Beneath a Blood Moon

by RJ Blain

  If I trusted her, if I let her rise to control, if I agreed to transform into a wolf, she would protect Wendy with my help. No matter what, we’d learn the secret of controlling Wendy and keeping her wolf at bay. Beneath her determination was the grief and fear of what we would do to our puppy. The acknowledgment of what we might lose to protect Wendy hurt us both far worse than the black marks on my hands, but we both knew the truth.

  If we didn’t change, we both would lose our puppies. If we did, one would survive.

  It wasn’t a difficult choice for me and my wolf to make. Lifting my chin, I clenched my teeth.

  “Sara?”

  “Dustin said I had a week or two before there was any risk,” I began, narrowing my eyes as I regarded the door. “My wolf thinks we will be stronger in her form. That we can fight them and resist them. That we can prevent you from shifting.”

  Wendy’s terror surged. “You can’t. You’ll lose the puppy.”

  “In a week or two, I guess we will, if we’re still prisoners. We might not be. We might escape—or be found. If Desmond can’t ensure you don’t shift, what makes you think these… these pathetic excuses for wolves can? If Desmond wanted Sanders’s help, there’s a reason for it. What would be the use of sacrificing both our puppies?” I snarled, snapping my teeth at Wendy’s throat in the same way my mate snapped his teeth at mine.

  She whined and exposed her neck to me. Instead of the harsh bites my mate often favored, I scraped my teeth against Wendy’s neck.

  “If they want to attempt to subjugate us, let them try. I won’t allow it.”

  My wolf agreed, but she doubted we could resist as human. As a wolf, we were strong. Next year, we would mate again, but we couldn’t if we allowed them to kill Sanders.

  “I shouldn’t have told him about the puppy,” Wendy whispered. “Then we could have had Inquisitors with us at the greenhouse.”

  “And they would have been either killed or in on it. There would have been extra bodies to blame our mates for.”

  “Must you, Sara?”

  Even if Wendy wasn’t our Alpha’s mate, we would make the same choice. I found comfort in my wolf’s lack of hesitation.

  “Yes,” I replied, proud of the confidence in my voice.

  Wendy and Desmond were my friends. That was reason enough for my wolf and me.

  When the sandy-haired Fenerec barged into our cabin, I lunged for him, snarling and snapping at him, driving him out of my territory. I didn’t go beyond the doorway, ducking my head to protect my throat while raising my hackles.

  My wolf’s pride in my behavior bloomed through me.

  Like the queen she was, Wendy sat utterly calm on the edge of the bed.

  “Fuck,” he spat, and without another word, he slammed the door in my face.

  The round belonged to me, and satisfied I had displayed my dominance, I slinked back to Wendy’s feet, lying down to rest my muzzle on my paws.

  “He’ll be back with others,” she warned me.

  My wolf agreed, and I acknowledged my Alpha female with a low growl, a promise I would stand guard, doing my duty as the Second’s mate. Maybe we didn’t quite understand how packs were supposed to work, but with Desmond and Wendy, it was easy.

  I lived to protect my friends.

  It did not take long for the Fenerec to return. There were six of them, and they jostled each other in the doorway to get a look at us. While they stared at Wendy, most of their attention was focused on me. I rose to my paws, baring my fangs at them as warning of what I would do to their frail, human flesh if they dared to come too close.

  “Well, ain’t she a pretty bitch,” one of them murmured. “Let me have her first.”

  “That’s for our Alpha to decide once her mate is out of the way,” the leader snapped, stepping into the cabin. “Why the fuck did you let her change, you stupid bitch?”

  “I can’t control a dominant!” Wendy blurted.

  My Alpha female’s words rang true, which amused my wolf. For the moment, until we were reunited with our mate, we were dominant. We had to be to protect Wendy from the males and from herself when the moon rose. I advanced a pace, uttering a short, low growl.

  “Sit,” the leader ordered, glaring at me.

  There was power behind his command, and my wolf recognized the pressure from the times our mate, Desmond, and Richard forced us to do their bidding. Then, we had submitted. We had trusted in them to some extent.

