by C Y Jones
“We can’t wait for the pack to get their shit together. We can’t leave Aspen again,” I say, pleading with my eyes for him to understand. After all, it was his fault we left her the first time because of his lies.
Sighing he says, “then I will send help as soon as everything is sorted out here. Just don’t die before then.” With a tear slipping from his eye, he pulls us to his bulky body and hugs us tightly, like he’s trying to squeeze all of his strength into us.
“Thanks dad,” Logan and I mumble together before grabbing our bags and heading down the stairs.
Mekka is already in the parlor waiting for us, pacing back and forth in front of the big bay windows.
“Are you ready?” He asks as soon as he sees us. Besides the pacing, he doesn’t look worried. We could be going to our deaths, something he’s well aware of, but just like us, he doesn’t seem to care.
“Yeah, we’re ready,” I tell him.
Right before we get to the front door, Tyler steps out his office and yells, “stop.”
Immediately my muscles bunch up, following his order as he put Alpha power behind the command.
“Don’t try to stop us,” Mekka growls. His eyes start to glow a startling green as he tries fighting the command.
“Are you challenging me pup?” Alpha says in a low voice. One filled with anger and a promise of violence. He’s just as on edge as all of us. Being challenged every five seconds doesn’t help either.
“I am if you’re here to stop us from getting our mate back,” Mekka answers.
Holding my breath, I watch Alpha. Two of those five challenges have ended in death. Mekka is strong, but he’s no Alpha.
“I’m not here to stop you,” Alpha finally relents, letting out his breath. “Your mind's made up, and the pack is too messed up right now for me to send anyone with you. I only ask that if you see Kassie and have the opportunity to save her, would you please bring her back here with you?”
“No fucking way,” Logan growls.
“Look, I understand your hostility. All the vile shit Kassie’s done to your mate can never be forgiven. I’m not asking you to bring her back so she’ll get a free pass. She has to pay for her crimes against Aspen and the pack. She will pay, but she doesn’t deserve to die. Even Aspen saw that when she decided to save her.”
Out of all the things Alpha could say, that is the only thing that gives us pause. Yes, Kassie did some wicked shit, and yes, we will never forgive her, but if it weren’t for Aspen, Kassie would be dead right now. She outed herself by revealing her powers to save the vile bitch. If she could see that Kassie didn’t deserve to die, then maybe we could too.
“Fine,” I huff, “but we won’t be going out of our way to save her or keep her alive. If there's an opportunity to grab her we will take it, but nothing more.”
“That’s all I’m asking,” Alpha replies, and I give him a firm nod.
“Just so we’re clear. If we do bring her back, we expect her punishment to fit the crime,” Logan says, staring Alpha down.
“It will. I promise. When returned, Kassie will be excommunicated for life from all packs, not just ours. She will be immediately shipped off to the disciplinary school, and I will cut off any further contact with her.”
“And I will make sure he sticks to that promise,” Aspen’s mother says as she descends the stairs. I was so caught up in my shock over Kassie’s punishment I didn’t even hear her until she speaks.
“Be safe,” she says, kissing us all on the cheek. “If anyone can get my daughter back, it will be you three.”
“We will, I promise,” I tell her.
“Good,” she replies, nodding in approval.
With our goodbyes done, we leave out the door and pile into Mekka’s souped up Challenger waiting out front.
“Are you ready for this?” I ask Mekka as I strap in the passenger seat.
“I was born ready,” he answers with a cheeky grin.
We can do this. We have to. I think to myself as Mekka speeds out the drive and down the dirt road. We’re coming for you baby. Just hold on.
3
Aspen
I wake suddenly when I hear Ethan’s voice in my head, having broke through my shields as I was resting. They’re coming, thank fuck. I don’t know how much longer I can deal with Kassie. Although she hasn’t said another word to me since I warned her, she has been snooping around my room while I rested. It’s not like I care. It’s shite I left behind, but I still don’t want her touching anything of mine. Now would be a good time to talk to dear old dad about him keeping Kassie prisoner somewhere else. There's plenty of extra empty rooms to stash her in. Stretching, I glare at Kassie as I watch her take yet another one of my books off the shelf and place it back in the wrong spot.
