“Not a chance. Does this have anything to do with that article you wrote?”
I peeked up at her. “So you know about that.”
“How could I not? I’m sorry, but the whole town knows. And I sent you about twenty texts trying to comfort you about it. I guess you didn’t see them.”
“I’ve been trying not to look at my phone.”
“You’re lucky I’m such a good friend, or I would’ve just given up on you.” She gave me a hard stare.
I slumped. She was right. She was my best friend in the world, and I needed to at least tell her something about what had happened. Who knew? Maybe it would make me feel better.
“Well… I managed to make myself some enemies with that article,” I said quietly. “After all that happened, I went over to Richmond’s farm. I was only going to look for some kind of evidence that would clear my name, let the world know I wasn’t crazy when I wrote that first article. The thing was, he knew I was there. He trapped me and wouldn’t let me out.”
Lydia looked like she was in shock. “For real? You were abducted by the bison alpha?”
“And three of his friends, the ones I wrote about.”
Her expression shifted as if what I’d said changed everything. “Those are four good-looking men.”
They sure were, but that was hardly relevant. “It wasn’t a good thing. They all ganged up on me. They punished me in about eight different ways. They did some pretty sick stuff. I think I may have been traumatized.”
“What kind of things are you talking about? Did they hurt you?”
“Kind of. I mean, I kind of liked it…”
Her brow furrowed. “Wait, are you saying they punished you in, like, a kinky way?”
“I guess you could put it like that.”
She recoiled. “Okay, you have got to be making this up.”
I jumped up, turning away from her. “See, this is why I didn’t want to tell you! This is why I haven’t told anybody. It may be unbelievable, but it’s true. They did all kinds of things to me, and then they sent me home like nothing ever happened.”
“Okay, calm down,” she said, coming to put her arm around my shoulders. “I believe you think something happened.”
“It did happen,” I snapped.
“Okay, but clearly you know this sounds a little far-fetched. Are you sure you didn’t maybe embellish what happened in your imagination? That maybe you wanted certain things to happen, so you made yourself believe it was true?”
“No!” I said. “I didn’t want it to happen – I didn’t ask for any of it.”
“But you did say you liked it.”
“I couldn’t help it. My body just…” I shook my head.
She guided me back to my seat, bringing her chair closer so she could keep her arm around me. “Okay, listen,” she said. “If this is true, it’s all kinds of fucked up. They shouldn’t have done anything like that. It’s all kinds of illegal.”
“I know. I wish I could tell the world what happened. People need to know what kind of alphas they are. Maybe they’d even lose their positions. Someone else might decide to challenge them to be alpha if they knew what kind of sick things they were getting up to.”
“Good thing you’re a journalist,” she said. “You can write that article.”
“How could I do that? I don’t have any proof.”
Lydia shrugged. “Then you’re going to have to go back and get some.”
SIX
The next night, I found myself in the passenger seat of Lydia’s car – and this time, we had a plan.
“So when we get there, you go in human form,” she said, even though we both already knew the plan by heart. “Your phone will be recording audio, and I’ll take video from the car.”
“I know.”
“I’ll come to the windows and see if I can record what happens inside,” she said. “If they take you down to the… dungeon… you’ll just have to make sure the audio stays on. If it’s anything like what you said, that’ll still be more than damning.”
“There’s no ‘if,’” I reminded her. “I’m going to get the proof.”
“Okay.” She took a wide left turn. “And you’re sure that making this information public is going to be worth putting yourself through that again?” she asked as we got close to Richmond’s house. “If it’s really going to be traumatic for you, then maybe we should leave well enough alone.”
I gave her the side eye. It was like she was just starting to believe me now.
“I need to do this,” I said. “They can’t get away with what they did, not if it means they could do the same to another girl.”
What I didn’t say was that subjecting myself to their punishment again might not be so bad. I’d loved it as much as I hated it, and my body craved more.
Lydia probably thought the alphas would just see me and kick me out. She was going to be shocked when she realized that everything I’d said was the God’s-honest truth.
When we finally got there, she parked the car just down the street. We had already agreed we didn’t want the alphas to see her.
I gave her a quick side hug before opening my door. “Thank you for doing this,” I said. “I know you don’t quite believe me, but you’re still here for me, and that means a lot – and you’re going to find out that what I said was true.”
“Good luck in there,” was all she said back.
Slowly, I walked toward Richmond’s door. I glanced around the farm – the animals lifted their heads to look at me, their ears sliding back.
I turned the recorder on my phone on, and then I rang the doorbell. A minute later, Richmond opened the door. He was wearing low-slung pajama pants and nothing else. My breath caught in my throat, and I let my eyes slide all over the planes and ridges of his hard body.
“I thought you might be back,” he said. “Come on in.”
I walked shakily into the entryway. “I thought you’d be more surprised to see me.”
He said nothing for a moment, then looked back at me. “Sorry, I was calling the others.”
I shivered. I kind of liked the fact that he was making sure they’d be involved.
This was the first time I’d been invited into his house, and I glanced around curiously. It was an old house, but the simple furniture and huge windows spoke to his personality – plain and straightforward, with an eye for beauty.
