by Marla Monroe
“What’s going on, Mo?” Wren turned to her brother with fire still dancing in her eyes and muscles twitching with adrenaline. “I smell wolves, too. Stephen and a female.”
Warren looked around. He could, too, now that he thought about it. He looked back at Eason, who shrugged and nodded.
“Thank you, Alpha Mojave,” Stephen emerged from the crowd of wild dogs. “This is my sister who’ve they been holding for five long years against her will.”
Chapter Fifteen
Wren watched as a pretty, but beaten down female wolf stepped out from behind Stephen. Her long black hair was tangled and dull and her skin pale as if she hadn’t been out in the sun for a long time. She looked half-starved and barely able to stand on her own feet. The thought that she’d lived a life that had done this to her angered Wren to the point she was vibrating with barely pent-up rage.
“Who did this?” she demanded. “I want his balls for dinner. Tell me who.”
Stephen bundled his sister close to his side and moved back. Her brother chuckled.
“Don’t worry. She’s talking about Alex and his wolves.” Mo walked over to calm her, stretching out his hand, but Eason’s snarl stopped him. Sadness flowed through his eyes for a second, but was quickly replaced with a joy she hadn’t seen in a long time.
“How did you find her and get her out?” Wren asked. “And are there more? Where are they and we’ll go get them?”
Stephen lifted his chin. “I’ve been searching for my pack for months. I finally caught one of Alex’s wolves taking food to a cave about fifteen miles from here. There were at least six wolves guarding it. I managed to sneak in between them after the other one had delivered the food and left. There are a maze of tunnels in there. I was just lucky to stumble on the one that held Vespera, my sister. The wolves scented me and were closing in on us, so I couldn’t go after the rest of my pack. I took her and managed to get away, but I will go back. Now that they know about me, I’ve got to act fast before they move them.”
“How many are being held?” Wren asked.
“I don’t know. When I was over the pack there were sixty of us. Vespera has told me that many of the males were killed, but a few families managed to escape while the unmated males fought.”
“I know there are fifteen others for sure. Beyond that…” The weakened female never looked up from the ground in front of her.
“We’ll stand with you,” Mo said to Wren’s surprise. “Our pack will help you recover your pack and remove the rogue wolves from your territory.”
Wren smiled, feeling her teeth grow at the thought of battle. She wanted vengeance for the pretty female wolf barely able to stand by her brother but doing it anyway. Vespera might look weak and frail but inside she was an alpha female who just needed time to recover.
“Fuck!” Eason’s soft curse behind her reminded Wren she had two males to think about.
“You’re planning to fight, aren’t you?” Warren whispered in her ear.
“I have to. I don’t expect you to take on our fight. I will return once we’ve annihilated the bastards who did this.” Wren knew by the look on Warren’s face that her war face was in place. She knew it was a fierce one that had backed her wild dogs away many times when they weren’t even her targets.
“You’re fight is our fight, mate. We will defend you and watch your back. Don’t get hurt, though, or I can’t be responsible for what my two bears do,” Eason said.
“Would it involve tearing wolves limb from limb and hanging their entrails from tree branches?” she asked with glee at the thought.
“Um, probably,” he managed to get out around the smile creeping across his face.
“Well, I’ll have to be sure to stump my toe when we get there. Come on, we have a fight to prepare for.
* * * *
While Wren saw to Vespera to be sure she had everything she needed while they were gone, she could hear the wild dogs yapping away as her brother shouted out directions and plans. From time to time the sound of her mates’ voices would soothe her as she helped Stephen’s poor sister shed her clothes and take a shower. The poor woman was too weak to stand for long periods of time.
Every time she looked at Vespera, Wren had to smother down growls and snarls so as not to alarm the poor female. That another shifter could do this to anyone, much less a female, enraged her to the point of actually seeing red. Her wild dog wanted to see real red as in the blood of the wolves flowing like a river before her.
