I couldn't breathe. Everything was black. I had kept drifting in and out of consciousness. I'd felt the initial pain of his teeth piercing my skin, but my body couldn't fathom the shock of his toxins and had chosen to go numb instead.
A soothing feeling came from my shoulder. With every pass, the pain was lessened until it reached a point I could physically handle the remaining toxins in my bloodstream. Gasping for air, I arched my back. It still hurt so bad. My sight began to clear. Clenching my jaw, I let my head roll back.
I was going to throw up again.
"Stop moving." The black werewolf pinned me to the couch and ran his tongue along the scar.
Sweat coated my body and my strength had left me. So that was what it felt like to be marked. It had hurt like a bitch. He climbed off me, and I toppled onto my side. As long as I stay still, I could force back the nausea.
"Fucking hell, Axil, I was worried you killed the kid for a second there," laughed Nate. "He went white as a ghost." He bumped his brother's arm. "You'll finally have our parents off your back about this mating shit."
The black werewolf smiled. "I don't think you're in the clear. Better get to work on finding one of your own."
"Well aware," breathed Nate. "I can already here mom nagging me about it.
Chuckling to himself, Axil peered down at me. "I have a feeling he's going to be difficult to tame." He folded his arms. "For now put him with the others. We'll keep it a secret until we get back to Wolfsbane. Mom can't keep secrets, and it'll only cause tension in the family if I take away from Maxie's big day."
"Well, the kid is Max's brother-in-law." Nate nodded toward me. "They might be happy if we bring him along."
"Don't say it like that. It sounds gross." Axil cringed. "Besides Jed, here is a wanted murder," the black werewolf messed up my hair, "not exactly something you bring to a First Moon of the Successor's mate. Midfield has a dead or alive bounty on him from what I hear."
I just laid there, trying to regain my breath. My shoulder was still burning.
"They're not going to kill him," said Nate. "You've claimed him."
"I know. But I'd rather wait and avoid the family drama." Axil leaned down and picked me up. "I hope the red shows up." He carried me from the room and went back to the hangar.
"The good humans are loaded," said a brown werewolf. "We're ready to go..." Her eyes went to my shoulder. "Sir?"
Axil looked around at the werewolves standing nearby. "I found my mate," he said with a smirk.
Cheers and hollering filled the room. It pissed me off. I tried to get away, but it was a pathetic attempt. My body was done for the day.
"Listen here!" announced Axil. "This stay between us. My cousin, the Successor of Midfield, is having a celebration for his mate's first moon. And we don't want to outdo Maxie's big day."
Snickers filtered among the werewolves.
"Keep it quiet." Axil eyed the group. "I'll be making the announcement later after I return to Wolfsbane, so keep your mouths shut until then. Got it?"
A 'yes sir' sounded from the surrounding werewolves. Axil looked at the brown one in front of him. "You are to take him and the rest of the humans back to Wolfsbane. Put the others up for auctions, and see to it that Jed is delivered to my home."
"Yes, sir." She took me from him. "I'll make sure he arrives safely, sir."
"I sure hope so." He lifted her chin with a claw. "The boy in your arms is my fiance. Remember that?"
She swallowed hard. "Yes, sir. With my life, I'll deliver him personally to your home."
"Go." Axil dismissed her. "Everyone else, search the nearby areas. Kill any human you find. We have enough already to make this trip worth it." He turned his back to us, and the brown werewolf quickly carried me outside.
A six-wheeler truck with a cage welded onto the back was waiting. The door was opened, and I was laid just inside.
"Let's move out!" yelled the brown werewolf, waving her finger in the air. "Let's get the cargo back to Wolfsbane." She climbed into the cab with another werewolf.
A few other vehicle started their engine as werewolves on all fours raced out of the hangar. Rolling onto my side, I watched them spread out across the desert.
"You were marked?"
I turned over and looked at the faces of the other survivors. I didn't know how to respond. They all had the same hatred for werewolves as me, and now I was bearing the mark of one.
***
(Jax)
A werewolf
Fangs, fur, claws
A tail?
Mated to a man
An alpha in training
"What are you writing?"
"Noting!" I pressed the book to my chest. "It's nothing. So go away."