In his living room, I sat gingerly on the couch. I had to get him to say something that would make him implicate himself. I wondered if Lydia was near the house by now. It would be hard for her to videotape through the window without any of the alphas seeing her.
“How have you been?” I asked Richmond awkwardly.
“Fine, and you?”
“I’ve been better. I haven’t been the same since… last time.”
I hoped he’d expand on that, but all he said was, “I see.”
We sat in silence for a moment, and I took a nervous peek at his face. How did he have any right to be so damn attractive? Especially when he was so evil.
The door creaked open, and Richmond stayed where he was. Apparently the other alphas were so comfortable coming over here that they didn’t even have to knock.
When they saw me, they surrounded me, their eyes flashing as if thoughts were passing among them.
“So she really came back,” Oakley said, his eyes flickering down my body. Remembering he knew what I looked like naked, I fidgeted in my seat.
I was fine, though. I wanted them to try something with me. My phone would record all of it, and I’d have the evidence I needed to write an article about them.
“I didn’t think she’d really have the nerve to come back here,” Jacob said.
“Especially with a voice recording app and her friend lurking around,” Trey added darkly.
I stood up, my heart pounding. How did they know what I was up to? If they knew, my plan was ruined before it had even begun.
I went halfway into a shift, but Richmond gr
ipped my shoulder before it changed. “There’s no point in trying to escape. Every door and window is closed.”
“And your plan was clever, but not quite enough.” Jacob stood far too close to me as he slid his hand into the pocket of my shorts. Finding my cell phone, he dropped it on the ground. “You didn’t even try to hide this,” he laughed, jamming his heel into the screen.
A yelp came through my lips as it shattered. There went my recording, the whole reason I’d come here.
Oakley moved to the window and closed the shades. “So much for your little friend spying on us.”
“How did you even know about that?”
“We have our ways,” Jacob said.
“And also,” Trey said, “your plan wasn’t hard to guess. Come on, could you have been less creative?”
Shaking my head, I stared at the floor. My heart pounded. I didn’t know what I’d let myself in for. If they wanted to hurt me, they could. I was in their control now.
The one good thing was that Lydia knew where I was, and since I’d told her what happened last time, she’d have an idea of what was happening with me. She’d come back and rescue me, even if the windows were closed.
“Now,” Richmond said, digging his phone out of his pocket, “you’re going to call your friend and tell her that you’re fine.”
“Why would I do that?”
Standing behind me, Jacob yanked on my hair so that my head snapped back. “Because you won’t like what happens if you don’t.”
From my other side, Trey slid the collar around my neck.
Fuck. I was really trapped here – again. And I couldn’t blame anyone but myself.
Richmond dialed the number, putting star-sixty-seven first so that his own number wouldn’t show up. How did he even know Lydia’s number when my phone was smashed on the floor? I shook my head. I was learning not to question how the alphas knew what they knew, did what they did.
Richmond held the phone in front of me, putting it on speakerphone. It rang once, and Lydia’s frantic voice answered. “Cassidy? What happened to you? I’ve been trampling around the house for ten minutes, and all the windows are closed. Are you inside? Do you need help?”
Yes, I thought – but I couldn’t risk what the alphas would do to me for that. “No, I’m okay,” I said. “I actually… I chickened out. I shifted and went home. I’m sorry I wasted your time.”
“Are you serious? I’ve been freaking out thinking you were in danger.”
“I know. I was just scared.” I glanced at Richmond, who nodded silently, encouraging me to go on. “I felt like they might do something to me if I went up and knocked on the door.”
“So did they even do anything to you before? I’m so confused. I don’t even know what to believe anymore.”
Richmond gave a slight, ever-so-subtle shake of his head.
My stomach dropped. Lydia was going to hate me after this… but I had no choice. “No,” I said softly. “I think I imagined all of it – or maybe it was what I wished had happened. I don’t know how I ended up letting it get this out of hand.”
“Fuck, Cassidy, you really owe me for this.” The concern had disappeared from her voice, replaced by anger. “I thought you were better than that. Maybe the rumors going around since you wrote that article are right.”
“Lydia!” She was my absolute best friend. We were so close that she should’ve been able to hear the duplicity in my voice, the panic underlying my words. There should have been some kind of subtle hint I could give her before she hung up.
“I’m just going to go now, all right?” she asked. “Or did you have any more wild stories you wanted to tell me before I go?”
“No, it’s not like that, Lydia, I swear. I wish I could make you understand…”
“But you can’t,” she said flatly. Then all I heard was the dial tone.
Richmond lowered the phone from my lips. “What a good friend you have,” he said calmly. “I’m sure you’ll wish she could save you when you’re spending the whole night in the dungeon.” Yanking my hands behind my back, he pushed me toward the staircase.
“What do you mean? You can’t make me sleep in there. There’s no bed – there’s nothing.”
“We can do whatever the hell we want,” Oakley said. “Including making you sleep on the floor.”