  I’d never submit to the pitiful excuses for Fenerec in front of me. Ignoring his order, I lunged forward, sank my fangs into his ankle, and bit down until I tasted blood. I jerked back with all of my might, braced myself, and shook my head.

  His screams pleased my wolf. Releasing him, I hopped away, the male’s blood dripping from my jaws. I licked it away.

  “We call her our little hellcat,” Wendy murmured. I backed away so I could glance at her. Her gaze focused on the floor, and she smiled her satisfaction. “You’ll need to be more dominant than that if you want to order her to do anything—or subjugate her.”

  “I’ll kill you for this, bitch,” the sandy-haired Fenerec swore.

  He needed the help of his wolves to leave, trailing blood behind him as he went. Lolling my tongue out of my mouth, I watched them go. They would try to kill me.

  I would enjoy tearing them apart.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  I ruled the cabin as a tyrant queen, savage and vicious in the holding of my territory. I mauled three of the males before they learned not to enter the room without my permission. I didn’t allow entry unless they brought food for my Alpha female, food I sniffed in search of drugs.

  They brought wolfsbane the first time.

  I turned the male’s hand into a tattered, ruined mess, and when I was satisfied he had learned his lesson, I drove him away. I lifted the plate in my teeth, careful not to swallow any of it, and dumped it in the hallway, snapping my fangs as the males retreated. They tried again using a different drug. I didn’t know what it was, but it added a bitter smell to the meal they offered. I ripped out a chunk of another male’s leg before rejecting their food.

  When they brought cooked food the third time for Wendy, I checked it over, and satisfied I couldn’t smell anything malicious, I permitted them to leave it. I didn’t allow Wendy to leave the other side of the cabin until they closed and locked the door behind them.

  With my ears cocked back, I sniffed the meal over again just to make sure.

  “I’ll check it carefully,” my Alpha female promised, rising to join me. I sat, watching her claim the dish. Like me, she smelled it. Unlike me, she poked and dug at the meat until she huffed her disgust and pulled a gel capsule out. “They’re clever, I have to give them that.”

  The capsule ended up going down the toilet along with the rest of her meal.

  When they returned several hours later, I flung the platter at them and ripped open one of their arms as punishment for their deceit. I howled my fury.

  “She’s stubborn,” Wendy murmured, once again staring at the floor. “She won’t permit me to touch anything tainted.”

  The sandy-haired male, still limping from my earlier attack, spat curses at me and left.

  I lost track of the number of days they attempted to trick us. My hunger made me prone to taking chunks out of the male Fenerec until they surrendered and brought food for both of us—food unspoiled by their attempts to control us with drugs.

  They gave me a large fish with big, nasty teeth, and it was still alive. Wendy squeaked, jerking her feet from the floor. It wasn’t a shark, and puzzled by how they expected me to get through its scales, I stared at the gathered males reproachfully.

  “Maybe we should have descaled it first,” one of them muttered.

  “Shut up,” the leader growled. “If she wants to eat, she’ll figure it out. Take your damned dinner, woman. There’s nothing in it, seeing as I can’t let you two starve to death, no matter how satisfying that might be.”

  My f
ish was larger than I was, and still puzzled by how to eat it, I pawed at it. It snapped its teeth at me.

  I snapped back, growling. Wendy hesitantly slid off the bed, holding out her hand for the dish the leader offered her. Pausing in my examination of my prey, I flared my nostrils and breathed in the scent of her meal.

  Satisfied I didn’t smell anything wrong, I permitted Wendy to claim the dish.

  The males fled before I could tear into their frail flesh.

  As she did before, Wendy thoroughly checked the food for any signs of tampering. “If they have, it’s nothing I recognize,” she admitted.

  I huffed, turned my attention to my fish, and grabbed it by the back of its head and shook it until it died. Its underbelly had softer flesh lacking the protection of scales, and dragging it to the door, I devoured it, careful not to swallow its sharp bones. Leaving the waste for the males to step in, I returned to the bed, sitting at Wendy’s feet.

  Its meat wasn’t enough to ease the painful bite of hunger. I sighed, stretching out to guard my Alpha female.

