Chapter 87

Marcus

I found my mate Mari during one of my first missions to the packs. My tour was to go around to the nearby packs The Black Stone, Devils Ridge, Yellow River, and Red Lake Packs. While at the packs I was to assess their warriors training and gauge the need to start up a traveling Combative and SERE’s Training program. I had wanted to head up the program since my father had started the Alpha’s Academy. Though back then it was called the warriors academy. Our goal at the time was to provide the packs with the best defensive training. Yet most packs would only send their Alpha’s. So my father renamed it the Alpha’s academy. After watching several of these so-called Alpha’s come in here and fail even the basics of maneuvers, I had seen the need for training on a deeper level. If their Alpha’s couldn’t even fight then how the hell could their warriors. Everything starts at the top. So, with my father training the Alpha’s, I had the idea that I could travel amongst the packs and train their head warriors.

This would ensure that even if the Alpha’s or soon to be Alpha’s slacked off in their training at the academy that they would have someone in place to ensure that their packs got trained correctly. Having traveled to two of the packs I was prepared to cut my journey short and report to my father the severe lack of combative training. Not only that but the majority of the packs had no clue even what SERE’s even was. The lack of knowledge was appalling. I was giving it one more go at the Black Stone Pack when the most glorious scent drifted towards me. Caught up by the wind my nose went straight up in the air. The floral but not just any kind of floral but the sweet scent of wild honeysuckle and sandalwood. The smell had my mouth watering and my mind racing with lust.

I quickly followed my nose to a young school girl walking in a pack of other girls to the local High School that was situated on the border of Black Stone and Devils ridge. The packs had a treaty for the young to attend the same school that was funded solely by the packs. It was obvious that the girl couldn’t be any older than 16. Knowing the age of the girl I knew that she couldn’t possibly be my mate. I had to have smelt someone else. There was no way that I could mated with someone so young. Not that she was too much younger than myself but just didn’t see how I could scent her. If she was underage, than I shouldn’t be able to scent her. I had thought that it was maybe a sister, friend or even maybe mother but I continued on with my tour.

After finishing with the tour I decided that it would be useless to complete the entire journey. I had returned to my father with the results and began to implement the Traveling Warrior Training Program. Within a year I had the program up and running. Though we started out small and only taking on two packs as testing packs. The next year we had applications for upwards of five packs requesting assistance in training. I finally made it back to the Black Stone Pack three years after the initial walk through. Again, the smell of honeysuckle and sandalwood permeated my senses. Again, I followed the amazing smell to the same girl walking in a group of others towards the pack hospital talking to a bunch of other women joking. Yet, this time her nose went straight up in the air as well. Looking around I knew the moment that she had spotted me as she dropped the bag and books that she was carrying and stood staring.

After what felt to be several agonizing minutes, I watched as she slowly began to right herself. Brushing down her scrubs, she bent down and began to pick up her books that several of her friends had already begun to gather for her. After grabbing her bag and books she turned around and walked back with her girlfriends into the hospital.

I felt totally rejected and ashamed. I could tell that she smelled the distinctiveness of the lack of a pack scent. The lack of a pack made me Rogue. I wasn’t ashamed of who or what I was but for once I felt the shame of not belonging. Walking back to the training ground I had been distracted at the loss of my mate. She may not have rejected me but her actions had dismissed me where I had stood.

Not paying any attention I walked right into a low hanging branch and knocked me clean out. Luckly, I was observed in my thoughtlessness and taken straight to the local pack hospital. Opening my eyes to the crystal blue orbs of my Mate. My Mari.

Mari

From the moment that I had scented Marcus, I was in heaven. Had I not been sent here to do a job I would have been all over him. But composing myself I picked up my books and bag and walked back to the pack hospital. I can’t remember the rest of the morning until my first patient of the day was none other than my mate. My heart broke for him. The large gash on his forehead and him completely unconscious. I was able to quickly tend to the wound on his forehead and throw in the three stitches needed to seal the wound before he began to stir. When he woke up I knew that no job in the world would ever matter as much as him.

It took me only a fraction of a second to determine that hiding out at Black Stone Pack no longer mattered. All that ever mattered now was my mate.

After several long years, Marcus and I was able to create a life in Black Stone Pack. Marcus helped me to accomplish my goal. It took several long years to complete my full studies. After finally finishing Med school, we got married, we worked hard to settle into our bond and life before we decided to have a pup. 5 years after completing med school Travis was born. The happy baby boy was the precious gift ever given to us. But with our work schedules we had found it hard to even attempt for another child. Yet, when Travis started grade school, I had gotten promotion to one of the head doctors of the emergency room. Instead of working nights I was able to move to days. A year after the promotion little Daisy Mae was born. She was her daddy's little girl through and through.

Shortly after Daisy was born we had Tyler. After Tyler we had begun to think that we had met our match. SHe was the eptimoe of toddler terror. Taking your eyes off of her for less than a millisecond would have you scouring the entire house for her. Then only to find her where no toddler should be able to go, and doing what no toddler should be doing. She was a true dare devil and had put our medical training to the test.

We were a happy family. Until the reasoning for my move to the Black Stone Pack and the reasoning that I had thought that I could just walk away came flooding right back to me. I had hid my past not only from my pack but from my mate and it was slowly catching up with me. With Travis 13, Daisy 8 and Tyler now 3, I had a life and family that deserved my protecting. I knew that Marcus could protect us. He still was the head trainer and warrior at Black Stone pack.

When the call came in for Marcus to return home I knew that our lives of simplicity was practically over.

~~Flashback 2 Months Ago~~

“Slow the hell down Antony. I don’t understand you when it sounds like you are running, talking and eating a sandwich. What the hell is going on over there?”

“Uh huh. Uhh.. Wait.. Reverse, WHAT?! HE DID WHAT?!.. Oh okay, so she met her mate, why do we need to pack up and move home?.. uh Huh.. Put Dad on.” Marcus said into the phone.

“Dad, what the hell is going on over there?... Okay, I get that she was marked without consent and underage but why is that an emergency?.. Come on, Dad, you have to give me something. I cannot just uproot my entire family and move them back to the compound. This is our home now… Uh huh, Okay. I will come and have Mari prepare the house. But Dad, if I do not like the reasoning I am coming right back here… Okay, give me a day.” Marcus said to his father before ending the call.

“Sorry, Mari. But I need to leave tonight. I am going to call Alpha Martins and let him know that I will be leaving tonight. I will let him know that we have a family emergency back at home.” He said.

“Is everyone alright?”

“Yeah, apparently my sister met her mate. Right now she is unconscious and that there is important information that needs to be discussed. All my father said was that he couldn’t tell me over the phone. He wanted us to move back in within a week but I think I have him placated right now. Don’t worry sweetheart, it's probably nothing.” He said gently, running a hand up my right cheek, behind my ear and grabbing the back of my neck to bring my lips to his. As he was walking away I took it as my chance to tell him about my dark secret.

“Marcus, I need to explain something to you that I have never told you. Nor did I ever want to say to you.” I said.

“Can it wait till I get back. I don’t plan to be gone long Mari, I just need to call the Alpha right now to cover my shifts.” He said. Nodding my head I let my husband walk out of the room and towards our bedroom.

I stood in the very same spot for several long minutes thinking about how he would really react to my dark secret. As I was envisioniing the million and one scenarios going through my head on hyper speed I felt my phone in my pocket ring.

“Hello, this is Dr. Mari Hunt” I said in short clipped tone, the tone that I used when I was answered a phone call that I was sure was the hospital calling me back in.

“Hello, Mari. Long time no chat.”