by M. A. Church
Fangs and Fur
By M.A. Church
What lengths will a corrupt Alpha go to get what he wants?
Beaten, broken, and left in agony by his Alpha, jaguar shifter Delta Bert Morris is nothing but a pawn Alpha Hogan uses to blackmail Bert’s mate. Helpless and terrified, Bert doesn’t see a way out of the situation Hogan has created. He fears his mate will give into Hogan’s demands.
What will a delta sacrifice for his mate?
After seeing the video of Bert’s torture, Delta Alvin Hall is desperate to save him. Following Hogan’s commands, he tries to kidnap his Alpha’s mate, forfeiting his honor in the process. He fails spectacularly. But instead of killing him outright for his betrayal, his Alpha involves the Shifter Council to help rescue Bert.
What will the cost be?
Things go horribly wrong, and the price Bert pays is horrifying. Losing control of his jaguar, Bert shifts and takes off. When animal instinct suppresses the human spirit, the shifter often loses himself.
A jamboree destroyed by an Alphas greed, a shifter lost in his animal, and another shifter who sacrificed everything. Can Alvin and Bert find their way back to one another? And if they can, what kind of future could they possibly have together?
*Trigger Warning: Contains some scenes of violent content
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Fangs and Fur 2018 © M.A. Church
Cover artist: Sara York
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser or reviewer only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the author, except where permitted by law.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Epilogue
Backlist
Author Bio
Chapter One
PAIN EXPLODED along the side of Bert’s face. He dropped to his knees, curling into a ball in a useless attempt to protect his head.
Dun, one of Alpha Hogan’s betas, paced around him, laughing softly. The sound chilled him. Even though shifters ran hot, lately all Bert felt was a seeping coldness. Being stripped of his shirt didn’t help—not that it was much more than a rag. He fought not to whimper, but the agony from the relentless beatings were taking a toll on his body. He desperately needed to shift to heal his wounds, but he couldn’t because Alpha Hogan had commanded him not to, the ruthless son of a bitch.
“Pathetic.”
Alpha Hogan’s voice splashed against Bert like sewage, hot and nasty, and he recoiled. More pain flared through his body from the movement. He sucked in a breath and promptly started coughing. Bert tried to open his eyes, but one was already swollen shut. Hastily he swiped at the blood dripping into the other and focused on his Alpha. Goddess, how he hated that man and his betas.
“I always knew you were weak, but this is beyond ridiculous.” Hogan leaned back in the rickety wooden chair, a curl of smoke rising above his head. He puffed on the stogie once more and blew the filthy-smelling smoke in Bert’s direction.
Gagging, Bert braced a hand on the floor and tried to force himself into a sitting position. Dun calmly strode in front of him and stomped on his hand. Something cracked. Bert yelled, collapsing once again, cradling his hand. Scared to see the damage but unable not to look, he glanced at it. Oh fuck. One finger was bent awkwardly, and he moaned. His hands were how he made a living. If he couldn’t work, then what?
Dun snickered.
Slowly Bert pushed himself up again. Damned if he’d lay curled up at his Alpha’s feet, whimpering. “Alpha—”
“Shut up!” Dun viciously kicked him in the ribs with his steel-toe boot.
Bert howled, wrapping his arms around his body. Black spots danced before his one working eye as a rib broke. Panting from the hot, stabbing torment, he lifted his head and glared at his Alpha. That earned him a kick to the back from the other beta, Wheaton.
Bert fell to the ground, his body screaming. He seriously began to wonder if they planned on killing him. There was only so much even he could take, especially as he was a delta and two betas were beating him. Being unable to shift didn’t help. Bert spit blood on the shack’s dirt floor.
“It’s really too bad your mate is being so stubborn.” Alpha Hogan sighed. “Makes you wonder just how much he cares about you, doesn’t it?”
The slimy bastard. Alvin’s care, or lack thereof, had nothing to do with it.
