“Fuck,” Fang murmurs as the doctor pokes closer to the wound.
“Welcome back,” the doctor says. “I see you tried to get yourself killed this time, but you were lucky because it missed all your major organs.”
“No,” Fang mutters, “those fuckers ambushed me. If it weren’t for my quick reflexes, I would have been dead.” Just then, Gunner walks in with a bowl, the aroma of broth engulfing the room.
“I believe this is just what the doctor will order,” Gunner says as he hands the bowl over to me. Looking down, I see that it’s a thick broth. Bringing it closer to my nose, I smell a strong scent of ginger and clove.
“Well, sweetheart, I don’t believe we have met.” The doctor starts to close the wound. “Stop being such a baby,” he mutters as Fang flinches at his ministrations.
“Easy for you to say. You haven’t got a hole the size of a wheel in your body,” Fang mutters as he flinches again.
“Oh please, this is smaller than a coin,” the doctor says as he finishes, Turning, he smiles at me. “I’m the doctor who takes care of these dogs.” With those words, he laughs at his own joke. “I see you’re mated to Hunter.”
“Nice meeting you. I’m Dakota,” I greet.
“Well, Dakota, you did a good job here, saved me a lot of time. Now if you don’t mind, will you give him that broth and make sure that he eats every gulp of it.” Fang mutters something I don’t catch but makes Hunter growl.
“What?” I ask.
“Nothing. He just doesn’t like the broth too much, but it’s too bad because it’s just what I prescribed.” And with those words, he grabs his bag, says his goodbyes, and leaves. Strange doctor, but this whole experience has been strange ever since the moment I met Hunter.
“Well, Fang, shall we get some of this down you?”
“I don’t want any of that.” Well, it looks like this is going to be more difficult than I thought.
“Well, from what the doctor said, I don’t think you have an option. So, open up.” As I sit down and bring the spoon towards his mouth, he grunts and turns his head away.
“You are acting like a little baby. I thought you guys were supposed to be this tough bunch of bikers.”
Fang turns his head to look at me again. “I know what you are doing.” Before he can close his mouth, I have slanted the spoon and the broth is sliding into his mouth. He starts to splutter, but then he swallows. “That’s tricky, that stuff is—” Once again, I slant the broth into his mouth, shutting him up. After that, he doesn’t comment and simply opens his mouth for each mouthful until it’s finished.
“See, it wasn’t that bad,” I state with a smile, which has him raising a brow at me and then inclining his head towards the plate.
“How would you know? Taste it and then we will talk again,” he mutters grouchily. Frowning, I look at the plate and then back at him. It doesn’t smell that bad; it can’t be too terrible. Stretching out my arm, I slide my index finger through the residue of the broth.
“I wouldn’t do that, babe,” Hunter says from behind me. “He isn’t lying; that stuff is revolting.”
Now I’m really curious to try it. Bringing my finger to my mouth, I suck it. An explosion of different flavours hits my palate, and damn me if they’re not all disgusting. I start to gag. How the hell did he manage to eat every spoonful without bringing it all up again?
“Delicious, isn’t it?” Fang says with a wink, a knowing look in his eyes.
“What the hell is in that?” My voice is hoarse with the strength I am utilizing not to heave. Hunter comes to stand behind me, his hand rubbing my back.
“Ass,” Hunter grunts to Fang as he turns me around to face him.
“What? I didn’t do anything,” he mutters.
“Let’s go, babe. Leave this asshole to rest.”
“But he might need something.” I’m not going to leave Fang while he’s wounded. I know how useless a person feels at a time like this.
“All he needs is sleep. He will feel much better once he wakes up, and the others are around if he needs anything.”
“But he lost a lot of blood. Someone should sit with him.”
“Don’t worry about me, sugar. I’m already feeling better.” I look over my shoulder at him and see his eyes are closed, and he does seem like he’s breathing better.
“We heal much quicker than usual. If it’s not life-threatening, which his wound clearly wasn’t, then he will be up and around by tomorrow.” At Hunter’s explanation, I look back at him in surprise. Is this true?
“Are you serious? No one who loses the amount of blood he did will be able to be up and around for at least a week,” I state just as a quiet snore comes from behind us.
“Yes, babe, I’m serious. We heal faster, run faster, eat more, jump higher, and are definitely better in the sack than human men,” he says with a cheeky grin.
“Better in bed, are you? Convinced much,” I tease just as he lowers his head and shows me just how good he is at making me forget everything around me.
“Get a room,” Frost mutters as he walks in, which has Hunter showing him the finger as we break apart.
“Come on, babe, Frost will keep an eye on Fang.” Taking my hand, he guides me out of the room before I can complain. “We will have to change our plans and go for our ride some other time until we know what we’re up against, but I still want to show you around the property.”
“That sounds good, and you can tell me what type of deliveries you guys actually do to have a setup like you do downstairs while you show me around.” I see him nod from the corner of my eye as we step outside.
“Well, as you know, we have a delivery business, which is a cover, because what not many know is that we work undercover. We are employed by big corporations and sometimes the government to catch some unsavoury characters.” I stop in my tracks and turn towards him. Looks like the surprises just keep on coming.
