Bitten, Beaten, & Loved

by Catherine Banks

  Thomas asked through gritted teeth, “Is that why you are so thin?”

  I frowned. “No, I just don’t have enough money for food. I eat enough for a human, but…” I shrugged. “Sean stocked my cabinets yesterday though.”

  Thomas nodded his head. “Good. Alright everyone eat, eat.” He waved his hand and everybody started piling food on to their plates. I sat still, waiting until everyone was done for my turn. Technically I wasn’t more submissive than the young girls, especially since they were human, but I was a guest and it didn’t seem right to eat before them.

  Thomas and Sean were frowning at me when I looked at them. “What did I do?”

  Sean looked at Thomas. “She always does this.”

  “If you stay with us you’re going to have to be re-taught everything. If your alpha says to eat then you eat. There is no dominant to submissive line at a food table, you just eat,” Thomas explained.

  “Oh, okay.” I started shoveling food on my plate and the conversations began around the tables. The food was delicious and I didn’t try to talk as I ate my meal. It felt strange to be sitting with so many werewolves and yet not feel scared, but I didn’t question it and just enjoyed it.

  As soon as everyone was done Thomas whispered, “One. Two. Three. Not it!”

  Sean and I yelled, “Not it!” At the same time and a few others answered after us. It was a game my family had played when I was a child. Whoever was the last had to do the dishes or whatever chore we were avoiding.

  One of the older males down at the end was the last to say anything and groaned. “Dammit!”

  Thomas smiled and stood up. “Looks like it is Ralph’s turn to clean the dishes.” Sean grabbed my hand, pulling me up and started to lead me back to his room. Thomas called up to us, “Sean, what we talked about earlier? Don’t try it with the smaller ones awake, please.”

  Sean actually blushed and shook his head. “Don’t worry about that.”

  I realized what he was talking about and blushed too. “No, not that.”

  Sean pulled me up the rest of the stairs and into his room. “Sorry about that. He means well.”

  I sat down on his bed and looked up at Sean’s troubled face. “What is it?” Had I done something wrong?

  He shook his head and smiled, “Just thinking. Do you want to go for a run?”

  I smiled. “As a wolf?”

  He shook his head. “Thomas won’t let you change.”

  I frowned. “Won’t let me change? Why not?”

  He sat down beside me. “Because you’re not pack. He’s not worried about you, but about the others trying to hurt you. Come on let’s go for a run.”

  I sighed. “Fine.” Running in human form wasn’t as fun as wolf, but it was still a way to let out excess steam.

  He stroked my cheek softly and then kissed my lips. “You’re cute when you’re mad.”

  I jerked away from him and stood up, my heart beating a mile a minute. Jeff’s face flashed in front of my face with him doing the same thing, but I had been chained up at the time he had said those words. I wrapped my arms around myself and whimpered as I recalled the pain. Ten strands of wolf fur grew out of my hands as my wolf fought to take control to protect me. Sean reached out towards me and I snapped my teeth at him, moving farther away. “Stay back,” I whispered as I tried to control my wolf side and keep from changing.

  Sean held up his hands and stepped back. “What did I do?”

  I inhaled and cleared my head of any thoughts. My fear dissipated, the fur disappeared and I turned back to face Sean. “Please don’t say that ever again.”

  Sean walked slowly towards me with his head bowed and wrapped his arms around me. “Sorry,” he whispered as he licked my chin.

  I relaxed into him and inhaled his smell. He still smelled of peppermint. “It’s not your fault. Sorry I snapped at you.”

  He kissed my cheek softly. “Come on, let’s go for a run.” I nodded my head, but stayed silent. I couldn’t mess up with Sean. He was too perfect for me to be so imperfect. I knew that I was acting strange even for me and I wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not. Thomas made me feel like a kid, not in a bad way, but like I was protected and didn’t need to be a mature adult. Was it some type of spell? Or was this how a true alpha made those of their pack feel?

  Sean led me out of the room and down the stairs. Two males in their late teens stood up and smiled at us. They were twins, identical twins, with blonde hair and blue eyes. They were submissives and surprisingly I wasn’t nervous near them. Was Sean right about me being a dominant?