Bert glanced at his Alpha. The maniacal gleam in Hogan’s eyes terrified him down to his toes. Alpha Hogan was insane, greedy, and frantic for money to save his failing jamboree.
“Please, please allow me to shift,” Bert begged from the floor, tossing his pride out the window. He was having trouble breathing. What if that broken rib had punctured a lung?
“Unfortunately we’re not quite finished.” Alpha Hogan stood, then nodded at the two betas. “As I said, Alvin is still resisting me. I informed him of what I required—nicely, I might add—but maybe this will help him understand how serious I am.”
Wheaton grabbed Bert. Hogan’s words terrified him, and Bert fought, not that it did any good. Wheaton slammed him into the chair Alpha Hogan just vacated and held him down. Out of the corner of his good eye, Bert saw Dun walk to a corner of the shack and pick up a coil of rope.
The sadistic smile on Dun’s face damn near stopped Bert’s heart. He struggled in Wheaton’s hold, but the pain and being half-starved had weakened him. Even though he knew it would do no good, he debated shouting for help. No one dared to disturb Alpha Hogan and his betas when they were in this horrible little hovel. They all knew what went on in here.
“No!” Bert screamed, fighting harder against Wheaton. “I told you everything.” He hadn’t wanted to, but they literally beat the information out of him.
“Indeed you have.” Alpha Hogan glanced over to the scarred table set off to the side. “That thing still recording?”
“Yes, Alpha,” Dun answered as he approached Bert. “We have video of this.”
“Good.”
“What?” Horrified, Bert followed Alpha Hogan’s gaze. There on the table was an old tablet that had been propped up. They taped my beating?
“Should make for interesting viewing, don’t you think, Bert? Maybe this will convince Alvin,” Alpha Hogan said.
Panic flooded Bert at the implication. “Oh goddess, no! You can’t mean to show Alvin that video! You bastard! Do you know what that’ll do to him?”
“Get his attention, I’m hoping. I’m sure Delta Alvin will appreciate the seriousness of the situation after viewing it.” Alpha Hogan laughed with Dun, ignoring Bert’s agonized look. “But….” Alpha Hogan glanced at Bert and flashed a tight-lipped smiled. “Just in case he doesn’t fully grasp it, we’re going to give your mate all the—shall we say—motivation he needs.”
Heart pounding in terror, Bert fought
viciously, but his body had nothing left to give. Wheaton jerked his arms behind him, and Bert’s head spun from the pain. Dun wound the rope around his chest and through the open back of the chair until he was securely tied.
“Make sure he screams. Loudly too.” Indifferent, Alpha Hogan studied Bert. “Delta Alvin needs to understand exactly who he’s dealing with.”
The first kick from Dun’s steel-toe boot to his right knee robbed Bert of breath. Agony exploded, and he couldn’t think for the torment bleeding through his veins. The pain was unlike anything he’d ever experienced. Jabbing sharp knives into it would’ve felt better.
His body shuddered. Even though his hands were tied behind his back, they strained to reach forward to protect his knee. The roughness of the rope bit into the tender skin on his wrists as he thrashed. Gods, they’d tied his hands so tight that they were already going numb.
Finally his lungs unlocked, and he fought not to scream. He wouldn’t give the bastards the pleasure. He damn sure wouldn’t contribute to the horror Alvin would go through when he saw the video of Bert being beaten.
“I’m not hearing anything, boys,” Alpha Hogan drawled.
Wheaton punched Bert in the side of the head, and Bert’s head jerked from the impact, his vision blurring. Dun kicked Bert again—to the same kneecap. Tears ran down Bert’s face, but he growled instead of crying out, still refusing to scream for Alpha Hogan. Fuck if he’d give that insane bastard what he wanted.
But by the tenth kick, his kneecap shattered.
Bert started screaming.
BERT WOKE, sputtering from the tepid water from the nearby stream being thrown in his face. Every inch of his body shrieked in agony, and he sucked in a harsh breath.
