Colt gives me a wide smile, and I can see the staining on his teeth from here. These shifters aren’t used to being in human form, they look wild and rogue. My wolf is pacing back and forth. She knows there is something wrong with them.
“This is her?” Colt says, with a gruff tone. It sounds like he hasn’t used his voice in a long time.
“It is, why do you ask?” Bruno says, looking annoyed with the former alpha.
“She’s a little skinny, no? You promised me a healthy bitch to have pups with. Am I missin’ somethin’?” He says the last part coming out thick with an accent.
“She’s clothed, fed, and has a place to sleep just like any other wolf under my command. Just like you,” he says, and the glow of his wolf peaks out a bit. Colt diverts his eyes and stares back at me.
“Come here,” he says. He tries to put an alpha tone behind it, but he lost his alpha magic when he made the pact with Bruno. He doesn’t have that kind of power anymore. I tentatively take a step over, watching the rest of the room as I go. Ralph’s hands are clenched to the sides of his chair, his knuckles white from the pressure. Nile’s jaw is offset in a scowl. They must not like these wolves.
As I approach him, he grabs my arm and pulls me hard onto his lap. He smells like dirt, dead things, and unwashed human skin. It takes all of me not to vomit on him. His hand goes up my arm, as he grabs my face to look into my eyes. The pressure he puts on my jaw, brings tears to my eyes, but I try not to let them out. I can’t show that much weakness.
“You reek of fear, but my wolf is a bit calmer with you around. Normally, I can only shift for 5 hours at a time because he gets so restless, but I feel a bit more grounded. Is this the omega magic?” he asks, the room. Hell will freeze over before I answer him.
“Yes,” Nile grinds out. Colt looks at him for a few seconds and dismisses the threat. Even though Nile is gamma, there are some wolves that out-rank him, and it appears Colt is one of them.
Colt lets go of my face, but the sting from his grip is still there. I can feel the beginning of a bruise coming on. Now that his hand is free, he takes the time to touch me all over. First my thighs, then my stomach. He’s trailing his hand all over me, while the other pins me in place. He finally hovers right above my breast, and with a sharp inhale grabs it. He’s so rough about it, I crumple into myself trying to get free. I pry at his fingers, but I’m not strong enough.
“Let. Go. Of. Her,” Ralph says, from across the table. I turn to him with tears streaming down my face. This is beyond anything that they’ve done. I start to panic and thrash about, clawing at his grip. My fear just spurs him on, as he brings me closer to his chest and sniffs me on the neck. He’s hard underneath me, and I begin to heave from the thought of him touching me.
“Why? She’s mine. You gave her to me,” Colt says. His lack of people skills are really showing through. When I don’t think I can take anymore, a breeze falls over my face. The pain in my breast stops, and I fall down on top of Colt as we hit the floor.
Bruno is hovered over us, chest breathing heavily. His eyes are the color of the sun, and his teeth are partially shifted. I need to get out of the way before he attacks me. I try to crab-walk to the side, but Colt grabs onto me and pins me in place. A growl omits from his mouth and my fear increases tenfold. I can’t be in the way if these two shift and fight.
Screams erupt from the other side of the room, as my attention is placed on the man and woman who are with Colt. The man is in transition, his wolf riding him hard, and the woman is backed against the wall, with Nile hovering over her. His hands are shifted, and his claws are elongated into sharp dangers. One move off the wall and the woman will be gutted.
“You’ll attack me because I was taking what is owed? You have the lands and businesses; I get the girl. That was the trade unless you’re going back on your word, for an omega whore.” Colt, spits standing up and dragging me with him.
“If I were you, I’d watch what you say next,” Bruno spits out. He’s trying to control the change, and it’s not working. Everyone is busy with their own fight, and Colt is behind me, so I take a chance and look Bruno in the eyes. His gaze snaps to mine, and immediately the air is consumed with power. His wolf recedes a bit, but his chest heaves in and out, and I know if he were to hit something, he’d crush it.
