by Jade Royal
“Kellan, I-I blacked out; I didn’t intentionally attack her.” He spoke up. Bliss saw her mate’s chest rising and falling, and with their bond, she sensed his deep anger. Kellan turned to look at her.
“Are you out of your mind?” he asked.
“Me?” Bliss exclaimed. “He’s the one that went crazy, and we were just training!”
“He’s going through the loss of his mate right now. This is not a wolf you want to be training with. He’s too on edge, and anything can set him off.”
“How did you even know this was happening?” Bliss asked. “When I left bed, you were fast asleep.”
“I sensed your fear through the bond, and then I felt something was wrong with Jayce.” He looked over at Jayce who was sitting stoically with his back against the cave wall.
“Let’s go, Bliss. Jayce needs time alone.”
“No, he doesn’t.” Bliss countered. “He’s had enough of that. Let me talk to him alone.”
“He just tried to harm you, Bliss.”
“I’m not worried.” Kellan knew Jayce would never purposely hurt his mate, but Jayce’s control wasn’t at its normal. Kellan supposed he’d feel the same way if something had happened to Bliss, and he had no way of fixing it. Jayce looked up at Kellan, and their eyes connected. He saw the remorse Jayce felt for losing control and attacking his mate, and Kellan couldn’t hold a grudge against him.
“I’ll be around,” Kellan said backing away. Before he left, he kissed Bliss on the cheek to appease his wolf. When he left the cavern, Bliss walked up to Jayce slowly. She sat in front of him so he knew she didn’t fear he would lunge at her again.
“I knew this was a bad idea.” He grunted. “I nearly killed you.”
“I don’t think you would have gotten that far,” Bliss said. “Besides, that’s why we heal.”
“We heal from many things, Bliss, but having your heart shredded by claws isn’t one of those things.” Bliss shrugged.
“I’ll never forgive myself for what happened with Rita.” Bliss spoke softly.
“It’s not your fault, and you shouldn’t carry that blame on yourself. If only I’d mated her.” Jayce shook his head.
“What do you mean?”
“If I mated her, then we’d be fully bonded. Then I would be able to find her or at least know what she’s going through. If she’s dead, I wouldn’t even be able to tell. I can’t feel anything for my mate simply because I didn’t complete our bond.”
“Why didn’t you mate? Here I was thinking that a mating would naturally happen anytime a wolf met his mate.”
“It should naturally happen with wolves, but sometimes, there’s special circumstances. I didn’t know Rita when I found out she was my mate so here’s this strange woman that comes along, and my wolf claims her. Being connected to my wolf for as long as I’ve been alive, me and my wolf almost always want the same thing, so when I saw Rita, it was like someone punched me in my gut, and both me and my wolf wanted her immediately.”
“I don’t think anything can be worse than how I acted with Kellan. I was sniffing his beard and kissing on him like I knew him for years.”
“It happens like that, and since the moment I met her, we spent a month and a half just getting to know each other. The both of us want to mate, Bliss. There’s no doubt about it. We just have-” Jayce shook his head.
“What?” Bliss asked.
“I don’t wanna talk about it anymore,” he said.
“Just know that I regret not mating her when I had the chance.” Bliss rubbed his back.
“I feel terrible for giving Rita hell.” Bliss spoke up. Jayce looked at her.
“I kept accusing her of wanting Kellan and sleeping with him, and I had no clue she wouldn’t even bat an eye at him because she had you.” Jayce grunted and got up from the ground. His eyes had gone back wolf, and Bliss feared she said the wrong thing.
“Jayce…” Bliss got up to follow him.
“Leave me alone, Bliss.” He growled. He stormed out of the cavern and kept walking until he disappeared around the tunnel in the direction of his room. Hearing what Bliss said, Jayce was reminded of how Rita had chosen to leave the pack and go find Kellan to be with him instead of staying with Jayce. Logically, it was safer for Rita to be away from Maverick, but Jayce didn’t want his mate away from him, especially to be with another wolf, so instead of being around Bliss to possibly take his anger out on her again, he went back to his room where he punched the stone walls until his knuckles opened up and bled profusely.
