by Leite, Lynn
Bryce tried to concentrate on the paperwork that littered the Alpha desk. Who knew there was so much red tape being the leader of a pack? Requests for mating, declarations that a were had found his true mate, and requests to turn them.
Turning humans was serious business. A were claiming the mate fever didn’t always mean the human felt it. If they didn’t, then turning them would be a disaster. Of course, denying a were his or her true mate meant that the were would go feral. That never ended well. He would have to speak to the human, make sure they knew what they were getting into, before sanctioning the turn.
A soft knock at the door drew his attention.
“Come in,” he called as he covered the papers in front of him. No one was supposed to be in the pack house today, but if one of the weres had slipped through the guard’s defenses, he didn’t want them nosing into Alpha business.
“I thought you might need some help,” Julie smiled while eyeing the stacks of papers that now littered the office.
“I had no idea there were so many forms. Request forms, acquisition forms, I can’t keep them straight,” Bryce huffed as he ran his fingers through his hair.
“Drew can’t make heads or tails of it either. Here, let me,” she said starting to efficiently pile the forms into three neat stacks. “Your brothers arrived at the crack of dawn. Have you heard from Lexi?”
“I haven’t called her yet. How is Ashley this morning?”
“She seems the same. Although I wouldn’t know for sure. All she does is nod and try to smile when I speak to her.”
“She’s not talking again?”
“No, she sits and stares at the fire in the great room. I wish I knew what to do to help.”
“So do I,” Bryce muttered.
“Do you mean that? I mean, maybe she’d talk to you.”
“You want me to check on her?”
“Yes, please. I can take care of this. Give me an hour,” she said gesturing to the paper work.
“An hour? That’s days’ worth of work.”
“Men... always making a mountain out of a mole hill. Go, I’ll take care of this. See if you can get her talking. It’s not healthy to have her keep it all inside.”
“I’ll try Julie. Thanks for the help.”
“It’s no bother really.”
Ashley sat closer to the fire. It was dying down, making the chill fill her again. She felt empty. The warmth was the only thing that seemed to soothe the dark void that threatened to consume her. She didn’t sleep well the night before. She doubted she’d ever sleep well again. The images of Richard, his evil sneer, looming above her had awakened her causing her to scream until she realized where she was. He was dead, and, for the moment, she was safe.
Reaching down for another log, the blanket she had wrapped herself in slipped from her shoulders. She hesitated to pull it back. It might catch on fire if she got too close. Straining to lift the log, she tossed it on the fire. Even that simple motion made her whole body ache.
Bryce watched as Ashley bent to stoke the fire. He didn’t mean to spy, but the door had been open. The blanket slipped from her back revealing a petite figure. She was wearing sweatpants and a thin strapped tank top. Today her hair was pulled back away from her face, proving what he had thought the night before. Ashley Freeman was beautiful. His breath hitched, as she winced, picking up a log and kneeling in front of the fire. The flames brightened the shadows that surrounded her, illuminating the damage done to her in the attack. Huge red marks marred her shoulder, some still bleeding. Her back and arms revealed much the same.
“Oh god Ashley, he bit you?” Bryce said without thinking.
Ashley whirled around to find the man she had met just last night staring at her in horror.
Her idea that the scars would keep men from looking at her suddenly had backfired. She didn’t want Bryce to see them. She wanted to hide her shame from the man who offered to go after Warren even after having just met her.
“Bryce, please don’t look,” she said scrambling to get the blanket back around her.
“No, don’t cover them. Ashley, you didn’t shift after the attack?”
“No, I… I don’t want to.”
“You have to… those bites…” Bryce winced at the thought of her being bitten. Torn to shreds was a better description of what he was seeing. “…Ashley, they will get infected. From the look of it, they already are.”
“I’ll put some cream on them. Please don’t look at me that way.”
“Tell me why you won’t shift,” he demanded stepping further into the room. Ashley slid back against the easy chair on her left. Bryce was angry. She wasn’t frightened exactly. She was mortified. “I won’t hurt you Ash. Please, just let me call a doctor?”
“No, no doctors! I don’t want those men touching me.”
“Fine, I understand that. I just don’t see why you can’t shift. Those bites will infect and poison your blood stream. They are bad, Ash. You could die.” Bryce hoped he was exaggerating, but the mark he saw on her shoulder was oozing either blood or something worse.
Ashley looked at Bryce who was keeping the couch in between them. He really didn’t want to scare her, and for some reason he didn’t. She found herself imagining last night. What it would have been like to meet him before the attack. Would he be attracted to her? Now all she saw in his eyes was pity and anger.
