Mind in disarray, I scanned the barn for a way out that didn't involve facing my captors. As I was trying to pry a loose board open enough to slip through, the noises outside changed. The snarl of a wolf, followed by several more, filtered in through the walls, and I knew the soldiers had arrived. I gave up on the board and braved the entrance to the barn. I wouldn't let them fight alone while I hid with my shame pooling in my underpants.
My wolf was at the forefront, and the entity was buried. The she-wolf was pissed and out for retribution. My fingertips lengthened into claws as I faced the unprotected back of the vampire that had defiled me, standing guard in front of the barn as he watched the skirmish between forces. At a glance, the wolves appeared to have the upper hand, but I didn't care about that. I was going to shred the bloodsucker in front of me.
Pushing off the ground with all my shifter strength behind me, I leapt at the vampire. He turned as if he'd known I was there all along, yet I still managed to land a swipe across his face, my claws opening furrows from his cheek to his jaw. I'd aimed for his neck, but he'd tucked his chin at the last moment. With satisfaction, I noted that they were deep enough to likely scar even as his hand clamped on my wrist to prevent further attack.
I screamed in his face as I swung with my other hand, but he caught that one too, and I resorted to kicking him to gain my freedom. Our scuffle brought the attention of both sides, and soon we were surrounded by shifters and vampires, each jockeying to reach me and my assailant who I continued to evade.
When it became apparent the wolves were going to overpower their foes, the male gave up, and at some unseen signal, the vampires began to disappear. He was the last to go with a forlorn look on his face directed at me as he melted into the shadows.
Now that the fight was over, I would have to face the consequences of my flight from the compound, and from the looks of horror and disgust on the faces of my nearest rescuers, they weren't going to care that I'd been running from the new Alpha.
Chapter One
"Quickly now, ma'am," the female attendant urged me from outside the shower door.
I couldn't even have the luxury of processing in a hot shower alone. No, mating candidates were all down in the meeting room, waiting to confront me for...well, everything.
After quickly washing, I opened the stall door to step into the towel the attendant held. I kept my stare fixed past her to avoid the disapproval written all over her demeanor. It wasn't like I'd chosen any of this, yet somehow it seemed I was the one to blame.
"You can go; I can dress myself." I didn't care to have the woman and her attitude around.
"Sorry, ma'am. Alpha's orders not to leave you unattended."
Of course. "Then you can wait by the door while I get myself ready." The woman started to protest, but I cut her off. "It wasn't a request," I gritted out. I could feel my wolf shining through my eyes, and that, more than the words, was probably the reason for her acquiescence.
I tried not to waste any time, quickly plaiting my hair back, exposing the savagery my neck had suffered in the last day. Let them all face what I had been forced to endure. The mating mark wouldn't fade, and the vampires had apparently been from one of the bloodlines that caused their venom to scar even with my rapid healing. I couldn't have had the luck to get bitten by one that wouldn't leave a mark. At least the soreness between my legs had already abated.
When I was ready, clothed in proper attire of dress and flats, I motioned the attendant to lead the way. Two flights of stairs and several turns down hallways, the cacophony of raised voices, more than there would have been with only the mating candidates, filtered out of a door.
The elders had arrived. I was sure they'd been waylaid by the same attack the suitors had gone out to deal with. I wondered if my parents were in attendance then mentally kicked myself. Of course, they were. They were the proud lower class that had birthed the Starlight Heir. After this, however, I didn't doubt they'd be mortified and ready to shun me at a moment's notice.
The attendant halted me in front of the meeting room door before knocking for admittance. A manservant stationed inside opened it and ushered me in while blocking the attendant. She seemed disappointed to be excluded from the proceedings, and I guessed she was hoping to have a front-row seat for gossiping later on. She could likely dine out for a month on it if she were to get all the information firsthand.
