(Mercy Thompson Series)
Lone Wolf
A/N - Hello to anyone who is still out there. I was going through my works when I realized I hadn't updated this story, the last chapter, in 3 damned YEARS! O_o I am SO SORRY! I really have no excuse. I mean, I went in and out of motivation to write, most likely due to my depression and other events in my life. But it was never my intention to make you guys wait that long. So apologies, and if you have stuck with me despite this, THANK YOU!
I now present to you the conclusion to Ben and Michelle's story. Please let me know how you liked it!
As always, thanks for reading!
Chapter 23 - A New Life
Columbia Basin territory, two months later…
Ben was curled around Michelle on the cusp of sex-drugged sleep when his phone began to vibrate. He almost ignored it, content with his mate in his arms. As far as he could tell she wasn't having any nightmares. She'd been plagued with them throughout her recovery, but they were thankfully less frequent nowadays.
Their bond was still frayed to a small extent, but it was on the mend.
The call went to voicemail. Good. He would see to it in the morning. Ben started getting comfortable again when Michelle's phone went off. She'd forgotten to silence her ringer, accustomed to having it on in the event Hector needed her.
Her son was currently sleeping in his room however. He wasn't due to head back to Aspen Creek for quite some time, having begun traveling there to train with Anna periodically. He had nearly mastered his Omega gifts and would soon be coming home permanently.
For now, he would visit his mother and her mate between training sessions. Adam had formally taken Hector into the pack not long after Michelle had improved enough for them to return to the Columbia Basin. It had felt weird at first, but he was quickly adjusting to the constant sensation of pack membership.
Michelle startled awake, and Ben released her with a curse as he checked the bedside clock. 1:10am. Who was it at this ungodly hour? He cringed. It had to be pack business.
He soon found out. It was Honey.
"Hey, get over to Adam's," she said. "Mercy is having the baby!" The line went quiet.
Michelle's head whipped around, her excited eyes catching Ben's sleepy ones. With a squeal, she hopped out of bed, her mate grumpily following suit. She roused Hector, and they all quickly dressed before loading into Ben's truck and rushing to their Alpha's home.
Parking was easy to find, as most of the pack members hadn't arrived yet. They were met at the door by Honey, who'd arrived not long before they had. She looked flustered, her beautiful face bare of makeup, hair mussed. "Mercy's upstairs," she said quickly. "Samuel and Adam are in with her along with Ariana."
Samuel, along with the Marrok, his brother, Anna, and his mate, had arrived a few days prior to Mercy's due date. The pack had decided on a home delivery, wary of having Mercy give birth in a human hospital. They wanted to circumvent the possibility of little Mack being born a bouncing,
yipping, infant coyote. Mercy herself had often switched between shapes at that age, so it was best to err on the side of caution.
Her due date had come and gone, much to Mercy's frustration, but Samuel hadn't been concerned. Babies came when they were ready, he'd assured them. And with all the upheaval that had been taking place prior, it was to be expected. Couple all of that with the fact that Mercy wasn't exactly human, and Samuel hadn't batted an eye.
A stuttered moan was heard. Honey cringed. "Hopefully Ariana can help with pain management for Mercy. She's been at it for quite a while, by what Adam told us. Shouldn't be long now." Her words were more confident than her expression. "Hopefully."
The four entered the living room to find Bran holding vigil in an easy chair. He gave them a slight smile, but the strain on his face told them he wasn't happy hearing his adopted daughter in pain, however natural it was.
Charles held his position at the fireplace, his eyes on the flames. Anna stood behind him, resting her head against his back, her eyes closed. She had stirred briefly to greet them, winking at Hector before resuming her restful posture.
Ben, Michelle, and Hector followed Honey's example and sat down to wait. More wolves and their spouses arrived, Warren and Kyle, Darryl and Aurielle, Mary Jo, and others.
Even Zee emerged from wherever he was not residing to support their favorite walker and her mate as they welcomed their son into the world. He mulled about the living room, trying to appear calm and collected as the wait dragged on.
Tad, Zee's son, had accompanied him. He had gone off to college, but had returned without completing his education. From the looks of things, the birth would add some much-needed light to the young man's dour expression. He kept to himself, staring out a window, seemingly deep in thought.
It seemed like forever before they finally heard the sound they'd been hoping for. A baby's first cry, rich and robust, filled the house, causing a cheer to rise from many of the people present. Ben let out a breath of relief, happy his friend's pain was over.
Bran got to his feet and mounted the stairs.
The living room buzzed with conversation, everyone wondering if they would be able to see the new little one before they left. Their curiosity was soon answered when Bran and Adam descended the stairs, the Alpha carrying a tiny bundle in his arms.