She hadn’t thought about infection. Infection would be a problem. Maybe he was right, and she should shift.
“I don’t want anyone to see me this way.”
“Well, sorry to inform you, I’ve already seen you. What is it you’re trying to prove? Being a martyr won’t change what happened.”
“Martyr? That’s what you think I’m doing?” Okay, so it was exactly what she was doing, and yelling at an alpha male wasn’t sticking with her plan to avoid men indefinitely.
“Some asshole hurt you, but you don’t have to wear the damage on your skin. That just means he wins.” Bryce pounded a fist on the back of the couch. He wanted to walk around and scoop her up and forcibly drive her to the nearest clinic. He couldn’t make her shift, but he could make her get help. She would probably hate him and he might be doing more harm than good, but he felt helpless just standing there.
“He didn’t win, he’s DEAD!” Ashley shouted as she tried fighting back the tears.
“I’ve heard of women refusing to shift so that their mates mark would scar, telling the world they were taken. Is that what you’re doing?” Bryce knew he was pushing her, but someone had to.
“Fuck you, Bryce. I hated him, and you know it. You’re just trying to make me angry enough to shift.”
“Is it working?” Bryce tried to hide a grin. This girl was smart and a ball of fire when she was pushed.
“No!”
“What the hell is going on here?” Bryce turned to see Drew standing in the doorway.
“Ashley is petitioning for martyrdom, and I was just leaving.”
“Good riddance!” Ashley yelled as the tears flowed to the surface. She wasn’t going to cry. Bryce had made her so damn mad. So why was she sorry to see him go? He probably couldn’t look at her anymore. The marks were hideous. She would be hideous if she didn’t shift. That was what she had wanted, to be unattractive to men, to be left alone. So she should be glad to see him storm out. She wasn’t.
“What was that?” Drew growled as he started following Bryce down the hall. “I heard the screaming all the way upstairs.”
“Have you seen her? Have you seen what that monster did?”
“No, she wouldn’t let anyone look at the injuries.”
“Injuries! Drew, he tore at her, he bit her. There are oozing red welts all along her neck and back.”
“She showed you?”
“No, I caught her stoking the fire without that damn blanket. Look, I know she’s your niece, but I have to do something. I’m calling Lexi. She just almost died; maybe she can talk some sense into that girl and get her to shift. S
he told me she wouldn’t let the doctors see her because they were….”
“They were what Bryce?”
Ashley had specifically said she didn’t want men touching her. She didn’t say anything about women. “…Because they were men. Drew, I think I have an idea. She’ll probably hate me after this, but I don’t care.”
“She won’t hate you. She seems comfortable with you.”
“Right. ‘fuck you’, and ‘good riddance’. That doesn’t sound comfortable to me.”
6
Drew Weston watched Bryce storm off. Ashley was fuming but, at least, she was talking. Drew had been surprised to see his niece standing up to Bryce and yelling at him instead of drawing back inside herself as she huddled on the couch not speaking.
Julie had been right. Bryce was good for her. Even if he made her angry, at least she was showing some emotion.
“Ash, are you alright?” he said calmly, walking back into the room.
“I’m fine,” she growled. Apparently, she was still mad.
“Bryce means well.”
“I know that. It’s just he …”
“He what?”
Ashley didn’t know how to respond. What was she going to say? ”He gets under my skin?” “He calls me on my shit?” “He doesn’t treat me like I’ll break?” “He makes me think inappropriate thoughts?” That last one surprised her. She realized she wouldn’t mind Bryce touching her. She was attracted to him when she didn’t think she’d ever be attracted to anyone ever again. He wouldn’t hurt her. She didn’t have any reason to fear him.
“He makes me crazy,” she finally said looking up at her uncle.
“I would say the feeling is mutual. I half expected him to punch a hole in the wall. What were you two arguing about?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing.”
“Fine, I’ll let the two of you work that out. Ashley, I was thinking that you might want to meet the others in the house. I don’t want you running into some stranger and being frightened.”
“How many people are here? I could just stay in this room and my bedroom.”
“You can’t hide here forever. The people here are Bryce’s brothers. They are renovating the front rooms.”
“The front rooms needed renovating, now?” Her uncle had promised that the pack house would be practically empty. Now, he was renovating?
“It was the best way to explain the fact that the house was closed. On any given day, fifty or more people could come by. Not to mention Bryce’s fan club.”
“Bryce’s fan club?”
“He will be Alpha someday. That makes him very popular with the ladies.” Ashley didn’t like the thought of women surrounding Bryce. She had to admit the feeling was jealousy. He had the choice of any woman he wanted, and she was… what had he said… torn up. She was damaged goods. He had seen the bites. He had to have been disgusted by the sight of her.