Max chuckled to himself. "I was just asking."
"You already know the answers." I erased the last sentence and wrote down 'an asshole' in its place. I felt that fit the idea I was going for better.
Sitting down on the bed, Max stared at me.
"What?" I slowly closed the notebook and slid it under my pillow.
"It's almost time, and I need to get you ready?"
I glanced over his formal attire of a long black shirt with golden trim. A long robe of a similar pattern was draped over a chair.
"Do I have to wear something weird?"
Max grimace at the comment. "Worse."
"What?" I threw my hands in the air and let them drop to my sides. "I can handle a man skirt if you're worried about that."
"Nothing."
"Nothing?"
Max nodded.
"You mean nothing as in naked?"
Max forced a hesitant smile. "When you change forms"—he scratched the back of his neck—"it just isn't needed."
"I think it's needed."
Rolling his eyes, my mate shoulders dropped. "You won't be naked the whole time. I'll take you down, and you'll be covered in my robe. During the process, yes you'll be nude. But you'll be covered in fur soon enough."
I shook my head and folded my arms. "Are you trying to make this experience even more uncomfortable for me? You do realize what I will be going through tonight? My whole body is going to change. Hell, tomorrow I'm going to have a damn tail. For me, that's weird." I pointed a finger at him.
Max laid his head on my legs and peered up at me. "I'm sorry. This is how First Moon's are handled." His ears splayed to the side.
I was not having it. "Fine, I'll do it."
"Really?"
"Yeah, if you walked down there as a human."
Max scoffed at the comment. "Hell no." He stood and went to a cushioned box that had thick jewelry inside. "Once you're a werewolf clothes are not mandatory. You might as well get used to the idea now."
"You wouldn't be saying that if I shaved off all of your fur," I said under my breath.
Max spun around and fixed me with a stern look. "Really?"
Chewing on my lip, I peered down at my lap. "Sorry, I didn't think you'd hear that."
"I'm a werewolf." His right ear turned from side to side. "I have excellent hearing." He went back to getting ready.
Finishing up, Max went into the bathroom. I had sunk down into a puddle onto the bed. Why did I have to be naked for this? I was already nervous enough. Now my entire body had to be on display for them why I went through the most awkward experience of my life. I ran my hands along my arms. It would be weird to be covered in fur, but I was curious to find out what color of fur I would have.
Max returned to the room and put his hands on his hips. "Ready?"
I groaned and hid my face. "Whatever, let's just get this over with."
He put on his robe and came to the bed. I wrestled my shirt over my head and leaned back as Max took off the rest of my clothes.
My hand went to my crotch, and I glared at the wall. "I really hate you and everyone else right now."
"I know." Max picked me up and situated his robes so I was mostly hidden.
"My family is going to be there." I hid my face in his fur. "This is the most humiliating moment of my life."
"Well, just know if your siblings say anything, one day they're going to have to do this too."
My mouth fell open. "You are going to put my poor naked sister on display in front of everyone!"
Max seemed a little taken back. "There's a blanket on the ground. We're not that heartless."
I breathed out through my nose. "Why didn't you say that before? You made it seem like you were just going to toss me into the middle of your family butt naked."
"Most human mates walk out in a rob and switch to the blanket. It's a little different for you, so I'm sure everyone's going to catch a peek at some point."
I covered my face with my hands and turned into his chest. "You're the worst mate ever," I muttered.
Max shrugged. "I didn't think I was doing that bad of a job."
He carried me into the hallway. My heart rate was picking up. My body was about to go through hell, and my mother and sister were going to see my naked ass being hauled around. And on top of everything, I didn't know everyone's name yet.
"I'll be right there the whole time," said Max softly. "It'll hurt, but it happens quickly." He fixed the robe and stood to the side just out of sight of the main staircase.
I could hear the noise of people talking just on the other side of the wall. Max tightened his hold on me as we began the wait.
"How much longer?" I whispered.
"The moon will be fully risen in twenty minutes or so. We'll wait for Andreas to get here and he'll do the announcement."
I curled into Max as my nerves started to build. I hope it wasn't too painful. I knew pain. My whole life had been about pain, but it still scared me. This was something entirely new, and it was terrifying.