by M. K. Harper
“Not today, Orange Man.”
I crawl away frantically, trying to fight the bile rising in my throat. When I get to my feet, I don’t make it more than a few steps before Bill and Hillary Clinton are on me. I shit you not. If the situation weren’t so dire, I’d laugh at the fact we’re being attacked by our countries Presidents and one First Lady. The shiny glint of something in Good ‘Ole Bill’s hand catches my eye. A knife?! These guys clearly aren’t playing around.
“Let’s be truthful with one another Bill, you owe me that much,” I take a step back, trying to buy myself enough time to come up with a plan. Or for Dax to come save me. Fucking Damsel! Where in the hell is he? “Did you really have sexual relations with that woman?” My sarcasm is showing. What can I say...it’s my best defense mechanism.
“Just come quietly, and no one here will get hurt,” Hillary pipes up. I take a look around at the mayhem ensuing. Several wolves lay motionless, blood pooling beneath them. Yeah, no one will get hurt my ass.
“That’s not gonna work for me, Mr. President,” I ease back some more.
“Oh, you thought you had a choice?” They both laugh maniacally. Bloody hell. Guess I’m making a run for it since no avenging wolf named Dax has come to whisk me away.
“Holy shit! Is that the Pope?!” I give the empty space behind them an incredulous look, and would you believe it? The two idiots turn and look. I bolt. So long, fuckers. I don’t see Mom or Chev anywhere. My panic spikes, terrified they’re hurt or worse. The only familiar face I see is Carder’s. His hulking form grabs a wolf by the scruff of his neck and tosses him aside like yesterday’s trash. The masked asshole lurking by the edge of the house has me stopping dead in my tracks. The second he pulls the shut gun up and aims, I scream.
“Carder!” My voice is shrill, full of dread. His eyes snap up and connect with mine. What I don’t expect to see is his look of fear mirroring my own.
“Itty...” that’s as much as he gets out before the gun goes off and he jerks with the onslaught of buckshot peppering his back. The scream that tears out of me is animalistic. Carder falls to his knees just as I’m jerked off my feet and into a hard chest. Someone’s meaty hand holding a damp cloth clamps over my mouth and nose. The last thing I see before the world spins and fades away is Carder’s terrified eyes watching me being hauled away and too injured to do anything about it.
Chapter 28
There’s a tiny conga line stomping through my brain. There’s no other explanation for the head splitting pain I’m currently feeling. Everything hurts, but my head fucking kills. The second I try to sit up it feels like I’m on a tilt-a-whirl. I turn to the side just in time to empty my stomach of the last thing I ate. Hamburger and cupcake. Sounds about right. My memory is a scrambled mess. The events of last night are distorted, but I know in my gut that something bad happened. With great effort, I peel one eye open at a time. I expect to be met with bright lights but instead it’s dim. I have to blink a few times for my vision to focus and adjust to the lack of lighting. When I can finally see where I am, everything that lead up to this point comes hurtling back to me with startling clarity. I gasp, struggling to get myself upright without getting sick again.
“Fucking hell,” the pain in my head intensifies once I’m no longer lying down. After I take a few deep breaths, I look around and try to regain my bearings. The scene before me makes my blood run cold and I suddenly wish I were still passed out. All around me are dog pens, the tops enclosed with heavy sheet metal. That alone isn’t what’s so horrifying. It’s the emaciated bodies of women, some beaten and near death, curled into the corners of them, shivering and frail. A few lay completely still and I have to swallow the sob thats lodged in my throat at not knowing if it’s too late for them. And then it hits me like a fucking semi. Here I sit, in my own cage, the same fate awaiting me. Panic grabs me and doesn’t let go. My breathing becomes labored and harder to grasp hold of. The corners of my vision blur, and everything becomes a fuzzy picture of what it was. I can faintly hear someone, but I have no clue if they’re talking to me or not. I can’t focus, but that voice keeps talking. A melodic sound that I cling to, doing my best to hone in on nothing but that.