“Are you guys investigating the men who shot at Fang?” It looks like they might be able to protect themselves from Jason after all.
“The Hades MC are a tricky bunch to catch red-handed. Their president is sneaky in every sense of the word. They have their hands in many pies, and every time we think we have caught them, they manage to weasel themselves out of it.”
“You’re a wolfy badass,” I tease, which has him growling playfully as he shows me his teeth.
“You know what wolves do, don’t you?” he asks as he raises his hands in a threateningly claw-like imitation, which has me laughing out loud. “They eat people.” He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively, which has me shaking my head as I roar at his silliness.
“You want to eat me, do you?” I ask when my laughter starts to subside. “I’m afraid you might get indigestion, as I’m not that tasty.”
He playfully licks his lips exaggeratedly, making grunting noises as if enjoying a savoury dish. “I think you’re wrong.” He leans down and licks my neck, which has me squealing in surprise. Before I can think about it, I turn and start to run down a path that leads into the woods around the main house. I know that he can catch me at any second, but sensing him right behind me has me laughing in such a carefree manner that I haven’t felt in a very long time.
Hunter lets me run for a short distance before he swipes me off my feet from behind and twirls me around. “You need to know one thing about wolves,” he whispers in my ear. “We love the chase. When you run, you are challenging me to catch you.”
“Mmm, nice to know,” I murmur as I lean my head back against his chest, his head lowering to my neck and the place where he placed his mark, nuzzling gently, which has ripples running down my body in reaction.
“If you don’t behave, I will have to spank you.”
“Really, you and what army?” I feel his hand come down firmly on my bum. It’s playful and not painful in any way.
“Behave. Dash is coming,” he whispers in my ear before he sets me down just as I see Dash approaching.
“So ho
w do you like our little piece of heaven?” Dash asks as he stops before me.
“I haven’t seen much of it yet, but from what I have seen, it is really peaceful,” I answer, which has him smiling as he looks up at the trees that surround us.
“Yeah, nothing beats the peace we find here.”
“Were you looking for us, or were you just bored?” Hunter asks rudely, which has me elbowing him in the ribs. “What?”
Dash grins boyishly. “I found him,” he answers with a raised brow, “but now I’m contemplating if I should tell you.” I can see that he’s clearly teasing Hunter. One thing I have come to realize about these men is the closeness between them, but for some reason, I feel Hunter tensing behind me as his arms that are still around my waist tighten. Looking up at him, I see his set features, which tells me that whatever Dash is talking about must be something about one of those characters Hunter spoke about.
“Where?” Hunter asks.
“You won’t believe this, but just a couple miles out of town.”
“Son of a bitch.”
“Is it one of those mean characters you were talking about?” I ask as I stroke his hand with my thumb.
“Yes, babe, he’s one of those mean motherfuckers who deserves everything he’s going to get.” I see a frown on Dash’s face as he looks at Hunter, and then he nods as if some kind of communication passed between the two of them that I’m not aware of.
“Well, I have the information all back at the house once you’re ready,” he says before turning and taking his leave.
“Aren’t you pleased about what he had to say?” I ask as I sense Hunter’s anger.
“On the contrary, I’m very pleased,” he says.
“Well, doesn’t look like it,” I mutter as I turn in his arms to face him.
“Looks can be deceiving. I just didn’t expect it,” he says as he takes my hand and starts making his way back towards the house. “I have a meeting tonight with the others. Will you be okay for an hour or so?”
“Is it going to be dangerous?” Now that I know what they do, the thought of it being Hunter who is shot has a knot tightening in my stomach.
“No, babe, it’s just an update meeting where King keeps us updated on new cases and we report back on what’s been happening with our cases.” I must be honest with myself, I’m worried that one day Hunter will become like Jason. Even though I feel a connection with Hunter that I have never felt before with anyone, and I can see how protective and gentle he is with me, there is a niggling part at the back of my mind that tells me to be wary, because all good things come to an end.
I hate the fact that Jason has made me this suspicious, this wary of everyone, and it’s unfair on Hunter, but it isn’t something I can just switch on and off. “What’s wrong?” Hunter asks, his thumb coming up to stroke my cheek as he looks deep into my eyes.
“This is just new to me,” I state, and he frowns but then nods and places his arm around my shoulder as we start making our way back to the house. When I’m with Hunter, I feel protected and cared for, something I haven’t felt in a long time. Today, he brought me closer to my family, something that I sometimes despaired I’d never have again.
Knowing that my mom and brother are fine has my heart filling with joy. Mom says that she hasn’t seen Jason in a long time, which is a good thing. I hope he forgets all about my family. My greatest fear was always that he would do something to them, which I know he is more than capable of doing, but it seems like he has now stayed away.
After talking to them and now knowing what I know, I believe that I am finally safe, safe from the horror of my past, and maybe I can start looking at the future with no fear, a future with this man beside me who has brought me so much in such a short time. I haven’t been here long enough to know the others that well, but they have all taken me in as if I’m part of their group, making me welcome and at home, something I haven’t had in a long time.
