by Jenika Snow
The firelight cast shadows throughout the room. Trying to be quiet, she rounded the corner and stopped. Someone sat in front of the fire and a tingle raced up her spine. The light cast shadows, but she didn’t need to see him to know who it was. As if he sensed her presence he stood and turned around.
The expression on Clay’s face was one of concealed amusement, but then he glanced up and down her body and that look was replaced with raw fury.
“I see you wasted no time being another wolf’s whore. Or should I say two wolves’.” The sound of his voice was like a bullet to her heart. Fear instantly slammed into her and she shook. Where were Alric and Sam? Were they okay? A wicked breeze blew through the doorway and she shook harder. She looked around the room frantically, praying to the heavens that Clay and his followers hadn’t hurt them. The room had been destroyed. There were several pieces of furniture knocked over, pictures askew on the wall, and broken glass on the floor. How the hell hadn’t she heard any of this? Dalia searched her surroundings frantically again.
“Oh, come on, you sweet little thing, you know better than that. I wouldn’t outright kill them.” He took a step towards her and she wanted to flee, but fear rooted her to the spot. “I want them to watch what I’m going to do to you. It’s been a long time coming, Dalia, especially since you thought you could run from me and take my heir.” He took another step and another and another until he was right before her. She covered her belly protectively and swallowed. Tears spilt from her eyes as she stared at the cold, hard expression on Clay’s face.
“I thought about waking you, but you looked so peaceful that I didn’t want to ruin it. I mean, you aren’t going to get any more peaceful rests once I take you back with me. You do realise, because of your mistakes, you will be made an example of. I can’t have my pack thinking I let my mate run wild, fucking whomever she feels like.” He lifted his hand. She flinched away. She was used to his abuse, but he just grabbed her chin between his fingers and tilted her head up. “You will look at me, Dalia!” His voice rose on her name and she snapped her eyes open.
“Please, Clay. I’m sorry about running. Don’t hurt Sam and Alric. They were only helping me.”
His laugh was deep and sinister. “Helping you? I didn’t realise sticking a dick in a female was considered ‘helping her out’.” He laughed again. “If that’s the case I’ve helped out plenty, haven’t I?” He leant down until his lips were close to hers. “Nathan! Joshua! Bring in the fuckers who took my mate from me.” Clay inhaled deeply then scowled harder. “You fucking reek of them, Dalia. You stink of their seed.” He shoved her away so hard she stumbled backward and fell on her ass. Scrambling back, movement to her right had her looking and watching in horror as two of Clay’s followers dragged in Alric and Sam, both unconscious and hanging from their grasps.
A sob tore from her and she covered her mouth with one hand and reached out to them with the other.
Clay watched her with an eyebrow raised and gestured for his men to put Alric and Sam on the floor by the fire. “You see, Dalia,” he held his hand out and she followed the movement, seeing the man that had deceived them walk in. “When Jackson came across this cabin he was going to wait the storm out, but you can’t imagine his surprise in seeing the female I had asked him to track standing right before him.”
Her mouth was drier than dirt. The revelation was too much, and although she had known there was something wrong with Jackson when she had first seen him, she hadn’t thought he had been connected to Clay. Or maybe she had and she just hadn’t wanted to realise it?
Clay crouched down in front of her, his face mere inches from her own. “When you give me my heir and I’ve had my fill of you, I’m going to make you a whore to my men. They will need a nice little pussy to thrust into every night.”
Sick dread swirled around her and she thought she would pass out, but she forced herself to stay conscious. “How—” Her voice cracked and she couldn’t finish her sentence.
“How did I get your two lovers away from you and in the state they’re in right now?” He tsked at her and walked over to Alric and Sam. She couldn’t see them very well from her position, but she could smell the blood in the air. God, she hoped they were okay.
“You don’t have to do this, Clay. I’m sorry I left. I’ll go with you now and do as you say. Just leave them alone.”
He kept talking as if she hadn’t said anything at all. “You see, we were not too far from Jackson or this cabin. When he stepped outside to ‘smoke’ he was really going to send a call out and inform us of your presence. Now, of course the wolves might have heard the call, but by then we would have already been on our way.” Clay pulled a cigarette out of his pack and lit it. He inhaled deeply and kept his gaze on hers the whole time. “I have to give them credit, though. They put up one hell of a fight, but they were no match for ten wolves from my pack.”
Dalia closed her eyes. She could only imagine what they had done.
“That motherfucker,” Clay pointed to Alric and she moved closer. You should have seen how crazy he went when we showed up.” Clay laughed, which caused the rest of them to do the same. “The other one came out after we had his buddy tied up. He was about to shift, but when I threatened to kill his friend and then do unspeakable acts to you, he did what I said,” Clay inhaled again. “I’m surprised you slept through the whole thing. They must have really fucked you good.” A disgusted expression covered his face. “Enough talk about what a fucking slut you have become. When this asshole saw how bad Joshua had fucked up his friend’s face, he also went crazy.” Joshua started laughing and gave a kick to Alric then Sam.
Dalia cried harder, feeling rage burn within her. Thank God she could see the rise and fall of their chests.
“As you can see we have the situation under control.”
