by Belle Harper
“Jaim? I forgot to get a blanket from the hut, can you run and grab one?” I asked him. There was no way I was air drying back to the hut and showing everyone my body. I didn’t need to start a riot in the clan ’cause Vetok would try and hurt anyone who looked at me.
I watched as he hesitated. I almost forgot he was my keeper and protecting me. But there was no one else around… well, wait. I pointed to Aalee.
“Can you stay here to watch me?” Oh fuck, not watch, but… “Well, I mean, like, to make sure no bad guys come?” I asked him, feeling a bit awkward. He didn’t seem impressed. Great, he already didn’t like me, but he said something to Jaim and they nodded. Jaim started to run away so I took it that Aalee was going to watch me, so maybe he did like me… just a little. I felt safe here. This valley was perfect. With the big walls around and trees, no M’Mori were going to find us here.
I dipped under the waterfall and came up behind it. There were smooth rocks where the water didn’t touch. It was wet, but you could sit under here and no one would even know you were here. It was loud though, with the water hitting the river, but it was like a super secret hiding spot. I emerged again to see Aalee closer to the water’s edge. I smiled to myself. He would never know about the spot behind since he wouldn’t, like most Aashi, go into the water.
I shook my hair out again and squeezed the water from it. I moved to the opposite edge that Aalee was at and took a seat on a boulder. I was kinda getting cold and needed the sun to warm me since I was waiting on Jaim with the blanket. I tried to hide my body as much as I could from Aalee, but I could see him watching me when I looked over my shoulder. His tails were a little wild, and I think he was getting a little frustrated on Jaim taking so long. But we were farther from the camp here.
I realized we were close to where Adee had climbed and hit his head when he fell, not that I believed that for one moment. He said he wasn’t climbing. I turned on the smooth boulder and looked over to the cliff wall. That was high, like insanely high. I wouldn’t climb that, and if Aashi wouldn’t either, something happened here. I was going to investigate, be a superspy or some shit. Because, well, I believed him and also… I wanted something to do, and I would find out the truth. Hopefully.
So, in my naked form, I moved away from the water and strolled over to where they said he fell. I looked around for the rock that hit him on the back of the head. I picked up a few—they were heavy—but I finally found the one. It was colored different to the others. It had blue flecks in it, and I could see dried blood on there. It fit into my hand. Huh, that would hurt if it was falling from up there, or… if it was used to hit someone. This wasn’t that big to have him knocked out for so long, it would have to be coming at him with a huge force.
I sensed movement to my side.
“Aalee?” I asked. Did he cross the river? I smiled. There weren’t any Aashi other than my mates that I had seen in the water before. They didn’t even cross it like that, they had a bunch of little bridges. I was surprised that he would do that, maybe he was different to the others and liked to bathe in the water. When he didn’t answer, I turned and didn’t see him. I called out again. Was he now scared to show himself to me? I didn’t care if he followed me, I would just keep my back to him. He could look at my butt… I didn’t care. Plus, he could help with my spy work. We could gather evidence together, that was what cops did, and then we would be able to find what really happened here.
I looked at some other rocks. Glancing to the different rock in my hand, I looked at the rock wall beside me, my eyes following up as high as they could go. I couldn’t see any other that was a dull brown with blue in it. The rocks all looked brown with purples here, not the dull brown. I placed it against the wall. Maybe it came from high up, closer to the sun, and the colors dulled over time.
I felt a presence behind me and the touch of something on my ass. Holy shit, Aalee. I squeaked. I didn’t think he would be so bold. I turned around to tell him off. “Aalee”—the pit of my stomach dropped—“who are you?”
This Aashi was huge, dark, and he gave me this smile that made my insides twist. I didn’t know this Aashi, in fact, he looked like he didn’t belong in the clan at all. He had no cloth and was stroking his hard cock in front of me. I took a step back, hitting the rock wall behind me, and he laughed.
