From Ms. Lulu, a large, elderly African American woman who reminded him of his paternal grandmother, the first thing he learned was that with shifters, neither race, color, nor ethnicity mattered. Shifters didn‟t see in terms of color but species and strength. A person was either human, shifter, or vampire. Among shifters, there were wolves, cats, foxes, coyotes, hyenas, bears, and so much more. Vampires were the strongest of all the supernaturals and generally distrusted.
She also taught him wolf-shifter etiquette, which varied from pack to pack but had common rules governing them all. Mark likened it to being in the armed forces, dealing with the different branches. For instance, the army did things one way, the navy another, but they were all part of the United States Department of Defense and therefore governed by the same laws. Like the military, each person within the pack had their own rank and file, from the highest to the lowest, and there were rules governing the way each rank was to be treated.
From Mona he learned how to treat the females of the pack and, more specifically, how to claim and treat his mate after the mating. Lessons were given in how to care for the young and the proper respect given to the elderly. The young and elderly were to be protected above all. Mates were to be treated with love and respect. She taught him how to dominate his mate without being domineering.
After eight weeks of intensive training, the alphas deemed him ready to be introduced to the pack. They called a special, surprise gathering of all the Ravens.
Mark stood downwind in the shadows, watching as they poured in—by car, on two feet, and four legs—until the clearing was full to capacity. They stood around talking in small groups, their curiosity palpable.
Mark kept his gaze focused on the object of his desire, his reason for suffering through shifter boot camp hell, wondering now that the moment was at hand, did he have what it took to succeed? Then his natural arrogance kicked in. He‟d survived the gangs in his hood, everything Uncle Sam threw at him, and six years of college. He could do this too.
Standing on a natural rise were Tom and Mona. Flanking them were Carol and Alex. To either side of them were Lulu, Hiram, and the other four pack elders.
They faced a crowd of almost three hundred men, women, and children. As had been explained to him, the women, children, and elderly were placed in the center, surrounded on three sides by all the men of the pack who were of age. Mark moved until he was slightly behind and to the left of the pack, almost hidden by the trees, waiting for his moment.
Thomas raised his hands, calling the gathering to order. “Tonight I‟d like to introduce you to the newest member of the Raven pack.” That was his cue. As the crowd murmured and looked around, he shifted into a large gray wolf with black markings and stepped forward. As his presence was noticed, they parted like water, allowing him to make his way to the front.
“His name is Mark Johnson, and he‟s already given his allegiance to the pack,” Tom continued.
Carol gasped and took a step back. Alex and a few others immediately began to growl. As Mark neared the center of the clearing, a blur came flying at him from the right. A challenge for position, to determine his ranking within the pack. If he wanted to stand by Carol‟s side as her mate and cobeta of the pack, it started here.
With no hesitation, he called on all the training he‟d received and fought off his opponent, and the next, and the next, until he lost count. Good thing his instructors had warned him his induction into the pack wouldn‟t be easy, and the hardest part was yet to come.
Bloody, bruised, but not cowed, Mark continued toward his goaclass="underline" Carol, his mate.
Three more wolves stepped out of the crowd to bar his way. From the smell of them, Mark knew these were the jokers that had shadowed Carol around campus before she left, and the guys that had held her back the night he came to the house.
He let out a snarl and charged forward, anger and justice on his side. He and his wolf united as one. Every obstacle would be defeated. Nothing would keep them from their mate.
The fight was vicious and bloody. In the end, Mark proved to be more determined, and the other wolves gave way, allowing him to pass. Less than six feet away from his goal, he was brought up short. A huge, snarling gray wolf with black tipped fur and golden eyes stepped forward, barring his way. Alex.
For the first time, the alpha intervened. “No.” Alex swung his muzzle around and growled at his father.
Thomas narrowed his eyes at him, and when he spoke again, his voice was entrenched with power, reminding Alex who was alpha. “You want to fight? Fight as men.”
Mark was shifting to human before the last word was completely out of his alpha‟s mouth. “Gladly.”
Alex changed as well, and the grin on his face would have scared a lesser man.
Mark raised both hands and motioned for Alex to bring it on.
Alex came forward, and the first punch snapped Mark‟s head backward. Mark gave his head a brief shake and rotated his jaw to loosen it. “That‟s your free one,” he told Alex. “I owe Carol that much.”
Then the fighting began in earnest.
The two were fairly evenly matched in terms of size and strength, though Alex stood about a head taller. Alex drew on his shifter reflexes and strength, but he didn‟t have the same edge that Mark did. Mark had grown up on the streets of Philly and knew how to fight dirty. What he hadn‟t learned growing up, the military had taught him, giving his already prominent fighting abilities a lethal sharpness.
They fought until the alpha called a halt. “Enough!” Alex sank to his knees, sucking in deep gulps of air. Mark had the satisfaction of still being on his feet, even if he was bent over at the waist, his hands braced on his knees the only things keeping him upright. He panted, trying to catch his breath. Alex packed a hell of a punch for a civilian.
The alpha was announcing to the pack that Mark, until recently, had been human. That he‟d spent the last few weeks learning what it meant to be a shifter, all with the goal of claiming his mate—his true mate—Carol.
While the alpha was speaking, Mark regained his equilibrium. As soon as he finished, Mark pinned Carol with a look. “Carol…” She looked uncertain at first; then her jaw firmed. “Yes?”
“Run.”
Her eyes grew big, and she glanced around at her parents, Alex, and the rest of the crowd. Maybe seeing if anyone would stop him? Not a chance in hell, sweetheart.
“Now,” he added gently.
She took one step back, and then another, before turning on her heel and sprinting off into the woods. Mark slowly straightened from his position. He rolled his shoulders backward a few times and shook his arms to loosen them. Then he bent his neck from side to side, grunting in approval as it gave a satisfying crack.
“If you‟ll excuse me,” he said to the alphas, “I have a mate to claim.” With those words, he shifted to wolf and took off after his mate…
Remembering how he‟d caught and claimed her, first as a wolf and then as a man, reminded him of his promise this morning to make it worth her while if Carol took it easy today and didn‟t overdo it. As his cock rose to attention, he figured now was as good a time as any.
Striding into the room, he walked over to his mate, grabbed her by the forearm, and pulled her to her feet. “It‟s time for all good little mommies-to-be to call it a night. Tell everyone good night, Carol,” he instructed as he towed her behind him.