“These don’t fit you very well since I’m kind of roly-poly, but they’ll cover you and keep you warm. I have some food being prepared for you. Eat a little bit every couple of hours until your belly is used to regular full meals.” Wren couldn’t stop herself from pulling the female into her arms and stroking her hair for a while.
“Thank you. I will always remember your kindness,” Vespera said in a soft voice.
“You can thank me by growing strong again. I see the alpha female in you and you’re going to need it back.” Wren squeezed her hands then stood up.
“Be careful, Wren. Thank you for taking up my brother’s cause. You didn’t have to.”
“Yes, I did. Anyone who believes in decency and justice should do the same thing. Rest, Vespera. We’ll have your pack back soon.”
Wren stepped out of the room and nearly ran into her brother as he seemed to be hovering outside. He looked…different. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but something was different about him.
“How is she doing?” he asked.
“As well as can be expected. She’s strong. She’ll be okay.” Wren watched her brother as he stared hard at the door. “Mo?”
“We better go. The bears are here,” he said.
“What? Eason and Warren have been here, Mo.” Now she was starting to get worried about her brother’s mental state.
“No. I mean the rest of them.” He grinned. “They all came, including the Ursus and Ursa. Serenity is going to stay with Vespera while we’re gone. Creed will remain here to help guard them while the rest of them fight with us.”
“Really?” Before she could ask more, Serenity, Creed, and the Ursus walked down the hall toward them.
“They’re ready to go, Alpha Mojave,” Creed told him.
“It’s just Mojave. You are the leader of your sleuth just like I am of the wild dogs. Thank you for coming to our aid. And thank you, Ursa, for staying with my…” He hesitated. “With Vespera. She will enjoy your company and not feel so isolated once again.”
“It’s Serenity and I would never allow a female of any breed to be alone when she needs companionship. Creed will keep us safe and she and I will relax and become friends.” Wren smiled at the female, glancing down at her rounded belly.
“How are the kits?” Wren asked, knowing she would get a kick out of hearing the feline term for young.
“Kits, cubs, who knows, but they’re annoyingly active from midnight till three. I’m looking forward to a nap,” Serenity said with a smile.
They said their good-byes and Wren followed her brother back to the main area of the garage. Though he acted normal once again, something had changed. She didn’t know what it was, but once they’d freed Stephen’s wolves, she would find out.
“Ready, mighty warrior pup?” Eason asked with a wide grin.
“Ready to get bloody, baby bear.”
Warren walked over with one of his den brothers she’d met before. The tall bear was lean and sinewy while still carrying a good bit of bulk. For such a tall male he moved with grace and had the longest, thickest black eyelashes she’d ever seen on a male. If not for the dark shadow of a beard he would look almost feminine. Long black hair that had what appeared to be blue highlights in it was tied back from his face.
“Zeth is going to help Eason watch over you while I help Stephen search for his pack. Don’t make me hurt him for letting you get hurt.” Warren’s face looked serious enough to not be kidding.
“He’s not joking,” Eason whispered
in her ear. “He means it and Zeth knows it, too.”
Wren sighed, shaking her head. She held out her hand. “It’s good to meet you, Zeth. I’m just sorry it’s under these circumstances.”
Zeth actually looked to Warren before he reached out and quickly shook her hand. Wren turned and glared at the male. He had the audacity to look pleased.
Asshole. I’ve seriously got my work cut out for me with these two bozos. No way am I going to let them browbeat me or anyone around me with their caveman attitudes.
“Okay, everyone.” Mojave jumped up on top of a crate to speak. “You’ve each got your orders on what to do and where. Remember, Alex is Stephen’s. If you manage to capture him, take him directly to the van and lock him up. Anyone else is fair game.”