Chapter Two
Rita screamed as someone burned the wolfsbane out of her body. Purple smoke permeated the cell she was locked away in as the poison was forced from her body, and when it was all over, Rita laid limply on the stone floor with sweat pebbling her face and body.
“How does that feel?” a soft voice asked. Rita could barely open her eyes. Pain was slithering throughout her whole body, but she remembered everything. She remembered being captured after the attack on her pack. She remembered watching Jayce go down with wolfs bane shot into him. Immediately, Rita gritted her teeth and tried to shift. Pain racked her body causing her to scream out. Inside her, her wolf whined and pawed at the magical barriers between their souls. The wolf couldn’t get out. Rita tried shifting again but was only met with more gut-wrenching pain. Tears streamed down her face. Why was this happening?
“Please, don’t cry.” The voice sounded again. Rita sniffled. Her eyes creaked open, but everything was dark. She inhaled. She wasn’t alone. In fact, there was more than just one wolf, and they were all females. Rita forced her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Once she did, she understood why she couldn’t shift. Her feet and her hands were adorned by silver metal cuffs. Just like a silver bullet could kill a wolf, anything silver prevented a wolf from healing and having the ability to shift, and the longer a wolf had silver on, the more their powers were drained. Rita sat up slowly, and gritted her teeth to the pain lancing through her body. There were three other females in the cell with her and all three of them had silver cuffs around their wrists and ankles. The female closest to Rita was the one burning out the wolfs bane from Rita’s body. She was young. All three of them were.
“Do you still feel the poison?” she asked. Rita shook her head.
“It’s not there, but my body can’t heal completely because of the cuffs.”
“That’s how we all feel.” One of the other wolves spoke up.
“Do any of you know where we are?” Rita asked. All of them shook their heads.
“We’ve been here for a week almost, but we know nothing else.”
“What’s your names?” Rita asked.
“Brandy.” The wolf closest to Rita spoke. The other two on the far side got a little bit closer to Rita.
“That’s Amber, and she’s Maya.”
“My name is Rita.” The four of them smiled to each other in a sense of comradery.
“Do you remember how you got here?” Rita asked. Maya spoke.
“We’re all from the same pack. Everything was going like normal, and the next thing I know, the elders were screaming, and we heard fighting. We were told to run and not come back.”
“Before we got far, we were shot with wolfsbane.” Amber continued. “Then it was lights out, and we woke up in here.”
“Oh, my God.” Rita gasped.
“We don’t know what happened to our pack or why we’re even here.” Brandy shrugged.
“But some fucktard named Maverick says we’re part of his pack now.” Rita clenched her fists.
“Maverick attacked my pack too, but his men only took me. I think they were planning to take more of my sister wolves, they didn’t have the chance.”
“We’re scared.” Maya admitted.
“Our pack is mostly elders, and we hardly have any trouble. The Alpha was really hurt when we ran off. We’re scared he might be dead.” Rita could confirm what she sensed. They were young.
“Well, when pack members die, espe
cially the Alpha, you should be able to feel it. Come over here.” The three girls gathered around her.
“Close your eyes and imagine your Alpha. Remember how it felt when you pledged your vow to him. Single out his essence, his spirit inside you.” The three wolves were quiet as they did what Rita said. Rita did the same thing herself. She felt Kellan’s strong pulse, coupled with Bliss’. They’d mated. Happiness floored through her, excited for the Alpha pair. It meant their pack would only get stronger with two fierce Alphas to lead them.
“I feel him.” Maya spoke up excitedly.
“It’s like a pulse, but it’s weak, but does that mean he’s alive?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what it means,” Rita said. “As long as you feel that pulse, you know your Alpha is still alive, and it means he’s doing whatever he can to make sure the three of you are rescued.”
“What about you?” Amber asked quietly.
“I’m sure my pack will stop at nothing to find me,” Rita said softly.