As I kicked and screamed, they dragged me downstairs. By the time they got me into the dungeon, they’d also managed to tear off every piece of clothing I wore. I stood naked, hugging myself in an effort to shield my body from their lecherous eyes. But I couldn’t cover everything – if I hid both nipples, my pussy would show. I spun toward the wall, realizing belatedly that I was only showing off my ass.
“Nice,” Trey murmured, grabbing a handful of the round flesh. “What a perfect figure you have.”
I jerked away from him, trying to ignore the ache in my core. His brief touch had me yearning.
“So shy,” Jacob laughed. “Too bad she’s not so modest in other areas of her life.”
I pressed my front against the wall, glaring back at him. Why did the alphas’ eyes on me make me so fucking wet?
“We’ll come back for you in the morning,” Oakley said. He and the others began to walk away. “Sleep well, Batgirl.”
“So you’re going to leave me here?” I asked, rushing toward them before they could close the door. “All night long? There’s no bed. No bathroom. This is crazy!”
“Don’t worry,” Richmond said. “There’s a bathroom.”
They closed the door behind them, leaving me helpless on the other side.
I tried the doorknob, but it wouldn’t turn. I grabbed the doorknob and yanked it, then pounded on it as hard as I could. When that didn’t work, I kicked it instead. All of my efforts were useless. The door was solid metal, and there was no way I could get out. My hands went to the collar around my neck. Even if I was able to shift, I’d have no way to escape.
So I was stuck here until they felt like letting me out. Somehow, I believed they’d be back in the morning. I had no idea what time it was, but I guessed I had eight to ten hours on my own.
I paced around the room, familiarizing myself with my environment. I briefly wondered if there might be a secret exit, something like a sliding door behind a shelf. A nearly-hidden door led into a cramped room with a toilet and sink, no window or mirror. Other than that, there were no exits that I could find. There was, however, more BDSM equipment than I had ever known existed.
I picked up a giant whip, a leather handle with braided straps designed to lash a submissive ass. I could still remember how sore mine had been after the belt whipping. I ran my hands over the leather, wondering how this would feel. Would it be harsher than the belt? Or since the straps were thinner, would it be a little gentler? I tapped the straps across my palm to try.
I was being stupid. Why should it matter how the whip felt? But I was stuck here overnight – I had to pass the time, and I had a feeling that I wouldn’t get much sleep.
I tapped myself with the whip again, then picked up a dark mahogany paddle and tested that one. Hmm, this one felt pretty different. It was much firmer, and I could imagine it would make my flesh sting much harder.
I pictured myself splayed across Richmond’s lap again, but with him paddling my ass instead of using the belt. A thrum of desire went through me, and I became aware that my nerves were still buzzing.
Seeing a blanket on a shelf, I covered myself on the floor. I only closed my eyes for a minute before I realized there was no way I could sleep – at least, not without handling my situation.
I slid a hand between my legs. Fuck, it felt like a damn fountain down there. My mind may have hated those alphas, but my body was ready for them to do whatever they wanted with me. I wouldn’t need a moment of foreplay before any one of them could slide deep into me.
Spreading my legs, I let my fingers find a familiar rhythm on my clit. This was what I’d been waiting all night for. My body tensed up, and sparks shot th
rough my core. The anticipation had been so painful, and now I would finally find some sort of release.
As I built toward climax, my thoughts went to strange places. If those alphas came back right now, I’d let them climb on top of me – any one of them. I’d let them have what I’d so long resisted giving to my ex-boyfriend. My cherry was ripe to be plucked.
I hate them – I want them – I hate them…
My mind hadn’t managed to solve the paradox before the orgasm tore through my body.
When it was over, I was no less confused.
SEVEN
By the time morning came, I’d reached a few realizations – the main one being that no amount of orgasms was going to satisfy me after the alphas had worked me up so much for so long.
I was sitting by the wall, my knees curled up to my chest, when Oakley entered in the morning. “Rise and shine! Did you sleep well?”
I glared up at him, not moving a muscle. “Don’t get friendly with me. We both know you’re one of my kidnappers.”
“God, I can’t wait until you get Stockholm syndrome.” He tossed me a toothbrush.
“About time. It’s disgusting that you didn’t let me brush my teeth last night. You’re supposed to do it twice a day, which I guess the four of you savages wouldn’t know.” I glared at him when he didn’t respond. “There’s no shower in the bathroom in here, by the way.”
“I suppose I can let you use the other one.”
That meant he had to let me leave the room. I whipped my eyes to the left and right as we emerged from the dungeon, but of course, there was no easy route out. Still, after being imprisoned overnight, being in a new room felt oddly like a luxury.
I took my time in the shower, washing my hair with the shower gel. I felt disgusting after the night of sleeplessness. As soon as I was finished, Oakley brought me straight back into the dungeon.
I flopped onto the floor again, raking my fingers through my wet hair. “So what now? You’re going to keep me in here indefinitely?”
“Well, all of us have to go to work.”
I sat up straight, realization dawning on me. “My boss knows what story I was working on. He’ll figure out where I am. He’ll come and rescue me.”
Surrender to the Alphas (Waxing Crescent Book 5) Page 4