Craved By a Beast: A Phoenix Pack Urban Paranormal (Saved By a Beast Book 2)

by Jade Royal

  “Twenty-Four hours. I would hope that after your time has passed, you would have found a coping mechanism to ensure that you can keep control of your wolf. I expect you spend your time in solitude.” Kellan nodded at Jayce before backing away.

  “Tristan, Jaxson, let’s go,” he ordered. Without another word, the alpha and his enforcers left their beta alone for his punishment. Even though Kellan kept a tough face, he hated the idea that he went through with punishing someone. When his father passed down punishments, Kellan was always the one protesting and advocating against the punishment. But being alpha was going to open him up to things he never imagined he would be doing.

  In their bedroom, Bliss was freshly showered; rubbing her skin with shea butter. She was humming along to a song playing on their portable speaker. She slipped into a short silk nightgown and got into bed.

  “Are you alright?” She asked him.

  “Yup,” he replied shortly. Of course, she gave him a look as he sat on the edge of the bed.

  “What’s wrong with Jayce?” she questioned. “I feel something is wrong through your bond with him.”

  “Nothing’s wrong with him.”

  “After the meeting, you told him it was time. What were you talking about?”

  “He’s being punished for attacking you.”

  “Seriously?” Bliss asked. “Punished how?”

  “That’s just the way of packs Bliss. Breaking rules has repercussions.”

  “His mate had been taken! He wouldn’t be acting that way if Rita was here.”

  “I know that Bliss. I was going to punish him at first. And then I changed my mind, but he refused it. He wanted the punishment, so I did what I had to do.” Bliss shook her head. She got out of bed and pulled on a long robe.

  “Where are you going?” Kellan asked.

  “To talk to Jayce.”

  “Bliss-”

  “Just leave me be Kellan. I wanna talk to him and I will.” Kellan just shook his head and let her walk out of the room. He wasn’t in the mood to fight anyway.

  “You can’t go in there,” Jaxson said blocking the door to the cellar.

  “Get out of my way,” Bliss ordered. “I just wanna talk to him. And if you don’t let me by, I’ll be telling Kellan you’re being mean to me.” Jaxson crossed his arms.

  “When are you going to stop using that on me?” he asked stepping to the side.

  “Never,” Bliss giggled. Jaxson conked her on the head lightly as she walked by him and into the cellar. Jayce looked up immediately. Bliss didn’t know what to expect to see, but he was just sitting there Indian style, deep breathing.

  “Hey Jayce,” She smiled going over to him.

  “Kellan let you down here?” he asked. Bliss scoffed.

  “He knows if he doesn’t give me what I want then I won’t give him what he wants,” she said.

  “And I don’t think he wants to deal with that,” Jayce smirked.

  “So I hear you’re on some kind of punishment? But you look fine.” Jayce held up his wrists showing her silver shackles.

  “Silver is our kryptonite. I can’t shift. It traps me, but I feel like it’s what I need right now.”

  “Silver bullets,” Bliss said.

  “The only thing guaranteed to kill us. That plus wolfs bane.” Jayce nodded.

  “Why you gonna subject yourself to this? I don’t like it not one bit,” Bliss complained.

  “Not tired of me attacking you?”

  “The first time was my fault. I wanted to train with you. And if you ask me, this is all quite ironic. Using silver against our own kind. It’s barbaric. And I don’t think you deserve it no matter how often you attacked me.”

  “Says the woman coming from a human system that at one point legalized the sale and ownership of human beings with dark skin, but at the same time honors the right of a human being with pink skin.” Bliss hummed.

  “Right….” She sighed. “No one is perfect. How long you gonna be in those?”

  “Twenty-Four hours,” he replied. “It hurts to be sort of trapped, but then again my conscience can be relaxed knowing I can’t lose control.”

  “Not being able to shift doesn’t mean you won’t lose control.”

  “Meaning?”

  “You might be physically incapable of shifting and turning rogue, but your mind is still very functional. And being trapped the way you are will make you lose control of your mind instead of your body.”