“It’s okay, just breathe,” it says, their words finally making sense. “In. Out. Repeat.” I do as they say. Over and over, I focus all my effort on just breathing. Simply trying to stay alive. I have no idea how much time has passed when the panic attack finally subsides and I can breathe again. A small hand is wrapped around mine through the metal cage that separates us. I don’t even remember her touching me, but I can’t explain how much that simple gesture is grounding me.
“What is this place?” I croak, my voice strained and drenched with fear.
“Hell,” she replies, not an ounce of sarcasm present. Well, at least she’s a straight shooter. “Also known as Pack Ames’ breeding grounds. Sometimes it’s a torture chamber used to break the will of a prisoner. Either way, you don’t come here and leave unscathed.” Tears fall freely down my face.
“How long was I out?” I don’t really want the answers to the questions pinging around inside my head, but if I don’t focus on something I’m going to succumb to another panic attack. And there’s a good chance I might not survive the next one.
“They don’t exactly give us clocks, but it was night when they brought you in and the sun has been up for a while now. I’d say it’s around mid-day.” She gives me a sad smile.
“Well Happy fucking Birthday to me,” I mutter.
“It’s your birthday?” She looks perturbed by that.
“Yup. The big 1-8,” I snort. “I’m also supposed to be bonding to my mate today, but I get the feeling that won’t be happening.” My head falls back against the metal chain link, the weight of all I stand to lose baring down so hard it makes my chest ache.
“What! You were gonna be bonded today? To who...a Pack Ames member?” Her rapid fire questions make my head throb again. I rub my temples, trying to ease the pain while I sort through what to answer first.
“Yes, I was supposed to be bonded today. And hell no, I wouldn’t touch a Pack Ames dick with anything but a weed whacker.” She laughs, but I can tell she instantly regrets it when she hisses in pain.
“My mate is Daxton Bardot,” I whisper, his name on my lips causing a fissure in my heart. Her shocked gasp has me arching a brow at her.
“Dax?” she questions. “Dax is your mate?” I sit up, more alert by the second.
“You know Dax?” I look her over, her matted hair looks like it should be a light blonde. She’s small, about my size. She looks familiar but I can’t place her.
“He’s my cousin,” she answers, her voice cracking. And then it hits me. The blue eyes, the blonde hair.
“You’re Minnie...” I don’t ask, I state it. I know without a shadow of a doubt, I’m looking at Caulder’s mother. The mother we thought abandoned him because she just couldn’t grow up.
“You know who I am?” She looks shocked that the Bardot’s would still talk about her. I nod.
“I’m really close with...with Caulder,” I confess, for some reason feeling guilty. Her eyes light up, a sad but hopeful smile on her face.
“You know my boy?” I nod again, not knowing what else to say. “Is he okay? Is he happy?” My heart stutters painfully, another crack for this stranger who so clearly loves the boy she left behind.
“He’s perfect,” I answer her honestly. “He’s a little hell raiser who has us all wrapped around his finger.” I smile, thinking of my Little Tyrant. I don’t even want to imagine what he’s going through right now.
“You love him?” Tears stream down her dirt covered face.
“Very much so.” I nod and grip her hand again, this time giving her the comfort she needs. “What happened, Minnie? How did you end up here?” Her face falls, the mental walk down memory lane I can see she’s entranced in is obviously taking a toll on her.
“I guess it all goes back to falling for the wro
ng guy. I don’t know if he was ever the person I fell in love with. Maybe he was and he was just warped into what he is now, or maybe it was all lies and this is who he always was. Either way, he was the catalyst for everything. I was head over hills for Beaux in high school. I didn’t care that he was from our rival pack and he didn’t either. We ran away for six months until his father called him home. He said it was urgent. When we got back, we discovered that his mother was sick. She had an inoperable brain tumor. Even with treatment, she was only given two to three more years at best. We moved onto pack land and took care of his mom. His father was too busy fucking anything with a vagina to even spend time with his dying wife,” she bites out. I grit my own teeth, feeling pissed for her.
