Her body thrummed with the want to ask Naomi what the fuck was going on her, but she didn’t want to cause Nathan any more stress. As she delivered gentle reassurances to him, that she was with him and always would be, that rescue was coming, and that soon they could return to their happy lives, more fur surfaced, on her back. It spread over her shoulders and buttocks and itched where it popped up on her thighs. Sporting more fur than she ever had, she fought the fury that surged through her. While she longed to unload on Naomi, to rage over Bossman’s cruel actions, to tear the shifters that supported him to bits, her anger wouldn’t help Nathan. The fur retreated quickly, causing a little rippling shiver to run through her. Resting her head against the bars, she once again reached for him as she resumed relating comforting phrases. She didn’t believe any of the words she sent his way but they were the only ones she could utter. The other words, the ones that outlined their predicament, ones laced with her fear that help would arrive too late, stuck in her throat. Much like her ability to show fur but no fangs, the words would do no good and so she smothered them.
***
Her stomach twisted with fear, Ashlynn took a seat when Bossman motioned to the single wooden chair in the room. The other shifters had remained outside the room, only Bossman and Fucktard accompanied her inside. Sitting on the only piece of furniture in the room, she took small comfort in the smooth wood surface beneath her. Although it far surpassed the concrete floor of her cell, she knew exactly what this room was, an interrogation space, and feared how far Bossman’s questioning would go.
As she twisted her fingers together in her lap, she tried to ignore the sick feeling in her gut. It had begun during the kidnapping and she’d thought it stress at first but the feeling had persisted, growing in intensity and she feared something was wrong with her unborn pups. With her head bowed, Bossman’s booted feet entered her field of vision and she cringed when he spoke.
“Do you know why I wanted you in this room?”
Of course she did. He wanted her away from the others and the comfort they provided. Already naked, isolation exposed her further. He’d interrogate her, certain she knew more than she did, and, when she didn’t provide the answers he sought, he’d beat her, probably rape her. Perhaps Fucktard would do all the dirty work or maybe they both would. Her heart hammering, she nodded slowly.
“Then tell me what you know,” he demanded gruffly.
Stammering at first, her fear causing her words to catch in her dry throat, she related what she knew about the rogue pack. It wasn’t much and, her eyes glued to Bossman’s boots, she felt his energy change. He didn’t believe her.
“Look at me,” he demanded sternly. As she lifted her head and met his eyes, terror slashed up her spine. The authoritative look he’d worn during each of his appearances had fled in the face of the predatory mask he now wore. “Do I look stupid to you?”
“N-no,” she squeaked out.
His sightline shot to Fucktard who was behind her in an instant. After pulling her arms behind her roughly, he held them in place with one hand, and his other wrapped around her throat. He didn’t squeeze but the feel of his hand repulsed her as much as it scared her. Bossman drew closer and then leaned forward to bring his face level with hers.
“None of us want to see harm come to your pups and, while they’re in your belly, you’re off-limits. Well, at least when it comes to beatings. You deserve one, you know, for lying, for withholding information. You can resist all you please but I will win here. This is my pack and every shifter within it knows their place. You know what’s expected of you and you will comply. Normally I’d have your resistance beaten out of you but, again, I wouldn’t want to hurt those precious pups within you. While I would’ve preferred them to be fathered by shifters loyal to me, they’ll grow up in this pack and be a part of it, so their paternity truly matters little. You, along with several females here, are carrying the future, a generation of pups born into the ideals that will make us the greatest pack to have ever existed. It’s an honour to be a part of this. If you can’t accept that on your own, then you present me with no choice but to employ methods to force your acceptance.”
When his eyes moved to Fucktard again, the shifter’s hand left her throat. It snaked down her chest to a breast, raising a trail of repulsion-laden gooseflesh in its wake. He pinched her nipple hard and bile rose to burn her throat. She gagged, loudly, and then shook her head, fighting the nausea that gripped her. It was no use. A stream of sick left her lips and hit the floor where Bossman had stood a moment before, having just jumped back from the torrent. She felt small drops of vomit hit her feet and legs as Fucktard released his hold on her breast.
