Taken

by Gwendolyn Casey

  “Food is ready.” I turn around to look at Donovan.

  I follow him to the kitchen table where an omelet, bacon and toast are waiting for me. Draped over the back of the chair is my hoodie, the one I thought I dropped at the gas station. He must have taken it. I decide not to say anything about it because I’m not sure how I feel about that at this point.

  “Thank you.” He simply nods and leans against the counter with a cup of coffee, watching as I take the first bite. I’m a little uncomfortable having him watch me eat, but his gaze is more possessive than judgmental.

  I’m hungry for the first time since I arrived here so I devour half the plate in seconds. When I finally slow down, I begin to look around. I see several photographs on the mantle above the fireplace. They look to be pictures of Donovan and several other men in front of buildings. On one, I could read the sign “Wolf’s Head Home for Children”. This makes me curious so I decide to start getting to know the man who popped my cherry.

  “So, what do you do for a living?” I ask.

  “I own a construction company.”

  “Like houses?”

  “Not exactly, we specialize in high-end cabin homes in the northwest and Canada.”

  “Like this one?” I use my fork to point around the place.

  “Yes.”

  “What about the ones in the photos?”

  “I try to build for non-profit organizations when I can,” he responds and then moves into the kitchen to start cleaning up the pans. I can tell the subject makes him uncomfortable.

  When he puts everything into the sink, I ask, “So, you must have to travel a lot?”

  “Yes, but now that you are here I’ll try not to travel at all,” he tells me as he comes back toward the table.

  The toast in my mouth is suddenly hard to chew. He is so certain about our future that it’s a little disconcerting. I must say something. “What if I can’t stay here, Donovan?”

  “You will,” he commands as he sits down across from me at the table.

  “I still have school.”

  “You can finish your degree anywhere.”

  “But I want to finish it there,” I insist.

  “This is not up for discussion, Mackenzie.”

  I stand up and slap my hands down on the table. “Don’t speak to me like a child. I have a right to come and go as I please.”

  “Sit down.” It comes out with a savage edge and my knees weaken instantly. It’s like he has this strange power over me that goes beyond sex. It’s like my body wants to submit to him in all ways and it is frustrating as hell.

  I sit down again, but I’m not done. “You have no right to keep me here. Just like you had no right to take me from my tent.”

  He stands up slowly and leans on the table, bracing himself on his knuckles. “I had every right. You are my mate, destined to belong to me. And I to you.”

  That last part has the fire in my belly cooling down a bit.

  “You believe that night was fate?”

  “Yes.” He reaches across the table and takes my hand as he sits back down. His touch is warm. “I know you feel overwhelmed, but it was a surprise to me, too. I had no idea the pull would be so strong.”

  “You didn’t plan what happened?”

  “No.” His thumb caresses the back of my hand.

  What happened in that cave was powerful and overwhelming. I’m embarrassed to think about how I behaved.

  “But what about the cave? It had blankets,” I press.

  “It is used by the pack when couples would like to mate with some privacy.”

  “But why take me there and not here?”

  His eyes meet mine. “The den was closer,” he answers, gripping my hand a little harder.

  I blush. It is possible that he is lying, but something inside me says that every word is true. That what happened in the cave was something bigger than both of us.

  I take my hand away so I can take my plate over to the sink where I rinse it and put it in the dishwasher. When I turn back to him, he is still staring at me. It would probably make any other woman uneasy, but I secretly love it, the way he follows my movements like it’s impossible to look away.

  “Rachel will be here soon. I think I’ll wait for her on the porch.” I go out the screen door but Donovan is right behind me. I try to sit on my own, but he quickly tugs me into his lap as he sits down on the porch swing.

  He lifts a brow, daring me to fight him, but I know there is no point so I cuddle into his neck. We are silent for a while as we soak in the beauty of the woods. “Tell me about your life,” he says suddenly.

  “Why?” I respond snidely. “According to you, I’m not going back to it.”