“You’re a monster.” The words spilt from her mouth before she could censor them. She expected Clay to become furious with her backtalk, but he just stared at the other men and chuckled.
“I see being around these two has given you loose lips.” He flicked ash from his cigarette and gestured her forward. “Come here, sweet thing.” She hated his pet name for her, but she wisely kept her mouth shut. She knew from experience that to deny Clay anything would just earn her a lot of pain.
When she was standing beside him he nodded towards a few of his men. They grabbed Sam and Alric under their arms and tossed them onto the couch. Their hands were bound and now that she saw their faces she cried harder. They were bloody and bruised. All she wanted to do was lash out at Clay for the pain he’d inflicted on the males she had grown to love. Yes, she loved them with everything inside her.
“Joshua, wake those boys up. I want them to see what they will be missing when I take Dalia away.”
Chapter Thirteen
Alric came to when something hard slammed against his face. He blinked a few times and the room came into focus. A low growl erupted from his throat. Everything that had happened came to the forefront of his mind. Blood filled his mouth and he turned his head to the side and spat it out. His jaw ached, but that was the last thing he would worry about. He sensed Sam beside him, and when he turned his gaze to his mate he saw him already awake and a look of rage focused in front of him. Alric followed his gaze and saw Dalia standing in front of the fire. The only things she wore were her bra and panties. The wolf he realised was Clay had a hand on her belly and a look of possessiveness on his face. Alric growled again, which in turn had Sam doing the same.
“Well, well, if it isn’t the wolves who thought they could take my Dalia and heir from me. What did you think you were going to do, raise my young and fuck my mate?” Clay stood and stalked towards them.
Now they were forced to sit here and watch some asshole put his hands all over their mate. No, he wouldn’t stand for it and by the sounds coming from Sam and the rage pouring off him, he wouldn’t stand for it either.
Clay slammed his fist into both of their faces several times befor
e he took a step back. Alric stared at Dalia. Fat tears rolled down her cheeks and he noticed that she refused to look at them. He wanted to make sure she was okay, make sure she knew that they would protect her, that they would put an end to this. Neither of them bothered to respond to Clay’s taunting, which only made the male’s face grow red with anger. The scent of aggression filled the room, and Alric searched his surroundings, getting a good grasp of what he was up against. Five males stood along the right side of the wall, their stances hard and determined. They were waiting for their leader to make a call. Alric surmised that these assholes were nothing more than pawns that couldn’t make a move without the go-ahead. Three other males stood by the front door, and two more on the left side of Clay. Jackson stood beside Dalia, a smirk on his face. Alric wanted to tear that look off, wanted to rip the tracker’s limbs from his body and make him watch while he did it.
“I had planned on just taking her back with me, but I think I want to make an example of this situation so you know the consequences for taking another’s property. You had your fucking hands all over her, tainted her with your scents, and now you’re going to watch while I fuck what’s mine and mark her.”
Alric’s heart stuttered and he felt Sam stiffen beside him. “If you touch her I’ll make your death slow and agonising.” Hell, he was going to do that anyway for all the pain he’d put Dalia through. He needed to get rid of Clay’s pack members first, then he could focus on really drawing out his death.
Clay threw his head back and laughed. “Funny, seeing as you’re at my mercy. Do you really think you can stop me from taking my mate?”
“She isn’t your mate,” Alric and Sam ground out at the same time. Alric strained against his bonds, but the knots only tightened with his movements. He could shift into his wolf form, but even if the bonds didn’t hold they wouldn’t be quick enough before the males in the room sensed it and attacked them.
“If you’re itching for a fight then untie me and let’s fight like worthy males, hand to hand. Don’t be a coward.”
Alric grinned at Sam’s words. His fierce mate had beaten him to saying it, and he was proud. He could see Clay’s jaw work and knew what he was about to do before he did it. Alric strained against his ties again and roared out when Clay struck Sam with enough force that his head jerked to the side. The smell of his mate’s blood filled the room and he felt himself on the verge of shifting. He needed to rein in his animal’s desire to do just that if he planned on getting his mates out of this alive.
“That one has a mouth on him, doesn’t he?” Clay brought his bloodied knuckles to his mouth and licked them clean. “So you think you can have not only one mate, but two?” Clay walked towards Dalia.
You keep the fuck away from her.” His voice had dropped to a deadly growl. Clay stopped and looked over his shoulder, one eyebrow raised in question. He continued moving closer to Dalia.
“You can’t decide if you like males or females, huh? Just think you’re going to have one of each in your bed?” He ran his finger over the swell of Dalia’s breasts and Sam lunged forward. The movement caused the males to jump into action. They surrounded Sam and tackled him to the ground.
“Don’t you fucking touch her!” Sam lay on his stomach, and Alric stared at Clay with red in his vision.
“What, you mean like this?” Clay covered the mound of her breast with his hand and grinned.
Alric seethed at the fact that his mates were being touched against their will. He looked at Dalia, saw her gaze on him. Her fear smelt strong and heart wrenching, but there was something else that lay beneath the surface. She glanced down then back to him and down again. That was when he noticed the poker by her hand. If she was going to do what he thought she was going to do, he would have to act fast. With the males trying to keep Sam subdued and Clay’s attention on Dalia, he needed to take control of the situation, now.