  The one on the right spoke. “Hey Sean. Where you going?”

  Sean put his arm around my waist and smiled. “For a run, you two want to join us?”

  I should have been offended at the possessive gesture, but for some reason Sean’s arm around my waist felt soothing. Had he done it because he was worried I’d be nervous near the twins?

  The twins nodded their heads. The one that had spoken before asked, “We changing?”

  Sean shook his head. “No.” The twins frowned, but then turned and smiled at me, revealing their duplicate dimples. “Where are my manners? Rose, this is Mike and Mark. Mike, Mark, this is Rose,” Sean said as he gave the introductions.

  Mike and Mark leaned forward and inhaled. I inhaled their scents quickly and smiled. “Hi.”

  They nodded their heads once in unison then started towards the back door. Sean and I followed them and I felt his growing nervousness. I rubbed my face against his shoulder and he smiled down at me. “I’m fine.”

  Sean pushed open the back door and I gaped at the mini forest in the backyard. A small dirt path wrapped around the trees and one park bench sat just to the side of the path. Sean released my hand and jogged down the porch steps to the path, which I realized, was actually a track where Mike and Mark were waiting. I followed him and one of the twins asked, “Fast, slow, or whatever?”

  Sean looked at me and smiled wide. “Fast.” He turned to the others and I inched ahead of him without him noticing. “Okay on the count of…”

  I took off running down the track and heard their yells. They started running to catch up and I slowed to let them. Never run from a wolf even when he’s in man form. Sean caught up to me and then blew passed me. I growled and charged after him with the twins hot on my heels. We circled around the trees and I realized that the forest wasn’t small at all. It continued out past the mansion’s borders and the track was cut through it. I inhaled the smell of the trees, leaves, dirt and wolves near me and my wolf woke up. I pushed her food desires down and allowed her to increase our pace. Sean turned his head and his eyes widened in shock as I caught up and then ran past him. I came around the last turn and blew past the starting point, skidding to a stop on the track.

  Thomas was sitting on the porch steps and stared at me in shock as I started walking back. Sean came around the bend and jogged over to us a little out of breath. “You’re quick.”

  Thomas walked towards me with an intent look on his face. I stopped moving, dropping my head down and staying as still as I could manage with my pounding heart. He inhaled and asked, “How have you managed this type of control?”

  I looked up at him and frowned. “What do you mean?”

  He waved his hand at my face. “Your wolf side is active, your eyes are gold, and yet you aren’t changing.”

  I shrugged. “I just subdued my wolfie food urge and allowed myself to run instead. I compromised with myself. No food, but fast running to beat the other wolves. We like beating the other wolves.”

  He smiled. “That type of control is very hard to gain. I’m impressed.”

  I bowed my head. “Thank you.”

  Sean smiled at me. “You’re incredibly fast, probably the fastest here.”

  Memories of days spent running through the forest flew across my eyes before I could stop them. In a small voice I said, “You learn to run fast when beasts pursue you.”

  Sean put his arm arou
nd my waist and I pulled away from him. I was acting like a teenage girl and I needed to stop.

  The phone rang inside the house and Thomas left to go answer it. Sean had started talking to the twins so I started walking away slowly. “I’ve got to use the restroom. I’ll be right back,” I said over my shoulder. Sean waved at me and I continued inside. I slowed my breathing and calmed my heart beat as I walked inside the house. I was good at being invisible when I needed to be. I’d spent years trying to make myself invisible. I crept towards Thomas’ study and would have jumped for joy at the fact that no one else was around if I could have. Instead I leaned against the outside wall of his study and listened to his conversation.

  “Yes, Fenrir, the girl is still here.” He paused for a long time as the man on the other end spoke to him. The voice was too soft for me to be able to hear though. “Are you sure? She seemed to be telling the truth about her experiences with that pack. All of my dominants listened in with me and we all felt her speech as truth.” My entire body went still, not even my heart seemed to beat as I listened to the next words. “Of course I don’t doubt you, Fenrir. She must have spent a long time convincing herself of those lies to make them truth to her. We’ll keep her here until her pack arrives to take her back with them.”

