let me in and brought me up here to where Alpha Caden was holding you in his arms. You were passed out and they informed me that it had happened moments after they both marked you.’

I nod, swallowing thickly, ‘do you think that was the cause?’ I murmur.

Doctor Meadows sighs, pulling the stethoscope away and helping me lay down again before pulling out a pressure cuff and securing it around my arm. ‘I really don’t know’ he rumbles, ‘I’ve never dealt with a double marking before, this is new territory for werewolves. We are all aware of the pleasure that is felt from being marked by our mate, possibly having two mates mark you caused your mind to overload and shut down.’

I nod, sinking into the pillows and allowing the doctor to do as he wishes with me. My whole body was tired, like I’d been running for days without stopping, my throat dry and scratchy. My fingers slide up my neck again, running over the indents in each side of my neck as I smile, it worked. I was claimed by both my mates.

‘How do you feel now Lee?’ Doctor Meadows asks, writing notes on the small tablet he now held in his hands.

‘Tired’ I admit, my eyes trying to close of their own accord.

‘You look a little pale, but your stats look good’ the older werewolf replied, packing away his medical equipment into his small black leather bag. ‘You need to rest Lee, stay in bed at least for the next twenty four hours, get those two mates of yours to run around after you’ he adds with a smile.

I flush, nodding, ‘I’ll try to be good’ I reply.

The Doctor laughed as he went to stand up, ‘ I highly doubt with those two as your mates that you will be anything but on your best behaviour’ he growls. ‘I had to threaten to call the Alpha down here just to get Caden to allow me within two feet of you despite him being the one who called me!’

I laugh, shaking my head, ‘Cobalt was on the surface, I presume’ I murmur affectionately.

‘Yep’ the man replies with a chuckle, ‘ready to rip me apart just for looking at you without your clothes on.’

I glance down and realise I am still naked underneath the sheet, making my face heat with embarrassment.

‘Don’t worry Lee, your mates made damn sure to let me know that my eyes were to remain on your face at all times’ the doctor huffed. ‘I think Alpha Caden would have ordered me to do the entire examination with my eyes closed. I’m a happily mated man, not to mention a medical professional’ he adds grumpily, ‘something I reminded him of.’

‘Thank you for coming, Doctor Meadows’ I say sincerely, pulling the covers higher so everything is now covered.

As the room falls into silence, Doctor Meadows clearing up the last of his things, I can just make out the faint sound of voices coming up through the floor.

Frowning, I tilt my head, Skarla rousing from her own fatigue, trying to train her wolf hearing onto what is going on.

The voices raise in volume, and I can make out the angry tones but not the words.

Beside me, the Doctor’s brow furrows, his own attention focusing on the voices below us.

‘She’s unconscious, you can’t go up there’ suddenly bellows Caden’s voice through the floor and I feel his anger hammer through the bond, my wolf growling at the feeling of her mate upset.

‘What the hell were you thinking!’ came another familiar voice and I recognise it as the Alpha, who sounds unbelievably pissed off.

‘I was thinking that my mate didn’t want to choose and that what ever she wants I will damn sure make sure she gets’ my mate yells back.

‘It’s against the damn law Caden!’ Alpha Scott roars back furiously, ‘do you have any idea what you have done? The situation you have put yourselves in?’

‘The council are just going to have to deal with it’ Caden replies roughly, ‘she’s already mated and marked by both of us, the bonds are sealed, we can’t undo it.’

Silence follows his words, before Alpha Scott replies and at the drop in his tone, I lean over the bed, trying to pick up what he’s saying.

‘Not necessarily’ Alpha Scott growls angrily, ‘Jamie-Lee has only marked you, her bond to Hadley is not yet complete, we can still fix this.’

‘What are you going to do? Burn her mark off his neck?’ Caden laughs harshly, ‘sorry dad, but I don’t think it works like that. You can’t cut the mark off with silver so I doubt trying to burn it will break their bond.’

I throw off the blankets, placing my feet on the floor and holding out a hand when the doctor tries to stop me. ‘Don’t’ I growl warningly, ‘you do not get in my way.’

