Reluctant Mate

by Diana Persaud

  She fought a wave of dizziness by focusing on Evans’ cold eyes.

  She remained still, too scared to scream or plead for them to stop. Not that it would make a difference. They wanted to hurt her. She could scent their lust and saw the cruelty in their eyes. She wouldn’t beg anyway. Men like them would only enjoy her pleas. It would spur them to hurt her more, not cause them to stop.

  I shouldn’t have left Tarchannen. Remington might have demanded sex, but he wouldn’t have forced me. What have I gotten myself into?

  Her gaze dropped to the floor and settled on the fallen guard.

  I hope he regains consciousness soon.

  Bixby withdrew a large knife. Bright fluorescent light glinted off the wicked blade as he waved it in front of her. He lowered the knife.

  Her heart raced.

  Bixby slit her skirt from bottom to top, letting it fall at her feet.

  Evans whistled.

  Her chin trembled but she refused to beg.

  Bixby returned the knife to his boot, leering at her.

  Her shoulders slumped.

  The door flung open. Roland rushed in.

  Her wobbly knees nearly buckled. She pressed a hand against the cell wall to keep from sinking to the floor.

  With a growl, Roland ran into the cell. Evans turned and received a fist in his stomach. Evans doubled over.

  Bixby attacked Roland with a baton. The thin metal rod smacked into his head and Roland fell to the floor. Though dazed, Roland rolled over to her. Bixby kicked him in the ribs.

  “Guh,” he grunted.

  Bixby moved to kick him again. Roland grabbed the other leg and tugged, causing Bixby to fall. Roland struggled to his feet as Evans moved in front of him.

  Breathing heavily, Roland snarled, “I told you to leave the female alone.”

  “What’s your fucking problem? I just want to get laid.”

  “She doesn’t want you, asshole.”

  “You just want to fuck her first,” Evans accused.

  “I don’t force women to my bed, Evans. I don’t need to force them to get laid. You’re fucking pathetic and you’re fired. Get out. Same goes for you, Bixby.”

  Bixby stood beside Evans.

  “Fired? We’ll see what Dr. Jessup says about that. He promised we could watch her being fucked by those two wolves.”

  “You sick fuck.”

  Evans laughed.

  “When he’s done with his little study, he’s going to give her to me. I already asked. She’s mine.”

  “She doesn’t belong to you. You’re not touching her, either one of you.”

  He nodded to the wolves in the neighboring cell.

  “They’re not going to touch her either. You come near her, and I will kill you,” he vowed.

  She sucked in her breath at his words.

  This man was claiming her?

  Wolves only threatened to kill when their mates were in danger or if another male was interested in their mate. This man was no wolf, but he was certainly acting like one.

  She had been too angry and scared to notice him earlier. Now all she could see was dark brown hair, cropped short. Roland turned his face slightly.

  He had a full beard, also cropped short.

  What color are his eyes?

  Now Roland stood in front of her, protecting her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out something.

  It was a set of handcuff keys.

  Keeping them in his right hand, he reached back and held them out to her.

  “Can you take the keys and free yourself?”

  She nodded then realized he couldn’t see her. Quietly, she said “Yes,” and turned around so she could take the keys from him. She struggled for a minute but managed to get the handcuffs off. She dropped the cuffs on the floor.

  He pulled off his olive green shirt and held it behind him.

  “Put this on. You’re short so it will probably cover you.”

  She took the shirt, shrugged out of her ripped blouse and slipped it on. The large shirt fell to middle of her thigh.

  I wish it was longer, but at least they couldn’t see my bra and panties.

  She smoothed down the shirt, grateful to Roland for thinking of her.

  Of course he would want her covered. Wolves were possessive of their mates, not wishing anyone to see them less than fully clothed. But this was a man, not a wolf, she reminded herself.

  A large ugly bruise was beginning to form on his side.

  Evans and Bixby backed out of the cell slowly then slammed the door shut.

