A Wolf's Pride

by Jennifer T. Alli

  “I know I didn’t but to lose your mother when you were so young, it must have hurt.” He chose not to mention that many young wolves were forced to go through what she had because of the actions of her family and their organisation. Her suffering was genuine, he didn’t need to ruin his chance by telling her something she didn’t want to hear and probably wouldn’t believe.

  “It did at the time but I’m better now. I remember I refused to learn to drive after the accident because I was so scared that it would happen to me too but I learnt that I was curbing my own independence by doing that. Someone in my family would always have to take me where I wanted to go and if they didn’t like what I might be doing they would just refuse to take me. The lot of them are far too protective of me.”

  “That’s the one thing we have in common.”

  “They don’t even like the idea of me living alone. When I last spoke to my dad he was demanding that I move back home.”

  “He was right,” Ryan commented.

  “What?”

  “I said he was right. The world is a dangerous place.” And you’re far too unaware of that fact.

  “That’s exactly what my dad says. Maybe you have more in common than you think.”

  “You’re a unique case love, but you’re wrong. Your father and I don’t have anything in common besides wanting you safe. I don’t want you to move back into his home, I want you to stay here in ours.”

  “Where everyone is on your side and trying to persuade me to stay here with you?” she chuckled, smiling widely at him.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Every woman I’ve met, except Erica who took her children and ran away from me as if I were the devil, has championed your cause telling me how wonderful you are. First Alex, then Helen and Alice.”

  “Don’t you agree with them?” he purred, his hand moving to her thigh and beginning to gently caress the flesh beneath his hot palm. “I’m irresistible.” His hand moved, sliding under her dress through the long slit in the side to touch her skin directly and heat instantly flooded her body.

  “It’s hard to think when you touch me, why is that?” she questioned breathlessly. “I’m not usually this susceptible to simple touch but with you I seem to lose all common sense.”

  “It’s because we’re mates Chloe, your body knows that mine is meant for your pleasure. Even humans have a sort of instinct. Sometimes you just know that someone is up to no good, in this case you subconsciously know that we’re meant to be together. Your body is only doing what it knows is right.”

  “Is this a one way thing?” Her breath hitched as the hand on her thigh crept higher leaving heated shockwaves in its wake. “You seem fine.”

  “If only you knew how not fine I am. I meant it when I said you’re a walking temptation. If you could only see the things going on in my head, the things I want to do to you…” He trailed off, groaning, as his mind was momentarily overwhelmed by images of him and Chloe writhing in pleasure, wrapping each other in heated embraces. “If the instinct weren’t preventing me, I would be doing my utmost to seduce you into accepting me here and now. I would take you on this table, drag you back to our rooms and take you again. Over and over until I were completely exhausted and just so you know, it takes a long, long time for a wolf to sate himself completely on his mate, especially when his mate is as perfect as you.”

  Shaking her head, Chloe tried to shed the haze of desire that had enveloped her thoughts. Placing a restraining hand on Ryan’s she smiled calmly at him, surprisingly unconcerned with the amber that had filled his gaze. “We should stop this.”

  He exhaled a shuddery breath, “You’re right. We came here to talk and get to know each other better, so let’s talk.”

  The level of self restraint he possessed was admirable, Chloe decided. She was pleased that he hadn’t pressed the issue because she was unsure of how she would have resisted him. He had been right about something, when near him, her body was like a musical instrument and he was seducer’s equivalent of Beethoven. If he had pushed the matter, she may very well have given into him, logic and reason thrown to the wind.

  As the night passed, without major incident, it became harder and harder to think of Ryan as her kidnapper. He was funny, caring and genuinely interested in what she had to say, all that combined with his handsome face and physically perfect body was wearing away at her resistance. Maybe I should just see where this goes, she decided. I’ve definitely done worse in my life. For once, I’m just going to go with the flow, maybe all of this was meant to happen. Ryan definitely seems to think so. He laughed and she felt that curious shifting sensation in her chest that she was coming to associate with him. Yes, I think that I’ll just see where this goes.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “I hate chasing leads that don’t go anywhere,” Jonathan groused from the front seat of the car as he and his family began the last leg of the trip home. The call for assistance that Harry had received on Sunday had turned out to be another dead end. The branch that had called was filled with mainly new recruits who had confused a man that lived alone with a wolf hybrid for the genuine thing, the lecture they had received had been long, their punishment swift. Mistakes like this one had become a common thing though in the past few months. Vincent Cooper, a man who had risen quickly through their ranks had led practically his entire branch to their deaths and the organisations resources were having to stretch to make up the gaping hole he had left. While it was fairly simple to recruit new members, they lacked experience and contact with genuine werewolves making them prone to mistakes.

  “I especially hate chasing pointless leads when they interrupt my Sunday breakfast. My one cooked meal of the week. Wasted,” Daniel groaned from the back of the car.

  “It doesn’t have to be that way,” Christian inserted, his eyebrows moving suggestively. “There are other ways to get a home cooked meal.”

  “I’m not going to whore myself out to whatever woman comes my way just so I can get some food. I’m not going to degrade myself just so you have someone else on your level,” Daniel retorted.