“But while we wait to be rescued, we can’t be complacent. We too have to fight back.”
“Fight?” Maya’s voice was shaky.
“Yes, fight, but don’t worry, I’ve got your back, trust me.” The three wolves nodded at Rita gaining confidence in their alliance.
“Someone’s coming.” Brandy alerted them. They sat next to each other facing the opening of the cell. Rita scented Maverick immediately, but she could feel her enhanced abilities begin to dim. She didn’t know what lay in store for them, but if it included Maverick, it was not going to be pretty.
“Get up.” Maverick demanded when he opened the metal bars. Rita led the wolves to standing up. Even if they were afraid, Rita didn’t want to give Maverick that satisfaction. When they stood, Maverick looked all four of them up and down, evaluating them. He scented each one of them.
“Who had their heat cycle already?” Maverick asked.
“We all did.” Brandy spoke up. “We had our second full moon shifting just days ago when you decided to attack our pack.” Maverick waved her off and looked at Rita.
“You haven’t gone into heat.” He accused, pointing a finger at her.
“And?” Rita asked.
“You’re gonna keep me locked away here waiting for my cycle?”
“Oh, I’m sure we’ll have some fun in the time being.” Rita glared at him trying to show she wasn’t afraid.
“Now, I don’t like treating my own kind like garbage, so if we can come to an agreement, I will gladly move you all to a nice bedroom upstairs.” The young wolves were surprised, and a spark of happiness hit them, but Rita wasn’t fooled.
“Wait a minute, what’s the catch here, huh?” she asked.
“What’s the point of you keeping us here? Whether in a nice room or a cell, you’re still keeping us a prisoner, so what the fuck are you planning?”
“In due time, sweetheart.” Maverick smiled.
“And this is your new home, Rita. I am your Alpha, so you’d better start showing me some respect.” Rita scoffed.
“We both know who’s my Alpha, and the moment he finds me, he’s gonna rip you to shreds. Not only that, but Kellan’s a mated Alpha, which means he’s more powerful, and if you couldn’t beat him when he wasn’t mated, imagine now that he is mated. You’re living on borrowed time, asshole.” Maverick’s canine dropped in his anger.
“See, I’m trying to be the reputable wolf, but you she-wolves keep testing me. I’ll have to remind you, Rita, that I’m not the Alpha you wanna fuck with.” He looked at the three young wolves.
“Someone will come and bring you three to the bedroom. I want you showered, hair done, and dressed in the outfits that will be brought to you. As for you, Rita, let’s get reacquainted.” Maverick grabbed her by the back of her neck, digging his claws into her flesh. With his strength, he led her out of the cell. Rita was surprised that the cell was located in the basement of house. She thought for sure they were in some kind of cave. Maverick led her up a spiral stone staircase. The first floor of the house was luxurious, and as he took her to the next floor, she could see this wasn’t just a regular house. It was a mansion. Wolves had their own means of money, but Rita never met a wolf who wanted to live in a mansion or even had enough money to keep up with it. This meant that Maverick was into some serious business to keep such a steady income.
Maverick pushed her into a large bedroom. Laying on the large bed was Hera like she was some form of royalty or something.
“Kellan isn’t the only one with a woman at his side.” Maverick told her.
“Kellan doesn’t just have a woman at his side. He has his mate,” Rita said. “That is in no comparison to your fuck buddy over here.”
“I hope you’re putting her to work tonight,” Hera stated. Rita gave her a look.
“Putting me to work?” she asked.
“I’m in sort of a dilemma here.” Maverick spoke. He went over to his mini bar and poured himself some whiskey. Rita understood that shifters drank for leisure and for the taste of the liquor because there was nothing that could get a shifter drunk.
“I’m trying to have the most powerful pack not only in the city, or the state. I’m talking ‘bout the whole world. What do you think I’m missing?”
“A pair of balls,” Rita answered. Maverick turned around and backhanded her. She stumbled a little, but the sting of the slap dissipated almost immediately. Blood coated her mouth but she didn’t show any form of weakness. Though the silver cuffs were keeping her wolf locked inside her, she would still be able to heal minor pains. Though Rita began to suspect that the longer she was in the cuffs the weaker she would eventually become.