  “What the fuck are you doing? Open that fucking door!” Roland yelled.

  Evans sneered at him and replied, “You want her so bad you can stay in there with her. We’ll see what the doc wants us to do with you.”

  Bixby and Evans turned away from them and left the basement. The metal door clanged shut behind them.

  Roland cursed and pulled on the bars to no avail. Then he seemed to realize she was standing by the cot.

  “Did they hurt you?”

  She shook her head, silently assessing him.

  His bare chest was smooth and muscular. His dark green pants had more pockets than she could count. He also wore black combat boots and carried himself like a soldier.

  “Toss me the handcuff keys.”

  She tossed the keys to Roland. He caught them and turned to the male wolves in the next cell.

  “These might work on your handcuffs,” he said, tossing the keys to one of the wolves.

  They tried each key, eventually freeing themselves.

  Roland moved to kneel beside Thompson, inspecting his face and head. He was breathing but still unconscious. Roland moved over to the cot, pulled the mattress off and looked at the springs on the bed frame. It took him some time but he removed one of the springs and walked to the cell door. Roland pushed the spring into the keyhole and wiggled it around, trying to pick the lock. It slipped and slid against his palm, creating a huge gash.

  She gasped when she saw blood spurting.

  Swearing, he pulled back his hand and applied pressure, stemming the blood flow.

  She turned to the bed, pulled off the top sheet and ripped it into two small strips. She rushed over to him and held up the strips of cloth.

  Roland seemed surprised by her quick thinking. He nodded and she bandaged his left hand.

  “Thank you.”

  She looked up at him, smiling shyly.

  He had startling blue eyes that lightened as he looked at her face. His eyes wandered up to her hair, then widened. Reaching up, he pulled the pins out of her hair, freeing her curly locks. The light scent of apples wafted around her and his gaze dropped to her lips.

  He cleared his throat.

  “To pick the lock,” he said.

  The basement doors swung open. Dr. Jessup walked in, followed by Evans and Bixby. Robert stuffed the bobby pins into his pocket and turned to the advancing men.

  “You disappoint me, Robert. We are doing important research here.”

  Robert made a snorting sound in response.

  “Are you? Forcing this female to have sex so you can get your rocks off is unethical, Dr. Jessup. You’re breaking all kinds of laws.”

  “Who’s going to stop me, Robert? You? You’re locked in a cell with those animals. I am going to enjoy watching her fuck these wolves. If you’re a good boy, I might even let you watch.”

  “You BASTARD!” he snarled, lunging at the cell bars.

  Reaching through the bars, he tried to grab Jessup. Jessup laughed and stayed a few inches out of his reach.

  “If you touch her, I will kill you. Slowly. Painfully.”

  He gripped the bars and glared at Jessup.

  Dr. Jessup sneered.

  “I’m not going to fuck her.” Dr. Jessup pointed to the wolves in the neighboring cell. “They are.”

  “Do it!” Dr. Jessup commanded.

  Evans pulled out a gun.

  Zzpt.

  Evans shot Robert in the leg
.

  Startled, Robert stepped backward then looked down at his leg. He pulled out the dart and held it up.

  “You—you tranked me?”

  “A special concoction. Just for you, Robert,” Dr. Jessup said with an odd grin.

  Robert fell to his knees, dropped the tranquilizer dart and shook his head.

  “Remove her from the cell and put her with the males,” Dr. Jessup ordered.

  “NO!” Robert protested.

  Robert wavered then fell over with a loud thump.

  Evans and Bixby quickly opened the cell, removed her and pushed her into the cell with the wolves.

  She gasped and moved towards the wall of the cell, furthest away from Robert. Keeping her back to the wall, she moved slowly to the center of the cell wall.

  She took deep breaths to calm her racing pulse.

  Could they hear her heart thundering in her chest?

  Her fingers dug into concrete wall.

  Moving to the corner would limit her options. At least if the wolves came at her she might be able to move around them. Currently they had their backs to her, busy observing Robert and the other men in the adjoining cell.

