by M. D. Butler
Someone has to bleed, first.
Jahla
Benson has my hands and feet tied as he drags me into a cabin secluded in a forest somewhere. Good thing, too. I’m highly tempted to send his nuts back up into his body with a swift kick.
He shoved a gag in my mouth after he announced that I was in hell. He must’ve known I was about to tell him how I really felt. The gag won’t do him any favors since my eyes are spitting hate at him every time he looks down at me.
“You brought this on yourself, Jahla. You should’ve rejected those fuckers like my father told you to. All of a sudden, you want to start being disobedient. Look where it’s gotten you, bound and gagged.”
He continues to drag me though the cabin towards a door situated of the kitchen, my lower back and thighs picking up splinters from the decrepit floor along the way.
Asshole.
“Now, here I am, having to rescue you from them. Better be glad I’m bringing you here instead of back to the packhouse. Blythe would kick your ass just over how much Dad has been annoying her. You’ve caused a lot of problems since you suddenly decided to grow balls, and Dad hasn’t let it rest.”
The idiot is carrying on an entire conversation with himself. It’s not like I can fucking respond!
I realize that the door leads to a basement, only because I’m now being dragged down steps. I grit my teeth against the gag as my body takes blow after blow. Pain is nothing new to me. I’ve learned how to absorb it, and just keep it pushing. It was easier when I thought there was no other way of life. You know, back when pain was a part of my everyday existence?
Now, though?
Knowing that my guys will save me from this madman… well, madboy… has me dreading the anxiety that I know will come with the waiting. It’s definitely going to make this so much harder.
As I hit the last step and feel rough concrete scrape my body, I try to look around as my eyes adjust to the darkness of the room. I’d use my wolf senses to see better if I wasn’t afraid that he’d notice my eyes glowing.
They still don’t know that I have a wolf, and I don’t want them finding out until the last possible moment. Preferably, when I’m ripping out their throats.
As I look around, I can just make out a chair, I think there’s also a table up against the way on the left. There might be some stuff on top of it, but I can’t see what it is. There’s something hanging from the ceiling, but, then again, I can’t see for shit without using my shifter senses. I want to say it’s a lightbulb, but something’s off about it.
“Of course, I’m going to have to punish you for running off. I told you that you were mine, and you still left. You’re a stupid little bitch for that, but you’ll learn soon enough. Hold on, let me get the light.”
He drops me in the middle of the floor, and walks back over to the wall by the stairs. He flips the switch, and there is indeed a lightbulb hanging from the ceiling.
But it isn’t where I thought it was.
The lightbulb is hanging over the table, giving off enough light to fill more than half the room. What I thought was a lightbulb is actually chains. Yes, hanging directly over my head in the center of the ceiling are chains.
What the fuck!
“I would say that I hate to do this, but I don’t want to lie to you,” he says as he comes back over to me. “I think that’s why you left in the first place. You didn’t know why you needed to stay, and I didn’t tell you in enough time. I meant it when I said you were mine, Jahla. Don’t get your hopes up, though. A pathetic thing like you could never be my mate.”
Don’t get my hopes up? Is this fool crazy? Well, duh, Jahla. Of course, he is! He kidnapped you, and is about to chain you up!
Seriously, come on. Has he seen my mates? They’re all hot as fuck, and I have four, count them, FOUR of them! Why would I want to be with him, not even counting all the shit he’s put me through? Did he really think I’d choose him?
I just stare at him as he stands me up because I’m actually in shock at his audacity.
“Left your hands above your head so I can hook them up.” I just keep staring, and he scowls. “This will be so much easier if you cooperate.”
Ugh, fine. I raise my hands in the air, and he grabs me around my waist to hang the rope that binds my wrists onto the hook attached to the chains.
Now I’m just swinging from the chains like a ragdoll, and it’s anything but comfortable.
He steps back from me to check his work. “Let me get some more chains to bind your wrists with. I know you don’t have a wolf to rely on for strength, but I’m not taking any risks. There’s no telling what those bastards have been trying to teach you.”
Fuck, I was hoping he’d leave me with just the rope. I hold back my grunt of frustration, and keep my face blank so he thinks I’m defeated. Can’t hide the venomous emotions in my eyes, but it can’t be helped.
My wolf is a constant presence in my mind, but I keep her locked away in her cage. I know she’s grumpy because we never had a chance to shift with the guys, but now is not the time. She knows this even though she loathes Benson as much as I do.
Hell, maybe even more!
Can’t say that I blame her. I mean, think about it: he and his little friends were constantly beating on me, and no one even knew she existed within me. Then, she finally gets unlocked, and before we can even shift after we complete the bond with our mates… Boom! I get kidnapped by the bully.
She has every right to plot his demise.
I jump when I zone back in to find him wrapping more heavy metal chains around my wrists. He snickers a little at that as he walks away. He shuts the light off, and moves to go up the steps.
