by Sara Fields
“You’re not going to leave my side until I give you permission, little mate,” I said protectively. She blinked several times and her expression looked less pained as more time went on.
“I understand,” she replied quietly, lifting her eyes to mine.
“Good. Take your time. We won’t return until you’re ready,” I instructed, and she nodded. I shifted beside her and she leaned against me, pressing her forehead into my side for several long minutes as she gathered herself. She finally took a deep breath and pushed herself away from me. I knelt down and she slowly climbed onto my back.
“Hold on tight, little mate. I got you,” I told her.
“I know you do,” she whispered quietly into my ear.
My heart beat again and again. For her. Only for her.
Chapter Nine
Dawn
I clung to his back like a lifeline as Kiba pounded through the forest, back to the black site where the rest of the pack was waiting for him. He ran a bit more slowly than usual, making sure to check in with me from time to time to make sure that I was still alright. My ears still rang from the blow to the back of my head and my vision still wavered occasionally. I touched the bump that had been left behind and found that my hair was matted with dried blood. I bit my lip and pressed my forehead into the place between his shoulders, feeling the gentle but painful pounding in my head from it. It was gradually fading, but it still hurt quite a bit.
The journey back to the compound was surprisingly short. I don’t know how long I’d been knocked out for, but it didn’t really matter. When we got back, the alarms were blaring and wolves were running back and forth, locked in combat with human guards. Kiba took me in through the back and I saw the remains of a fight that had already taken place.
I sucked in a breath at the carnage, taking in the mutant-looking creatures with their thin fur and gangly limbs spread out all over the ground, pale and lifeless. Many of them were in pieces.
“They’d taken you from me and they had to answer for it,” Kiba’s voice rang out in my head. I nodded into his shoulder, staying silent on top of him. I peered around, watching as he held back, and the others ran into the fray.
“We need help at the lower levels. The guards have come together to hold the lower entrance and are blocking the way to the beta enclosures,” Nikita called out and Kiba growled, the sound low and quiet. All the wolves around us perked up their ears and gathered together around their alpha.
“Then kill them.”
“Wait, you don’t have to do that,” I rushed to say, and he was silent. “Let me help. I know a way in,” I offered quietly.
Kiba grunted with displeasure.
“There is a lab down below, another entrance into where the betas were being kept prisoner. It wasn’t on the blueprints,” I quickly explained. “Let me lead you there and we can break out the betas without the guards finding out.” I knew the layout of that floor now and I was the only one who did. Without me, they wouldn’t be able to get out without killing everyone in the way.
Kiba was silent for a long moment, likely considering my words. I knew he didn’t enjoy killing anyone. He’d gone out of his way to make sure very few people died at the black site I’d been assigned to conduct research in and even in the planning of today’s mission, he’d been adamant about wanting to avoid killing humans.
“If we do this, you will not leave my side. If you do, I will not hesitate to take you over my knee right then and there to remind you who is the alpha and that will only preface the real punishment that you would get later. Do you understand me, mate?” he warned carefully.
I shivered, still sitting atop his back. My pussy clenched tightly, and my mouth went dry. I already knew I was in trouble for breaking into the compound on my own. I had no desire to make it any worse.
“Yes, alpha,” I responded quietly, my voice subdued. I wouldn’t fight him, and I didn’t want to. I had been extremely relieved that I had opened my eyes to find that he had rescued me, instead of finding myself in some derelict prison in some government facility or worse. I was safe in his arms and even if that meant I was going to be punished for what I had done, it left me with a sense of security and relief to be with him again.
“Now, make me proud and lead us,” he said after that, his voice cool and collected. He was a true leader, knowing when to claim the lead and when to allow others to take it for themselves. I was proud to call him my alpha. He knelt down and allowed me to climb off his back. I walked around the building, looking for the storage room I’d entered through before. It wasn’t far. I pushed open the window all the way this time and climbed inside. Kiba and a number of wolves followed behind me. Together, we made our way through the compound, finding most of the hallways abandoned and unguarded, which led me to believe that they were deeper in the lower levels. The alarm continued to blare loud over the speakers, but I did my best to ignore it.
I retraced my steps until I reached the more central area, deciding to use the lesser used service stairwells this time so that we wouldn’t run into anyone else. The wolves’ paws were silent on the floor as we walked, and I did my best to keep the sound of my boots as quiet as I could. We descended until I reached the laboratory area, leading them back through the metal door that I’d found earlier that day. The lab was abandoned now and in quite a bit more disarray than it had been before.
I hadn’t gone through the other door in here, but I would bet that it led right to the captive betas. I grabbed the metal doorknob and twisted it.
“I can feel them. My betas are close,” Kiba’s voice said quietly in my head.
Turns out I was right.
As soon as I opened the door, the betas began to howl. Their alpha had come for them. They were all in individual cages made of clear bulletproof glass and as soon as Kiba walked in, they began throwing their bodies against the walls that held them. There was a lanyard just to the right of the door with a keycard and when I picked it up, I realized that it had been Dr. Stevenson’s. I rushed forward and pressed it against the closest cage and the door slid open. In a hurry, I moved onto the next and the next, freeing more than two dozen different betas in less than a minute. Once they were all out, I turned back to Kiba and he nodded in my direction.