  Would they attack one at a time or together?

  Her stomach lurched.

  Her wolf struggled to rise. Her wolf claws extended and an odd kind of peace settled over her.

  Dr. Jessup examined Thompson.

  “Remove him from the cell,” Dr. Jessup ordered.

  Evan’s gripped Thompson’s wrists and pulled him out of the cell. He dragged him to the side of the cell and left him there. Evans returned to the cell. He rolled Robert on his back and checked him for weapons. He found the bobby pins and removed them. With a grunt, Evans pulled Robert over to the far left and handcuffed one hand to the bars of his cell.

  Standing outside of their cell, Dr. Jessup turned to the wolves and addressed the men.

  “I don’t really care if one of you fucks her or if you both do. Just don’t kill her when you’re done. I have plans for this bitch.”

  Evans and Bixby snickered behind him.

  After they left, the males turned to her. They sniffed loudly.

  It would be impossible for them to miss the fear scent coming off her body.

  She tensed, waiting for their attack.

  They remained where they were.

  “The man has claimed you, though I don’t think he realizes that he has. We will not touch you. We wouldn’t have forced you anyway. In our pack, to force a female is to court death. Our Alpha, Lucien, would kill us.”

  “Only if his mate didn’t do it first,” the other added.

  The first wolf turned to her and calmly said , “Sit and rest. We will do our best to protect you from those men.”

  She nodded and walked to the cot, sat with her knees tucked under her chin and pulled his shirt over her legs.

  Time passed.

  Without windows or clocks in the basement, she was unsure of how long Robert remained unconscious. After what seemed like hours, Robert finally stirred. He sat up with a jolt.

  ***

  The woman. I failed to protect her. I failed again.

  Realizing he was handcuffed to the cell wall and the woman was in the next cell with two male wolves, Robert quickly rose to his feet. He reached into his pocket, searching for the bobby pins.

  “The one called Evans removed the bobby pins after he handcuffed you,” one of the wolves informed him.

  He glared at the males.

  The female huddled on the bed. Her knees were pulled up to her chin and her arms wrapped around her legs. She had pulled his shirt over her knees, covering herself.

  His vision clouded.

  “If you’ve harmed her—” he growled.

  “We didn’t touch her.”

  The female nodded.

  “They didn’t do anything,” she replied.

  Robert relaxed his stance. He looked around the cell, searching for anything he could use to escape.

  He found nothing.

  Fuck. I was too thorough when installing and setting up these cells. Now I’m trapped in here. All because I’m too fucking good at doing my job. Irony, you’re a fucking bitch.

  The door clanged open and Evans strolled in. Evans sauntered over to his cell, sneering at him.

  “It was one hell of a show, Robert. Both of them fucked her. Hell, that one,” he pointed at one of the wolves, “fucked in her in the ass, and she loved it! Begged him for more.”

  A surge of adrenaline rushed thorough his body. He clenched his jaw and his fists and stood rigid by the bars.

  “NO! He’s lying!”

  She jumped off the bed and moved to the cell wall closest to him.

  “They didn’t touch me at all, I swear.”

  Evans chuckled at his reaction.

  “Jealous that your little girlfriend gave it up to two wolves?” Evans sneered.

  He glared at Evans as he moved to the other cell.

  “Get to the back of the cell,” Evans shouted.

  Once the male wolves complied, Evans opened the door and removed the female. He grabbed her tight around the arm and hauled her out of the cell.

  Evans slammed the cell door shut. Evans opened his cell door and shoved her into his cell.

  She stumbled. Grabbing her arms, Evans shoved her against the wall and kept her there.

  His heartbeat pounded loudly in his ears.

  Instinctively, he moved towards them but the cuffs pulled him back, keeping him out of reach.

  “I’m going to give you a real show, Roland. Which hole should I fuck first? Her ass? Yeah. What do you think? Wanna watch your girlfriend beg me to fuck her ass?”