  “Mackenzie,” he says huskily and grips my neck gently. “I have no intention of keeping you locked away. You will see your friends and your family. In fact, I hope to meet them all. I want you to be happy.”

  I look down at my hands, feeling a little ashamed for being so bitchy.

  “Tell me about your life so we can start to make one together.”

  His words are so sweet that I literally feel all the resistance leave my body. I settle into his chest again and start talking. I talk about my parents back east and being a forestry major. I tell him about Rachel and how we met. He asks me about my other friends, but I realize that there is not much to tell. I have acquaintances and some girls I go out with occasionally but no one I would say I am close to.

  I purposely avoid talking about Brandon because I know it is a touchy subject. I cringe when I think about seeing him again.

  “Who was the man here earlier?” I ask Donovan.

  Donovan lets out a frustrated breath. He was probably hoping that I wouldn’t remember.

  “His name is Marcus. He is the doctor for the pack. I wanted him to have a look at you.”

  “So, there is a pack?”

  “Yes,” he responds, without looking at me.

  “Is there an Alpha?”

  He turns to look at me and there is a glint in his eye. Of course, he would be the Alpha. I couldn’t imagine him taking orders from anyone.

  “I am the Alpha, Mackenzie,” he utters.

  “I knew it.”

  He chuckles for the first time in my presence. It is deep and throaty. “What do you mean you knew it?”

  “You’re just so…” Masculine, powerful, raw. But I can’t say any of those things. His ego is big enough.

  I decide to turn the conversation in a different direction. “Was your father the Alpha?”

  Donovan looks toward the trees again. He is quiet for a few seconds before he answers. “I don’t think so. I never met my father and my mother died in childbirth with me.”

  I’m stunned into silence. He didn’t know either of his parents. He is an orphan. Pieces of this man are starting to come together. Growing up without parents must have been very lonely and confusing. “I’m so sorry, Donovan.” I want to say more, but I know nothing would really help.

  “Who did you grow up with?” I ask.

  “I grew up with my great uncle Emmitt and his wife. You met him in town. He owns the gas station.”

  The old man behind the counter. I nod and smile. “Do you have any other family or friends that live around here?”

  “Not really. I’ve made a few friends through work, but I try to keep to myself around Wolf’s Head.”

  “But if you’re the Alpha, shouldn’t you be more involved in the community?”

  I feel his hands tighten around me, clearly uncomfortable with this conversation. “They would prefer that I keep my distance. I attend meetings of the elder’s council and I keep the pack safe. It is all that they require.”

  “Why do they want you to keep your distance?”

  Seconds tick by and I realize that he is not going to answer. “Do they think you’re dangerous? Is that why Emmitt tried to separate us?”

  Donovan looks at me, a small smile playing at his lips. “Emmitt was trying to protect us both
.”

  “What was he protecting you from?”

  “That doesn’t matter,” he says.

  I’m beginning to realize that cracking Donovan was going to take patience. He clearly has some issues with this town that he does not want to disclose.

  “How was Emmitt protecting me?”

  His brows come together for a moment before he answers, “Emmitt is a man that I respect. When I heard his voice, it managed to pull my wolf back so that I did not let him loose.”

  I smile coyly. “And what would have happened if the wolf got loose?” I ask and bite my lip.

  I feel a rumble move through his chest as he speaks huskily. “You really want to know?” he asks as his hand drops to the inside of my thigh. I shiver at the feel of his callused fingers moving toward my center.

  “Yes,” I whisper.

  “I wanted to push you down to the floor, turn you on to all fours, and destroy any fabric keeping me from this.” His fingers brush through my slit, where I am already wet. “My dick was harder than a fucking pike and I wanted to drive it so deep and hard that you would have felt me in your throat.” He pushes two fingers inside me, making me gasp. “I would have fucked you raw and rough, for everyone to see. I could smell your innocence and I knew it would hurt you but I didn’t care. All that mattered was claiming you, being the first and only one inside you. I needed your virgin blood on my cock like I needed my next breath.” His fingers are pumping into me and I am jerking my hips to meet each thrust, wanting it harder. I’m on fire from the sensations and his words are only fanning the flame.

