“His mate?” Jake asked, as his eyes grew bigger. “Alpha Clifton didn’t say anything about taking another Alpha’s mate!”
“If Ricky belongs to Alpha Grant, then why did our Alpha announce the mating ceremony?” Sammy remarked. “I’m supposed to go to the compound later with some of the other females to help make the food for the celebration.”
“When is this supposed to happen?” Shadow asked.
“Next week, on the night of the full moon; Alpha Clifton will be claiming Ricky as his mate,” Jake responded as he growled. “The bloody hypocrite. He claims same sex matings are an abomination for everyone else, but in his case, it is his divine right because he says Ricky is his Semme’.”
Shadow smiled softly as he moved towards the door. “My guess is there will be a few extra guests attending his mating ceremony.” The ex-military man turned and smiled at Sammy. “And I have an idea on how we can make sure it goes off with a big bang; that is if you’re willing to help us out just a little.”
Sammy smiled as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Just tell me what you want me to do.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
RICKY STRUGGLED AGAINST THE TWO SHIFTERS WHO WERE holding him in the shower and cleaning him. As they began to scrub his private areas he cursed and fought harder. After his discussion with the Windy River Pack, he now knew they could not force him to do anything he didn’t want to, at least legally. The fact that his brother was also safe had begun to give him courage to push back against his former pack members.
Yet there was no way he could get free of their unwanted touch. Not only were they stronger than him, but even now he felt the drugs that had been forced on him making it harder for him to concentrate. While in one respect he had been glad when the pack doctor had begun to give them to him, he knew it wasn’t out of sympathy for the pain he’d been in. They had made even his smallest rebellion against his captors almost impossible. Worse though was Ricky had no idea how much time had passed since he’d been kidnapped since the drugs caused him to lose large gaps of time.
What confused him the most was why they were doing this to him? When he’d refused to eat, he’d been tied down to his bed and hooked up to IV’s to ensure he wouldn’t die. He could understand that the Alpha wouldn’t want him dead until he had control of Sandy. But the beatings had also stopped and now they had removed him from his room to clean him up. For a moment, the human wondered if Alpha Grant had found him and demanded that he be returned.
Just the thought of the handsome Alpha caused an ache in his heart. It had been dreams of the shifter that had comforted him when he slept. Of course, the fact that the comfort soon morphed into much more often left him hard and wanting afterwards. Even now he felt his cock throb to life as he remembered the way the Alpha had touched him the last time they had been together. If only he hadn’t panicked, hadn’t assumed the treatment would be the same as it had been with Biff, he wouldn’t be in this mess now.
“Control yourself, human!” Ricky grunted as his cock was squeezed painfully by one of the wolves attending him. The shifter turned to the other in disgust. “I still don’t understand why the Alpha would want this one when he could have his choice of any she-wolf.”
“You know it’s because he says the human is his Semme’, Henry,” the other wolf replied as Ricky was pulled from the shower and wrapped in a course towel. As he listened to the shifters he began to feel a thread of hope. It could only mean that somehow Alpha Grant had found him and had come for him. As he had languished in his room, he’d had time to think about his decision to leave the Windy River Pack and his brother behind. He had missed his younger brother horribly and felt a guilt that some days threatened to consume him. He had done the one thing he swore he’d never do—he broke his promise to be there for Sandy.
He also felt as if there was a part of himself missing. Maria had explained to him that while she could have refused to mate with his father, had she done so she would never have found true happiness. His father had been the ‘one’, her Semme’ and even though she was promised to another, she had chosen to be with the person who was meant to complete her. He never understood until now what she had meant. While he still felt that Alpha Grant could find someone better than him, if the wolf felt anything like he did then perhaps Ricky had been too rash in leaving.
“I still don’t understand why the Alpha didn’t hold the mating ceremony before now,” Henry continued to talk as he finished drying Ricky off. Well Ricky could answer that question; he was too damaged and worse, too weak to stand beside someone with as much power as the Alpha of the Windy River Pack. He could understand Alpha Grant not wanting to tie himself publicly to him but maybe there was a way they could both be happy. The Alpha of Windy River Pack had promised him sanctuary and hadn’t forced his affections on him. In fact, as he thought back to their last exchange, he could see now that the Alpha had been more interested in making sure Ricky enjoyed himself. Even though he’d never considered himself submissive, he could actually see Alpha Grant as his new Master. Maybe this time it could even be consensual instead of being forced, like it had been with Biff and the other members of the Willow Creek Pack.
Ricky was thrust back into the moment when he felt the towel yanked from his body. Before the human could protest he found himself standing completely nude in front of the shifters. A shiver ran down his spine. After years of abuse at the hands of Alpha Clifton and his Beta, he knew this couldn’t be good. Even though he’d been forced to be nude many times in the past in front of the whole pack, he still found it difficult. The shifters began to pull him from the bathroom into the hallway.
“He says he needed time to get past the loss of his betrothed and he couldn’t believe that fate would match him with her murderer.” The other wolf shrugged. “It’s not our place to argue or understand, you know that Henry.”
The other wolf shrugged. “True, but if I found my Semme’ I don’t think I’d be able to resist claiming her.”