  Christian shrugged. “Your loss.”

  “It wouldn’t be the same if Chloe didn’t make it so no, it’s not my loss,” Daniel concluded.

  “She has your mother’s touch,” Harry added, his eyes never leaving the road.

  Sounds of agreement filled the car as they all rushed to agree.

  “Still, a willing woman and a hot meal can’t hurt,” Christian smiled. “I wonder if any of my lovely ladies are up for entertaining tonight,” he mused.

  “You’re impossible,” Daniel lamented, punching his older brother playfully in the arm. Christian retaliated with a punch of his own and Harry groaned.

  “Look at them,” he began, directing his comments at his eldest son. “These are the men that are going to have to lead with you when I finally decide to leave the organisation in your hands Jonathan. Does that worry you?”

  “Don’t be so down hearted dad, those two have always been like that. Besides, you have lots of years left in you before you retire. Hunting is in your blood, you’ll only give it up when your body can’t keep up and you’re as fit as a horse.”

  “That was before now. That Chloe is taking years off my life with her dammed need for independence. She doesn’t realise the dangers that are lurking around every corner.”

  “It’s not your fault that she didn’t want to believe you when you told her.”

  “Maybe I should have shown her one of them,” Harry groused. “Then she would have believed the truth.”

  “You wouldn’t have wanted to do that dad, none of us would. Chloe doesn’t have the stomach to handle what we do. She’s as innocent as they come.”

  “I know. It probably hasn’t helped that I’ve been so soft with her but how could I be different? She’s my baby girl and she reminds me so much of your mother.”

  “You can’t take all the blame for Chloe being how she is onto your shoulders dad. We’
ve all had a part to play. She’s the only girl in this family and we’ve all been so protective of her. There’s nothing any of us wouldn’t do for her or protect her against. We’ve sheltered her for her entire life and now she wants to get away a little, it’s only to be expected.”

  “Well I can’t let that happen. Can you imagine what would happen to her if a wolf got his filthy hands on her?” A deep frown settled over his features at the mere thought.

  “Who knows dad, when you finally choose to retire, wolves might be extinct,” Christian joked trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere that suddenly filled the car.

  “Like that’s going to happen,” Harry growled angrily. “The werewolves are getting smarter, more adept at hiding, leaving the safety of their damn hidden clans less often. It’s making our jobs difficult. We had a perfect opportunity with that female a few months ago but Vincent fucked that up.”

  “And now we’re running up and down the country at the merest hint of a werewolf,” Daniel added. Since Vincent had allowed Erica to escape him, their unit, that of the high commander, had been constantly checking in on the various branches to see if any of them had successfully captured a werewolf. While Vincent's plan had been terribly executed, the idea behind it was a good one. It shamed them that they hadn’t thought of it earlier but most of the female wolves they had caught had been killed quickly else a male wolf came to retrieve them. When the females died, the males had lost the will to live and it had been pointless trying to extract information from them. They had longed for death and it had been given to them.

  “Don’t worry dad,” Christian comforted. “They can’t hide forever, it isn’t in their nature. The full moon is approaching, they’ll be overcome by their animal instincts, they’ll make mistakes and we’ll be there to call them on them.”

  “Christian’s right dad,” Jonathan assured.

  “I hope you’re right,” Harry concluded pulling the car into the house’s driveway. The engine was turned off and the four men disembarked from the car and entered the house, what awaited them was a surprise.

  “Robert,” Harry growled displeased that his subordinate had entered his home without permission. “What are you doing here? I didn’t invite you into my home. You know the rules; you wait outside unless expressly given permission to enter. If you show disregard for the rules then those under you are likely to follow your example. What would Chloe say if she saw you and whoever else decided to break in? The rules are there for a reason. I don’t want my daughter involved in what we do.”

  “I’m sorry sir, but I had to see you immediately. I would have contacted you sooner and in any other way that I could have if you hadn’t implemented a strict policy of radio silence.”

  “We don’t want to scare off the wolves Robert, you know they have a superior sense of hearing. If we were sneaking up on one and the radio were to go off then they would flee or assault us. Like I said, the rules are there for a reason.”

  “I know that sir.”

  “Then what are you doing here in explicit disregard of them?”

  “It’s about your daughter sir,” Robert began feeling increasingly anxious about the news he had to deliver. Harry was a harsh man, one who didn’t believe in the concept of not shooting the messenger, instead adhering to his own belief of shooting not only the messenger but whoever had sent him in the first place.

  Harry’s eyes narrowed, as did those of his sons, Chloe wasn’t to be discussed by members of their organisation, that was another rule. While Harry and his sons ensured that all those under their command were aware of who she was and what she looked like lest they come across her and mistake her for a wolf, the men weren’t allowed to talk about her in any greater depth than that. “What about Chloe?” Harry growled menacingly.

  Robert gulped in fear but realised that now he had started there was no going back. “I’m sorry to say this sirs but she’s been taken by the enemy.”