“Beaux and I started to fight more. He was gone so often that it soon just became me taking care of his mom. His father kept sending him off on these secret missions that he wasn’t allowed to tell me about. A year after we came back, Caulder was born. I thought he would bring us back together. But every day he changed a little more. All the things I loved about him soon disappeared. After Janie, his mom, passed...it just got worse. He started drinking, and would even hit me if he had too much. I just took it, refusing to believe that the person who had loved me so passionately could be lost forever. When Caulder was two, his father started raping me.” A choked sound escapes me, my head refusing to believe I just heard her say that. She nods, like she has a direct link to my thoughts and knew exactly what I was thinking.
“He isn’t a man you can say no to. At least not if you want to live. Beaux walked in on it one day and went ape shit. His father called me a whore and told his son that I begged him for it for years. Beaux bought every bit of it, staring at me with disgust. He stormed out of the house, his dad following and cackling the whole way. I knew I needed to get Caulder and I out of there. So while he was gone I threw as much of our stuff as I could into one bag and hauled ass to Bardot land. I plastered on a fake smile and pretended like everything was alright when I pulled up to Beatrix and Carder’s. They welcomed me home with open arms.” She pauses to wipe the tears from her eyes.
“One day, when Beatrix and Caulder were out, the phone rang. I never expected it to be Beaux on the other end of the line. He told me if I didn’t get my ass home within the next hour, he’d carve Caulder up into tiny pieces and feed him to me. But if I came back, and didn’t put up a fight, Caulder could stay behind. That he’d remain safe for as long as I cooperated. Beaux never gave a shit about his son. No one did because he was small and considered unfit according to their standards. It was a no brainer. I scribbled out a bullshit excuse and left. I knew what would be waiting for me, but I also knew it would be worth it to keep my boy safe.” I slap a hand over my mouth, but it’s no use. I wretch again, the thought of someone doing something so vile to my sweet dude, much less his own father, causing me to become violently ill. Once I’ve managed to quit heaving my guts up, I sit back and look at her. Really look at her.
“You’ve been here ever since?” I know I’m gonna hate her answer before she even opens her mouth. She nods.
“They threw me in here the moment I came back. At first they just tortured me. Beaux wanted me to suffer for sleeping with his father. I’ll spare you the details, but it was a rough first year. Year two the beatings were more scarce, but then they decided they needed another female to breed with. So that was a whole other form of torture. I got pregnant six months later but the baby died in childbirth. I guess that kind of shit happens when you’re left to deliver your own baby on a dirt floor. That was about eight or nine months ago, and I don’t think they can quite figure out what they want to do with me anymore. Sometimes my body is used for their pleasure, and sometimes it’s used so they can blow off some steam. I guess a punching bag is too expensive,” she shrugs. A sob escapes me, followed by another...and then another. This woman is the living, breathing definition of sacrifice. The epitome of a mother’s love. The guilt I feel for thinking she abandoned Caulder is massive. Goddamned meteor sized, leaving a crater inside of me where it’s hit.
“Look at me,” she yanks my hand to get my attention. “I know Dax. He’s gonna tear apart the whole fucking state until he has you back. You just gotta hold it together until then, okay?” She thinks I’m panicking over what’s in store for me, if her time in Casa de Hell is anything to go by. I don’t tell her I’m really drowning in my own guilt. I’m too ashamed. I try to let her words soothe me but I don’t even know if Carder is alive. I can’t even bring myself to contemplate it for too long. And where is Dax even at? He was nowhere to be found when we were ambushed. My heart clenches painfully at the thought of him possibly being hurt. I can’t go there, though. I have to believe that everything’s okay and no one is too badly injured. That they’re all coming up with a rescue plan right this minute, and in no time I’ll be home. Dax and I will bond and he’ll love me hard enough to push this nightmare away. It’ll just be a bad memory that I won’t give much thought to. Keep lying to yourself, Linden.
The screech of metal echoing through the room causes Minnie and I both to jump out of our skin. She snatches her hand back and scoots away from me. A second later, heavy boots can be heard thudding through the warehouse. My back is straight as a rod, tension tightening every muscle in my body. When the owner of the heavy footfalls stops in front of my mini jail cell, all the air is stolen from my lungs. The not one, but two people, standing before me shouldn’t be such a fucking surprise.