The room went silent as I hesitantly stepped inside. The new Alpha, Larimer, got up from his spot and started in my direction, but at his plain intent to stake his claim, I squared my shoulders and quickly made my way to one of the empty seats at the table. He may have arbitrarily claimed me, but I hadn’t been willing and was going to make that very clear. Several of the men near me stiffened as their nostrils flared and they took in the story of the scents on me regardless of the shower I had taken. Others blatantly stared at the marks on my neck, faces set in furious lines.
These men were to have been my suitors, and I would have picked the one most compatible with my wolf. Now that was an impossibility. The elders, not all old but the leaders of our species, sat at one end of the rectangular table. I needed them on my side as theirs would be the final say in my fate.
The one at the head of the table spoke first. “Mariana Crayton. Thank you for joining us after your ordeal. As the Starlight Heir, you should not have been in such a position. This meeting is to determine what, if anything, can be done to rectify matters.” He thanked me for coming as if it were a choice. At least I’d rather be present for whatever was decided.
“Thank you for allowing me to speak on my behalf, Elder Martin.” With my position, I’d had multiple occasions to meet the seven elders and had learned their names over the years.
“That is not quite how this is going to be conducted, Mariana. We will ask questions, and you will answer them.” Elder Balfor was a cranky bastard that had always rubbed me the wrong way, and the dislike seemed to be mutual.
“Technically, she’s my mate, and anything she needs to impart will go through me.” Alpha Larimer pounded a fist on the table, several seats down from me. From the glare aimed at him by a man who shared some of the same features, he wasn’t the only one who wanted to hit something.
Elder Balfor had a gleam in his eye I didn’t like. He pointedly asked Alpha Larimer his next question. “So as her mate you take full responsibility for her, no matter what?”
The Alpha gulped a bit nervously now, but he couldn’t back down without losing face. Well, more than he already had. “Yes, of course, Elder.”
The Elder in question nodded his head at his colleague, giving a terse, “Proceed.”
It seemed Elder Martin was going to be the one conducting the interview while the others observed.
“Mariana, when you arrived at the Silversbane compound, who were you escorted by?”
I wasn’t sure why that was relevant but answered him anyway. “Two guards sent out to meet our party and three female attendants I had traveled with. The rest of my retinue were guards, and they were directed to go assist forces already engaged with the vampires.”
Elder Balfor cleared his throat, pointedly looking at Elder Martin who nodded then steeled his expression before addressing me.
“Thank you, dear. From now on, keep your answers concise. If we need clarification, it will be addressed then.” I was taken aback by the rebuke from a man I’d been somewhat friendly with on prior occasions but again just nodded my agreement. “Upon entering the manor itself, who was present?”
“Larimer. Alpha Larimer.” I received a raised brow and pointed look at my elaboration but no comment otherwise.
“There were no other witnesses when you allowed the second son of the Silversbane Pack to claim you without a ceremony or meeting your other mating candidates?”
“What? No! That’s not what —” Elder Balfor held up a hand, halting my denial. Tears pricked my eyes, but I refused to shed them in their presence. They were doing this on purpose. Quietly, voice th
ick with emotion, I answered, “No, there were no witnesses.”
“And when you were confined to your room, did you not disobey a direct order from your Alpha?” The men around me shifted uncomfortably. They knew what was happening too. And they were allowing it.
“Yes.” I glared at Alpha Larimer. This was all his fault.
“Did you flee the compound and attempt to escape pack lands to avoid the consequences of mating with Alpha Larimer, resulting in being attacked by vampires and having to be rescued at the detriment to the soldiers?” Even Elder Martin looked ashamed to ask the question.
“Yes, but—”
Elder Balfor interrupted. “You will be removed without further input on the decision if you do not cease trying to have your excuses heard.” I hated Elder Balfor. Dislike was no longer a strong enough word to describe what my wolf and I felt for the man. I grappled with her, trying to keep her calm when she wanted to retaliate against him. Shifting now would only give them more ammunition.
Elder Martin didn’t even look at me with the last question. “You received a mating bite from Alpha Larimer. Are you still a virgin?”