“Fuck,” he snarled behind her, “that took the wind out of my sails.”
“I’ll bet,” Bossman returned before locking eyes with her again. “Well, it appears you’ve dodged your fate for a bit, but we’re hardly done with you. If you barf every time he touches you, we’ll just withhold food until your stomach’s too empty to unload like that.”
Her nostrils filled with the stench of vomit, the arid taste of it burning her mouth, she fought another slap of nausea. “My babies,” she whispered on a ragged breath.
“Oh, don’t worry, I’d never allow any harm to come to them. You’d be fine without food for a few days, your body would merely divert all energies to keeping them alive, leaving you weak. Mind you, my right hand here does prefer when females fight him, but I’m sure he’d make an exception for you.”
Gagging again, she could do nothing more than shake her head. The stories of how Bossman had tormented Naomi and the other captive women filled her mind and tears rose in her eyes. She had to stay strong. Ryder and Wayne would rescue her and the others. Her mates were coming, soon, she just had to hang in there until they could find this place. Blinking at the stinging tears, she willed her rescuers to come faster, unsure how long the small group could endure Bossman’s tortures.
She gasped when Bossman delivered a resounding slap to her cheek. It stung badly but seemed to knock some fear out of her and she stared at him intently. “You have two mates in SASS and a third detained by SASS.” At the widening of her eyes, he sneered. “Yeah, I know all about that. What do you know about what Mark’s said since he’s been held by them? What did your other mates tell you about that?”
Shocked by what he’d said, she quickly pieced together a troubling truth. Someone who knew her well had related that information to Bossman. It had to be someone in her pack, but who? When he raised his hand again, she glared at him.
“They didn’t tell me anything, they can’t. Yeah, they work for SASS but they’re sworn to secrecy. You seem to know a lot about them, so you should know that. I don’t know anything else and you can slap me all you want, I can’t tell you what I don’t know.”
His eyes narrowed. Avoiding the puddle of vomit, he bent closer to her again. “What did Mark say?”
“I don’t know,” she said through clenched teeth. “I just told you that Wayne and Ryder can’t talk about what goes on in SASS. All I know is he executed one of your men. That’s it. I’m glad he did, even if he is locked up because of it. I hope SASS kills every last one of you.”
When he smiled in response, it sent another fearful chill through her. What should be a pleasant gesture looked menacing on his lips. His monstrous behaviour was such a contrast to his good looks. In fact, he was extremely handsome, and she could understand how he could sway others with his looks. The fact he resorted to heavy-handed techniques was proof of his black heart and made him all the more frightening. As her eyes roved over his features and the mop of blond curls that adorned his head, she sucked in a startled breath. She knew exactly who Bossman really was.
Chapter 3
As the twins entered the Joe K. Corral, Dustin felt eyes on them. Of course, he and Zack, as identical twins, drew stares in most human settings and there were a few humans in the predominately-shifter bar. When only amongst shifters though, the pair sti
ll commanded attention, due to their stature and good looks and, in no small part, to the tattoos that covered Dustin. Although it was cold tonight and he wore a jacket, the tats on his hands were visible, as were the ones that painted his entire neck. Little of his body save his face didn’t sport tattoos. Indeed, only his genitals and buttocks were completely bare and, while his legs didn’t hold the ink of his upper body, he was working on filling them in. Bitten bad by the ink bug, he was determined to become a living canvas that displayed the striking, intricate work of the only artist he’d ever allowed to tat him.
Nodding to a shifter he recognized from his last visit to the area years ago, he then followed Zack to a table. They’d just settled into their seats when his nostrils filled with the enticing scent of a female shifter and he turned to see her approach. Tall, thin, and beautiful, the shifter’s long, blonde hair swirled around her shoulders as she arrived at the table, smiling broadly. She was stunning, sexy as hell, but even the tempting sight of her couldn’t draw him from his dour mood.