* * * *
Strangely enough, it didn’t take long for them to round up all of the wolves and Alex. There were only twenty of them in all. Most of them didn’t fight at all once they’d seen the number of wild dogs and bears willing and eager to wipe the ground with their miserable carcasses. Wren couldn’t help but be disappointed. She’d gotten a few solid hits in before it was all over, but it did nothing to assuage her anger at what had been done to Vespera and the twenty-two other members of Stephen’s pack they found hidden away in the caves.
Most of them had been chained to the tunnel they’d been trapped in. With each of the chains being lined with silver, they were too weak to break them. Wren couldn’t imagine the pain they’d endured wearing them for five years. One of the males told Eason that after the first six months or so, the scar tissue that had built up beneath the cuffs on the chains prevented them from feeling the pain any longer.
“Disappointed they didn’t put up much of a fight, my little bloodthirsty wild pup?” Eason hugged her and stroked her arms.
“Yeah. I was all geared up for a good fight and now I’m too antsy to be still. I don’t know what I’m going to do with all this excess energy. I’ll be up for the next two nights.” Wren trembled lightly as it skittered up and down her arms.
“Don’t worry, mate of ours. We’ll figure out a way to channel it into something very enjoyable.” Eason kissed the tip of her nose.
That seemed to trigger even more twitching muscles with some of the electrical tingles hitting her in strange, intimate places. How could she be this turned on with the seriousness of what was around her?
It’s the damned adrenaline. Like they said, “You’re never more alive than when you are close to death.”
“Let’s go, baby girl.” Warren wrapped his arms around her before Eason grabbed her away from the other bear and threw her over his shoulder.
“Hey! Put me down right this minute, Eason. I mean it.”
To her surprise, he gave her a stinging pop on her ass. “Be still so I don’t drop you.”
“I know you didn’t just hit me.” Indignation boiled up easily with all of the other emotions still running hot through her bloodstream.
“I didn’t hit you, wild pup. I spanked you. Call it a love tap if that sounds better to you,” Eason said, amusement clear in his voice.
“I’ll tell you what sounds good to me. Put me down. This is embarrassing. I’m the Alpha female of the pack. They’ll never obey me if they see me like this.” Wren was ready to strangle both bears right then.
“Nope, baby girl. You’re not their alpha female wild dog anymore. You’re our alpha female mate now. It’s time to talk through our challenges, Wren. No backing out of it.” Warren bent down to look at her as she pushed her hands against Eason’s tight ass to look up at the other bear.
“The danger isn’t over, Warren,” Wren snapped at him. “Someone has TJ and Scoot and worse than that, they have a drug that can knock us out.”
“That’s a problem for another day, mate. We’ve got to find out who exactly has it and where they’re getting it. Your brother is contacting some friends of his to see if they’ve heard anything. Our Ursa is wicked with a computer and is searching as well.” Warren stood up so that she could no longer see his face. “Until we have more information, we keep vigilant and will always be ready to fight.”
“They’ve taken one of our few mated pairs. I can’t stand by and not try to find them, figure out what they want us for.” She struggled once again to get down, but Eason just kept walking.
“If you don’t put me down now, you better not put me down again because when I do have two feet on the ground I’m going to kick your bear ass!” She’d had enough of the caveman act.
“Better put her down, Eason. You’re going to want to be able to use that ass in a little while.” Warren stood back as Eason slowly let her slide to the ground.
She might have laughed at how fast he moved back out of kicking distance if she hadn’t gotten dizzy and nearly fallen. Warren caught her before she stumbled onto her face.
“Easy there, baby girl. Get your bearings first.”
“Bastard!” she mumbled in the general direction Eason had escaped to. “When you least expect it.”
* * * *
Wren couldn’t help but moan as the two bears soaped her up with their bare hands. After a few minutes of the sensual massage, Warren took a washcloth and bathed her properly before they rinsed her off.
Eason began a slow leisurely stroll up her thigh with his tongue, teasing her inner thigh near the junction of her pussy and hip. The sensations had her nipples peaking in seconds. As far as seductions went, the two bears were masters at it.