“Do you mind?” I growl.
“Oh, so you’re talking to me now,” she replies sarcastically and I growl low in my throat. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and count backwards from five. When I open them, I don’t feel like ripping Kassie’s throat out as much as I did before.
“Stop messing up my shite. If you touch something then put it back where you got it from,” I say, looking pointedly at my bookshelf.
“Why are you being so anal? It’s just books,” she huffs.
“They’re my books, so do as I ask, or I’ll cut your hands off, and then I won’t have to worry about you touching anything else of mine ever again,” I threaten.
“Maybe I should have done that to you when you strolled into my pack and stole my mates,” the stupid cunt yells, getting in my face.
“They’re not your mates. They never were,” I yell back. “You know what, delusional barbie, think what you want. I can’t stop you, but don’t be shocked when reality smacks you in your face and puts you on your arse,” I say before knocking into her shoulder as I storm pass into the bathroom. I wonder how many times Tyler and Kassie’s mother dropped her on her head when she was a pup.
After a long shower, I put on some clothes and storm over to my door where I yank it open. As suspected there’s a guard leaning on the wall right outside, commanded by my father to keep watch.
“I want to see my father,” I tell him and the arsehole just frowns.
“Get back in your room. Your father will call for you when he’s ready.”
“Look arsehole, I said I-want-to-see-my-father,” I say a bit slower, holding out a flaming hand. I watch as his eyes grow wider and he smartly takes a couple of steps back.
“I’m ordered to keep you here,” he replies in a less arseholey voice, but it still isn’t the answer I want to hear.
Making my flames grow, I gaze deep into his eyes and say, “then I suggest you follow new orders or I’ll burn this whole place to the ground, starting with you.”
With a gulp he nods, and I push pass him, taking long quick strides to my father’s office.
“I’m coming too,” I hear Kassie shout, but I don’t wait for her to catch up, or even let on that I heard her.
The house is big and if you haven’t actually lived here or are used to being here. you could easily get lost. Having grown up here, I know every nook and cranny of this place, including the quickest way to my father’s office. When I get to his door, I don’t even bother to knock. Dad’s a True Alpha, he would have heard me coming as soon as I stepped into the same hall his office is in.
“Aspen, love, what can I do for you?” He says in a pleasant voice, like he didn’t just wolfnap me and had me held prisoner in my room for the day.
“Well, for starters you can call mum and tell her you’re sending me back,” I answer.
“And why on earth will I do that? You’re my daughter. You belong here with me and not with some weak pack with an even weaker Alpha.”
“He must not have been that weak if he bested you in a fight, having you to resort in taking hostages,” I reply. I’m being reckless with my words, and I watch fascinated as father grows angry until he gets up in a blur and is right in front of me and sl
aps me clear across my face. When I recover, I look at him with as much hate as I can muster as I lick the blood from my bleeding lip.
"You will show me respect, daughter,” he says, getting right in my face. My father’s a tall man, at least a foot taller than my 5’8” frame and he has to hunch over for us to be eye level. Closeup, I can see the anger swirling in his golden eyes and his teeth lengthen. He’s ready to rip my throat out, I can tell, but he won’t because he needs me for something. Something that had him go to such great lengths to bring me back here.
“What do you want? We both know you didn’t bother to bring me here for father/daughter bonding.” I ask as soon as he takes a step away, and sits back behind his desk like he’s king of the world.
“I only wanted my daughter back and now here you are.”
“Cut the bullshite dad. I know you’re lying.”
A warning growl starts low in his throat, but suddenly he smiles a crazy smile when he looks over at Kassie standing by the door.