“Hey there,” she said, maintaining her smile. While friendly, now that she was closer, he could detect the sadness in her eyes and wondered fleetingly if more than the troubles of the Willow Creek pack caused it. Having never seen her before, he was sure she was a part of the Moon Valley pack, a notion conceived due to the fact they were presently in Moon Valley. “I’m Jess, and I’ll be your server tonight. Would you like to see menus?”
“Yes, thank you,” Zack responded, his voice lacking its usual geniality. Dustin profoundly felt his brother’s frustration with how unsuccessful they’d been at helping their family since arriving in Willow Creek. While it ate at him, he knew it devastated Zack, always the more compassionate twin.
“I’ll be right back with them. In the meantime, can I start you off with a drink?”
“Sure,” Zack said with a quick nod. “What do you have on draught?”
After Jess rattled off the impressive choices the bar offered, Zack and Dustin made their selections. Jess issued another smile and then turned away from them. As he watched her walk to the bar to place their drink order, Dustin heard the deep sigh Zack released. It could be in response to the situation with their family, or because Zack had caught him checking out Jess. Instantly, the enticing prospect of hooking up with Jess to blow off some steam blew up and Dustin couldn’t help the shake of his head. He knew why Zack wouldn’t go for Jess and he found the reason ridiculous.
“You’d really do it, wouldn’t you?” Zack questioned. More than a little perturbed with his brother’s tone, Dustin turned his head to lock eyes with Zack. “Sleep with that shifter,” his twin clarified. “Shit, we’ve been here for two days and you’re already on the prowl? What about Gabrielle? You know damn well she’s not going to fuck anyone while we’re gone.”
He did know that, but the reason she wouldn’t had nothing to do with him. She and Zack carried on like loves-truck teens and it sickened Dustin. Gabrielle wasn’t their mate. She’d been a convenient fuck-buddy, living in their hometown of Whispering Pines and part of their pack, but that’s where the appeal ended for him. Zack however treated her like an actual mate and she’d been pressuring the twins to mate her for months now. Dustin didn’t want any part of that arrangement. He didn’t know if his intended mate was out there somewhere and didn’t care. The thought of mating a shifter who wasn’t his intended wasn’t off-putting to him, Gabrielle was.
Although she hated it, he insisted on calling her Gabby, for she certainly was. The single most talkative shifter he’d ever encountered, her high voice grated on his nerves and, quite frankly, unless he had his dick buried in her, he saw no further reason to interact with her. He found her dull, and exceedingly irritating, not to mention dumb. It was hardly his checklist for a lifelong mate but Zack apparently saw virtues that were invisible to Dustin. If Dustin had his way, the twins would move to a large city, earn much more money than they currently did, considering the engineering degrees they both possessed, and live a thrilling life. However, he’d never leave his brother and as Zack would never leave their pack, not to mention Gabrielle, he was stuck in his unfulfilling life with Zack as his only consolation.
Consequently, he was morose most of the time, quick to anger with little provocation and, upon occasion, downright miserable. He supposed if he and Zack were fraternal twins he might feel differently but, not only were they identical, they’d been born conjoined. Luckily, only flesh joined them and they were easily separated, but their caesarian section delivery did more than bring them into the world at the same instant. As the only pups of their Alpha father, they would be co-Alphas one day, ruling the pack in tandem and deepening their birth-bond. While the twins differed greatly in personality, their identical appearance led most shifters to view them as a unit. That often pissed Dustin off, but he couldn’t deny his brother felt like an extension of himself, their bond too significant for him to consider leaving Zack behind to pursue an existence that appealed to him more than the one he lived.
He shrugged stiffly, unwilling to argue with Zack. “I was just looking.” It was a lie as he’d instantly pictured exactly what he’d do with Jess, given the opportunity, but, with any luck, Zack would drop the subject.
After staring at Dustin a moment, Zack blew out a breath. “Sorry. I’m a little testy, you know, with everything that’s going on. Or not going on, actually. I want to go after those shifters, patrol, do something and we’ve done nothing since we’ve been here. I don’t even feel like we’re providing any kind of solace for Uncle Jack and Aunt Sylvia. Scott seems pissed that we’re here and Ryan’s a mess. He doesn’t even seem to know we’re around.”