“Good work, my sweet omega,” he said proudly, and I couldn’t help myself as I smiled in return. “Retreat, Nikita. The betas are with me now.”
She didn’t ask questions. Instead, she simply relayed the order and the entire pack began to move out. I jumped up on Kiba’s back once more and we left the same way we had come in. We didn’t run into any more guards, likely due to the fact that Ashe was replaying old camera footage over and over to their systems in order to cover our tracks. We slipped out of the building with ease and before I knew it, we’d made it back to the back to the portion of the fence that I had cut through. I leapt down off of Kiba and crawled through, while the others followed.
“Up.”
Once more, I climbed up onto my alpha’s back and the pack sprinted off into the forest, using the shadows of the falling night to hide their escape.
* * *
The next several days were spent putting as much distance between the pack and the black site as possible. I ate berries along the way as a snack and a hearty meal of meat cooked over the fire from whatever the wolves hunted and caught for me that day. Finally, Kiba announced that we’d gone far enough, and the pack cheered with delight, knowing that they could settle down and rest. During that time, I’d fully recovered from my ordeal and the bump at the back of my head had gone away entirely. The cut healed quickly, not even leaving a scar.
One afternoon shortly thereafter, the two of us were sitting by the fire when I felt his mood change to something darker and far more dangerous.
Kiba shifted into his human form for the first time in days, and I licked my lips, taking a long moment to admire his chiseled and naked body. His chest rippled as he stared at me and I had the sudden feeling that I was in
a great deal of trouble. My nipples peaked and my pussy clenched as I sat there, still fully covered by the guard outfit I had stolen. He’d hinted at the fact that I’d earned a punishment before, so I knew it was coming. His dark eyes appraised me thoughtfully and I knew that time was now. I swallowed nervously and waited for what would come next.
“We have something to talk about, don’t we, little mate?” he began, and a shiver raced down my spine. There was something about the way he’d said those words that made me feel small and vulnerable and entirely too much like a naughty little girl. I bit my lip and curled my arms around my shoulders, feeling my thighs tremble with nervous anticipation.
“Yes, alpha,” I whispered, my voice quiet. Submissive.
“You put the entire pack in danger by going off on your own, my sweet mate. I want you to explain to me why you disobeyed my instructions,” he continued, his voice far too calm and too collected. It made me even more anxious for what I knew was about to happen.
He was going to punish me.
In a small voice, I told him why I had done it, why I’d broken into the lab to steal the data and how I planned to use it to set up the pack with the funds to remain safe for a long time. That I hadn’t gone in on a whim. That I’d disobeyed for a reason.
“The pack is my family now, sir,” I said softly, dropping my eyes. “I just wanted to help.”
“I’m so very proud of you, my little mate,” he responded, before he moved closer to me. His palm caressed the side of my cheek and I pressed myself into him, enjoying his gentleness for the time being. “You should have told me your plan and I would have made sure that you had adequate protection by your side, but you didn’t, and you were ambushed as a result. Do you know how afraid I was when our connection was severed? I couldn’t tell if you were alive or dead and that terrified me, sweet girl.”
His words made me feel even smaller even though they were gentle. He didn’t yell at me or tell me that he was disappointed in me. Instead, he kept his hand against my cheek and pulled me close to his chest. I breathed in his woodsy masculine scent and it gave me comfort, despite the anxiety cascading through me at the prospect of what he was going to do to me.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“I know you are, sweet mate, but you’re going to have to answer for your disobedience, aren’t you?”
“Yes, alpha,” I whimpered. Even though I was afraid, my pussy clenched tightly, and I knew that I was wet. He held me for a long moment with those strong arms, before he eventually lifted my chin with a single finger and forced me to look straight into his eyes.
“Strip,” he commanded.
I let out a small cry as a jolt of pleasure raced straight down to my core. I wasn’t sure what was about to happen, but I knew by the end of it that I would be sore in more ways than one.
Slowly, I began with the belt at my waist. I slid the leather through the clasp and then pulled it free from the loops of my black pants. Kiba held out one hand expectantly and I hesitantly placed my belt in his palm. I froze as I watched him fold it over and snap it together, the sound loud amidst the quiet of the afternoon breeze. I was suddenly keenly aware of the fact that we weren’t alone, that we were right next to the central campfire and that the members of the pack were all around us.
“Can’t we go off into the woods? Just me and you?” I whispered nervously.
“No. Your punishment is going to take place right here, little omega, to remind you of your place in this pack,” he answered firmly, and I knew better than to say anything more. I shivered, feeling my pussy tighten hard knowing I was probably going to be put over his knee in front of the entire group.
The fire crackled beside us and I reached for the hem of my t-shirt before I lifted it over my head. Having to bare myself like this felt utterly shameful and so very naughty, but I knew that I didn’t have a choice whether I wanted to or not. I unbuttoned my pants next and pushed them down over my hips. The guard uniform hadn’t had a bra or panties with it, so I’d gone naked beneath it.
“Hands on your head,” he instructed.
