22

After a few days of watching the nest Mika figured it was best to round up the unit for an action plan. About 2 miles out from the outer post Bradley mentioned that "We may have company." but would not elaborate more on this.
From a distance there wasn't any changes, no hoard had circled. *Did someone try to break the prisoner out?* Mika sniffed around leading up to their location. Even among all the other scents of earth, of Deaders who'd come and gone, of the wolves' scent **hers** stood out the most. It was like an adrenaline rush that kicked in to high gear. Mika took off bolting to the building. His inner beast yipping and bouncing that his mate had returned. He flew up those steps and the moment he was on the floor as her, he could hear her heart beat. Her face turned to him. Her eyes trapped him and held him in one place as her lips were just as full and begged him to come and taste. He stepped forward and she stood to greet him when that was when he realized where they were. The other men dutifully took this as a sign they needed to secure the outer building and give the couple space to ...do whatever the hell it was they were about to do.
He swallowed the large lump now in his throat, and force him self to look away, "Why are you here?" he said in a low growl.
"We are not having this conversation again Mika. I am here, and I will keep returning. You do not command me."
He took a single step and was standing inches from her, towering over her, "Woman I am of alpha blood!"
"You are not *my* alpha. I am human Mika. A grown ass woman." she said hotly.
"Human exactly! You could get hurt." he hissed. "the thought clouds my mind. I need to be sharp right now."
"Well fuck Mika! You getting hurt tears at me! You cloud mine. I am pulled to you Mika. Do you hear me?" she looked at him straight in those glacial eyes.
She smiled, her eyes trying to water. "It's crazy. You can make me so mad but no matter all I feel is that I missed you.' she chuckled a little thinking she was truly going crazy because of this gorgeous maddening man standing before her.
"Yeah?" he breathed," I missed you too." before planting his lips firmly to hers. His massive arms bringing her closer into him. Her scent enveloped him and every cell vibrated with electricity. Ari felt the flat surface against her back as Mika pushed her gently against the wall. Her inner core beginning to hum with anticipated pleasures. His lips moved from hers and began to trail down her neck. Her heart was pounding, her clothes becoming uncomfortable. Mika's beast was screaming for him to mark his mate. He smelt the spot he was to bite. God his mouth watered at the thought of her in him. He was trying to fight back, it was not yet time. He kissed her way back up her neck placing his palm over her hips as they had begun to rock against him. His cock becoming engorged from the closeness of her heated core. He could smell her, good her scent it was like a drug that took him over.
He kissed those candy lips again and then kissed the center of her forehead before letting out a breath. God he would have the biggest blue balls after this.
He cleared his throat, "We need to slow down." Ari blinked a few times, and blushed. *Didn't he feel the same about her. I mean damn he sure as hell can kiss like he wants to?* she thought.
"Mika do you feel like...strings are between us?"
Mika grinned as he held her against the wall with his eyes. She was so beautiful to him. So perfect in her way it just blew him away., “I am surprised you can feel it. I thought it was just a wolf thing between mates." he reached out to touch her hair away from her eyes. His beast screamed at his skull to claim her wholly. "I wonder if marking you would make the bond like that of wolves."
"What do you mean? Change me? “she glared at him.
"No, what I mean is when mates mark each other a mental link is created- you already know we can telepathically speak to anyone within distance in our pack. Couples get a **private** connection." he winked. Her heart did a flip and she was certain her panties just got wet. She blushed thinking of all the dirty little things they could say to each other without fear of the others hearing them like now. *Shit they can hear us now!* she reprimanded herself, doing a mental eye roll.
"But wouldn't that infect me with the shifter whatever and possibly change me?" it was her turn she needed to touch him. She reached up and placed her hand on his jaw. He felt so warm, the little bit of stubble tickled her flesh.
He thought about it, but there was only one conclusion-"Yes it would change you if your body accepted it." They stood there for a long time just looking over at each other, memorizing every curve, every hair. It was like being so close to him their bond was getting stronger, as if the strings were knitting them closer as one. "Mika I am not sure I am ready for that. I don't know if I will ever be?" she didn't sound panicked, or scared, it was said as plainly as she could. It was not a promise, just a simple statement. He kissed the top of her head, "I promise you, I will not until *you* are ready Ari." she smiled thanking him silently for this compromise.