“Come closer child,” he says to Kassie, and she widens her eyes in fear. She’s like Little Red Riding Hood meeting the Big Bad Wolf for the first time after he’s killed her grandma.
Sir,” she mumbles as she moves closer.
“Such a pretty girl, and a quite helpful one too. If it weren’t for you, lovely, my brat of a daughter would still be back at your old pack. You’ve also helped me learn so much more about her,” he says, hinting to my fire ability.
“Then can I go home now since I was so helpful,” she stutters. She was all ‘we need to work together to escape’ in my bedroom, but now she’s back to being all about her.
“Home to what, pet? Your old pack knows what you’ve done and is probably demanding your head on a spike right now. They will kill you as soon as you step one foot through the gate. No, you’re better off here with me,” he answers as he looks over her body. I could practically see the lust in his eyes, and it makes me want to gag. Kassie can see it too, and her body starts to shake harder.
“As I already said, what do you want?” I ask, interrupting dad’s sleazebag moment. Wolf shifters don’t worry about age limitations like humans do. Kassie is already eighteen, well past the mating age, but this is my father and Kassie we’re talking about. Its like some kind of fucked up family porn in the making.
“I have a friend from another pack, a very powerful pack who has been very interested in you since you were born. I plan on setting up a mate bond between you two.”
“The hell you’re not. I already have mates. Three of them,” I yell.
“You haven’t had the ceremony yet so it’s not binding. I told you at Tyler’s that you deserve better than those three weaklings.”
“Don’t act like you’re doing this for me. You’re doing this for you. What is it? Money, power of another strong pack by your side? Tell me father, what is so important that you’ll sell your only daughter for?”
“I’m a True Alpha, I don’t need to explain anything to you.”
“Well fuck you and fuck your friend. You know father, besides your best attempts to leave me in the dark, I know that you need my full cooperation to mate me to anyone, so there's a flaw in your little plan because I would rather drink battery acid then mate with anyone you try to set me up with.”
I’ve pissed him off, I can tell, and I for one, don’t care. I knew there was a reason behind his sudden interest in me. Well I refuse to be his cash cow, or turned into some kind of mail order bride. I’m also not stupid. I need to keep in mind that my father is a very cunning man, and waiting is something wolves do best.
“Trevor, take my daughter and the Greywolf girl back to Aspen’s room.”
"No, I suggest you find somewhere else for Kassie to stay if you plan on keeping her alive,” I threaten. Releasing some of my power, I let my fire loose burning bright in my eyes, letting him know this is no idle threat.
With a roll of his eyes, he turns to the guard and tells him to give Kassie the room down the hall from mine. Satisfied, I walk off without a thanks or a goodbye. Once I’m back in my room, I slam the door shut and lock it for good measure. Striding over to my window, I open it, look down, and curse. Fuck, dad has guards stationed right outside my window too. There is no way I can scale the tree down, and make a run for it without anyone noticing. Closing the window, I pace my room and try to think of a plan. What I said is true. I will never mate myself to anyone but my three mates. We’ve already done the first part, I have their markings, we just need to get the ceremony over with. Surely no other wolf would want me once they see the markings on my body from another. Wolves are way too territoral for that shite, so all I need to do is wait for father’s plan to fall through, or my mates to come for me, whichever is faster. Yes, that is my plan. I need to channel my father and wait. At least now I have space away from Kassie so it won’t be as bad as before.
4
Logan
Lounging in the back of Mekka’s car, I stare blankly out the window. We haven’t even left pack lands yet and Mekka is already pushing his speed on the dirt road. I get it though. I totally understand his urgency. Even though Aspen has stopped all communication and walled herself off to us, I still feel a pain in my heart from her absence, ripping me apart far worse than the injury I took to the side from the fight. I made it though. All because of my love for Aspen, and I’ll be damned if I let that asshole of a father keep her away from me.
“Isn’t that Aspen’s friend April?” I ask when we get to the gates, and I see a girl with bright pink hair arguing with one of the guards.
