by D. C. Gambel
“Nothing. Just that your shirt actually covers more than I thought,” I recovered. It came to rest mid-thigh and almost made me not self-conscious to the fact that I wore no panties.
Turning, he let his eyes dance over me. He looked a little disappointed. “Good now we can talk.” Wrapping his arms over his chest his manner shifted to the Alpha. “Tell me where you got the knife.” Fuck. I’d forgotten that Eric’s knife had been left sticking out of the dead werewolf’s head. I didn’t answer. How did it matter? I disobeyed his demand not to bring weapons with me. “I’m a very patient man. I can wait.”
I moved onto the bed. Sitting back, I crossed my legs, which helped me appear relaxed while I kept my goodies covered. “It’s not like I have anywhere better to be for the next year.”
“Trey,” he called out. The door opened and another werewolf entered. I wasn’t sure what his plan was, but I did my best to appear confident and casual. “Isabel, this is my Head Enforcer and third in command. My Beta is out of town for the moment.” Trey took in the sight of Gideon’s shirt on me but made no comment. Smart man.
“Is this like an intimidation factor?” I asked eyeing the two wolves. “Why do you assume the knife is mine? Perhaps it was his or the wolf’s that killed him.”
“As I was the wolf that killed him I can say with complete certainty that it wasn’t mine and I truly doubt that Jacob stabbed himself with his own silver plated knife.” That surprised me because I was sure he seemed shocked to see the body this morning. “Sneaking silver into my court is a punishable offense, Isabel.”
“Then why would I admit it’s mine, which it’s not, by the way?”
Both wolves cocked their heads to the side and I smirked as they tried to determine if I was lying.
“You’re clever. Good. You’re going to need that because I have a proposition for you.”
“You’re going to let me go home?” I asked not letting my voice show my hopefulness.
“No,” he scoffed like the idea was ridiculous.
“Then I’m not sure what you could offer that I’d want.”
Trey spoke up. “How about not going back to that jail cell?”
My head snapped up making it too obvious that he had offered something I wanted. Damn it. I was normally a much better bluffer, but the idea of going back into the cell had my eyes darting for the nearest exit.
“Do you want to know now?” Gideon teased. I gritted my teeth to bite back my retort. “My proposition is to give you this room and restricted privilege to move about the house.”
“And the downside?”
Trey grinned wickedly before answering. “We want to use you as bait.”
6
“Bait?” I questioned skeptically. The wolf had tried killing me and was now dead. I was definitely missing something.
“I’m going to be frank with you, Isabel,” Gideon began, leaning casually against the wall accentuating his appealing form. Perhaps he was doing it on purpose, using his body to entice me or maybe he was unaware how tempting he appeared. “I didn’t request you solely to punish you for Cyrus’s death.”
“But it was part of it,” Trey muttered. Glaring, I wondered why he was here.
Gideon continued ignoring his comrade. “There’s treachery brewing among the pack. Last night was just one example. If you were to die the pack knows it would bring war with the hunters. Not only are you a huntress, but a princess of the Order.”
My anger simmered just beneath the surface. I struggled to push it down while I spoke, but even I could hear it leak into my words. “So you presented an enraged Alpha who was furious over the loss of life—”
“I am furious.”
I ignored him, too angry to acknowledge him. “—Only to seize the opportunity to get me here, to use me so you could risk my life?” During my spiel I stood and moved across the floor until I was in front of Gideon. “You son of a bitch.” My fist collided with the Alpha’s face before I even registered what I was doing.
Trey charged at me but halted when Gideon raised a hand stopping him. “Leave,” he whispered calmly. Trey hesitated for a moment staring coolly at me but did as his Alpha commanded. “I’ll let that go because I deserved it, but you’ll only get the one freebie, Isabel. The next time you take a swing there will be consequences.”
“You swindled me away from my home and now you have the audacity to make a request of me?”