“I’m gonna warn you, Rita. Keep talking to me like that, and you won’t like what happens to you.” He scowled.
“So, I guess that’s what you did to Bliss, huh? She spoke her mind, and you slapped her around knowing damn well she was human and in no way capable of defending herself against you? I may have these cuffs on, Maverick, but I’m not human. Your little bitch slaps ain’t gonna make me cower.”
“Funny you should bring that up.” He went quiet, and Rita got the feeling that he was mind speaking with someone, and a moment later, two males came into the bedroom.
“The thing is, Rita, in order to be the strongest pack, I, of course, need to reproduce strong pups of my own blood, but I realize that I can’t be the supreme Alpha if I have other Alphas trying to take what is mine. Your Alpha happens to be one of those wolves who won’t let me be. Now that I have you here, you’re going to tell me how to find where it is your Alpha is hiding. Strap her up.” Before Rita could defend herself, the two males that had entered the room lunged at her. One of them captured her hands while the other injected her with a needle. Rita went weak immediately. By the purple vapors that came out of the injection site, she knew it was wolfs bane, and with the silver cuffs on, the wolfs bane easily weakened her further. Rita felt like she was sinking into a deep abyss, and then everything went dark.
Chapter Three
Kellan paced back and forth in the room they had designated to hold their meetings. Bliss, Jaxson, and Tristan sat around the round table watching Kellan. They were waiting for Jayce to arrive in the room. Kellan checked his watch for the fifth time. He was about to growl for his Beta to get his ass to the room, but the doors burst open, and Jayce came in. His knuckles were bleeding again but slowly healing. His eyes were flashing wolf, but the moment he came into the room and sensed Bliss, his human eyes came back. After he nearly attacked her, Kellan figured he was stifling his wolf as much as he could to not have the same thing happening again.
“Sorry I’m late.” He gritted out. “I um-lost control again.” He took his place around the table next to Kellan’s seat. Bliss sat on the other side of Kellan.
“Jayce, if you have to take time off from your duties, then I’ll understand that,” Kellan said. “But attacking my mate, being late to meetings, and continuously not having control of your wolf are t
hings I cannot tolerate, Jayce, so if you-”
“I can handle it,” Jayce said. “I admit to my control issues, and for attacking your mate, I will face those consequences, but I took a vow, and I don’t plan on letting this unqualify me for my position.”
“Pack vote,” Kellan said. “Is Jayce in or out?” Kellan went around the table taking votes to see if the pack believed he could still perform even though Rita was missing. No one voted against him.
“Alright, you’re in,” Kellan said.
“But you’re not allowed to be with any of the she-wolves alone. Especially Gemma and my mate.”
“Why especially Gemma?” Tristan grunted.
“She recently shifted for the first time. She has no control over her wolf as of yet. Same thing for Bliss. The way I see it, Jayce can’t control his wolf, and neither can Gemma. Her wolf is naturally on edge, and if any wolf comes at her in a wrong way, it won’t be good. If they start snapping at each other, we’re gonna have a full-blown fight on our hands.” Everyone nodded in agreement understanding what Kellan meant.
“Fine,” Jayce said. “I can agree to those terms. What about the consequence of what I did to Bliss?”
“We’ll talk privately about that,” Kellan replied. Even though Kellan wasn’t trying to be a strict Alpha, all packs had rules, and breaking them meant consequences. That was just the way of the pack.
“Updates on security.” Kellan nodded towards Tristan. He cleared his throat and looked through the small notebook he had in front of him.
“I installed new security systems through the cave. The front main door opens to the touch of the pack only, so a finger, a palm, whatever it is, it’ll open to the pack members. I already set my palm print, and it works fine, so I’ll need the rest of the members to set up their prints as well. I purchased some cameras for the surrounding areas so we can keep watch. I’ll have to set them up in one of the spare rooms soon.”