“No,” I choked out. Alpha Larimer’s head snapped in my direction. Surely they could smell the vampire on me and had gotten the account of the soldiers that found and escorted me back.
“It’s settled then,” Elder Balfour announced. “The Starlight Heir is bound to the Silversbane Pack, and Larimer is the new Alpha. As the ceremony and rituals were not observed, the covenants do not apply. Mariana will be second mate. The prior Alpha as well as all the Alpha mating candidates will be remanded into the ranks for the Elders. The second-born sons will all be promoted as the new Alphas as they have prepared for years for the ascensions and were not at fault here. All further responsibility for Mariana will be provided by Alpha Larimer. May the next cycle not be as disastrous as this one. Alphas, report to Elder McAvoy by morning and be prepared to leave. Dismissed.”
My wolf won the struggle. Fingernails and fangs elongated, and a roar came from me as I lunged through the departing men to attack my new mate. I scored a gash in his neck and must have hit my mark as blood fountained from the wound. Hands latched onto me, avoiding my kicks and lethal claws. I managed to bite one and got clubbed in the temple for my trouble. My wolf receded as did reality. Still in denial, my mind screamed as blackness overtook me.
I awoke in an unfamiliar room with sunlight streaming through a window. My body lurched upright in the bed as the events of yesterday bombarded me. At least I thought it was yesterday. By the lack of pain in my head and neck, it had been at least overnight. My healing abilities wouldn’t have worked any faster than that with the vampire bites.At the thought of the bites and the ruling of the Elders, my breathing became rapid. My wolf whined in commiseration in my head, and I felt the immediate urge to run, to escape. The room wasn’t small, but I needed to be outdoors.
As I slipped from the bed, I had to take in my state of dress. Or rather undress. Someone had put me in a nightgown with only panties underneath. Frantically, I dashed to the wardrobe on the wall, yanking open the doors to find more nightgowns and dresses. Leaving the doors open, I began pulling out the drawers underneath, coming across underthings and finally some basic tops and drawstring pants. They weren’t the serviceable clothing I had had before, but they would do. I hastily threw them on and found a bathroom behind a curtain as I searched for shoes. There weren’t any as far as I could tell, but I made use of the facilities and straightened out my hair that had been braided and tied off. I’d just have to go barefoot.
To my consternation, and my wolf’s, the door to my chamber was locked. A growl rumbled through my chest as I tugged on the handle. Abandoning that, I beat on the door.
“Someone open the door!” I yelled. Surely, I hadn’t been left alone.
After several minutes, my hope that someone would answer my pleas dwindled as did the strength in my legs. I slumped to the floor in defeat. There wasn’t a clock in the room, but by the movement of the sun across the window, I knew some time had passed.
“The window!” I jumped from my place on the floor to cross the room, and thankfully, the window was fully operational. My jubilance only lasted a moment when I registered that I was in one of the towers of the manor. Even with my wolf, a four-story jump likely wouldn’t turn out well. But people were visible. “Hey, someone let me out of here!”
Faces turned up in my direction, and finally, I had someone's attention. A guard yelled for me to get back in while another ran for the front of the manor and out of my sight. I pulled back in and went to wait at the door after closing the window.
It wasn’t long before footsteps were audible, followed by the sound of a lock being turned by a key. A guard and the Alpha stood on the other side of the door when it opened.
“Thank goodness. No one came, and I can’t stay in here a minute longer. Why am I locked up again?” The words poured out my mouth with the anxiety I still couldn’t dispel.
The Alpha didn’t look pleased though. “You’re locked in because I ordered it so. And you will not be leaving this room anytime soon.”
My face fell along with my stomach at the Alpha’s decree. “But why? The Elders said I was your mate, not your prisoner.”
“Do not think to defy me in my own home.” In the blink of an eye, the Alpha went from outside the door to inside and gripping my neck. I froze in fear in the face of his anger. “I’ll explain as I’m feeling lenient, but make no mistake I will have your obedience. My first mate was not pleased with your addition, and with the transition of a new Alpha, it seemed prudent to cede to her wishes on the matter. Apparently just the sight of you is humiliating for her. Besides, I want you here for when I have need of you. Do you understand?” His eyes dropped down, tracing along my curves to reinforce his meaning.