Bruno and I found out the use for our eye contact long ago. We were still teenagers when his father was alpha. I was doing my chores in one of the cabins when another pack member took it upon themselves to try to take what was owed. He beat me up pretty badly, and when he was about to claim my virginity, Bruno stepped in. I was so shocked that I forgot to look away from his more dominant wolf. We made eye contact and the magic kicked in. He attacked the man, and his strength was tripled. He was able to snap the neck of a full-grown alpha wolf. It’s the day he was made alpha, the day he saved me.
“Fuck you, she’s my bitch and that’s all there is to it. Now let us leave, and we won’t come back. She’s going to be my bride and I’ll claim or touch her anytime I want,” Colt says. He’s not a very smart man or wolf.
With a single blow to the head, Bruno is able to crush the skull of the alpha holding me. I felt the force of the magic behind the punch, and when Colt dies instantly, I’m dropped to the ground. There’s no reason for me to be saved, but Bruno has done it twice now.
“What did you do!” The female screams from her pinned position on the other side of the wall. Nile has her by the throat, so she can’t move at all. One slip and her neck will be sliced by his claws.
A howl overtakes the room, and the third member of their party can’t fight his wolf anymore. Ralph grabs him by the gruff of the neck just as he’s about to charge Bruno. A snap is heard, and a second dead man now lies on the floor of the dining room.
A strangled cry comes from my lips, as I look at all the carnage around me. I don’t know why he saved me, but I feel like I should thank him, or something. Gazing up to look into Bruno’s face once again, I am met with only anger and frustration. A look of disgust forms as he walks out of the room. My heart breaks a little more at that moment, and the tears start falling freely.
Chapter Five
Put Back Together
The next day I don’t get up from the bed. I don’t make breakfast, and no one comes to get me. My stomach growls, but I ignore it. I’ve lost my place in this world. Before all this, I was just Clara the servant. Doing what she had to do to survive and trying to figure out a way to make her life a little better. Now, I’ve been shaken up and ripped apart. My role is so confusing. If they were going to give me to Colt, why did they act that way? Why would Bruno kill him?
I stare at the ceiling in my little room for hours. Nothing will ever change for me, and the little reprieve that I had, was taken. I don’t know if I can continue living this life. Dark thoughts race through my head. What do I have to live for? No one cares for me or loves me. I haven’t been touched by someone in a loving manner since I was a child.
A knock sounds on my door. I look at it in confusion. My thoughts want me rooted to this bed, but curiosity wins out, mostly because people never come here. Walking over to the door, I open it a smidge to peer out. I never expected it to be him.
“Can I come in?” Bruno says, looking around the hall like he’s doing something wrong.
“Why?” I ask. Time for being nice has passed.
“I wanted to see if you were alright. When you didn’t come to breakfast or teach the children, I didn’t know what happened to you,” he says. His tone is foreign; one I don’t understand.
“Bruno, you don’t give a shit about me. You never have, so why after last night does this all matter to you? You want to sell me off to the next wolf who you need something from. I just can’t do this anymore. This in-between place I have found myself in is going to kill me,” I say. He winces at my words and for a second, I think he feels something.
“You’re right. The in-between has to stop. I’ve come here to tell you the trut
h. To tell you what I know about you, and about all of this.”
“I don’t understand, what do you know about me that I already don’t?”
“You’re my mate,” he says, so quiet I think I misheard him.
“I’m your what?” I say. The shock is seen clearly on my face. I’m speechless. There is nothing that could have prepared me for this. I always thought I’d be alone the rest of my life, and I was okay with that to a certain extent, even if I was lonely. But the Fates must have it in for me, because how could they pair me with this monster?
“My mate, and also Ralph and Nile.”
My head starts to spin, and I take a seat on my bed. This can’t be happening. There is no way three dominant wolves could be my mates. Three wolves who have tortured me, ruined me, tore me apart. This is all a sick joke; it has to be.
“No,” I say, with a defiant tone. I can’t let them suck me into this game. It’s probably retribution for the dead alpha. He’s regretting what he did.