He stood there silently, watching me seethe until some of the fight left me. “Did you not kill the boy?”
“It was an accident.”
“But it was still your hand that held the gun. Accident or not the boy’s father would have never relented if justice weren’t served. And here you are, justice for the boy’s death. Now I offer you an opportunity to have some freedom, a room, a bed to sleep in, but if you’d prefer the cell, I can return you and allow you to serve your sentence out there.”
God, I didn’t want to go back to that tiny cell but neither did I want to give him the satisfaction.
“They’ll attack again,” he stated causing me to stare up at him. “As long as you’re under this roof, they’ll try to seize the opportunity to start a war. I need the hunter’s support in what’s to come. Help me smoke them out instead of catching them after the act. Jacob’s known associates are being questioned but I don’t see anything coming from it. They’ll be watched, but it’s not enough.”
“You could have just asked my father for help?”
He shook his head. “Not only would I appear weak, but I need the traitors not to know I’m suspicious. They’ll count on us assuming Jacob to be a lone wolf acting on his own accord, but he wasn’t. This goes so much deeper than a low ranking, disgruntled wolf.”
“What have you done that’s got them all in a tizzy?” I wondered. Gideon’s gaze narrowed assessing if he should share this tidbit with me. “How can I help if I don’t know?”
Exhaling heavily, he explained, “I plan on bringing the wolves out in the open.”
I gaped, my mouth falling open. Werewolves were traditionalists. Even now females weren’t allowed as pack Alphas and earned her rank by her mate’s position. Coming out would change everything. The wolves would be forced to modernize how they handled situations. No more death first, ask questions later. It also meant change for the hunters. No wonder he needed our support. As difficult as the change would be, I believed my father would think as I did and support them.
I stood there silently thinking over his proposal. It was generous, but not enough to make me swallow my pride and agree. Suddenly an idea came to mind. I could seize this opportunity just as he had done.
“I’ll help.” I expected him to look relieved, but he knew better. It wasn’t the end to my statement. “But when we find the responsible party you send me home.”
He smirked crookedly. “I can’t do that.”
“Why?” I stated nonchalantly. “You say the real reason for my being here was to help you. I’m agreeing to help. I don’t see the problem.”
“The problem is the pack will never support me releasing you too early.”
“Too early,” I held my finger up letting him know I caught those words. “I doubt we’ll discover them tomorrow, but whenever we do, you can say you’re releasing me as a reward for my assistance or something like that.”
Gideon studied me. His lips were pressed as he debated over what I was offering and what he wanted.
“Six months,” he stated.
“What?”
“If we did find them tomorrow, I can’t release you earlier than six months. Anything less and I’d appear too weak among the pack.”
“I doubt that. You just can’t feel that I have the upper hand in the bargain.”
He smiled devilishly with a wicked glint in his eyes. “That is true too, but you still win.”
“Fine but I don’t go back to that cell when it’s done.”
I held my hand out to him ready to seal the deal before he could add any stipu
lations.
“Deal.” We clasped hands. The touch of his skin sent a tingle up my arm. He watched me as if he was causing it intentionally. “I’ll send Eleanor in to help get you settled.” He turned to leave but paused at the door. “Oh, and Isabel?” He glared at me over his shoulder. “There will be a punishment for bringing silver into my home.” I blinked having forgotten that. “Keep the shirt.” With that he left while I gaped after him.
I was allowed to stay in my new room the rest of the day, giving me time to recover from the attack. Eleanor had arrived minutes after Gideon departed carrying clothes that weren’t mine but in my size.
“Gideon says anything that belongs to you should be removed in case of hidden silver.” She offered me the clothes. I was grateful they were at least something dark. As extra punishment, Gideon could have instructed her to bring me pastels or some shit like that. She smiled nervously as her eyes fell to my necklace. My hand fell over the spot where it was hiding under my clothes, but through Gideon’s t-shirt it was obvious that something was there.