  The scene plays out in my mind. I see myself on the floor between the aisles with Donovan behind me, taking what is his. He is right that it would have been painful to be taken like that but it still turns me on that I could turn this strong, powerful man into an animal, literally and figuratively.

  His thumb moves to my clit and his other hand moves to my hair. He tugs me toward him so he can kiss me. His mouth conquers mine and I whimper, wanting more.

  “Donovan,” I whisper, ready to ask him to fuck me like he described.

  But then I hear a crunching of leaves and rocks. I pull my face away to watch a car pulling up to the house.

  “Oh, no,” I say when I see Brandon behind the wheel. I quickly shove Donovan’s arm and he pulls his fingers from my pussy.

  “Don’t hurt him,” I warn Donovan as I get off his lap. Donovan simply glares at me while he sucks his fingers into his mouth to clean my juices away. I’m upset about having to stop too, but I am not about to let my new boyfriend finger me while my old boyfriend watches, especially since I haven’t broken up with the old one yet.

  I walk down the stairs, feeling guilty with every step.

  As Brandon approaches he looks at my clothes. It’s then that I realize that I am dressed in nothing but a man’s t-shirt. I should have asked Donovan for a pair of bottoms, but I honestly didn’t think of it.

  Brandon pulls me into his arms when we get close. I can hear the quiet rumble coming from Donovan so I try to push his hands away subtly. “I’m all right, Brandon.”

  He cups my face, looking down at me and then his eyes move to the left. He must see the claiming mark because his face twists with anger and he looks at Donovan. “What has he done to you?”

  Brandon pushes me to the side as Donovan comes down the stairs.

  “What have you done?” Brandon says and takes a swing at Donovan.

  Donovan dodges the punch and pushes Brandon back toward the car. “Leave. Now. She is mine.”

  “Like hell she is. Mackenzie, get in the car,” Brandon demands without even looking at me.

  “Brandon, stop. Please,” I urge as I come around to face him. “Let me explain.”

  Brandon side steps around me to get closer to Donovan. “You were kidnapped by this maniac while lying right beside me.”

  Donovan takes another step forward, nearly closing the distance between them. “What’s wrong, boy? Jealous that she gave me what you’ve been begging for?”

  I gasp. How dare he! I think. Then Brandon lunges for Donovan.

  “No,” I scream. This can’t happen. Brandon is not weak, but he is not an Alpha werewolf. Donovan will kill him.

  Donovan absorbs Brandon’s attack with just a few steps back. Then he punches Brandon in the ribs from below. The younger man falls back, but quickly lunges for Donovan again.

  “Stop it,” I yell, but neither one is listening. Brandon keeps up his attack, but Donovan is too strong to take down. Soon Brandon throws another punch and Donovan catches Brandon’s fist in his palm.

  “Ah,” Brandon cries out and starts to fall to his knees as Donovan begins to crush his hand.

  “Donovan, stop, “I scream again, but he doesn’t look up. All his rage is focused on Brandon who is trying to use his other hand to break Donovan’s hold.

  My panic rises. What do I do? What can I do? Donovan is too strong and too much of a possessive caveman to listen. He is going to kill Brandon.

  My heart is beating so fast and loud that I feel dizzy. My vision blurs and I feel pain radiate in my limbs. I scream in agony, but it comes out as a whine. I fall to the ground as I feel my bones crack and bend. What is happening?

  Donovan finally turns his attention to me and so does Brandon.

  “What the fuck?” Brandon says. I squeeze my eyes shut. My bones continue to snap, but now my skin is burning, too, like I’ve been set on fire. When I open my eyes, I see Brandon lying on the ground not moving.

  Oh God, he’s dead. I scream, but it comes out as a howl.

  “Mackenzie. You are turning, you need to calm down.” Donovan says as he comes toward me.

  How can I calm down? Brandon is dead.

  I don’t know what’s happening, but I must get away from Donovan. Before I know it, I am running into the woods.