“I’m sorry, Clara, but it’s the truth. I’ve known since the day in the cabin when my father tried to take advantage of you. My wolf claimed you, and I hated it. I was trying to be a good alpha, trying to prove to the pack I was strong, and if I had mated the omega, I would have never gained their respect.”
“This is fucking unbelievable. Get out,” I say, my tone taking on the dominant streak he’s so used to throwing around.
“You can’t run from this. We need to figure this thing out; I’m tired of hiding it.”
“Are you delirious? You and your buddies have been making my life a living hell for ten years. All the name calling, extra chores, humiliation, and letting the pack do the same. Look around you, Bruno. What do you see? Is it a happy life that I live in this broom closet; cooking dinner, washing clothes, cleaning cabins, and teaching the children? Do I look content to you?”
Shamefully, he looks down. This time he can’t handle my words. This time it hits him right in the chest, and I don’t give a flying fuck. If he isn’t going to leave then I will. I strip off my threadbare nightgown and shift. My wolf gladly comes to the surface, taking over for us. I push past him, and run right out the door, that we forgot to close. The kitchen has a special door with a lock that opens with a foot pedal. A wolf can pounce on it, and the door will open. I do just that and run for my sanctuary. There’s no way I’m going back.
Chapter Six
The Fuck Up
Bruno
We fucked up bad. I fucked up bad. All these years of ignoring my mate bond has driven me to violence and recklessness. I couldn’t give in, at the time I became the alpha, I was only eighteen, barely an adult. To mate with the omega would have shown me as weak. I couldn’t afford it.
After a time, I should have stepped in. I shouldn’t have let the pack or my beta and gamma treat her that way. There are so many regrets racing through my head. All the times I hurt her, all the times she cried because of me. I hate myself for it.
It took seeing that wolf put his hands all over her to wake me up. My wolf went ballistic. Fighting to get to the surface and protect what’s his. I felt Ralph and Nile’s struggle too. The three of us mated long ago and made a pact never to take on a female. We were destined to be with Clara, and if we couldn't, then it would just be us three. Now it’s all about to change. Now we know we need her. Colt was a bastard of an alpha, and he would have hurt Clara for the rest of her existence. I just couldn’t let that happen.
Leaving her room and taking her scent with me I go in search of my mates. A plan needs to be made to gain her trust. To show her things can be different, and there would be no more torment. No more abuse. But how do you fix something like that? How do you repair ten years worth of damage?
Stepping into my office, the guys were sitting there on edge waiting for me. Our worlds were thrown upside down yesterday, and we have no clue how to navigate through this mess.
“What did she say?” Nile asks, popping up from the couch. His eyes alight with the fire of protection. He wants nothing more than to hold her.
“She’s pissed, as expected. She shut me down and basically told us to go fuck ourselves. This is bad guys, really bad,” I say, taking a seat behind the desk. Rubbing my hands on my face, I try to imagine how we can start the process of having her forgive us.
“I don’t think I will get over what we did to her either. When my wolf snapped yesterday, the guilt came crashing down on me. Everything we ever did, all the locked-up emotions flooded my senses and claimed my soul. I’m gutted,” Ralph says, leaning his head back onto the couch. I know just how he feels.
“Let’s talk strategy. We have to get her back somehow. Now that our wolves and human halves are in agreement, the mating is imperative,” Nile says, thinking this will heal everything. When it’s just making it worse.
“She left,” I say, letting it hang in the air. If I would have stopped her, I think she would have attacked, and an angry shifter isn’t an easy thing to subdue even if I am the alpha.
“What do you mean she left? You let her leave? What the fuck Bruno!” Ralph says, angrily. He isn’t the type to get worked up, but for our mate, he’d burn the world. I hate myself and I know they do to for taking advantage of her, but how else were we going to keep her at arm's length. She couldn't find out. We couldn’t let her get close enough to realize that we were destined to be together.