  A moment of stunned silence passed after Robert’s declaration before Harry bellowed, “What!” The voices of Jonathan, Christian and Daniel echoed the sentiments of their father but were drowned out by Harry. Robert physically shook in fear as his commander’s face began to turn red in anger but he stood his ground, the high commander needed to know what had happened. “Explain yourself,” Harry demanded, grabbing the other man by the throat. Harry’s violet eyes shone malevolently and another frisson of fear ran through Robert as he looked into their odd depths. “I told you to explain yourself Robert, so explain.”

  “A few days ago, I was returning from a reconnaissance mission and stopped off in a diner to get something to eat.”

  “Get to the point,” Christian demanded, his voice serious now that there was a chance his sister was in danger.

  “I saw Chloe eating a meal with a man, I thought it strange. She wasn’t in the state and you’re usually very fastidious about informing us as to her whereabouts.” Harry nodded in agreement; he was very conscious of his daughter’s vulnerability and ensured that when she wasn’t near him or her brothers, members of his organisation were watching out for her safety. “She looked nervous so I went to talk to her. I let her know who I was, that I knew you and her brothers. After a moment’s hesitation she told me that a man claiming to be a wolf had abducted her, she clearly didn’t believe him. I only had to take one look at him to know that he had told her the truth, his eyes were wild, amber.”

  “What happened next?” Jonathan demanded.

  “He looked at my neck and claimed that I was a hunter, confirming his identity. I asked him if he was aware of what he was doing in taking Chloe, he laughed claiming that he was taking his ‘mate’ home with him.” All those present gasped, horrified, the same thought running through their minds. Chloe was human, she couldn’t possibly be mated to a monster, did that mean the man going to bite Chloe, turning her into the very creature they were sworn to hunt?

  “Tell me you tried to stop him,” Daniel growled, approaching Robert menace and the promise of violence etched into his normally calm features.

  “Of course I did, I took out my weapon and took aim but he was too fast.”

  “Was Chloe hurt?” Harry pressed, his grip tightening.

  “No. The man moved away from her before things got physical almost as though anticipating the fight and trying to shield her from it.”

  “The man is a monster, why would he try to protect Chloe? She’s human,” Jonathan questioned.

  Robert chose not to answer, he knew what he’s seen and that was how he had interpreted the man’s actions. The man seemed convinced that Chloe was his mate and hadn’t wanted anything to separate them.

  Harry shook Robert bringing him back to the present. “What happened next?”

  “We fought, I lost. Chloe had run at some point and he ran after her. I lost consciousness soon after he left.”

  “You said this happened a few days ago,” Harry began, his voice dangerous. “Why didn’t you contact us sooner? Anything could have happened to her.”

  “I tried sirs, but like I said, the order of radio silence prevented me from reaching you.” Harry cursed. His daughter, his baby girl was in the hands of a monster. “There’s more sir,” Robert gulped.

  “More?” Harry’s voice was flabbergasted. How could there be more? Things couldn’t possibly get worse.

  “When I arrived in town I went to her apartment, hoping that she’d have escaped him when she ran from the diner but none of her things are there. I spoke to the landlord; he said that she’d left him a letter saying she was moving. A man paid for the remainder of her tenancy and a moving van had come to collect her things. The school where she was meant to be working received a letter of resignation as well. The man who’s taken her seems intent on keeping her for the long run.”

  Harry snarled, throwing Robert aside. “How is this possible? Chloe,” he groaned sadly. “Jonathan, Christian, Daniel, I want you to check Robert’s story. See if she’s moved out and resigned from her job. I do
n’t know what that wolf was thinking, but he’s going to regret it. No one hurts my daughter and gets away with it. We need to be better than ever if we’re going to get her back, he’s probably taken her to those fucking hidden clans. Everything that came before now is going to seem like child’s play once I’m finished. That wolf has just signed the extermination warrant for his entire species. I don’t care what needs to be done, just get her back.” His sons rushed to fulfil his orders leaving Harry alone with his thoughts.

  War, he decided. Chloe’s kidnapping is nothing less than an invitation for all out war. And I intend to be the victor, my daughter’s life is at stake, I can’t do anything less.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Sunlight poured through the windows, warm rays finding the exposed parts of Chloe’s skin and heating it gently. As she shifted restlessly, she moved her face directly into one of the bright beams. The intense light across her eyelids began to rouse her and her eyes fluttered open, a hand automatically rising to shield her eyes from the intense rays. Rubbing the last remnants of sleep from her eyes, it took her a moment to get her bearings and when she did she realised that Ryan wasn’t sleeping beside her. Her second night at the estate had gone much like the first; Ryan had insisted that she sleep with him. Remembering the feel of his fingers on her skin as his hand slid along her thigh during their date, she had felt anxious about undressing in front of him. Her attempts to change in privacy had encountered stiff resistance from him and she had eventually given up, eager to fall into the comfort of the sheets and willing to defer the argument about privacy to another night when she wasn’t so tired. He had watched her change with hungry eyes, his hands clenching convulsively as though it were a struggle not to touch her and she shivered slightly at the memory. Despite that he had kept his hands to himself and hadn’t tried to touch her in a sexual manner choosing instead to bundle her close to the warmth of his bare chest and encourage her to sleep.