  Several days went by before they attempted to drug us again. The sandy-haired leader watched while the smallest of his Fenerec approached, carrying a plate.

  I could smell the wolfsbane from three feet away. Jumping more than twice my own height, I seized his throat in my jaws, clamped down, and dragged him to the floor. As I had with the leader’s legs, I braced myself, and with my wolf’s fury driving me on, I shook my head as hard as I could.

  The male’s neck snapped, and with a gurgled cry, he fell still. I abandoned the body, baring my fangs.

  “Wolfsbane,” Wendy said, her disgust heavy in her tone. “Did you think you would fool us so easily? Ah, a shame. Too young of a puppy to survive. Did you not learn before? We won’t eat tainted food. I guess you’re fortunate she hasn’t run wild. She won’t eat our kind—yet. I’m sure she’ll save me for last.”

  The sandy-haired male flinched. “Throw him overboard,” he ordered.

  They took the Fenerec’s body and left.

  “Sanders taught you how to hunt well in the wilds, didn’t he?” my Alpha’s mate said, sighing. “What a waste. Stupid males. They’re unfit for Seattle’s pack, let alone us.”

  I huffed my agreement, heading into the cabin’s bathroom. It contained a shower, and at my warbled request, Wendy obediently came and turned it on so I could get the blood out of my fur without having to lick it off. She took her time drying my fur before tossing the towel over the bloodstains on the floor.

  “It’s been almost two weeks,” she whispered, resting her hand on my belly, which bulged despite too many days without proper food.

  I turned my ears back.

  The full moon was on the rise, and I could hear the question in her voice. If I changed back now, if I could resist the moon’s luring call, I could save my puppy. Perhaps Wendy’s would be fine, but I didn’t know for certain.

  If I wanted to save mine, I would have to sacrifice hers.

  I rejected the thought before my wolf could give her input, but I felt her agreement, strong and sure. Meeting Wendy’s gaze, I shook my head. Her eyes watered with her tears, and with a quiet sob, she wrapped her arms around my neck.

  Wolves didn’t cry, so I stood silent guard while my Alpha female wept for what might have been.

  The full moon rose, and Wendy’s eyes blazed yellow as she stared out the silver-barred window. Her desire for bloodshed and the hunt affected her scent, strong enough to sting my nose. Hopping onto the bed, I regarded her in silence. Wolves howled in my head, and Wendy whined as her need to howl with them surged.

  I seized her chin in my teeth to catch her attention. When her gaze met mine, my wolf yanked control from me, forcing me back. I drifted, a pleasant haze clouding my mind. I was aware of my wolf warbling and cajoling Wendy. Instead of words, Wendy whined and whimpered, yipping on occasion.

  I couldn’t understand what they were saying to each other, Wendy’s wolf and mine, but when my wolf hauled me from semi-consciousness, there was nothing human about Wendy except her body. She whined, rolled on the bed, and exposed her throat to me. At my wolf’s encouragement, I nipped her neck before smoothing my bites with long drags of my tongue.

  In the cabin, we couldn’t hunt, but we could play. Bowing to her as Sanders had bowed to me, I invited her to chase me. She rolled, and on all fours, she pounced after me. We rolled over the carpeting. She outweighed me by far, and in my need to be careful around her stomach, I let her win. Her pleasure sweetened her scent each time she bested me.

  Wolves howled nearby. I listened to their calls. They weren’t our pack, and my wolf growled. We stood guard over Wendy. Footsteps came down the hall and drew closer, halting near the door. Driving my Alpha female into the bathroom, I blocked the way in.

  When the door opened, the sandy-haired male entered with two wolves at his side. Both were larger than me by far, at least twice my size, and their lust and need to mate polluted the air.

  “Don’t kill the other bitch,” he ordered, and with a grim smile, he locked them in the room with me.

  They prowled forward, their ears cocked back. Both had silver-gray coats, reminding me of real wolves, although much larger.

  “Puppies,” Wendy growled. “She will kill you if you try. She is not your mate. She is Sanders’s mate. She is an Alpha’s mate. You dare? Mongrels.”

