Bound (The Onyx Wolves Book 1)

by Raven K. Asher

  “Just calm down and tell me your name, wolf.” I command.

  He doesn’t calm down but he does snarl out his name. “Magnus, my name is Magnus.”

  “Alright, Magnus, I’m sorry for what I did but I didn’t realize that your killer gave me a male wolf to place inside a female. If there is anyone you should be mad at it is him.” I explain.

  “Then point me in his direction so I can rip out his throat.” He bellows.

  “I will, but only after you come to terms with what you’ve been given.” I reason.

  “How can I come to term with being placed inside of a female, a weak female?” He growls relaxing a little.

  Dillon and Damon release their holds on him leaving only me to hold him down.

  “You’re not in a weak female’s body. Harley, the girl you are now a part of was a strong Hunter, she was at the top of her kind. Men and many wolves feared her presence alone.” I reply.

  His head turns just enough to glance back at me. “Is she really that strong? And why exactly did you save her if she was a Hunter, doesn’t she hate our kind?” He fires off question after question.

  “She was my best friend for years before I ever knew what she was. She didn’t hesitate to have my back when it came to fights. Trust me when I say you two would work out together well if you’d only give her a chance.” I reply honestly almost pleading for him to realize how good they would actually be together.

  “And you’re going to be my alpha?” He then asks relaxing a little more.

  “Yes, and you will have an alpha male soon.” I answer.

  He then nods his head to Dillon and Damon. “And those two, they will be my brothers?”

  “Yes, but we can’t be anymore than that, but him on the other hand you two might be getting a little closer, considering Harley is his girl.” Dillon answers making light of the whole intense situation.

  Magnus groans. “You’re asking a lot of me, you know.”

  “Yes, we realize that but without you I lose my best friend and without her you lose a second chance at life.” I reply.

  “Alright, I’ll give up control to her, but if she even for one second weakens I will take back over to keep us alive.” He states sternly.

  “Fine, just honor my status as your alpha and them as your brothers and I will let you go.” I command calmly.

  “I will obey your orders and those of my brothers, my alpha.” He bows his head to us and I let him free.

  “How do I change back into a human, Parker?” Harley’s voice rings out in my head.

  I let a sigh of relief out and step back as I turn back into my human form along with Dillon and Damon.

  “Just think about being human and it should just happen naturally.” I answer her out loud.

  In moments she is standing before me like normal.

  “That was the weirdest thing I’ve ever had happen to me.” She states. “He just didn’t want to give up.”

  “Yeah, sometimes they can be a bit difficult and in his situation I don’t blame him.” I reply.

  She nods along with the others. “I don’t blame him either. It feels weird to have his mind intertwined with my own.”

  “You’ll get use to it with time.” Damon replies this time.

  “I sure hope so.” She sighs. “I will admit that being a wolf is pretty cool, not to mention talking inside of each other’s head. This is going to make our mission ten times easier.”

  “Yeah, it will.” Dillon agrees.

  22-Locked and Loaded

  “I think it’s time for us to leave, Titus.” I state as we walk through the house together.

  He nods in agreement. “I believe it is too. Your pack is coming along very well, including the Hunter, she has more work to do with that stubborn wolf of hers but I believe once they find that certain harmony they will be an unstoppable pair.”

  I grin proudly. “They are all pretty unstoppable.”

  “Yes, they are, you included. I’ll be proud to call you my daughter when the time comes for you and my son to be together.” Titus stops turning towards me. “Even if you cannot get him out of the Island you will always have me close at hand, Parker.”

  Bowing my head I nod sadly. “Thank you, Titus, you have no idea what that means to me.”

  I had thought about every terrible possibility that could go wrong when we went after Gage and Rowan.

  From finding them already dead, to strung up and beaten beyond recognition. The horrifying images just wouldn’t stop running through my mind.

  “I just hope when we find Gage that it won’t already be too late.” I add softly.

  He nods pulling me into a fatherly hug. “Have hope, Parker. You will find him with more than enough time and you will break him out of that place.”

  “I wish I could have that kind of hope, Titus, I really do but I can’t help but look at all of the obstacles in our way.” I sigh softly.

  “Just think of it this way, at least you won’t be alone.” He reassures leaning back to peer deep into my eyes.

  “That’s true.” I smile slightly.

  I would have my pack by my side no matter how this mission turned out.

  They were always going to be a constant in my life now.

  “Have dinner with us one last time before you leave.” Titus requests thankfully changing the subject.

  “We will, and then we will prepare to leave in the morning.” I reply.

  He nods pulling me in for one last hug before letting me go before we walk off into different directions.

  I was heading back out to the yard where my pack was still working with Titus’s pack on fighting skills.

  Once out the door I can’t help but smile seeing my pack doing better than they had when we had first started.

  “Harley, unleash Magnus, I want to have a little fun.” I call out as I bounce down the steps.

  She smiles wickedly. “Are you sure about that, Parker?”

