by Leann Ryans
Stifling my sobs, I tried to think of something I could do to help, but the best thing I could think of would be to stay out of the way. I know that’s what my mates would want. The Alpha that got into the basement of the house proved that it was possible for one to slip by them, and I didn’t want to sit and wait to see if it would happen again.
Looking up into the branches of the tree above me, I decided that I wasn’t going to make it easy for someone to sneak in and grab me. Standing on my tiptoes, I was barely able to wrap my hands around the lowest branch. Pulling with all my strength, I was able to get my legs hooked around it before maneuvering myself over to the top side of it.
Trying to move slowly so none of them would notice what I was doing, I made my way higher into the branches until I was sure no Alpha would be able to reach me and pull me down. The growling drowned out any noises I made, but I had to be careful not to shake the branches too much as I tried to push myself into a position where I could see through the thick needles.
Though the sky seemed to be lightening finally, it was still too dark beneath the trees for me to be able to see more than shadows no matter how hard I strained my eyes. Clinging to the limb I lay on, I resigned myself to having to guess at what was going on beneath me.
The Return
Though I could usually tell their voices apart, even in a growl, with all of them blending together I couldn’t tell where my men were or how many Alphas they were up against, and I held my breath as I waited for something to happen.
It didn’t take long for a shadow to charge towards the tree I lay in with a yell, followed by others. Wishing I could see better so that I knew what was happening, I fought back tears as I heard my mates return the call.
Grunts of pain as well as the sounds of flesh slamming together reached my ears. Holding onto my branch, I closed my eyes and listened to the fighting, whispering prayers that I wouldn’t lose another of my Alphas.
Call it Stockholm Syndrome or whatever you want, but I wouldn’t survive without them. I’d come to realize they all cared about me in their own way, and I needed each of them, especially now that they had claimed me. We were already missing a piece, and the thought of losing another opened a pit inside me I wasn’t sure I would make it back out of.
I could hear the thuds of bodies hitting the ground. Low moans of pain blending with the savage snarls of those still fighting, and I couldn’t stand to stay out of it and not know what was happening any longer. I wasn’t going to be some bystander, waiting for my life to be determined for me.
Slipping off of my branch, I made my way back down the tree until I was just above head height for an Alpha. Peering through the branches, I could see a couple clumps of bodies, but even as the sky continued to grow brighter, it was still too dark to clearly see who was who at a distance.
A pair of Alphas stumbled my way, brushing against the needles of the tree I was in. Noticing the long hair of one of them, I knew he couldn’t be one of mine, so I reached out, leaning forward to catch a handful of tangled locks.
I wasn’t strong enough to do any real damage to an Alpha, but I could distract them long enough for one of mine to take advantage of their lapse in attention.
Yanking on the hair as hard as I could, I managed to jerk the Alpha’s head to the side and make him miss the blow he was attempting to land. Looking up, I could see Charles glaring at me over the Alpha’s head even as he slammed his knife into the side of the man’s throat.
“Stay out of this, omega,” he hissed at me as I released the hair wrapped in my fingers and Charles spun away to find another opponent.
Looking around, I knew I wouldn’t be able to make a difference staying where I was, so against his orders, I swung my legs off of the branch, dangling above the ground before letting myself fall. Crawling below the boughs of the pine, I saw another group of Alphas standing off against each other to my right.
Staying close to the trees where I wouldn’t be noticed as easily, I made my way closer, making out the features of Wesley as he faced two strange Alphas. I kept moving until I was lined up with one of them.
When the farther Alpha lunged at Wesley, I jumped at the one I was close to, slamming my shoulder into the Alpha’s knee before rolling away as he went down. Years on the streets where people didn’t care if it was a child they were stealing from had taught me to take advantage of my small size, and knees were the easiest target to cripple someone.
Scampering back against the trunk of another tree, I watched as Wesley took care of the Alpha I had brought down. I was about to pick another target when a hand wrapped around my throat, cutting off my air so I couldn’t scream.
“Now I know damn well you aren’t supposed to be involved in this, and if one of those idiots didn’t order you to stay safe, I’ll add a few more bruises to them myself.”
My already racing heart redoubled its speed as the growled voice came from my right, and I darted my eyes to the shadows trying to see his face. I had thought the scent was coming from my shirt, but as Pine stepped into a beam of light when he pressed himself against my side, I realized there was that unmistakable scent of him mixed with the pine that surrounded me.
Choking on the sob that rose up from my chest, my eyes flooded with tears as I wrapped my arms and legs around him. The grip on my throat loosened even as he took hold of my hair and pulled my head back.
“If you move from this spot before you are called, you will regret it,” he growled softly at me before shaking loose from my hold.
Releasing my hair, he turned back to the others and stalked towards the nearest pair still fighting. They never saw Pine coming as he reached around and slit the throat of the Alpha Grady was struggling with.
Barely pausing, he moved on to the three that had cornered Charles against another large tree. Blade flashing through the air, he caught the first man under his arm, a dark fountain of blood erupting in the dim light when he pulled the knife out. Turning to the next one as the first collapsed, they faced off as Charles focused on the third.