I see the doctor’s eyes widen before he nods reluctantly, taking a step back as I walk on wobbly legs to the bedroom door, pulling it open and creeping out, onto the landing. Standing at the top of the stairs, I can just make out the shadows of three figures and I realise that both Alpha’s and Hadley are all standing in the living room, father and son fighting over the fact I was marked by them both.

‘The law is clear Caden, one mate, no more’ Alpha Scott huffs. ‘As you have both marked her, we have no choice, one of you will have to have your bond broken forcefully.’

I still at the man’s words, break my bond? How? You can’t do that, surely?

‘I already said you can’t remove it Dad, you know that’ Caden argues back equally as stubbornly.

‘No we can’t’ Alpha Scott agrees, ‘but a bond can be broken . . . every wolf loses their bond when the mate dies . . ‘

‘WHAT?’ Hadley and Caden both roar, and my body vibrates with the emotions flowing into me through the bonds, the sheer power of them both bringing me to my knees.

‘You’d kill her you a*****e!’ Caden hollered, ‘the death of a wolf can kill the surviving mate! Not to mention you are literally talking about killing your own damn son.’

Alpha Scott sighs heavily, ‘I obviously don’t mean you, Caden’ he replies wearily, ‘you are fully bonded, Hadley . . well I’m sorry son, this is an awful situation but you are not fully mated, you have no mark, she could very well survive the loss.’

Skarla has heard enough. With a powerful growl, she takes full control, flying down the stairs and bursting into the living room, launching herself at Hadley, whose pale face turns toward us. He automatically catches us as we wrap our legs around his body, our arms circling his neck, grabbing his hair, and tilting his head to the side. Canines elongating, Skarla sinks her teeth into the warrior’s neck, pushing them deep as he releases a m**n of pleasure. Holding him tightly for a few seconds, she slowly retracts from his neck, running her tongue over the wound to seal it.

Sliding down his body, she turns toward Alpha Scott, glaring up at him in defiance. ‘MINE!’ she snarls as, beside us, I hear Caden let out a pained g***n, the sound of fabric being ripped off before a long shirt is pulled over our head, covering our body.

‘Jamie-Lee! What the f*ck do you think you are doing’ Alpha Scott roars at me thunderously.

‘My mate’ Skarla replies, ‘you will not touch him, I will rip you apart if you try.’

I push forward and Skarla allows me to share control, the two of us glaring at the man who tried to threaten our mate. I can see Alpha Scott’s wolf surfacing, not liking our direct challenge of his authority.

‘Skarla, stand down’ Kyanite growls warningly, staring her down.

‘You will not hurt my mate’ Skarla replies, stepping in front of Hadley and refusing to drop her gaze.

‘Skarla!’ Kyanite snaps, ‘step aside, you need to accept the laws!’

I feel anger surge through me, Skarla and I snarling together. ‘No’ we snap back, our claws extending from our fingers, ignoring both of our mates as they try to step between us.

‘SUBMIT!’ Kyanite roars, his Alpha aura washing over me and I can feel more than see both Caden and Hadley bare their necks in submission after fighting with everything they have.

‘NO!’ I yell back, holding the Alpha’s gaze, ‘YOU SUBMIT!’ My body is on fire, and I don’t think I could drag my gaze from my Alpha even if I wanted to. My wolf and I are completely focused on him, joined as one mind, challenging him openly.

We watch as Kyanite growls loudly, fighting mentally as his eyes remain locked with mine. Slowly, his aura recedes, and I watch as his knees buckle underneath him before he sinks to the floor, his neck bared toward me.

‘You will never threaten my mates again’ I order firmly. ‘No one will ever threaten my mates or I will kill them.’

Kyanite nods once before my view of the Alpha wolf is blocked by Caden, who places his hands on my cheeks, trying to get my attention onto him.Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.

Turning to face him, I see his eyes widen a fraction in shock, before he shakes his head with disbelief, ‘Goddess baby’ he whispers, ‘your eyes . . . they’re silver!’

The End