  I nod with my own grin before switching into my wolf form as she lets her wolf free.

  The yard suddenly clears as I stalk over to the large white wolf.

  “It’s about time she let me free.” He stretches his neck side-to-side.

  I circle him until he takes his position to fight with me.

  We had been doing this often so he could get his aggression out and so that he could sort of separate himself from Harley when he needed to.

  It was still a work in progress between Harley and Magnus but they were slowly working it out.

  This time was badly needed for Magnus though.

  He lunges for my back leg but misses as I anticipate the attack.

  “Is that all you’ve got?” I taunt him.

  “I can do better.” He growls.

  With a burst of speed he comes at me but I quickly use his momentum against him as I grab hold of skin just under his neck and duck down to the ground.

  He flips over me taking me along until I’m standing above him with his throat firmly in my jaw.

  “Okay, okay, I give up. I’m never going to bring you down.” He laughs out as I let him go.

  Transforming back to my human form I pant for my breath. “We will be leaving tomorrow morning to rescue my mate.” I announce.

  Magnus transforms into Harley. “What is expected of me?” He asks trough her lips.

  “I expect you to keep her safe. When she needs you come forward whether she wants you to or not. I do not want to lose any of you.” I motion towards Dillon and Damon in their human forms.

  “Hopefully it does not come down to that but I will obey your orders, Parker.” Magnus answers before I watch his light fade from her eyes.

  “Okay, what did I just miss because he completely shut me out that time?” Harley asks curiously.

  “We are going to be going after Gage and Rowan tomorrow morning.” I answer her question shortly.

  I didn’t want her to know the extra bits that I had told Magnus.

  “Oh, good, I was hoping to
leave soon since I’ve kind of gotten this whole thing figured out.” She replies motioning to herself.

  She didn’t realize how wrong she was.

  Magnus was still in control, but right now that would work in my favor.

  “Titus requested us to have dinner with his pack one last time tonight so I expect you all to be there, alright.” I state looking to each person in turn.

  They all nod but Dillon steps forward. “What about you, what are you going to do until then?”

  “I’m going to be in my room alone.” I answer and then walk away.

  I was still working through my thoughts about what had happened between London and I.

  And I was still searching through the various scenarios playing in my mind for the one that wouldn’t get us all killed when we went into the Island.

  Back in my room I lie back on my bed as images of Gage overwhelm my mind.

  That first moment our eyes had met, his green ones burning deep into my soul before I even knew his name.

  I should have known that I would fall for him.

  He was everything opposite of what I liked, but that didn’t matter when it came to his kisses and his tender touches.

  That’s what had made me weak in the knees for him.

  With those memories I can’t help but think back to that moment we shared in that dark closet at school.

  Closing my eyes I could almost feel his breath fanning over my face like it had that day. I could feel the way his lips felt pressed against mine and the way that his hands felt as they gripped my hips.

  Those lips suddenly fade and then turn into none other than London’s.

  I curse as I sit up in bed wishing those memories didn’t exist.

  London had ruined everything good for me, he was the sole reason I was running from home towards the unknown.

  For all I knew Gage could already be dead.

  It wasn’t all that uncommon for a wolf to disappear and then be found dead later on because they had been taken to the Island.

  Sighing roughly I scrub my hands over my face as more memories flood my mind, this time of Rowan.

  Where Gage wasn’t really my type, Rowan had been.

  If it wouldn’t have been for his status as a beta I would have easily fallen for him.

  And his kisses, they were something I could get lost in for days.

  Still he didn’t have that certain connection I had held with Gage.

  “Dinner’s ready, Parker.” Dillon knocks on my door pulling from my river of memories.

  I hadn’t realized how fast the time had flown by.

  “I’ll be there in a minute.” I call out.

  “Is everything alright, Parker?” He questions softly.

  I nod even though he couldn’t see me. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve just got a lot on my mind.”

  “I figured. A lot of your feelings kind of spilled over to me. I just wanted to make sure you were alright.” He replies.

  Standing to my feet I move over to the door and open it. “I’m sorry.”

  He smiles. “It’s no big deal. Honestly, I didn’t know we could connect like that.” He scratches his neck awkwardly. “But if you do have strong feelings like that again give me a little warning. I didn’t exactly want to be thinking about Rowan like that.”

  I burst into laughter. “I’m so sorry, Dillon. I promise I’ll keep it to a minimum next time.”

  He smiles again. “That’s all I’m asking.” His eyes then look me over before he searches my eyes. “Are you ready for this dinner?”

  I shrug. “I am since we will be moving on tomorrow, but then again I’m not because I absolutely hate saying goodbye.”

  “It’s not really going to be a goodbye, Parker. Once all of this is over and you take your place back beside your father and Gage you’ll probably be seeing a lot more of this pack.” Dillon argues lightly.

  I nod, he was right.

  But it still felt like I was just saying goodbye, like I wouldn’t see any of them again.

  “Let’s just get this over with.” I sigh softly as I move out of the door and past Dillon.