I noticed Wesley and Grady converging on them as they finished off the men they had been faced with. Though my Alphas had been outnumbered and exhausted, they were larger than the Ferals, and I wasn’t sure if the others had weapons or had simply attacked with their fists, but somehow, my Alphas had managed to make it through the attack in one piece.
Better than that, Pine was alive and had returned to us.
Losing my self-control, I dashed from the tree where he had left me and raced towards Pine as the sobs I had tried to hold back broke free. Seconds from throwing myself at him, I stopped dead in my tracks when his furious gaze turned to me.
Chest heaving, I trembled under his glare.
“Was she told to stay out of the fighting and stay safe?”
Pine’s low voice was far too calm, and a shiver of fear went down my spine as he maintained eye contact with me though he was addressing the others.
“Yes,” came the instant response from all three.
My eyes flicked to Charles before returning to Pine, my heart racing as I struggled to pull in enough air.
“Did I not tell you to remain where I left you?”
Whimpering, I gave a small nod, my hands beginning to fidget at my sides. At Pine’s narrowed gaze, I whispered, “Yes, Master.”
Dropping my eyes to the ground, my body continued to tremble as I heard him come closer to me. Walking around where I stood frozen, I could feel his warm breath ghost over the back of my neck as my shoulders hunched and I ducked my head.
I heard him draw in a deep breath before he let it out in a low growl.
“I tracked you by your scent. Nothing calls to an Alpha more than an unclaimed omega in heat, but it seems like the others have already marked you now.”
His voice was barely audible, but it still caused my core to spasm as I clenched my legs together to fight off the growing need. I felt him lower his head and take another deep breath with his nose buried in my hair.
“I guess that means I need to make my claim before it’s too late.”
The words were so low, I wasn’t sure I had really heard them as his hands came up to grip my shoulders. We stood like that for a minute before he released me and walked back around to my front.
Reaching out and gripping my chin, he tipped my head back to look up into his eyes.
“I told you that you would regret moving before you were told to though.”
Fully Claimed
“Is it safe to do this here?” came Grady’s voice from behind Pine, but the only response he got was a growl.
Releasing my chin, Pine’s hand slid around to the back of my head, taking hold of my hair tight enough to cause my scalp to sting. Turning, he pulled me along beside him, forcing me to bend over and stumble in his wake as my hands gripped his to try and ease the pain.
Passing by Charles, I heard his quiet response to Grady.
“We can stand guard. He needs to do this.”
Tears streaked down my cheeks as I tripped over the limbs of the Alphas strewn around the ground. Even as I whimpered in pain, my core clenched in excitement, slick running down my thighs to my knees by the time I was pulled back under the pine tree where my scent still lingered.
Pushing me up against the trunk, Pine pinned my body against it with his as he released my hair. Hands moving to the neck of the shirt, I heard it tear as cold metal slid down my spine, the back falling open. The thought of him using the same blade that had killed others to cut my clothes from me caused my nipples to tighten even as a shudder rolled through my body.
He moved away for a second before I felt hard muscles pressing against my back. Hands sliding around the front of my body under the remains of the shirt, he gripped my breasts in his warm hands, rolling my nipples between his fingers as he ground his erection into my ass.
“You are going to put your hands against the trunk, and you are going to keep them there,” he whispered against my neck, his firm lips brushing my nape as he spoke. “Do you understand?”
Digging my fingers into the bark, I followed his order and whimpered a, “Yes,” as his hands slid down to my hips. Gripping them, he pulled me until I had to take a couple of steps back, bending forward to keep my palms on the tree as instructed.
The heat of his body left mine as his hands moved until one pressed against the base of my spine and the other stroked over my bottom.
“You must be taught to obey in all things, at all times, Cara. You were in a dangerous situation and you didn’t follow your Alpha’s orders.”
Rubbing his hand in circles over my cheeks, I arched my back, trying to get his hand to dip lower to where I ached for him to touch. My mind was growing fuzzy again, and I barely understood what he was saying.
The first sharp slap against my ass jolted me back to clarity. The second one caused a squeak as I turned my head to try and look at him. It was still dim beneath the boughs of the tree, and it was hard to see anything more than a looming shadow at my side. By the third stroke I yelped in pain.
Pine’s hand remained firm on my lower back as he kept me from trying to move away from his blows. They weren’t hard enough to push me into the trunk of the tree I held, but it was enough to set my ass on fire.
Fresh tears poured from my eyes as I clenched them closed and tried to endure the burn, keeping silent count as his hand continued to connect with my flesh.
When I reached ten, he paused, rubbing his hand in circles over my bottom again.
“I wish I could see how red your ass is right now. I can guarantee it’s beautiful.”
The growl in his voice sent goosebumps across my skin as the burning in my ass began to mellow to a dull throb. Clit pulsing in need, I could feel slick trickling down the inside of my calves, and I hung my head in shame that my body had relished the Alpha punishing me so much.
When his hand finally dipped lower and brushed against my pussy lips I gasped and jerked forward, almost hitting my head on the trunk I still held.