“You just wait here while I go get me something to eat. Don’t worry about eating because you’re not getting any. You just hang there, and think about all the trouble you’ve caused while I’m gone. We’ll start on your punishments when I get back.” He finishes up his little speech with a villainous laugh on his way up the steps. He makes sure to slam the door, and I’m left in complete darkness. There’s not even one of those little windows down here.
I guess he thought he’d scared me with the chains, and the dark. Well, he did with the chains, but not in the way he probably thinks. I’m now going to correct his assumptions, though. The weaker he believes me to be, the more satisfying his shock will be when I fuck him up.
After my guys are done with him, of course.
Chapter 7
Denahi
This is bullshit, but I just have to suck it up. It’s a constant battle for me to keep my wolf in check right now. All he wants to do is get out there to find his mate. The only thing that’s keeping him satisfied for the moment is the thought of making the fucker pay that helped get her taken.
And pay he will.
“Alright everyone. Before we get started with training, there’s something that needs to be taken care of. We have an issue.”
Krix or Mav would be the best ones to be our voice box since I’m angrily numb, and Cash probably wouldn’t be able to speak in a way they’ll understand.
Well, maybe only Krix. Mav is a little fucked up right now, too.
Shocking, I know.
How are we going to handle this, guys?
I don’t know. Maybe have them all line up so that we can see everybody? You know, so we can tell if anybody lies.
I must say, Cash seems to suddenly have decent head on his shoulders. That’s new.
I heard that, Den.
My bad.
“I need everyone to line up, facing us. Make two rows, buts stagger so you can still easily be seen. How about we do a couple behind us on this side as well so that everyone has room.”
Two of you turn around and face the group behind us.
Got it. You with me, Den?
Yeah, Mav. You good?
Fuck no.
Same, bro. Same. I don’t say it to him, but I don’t need to. We’re all a little flustered right now, and I know he doe
sn’t need the words.
“As you all know, Jahla was stolen away by one of her former packmates a few hours ago while she was cooking in her own kitchen. The problem that we have with this is that we are supposed to be one of the strongest packs in the country. One of the safest. So, how the fuck did this happen?”
“The question should be, where were you boys?”
I growl, and move towards the scrawny male that had the audacity to speak on our ability to protect our mate, but Mavrin is on him with strong winds whipping through the air before I can even take a full step.
“How dare you?! She was in her own home! Cooking in her own kitchen! You’re telling me that she has to have a shadow for every second of the day because our lands aren’t secure enough for her?”
“Mav! That’s enough.”
I don’t think it is, but I don’t say anything as Cash physical drags Mav away from the little shitter. He’s definitely a shitter, too. I can smell it. To say the dude was afraid for his life is an understatement. We’ve never flexed our powers, or truly gone all out when we’ve trained with the other warriors in our pack or at the academy. Because of this, no one knows what we’re really capable of. Seeing calm, sweet ol’ Mavrin snap on someone has everyone looking at us warily.
Good. Now, they know we mean business.
“I’m not going to apologize for Mavrin’s behavior because you asked for it.” Exactly, Cash! Bastard should’ve kept his mouth shut. “You all should know better that to disrespect a mate, or someone’s ability to protect their mate. Please, refrain from interrupting Krix from here on out if you want to stay on our good side. It should go without saying that we’re a little on edge right now, and can’t be held accountable for what we may do if we’re feeling disrespected again.”
“As I was saying, our territory is supposed to be secure. If someone can be taken from the safety of their own home, who’s to say it’s safe for anyone to walk around unprotected on our land?”
A few men are whispering, and even more have concerned looks on their faces. My eyes jump from male to male, looking for anything that could give the traitor away. So far, I can’t see anything suspicious.
“So, my question to you is,” Krix says. He’s killing me with this little speech. “Who let the enemy in?”
“What?”
“You think we have a traitor?”
“Who would do something like that?”
“You can’t be serious!”
“She’s too important. No one in this pack would risk angering the Mother or Alpha!”
“Quiet! This has already been brought up to Alpha James, and we have permission to weed out the traitor since our mate is the victim. I’m going to give the traitor this one chance to step forward now. If you come forward without any problems, we’ll walk you to the alpha peacefully.”
What the fuck, Krix?
That’s not going to happen. Someone has to bleed for this.
I say this with a growl in my mind because my wolf is too close to the surface. There’s no way I’m peacefully doing shit! I want blood, and, damn it, I’m going to get it!
Let him finish, guys.
Seriously, when did Cash and Mav switch places?
We shut up, and look around to see if anyone has moved. A few men are looking around, but other than that, nobody is showing any signs of turning themselves over. Krix waits a few more seconds before he continues.
“Since no one has come forward, we will do this the hard way. There will be no more chances for a peaceful submission. We’re not leaving here until the traitor is found, and when you are,” again with a dramatic pause, “you will bleed.” This, he says with a deep growl and ours join in harmoniously with agreement.
Time to find this piece of shit.
