Fangs bared, Sable stalked toward Cassie. Instinctively, she darted into the nearest house and raced into the kitchen. Skidding to a halt, she grabbed something from the table. Shoulders drooping, she backed toward abandoned pans on the cooker.
Sable’s smile dripped evil intent. Swallowing hard, Cassie kept moving backward, her hands behind her as if feeling the way. Another step and the cooker barred her way. Sable lunged toward her.
Once she’d unscrewed the pepper pot she’d collected from the table, Cassie hurled the contents in Sable’s face. Blinking wildly, Sable shrieked and rubbed her eyes. Cassie grabbed the cast-iron skillet from the cooker top and slammed it into Sable’s face. Blood poured from her nose as she grunted and swore.
A second swing and she walloped Sable’s stomach. When she doubled over, Cassie brought the skillet down hard on Sable’s skull. For the second time in a week, she’d laid out a fully turned she-wolf.
Eli ran to her side. Shifting back human, Eli pulled her close. “Dad acted without our knowledge or permission. Without you, the world only exists in shades of gray. Please say you still want us.”
Dane caged his monstrous wolf and pulled Cassie into his arms. “Are you hurt?”
She gave them a half smile but wriggled out of his hold. “What happened out there? Did Marco run off while Eli chased Michael?”
“I wasn’t after him,” Eli answered. “The only way to take out a vampire is to take his head. I went to collect a knife from where we’d ditched our clothes. I guarantee Marco will never bother you again, princess.”
Dane reached for her hand. “No waiting. No excuses. No political expediency crap. Say you want us. Choose us and let us claim you.”
Scared and confused, she thought of the terrible things their father had said. “Alpha Simon traded me to the Black Cardinal pack. I’m not a Dark Moon Prowler, and despite the things you told me, I never was. Even Sable said Nyssa was Eli’s soulmate.”
Dane flushed and put one hand over his scars. “Eli can speak for himself, little human. Are you hesitating because of my ruined face?”
“What? That’s the most ridiculous thing I ever heard,” Cassie snapped and pulled his hand from his cheek. “Your scars are a testament to your service and your courage. They don’t bother me, and you shouldn’t let them bother you.”
Despite her uncertainties, she pulled Dane’s cheek to her lips and kissed his scars. “You are perfect just as you are and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
Dane stroked one finger over her lips, his gaze softening. “I can’t believe you did that.”
Even Eli looked shocked, but her actions lifted a weight from his shoulders “You’re perfect for us, Please, give me another chance.”
Wrapping her arms around her chest, Cassie stared out the window. “Even Sable said she didn’t stack up to your Black Cardinal sweetheart. Besides your father told me you left rather than face me once Nyssa showed up.”
Eli growled and rose to his feet. Dane’s eyes glowed with angry amber lights. “They both lied—unless they said Eli’s an idiot.”
Giving Cassie his best smile, Eli took a step toward her. “Nyssa is returning to the Black Cardinal pack with our blessing. The only woman either of us we want is you.”
For once, his easy charm left her cold. “I want to believe you, but I’m so confused.”
“Princess. I used to run through women like fire through a forest.” Eli shuffled from foot to foot, obviously embarrassed. “Everything changed when I met you.”
Shrugging, Dane poked Sable with his foot. “She’s out for the count. Leave her and we’ll get out of here.” Taking Cassie’s hand, Dane led her outside. “Little human, forget the choosing. Forget the pack. Will you give yourself into my and Eli’s keeping? Will you let us love and protect you until the end of time?”
Eli dropped down to one knee and put one hand on his heart. “Let us claim you and make you ours for all eternity. Will you be our mate forever and always?”
She’d dreamed of this moment, but back in Norfolk, Michael had said mating was a werewolf on werewolf thing. Then again, he’d had his own agenda.
She felt lost and confused. “I want to be yours and to know you are mine, but is that possible? I love you both, but you abandoned me then your pack turned on me. I don’t belong in New Dover any more than I belong with Black Cardinals.”