“That’s why he’s the Alpha of Willow Creek, Henry. Besides, you heard him; the human will be merely a pet to fulfill his needs and nothing more. So don’t worry, we won’t have to treat him like a traditional Alpha Mate.”
Ricky stopped and turned to face the wolf that had been speaking. Surely he hadn’t heard correctly.
“Keep moving, human. You’re to remain in your new quarters until the ceremony is held. The whole pack will be there and then as is tradition the pack run will happen as soon as you’re mated. Of course, you won’t be able to join with the rest of us but that can’t be helped. I’m sure our Alpha will wear you out when he returns from his run.” Both shifters chuckled as they shoved him forward but Ricky managed to duck and move to the side. He heard a soft growl but ignored it as he tried to focus. This couldn’t be right.
“Are you—are you talking about Alpha Clifton?” Ricky finally managed to ask as he leaned weakly against the wall.
Henry moved forward and grabbed him roughly by the arm. “Of course! Even you must be able to feel the pull of your Semme’. Your body betrays you…” The shifter pointed towards Ricky’s erect cock, “…even if you do not accept it.” Ricky could feel his erection bouncing against his abdomen. Of course he was hard, he’d been thinking about Alpha Grant. Even if the man wasn’t his Semme’ he’d have been attracted to him—who wouldn’t be? But there was no way he would be acting this way for Alpha Clifton. Not only was the shifter cruel, but he was one of the ugliest wolf shifters he’d ever encountered. He sometimes wondered what Maria had seen in the wolf.
The human was yanked from his thoughts as he was pulled forward once more. “Come on, we don’t have all day to waste on the likes of you! I’m just glad fate didn’t saddle me with a human, much less a male. It’s not natural I’m telling you, Ralph.”
“I agree, but again we are not Alpha and I for one have no intentions of challenging him,” Ralph growled as he shoved Ricky into a room he was too familiar with. The metal cage was still wh
ere it had been the last time he’d been here. He couldn’t restrain the whimper of distress as he remembered what had happened in this room. It was the Alpha’s bedroom and one of the places that often inhabited his worst nightmares.
Ricky fought against the two shifters who now dragged him towards the cage. Unfortunately, he might as well have been not fighting at all as they forced him to his knees before shoving him into what was little more than a large dog crate. He tried to turn to tell them the Alpha was lying but the cage door slammed in his face before he could get a word out.
“Your master will be here shortly, I suggest you work on your attitude or the public whipping post will be painted with more of your blood human,” Ralph sneered as he turned and left the bedroom followed by the other shifter. As the door to the room closed, Ricky sat and pulled his knees to his chest as the horror of what was about to happen hit him. He was going to be mated to Alpha Clifton and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
Shadow pointed to the map on the table in front of him. “According to Sammy, they have moved Ricky to the Alpha’s bed chambers.”
A low growl filled the room. Everyone turned to look at Grant as he struggled to keep his wolf under control. After a couple of minutes Shadow simply nodded and continued with the information he’d learned over the past couple of days. It had been over two weeks since the human had been kidnapped. “The pup is being kept here.” Shadow pointed to a smaller house within the Alpha compound.
“That’s Biff’s house,” Sandy replied quietly. He had joined the group of wolves as they stood around the dining room table. Grant had been convinced by his mother as well as some of the others that the pup should be included in the planning at least. His mother had been the most vocal in arguing her views on the subject. His lips quirked slightly as he recalled her reaction when he’d hesitated—anyone who had seen his mother at full throttle could appreciate where the real power in his parents’ relationship resided. He had to admit, the change in the young pup was amazing. Not only was he eating, but he was quick at pointing out things that would be extremely helpful once they mounted the rescue operation.
The dining room had quickly been converted to a war room with maps and other information spread out for all to see. Jason had brought some of their computers in and there were now TV screens mounted on the walls giving live feeds of what was happening at the Willow Creek pack lands. Eventually, Grant would have to convert another area of the large house into a permanent war room, but for now this had been the only place that was large enough to accommodate all those who would be involved in the rescue.
He glanced up at one of the screens and saw the young pup they’d been discussing walk quickly from the Alpha’s house to Biff’s home. Roger’s shoulders were hunched, but Grant smiled as he noticed the young wolf was still sneaking a look at his surroundings. A large shifter opened the door to the Beta’s home and motioned for the pup to hurry inside. Grant remembered what Ricky had told them about the Beta. His hackles rose as he thought about what Roger might be going through at the hands of the wannabe Dom.
“If he touched Roger,” Grant growled.
“According to both Jake and Sammy, the Alpha has told Biff to simply keep the boy as a slave but not to hurt him,” Shadow quickly supplied. “I saw him once while I was there, and other than a few bruises he seems to be fine. Unfortunately it was too dangerous for me to get close to him, but Sammy will try to get word to the pup that we will be coming and to be ready. She has the best chance as one of the she-wolves who cook for the Alpha and his Betas.”
“Alpha Clifton isn’t a complete moron,” David interjected. “He knows Roger’s father could seek a more serious restitution from him if the pup was seriously injured.”