  “You’re almost too smart for your own good,” Jayce sighed.

  “What am I going to do? Until we get her back, I’m going to be a mess.” Bliss wasn’t sure if it would work or not, but when Kellan taught her that mantra, she realized how powerful it was.

  “When you think about Rita, what’s the one thing that you like the most about her?” Bliss asked him.

  “Her slick ass mouth,” he smiled.

  “She’s not afraid to say what she has to.”

  “I know you said the two of you had just met when you realized she was your mate. But what has been your fondest memory of her? Or something you’ll never forget.”

  “It gets a little personal,” Jayce said leaning back with his arms crossed.

  “Cut the shit Jayce. You wanna learn to control your wolf without Rita or what?” Jayce rolled his eyes and sighed.

  “I won’t ever forget the first time we made love. Actually, I wouldn’t even call it making love. We fucked each other because the both of us reached a point where we couldn’t resist anymore. I wanted to mark her, so everyone knew she belonged to me. But even though we’re mates, it takes a lot to give yourself over to someone. And she trusted me enough to give herself to me. And I won’t ever forget how it felt to be one with her. I think part of my biggest issue with losing her is the fact that I had her. I had her, and I just-I just let her go.”

  “Don’t think about what could have been Jayce. Think about what lays ahead for the two of you. Unfortunately, you fucked up already. No use in staying in your bag about it. Now is all about your future.” Bliss stood and walked over to the entrance of the cellar.

  “Give me the keys to the shackles,” she said to Jaxson.

  “Absolutely not. You crazy?”

  “I’m not going to break his punishment I just want to try something. If I shout for help; get your ass in here quick.” She smiled and took the keys from him. Jaxson sucked his teeth but let his alpha female do whatever she wanted.

  “I’m gonna try something,” Bliss said going back over to Jayce. She leaned over him with the key to the shackles.

  “You trippin’ right now?” Jayce asked.

  “You know I don’t like all this third degree. Just let me do what I’m doing.” Jayce kept quiet as she removed the silver shackles from his wrist.

  “I hope you know that undermining the final verdict or rule of the alpha is highly frowned upon,” Jayce said.

  “What’s he going to do? Spank me?” Bliss shrugged.

  “He might do more than that,” he said. Bliss waved him off and got back to the task at hand.

  “Do you know the alpha, beta, omega mantra?” she asked him.

  “Of course I know it.”

  “Ever thought about using it when you’ve felt yourself losing control?” Jayce shook his head.

  “Not until I was in control of my wolf after I hit puberty.”

  “Well, you ain’t been in control of your wolf. So once you start losing yourself, I want you to use the mantra.”

  “I highly doubt it's going to work on me. My wolf is too old for that.”

  “I don’t want you to just say it though. It might not work that way. As you say it, I want you to see her in your mind. See the way she smiles at you. Remember the way it felt to have her body. To know that she was giving herself to you as her mate. Think about her touch and think about her scent. And then make sure your wolf knows that you and her have a future together.”

  “Well, when I get to that bridge I will cross it.”

/>   “How ‘bout now?”

  “What?”

  “I always think that sometimes if Kellan hadn’t saved me, then he and Rita would have started a pack by themselves and had pups. After all, she was convinced you didn’t want anything to do with her. And you haven’t given her any reason to think otherwise either.” Bliss backed up as Jayce’s eyes went wolf and his breathing went hoarse.

  “Are you trying to get yourself killed?” he asked intently.

  “I’m just telling you I think your woman wants my mate instead of you. And you’d better find her before Kellan does or you don’t stand a chance,” she scoffed. Jayce felt his claws and canines elongate. When he let out a deep growl, Bliss continued to back up.

  “Alpha. Beta. Omega,” Bliss said to him firmly lacing her voice with the powers that made her an alpha wolf. If she hadn’t, she doubted Jayce would even hear her. He stopped growling, but his glowing eyes never left her.