Krix
It’s tough being the spokesperson of the group, but somebody has to do it. I just don’t know if I’m the right person at the moment. I know the guys need me to lead them, but who the fuck is going to show me the way?
I don’t even know how to start this shit off. I’m just sitting here looking at these males, and I’m completely lost.
Do I just ask questions?
What questions do I ask?
Do I pick random people?
Like, what the fuck do I do?
Thank the Mother that my face doesn’t show what I’m going through. I have a feeling that wouldn’t show these males that we mean business. That we should be feared.
Would you be scared of a kid that looks like he’s about to shit his pants, and throw up at the same time?
Didn’t think so.
Instead, I just do the first thing that comes to mind…
You go first, Cash.
Yeah, I push the duties off on someone else. I don’t know if they realize this, but I actually do this all the time. I’m not always the one with the answers. They lead more than they know.
This confidence is just a façade.
Cash goes up to a random person, at least I think it’s random, and starts asking questions.
Where was he last night?
Are there any witnesses that can vouch for him?
Has he ever patrolled the territory?
Huh. Dude knows how to interrogate.
He steps back, and looks toward me. I guess he’s done. Fuck, now it’s my turn.
I, too, walk up to a random male. I ask a few questions, similar to the ones Cash was asking. Now that I’ve seen it done, I can think on my own. I pay attention to his responses, trying to note anything that may sound weird or stand out. I don’t get anything so I step back from him.
See, I can do this. I can be the leader. I just need help sometimes. The burden can get pretty hard to bear when you’re holding the weight all on your own.
As Cash steps up to his next victim, I look around at all of the males in the arena. I’m not even going to try to count them all, and I’m ashamed to say that it didn’t really stick when James was telling me about our numbers.
This little one-on-one thing is going to take a while.
I look back at Mav and Den. They don’t look too happy, and I can tell that Mavrin is already about to lose his patience. I don’t know why he’s so testy this morning. I mean, I do because we’re all feeling it, but his is pretty fucking extreme.
Isn’t he supposed to be calm, like a gentle breeze?
Right now, he’s more like a fucking tornado.
Chapter 8
Mavrin
I can barely contain my frustration as Krix and Cash ask question after question with no results. We’ve separated the wolves who frequently go on patrols from the others; as well as, the ones who stand guard at the gated entrances.
Still, no one has given themselves away.
There is a constant stench of fear coming from a few of the wolves, and we’ve been keeping our eyes on them in case their fear comes from them being afraid of getting caught, but nothing is working. I start to worry that my little blow up earlier has put them more on the defense than they would’ve been otherwise.
I don’t regret it, though.
Look, this is getting us nowhere. Let me try.
Are you good? We don’t need to put them anymore on edge.
Way to make me feel like a douche, Cash.
He’s right, though. We have to make them complacent so they get confident. Someone will slip up.
We don’t have time for that shit, Krix. Go for it, Mav.
The other two sigh, but I know I have a devilish smirk on my face when I get the go-ahead from our resident hothead.
“Where’s the group that was manning the gates from last night to this morning?”
A group to my left has a couple of people raising their hands, so I make my way over to them. I position myself directly in front of them, intent on intimidating the group.
“Do you know how important your job is? How much the men, women and children of this pack rely on you to keep them safe? How much they trust you to defend them from our enemies?
”
I see some of them gulp, while others are looking me directly in my eye with open honesty. I focus on the gulpers.
“It is your job to screen each and every person who comes through those gates that aren’t pack, so how did someone from an enemy pack make it onto our territory?”
With each question, my growl gets more vicious. I don’t care about scaring anyone. They should be scared. The pack as a whole is at risk, and our packmates are now feeling insecure because of what has happened.
“No one came or went through any gates that wasn’t pack. I make the schedule for standing watch, and I’ll vouch for everyone standing here. None of these men or women would have let an enemy through without giving up their life in defense.”
I look to the male who spoke. He has nothing but honesty in his eyes, and I smell no lies coming from him. Still, he can’t know the true intentions of everyone.
“We’ll see,” I say as I move on to the next group. “Where’s the group of patrollers?”
A male in a group in the back corner of the room waves his hand, and I make my way over.
“What about you? Do you know how important your role is? Why you have to patrol our borders? Why your mothers, siblings and children need you to stay vigilant at all times? Why the person watching the cameras has to stay alert for anything out of the ordinary?”
I scan their faces as I speak, and see someone’s eye twitch. I don’t let him see that I’ve noticed because I don’t want to give myself away. I think over what I just said to see which part may have caused his reaction.
“Those of you doing the physical patrol know your duties, but what about the two that were watching the cameras? Do you know why the patrollers rely on you? Well, I’ll tell you in case you’ve forgotten. They need you to watch their backs. They need you to be their eyes where they can’t see or be. When they move to a new area, it’s you who keeps watch to make sure no one was lying in wait, biding their time for the perfect second to invade.”