  He easily falls in line behind me as we make our way down the hall and through the rooms to the dining room across the house.

  “Ah, there you are.” Titus stands as we join everyone else in the room.

  Harley and Damon stand as I walk in and wait for me to take my seat next to Titus before they sit down again.

  They had learned so much of our customs thanks to Titus’s pack.

  I grin proudly as I glance around the table.

  As Titus sits everyone begins passing dishes of food around as we all dish heaping amounts out onto our plates.

  Being what we were we had to feed not only ourselves but the wolves inside of us too so we ate a lot of food.

  Most of our food consisted of meats though, and it didn’t matter how cooked they were, we would eat it raw if we could.

  Dinner goes by quickly with only sounds of spoons and forks scraping against plates.

  Titus and I finish first.

  “When were you planning on leaving in the morning, Parker?” Titus breaks the silence.

  “I was hoping to be up and out of here by no later than five a.m.” I reply.

  He nods. “That’s a perfect time to sneak out of here with the cover of darkness. Will you be traveling on foot now since you no longer have any humans among you?”

  “I honestly didn’t think of it but it probably would be best so we can just cut through fields and such without being noticed much.” I sigh.

  “You’re going to have to watch out for the Hunters who don’t know any better right now though.” Titus replies.

  I nod. “I figured as much. We can’t expect them all to be as kind as those two were.” I motion towards Harley and Damon.

  “Yes, but at least you have them on our side now and they come with valuable information that could easily save you.” Titus grunts.

  Smiling I nod again.

  We did have an advantage with them on our side, especially considering they knew how to use the Hunters’ weapons.

  It didn’t hurt that they had some of those weapons with them for defense.

  “Have you made any plans on what to do once you reach the Island?” Titus questions next.

  Glancing down the table to my pack I nod absently.

  I had come up with an idea, one that I knew they would absolutely hate.

  “I have but I haven’t spoken with my pack about it yet.” I reply honestly.

  He chuckles. “It’s that bad, huh?”

  “It’s not something they are going to like, that’s for sure.” I answer bowing my head.

  “Well, whatever you do just make sure you get back out alive. You won’t be any good to anyone dead, Parker.” He replies.

  “I’ll get out alive.” I grin.

  “I’m sure you will.” Titus chuckles lightly.

  Standing to his feet all eyes turn towards Titus as he clears his throat. “I just wanted to thank the young Onyx pack for joining us for this short time. I’m glad we could help in this journey.”

  He smiles down to me for a moment. “I want to say I silent prayer for Parker and her pack before they leave us tomorrow, so will you all bow your heads.”

  Everyone quickly bows their heads.

  It was a custom of ours to pray to the wolf gods silently in our minds.

  A moment later everyone looks up to Titus for further words.

  A few more moments pass by until he too lifts his head to look out at the rest of us.

  Tears were clearly visible in his eyes, which was unusual for a strong alpha like him to show.

  “I’m sorry, brothers and sisters I’m finding myself overcome with emotion tonight.” Titus apologizes softly as he glances down at me. “I just want the best for my son. He’s all I have left in this world.”

  He pauses for a moment to regain his composure before continuing on.

  “And I know this girl be
side me is a godsend. She is his soul mate I can see that now and that gives me hope for his return.” Titus smiles sadly.

  “This pack will follow her in whatever mission she has.” He vows.

  His pack grunts out their agreements around the table.

  It felt so overwhelming for them to be willing to follow me even though I was still practically a pup.

  “I won’t let you or your pack down, Titus.” I reply.

  He nods. “I know you won’t, Parker.”

  On that note dinner ends and we all go our separate ways.

  Damon and Harley go off alone and Dillon heads outside alone to stare up at the night sky like he normally did, while I walk off to my room.

  Sleep wasn’t going to come for me I knew that but I had to at least try.

  Lying down on my bed I sigh roughly as I cover my eyes with my arm.

  Silence ticks by as I lay there alone until someone knocks on the door.

  “Come in.” I call out with a huff.

  Dillon opens the door and walks in with Damon and Harley behind him. “We wanted to be in here with you if that’s alright.”

  I nod and smile.

  “I don’t mind at all I think we would all be better off to allow our wolves to have this night together.” I reply.

  One by one we transform into our wolf forms, each of us taking a spot on the small bed together.

  This was what our lives were about.

  We were a pack, a family.

  Sighing softly I lay my muzzle over Dillon’s furry neck as I close my eyes and drift off into a peaceful slumber.

  23-The Island

  The next morning we are wide awake and on the road before the sun’s rays even begin to shine over the horizon.

  “How much farther do we have to travel until we reach the Island?” Dillon inquires inside my head as we run in our wolf forms side-by-side.

  “Not much farther, we should be close to it soon.” I reply.

  “The building should be right on the other side of these trees.” Damon chimes in.

  As we enter the dark foreboding trees that would spit us out on the other side near the Island I grow uneasy.