“I thought we were going to talk out our differences.” Wren’s legs quivered as Warren licked slowly down her spine.
“We are. You first, baby.”
“I don’t like to be bossed around. Your caveman attitude pisses me off,” she managed to say before he bit her ass.
“We’re going to work on that for you. You have to admit that we let you fight tonight. You have no idea how damn hard it was to do that, sweet pup.” Eason’s voice rumbled over her girly parts.
“That’s true,” she said, her voice all breathy.
“What else?” Warren asked and bit her again.
“I’m not a fan of anal sex. Are you sure there’s no other way?” she asked.
“There’s no other way, Wren. I swear we’ll make it good for you, and you can stop us at any time if we hurt you.” Warren sounded so pitiful. She knew they were anxious to seal their mating. Until then, another bear or any shifter male could try and take her from them.
“The other part of that is that it’s a dominant thing. I’m letting you do something that’s against all of my instincts. I’m not sure I can do it without fighting you,” she admitted.
“But you’re willing to try now?” Eason asked with his nose pressed among the curls covering her pussy.
“Maybe. I don’t know. The idea makes me nervous,” she admitted.
“Warren’s right. We’ll make you feel so good you won’t notice the pain. We’ll stop anytime you tell us to. The last thing we want is to hurt you, honey.”
“If I trust you on this and you screw up, I’ll never trust you again. You know that don’t you?” she asked of them both.
“We understand, Wren. Trust has to be earned. We plan to earn it and make sure you never doubt us in anything,” Warren said.
“What do I have to do?” Wren asked, setting her mating into motion.
Warren kissed her shoulder. “Nothing, baby girl. We’ll take care of you. We’ll take care of everything.”
“I trust you,” she whispered.
Chapter Sixteen
Eason carried her in his arms to the bed that Warren had already turned down. He didn’t throw her this time. Instead, he gently laid her down and began to caress her body from head to toe. Warren joined them on the bed and added his lips to Eason’s hands and worshiped her body until she was moaning and writhing on the bed.
“Please,” she begged. “I need you.”
“We know, baby girl. Just a little bit longer. We want you aching for us,” Warren said.
<
br /> “I do ache for you,” she whined. Wren wasn’t used to being made love to even before they actually did. It frustrated her and thrilled her all at the same time.
They weren’t quick willies. They seemed to enjoy the foreplay just as much as the deed itself. Wren wasn’t complaining. Well, maybe she was. Waiting was killing her.
“Let us get you ready for us, Wren,” Eason said. “Spread your legs wide. I want to taste you and make you come on my tongue.”
“Oh, God! I can’t take much more,” she said with a moan.
Eason dived between her spread thighs and started licking up and down her slit before sucking on her outer pussy lips. When he stabbed her with his tongue, Wren nearly came up off the bed.
“Be still, you little bucking wild dog.” Eason put one hand on her pelvis to hold her down while he devoured her cunt.
Warren divided her attentions when he started playing with her breasts and pulling on her nipples. The burn from his nipping teeth and the way he twisted the other with his fingers sent electrical stimulations straight to her clit.
“God, you taste so good. Come on my tongue, Wren. Come all over my face.” Eason’s dirty commands tightened her womb to the point of pain.
When he thrust two fingers inside of her as he sucked and licked at her clit, Wren did come up off the bed with a climax so intense she thought for sure she’d pass out. He coaxed it with every thrust of his fingers and nip of his teeth on the tender engorged nub. There was no way she’d ever be able to recover from this if it didn’t let up soon. When she screamed a second later, Wren nearly bucked Eason from between her legs.
Once the quivers in her womb settled down some, Eason crawled up over her to cover her face and chest with wet kisses. The hard stab of his prick against her abdomen reminded her of what was to come. Wren started to tense up, but Warren rolled her over on top of him, startling the growing anxiety so that it never got to take hold.