“No,” I stated firmly.
“Now, Miss Isabel, I have orders. Gideon was very clear that all personal—”
“No.” I cut her off. “If he wants my mother’s necklace let him come and take it from me.”
Her expression softened. “Your mother’s.” She sighed rubbing her hands unsure what to do.
My story was common knowledge. My mother had been killed in an attempted robbery. It was proof that even humans were evil. The necklace was the one piece I had left of her. My father packed away all her belongings. Memories clung to each item and were too difficult for him to handle. The storage area had caught fire and everything was lost. I knew Eleanor was just doing her job, but I couldn’t risk something happening again. If I lost the last piece of my mother…
“If he asks, I will plead ignorance, so you better not throw me under the bus if he discovers you still have it.”
“Thank you, Eleanor.” I smiled kindly.
She announced that more clothes would be arriving the next day. Since I was to remain in the room to ‘recover’, Eleanor was in charge of bringing me my meals. Each time she arrived she was always very warm and welcoming, which, in a way, I found strange since I wasn’t a guest but a prisoner.
“He informed me of your situation. I think you’re very brave to own up to something that was no one’s fault,” she said when I asked her about her unusual kindness.
Eleanor was one of the few humans in the manor. Her husband had been a werewolf, but when he passed a few years ago, Gideon had kept Eleanor on allowing her to provide for herself and keep a roof over her head by working for him.
The following morning, she arrived carrying a new set of clothes. I hadn’t been provided anything to sleep in but as I preferred sleeping in my underwear, I wasn’t bothered. If my lack of clothing troubled Eleanor, she didn’t show it.
Her job for the day was to make sure I knew how to get around the manor. She waited for me to dress before leading me to the dining hall for breakfast.
“It should be less crowded,” she explained. “The wolves try to get here earlier before the best food is gone, but don’t you worry, there’s always something left.”
I checked the clock before we’d left my room. It had only been 7:30. How early did everyone else arrive?
We stood outside the door for just a moment. Taking a deep breath, I slid effortlessly into my huntress guise before entering the hall. My shoulders were back, my head held high; each step was done with the air of confidence. The hall was still bustling with people but if this were slow then I’d hate to see it busy. The room was done in a cafeteria style. I didn’t know the exact number of people the manor housed or if more arrived for meals. I did know that the pack Gideon housed here was the largest in the country. He held claim on most of the packs throughout the states. He was the Alpha of Alphas.
Eleanor didn’t follow me in. Appearing weak to the pack was the last thing I needed. Walking to where the food was housed, a path cleared before me almost as if I had an invisible shield that repelled all those around me. The servers were human and barely gave me a passing glance unaware of the hostility I was invoking from the werewolves. I eyed the dessert bar like it had all been laid out just for me. Unable to decide which one, I chose to try a few—a German chocolate cake, a cheesecake, and a tres leche cake. I’d judge them and if they were horrible then I’d try something different tomorrow. Cake was my guilty pleasure. It always made things better and I could use a little better.
“I see you made it out of your room.”
Spinning around, I came face to chest with Gideon. I was momentarily stunned by his presence, not expecting him to be slumming it in the cafeteria.
“Keeping tabs on me?” I asked doing my best to appear unshaken.
“You’re my prisoner. I think it would be imprudent if I didn’t.” He gawked at my tray finding it curious. “That’s…a lot of cake.” I glanced down but didn’t find it as astonishing as he did. “And a salad?” His brow furrowed quizzically as he met my gaze. “Why?”
“So I can eat the cake.” I stated with an obvious air.
His mouth ticked and I wondered if he was fighting off a smile. For a moment we stood there, neither of us saying a word, until I began shifting uneasily. “Enjoy your breakfast.” Gideon turned on his heel and exited the hall.
I didn’t like feeling flustered in a room full of potential threats. Putting my back to the werewolves that were watching me with undue interest, I took a moment to gather myself while collecting more food, if only to buy time. Gideon made me nervous. I’m sure it wasn’t an unheard of reaction to the Alpha, but I expected more from myself.