“Aa—” I called out before a dirty hand wrapped around my mouth, cutting me off. Oh fuck, there were two of them. I shouldn’t have walked away from Aalee. I wasn’t a spy, I was a stupid woman who kept getting herself into trouble. I didn’t know what they wanted with me… Were they going to rape me, or kidnap me? Shit, probably both.
Fuck, this was bad.
Chapter Eighteen
Aalee
When Jaim had seen me in the tree, when he looked right at me and mentioned me to Hadley, I jumped down. There was no reason to keep hiding when he knew I was hiding from Hadley.
It was stupid, I had been thinking about how badly I wished to leave here. I didn’t want to see their happy faces. I made a mistake, thinking that these females had somehow destroyed me. But I realized now that, if anything, Hadley had made me feel like I was really living for the first time in my life. They weren’t sent here to have me punished, they had been punished just like me.
Each morning, I found myself searching for her smiling face, her laugh made me smile. I loved the way she tucked her hair behind her ear when she wore it all out, long with dark brown strands cascading down her back. How could I blame her for what happened to me? She didn’t control the M’Mori. She was just the same as me. A pawn in their game.
Jaim gave me a nod as I approached him. He was perfect for a mate, Hadley chose well with Jaim and Adee.
“You are very happy. I’m glad,” I told him. He smiled at me. I hadn’t seen Jaim this happy. He was soon to be a father, something I always longed for before… Before the M’Mori… Before the nightmares.
Hadley told Jaim that she had left her blanket back in the hut, the one on which to dry herself. It would make more sense if she didn’t submerge herself completely under the water. If she washed and bathed like Aashi, she would have no need for a blanket. We would dry in the heat of the day after a small wash. Jaim was conflicted. I could see that he wished to make his mate happy by returning to get the blanket, yet he couldn’t leave her out here unprotected. She pointed her finger at me and I froze. My tails froze too.
“Can you stay here to watch me?” I didn’t know what… She spoke to me. I wasn’t expecting that. She wished for me to watch her? She was wearing none of the cloths she usually did.
“Well, I mean, like, to make sure no bad guys come?” I didn’t know if I should agree to this, I wasn’t her mate. This was unheard of.
“I can… watch,” I told Jaim and waited for his reaction. Would he be happy with me watching his mate and keeping her safe after everything that had happened since she arrived?
“Thank you, I won’t be long,” he told me before he ran off. I was now hyperaware of everything around me, every sound and smell. I had sensed something earlier that felt out of place, but I brushed it off as more females here. There were going to be differences around. We had warriors around the cliff faces, protecting the clan. I had a shift on the cliff days ago, even though I mostly helped with cooking. It was something I preferred, but I was a large male so I had to take my turn in protecting the females and our clan. Something we didn’t have to do before they were here, but everyone was grateful to do so. Myself included.
I watched as Hadley moved out of the water. I wanted to be closer to her, I needed to be. I was worried she was leaving as she moved to sit on a large rock on the opposite side of the river. I couldn’t get to her from here. I would have to go the long way around and that would mean losing sight of her. I paced back and forth, wishing Jaim would return soon.
Should I tell her to rest on this side? Was that something I could even ask of her? She was protected by the many males around, anyone would have to get through them
before they made it down here, but still, I didn’t like her being so far from me.
When she moved away from the rock and started to walk farther from me, I started to panic, but I was very distracted by her body. Her hips swayed in a way that made me mesmerized by her tailless behind. I quickly stood straight. I needed to keep my eye on her but also avoid looking at her naked body. That was not for me to look at… That was what I told myself to feel better.
I had seen it before, at this same location when she was mating with Vetok and Jaka. I turned away from her and prayed to the Goddess to give me strength. What am I supposed to do here? Did she want me to follow her? She knew I wouldn’t go in the water, did she want me to go to the nearest bridge?
“Aa…” she called out. Was she trying to say my name? I smiled. Maybe she wanted me to follow her. But as I turned, I saw two large Aashi holding onto her. My heart raced. They weren’t her mates, who were they? I ran towards her, only to be confronted by the river, but I didn’t hesitate. I ran through it.