These last three years, I have been so lonely. No family and no friends to call because when I became Jason’s girlfriend, he drove all my friends away, but finally, I have a slither of hope that I will finally find that happiness that I have so craved. I’m scared to get my hopes dashed once again, but I know that if I don’t take a chance, I will never know.
HUNTER 11
I leave Dakota in our room and come down to our meeting. As I enter the room, I see Hawk is already here, sitting in his seat around the solid oak table that was made from one of the trees out in the woods.
“Hey, bro,” Hawk greets, placing his phone he had been looking at on the table. “Goliath texted me to let me know that Fang was shot. You know who did it?”
“Hades,” I reply, which has him scowling.
“Motherfuckers,” he mutters just as Frost walks in with Gunner.
“Nice to see you too,” Frost grunts.
“We are talking about what happened to Fang,” I state.
“Did he recognize the one who shot him?” Hawk asks as he sits forward and places his elbows on the table.
“Not sure. I think King is with him now, getting all the information that he can,” Gunner says just as Goliath, Dash, and King walk in and take their seats. We hear a bike pulling up outside and then footsteps approaching. Dixon walks in, looking around and then closing the door behind him.
“Am I late?” he asks as he takes his seat.
“No, you’re just in time,” King says as he leans back in his chair. “I’m going to get right to the point. As you all know, Fang was shot today.” All of us mutter in anger. “He was pulling up to check on one of our surveillance cameras when he heard the shot. When he swerved to see where it came from, it hit him on the side. From what he says, he just had time to see a guy in the distance with a Hades kutte before he jumped on his bike and made his way back here.”
“Why didn’t he scent the guy when he stopped?” Hawk asks with a frown; we can usually tell by scent alone the location of certain people.
“Maybe he was downwind. I’m not sure, but what is evident is that they know that camera is there, and they were waiting for us.”
“That means that they purposefully tampered with it so that we would go out there,” Dixon says angrily.
“It seems to be,” King states.
“Why would they purposefully want to start a war?” Goliath asks. “Previously they have stayed away from us as much as possible.”
“I don’t know, but what I do know is that Fang was shot and they set him up for it. They are clearly stepping up and want us out of the way, so we are going to show them that we aren’t easily removed.”
“About fucking time,” Hawk mutters, which has King turning his head towards him, his eyes intense as he looks at Hawk.
“Before, they were criminals, but now they have attacked one of us,” King states. “There are no rules when we are threatened.”
“What do you want us to do?” I ask, knowing that he will have thought of a way forward already.
“First, I want the cameras that we have installed moved. We need to make sure that they don’t know where they are. I’m not taking on any other assignments until we have dealt with Hades. The ones that we are currently busy with, if they are not urgent, then we stop them until we have a handle on this situation.” King lifts his hand to rub his tense jaw. Knowing King, I know that he is exerting immense self-control at the moment to not go out there right now and attack whoever decided to attack his pack. “I also want you all to work together. No one goes out there alone. Are we clear on that?”
“What about Blue? Wasn’t he supposed to be here today?” Dash asks.
“He was detained,” King mutters.
“Do you think they will try this again, or that was just to deviate our attention from something else?” Gunner asks, which has all of us looking at him in question. He has a point; they might be up to something and want our attention on something else instead of on them.
“What are you thinking?” King asks with a raised brow
.
“Well, we have been placing a spanner on most of their deals. What if they are planning something and want us distracted so that we don’t stop whatever they are up to now?”
“He makes sense,” Dash states as he sits back and crosses his arms over his chest, his dark-blue T-shirt stretching over his muscled chest, the words “want a piece of this” half hidden by his arm.
“Yes, he does,” King says. “Dixon, I want you out there to see what secrets they are keeping. Goliath, you go with him. Hunter, you and Hawk are going to find the son of a bitch who shot Fang and bring him back here.” I look over at Hawk, who nods at me. “Dash, I want you and Frost to close out all the pending cases we have at the moment, and I want it done quickly.
“Gunner, you and I are going to put all the information together that we have on the Hades MC and see if we can find anything that might lead to what they might be up to now. I also want photos of every single member they have, so if any of you see one of them, we want a photo, and that photo gets sent to Gunner or myself.”
“This will get ugly,” Dash states.
“Are you scared?” Frost asks, which gets him a glare from Dash and a show of his middle finger.
“Is there any more comments on this before we continue?” King asks. When no one answers, King looks directly at me. “Now as all of us know, Hunter here has found his mate, but apparently she is in some kind of trouble. Isn’t she, Hunter?”
I nod. “Yeah, Dakota was in a relationship with a marine before me, and he became violent.” Every time I think about what abuse Dakota was subjected to, my fury rises to the point of overflowing. “She clearly managed to run from him, but in doing so, she had to leave her mother and brother behind. Jason, that is his name, became a stalker and has found her before, but she has always managed to stay a step ahead of him.”
“Motherfucker,” Frost mutters.
“Anyway, he threatened her family, which made her stop any form of communication with them for the last couple years, not knowing how they were doing or if he actually did hurt them. This morning, she made a call to her mom and brother, which obviously was a big thing for her, as now she knows they are fine.” Leaning forward, I look around at everyone and then straight at King.
Bound (Wolverine MC Book 1) Page 8