He slowly walked through, showing off his new son. Mackenzie Bryan Hauptman had been born at 2:48am and measured 7 pounds, 9.2 ounces and 19 inches long. He had a full mop of nearly black hair and seemed content sleeping peacefully in his father's arms.
Mack was beautiful, with his round, pink cheeks and curled, tiny fingers.
A rare occasion such as this was to be celebrated. Werewolves didn't become fathers easily, and their mates often suffered repeated miscarriages. It was impossible for female werewolves to carry a child to term, the violence of unavoidable monthly changes proving far too much for a developing fetus.
Adam's first wife, Christie, had suffered several such miscarriages before successfully delivering Jesse. That made this birth all the more precious.
"How's Mercy?" was the question asked repeatedly.
"She's doing well," Adam responded. "Tired, of course, but strong. She'll be fine. She's already complaining of being hungry."
Ben smiled. "That's our girl. Can we see her?"
"Maybe in the morning," Adam said firmly. Shortly after, he went back upstairs. Mack had started to fuss, and the time had crept closer to the devil's hour, nearly 3am.
Soon, the event over and well-wishes conveyed, the crowd began to disperse. Ben and Michelle promised they would return tomorrow to see Mercy and the new addition to the pack.
As Ben drove them home, Hector quickly dozed off in the backseat. Michelle had a thought. "Do you think the baby will be a Walker like Mercy?"
Ben shrugged. "Don't know. But he has wolf and walker genes. He's certainly more than human. But it would be funny for Mercy to go to his crib one morning to find a pup in place of a baby."
She grinned. "I'd pay to see that."
They faded to silence, and Ben drove a moment, thinking. "It wouldn't be unusual," he continued. "It happened to Mercy's mum after all. Moreover, you never know what you'll get when Mercy is involved."
Michelle agreed. Mercy was special. But she also attracted her own brand of trouble. A child of hers would probably attract even more. Mischief was sure to follow in the coming months. The pack had best be prepared.
The next day, the three returned to Adam's house. They waited patiently until the early afternoon, not wanting to intrude on their Alpha and his family too early.
Jesse answered the door. "Hey guys! Come in. Dad and Mercy are in the living room."
Entering, the three spied Adam and Mercy lounging on the couch, watching TV. Mercy was sipping on tea as she leaned on her mate. "Hey there," she greeted. She was happy to see them, if not a little exhausted.
"Hey!" Michelle replied. Seeing Mack wasn't with them, she lowered her voice. "Baby sleeping?"
Mercy sighed. "Yes. Finally. He sleeps off and on, so we get a little break now and then. Did you guys want anything to eat?" She started to rise, but winced, obviously sore.
"No! No, thank you," Ben quickly said. "Don't worry about us. You rest." He glanced at Adam. "Hey, Boss. How does it feel to be a father again?"
The Alpha shrugged. "I'm still waiting for it to set in. Mack is a little bigger than Jesse was as a newborn. But he definitely cries more. Always hungry too."
"No kidding," Mercy agreed dryly, her head back as she rested her eyes.
"But he's so cute!" Jesse chirped as she came to join them. She walked over to the loveseat and sat down. "I just checked on him. I can't get over how small he is. How much hair!"
"Right?" Michelle agreed. "And it's so soft! Hector was similar. I couldn't get over how beautiful he was." She glanced at Hector. "He's still my baby."
Hector blushed but didn't deny it.
As if he knew they were talking about him, a baby's cry was heard from the baby monitor on one of the side tables.
Adam stood. "I'll get him." He walked briskly to the stairs.
Mercy yawned as she watched him go. "He's different."
"Of course he is," Ben assured her. "He finally has a child with you. I know for a fact he was hoping very much for it."
"Really?" Mercy asked, astonished. She and Adam had hoped, but given the difficulties involved with mating a werewolf, neither of them had really expected to conceive. She hadn't known just how badly Adam had wanted this.
The Alpha seemed light on his feet as he came back downstairs with Mack in tow. Mercy watched his approach, her heart squeezing even tighter for her husband. She smiled softly.
"What?" Adam asked, seeing her face and feeling the warm spike in their bond as he handed Mack over.
Mercy shook her head. "Nothing." It was nice to see him genuinely happy.
As she fed the baby, the group fell into companionable silence, watching TV together. When other wolves arrived to admire the new addition, Ben and Michelle took it as a good time to leave. They didn't want to overstay their welcome and crowd the happy family.
On the way home, Michelle was restless. "I feel like I have so much energy," she mentioned thoughtfully. She thought for a moment, then clapped her hands excitedly. "I haven't seen Pete in a while. Want to go see him?"