After a few moments he continued, "Ari please listen to me." he kissed her palm as he slide it from his face, "We are dealing with some very dark shit. We are near a nest."
"I know. We've already talked to Kevin." she said in a chipper voice.
Mika blinked trying to rethink how he would say, “You did what?!"
She waved her hand dismissively, “Yeah, Niko and I already spoke to him. And you are right. There is some very dark shit about to go down across the board."
Mika stopped and took a breath in, if he wanted to move forward he would have to accept Ari as an equal and not attack her aggressively as he would Niko later. "Okay what did you learn?"
Ari went into detail about what Kevin had told them, she told Mika about the suspected Wendigo and their method of killing it. Mika sat and listened to her never interrupting her. When she had finished she watched Mika process it all across his face. What she didn't realize was Mika was repeating all of this back to Devion.
*Prince, she is a fighter. And a smart one at that.* Devion replied.
*Regardless how smart or beautiful she is, this thing is still here. A piece of it may still be near her sleeping grounds. We need to check it out.*
*Cutting it from communication from it's kind, or possibly it's master, it was wise.*
*Agreed. Damn it, I should've inspected this fucker more! Anything could've happened on our backside and we wouldn't have known for days!* Mika mentally sent an image of a wolf tearing apart a deer as a sign of his frustration.
*True but it didn't. Wendigo? I haven't heard of that before. Niko told us all he knew.* Devion finished.
His jaw clenched a few times and then he asked, "Killing it was the right thing to do. Had I known this creature wasn't human, I'd killed it before I left. It was a good call. Have we checked if the fire worked?"
She shook her head, "That was two days ago. We haven't check the door today."
Mika stood,*Come back inside we will all check this thing.* he sent out the mental order for Devion to tell the others. "Come on lets go see."
Everyone, but Niko met down in the basement moments later. Niko remained at the top as a look out incase anyone tried to enter while they were all distracted.
Mika stepped to the door first. Sniffed around trying to see if he could pick up the scent but all he could get was burnt wood. The door was still warm but nothing his shifter claws couldn't take. Just as before the large vault door made little sound as the locking mechanisms moved into place. The moment the large door opened the basement was filled with the smell of burnt wood, and flesh. Smoke bellowed out in long tentacles. There was only a slight difference in the temperature as the heat had died down many hours before.
The team waved their hands to clear their faces and peer inside. There in the center was a blacken charred figure of a man tied to a chair. It was as if it was a statue made entirely of ash. The group cautiously entered the room, taking great care not to disturb this morbid artwork. Mika stepped near sniffing, listening. He could not hear any heart beat. Ari looked at the skin. Not that there was much left to see but for her she needed to know the worms were gone. In some places she could make out what looked like tiny piles of ashes around the wendigo. She assumed those were the worms that had escaped and been burned.
Bradley stepped up to look closer at the face. "He looks dead to me." In a puff of smoke the entire figure crumbled into a large pile of ash. A strong wind blew into the vault and everyone pressed against the wall. Mika covering Ari with his body as bits of ash and charred pieces of wood blew around the room. Where a ash statue once stood now a towering bipetal creature stood. It's eyes two fiery orbs. A top its head were two massive antlers with 6 points on each. Hanging from a few of the points were bits of what looked like bloody flesh. Its face appeared to be a mixture of two creatures; the shape of a deer but the snarling mouth was canine. It's teeth were not that of any herbivore as they appeared to have been filed to points. The only notable hair on this creature was a small tuff of beard dangling from it's chin. The skin is what held the most attention. In place of a solid skin, it looked entirely comprised of wriggling worms, morphing and reshaping over the massive creature. Ari looked at this creature in pure terror. Mika shifted at once causing and explosion of clothing and ash to reign down on them. Devion partially shifted and moved closer to Ari as Bradley, who was the closest stood frozen in place, and trying to control his shaking.
"Fools." The thing spoke but Ari did not see it's mouth move. The voice sounded as if many people spoke in unison. "You can not destroy me. I walked this earth long before your kind crawled out of the caves, and I will be here long after you have turned to dust."
Mika growled challenging the wendigo.
The creature looked at Mika and they could hear a chuckle before the creature collapsed in on itself. Morphing into a mist and zooming from the room.
Mika chased after the cloud leaving Devion, Ari and Bradly in the room starring out astonished.