I was slowed by the water. I didn’t know it was hard to run in water. It slowed my getting to her, and I could see the males clearer now as they scaled up a long rope up the side of the cliff. Hadley was held tight by one of the males, her screams muffled by the male’s hand over her mouth. She was calling to me and the water was stopping me from getting to her in time.
“Hadley,” I called out. I wanted her to know I was coming for her, that she wasn’t alone. But the waterfall was loud, the sounds we both made being drowned out being so close to it.
“Hadley!” I screamed, over and over, until my throat was hoarse as the males dragged her over the edge of the cliff, taking the rope with them. Did the warriors up there here my calls? Were they ready to take these males on?
Goddess, now more than ever, give me strength. If I wait too long we might never see her again. So, I did as any male in my position would. I started to climb the cliff’s edge.
As I climbed, rocks fell. I thought it was my mistakes as I scrambled up the side of the cliff, but it was the males above. They threw rocks at me, trying to break me, hurt me. One hit my shoulder and I lost grip of the wall with that hand as the pain radiated down to my fingers. But I used all four hands to climb. They weren’t going to have me stopping, I would get them and kill them.
“Hadley! Clan Freedom Wolf,” I called out,, but no one returned my calls for help. A rock hit my head and I gripped tight as a wave a nausea gripped me. I could feel the warmth of my blood trickling down my face. I wasn’t going to stop chasing them until I had Hadley. The rocks stopped flying; they had given up trying to make me fall.
I reached over the top of the cliff and onto some flat dirt. I ran the back of my hand over my left eye. Blood had trickled in there and it was making it hard to see. I smelled for their scents. It was a little hard at first, but I realized I just needed to smell Hadley. She hadn’t been up here before so her scent would be the one to follow.
“Hadley!” I called out for the last time. I wanted her to know I was right behind them. I would get her back to the clan and her mates. But now it was time to be quiet, find them, and kill them.
Chapter Nineteen
Hadley
I hadn’t heard Aalee call my name in hours. It was so dark now… These males were waiting for someone, I guessed. They pulled my translator off my wrist. I was so glad to have been wearing it. Jaim wasn’t that great at English yet so I had been using it a lot more. But these males wouldn’t let me use it. They talked in front of me, thinking I was stupid. I had learned a bunch of Aashi words though. I wasn’t so stupid to be here this long and not understand some of the language.
I understood wait, male, and the dreaded word: mate.
Hell no, they were not mating with me. I stayed huddled against a tree… naked, holding onto my belly and praying Aalee was getting help and the warriors would be here to rescue me soon. I was tough but not that tough. These guys were built much larger than I was, I was pregnant, and I didn’t have anything to work with in a way of an escape. Not even a rock. They were smart enough to check around me before leaving me here.
“They will kill you… slice you up into little pieces and burn you. But if you touch me with your dicks, you’re asking for something else entirely. I will—”
I stopped talking as soon as one of the males stood up. I sat a little straighter as he came to me. I thought he was going to tell me to shut up, but he didn’t say anything as he grabbed my hair and pulled it tight in his fist.
“Ouch, let me go, motherfucker.” I reached up to hold my head where the strands pulled tight against my scalp. Fuck, this hurt… I didn’t want to anger him more, but also I wanted Aalee and my mates to hear me.
“Don’t touch me with your infected dick, you’re disgusting.” He pulled me to standing by my hair. I felt the tears prick at my eyelids. He looked right at me, so I spat at him. He roared out something and threw me down. I reached out to stop myself from getting hurt but it wasn’t enough to stop my head bouncing off the hard ground below. I groaned as I held my hand to my forehead, my head felt like it was exploding. This was worse than when I fell down the side of the mountain.