Putting his arm around her shoulder, Dane shepherded her toward their motorbikes. “Let’s get out of London and talk.”
Eli frowned. “After the hearing, when you let us claim your virginity, you knew we loved you, right?”
She shook her head. “I was still trying to get my head around you already finding your soulmate. I don’t know what I was thinking except that I wanted to make some memories in case you left me for Nyssa.”
Eli’s face fell. “That’s a hard pill to take. We thought you were fine after we’d staked our claim that afternoon, but you never said how you were feeling.”
“You’re supposed to be honest with us,” Dane growled.
“It’s our job to protect and cherish you,” Eli insisted.
Hanging her head, Cassie clung to Dane with one hand while reaching out to Eli with the other. “I was exhausted and scared, but I should have said something.”
“You should have,” Eli dropped her hand and climbed on his motorbike, “but you didn’t. Why was that?”
“Drop it for now,” Dane snapped as he lifted her onto Eli’s pillion seat.
She wrapped her arms around Eli’s waist and rested her head on his shoulder. When he didn’t so much as give her hand a squeeze, she felt sick. She’d disappointed the men she loved, and she hated herself that.
They sped through the empty streets, still heading north. She tried to ask why they weren’t returning to Dark Moon Prowler territory, but the wind stole her words. Not that she was welcome in New Dover anymore.
As they rode, she considered the day Sable had attacked her. Fighting off a fully turned she-wolf and testifying at the hearing had drained her. Only when Sable spoke about Eli’s soulmate, he hadn’t denied it. Or had he? Once her men said they were leaving her to take a mission, she’d been functioning on autopilot.
Looking back, she’d been wrong not to share her feelings. If she’d been honest and open, they might have changed their plans or sent someone else. The look on their faces when she admitted she’d been making memories for when they left her, haunted her.
They roared through London and into open countryside. When they pulled into an abandoned farmhouse, chickens clucked and took flight. Cows roamed the fields, thriving despite the lack of human attention. Tears welled in Cassie’s eyes and she wept for everything the world had lost.
Eli pulled up by the gateway. “Stay on the bike until Dane checks out the house.”
Giving him a squeeze, she sat back and watched Dane march inside. He returned in minutes. “All clear inside. There’s food and drink in the kitchen. Let’s set up a perimeter then we can talk.”
He still sounded hurt. Even Eli had lost his built-in swagger. Cassie blamed herself for that. “I’ll see what I can find for us to eat.”
Her werewolves brought their motorbikes inside and moved furniture to block the doors. There was no casual touching or stolen kisses, but that added another layer of pain to tumult inside her. Losing the closeness they’d once shared was killing her.
Finally, Cassie burst out, “I’m sorry. I was an idiot, and I should have told you what was going on in my head.”
Typically terse, Dane nodded. “Yes, you should have.”
“We thought you wanted us forever and always. Instead, you wanted a quickie to distract you and make good memories,” Eli added.
Blinking hard, she burst out, “You’re right. I was way out of order, and you should punish me for it. Remember when you spanked me on the boat after you liberated me from the vampire stronghold? You said everything was forgotten when it was over. You even took a belt to my arse. Do it.
Whip me with your belts until you can forgive me.”
Her wolves exchanged one of their telepathic looks and nodded. Eli turned to her, face stern, eyes sad. “A punishment spanking will hurt more than a spanking for our mutual pleasure.”
The thought of them taking their belts to her terrified her. Then again, the disappointment written on their faces was killing her. If it took a strapping to put things right, she’d welcome it, no matter how much pain it caused her.
Chapter Twenty-One
The more Cassie thought about her upcoming strapping, the more she trembled inside. She wanted to be open and honest with her werewolves, which meant telling them about her sisters. “I’ve got something else to tell you. I’m not the only breeder in my family. My sisters are too, but they’ll have fled north by now. I should have told you sooner, and I’m sorry.”
Dane took her hand. “You should have trusted us, but trust takes time to build. We would never be angry at you for protecting your family, but we might have been able to help.”