  Jayce’s wolf had its hackles up, ready attack the person responsible for even insinuating that Rita didn’t belong to him. He would fight anyone ready to challenge his position as her mate. The wolf struggled against the power of his alpha, but he was still ready to attack. Jayce wouldn’t forgive himself for attacking anyone in his pack again, so he had to try to reign the wolf in. Doing what Bliss suggested he forced himself to see Rita in his mind. What he brought forth was the first time he ever heard her voice in his head, and then the first time he saw her face when she’d shifted in his presence. He remembered how her scent has consumed him and when they locked stares it was as if the universe shifted under them. And even though it had been an adjustment to get used to the idea of having a mate but every time he saw her she smiled at him in a way that pumped life into his body as if she was the organ that gave him life. And he knew the moment he had her in his arms again she was going to give him that same smile. And he was going to come alive.

  Alpha. Beta. Omega. He said the words in his head never letting go of the memory of his mate’s smile, her scent, and after they’d shared bodies the first time, he knew she belonged to him. He repeated the mantra until his wolf began to slowly back away, nodding as if understanding there was no reason to panic. Their mate wasn’t going anywhere.

  Bliss exhaled loudly when Jayce’s eye’s returned to normal. His teeth slowly went back up into his mouth. Her heart had been beating a mile a minute waiting to see if he would pounce on her or if her plan worked.

  “Thank goodness,” She sighed. Jayce looked at her with a calm demeanor. She smiled at him as she crawled back towards him.

  “So it worked,” she said.

  “So it did,” he replied. She put the shackles back onto his wrist.

  “I guess this means that you don’t have to subject yourself to punishment because you think it’ll help you control your wolf.” She closed the shackles with a snap then rubbed his hands.

  “Well since you’ll be here for twenty-Four hours, you should keep practicing the mantra and your special thoughts of your mate.” Bliss stood then leaned over and kissed Jayce on the cheek. He gave her a small smile and watched as she walked out of the cellar.

  “Thanks, Bliss,” he called out after her.

  “Anytime.”

  Chapter Seven

  Rita was on her hands and knees scrubbing the kitchen floor of Maverick’s large house. The welts of pain she had from her beating earlier still throbbed all over her body proof that the silver in the whip was scarring her body. Maverick hadn’t allowed her to shower after the beating, so she’d been walking around the house cleaning up after Hera and the other wolves with blood running down her naked body. She was being treated like the common housemaid but even worse than that.

  “Yo make me something to eat,” Rory ordered her coming into the kitchen. Rita stood from the floor trying to hide her grimace. She didn’t want to show any kind of weakness to these chumps.

  “Make yourself something to eat,” She snapped at him. He gave her an evil grin and lifted the whip he had in his hand.

  “Maverick says we’re open to knocking you down a few pegs if your refuse to listen.” Rita just shrugged.

  “Give it your best shot.” He lashed the whip out landing it between her breasts. Even though it burned she forced herself not to make any expression. Rory looked at her confused as to why she wasn’t affected. Rita just walked by him giving him a glare. Of course, he couldn’t just let her go, so he tried to grab her neck. She turned around sharply and grabbed his wrist twisting it until it snapped. With his wrist still in her hand, she picked her foot up and kicked him in the face.

  “Don’t fucking try me, Rory,” she gritted. “Captive or not I’ll kick your fucking ass.” She pushed him to the ground and stomped on his nuts before continuing out of the kitchen.

  “You. Come here,” Maverick shouted from down the hall. She was hoping to retire back to the room with the girls instead of continuing this maid shit.

  “What you want?” Rita asked looking at him.

  “Just come the fuck here Rita.” After rolling her eyes, Rita walked down the hall towards him. She looked around the house taking in her surroundings. Even if she could have refused cleaning and took the consequences for her refusal she didn’t want to do that. Being their maid gave her access to knowing what the house looked like. If she knew where things were then making an escape was going to be a little bit easier. When she was in front of him, he grabbed her by the back of the neck and led her to a large master bedroom. Hera was sitting comfortably in the middle of the bed naked. Rita felt the pulses of a nearby heat cycle. She stopped in her tracks immediately.