I stood entirely naked now in nothing but a pair of boots. I could feel my body trembling before him. I shook even harder as he reached for me, trailing his fingertips across my breasts and I sucked in an anxious breath. His fingers loosely tightened around my nipples and my chest rose and fell with nervousness. Hesitantly, I pressed my own fingers to the back of my scalp, doing my best to try to be obedient for him even though I feared what was about to happen. My heartbeat went wild in my chest, hammering hard as I waited for the first bite of pain.
He pinched my nipples lightly once and then more firmly, so that a slight pinch burst across my breasts. The air escaped my lungs in a single shocked rush, and I pressed my lips together so that I didn’t cry out, so that everyone else couldn’t hear how very afraid I felt.
He twisted my nipples hard and I couldn’t stop myself from pitching forward, but he didn’t let me fall. Instead, he used his shoulder to catch me while he punished my breasts, pinching them harshly enough to make me whimper in pain.
“Your bottom is going to be very sore by the time I’m through with you, little mate. You’re earned quite the punishment and you’re going to take all of it, aren’t you?” he said softly, so that only I could hear.
“Yes, sir,” I whispered, my voice shaking with uneasiness.
He gripped my upper arm roughly, bringing me down with him as he sat down on a fallen log a short distance away from the fire. I landed over his knees with my bottom completely bared and on display. I moaned with shame. His fingers caressed the backs of my thighs before they slid in between them. His fingertips glided along my wetness and I whimpered with desire. They slipped forward to circle my clit and I couldn’t help myself as I lifted my hips for him. I wondered if he was going to allow me to come for him. I hoped that he would.
Without warning, his palm slapped down hard on my naked backside. I keened at the unexpected sting and then it happened again. And then again. There was no time to get used to the harsh bite of each spank. The only thing I could do was take it. I lifted my head and I could see the others watching me getting a spanking over my alpha’s knee. I was naked and they were witnessing every last shameful slap. The crack of his palm against my bared skin was loud and each one made me feel even smaller and more vulnerable than before, especially because I knew the others were seeing the whole thing too.
Kiba was going to teach me a lesson tonight and I had a feeling it was going to be a hard one. I slowly realized that being punished like this in front of everyone was an incredibly sobering and effective way to bring that very lesson home. Even despite it all, I was horrified to discover that I was still unbelievably wet, even more so than before.
The spanking became hard and fast. I tried to twist and turn my hips to avoid the harshness of his palm, but when he started punishing my thighs instead, I had even more difficulty holding myself together. I cried out as my thighs splayed and his fingers cracked against the edges of my pussy folds. I tried to remain still. It was hard because it hurt so very much. He forcibly spread my legs open then and cracked several fingers against my wet pussy, spanking it much harder than I had anticipated.
I tried to keep control. I attempted to keep my body still despite the scalding ache that was radiating across my bared flesh. My breath hitched and I breathed in deep, trying to remain calm despite the terrible sting that he was branding into my bottom. It was so hard though. This was a very real punishment and I knew that there still was so much more to come.
He spanked my pussy several more times before he returned to my backside, taking his time to thoroughly punish my thighs too. Those hurt the worst and I struggled to take each one. My cries echoed off the trees. There was no discussion amongst the pack tonight. Instead, they were silent, and I feared that every single pair of eyes was trained on the reddening of my disobedient backside over my alpha’s knee. When I lifted my head, I knew that they were. They were wat
ching their leader put his mate thoroughly in her place.
My pussy clenched hard and I could feel my wetness trickling down my inner thighs. There was little doubt in my mind that Kiba could see it too and that the light of the fire would reflect off of it as well, giving away my arousal to the rest of the pack.
Kiba spanked me hard, giving me no mercy in my punishment. The sting was harsh, the pain vivid, and I struggled to take it. My thighs shook and I cried out, my sounds of struggle slowly getting louder and louder. Even though I attempted to keep myself quiet, I soon realized that I wasn’t going to be able to.
Kiba was making sure of it.
“Please, alpha,” I begged. “I won’t disobey you again.”
“You’ve got a very thorough punishment coming, little mate. It’s far from over and I think you know that, don’t you?”
“Yes, sir,” I whimpered. I knew the truth of his words. I knew that this spanking was just the start of what was to come. I also knew that it wasn’t going to end until I was sobbing for him, whether it was from orgasms or the belt, I didn’t yet know.
He paused the spanking for a moment and gripped my bottom cheeks with his fingers. I gasped as he spread my ass, displaying me in a way that I had never been exposed before. No one had ever looked at me like this before and even as a harsh jolt of shame careened through me, an even stronger quiver of desire raced straight down to my needy pussy. I could feel my muscles tighten with arousal and I foolishly hoped that my punishment was over, that he would allow me to come for him now.
I was wrong.
His fingers pressed up against my wetness and he slowly inserted a finger into my pussy, once and then twice, before he dragged it backwards. My mind went blank.
He couldn’t. No. Not there. No one had ever touched me there.
It was wrong. It was dirty. It was far more arousing than it should have been.
His fingertip rested against my bottom hole, a silent ominous threat that he could take me there if he wanted to.