“Shhh little omega, we aren’t done yet,” Pine purred behind me.
His voice held false comfort, and I trembled at the thought of what he could possibly do next.
Pushing against my hip, he forced me to take a step to the side, spreading my legs further as he put more pressure on my lower back so that I had to bend over more.
“Only five this time.”
My body tightened at his words, trying to prepare for what he was about to do. Holding my breath, I waited as his fingers continued to brush against the swollen lips of my pussy.
I was totally unprepared when he removed his hand to bring it back down in a harsh slap to my cunt. Squawking, I lurched forward and hit my shoulder on the tree, fingers digging into the bark.
Another slap came and I let out a choked sob as my pussy pulsed. Core clenching, the burn spread to combine with the sting in my ass. The third smack had my face burning in embarrassment at the wet squelch, and the cry it forced from me morphed into a moan as my core spasmed again.
Pine rubbed his hand across my lower lips before delivering another spank. My pussy throbbed in time with my heartbeat, and it was almost impossible to hold still as my clit pulsed in need.
I let out a scream with the fifth slap, cunt clenching on nothingness as an orgasm ripped through my body. Legs trembling as I gasped against the trunk of the tree, Pine’s arms wrapped under my body as he moved behind me again.
In seconds he had thrust inside of me, instantly forcing my orgasm higher as I was stretched around his shaft. Sobbing into my arms, Pine pounded into my pussy, giving me no time to recover. My release didn’t have a chance to fade before another was building.
I could feel Pine’s knot swelling as he plunged it in and out of my opening, growling the whole time as his bruising grip moved up my body. Pulling me up against his chest, he roared when he forced his knot back into my cunt, causing me to scream.
I barely felt his teeth sinking into the top of my shoulder next to where Grady had bit me as his hand slipped down and pinched my clit, bringing my orgasm crashing down over me. A cold wave rushed through my body as I fell limp in his arms, hands dropping to my sides as my head lolled back against him.
The last thought that crossed my mind was how unexpected life could be. I had been bought and kept prisoner by these four men so that they could claim me, and just when they started to treat me a little better, we were attacked and had to flee because I was still unbonded. Then, I finally go into heat while we’re on the move and in an unsecure place.
They had fled the city to make sure they could claim me during my heat, and now that they had, did that mean that we would return to the city when my heat faded, or were we going to continue on?
Making Plans
I don’t know how long I was out, but Pine’s knot was still locked inside me when I came to. Sitting in his lap with my legs stretched wide over his, I could feel his hand absently stroking my hip under the scraps of the shirt hanging from my arms as he spoke in hushed tones with the other guys.
“I’m glad you’re okay and managed to catch up with us. Thought you were dead that time. Would have sucked trying to run a farm without you,” came Charles’s voice.
“We don’t have to go to the farm now, we could return to the city,” Wesley said.
“Why would we go back now? We made it out and we’re over halfway there. What is there to return to?”
Pine’s response to Wesley rumbled under my ear where it was pressed to his chest.
“Did you not see the Ferals that attacked us for her?” Wesley hissed.
“They were no different than the other Alphas in the Slums. It’s not like there’s anything special for us in the city, we might be better off out here,” Pine continued.
“You need a fucking hospital! You’re sitting there bleeding all over the place. What if she gets injured? Or hell, if she gets pregnant? What then? You going to play doctor and deliver the baby?”
Wesley’s v
oice was rising, yet Pine replied in a calm voice.
“If that’s what she needs from me.”
Pine’s arms tightened around me as I sat up, turning to try to see what Wesley meant by Pine needing a hospital. There still wasn’t much light under the tree for me to really see, but when my hand touched his side, I could feel the stickiness running down from where I had seen him stabbed when we were trying to get away earlier.
“Leave it,” he said to me as he took both of my wrists in one hand, holding them in my lap.
“Charles, what do you think?” Pine asked.
“We’ve made it this far. With the house fucked up, there isn’t really anything to return to, like you said. It would take forever to earn enough to fix the damn thing, especially if we have to stay somewhere else while we work on it.”
“Grady?”
“I don’t really care. The farm could need just as much work since it’s sat empty for so long. I’m hoping since it was back away from everything that it will be okay and unoccupied, but we won’t know until we see it.”
Wesley grumbled before letting out a sigh.
“Fine, I guess we keep going.”
“It’s not like we can’t turn around and come back if there’s any problems with the farm,” Pine said as his knot finally deflated enough to slip from my core.
Squirming a bit in embarrassment that everyone seemed to be suddenly sniffing the air and focused on me, I ducked my head and stared at the ground as I subtly tried to slide off of Pine’s lap. Holding me tight, he wouldn’t let me move away, and released a quiet growl until I sat still.
“So, we’ll get cleaned up and keep going then. The sooner we can get there, the better,” Pine said, though he made no move to push me off of his lap so he could stand.
The other three stood, eyes lingering on me before they turned away and left the shelter of the boughs. Since Pine wouldn’t let me move away from him, I wiggled to the side so I could get a better look at him.