I nodded my head, unable to get enough air to speak. The Alpha seemed to realize my predicament and abruptly let go, leaving me to stumble and catch myself unassisted. After a few breaths punctuated with coughing, I rubbed at my bruised throat and blinked back tears.
“How long?” The whispered rasp hurt to push out, and I hoped it wouldn’t take long to heal. The Alpha hadn’t been exactly pleasant before, but now he was outright hostile.
“As long as it takes my first mate to become pregnant. That was her request to keep my household running smoothly. You can thank her for your accommodations as well since she wanted you out of sight. The perks normally afforded the mating of the Heir were not permitted. You’re destitute and now my responsibility. The exchange won’t be taking place either.” He appeared most put out by the second issue, and I knew why. The ceremony that completed the mating and heralded the exchange was to strengthen the entire pack and unlock the potential I carried.
Except there was one small problem with that, making the forfeiture of the exchange a blessing in disguise. I hadn’t felt the power, or what I now suspected was an entity inside me, since the incident in the barn. My silence must have been suspicious as the narrowed eyes of the Alpha honed in on the rapid pulse in my neck. I covered my realization by rubbing my throat again. It really was still bruised. Despite it all, I tried one more time.
“Please, can I go outside? I can’t stay in here; I’m going stir-crazy.” Even the guard, who had studiously pretended to ignore the scene, looked sympathetic at that. Locking a shifter indoors was usually reserved as a punishment or for protection in rare instances. I hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Until further notice, you will remain in this room. A maid will be sent with meals and to clean the chamber.” The Alpha left, pulling the door shut behind him, and the sound of the lock engaging signaled the release of my tears.
I was a prisoner. A commodity. No longer the Starlight Heir. No longer did I have a future to look forward to. I collapsed face-first on the bed, sobbing at my situation.
That night was the first of many that I had one other visitor besides the maid. Every time after the Alpha left,
for I'd never call him my mate, I'd glimpse the guard staring stoically at the opposite wall if I chanced to look. Then I'd scrub myself raw in the shower.
Chapter Two
Five weeks into my personal hell, I began having vivid dreams of blood, often starring the gushing neck of the mousy attendant that visited my room thrice daily. I'd wake up sweating and partially shifted only to run to the bathroom to throw up my dinner.
One night later that week the woman was doing her cleaning while I ate. Apparently, there had been an announcement earlier in the day that had kept her noon visit to a lunch drop-off only. The Alpha's first mate was finally expecting.
It was during her excited explanation that bloodlust consumed me, and I snapped, only to resurface hours later as the Alpha entered for his nightly visit to discover me covered in blood and the maid mauled.
"She's gone feral," came from the guard as I registered the copper tang suffusing my mouth, making it water for more.
I ignored the guard and the cold congealed blood of the dead maid as I eyed the pulse in the Alpha's neck. While he stood frozen in surprised horror, I launched myself at him, intent on getting to the liquid in his veins that sent a siren’s call to me. At the last moment, he came back to himself and batted me away even though the guard had been a second behind him in action. I landed in a crouch on the floor near the bed, growling and uncaring about the sight I must have made.
"Get the bindings." The Alpha never took his gaze off me as he gave his command to get the special silver-laced ties used to subdue unruly shifters. Or, like me, those lost to bloodlust. The words registered, but again I didn't care.
The Alpha approached slowly, and this time when I lunged at him, he caught me. He wrestled my flailing body to the floor, covering me with his larger frame and pinning my head to the ground with one hand while the other held both wrists above it so tightly that the pain from the grinding together of my bones briefly pulled me from my haze. Moments later, the smell of the blood in the room dragged me right back into my delirium.
Bound to Change: A Limited Edition Spring Shifter Romance Collection Page 34