  “No,” she said. “If she’s in heat I don’t wanna be in here!”

  “Why?” Maverick questioned. “Because it’ll trigger your heat cycle?”

  “Why the fuck do you think Einstein!” Rita snapped at him. Maverick backhanded her.

  “Watch your fucking mouth!” He walked over to Hera.

  “I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands. Her heat cycle won’t come along for who knows how long. I can’t wait for her. You and the other wolves won’t be in heating either. But thanks to human medicine I think I fixed that problem. I injected her with fertility medication which in facts seems to be triggering her heating cycle. If I can get her in heat then I can trigger the rest of you.”

  “Sick bastard,” Rita shook her head.

  “You’ll get used to it,” Maverick smiled.

  “Now sit in the damn corner and watch daddy work.” Rita made a face and kept standing as Maverick went to Hera and pulled her on all fours. She rolled her eyes and looked away as they started fucking. It was so unnatural to pump those damn human drugs into their bodies. Rita didn’t think anything good was going to come out of it. And now she had to sit here and watch this freak show in front of her. She felt the oncoming of heat waves and just had to pray that she would have escaped by the time she would be affected by the heating cycle.

  Rita felt herself gagging as Maverick grunted and shouted in pleasure from his release. Hera fell from all fours back onto the bed. The stench in the room was almost unbearable.

  “Run her a bath and help her clean up,” Maverick ordered Rita. Rita scrunched up her nose.

  “She gonna need more than a bath for that stench,” Rita said. “Can’t imagine how you fuck it.”

  “At least my body is perfect,” Hera snapped. “I don’t have scars all over my damn body. And I don’t think Jayce would appreciate a mate with such imperfections.” Rita looked down at her body insecurity beginning consume her mind. Unlike all her other emotions Rita was unable to hide the fact that what Hera said did have an effect on her.

  “And if you keep running your mouth I’ll be giving you more scars to take back to your mate.”

  “So are you insinuating that I’ll be returning to my pack?” Rita asked, deciding not to have Hera dwell on the fact that she managed to get Rita in her feelings.

  “What?” Hera asked confused.

 
“You said I’ll have more scars to take back to my mate. That means you’re planning on letting me go. But Maverick here wants me to stay and have his pups, and he fully intends to kill Jayce. So me having scars and being unacceptable for my mate shouldn’t even really matter should it? Unless she’s calling the shots now Maverick and I am going to return to my pack?” Maverick stared coldly at Hera.

  “See what happens when you run your fucking mouth? I told you she and the rest of the girls are having my pups. You don’t get to decide shit about what goes on. And if she’s having my damn pups, then she won’t be going back to her damn mate. She’ll be taking care of our damn offspring.”

  “I still don’t see why you need the rest of them when you have me.”

  “I’m not going through this shit with you. Take ya ass on in the bathroom.” Maverick waved her off ending the conversation. Hera huffed and marched to the connecting bathroom inside the room. Rita followed to continue being their maids. She turned on the water in the large jacuzzi tub and waited for it to fill up.

  “He might wanna have pups with you, but don’t get it twisted,” Hera sneered at her.

  “Get what twisted? That you’re willingly fucking a psycho?”

  “No! That I’m his alpha female and I’ll be the one in charge here. Not you or any female he brings around.”

  “That’s up for debate,” Rita joked. She was only saying it to get under Hera’s skin, but when she thought about it a plan formulated in her brain.

  “Get in,” Rita ordered once the water was ready. Hera sank into the tub, submerging herself completely to wet her hair before coming back to the surface and sitting down.

  “Wash my hair,” she ordered. What Rita wanted to do was rip Hera’s hair from her scalp, but she simply gave the woman a fake smile and proceeded to wash her hair and then sponge her body down. Once that was done, Rita simply left the bathroom. She was already bathing a grown ass woman, and she was through pampering her. Back in the bedroom, Maverick was going through some papers. He didn’t even look up at her, but Rita approached his desk.