Sam continued to struggle, and Alric watched Dalia grip the poker and swing it towards Clay’s head. The wolf was enamoured with the breast he had freed from her bra and didn’t see it coming. Alric let his animal free, his inner beast clawing and roaring out in triumph as the room crackled and sparked with electricity. His transformation was quick, and with everyone occupied no one was able to subdue him before he was fully changed.
Snapping and growling, he lunged for the first male he saw. He needed to get to Dalia, but he needed to get the males away from Sam first so his mate could help. There were too many of them for him to take on his own.
He was able to snap the neck of four of the males before they started shifting, but by then Sam had shifted as well and he took out another three. Blood filled Alric’s mouth, but it was a flavour he relished. He would kill anything that stood in the way of his protecting what was his. The cost didn’t matter.
Chapter Fourteen
When Dalia swung the poker with all her strength, the sound of it cracking against Clay’s skull made bile rise in her throat. She hadn’t thought she would ever have the strength to face off against Clay. As she looked at Alric and Sam then down at her belly, Dalia felt love for them course inside her. She was stunned to realise that when it came to wanting to protect what she held most dear, anything was possible. Clay would not win, because if he did then everything that she had learnt in the short time she’d spent with Sam and Alric would be for nothing. They’d taught her to be herself, that she didn’t need to fear anyone or anything. They loved her and her baby despite everything to the contrary. How could she not fight for them?
Clay fell to the ground, landing at her feet. A tortured groan left his mouth. Everything else around her was chaos. She watched Alric shift and kill four men as if it were nothing, then saw Sam shift and kill three more. There had been twelve males in all, including Jackson and Clay. With seven already down and Clay incapacitated for the moment, Alric and Sam faced off against four of the males, all of them already shifted. Jackson stood in front of the other three and lunged forward. They attacked and soon the room was filled with roaring wolves, the scent of blood and the sound of flesh being ripped.
Clay moaned again and grabbed her foot just as she went to step away. He wrapped his hand tightly around her ankle and gave a sharp tug, successfully making her lose her footing and fall backward. She landed on her ass, the air leaving her in a whoosh. Blood trickled from Clay’s hairline and he crawled forward, his wolf and human form wavering between each other. The poker had fallen from her grasp when she fell and she blindly searched for it with her hand, her fear mounting when her grasp continued to come up empty.
“You stupid fucking cunt!” Spittle and blood spewed from his mouth as he climbed over her, rage evident on his face. “I’m going to keep you chained up in my room until you push my son out, and then I’m going to rip your fucking throat out.” He snapped his mouth shut and growled low. He wasn’t changing into his wolf form, but she knew why from the feel of his arousal pressed against her body. No, no! The fact that he wanted her during a time like this proved exactly how unstable he truly was.
His touch was like acid on her flesh, and when he gripped her throat, cutting off her airway, she knew that this might very well be the end. No, he wouldn’t kill her, but he would make her life a living hell. He used his free hand to reach between their bodies and undo the button and zipper of his jeans. The feel of his erection had her clawing at his hands and kicking out her feet. He was too strong and his body too heavy. He loosened his grip and she sucked in several lungfuls of air, but a second later he tightened his hand on her throat again and her vision wavered. Once his erection was free he tore her panties away.
The fights continued, but the noises weren’t as vicious. She wanted to look and see if Alric and Sam were okay, but she couldn’t turn her head with Clay’s grasp still on her.
“This is only the beginning,” Clay whispered, his hot breath brushing across her cheek. Tears spilt from her, and they were for so many things. This was happening because of her. The baby growing inside her would
never have a happy life and Alric and Sam would be harmed, had been harmed, because of her foolishness.
She clawed at his hand, and when he released it for a moment she blindly reached for the poker. Relief washed through her when she felt the cold metal slip against her fingers. Dalia clenched her hand around it and swung it forward with all her might. It slammed against the side of Clay’s head. He grunted and loosened his grip enough for her to roll away. She didn’t wait to swing the poker again. Over and over she hit him, the sound of metal meeting flesh filling her ears and drowning everything else out. It was as if her animal had taken over, her inner self realising that he would always come after her. She would never be able to have a life if she didn’t end this now.
Warm wetness splattered across her chest and face, but she didn’t stop. “Never again. You will never hurt me again!” Dalia cried out through her tears and lifted the poker to bring it down on Clay’s unmoving body. Before she could strike someone took it out of her hands and embraced her. She screamed and fought, but then the smell of Alric and Sam filled her senses and she turned around. They stood in front of her. Sam’s arms came around her. Alric brushed a tendril of hair away from her cheek. When he removed his hand she could see blood smeared across his fingers and her stomach roiled. A look down at her body showed that she was covered in Clay’s blood. She looked at Clay, his body beaten, his face unrecognisable. Nausea rolled through her and she had to turn away to expel the contents of her stomach. Alric and Sam whispered soft words to her, and rubbed their hands up and down her back. She had killed Clay, and even though she should finally feel free, there was a sickness in her because she had taken a life.