Shit. They were still here. Had he passed out? How long ago? Head drooping, he refused to glance at his Alpha.
“Break time’s over.” Wheaton grabbed Bert by his damp hair and jerked his head up.
Bert moaned, squeezing his eyes shut. His right leg felt like it had been hacked off, and breathing was damn near impossible.
Alpha Hogan squatted in front of Bert. “Only one last thing to do.”
By the Sacred Mother, what now? They’d broken not only his body, but his spirit too. He simply couldn’t take any more pain. The beatings, although not as bad as this one, had been going on since Hogan had found out who Alvin was to Bert.
Bert reached for unconsciousness once again, but it eluded him. He wanted it all to end, so the first slight tug and snip caught him by surprise. He was expecting pain, but instead…. What were they doing?
Bert opened his unswollen eye. Grinning, Alpha Logan pointed at the floor. There was another tug and snip. Unease raced through Bert, and knowing he didn’t have a choice, he slowly glanced down. Long brown lengths of something rested around his feet. As he watched, more brown—what the hell was that?—fluttered to the floor.
“No!” Voice nearly broken, Bert still managed to scream when he realized what was laying around his feet was none other than hanks of his long hair.
Helplessly, Bert watched as more and more hair fell, until there was nothing left of his long locks.
“Excellent. Dun, do whatever you have to do with that tablet thing, but make sure Alvin gets our little video as soon as possible. Tell him I want my package delivered today. And if I don’t? Make sure Bert’s mate understands that the next thing we cut off will be body parts, not hair.”
Dun nodded. “Yes, Alpha.”
Desolate, Bert watched as both Dun and Wheaton, along with his Alpha, left the shed. Once more he was alone. He glanced around. Fuck, it smelled in here—like fear, desolation, and that horrible cigar his Alpha liked so much. On top of that, there was no electricity to the shed, and it was damn hot outside.
Not that most houses in their jamboree had electricity anyway, or running water. Both had been cut off for lack of payment several months ago. Only Alpha Hogan’s jamboree house and some of the betas had utilities now.
Bert shivered, even though it was the dead of summer. His chin dropped to his chest as he tried to block out the pain in his body and the humiliation of having his hair cut. Hours passed as he drifted in and out of consciousness, until a particularly sharp pain startled him awake. His body was trying to heal, but malnutrition was slowing it. The broken bones worried him. They needed to be set before he shifted so there wouldn’t be permanent damage.
Sunlight filtered through the cracks in the shack, and Bert tracked the movement of the shadows. Fuck, Alvin must have given in—otherwise Hogan would be beating on him some more.
Bert dozed, or maybe he just slipped into unconsciousness again. Either way, he was able to escape for a short time. If only he could physically leave here as easily.
The opening of the door snapped him awake. Hogan, Wheaton, and Dun walked inside, and Hogan was smiling. Bert’s stomach dropped. Nothing good ever came from that smile.
He glanced at the rays of sunlight beaming on the floor. How long had it been now? Didn’t matter. Hogan was here and ready to unleash his special brand of hell. Bert braced himself. Regardless of the outcome, innocent people would suffer.
“You’ll be happy to know that Alvin finally saw reason.” Alpha Hogan smirked, puffing on his cigar.
Bert closed his eyes, defeated. He’d been afraid Alvin would betray his Alpha and kidnap Cade. He and Alvin were damned no matter what happened now. Bert ignored the jovial comments from his Alpha and the betas. Inside, he grieved for Alvin. What must this have done to him, to choose between his mate and betraying his Alpha? To lose his honor this way? Bert wasn’t worth this.
The door to the shack slammed open, and one of the other betas rushed inside. “Alpha! A white stretch limousine was spotted five minutes out from the jamboree house. There are several white SUVs following it too.”
Bert’s heart beat faster. Oh, thank all that is holy.
