A Taste for a Mate by Carrie Ann Ryan Page B

the calmer of the two.
    Strapped down to a table with cords and wires covering her to take her vitals, she looked nervous, but at an odd form peace. Her chest moved with her deep breaths and Kade rubbed her arms and stomach before placing a gentle kiss on her lips. Jasper could hear a faintly whispered “I love you” before Kade backed away from her.
    “Mel, I know this will hurt, but we can’t give you drugs. It’ll interfere with the change and may cause adverse reactions.” North’s voice was calm, though he didn’t mention the actual reactions, as those were too grotesque.
     Pulling Kade back to the corner of the room, Jasper took a good look at his family. Though not all of them were needed for the change to take place, they came to show support for both Melanie and Kade in their time of need. He truly loved his family.
    Willow stood behind Mel’s head, holding her hand and wiping her brow. As if she could feel him looking at her, she looked up into his eyes, giving him a small smile. Heart aching for her, he smiled back. Maddox stood beside her, holding Mel’s other hand, murmuring comforting words, using his gift to calm her emotions.
    Reed, Adam, and he held Kade back in a corner. The bite and mauling of his mate to induce the change would be painful for not only her but would cause Kade’s wolf  to go ballistic and want to kill anyone who would hurt his mate. With as much power that ran in Kade’s veins, it would take the three of them to hold him back when he and his wolf were enraged. They asked Kade to back out of the room, knowing full well it was a lost cause. Kade refused to part with his mate.  If things went wrong, he needed to be near her.
    Again Jasper thought of Willow and the fact she’d expressed interest in changing. Though their lifetimes varied dramatically, he didn’t know if he could risk her dying now rather than dying in only a few short decades. A hurdle to be jumped later.
    Cailin and his mom were aiding North with his medical preparations and would act as nurses if the need arose.
    The clicking of claws on the linoleum brought silence to the room. A large and magnificent gray wolf entered. The sight of his father in his wolf form always urged Jasper to bow his head. Though Jasper was a strong wolf, the immense power and pride emanating from their Alpha was a force to be respected.
    Putting one paw in front of another, his father prowled farther in the room. Jasper watched as Mel’s eyes widened before she continued taking shallow breaths. Kade growled and whimpered while pushing at the three holding him back.
    “Shh, it will be over soon.” Jasper’s whispered words were empty placations even to his own ears.
    Before he could blink, his father charged and pounced on the table. Teeth pierced Mel’s shoulder, the shoulder opposite Kade’s mate mark. Kade’s wolf came to the surface, claws erupting from his fingertips. His brother tried to claw and bite his way through the barrier of strong werewolves. Jasper planted his feet and held on to him with his gaze still on Mel and Wil.
    Mel screamed in agony but kept her attention on Willow. The bite in her shoulder was not that of a mate mark, but a brutal assault that forced the change by adding the enzyme to her blood. For the greatest chance of a conversion occurring, the Alpha had to be the one to bring her over. His father released Mel’s shoulder only to bite and tear into the flesh of h V ha was a fer chest and stomach. Blood seeped into the crisp white sheets she lay across, a crimson splash of color against the stark contrast of sterility. Ripping into her side with his teeth and claws, his father continued to bring Mel near death. Her body convulsed and thrashed, fighting the chains and ropes holding her down. She screamed and cried, the sound piercing his heart, before finally passing out from the pain. Still, his father didn’t quit, for she needed to be as close to death as possible to ensure the change, one bite