Dustin agreed with Zack’s sentiments, aside from his observations about Ryan. To him, Ryan seemed pleased with their presence, although he really couldn’t be sure. Zack’s assessment of Ryan being a mess was spot-on. As far as Dustin was concerned, Scott’s behaviour was expected. Like Dustin, Scott had always been quick to anger and his present heated mood was hardly surprising. He wanted to take actions, as the twins did, and felt the same oppressive frustration of spinning their wheels, waiting for Jason and the SASS agents to come up with something to go on.
“You’ve helped Ryan a lot,” Dustin assured his brother. “Yeah, he’s messed up, big time, he’s a wreck, but I know he appreciates you being there for him. You’re better at that than me, talking to people, soothing them. Much better than me, actually, but you already know that.”
Zack tilted his head a bit. “I don’t know. Sometimes I feel like I fuck up when I say things and that shifters respond to you more, because you can just be with them, without having to say anything. I can’t. I feel compelled to say something, to tell him everything will be okay. You don’t. You can read people better and know when to stay quiet.” At the rise of Dustin’s eyebrow, Zack grinned slightly. “You know what I mean. You can remain quiet in tense situations like this. I wasn’t talking about staying quiet when you’re pissed off. We all know you can’t shut up then.”
After thanking Jess who’d returned with their drinks and menus, Zack waited until the server was well out of earshot before speaking again. He seemed eager to say something and Dustin tensed, hoping it wouldn’t be about Gabrielle.
“How does Uncle Jack seem to you?”
His question threw Dustin for a loop for he distinctly heard the suggestive tone in his brother’s question. “Fucked up,” he answered, “but how can he not be?”
“Right. But it’s more. He’s ... distant, not truly there. I wanted us to come here, away from him and Aunt Sylvia, and away from Ryan and Scott, so we could talk about this. I don’t think he’s coping well. I called Dad earlier and after I told him what I saw, he agreed.” He folded his hands and Dustin knew he wouldn’t like his twin’s next words. That authoritative gesture always preceded an idea that turned into a huge hassle or a ton of work. “I want to offer Uncle Jack some time away from his Alpha duties. Just temporarily, but while we’re here, feeling usel
ess because we have nothing to do, I want to suggest he step back a bit and allow us to take over some of his duties.”
Fighting his chin’s desire to drop to the floor, Dustin stared at his brother. “You’ve got to be shitting me.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Because you just said you wanted to take over your uncle’s pack, that’s why.”
“I said nothing of the sort,” Zack replied as his brow scrunched up tightly. “I said I wanted to help him out by taking over some of his duties for him, to allow him some rest that he obviously needs.”
“It sounds like you and Dad want to put him out to pasture. I can’t believe Dad agreed with you.”
Zack snorted as he leaned back in his chair. “I want to help Uncle Jack, not ‘put him out to pasture’. What’s with you? Normally you’d jump at the chance to do something. You hate sitting around.”
“I do but I’d rather sit around Scott and Ryan’s place with my thumb up my ass than undermine Uncle Jack.”
“For the last time, it’s not undermining, it’s helping.”
“And you’re positive he’s going to see it that way, are you? It seems to me he’s lost too much recently and there you are, practically drooling at the prospect of taking more from him. Fuck, Zack, governing the pack is all he has right now. You see it as too much work for him, but maybe it’s all that’s keeping him sane. Maybe he needs to work, to lead, to do something to keep busy. Did you and Dad ever think of that?”
He watched as Zack, eyeing Jess’s approach, snapped his mouth shut. Knowing he was in for a scathing response when left alone once more, Dustin turned his attention to Jess.
“Ready to order?” she asked airily.
Oh, honey! If only I could get you to go. I’d take you to the B&B in town and fuck you any which way you pleased. Smiling, he answered. “Yeah, a burger with the works and some fries please.” He hadn’t even opened the menu but figured the bar had to serve burgers.
Saved by Her Wolves Page 5