  Both wolves halted, showing their teeth. I snarled in reply.

  Wendy placed her hands on my belly, leaning over my back to whisper, “Subjugate them, my beautiful little bitch. Take them, make them ours, and turn them on that pathetic excuse for a wolf. They can join us and live, or they can die.”

  Intrigued, my wolf stilled. I relinquished control to her, watching through her eyes as she considered the males. They were large for wolves so young, a promising sign for the years to come. Their lust she forgave.

  We were, after all, the beauty our Alpha female claimed us to be.

  Moving forward, my wolf bared her fangs, lifted her head, and glared at the two wolves. Their desire ebbed as their uncertainty grew. Lunging forward, my wolf sank her fangs into the throat of the larger of the two, growling until he flopped onto his side and submitted. Setting her paw on his shoulder, she released our prey, whipping her head around to glower at the other.

  With a whine, he dropped and rolled, tail tucked.

  Wendy made a satisfied noise, similar to a cat’s rumbling purr. “That’s right. Dominate them. Find the ties binding them to their Alpha and claim them for your own. Don’t worry. Sanders and Charles will help you if you need it. You can hear them in your head howling for us, can’t you? These mongrels took us. As payment, we will take two of their own.”

  My wolf agreed. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. That was pack justice. They had driven us to risk our puppy for the sake of Wendy’s. We had claimed the lives of one of their pack in payment. We would tear away two of them and make them ours. As a pack, we would escape from our captors.

  Pleased with our Alpha female’s cunning, my wolf obeyed her suggestion, sniffing at the two wolves we would claim. They trembled, and to enforce our hold over them, we growled. Neither my wolf nor I was in control, and we mutually agreed on everything we did. For several long minutes, we were puzzled by the challenge the two young males provided.

  Then, like the others howls in our head, we heard the young males in our head, howling to a rival pack. Snuffling as we would when tracking prey, we pursued the two males we wished to take as ours, hunted them down, and when we isolated them, we sank our teeth into them.

  We took the one we had bitten first. Shock and surprise lashed at us, clawing at the inside of our head. Ignoring the sharp pain, we seized the wolf lying in front of us in our teeth, biting hard enough to draw blood. With the taste of him flooding our mouth, we claimed him as ours, breaking him loose from the ties binding him as though he were a deer fresh for the slaughter.

  While distant, I felt my mate’s astonishment,
which was smothered by the welcoming howls of other wolves.

  I turned my attention to the second wolf, sinking my fangs deep into his scruff, gnawing so I might taste his blood.

  His Alpha was ready for us, and his defiance infuriated my wolf. After attacking my mate, after attacking my Alpha, he dared to withhold what was rightfully mine? The howling in my head surged, and for the first time since I had been taken with Wendy, I felt my mate’s presence as though he were right next to me instead of far away. His worry came second to his burning grief, but underneath the turmoil of his emotions, his need for me remained strong.

  We shared our grief with him, but it was tempered with pride in what we had done and why. When we returned home, our mate would be waiting for us.

  With his strength bolstering me, I yanked the second Fenerec from his Alpha and forced him into our pack’s bonds, tying him to me, to my mate, and to the other wolves howling in my head. When I finished, both Fenerec lay stunned at my feet, shuddering with their every breath. With nips and snarls, I drove them to their paws, herding them towards the door. I eyed it, baring my fangs.

  Charging it, I slammed my shoulder against it. It shook against the force of my blow.

  “Break it down,” Wendy ordered, and whirling towards her in surprise, I felt the power of Desmond’s authority backing her demand. Smiling at me, she emerged from the bathroom. “I have a few tricks up my sleeve, too, Sara. Don’t look so surprised. You can’t live as an Alpha’s mate for as long as I have without learning how to call on him. You could, but you don’t need it, not really.”

  The two wolves I had subjugated obeyed, taking turns throwing themselves at the door until the wood splintered and cracked. When it gave way, the startled Fenerec plowed through, leaving a large hole in their wake. Wendy reached through, found the lock and released it, pushing the door open.

  “We hunt.”