  His hand trembled as he unbuckled his belt and pulled it out of his belt loops.

  Evans spun her around and lifted up her shirt, exposing her panties.

  He wrapped the smooth end around his hand and took a deep breath.

  Evans pulled down her panties and fiddled with his zipper.

  He swung the buckle end, hitting Evans in the back of his head.

  Yes!

  “Fuck!” Evans shouted, touching his bleeding head.

  Evans took another hit to the face. This time, the thin metal in the middle of the buckle caught him in the eye, puncturing it.

  He took a deep breath, savoring the moment.

  Screaming and holding his eye, Evans backed away from him, colliding with the woman.

  She pushed Evans as hard as she could. Her push propelled him forward, close enough for him to grab Evans’ clothes. Holding on tightly, he slammed Evans against the smooth metal bars.

  He grinned then punched Evan as hard as he could in the stomach.

  Evans doubled over.

  He grabbed Evans by his hair and slammed him upright against the bars of the cell.

  Too stunned to move, Evans leaned against the bars. He reached down and pulled out a wicked blade from Evans’ boots. He stabbed him in the chest, puncturing his heart.

  “I told you I would kill you if you touched her,” he growled.

  A warmth radiated though his body and his cock filled.

  He twisted the knife in Evans’ heart for good measure.

  Evans’ body fell to the floor.

  He took a few deep breaths to calm himself then searched Evans’ body for keys. He found the handcuff keys then freed himself. He searched again and found the cell keys. He removed the knife from Evan’s chest and wiped the blood on Evan’s leg, cleaning it.

  He pointed the knife to the wolves in the neighboring cell.

  “They didn’t touch you?”

  She shook her head.

  “They didn’t touch me at all. I’m fine. Really.”

  He slipped the knife into his boot.

  She hugged herself.

  He had the sudden urge to comfort her.

  Without thinking, he walked over to her, pulled her into his arms and held her close. She didn’t resist, didn’t even try to fight him.

 
“I take full responsibility for what happened tonight. I will fix it,” he promised.

  She pulled away from him slightly, raising her head so she could look at him. She reached up and stroked his face, her fingers lingering in his beard.

  He wasn’t surprised by her response.

  She’s only being nice to me so I will continue protecting her. Like most women in her position, she will offer her body in exchange for protection. Is that what Mother did? Did she fuck someone else? Or am I giving a drunk asshole too much credit?

  As if sensing his pain, she asked, “What’s wrong?”

  I will never touch her, he vowed silently.

  He took her hand and led her out of their cell. Standing in front of the other cell, he said, “If I let you out, do you promise not to kill me?”

  The wolves nodded. He held up the keys and tried each one. The third one worked and he unlocked the cell. Just then, the basement door opened and he turned, pulling the female behind him. Releasing her hand, he pulled the blade from his boot and stood protectively in front of her.

  Chapter Four

  The basement doors clanged open and four people entered. Robert stared at the first man, his boss, Steven Ellis.

  He tightened the grip on the knife he was holding.

  Ellis had a pretty woman on his arm and two very large guards behind him.

  “Couldn’t wait to fuck her, Robert?”

  He gritted his teeth, glaring at Ellis.

  The wolves in the cell whispered quietly to him, “Those two men are with us.”

  He watched carefully as one of the guards nodded to the other. The first guard moved the woman out of the way while the second guard secured Ellis. He punched him in the face, knocking him out. The dark haired guard ordered the woman to stay by the doors then they slowly walked toward him.

  “Nicolai, Harley, are we glad to see you! Don’t hurt the man. His name is Robert and, well, he’s claimed the female wolf. I don’t think you want to come any closer.”

  Both men immediately stopped and focused their gaze on him.

  He frowned.

  Claim? What the hell was he talking about? All I know is that I will protect this woman. I won’t fail again.

  The woman stepped in front of Nicolai and Harley.

  “I promise we’re not going to harm you. We just want to rescue the wolves. I’ve already freed two males,” she said.