Eli sat at the table and pulled her onto his lap. “Princess, you know there’s no one but you for the two of us, don’t you? We’ll protect your sisters if we find them, but you’re the one that makes our lives whole.”
Sniffing back tears, Cassie stared at her feet. “I can’t go back to New Dover when your father traded me to the Black Cardinals. Even the people I thought were friends turned their backs on me. Your pack made it clear that I don’t belong there.”
“Then we won’t go back either,” Eli promised.
Her jaw dropped. “Pack and home mean everything to werewolves. You have to go back. You’re the next alphas, for goodness’ sake.”
Swinging her into his arms, Dane carried her up the stairs and into a pastel blue bedroom. The bed had deep blue sheets and matching headboard. “We wouldn’t normally punish you for this since we should have soothed your fears.”
Eli sounded close to tears. “We need to discuss where our future lies, but our home is wherever you are—even if it’s not in New Dover. So, princess, how do you receive a punishment?”
Her voice almost broke. “Naked, Sir.”
Whipping off her t-shirt, she unfastened her dungarees and let them pool around her ankles.
Before she could step of out them, Eli commanded, “Move to the bed.”
She shuffled forward, her movement hampered by denim around her feet. When she reached the bed, she looked at her wolves for instructions.
Dane raised his eyebrows. “On the bed.”
The restraining fabric of her jeans meant she had to roll atop it.
“Face down,” Eli commanded. “Put your head on the bed with your hands either side. Move before we say, and I’ll tie your hands behind your back for your own safety.”
“Bottom in the air,” Dane added.
Naked but for the fabric around her ankles, she pulled her knees toward her chest. Her bare bottom stuck up like a full moon. Gritting her teeth, she waited for the first strike.
They moved behind her and she heard them pulling their belts from their jeans. This was going to hurt more than her previous strapping, but knowing she’d disappointed the men she adored cut lumps out of her heart.
Two doubled-over belts landed on her bare bottom just a second apart. She yowled and clutched at the comforter. Her breasts jiggled, and the mattress rocked. Tears streamed down her cheeks, but somehow, she kept her hands in place.
Two more strikes on the junction of her thighs and her bottom and she screamed again. She’d give anything to turn back time and share her thoughts and feelings when it mattered. Instead, red stripes of pain made her arse feel like it was on fire.
Another two strikes and her scream echoed around the room. She couldn’t hold the position. Her hands sought her bottom, and she winced as she rubbed away some of the pain.
“Keep your hands still,” Eli commanded.
Dane maneuvered her into a kneeling position and thrust her t-shirt over her head. Still weeping, she shoved her arms into the sleeves. “Is it over?”
In answer, Dane pulled the front of her t-shirt over her hands and down her back, tangling her arms in the fabric. It left her breasts free for them to play with and torment.
“No, princess, we’re not done.” Eli pushed her head back down on the bed. Without her hands to support her, her weight rested on her cheek. She tensed the muscles in her behind and held her breath.
The next two strikes targeted her sweet spots. A banshee howl spilled from her throat. Pain crescendoed through her like a tsunami. Her tears made a damp patch on the bed and her nose ran. With a deep shuddering breath, she clamped her jaw shut rather than beg them to stop.
The next two strokes set her muscles quivering and her teeth aching. She bit the quilt rather than scream again. Head pounding, pulse racing, she accepted the pain. As it rippled through her, it changed into something breathtaking and beautiful, her spirit opening into a rainbow of delight. The agony faded into the distance and calm filled her soul. Vaguely, she felt the belts whipping her ass, but she floated in a warm cocoon.
Feet tangled in her dungarees, arms bound in her t-shirt, her breasts bounced with every strike. Hard as her punishment was, she’d demanded it, desperate to wipe the slate clean with her werewolves. Her bottom throbbed and burned, but a world of beauty and stars dazzled her.
She heard Eli from a great distance. “Come back to us, princess. Another eight strikes from each of us and we’re done. Count them for us.”