“Hey Mekka, slow down,” Ethan says from his seat up front.
Mekka slows the car down to a crawl, and we all stare back at the girl wildly waving her arms around, and sure enough, it’s April.
“What the fuck is she doing here?” I ask not really expecting an answer. I know they’re just as confused as I am.
“By the looks of it, raising hell,” Mekka muses.
“Doesn’t she know it’s dangerous for mages around here right now with everything that happened?” Ethan questions.
“Apparently not,” Mekka laughs, and my brother glares at him.
“Let me out so I can see what she wants,” Ethan mutters, not at all amused and Mekka stops the car completely.
Letting my window down, I open up my hearing so I can hear what’s going on. If April risked herself by coming here, it has to have something to do with Aspen.
“April, what the hell are you doing here?” My brother growls which only makes April turn her ire on him.
“Ethan, about time you got here. Tell this overgrown fleabag I’m Aspen’s best friend and am allowed on pack lands anytime I fucking want before I turn him into a frog.”
“Whoa, no need for that, calm your crazy ass down,” the guard says, which doesn’t help his case at all. Taking her eyes off Ethan, she moves them back to the guard and gives him a calculated look. One that says she knows her shit and he will soon be hopping around and eating flies.
“Ribbit, ribbit asshole,” she tells the guard, narrowing her eyes and his face pales.
“April,” Ethan warns.
“What?” She says, waving her hands around like she’s about to cast a spell and both Ethan and the guard takes a step back. “Well since you’re here, where the fuck is Aspen? There's a bunch of rumors going around that the Ravenclaw clan attacked here.”
“They did,” Ethan simply replies.
“Oh my God,” she cries, eyes wide. “I knew Joey’s dad was upset about the verdict, but I never thought he would stoop as low as to attack a whole pack of innocent wolves.”
“Well he did. He teamed up with Aspen’s dad and took us by surprise. We lost lives and a lot were injured, the reason behind the tougher security at the gate.
“What about Aspen? Is she ok?” April says in a small voice.
“No, he father has her. We were just on our way to get her back.”
“Then I’m coming with you.”
&nb
sp; “The hell you are. The best thing you can do for Aspen is go home and stay safe. Who knows if the Raveclaws will turn on you next,” Ethan says reasonably.
“More reason why I should go with you. Besides, you’ll need my help. I’m sure Aspen won’t want you three assholes getting killed saving her,” she retorts, as she abandons the guard post, much to the guard’s relief and starts to walk over to the car.
Cursing colorfully, Ethan runs after her. “You’re not coming.”
“I already told you I was,” she replies, unfazed by the angry wolf behind her and yanks the passenger door open, taking Ethan’s abandoned seat.
“Get out the car April,” Ethan orders.
“Unless you want to be turned into a cockroach and live your life in a jar as an ingredient for one of my mother’s spells, I suggest you shut up and get your pretty ass in the back.”
After that colorful reponse, I lose it. I can’t help laughing. The look on my brother’s face is priceless as well as the stubborn look on the pink haired pixie in the front seat. They’re both stubborn fucks, neither willing to back down.
“Get in the car Ethan. You’re wasting time and she’s not budging,” Mekka says, pointing out the obvious, parroting my thoughts. Ethan gives him a dirty look before he relents, opening the door and climbing in beside me.
“What about her car?” I ask, staring at the compact size light purple Volvo Bug.
“I’ll tell the guard through the pack link to take it to Alpha’s house. It’ll be safe there until we get back,” Mekka answers.
Chuckling again, I imagine Apaxs big bulky self driving the tiny car back to the Alpha’s house. Hell, it’d be a miracle if he’s be able to fit in the tiny thing.
“So let me guess, you three idiots probably left the house halfcocked with no idea how to get Aspen back,” April says once we’re back on the main road leading out the forest.
“We have a plan,” I say defensively.