“Comfy?” Christian grins at me, the demented fuck. “You could be somewhere a lot more comfortable. My bed, for instance.” That slimy motherfucker. The over-the-top, nasally laugh coming from his co-conspirator makes me see red.
“Really, Tits McGee?” I snort, trying to appear unaffected. “You’re so desperate for Dax to want you that you resorted to kidnapping? Did you even think this through? Of course not, you dense bitch. It doesn’t matter if I’m in the picture or not, he will never want you. Get that through your fucking head! And when he finds out that you played a part in this, and he will, what then? He’s going to destroy you. You better pray to whatever god you believe in, because Dax is going to send you to an early grave. And if he doesn’t, I sure as fuck will,” I growl the words at her, unaware that I’m even doing it. A flash of fear washes over her before she shakes it off and slips her mask back on, pretending not to be rattled by my words.
“You poor thing, Dax is busy planning a funeral,” she tuts at me. “I can assure you, you’re the last thing on his mind.” No. No, no, no. He can’t be. Carder can’t be...
“Don’t you fret though, I’ll be there to support him through this super stressful time. To tuck him in at night when he collapses with grief,” she grins at me, her intent loud and clear. I launch at the front of the cage, desperately trying to reach her. I don’t know what I plan to do once I have her, but I know I don’t plan to let go. Christian laughs, the sound crawling up my spine like spiders. I shudder at the image and move away, trying to pull myself together.
“It’s gonna be fun breaking you,” he watches me with fascination. “Just remember...anytime you’re ready for it all stop, just say so. Or maybe say my name? Yeah, say Christian, but I want to hear you moan it.”
“That’ll never fucking happen,” I sneer.
“Never say never, Linden. We haven’t even started having fun yet. But when we do, it won’t stop until you agree to bond with me. That’s the only way out of this for you,” he grins, a feral and deranged look in his eyes. Christian and Allana turn and walk away, their laughter trickling back to us as I process his words. No way in hell will I bond myself to that psycho fuck. Can I take it? Can I endure the kind of abuse that Minnie has? I’ll have to. He can try to take whatever he wants from me, and I’ll fight him every step of the way, but my mate is the only one who I’ll share a bond with. That’s Dax’s to claim, and I’ll never give it to someone else as long as I’m still breathing.
“Uh, Linden was it?” I turn to see a pale
faced Minnie, gripping the chain link between us as she stands, swaying unsteadily. Fuck, I never even told her my name earlier. I nod and watch her blink slowly several times.
“We have to get you the hell out of here,” her quivering voice is barely above a whisper. I want to say ‘no shit’ but it seems like she’s about to freak the fuck out. “Christian Ames,” she blanches. “Brother to Beaux Ames and son of Jackson Ames. Alpha Jackson Ames.” In that moment, I experience true, heart stopping fear. The beat of my heart slows, my lungs refusing to inflate. Any hope that I had of making it out of this hell evaporates into dust. Incinerated right before my eyes. The fear I see in Minnie matches my own. She knows what’s waiting for me. The same vile fucker that has spent years destroying her, is going be my own tormentor as well. I can feel the blank deadness roll over me, a necessity to survive. Numbness spreads through me, protecting me from what’s to come. If you can’t feel, you can’t hurt. I lock it all away. Every hope, every dream. I don’t dare think of what could be or what might’ve been. Wishing for a different outcome isn’t going to do me a lick of good. Mom survived years of abuse. Minnie’s survived years of abuse. I can do it, too.
Except, I honestly don’t know that I can. I think there are some things that I would rather die than have taken from me. The desolation I feel is a stark contrast to the steely eyed determination that’s now radiating from Minnie.
“I refuse to let them hurt you,” she grits out. “We’re getting you out of here. Fuck waiting on the calvary. You’re gonna have to be your own savior, Linden.” Her eyes bore into mine, but I’m so lost I can’t process what she’s saying. It’s not sinking in.
“He calls me his soulmate,” I mumble.
“Who, Dax? Yeah, you guys are...” she trails off, like I’ve officially lost my shit.