“What?” Alpha Hogan bellowed, his smirky attitude vanishing. “What the fuck are they doing here?”
“Fuck.” Dun glanced at Bert. “Bad timing, that’s for sure.”
“Why the hell is the Shifter Council coming here?” Wheaton growled. “And with no advance notice? Shit, if they find out what we’ve done, they’re going to—”
“Fuck! Fuck!” Alpha Hogan rounded on Wheaton and backhanded him, sending him skidding across the dirt floor. “I’m aware of what they’ll do, you fool.”
Bert flinched, even though he thoroughly enjoyed seeing Wheaton on the receiving end of his Alpha’s temper.
Wheaton wiped the blood off his mouth but didn’t get off the floor. “What do we do?”
“Greet the assholes—what the fuck else, you useless dick?” Alpha Hogan snarled, then pointed at Bert. “Gag him and knock his ass out.”
Oh hell no. Bert yanked frantically at the ropes binding him. He had a horrible feeling that this time he might not wake up. He started to yell for help, but Dun punched him in the mouth. More pain exploded in his jaw as his head snapped back, and the momentum sent him crashing to the floor. The voices around him faded in and out, and he struggled not to give in to the encroaching darkness.
“The last thing I need is for them questioning why I’m disciplining one of my—” Alpha Hogan froze, his eyes wide. He shuddered. “Feel that? That spike of power? Son of a bitch. They’re here.” He glared at the beta who brought the news. “I thought you said they were five minutes out!”
“T-that’s what I was told, Alpha!” The beta backed toward the door, then rushed out.
“Fuck me! I’m surrounded by morons!” Alpha Hogan yelled. “I don’t have time for the Council’s fucking games. Not now.”
Trembling, Wheaton slowly climbed to his feet. “Um, why don’t I go meet them?”
“Oh, I don’t think so. Dun will go. He can hide his nervousness better than you,” Alpha Hogan snapped, and Dun smirked at Wheaton. “Go, Dun. And dammit, delay them as long as possible. We have a mess to clean up here. If they ask for me, tell them I’ll be there s
hortly.”
“Yes, Alpha.” Dun bobbed his head, then sent Wheaton one more pointed look before rushing out the door.
“Wheaton, fucking find something to gag this pathetic excuse of a delta with,” Hogan snarled. “Then knock his ass out. I need him quiet now.” Alpha Hogan cussed soundly.
Bert shook his head, trying to get his vision to stop jumping.
“Like what?” Wheaton asked, looking around nervously.
“For the love of…. Are you a complete imbecile?” Hogan yelled. He picked a dirty rag up off the floor, bent down, and stuffed it into Bert’s mouth.
Bert heaved at the smell.
Hogan stood. “Am I’m going to have to knock his ass out too, or do you think you can handle that one task on your fucking own?”
“I—”
A hair-raising roar sounded not far from the shack, and Alpha Hogan paled. “Wheaton, get that piece of shit taken care of now and—”
There was a scuffle outside, another terrifying roar, and the door to the shack flew open. Bert blinked against the afternoon light. A male he’d never seen before stood backlit by sunlight. Bert squinted, trying to clear his wavering vision, but it did no good.
Please, please, be here to help. Goddess, please.
“I am Enforcer Rhett Carrick from the Shifter Council. I scented that Alpha Hogan was in here and—holy mother of the goddess, what the fuck is going on here? What the hell has been done to this male, and why?”
“I am Alpha Hogan.” Hogan stalked forward. “How dare you just show up here with no warning? This isn’t how it’s done—no notice or anything. Step outside, and we’ll—”
Wheaton eased off to the right as Hogan stood in front of the enforcer. Bert watched helplessly. He was all too familiar with that move.
“No one is going anywhere until I get answers. That male”—Rhett pointed at Bert—“has been severely beaten from the looks of it. I want him untied and treated. Then I want to speak with him. Such abuse isn’t tolerated. I—”
Bert whined desperately. Help was so close.