Ben shrugged. He wasn't especially fond of horses. But Michelle was lit up bright as the sun. He wouldn't take that from her. "Okay."
Hector agreed. He didn't ride, but he liked Pete well enough.
They diverted toward Lacy's place. Michelle asked to stop by a small supermarket so she could pick up some carrots to offer Pete. She was wearing a small smile the whole way, the one she always wore when she was well-pleased with something. Ben felt himself getting excited. He loved making his mate happy.
When they pulled up, Michelle was out of the car before it had fully stopped. She ran to the side of the pasture, looking for her friend. "Pete!" Here happiness was almost child-like, so open and free.
Ben couldn't get enough of it.
"Pete!" Michelle called again. She knew he would be out here at this time of the day.
At first, they couldn't see anything. There were other horses, of course. They raised their heads in curiosity, but most lost interest and returned to grazing. The wolves all knew which animal to look for. Soon, a brown form with socks on his forelegs could be seen cantering across the grass.
Pete neighed in greeting, falling back to a trot, then a walk as he approached. Michelle giggled as he came, and patted the bay horse on his neck as he sniffed eagerly at her. He knew she had carrots.
Michelle brought one out of her pocket, snapped it, and made her offering. Pete was quick to take his prize, though he did so delicately. His soft lips tickled her hand.
Laughing, Michelle went to one of the gate posts, where a lead rope was clipped. She grabbed it, and easily clipped it to Pete's halter.
Being around the horse was like a therapy session for her. She had started coming around regularly, and Ben was willing to guess doing so had contributed to the lessened frequency of her nightmares.
She could come as many times as she wanted, as far as he was concerned.
Michelle led Pete over to the tack shed. Hector held him so she could grab a saddle and bridle. Saddling him was easy, especially with her son continuing to pass the horse carrots. Beforelong, Pete was ready to go.
She mounted and guided him back to the pasture. Hector opened the gate, and they passed through. She did a few passes while Ben and Hector looked on, but Michelle soon reined Pete up in front of them.
"Want to ride with me?" she asked, looking pointedly at Ben.
"What?" He was incredulous. She knew he didn't much care for horses. They were huge, and could spook at any time. They could even kill a werewolf if they ever had the mind to do so. "Not especially."
"Oh, come on," Michelle admonished. "He's not going to hurt you, and he'd gotten used to all of us being here." She batted her eyes at him with a playful pout. "Please?"
Ben searched her face. He knew that if he was truly uncomfortable, she wouldn't push him. But he figured it wouldn't hurt. The horse was even-tempered enough with them around, and it wasn't like he disliked horses.
They just weren't his thing. Not usually.
"Alright," he agreed. Michelle was delighted. "You'll have to show me how to get on though."
"No problem! We'll go over to the mounting block." He followed them to the area, and Hector brought it over. Michelle urged Pete forward so he was standing in front of it.
"Okay, so step up and just get on," she instructed, holding the horse steady.
It was just that simple. In quick succession, he was mounted behind his mate, and she trotted them across the large pasture.
It was actually quite exhilarating,he admitted to himself. He would have to do this more often, as long as it was with her..
Michelle slowed the horse to a walk as they crested a small hill, and she began humming off tune. She was content. Ben held her a little closer to his chest as Pete walked.
"We've come a long way, you and I," he murmured matter-of-factly.
Michelle giggled. "Definitely. I would never have thought I would be your mate when you ran me down that night. I hated your guts for a quick minute."
He kissed the side of her neck, feeling her shiver at the contact. "I always felt a draw toward you, even that first night, even when you annoyed the hell out of me." He nuzzled up against her, taking in her sweet scent. "I wasn't sure at first, but my wolf was. And now we are in perfect agreement."
He maneuvered her head around so he could look her in the face. "You were meant to be mine."
A softness entered her eyes that showed him all he needed. "I love you, Red," she said gently and with absolute conviction.
Though Michelle's hands had dropped the reins, Pete kept walking as the two wolves shared a kiss, no longer aware of the world around them.
Their bond flooded with their deepened connection, the tears and scrapes healing all the faster.
Whether his mate would return to 100% was no longer a concern. They would get through any and everything together. They would lean on each other. Ben felt like he could take on anything, so long as she was by his side.
She wasn't alone anymore.
And now, neither was he.
A/N - I always knew I would have Ben and Michelle's story end with them riding Pete. I just didn't know how I was going to do it.
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this story despite my wildly sporadic update schedule. I really enjoyed writing this, and I'm glad to finally draw it to a close. Thank you for reading, and for all your kudos and comments. They gave me life! Till next time! *^_^*