“She shifted; on the fly, I might add. It took her about five seconds to fully shift, it was amazing to watch,” I say, astonishment in my voice. Normally, a shift can take anywhere between one minute to five. It’s not something that just magically happens. The body has to transform.
“Holy shit! Really? Must be her omega powers,” Nile assumes.
“Going for a run right now seems like the best course of action. We need to make sure she’s safe. We can’t just let her leave,” Ralph says. We’re all feeling the anxiety that she’s gone, even though the other omega came to the pack yesterday. He’s a child and his powers aren’t as strong. We took him from an abusive home before they could do real damage.
I nod in agreement, and we file out to the back of the cabins. There is a shed there that holds our clothes and shoes for when we shift. Keeps them dry if it should rain. My shift is always easier than the rest of the pack. My magic is a combination, bits of everyone else’s magic. My wolf is more dominant than my human side, but with Clara’s help, I can control it.
Nile and Ralph join me in the clearing where I’m waiting for them to catch up. My wolf is pure white with no markings. I’m also the largest wolf in the pack. Ralph is a sandy color with black streaks running down his back. Nile looks more like a traditional wolf, grey and white. He’s slenderer than Ralph and I, but no less aggressive.
I put my nose down to the ground and take a big sniff. Her scent is all over, making me think she did it on purpose to confuse us. Little does she know scent isn’t the only way we can find her. Looking inside myself, I find the mate bond. Right away the guys light up. They are strongest since we completed our ceremony, but Clara’s is right next to it. It’s faint, but there. I tug on it a bit, and it snaps into place. I can feel her fear. She knows we’re coming.
Taking off in her direction, the guys are right behind me. We hit the tree line with supernatural speed, jumping over logs and debris to keep us at a smooth run. The stream where her garden is comes into view, and her black wolf is sitting right next to it. We come to a screeching halt, watching her for signs of aggression. She doesn’t even bother to move.
A shimmer comes over us, and Clara is standing before us naked. My wolf lets out a low whine and lays down at her feet. I’m so surprised by this action. I never would’ve thought he’d do something so submissive. Ralph and Nile follow suit, but they roll on their backs, giving her the most vulnerable parts. If she wanted to, she could kill them right there.
“Your submission is ridiculous. Change back,” she commands. Even though it’s nothing like my alpha command, there is a strength
behind it. Something that has just appeared.
Pulling my human self forward, I shift first. The guys follow behind me, and we are all standing around naked as the day we were born. No one feels uncomfortable, but my cock is responding to her scent. Her curves fall in all the right places, and while I could always tell she’s been attracted to me, I also know she despises it.
“Why did you lie?” she asks, gesturing to her garden. It lays before us still intact, just how she left it. I couldn’t bring myself to destroy the only thing that brought her joy.
“Because I’m an asshole,” I say, admitting the one thing that could maybe get her to see how wrong I was.
“That’s a fucking poor excuse. You’ve been verbally and mentally abusing me for years, and then all of a sudden now your kind? Because some dickhead grabbed my boob a little too hard? You were ready to fucking sell me!” she screams. Her frustration and anger are apart. Ralph and Nile hang their heads in disgrace, and I can’t even look her in the eye.
“I know,” I whisper. She turns back around then, giving us a view of her ass and dismissing us in one motion. I can’t leave her though. I’ll never be able to be apart from her again.
“Clara,” Nile says, taking a few steps toward her. She doesn’t move, but the tension in her shoulders is visible. She’s still afraid of us. “Clara, look at me,” he pleads. His voice is full of emotion.
“Fuck you, Nile. Remember what you said in the hall? I’m too weak to be anything to you. Too unimportant. There is nothing you can say or do to make me believe otherwise,” she replies.
“That’s not true now. We’ve realized our mistakes. We want to atone for what we’ve done. Please tell us how to do that. Tell us how we get you to come home,” he says, a break in his voice. His shoulders are hunched over, and tears form in his eyes. My wolf growls at the submission he’s giving off, but my human side understands. If this is what it takes to get her, we’ll do anything.
Tormented: A Bully Romance Anthology Page 23