  Chapter Eight

  As I run into the woods, my vision becomes sharper and my nose is assaulted with a thousand different scents. But I keep running. I leap over fallen trees with a grace I never possessed as a human. I hardly feel the ground beneath my paws as I race forward. My blood surges through my veins. I feel powerful and free. I also feel different, like someone new all-together.

  Suddenly, there is a wolf beside me, large and dark. Donovan.

  Stop, Mackenzie. It’s his voice in my head.

  No. You killed Brandon.

  Stop. His large body begins to shove me. When I still don’t stop, he nips at my side.

  I nip back and run in another direction. Then I am being tackled to the ground. Donovan is on top of me and his teeth are around my much smaller wolf throat.

  That feeling from a few minutes comes back over me, my limbs twisting and pain radiating everywhere. I’m changing back. Donovan has changed, too, but now his hand is at my throat instead of his mouth. We are both naked on the forest floor and he is pinning me down with his body.

  “What happened?” I know I didn’t make the choice to change back. But I didn’t choose to change in the first place. It seems completely unpredictable.

  “I am protecting you.”

  I push at his chest. “The only person I need protection from is you,” I yell. “You killed Brandon.”

  “I didn’t kill him. I knocked him out so he wouldn’t witness you change.”

  I stop struggling for a moment as his words hit me. Brandon isn’t dead. Thank you, God. But the anger comes back swiftly. “Why did you hurt him?”

  “He attacked me.”

  “After you provoked him.” I slap at him and try to turn into the wolf again so I can get away from him, but he growls and holds me down to the dirt.

  “You will not turn again. It is not safe for the baby.”

  I freeze. Did he just say baby? “What are you talking about?”

  His face softens and the grip on my throat relaxes, but his hand remains there. “You are pregnant and turning this early in the pregnancy can cause a miscarriage.” He lowers his body down on
mine to get closer. “It was one of the reasons I lost control that night. I could sense your body’s readiness to be bred.”

  “You can’t know that,” I scream. I glare at him as I try to remember health class. Didn’t it take days for the sperm to meet the egg? And even longer for implantation?

  But I look in his eyes and I know it’s true.

  “You asshole. My body may have been ready but I was not ready.” I continue to struggle against him, but he holds me easily. Then my head falls back as strange images flood my vision. Images of him on top of me, fucking me long and hard. It’s us in the cave.

  “Stop it,” I tell him and wiggle to get loose. But all that does is make my nipples rub against his chest and my thigh brush his hard cock. The scene is still playing in my mind. My pussy is suddenly weeping, ready to be taken.

  “I’m just reminding you of how this child was made. How all our children will be made,” he tells me. “I could hear your thoughts and feel your yearning. You wanted my seed.” I moan and arch against him, the words and images making me wanton. I know he is right. I did want it that night. I remember the lust seeping into my brain so all I could think of was having him inside me, just like now.

  Donovan inhales, taking in my arousal. Suddenly he is spreading my thighs and positioning his large cock right at my entrance.

  “That was in the heat of the moment,” I try to say before he pushes inside me and my muscles stretch around him, welcoming him. I need that feeling of fullness.

  But I shouldn’t want Donovan inside me. He hurt Brandon and impregnated me. I nip at his lips as he tries to kiss me, baring my teeth. He roars and leans away but drives deep, seating himself to the hilt inside me. It feels so good that I gasp and moan. I’m not sure if it is lust or anger, but I bite at his chest. Donovan roars and I feel a moment of triumph when he suddenly pulls out of me. But it’s short lived as he quickly flips me onto all fours and plunges in again. I cry out. He feels so much bigger and deeper this way.

  He grabs my neck and forces my face into the dirt so my pussy angles up at him while the other hand grips my hip to hold me steady. His thrusts start slow and controlled, but so deep I can’t help the whimpers that escape my throat. I realize quickly that this isn’t sex, this is dominance. Donovan is exerting his authority over my body and soul. I can feel my newly discovered wolf just under my skin, enjoying her mate’s attention. She is absorbing the power of her Alpha and relishing every moment.