“You assume he planned to return the pup to begin with.” Blaze shook his head. “My guess from what you told me is he doesn’t want his Beta compromised in the eyes of the pack. No one would condone having sex with a sixteen year old whelp. Although the fact members of the pack condoned forced sex of any kind has me wondering why you want to save any of them.”
“Not all of them are bad,” Sandy spoke up. “Most of them are just scared of the Alpha and his Betas.” The young pup glanced down at his hands. “Some of the Sentries aren’t too bad but they know better than to question the Alpha—it meant they would lose their position or worse. Besides, who wouldn’t rather be guarding the pack than working on a farm or some other boring job? Alpha Clifton told me if I did what he said, one day I could be a Sentry and help!” Sandy paused and sighed. “I thought that would be awesome, but now I’m not so sure no more.”
“What do you mean?” Tank asked quietly. The shifter placed his hand on the pup’s shoulder to encourage him to continue speaking.
Grant was glad to see the enforcer take an interest in the young shifter. While Sparky still spoke to Sandy and had made it clear he would do whatever he could to protect the pup and his brother, there was a wall between them that hadn’t been there before. Grant could understand it, but he also knew Sandy felt the loss of his first friend in the pack. After this current crisis was over, the Alpha would make sure the pup was introduced to other members of his pack that were closer to his age.
Sandy shook his head sadly before he continued. “No one should be scared of their Alpha right, Alpha Grant?”
Grant nodded and smiled. “That’s right, Sandy. A good Alpha looks out for his pack and takes care of them.”
“Then Alpha Clifton is a very bad Alpha. I’ve seen where some of your pack lives when I went to town with Sparky.” Sandy glanced sideways at the wolf before he sighed and continued, “My old pack don’t live like yours. They work hard but only Alpha Clifton and those he likes get richer. I asked Jake once why he gave them all his money when one of the Betas came by to collect it. He told me it was for the good of the pack. Yet I heard many of the others complain about how little was given back.” The young pup shuddered. “They had to be careful though ‘cause if Alpha Clifton heard, they would either be punished or just disappear.” The last part was whispered as the young wolf glanced around the room fearfully.
Tank patted Sandy on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, pup. You don’t have to worry about Alpha Clifton anymore. We won’t let him hurt you.”
Blaze nodded in agreement along with the other shifters in the room. “We’ll be staying here after we rescue your brother and the other whelp.”
“Don’t let Roger hear you refer to him that way.” Sparky chuckled. “He’s likely to try to beat the crap out of you.”
“He can try…” Blaze grinned.
Shadow cleared his throat as he tried to get everyone’s attention back to the table. “As I was saying, according to Sammy, Roger and Ricky are rarely together in the same place. However there will be one time we can be sure they’ll both be together.” He glanced at Alpha Grant and swallowed before he continued. “According to Jake, everyone in the pack is required to be at the next pack run—no exceptions.”
“Why?” Falcon asked.
“Because Alpha Clifton will be holding a claiming ceremony.” The shifter paused when he heard the low growl coming from the Alpha. He hoped that Grant would be able to keep his wolf in check when he learned the full truth. So far he’d been impressed to watch how well Grant was able to keep his wolf under control. If his mate had been taken, he knew he and his wolf would have tracked down the bastard and killed him immediately without any thought to the consequences. “He says he has found his Semme’ and wants to have the pack recognize his mate publicly,” Shadow continued.
“Do you think he’ll claim his mate in front of the pack?” Dove asked. When Shadow nodded, the explosive expert snorted. “Seriously, who still follows that old ritual? I can’t imagine wanting to have my mate claim me in front of the pack.”
“No, but you don’t have a problem letting the rest of us hear you whenever you bring home your latest conquest,” Ta
nk remarked dryly.
Before they could get off track Grant raised his hand and looked at Shadow. “Who is he claiming?” The room was suddenly quiet as Shadow looked down for a minute.
He took a deep breath and glanced directly at the Alpha. “He claims Ricky is his Semme’, Alpha.”
This time the roar that filled the room caused the windows to shudder. Alpha Grant stood up straight, his eyes had turned to red and his hands had changed to claws. The sound of clothes tearing filled the room, but rather than changing to his full wolf form, the Alpha remained upright. This was the monster that many humans envisioned when they talked about werewolves. However, only the strongest Alpha’s were able to maintain this third form for any length of time.
Jason and David rushed towards Grant but it was his father’s voice that reverberated above the howl coming from the Alpha’s dripping maw. “Grant, you will stop this moment and return to your human form!” Forest commanded. He didn’t back down or tilt his head as the others had done in the room, but instead walked forward calmly. “I said stand down!”
A soft whimper sounded before Grant’s body began to shimmer. Dakota had disappeared from the room for a moment, but returned carrying a large bathrobe. As the transformation was completed, he handed it to Grant. At his Alpha’s look, Dakota shrugged. “It will be easier for you to get out of this in case your wolf decides to come out again.”
Grant nodded his thanks as he pulled the robe around his naked form. He glanced at his father who walked forward to place his hand on his son’s shoulder. “I know this will be difficult, but you have been trained to be better, son. You have to maintain control if you want to get your mate back as well as the pup.”
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