I tried to distract myself with the memories of three very cute, yet confused, Aashi that I had surprised down there. They had been amazing ever since that day. Even Aalee, he just needed someone to understand him. He had so many demons, and all he needed was someone to love and care for him. And I did, I loved and cared for him. It wasn’t the same as I loved Vetok, Jaka, Jaim and Adee, because they held a deeper love, something only mates understood.
The memories only helped for so long. I felt my stomach turn and threw up. The males made a sound at me, I think they were disgusted by me. Serves them right for kidnapping me. My mind felt like it was underwater and I felt like closing my eyes and sleeping. I was trying so hard not to. I needed to stay awake, they probably gave me a concussion. I needed to get away from these guys and sleeping was the worst thing I could do.
But it all became too much, and everything went black.
My stomach lurched before I dry heaved. I was hot… so hot. The suns were bright. I didn’t dare open my eyes. Was I dreaming? Did one of the guys leave the hut window open? Because I needed more sleep. I was having a sick day… I can have those. I didn’t even think of that before. I wish I had a nice hot cup of coffee and some chocolate. But I would settle for a foot rub and a cup of water.
I heard some talking, it was not in English. That’s when it all came back to me. I had been kidnapped, I hit my head and passed out. My hands went instinctively to my belly. You’re okay, babies, you’re okay.
A male growled at me and I kept my eyes closed. I didn’t want to see what they were going to do to me. I just… I couldn’t handle it. I had been in this position once before, I understood how the past could change you. How it could bring up old memories that needed to stay hidden. I couldn’t relive this. If I looked, I would see my ex in these Aashi’s faces. And the thought alone made me shiver. He was not a good person and proved that to me before I ran.
“Human female,” my translator spoke. I held my knees to my chest and started rocking.
“You will mate with us. We are many males in need of a female.” My mind was drifting off to anything else but the sound of that translator. It wasn’t real, I was in a dream.
I felt a wet drop on my face and cringed. Were they pissing on me now? I moved to get away, but another drop hit me and I opened my eyes to see six males were now staring at the sky. Was it raining? Ahh… I heard Vetok say once about the wet season, were we headed into the wet season now?
“We need to find shelter, build a hut. We will mate her in there.”
I moved away, scrambling to my feet. Fuck that, I was getting out of here.
A large hand captured my wrist before I could get far, the pain from his fist squeezing my wrist making me scream out.
“Help, help me! He’s going to rape me. Help! Aalee are you there? Help!”
>
A hand went over my mouth. I could see I had pissed him off, but I didn’t care. I needed to find Aalee. He followed me. I know he did. But was he still following me or was he trying to get help from the clan? More rain drops fell until it was a heavy stream of rain. I held my mouth open to drink the yummy goodness.
Two of them were building the hut, the other held onto me. I wanted to kick him in the nuts, but I was worried with any more pressure that my wrist would snap. Then I had an idea… well, it was Jessica’s. She kicked those asshole guys who kidnapped her in the nuts. They thought she was mating them and even thanked her. Maybe I could try that… I looked over and saw they were working really fast on the hut. I guess it was going to be sooner rather than later that I could test how dumb these ones were.
I hope they were really, really stupid.
Chapter Twenty
Adee
When Jaim returned to get a blanket for Hadley, leaving Aalee to watch her, I got very excited. He was to watch my mate, maybe… maybe he would ask her to consider him again. I hadn’t spoken much to him since I mated with Hadley. But I knew deep inside he wanted this also for himself. And I wanted Hadley for him. I had spent all my life with Aalee. We were always together, that was how we were chosen for Brooklyn’s mates. The queen couldn’t part us, we had always been Adee and Aalee.
But when Jaim returned with a grim look on his face, without Hadley or Aalee, I was concerned. He couldn’t find them, he had looked and couldn’t even sense her in the area anymore. He came running back here to see if they had returned, but they hadn’t. I was here the whole time in the hut. I was cleaning and making room for where Hadley had wanted a crib. It was a sleeping place for kits from her home, and I wanted to make sure we included as much as we could from both our worlds.