Finding an empty table, I sat alone barely touching my food, paying more attention to those around me, which was a shame because I truly loved cake. I noticed the points and whispers while taking small nibbles of my food, not that I tasted any of it. I was on guard, paying extra attention to any possible threats. The glares grew worse after Gideon’s departure. None were thrilled over the prospect of a hunter roaming free throughout their home, if their whispers were any indication.
Having spent enough time feeling like a zoo animal, I deposited my food in the trash and exited the hall. Glancing around, I tried to remember the route Eleanor had taken to bring me to the cafeteria.
“So,” a raspy voice crackled as a man moved to stand in front of me, flanked by two of his friends. All three were male, and judging by the energy flowing off them, all were werewolves. “You’re the one that killed Malcolm.”
“You figure that all out by yourself.” I needled him, unable to resist.
“Can’t even pretend to sound remorseful, can you?”
Out of my peripheral, I caught his friends moving to surround me. “I’m not that good of an actress. Malcolm was a hot head and it got his nephew killed, so no, I don’t feel remorse for him.”
“Malcolm didn’t kill Cyrus.” His brown eyes flashed amber. A standoff had been bound to happen at some point, I just hadn’t expected it so soon. I’d been out of my room for ten minutes. There was a hierarchy in a pack and the wolves needed to be sure I knew my place. It would be three against one. If I had my weapons, I’d have liked my odds, but as it was, I’d have to rely on just my hand-to-hand skills, which while good, were nothing compared to three supernatural beings.
“No, he didn’t pull the trigger, but if he’d done what I’d asked and stopped shifting then both would be alive right now. Malcolm knew he was to blame and he couldn’t handle it so he committed suicide by hunter.” I shrugged. “I just happened to be the hunter.”
“You bitch!” He took a threatening step forward.
“Is that the best you’ve got?” I didn’t take my eyes off the man before me. I didn’t need to. Part of my training with the Order taught me how to rely on more than just my sight in a fight. His friends had taken their positions to flank me. The three had created a triangle and I was the center poin
t.
“Why don’t you come over here and see what I’ve got?”
Smiling devilishly, I reared back and slammed my fist against his jaw before quickly kicking out backwards, connecting with the wolf on my right. The third rushed me, slamming me against the wall, but I used his own body as leverage. I climbed up him, pushed off the wall while wrapping my arms around his neck before landing behind him wrapping him in a chokehold. I didn’t have time to bring him to unconsciousness as the other two recovered and crashed into us.
We became a tangle of kicks and punches. I wasn’t even sure if all their strikes were hitting only me as we were in too close quarters.
A hand grabbed my upper arm, ripping me from the chaos and tossing me against the wall where I hit with a huff. A loud roar emanated throughout the house leaving me no choice but to cover my ears.
“What’s this?” Gideon yelled. The three wolves had dropped to their knees before him, all stared intently at the ground. When no one spoke, Gideon growled louder. “Speak!”
“She attacked Rick,” coughed the one I’d held briefly in a chokehold.
“And it took three of you to defend his honor?” Gideon asked skeptically.
“She’s a hunter. We didn’t know how skilled she might be,” the one I assumed to be Rick, as I punched him first, spoke.
“Skilled enough to handle herself against the three of you.” He eyed them with contempt. “Be gone before I decide to punish you for this lapse.”
The three scurried back down the hall from whence they came. The other wolves that had gathered in the hall to observe the spectacle all departed as Gideon turned his glare on them.
Struggling to push off the wall, I felt the ache in my muscles as the adrenaline from the fight faded. Gideon gripped my arm hauling me to my feet. He dragged me through the halls, up the flights of stairs, all the while ignoring my protests, which were extensive for him to release me.
Opening a door, he tossed me into a room. It took me a second to realize it was mine.