  Pack arrives to take me back?! My wolf was instantly on alert. It was time to go. I’d spent too long in this place. I should have known that they would send me back. I stood up to head toward the door and heard Sean laugh. My heart seemed to rip as I thought of leaving him behind. I have to do it. I have to survive. My wolf and I agreed on one thing, survival was the most important thing. I ran out the front door and didn’t stop running. I could run for two days straight as a human and two additional days once I changed forms.

  Thomas would have heard the door open so he would be sending wolves after me if the guards weren’t already following, but I had a head start, no matter how small it was, any bit helped.

  My cell phone rang and I pulled it from my pocket and answered as I swerved around humans walking on the sidewalks and cars driving down the street. “Hello?”

  “Rose, where did you go?” Sean asked, his voice frantic.

  My heart tore a little at the sincerity of his worry for me. Why had I answered the phone anyways? “I’m sorry, Sean. I shouldn’t have stayed. I can’t go back to that pack. They lied to your Fenrir. I don’t know how, but they did. I wouldn’t lie about something as serious as that. I’m sorry I couldn’t say goodbye. I…I…” I shook my head trying to maintain control, but the words came out anyways, “I love you.”

  I snapped the phone in half before tossing it on the ground and growling. It’d been a long time since my wolf had spoken for me. I didn’t understand why she’d chosen to say those last three words to him, but it was done with now and I couldn’t take them back.

  Tears streamed down my face as I ran through the town, finally making it out to the freeway. I ran along the shoulder of the freeway for thirty miles before needing to switch freeways to head east. If I could run northeast, then I might be able to bypass Jeff and his pack. They were excellent trackers, but they wouldn’t know the exact course I would be taking.

  As soon as the sun had fully set I stopped at a gas station just off the freeway and begged a man for some change to get a bottle of water. I knew I’d scared him because I was sweating and covered in dirt and I was sure my eyes were wolf eyes, but he didn’t scream or run away so I gave him a kiss on the cheek. That only seemed to freak him out more though, so after guzzling down the water in the bottle I started running again, getting back on the freeway and running along the center divide.

  As the sun rose the next day I decided to rest in a small wooded area just off the highway. I wasn’t sure what town I was even in, or even what state, but I felt sure that I was far enough away to be able to rest. I lay down in the shade of a large oak tree and started preparing myself to change. I could run for another day as a human, but I was faster as a wolf and my senses keener. I pulled my shoes off, which were now able to speak on their own, and tossed them aside. They landed with a strange thud and I looked up to see two men smiling at me, the shoes having hit them.

  “Hello, Rosie,” said the shorter man.

  I jumped up to run away, but a third man grabbed me from behind and slammed my back against the tree. “No, no no. You’ve been running from us for long enough. Now it’s time for you to take your punishment.”

  The silent man stepped forward and my heart began racing. He was handsome. No matter how cruel or evil he was, Jeff would always be handsome. He lifted his hand and I closed my eyes, waiting for the hit, but he simply rested his hand against my cheek softly. “Hello, darling. I’ve missed you.”

  I opened my eyes and looked at the face of my ex-mate. “I can’t say I’ve missed you because I haven’t.”

  Jeff smiled and then slapped me in the face, making me whine in pain. “You would think after all of the times we beat you that you would learn to keep your mouth shut.”

  This is why they were here. They were going to finally kill me. They must be really mad that Fenrir found out about them. If I made them mad enough I could make them kill me quickly instead of torturing me. That was the best way to die.

  Jeff balled up his fist and punched me in the stomach, making me gasp for air. I felt a strange tingling in my head, it’d been there ever since I’d let Sean stay the night and he’d broken my mate bond. Remembering Sean made me whine again. I’m sorry Sean. I hope you won’t mourn me too long.

  Jeff pushed me upright and I watched as his hand changed to a paw. He slashed his claws down my arm slowly, inch after inch, making me scream in pain. The other men laughed and their eyes changed to gold as they watched. Jeff hit me in the face sideways, breaking my nose.