“That’s twenty-two. Ready for the last eight strokes, little human?” Dane asked
Cassie nodded, too far gone to speak. Two more strikes at her sweet spots and her cunny grew wet. Her mouth felt as though she’d stuffed cotton balls inside it. She tensed for the next strike, but they stood back and waited. Finally, she understood, but she could only whisper. “Twenty-three and twenty-four, Sirs.”
Counting grounded her. Pain built like an atom bomb inside her, ready to shatter her into tiny pieces. Two more strikes landed on her sore thighs. Two more red welts branded her bottom. Her behind felt like it had been scorched by burning brands. Her voice came out hoarse and croaky, little more than a whisper, “Twenty-five and twenty-six.”
Another two strikes and her scream bounced off the ceiling and echoed around the room. A mushroom cloud of agony coursed through her. Her shoulders shook, and between sobs, she finally mumbled, “Twenty-seven and twenty-eight, Sirs.”
Her bottom quivered as they branded it with overlapping stripes of pain. She’d never sit down again. Panting, eyes watering, she tensed again.
“Lift your bottom, little human,” Dane commanded.
“Let us see your damp little pussy,” Eli added.
Cassie wanted this over and done. Repositioning her for the final strikes seemed harsh, but she obeyed without question. Dane ran a finger through her pussy. “Our little slut is wet for us.”
Eli stroked her cunny and rubbed her clit. “So she is. Let’s get this finished and show her how much we love her.”
Holding her position, she sucked in a breath. One belt whipped through the air, the broad leather striking her clit. Head buried in the comforter, she wailed and sobbed. The impact set her breasts swinging.
Dane stroked his hand down her spine. “How many?”
Collapsing on the bed, she tried to absorb the pain. She’d need to fall back into subspace to stand another swipe like that. Overheated and weeping, she squirmed on the covers. “Twenty-nine, Sir.”
After pushing her knees further apart, Dane lifted her bottom. “One more to go.”
She didn’t know who swung the belt but when it connected with her clit, every nerve in her body spasmed and burned. Her thighs shook and collapsed. Curling on her side, she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think for the fire consuming her body. “No more, please, Sirs. I can’t... It’s too much... Please say it’s over.”
They dropped their belts instantly. Eli untangled her arms while Dane freed her feet from her du
ngarees. Naked and hurting, she curled into a ball and sobbed. Moving closer, they stroked her hair and petted her cheeks. Strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her onto her side. Dane spooned around her while Eli lay in front, his legs tangled though hers. She’d never felt so cherished or so loved.
* * *
When Cassie woke, her wolves still held her. Lying with them like this was worth the pain still throbbing through her arse.
“Good morning, sleepyhead.” Eli stroked a curl from her cheek. “How are you feeling?”
She took a shuddering breath. “Sorry, so, so sorry. I hurt you, but I never meant to. Please say I’m forgiven.”
Dane rubbed his hand up and down her spine. “We’ll always forgive you, and it’s forgotten already.”
“Princess, we adore everything about you.” Eli breathed in her cotton-candy essence. “Will you let us claim you as our mate and meld our souls as one?”
Cassie’s eyes opened wide. “Michael told me werewolves couldn’t bond with humans. That’s one of the reasons I was so confused.”
“And you didn’t discuss this with us?” Dane growled in her ear.
She tensed and rubbed her sore bottom. “I should have, but it felt as though I was pushing for something you weren’t ready to give.”
“We kept saying we belonged to you and that we’d claim you,” Eli wrapped his arms around her, “if you’d have us. Didn’t that make what we wanted clear?”
Tears pricked Cassie’s eyes. “I thought you wanted my babies and were claiming first dibs on breeding me. I really messed up, didn’t I?”
Dane made that sexy, growling noise again. “You haven’t answered our question. Will you be ours?”
Smiling through a sudden deluge of tears, Cassie nodded. “I will.”
Eli’s kiss warmed her blood and made her toes curl. When they broke off to breathe, he told her, “The claiming is forever and always. The full moon’s power combined with the power of the pack and our bite will make you as immortal as us.”
Taken as Theirs Page 14