  “You were always so uncreative in your torturing. Just as uncreative as you were in bed,” I said as I looked at each man. “It’s no wonder none of you have mates. I wouldn’t want to mate with you if we were the last werewolves on earth.”

  The man holding me took my forearm in his hands and snapped it like a twig. Black spots covered my vision. I’d forgotten how painful everything was. I’d forgotten how much pain I could endure.

  Jeff’s claws pierced my stomach as he stabbed them into me. The last man stepped forward and kicked my shin, cracking the bone. I fell to my knees and felt the hot tears falling down my face just as I felt my hot blood leaking down my arm and nose and dripping from my stomach. I’d be unconscious soon. I had to get them to kill me before I went unconscious.

  “You always knew…how to treat a lady,” I whispered.

  The tingling in the back of my skull intensified as I lost blood. My body started shaking as I tried to change forms. Jeff grabbed me by the hair and pulled my head back. “None of that.” Cold air wrapped around my body as he held me in human form. It was the worst feeling ever, worse than having a bone broken, worse than being raped. To not be allowed to change forms is the ultimate torture.

  Everything was black, but I could still hear. It would be over soon. Jeff would have to kill me or I’d change forms. Jeff squatted down beside me and whispered into my ear, “It’s a shame I have to kill you. You’re beautiful and I’m sure we could have had beautiful kids, but now…now you must die.”

  Sean. I’m sorry. I love you.

  “Let her go,” said a familiar voice.

  Sean? No, Sean couldn’t be here. He couldn’t have found me. I must be dead. No, Sean’s not dead so he couldn’t be here. I must be dreaming.

  Jeff released me, letting me fall to the ground. “Who the fuck are you?”

  Sean growled loudly. “You have ten seconds to step away from Rose before I tear your hearts from your chests.”

  I had to be dreaming. It was the only explanation. My body bucked and then my wolf took over, changing forms. I howled in pain as I finished changing and lay on my stomach as the bones started trying to repair themselves. One of the men beside me stomped on my uninjured back le
g, breaking it. Sean growled loudly and then all hell broke loose. I could barely open my eyes to be able to see what was going on, but I could hear the growls, the sounds of fists hitting flesh and the sounds of claws tearing skin. The metallic scent of blood clogged every other sense and forced me to open my eyes. If Sean died for me I had to be able to see him one last time.

  I opened my eyes and stared in shock at two dead wolves beside me and Sean holding Jeff by the throat. “I knew she didn’t lie about how you treated her. I knew she was telling the truth,” Sean whispered as he continued to choke Jeff.

  Thomas stepped into my view and whispered, “Sean, put him down.”

  Sean growled, but set Jeff down. Jeff rubbed his throat and whispered, “Good boy.” Jeff jumped away from Sean and grabbed me in a headlock. I struggled against him, but my bones were still broken and I’d lost a lot of blood so I was still too weak. “I don’t know what relationship you have with her, but Rose is mine.”

  Sean smiled smugly. “Actually, she’s not yours. You two are no longer mated.”

  Jeff stopped moving for a minute as he tried to find the bond that no longer existed. Jeff looked down at me and asked, “Why would you do this, Rose? Why would you break our mating bond?” He sounded genuinely sad and hurt. He really was a psychopath. Jeff growled loudly and yelled, “You can’t have her. She’s mine! She’s mine to beat. Mine to torture. Mine to kill.”

  His arms constricted around my throat and I looked at Sean one last time. At least he came for me and sees that I didn’t lie. I closed my eyes and exhaled, ready to die.

  Sean growled and then Jeff was no longer touching me. I heard a wet ripping sound, Jeff screamed and then only Sean’s heavy breathing. I opened my eyes and stared in shock at Jeff’s lifeless body with a giant hole in his chest. I looked up to find Sean holding Jeff’s heart in his hand.

  He’d killed Jeff.

  Jeff was dead!

  I was alive!

  Thomas started to move towards Sean, but Sean growled at him. Thomas stopped moving and whispered, “I am Alpha.”