“Okay, we can meet the others. They are just Bryce’s family right?”
“Yes Ashley. I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”
“I know,” she responded knowing that if Warren had meant what he said about coming after her, there might be nothing her uncle could do to stop him. He was right. She couldn’t live in two rooms, hiding in the pack house forever. She needed to find a way to live apart from the pack. Maybe the witness protection program took in weres.
Ashley wrapped her blanket tighter around her shoulders. She had tried putting on a long sleeve shirt, but the fabric against her sensitive skin was too much. For now, she had to wear a tank top. The blanket hid most of her injuries, even if it wasn’t exactly a fashion statement.
“Boys, could you come here a moment?” Drew called as Ashley looked to see five men working on the front staircase.
“Yes Alpha,” one of the younger men said anxiously. Had they been told she was here? What would they think about her disrupting an entire pack’s daily life?
“This is my niece, Ashley. She will be staying with us for a time. I just wanted her to meet you so she would know you are…”Drew hesitated.
“Safe,” Ashley finished for him. It was clear by the expressions on their faces that they knew why she was here.
“Ash, you already know Lars and Bryce.”
“That’s not Bryce,” Ashley said eliciting stunned looks. “What? You’re not Bryce. Am I right?” she said to the Bryce lookalike standing in front of her. They all looked like brothers, but this one was identical to the man she had just told to fuck off.
“No, I’m Aiden. Bryce and I are twins. People can’t usually tell us apart,” Aiden smiled. “This is Matt, Colin, and Brendan, the youngest.” She had already assumed that Brendan was the youngest.
“Nice to meet you. This is a big family. All boys?” she said directing the comment to Lars, who she was most comfortable with.
“No, I have one daughter, Lexi. She’s my oldest. I’m sure you’ll meet her soon.”
“Yeah, if Gage ever lets her out of his sight.” The were she remembered as Colin said with a laugh.
“Gage?” Ashley choked. Who was this Gage, and why would he let Lexi out of his sight? She thought this pack was different from the bane pack. Aunt Julie said women were treated as equals.
“Gage is her mate. They were recently mated and Colin was being funny. Lexi had some problems last week and Gage is very protective,” Lars explained.
“Problems?”
“Some dude tried to kill her,” Colin’s face fell when he realized what he had said. The girl looked terrified. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“Colin, that’s enough!” Lars barked shutting the boy right up.
“She was attacked?” Ashley felt a little sick at the thought. Perhaps it wasn’t safe anywhere.
“Her mate was the target. She wasn’t injured. I was just trying to explain Colin’s crass comment about Gage not letting her out. She can go out.”
“Yeah. If anything, Gage is a little whipped. He’ll do anything to please her.” Matt added.
“Boys, perhaps not talking would be best.” Lars snapped.
Ashley smiled. Okay, she was getting the picture. It wasn’t that this Lexi couldn’t go out. It was that she didn’t want to.
“Thank you for helping Uncle Drew. I really appreciate all that your family is doing,” Ashley told Lars.
“It’s nice to see you looking a little better than last night. Okay boys, back to work,” Lars said shooing the others away.
“You do look better than you did last night. Would you like to go for a walk in the yard? It’s completely secluded,” Drew said as they headed back to the Great room.
“I think I’d like to rest, Uncle,” she said softly. Her whole body ached, and the movement had caused the blanket to rub against her wounds. Bryce was right. She had to shift, and they were getting worse. She wondered where Bryce had gone. She had made him angry. The thought of him avoiding her caused an unusual heartache. She liked Bryce Woodland more than she was willing to admit even to herself.
Drew left Ashley in the Great room, resting on the couch, and went to find Bryce. He had stormed off after arguing with Ashley. Ashley was fine after whatever had been said. He needed to ask Bryce more about what had happened. The level of concern that Bryce had shown told him Ashley’s injuries were bad. For now, he would have to take Bryce’s word on how bad it really was. She was still hiding in that blanket, not wanting anyone to see the injuries Bryce had seen.
“Bryce,” he called while strolling into his office where Bryce had been working.
“Not here. He left a while ago to see Ashley,” Julie said from the corner by the filing cabinet.
“He left her about an hour ago.”
“Was she talking?”
“She was yelling. Bryce said he saw her injuries. It’s worse than we thought, Julie. She was bitten several times according to Bryce.”
“They were arguing? I got the impression that he liked her.”
“I think you might be righ
t. I have never seen him so frustrated. Calm cool Bryce was ready to tear his hair out.”
“What exactly happened? Is she alright?”
“She’s fine. I took her to meet the rest of the Woodlands, and, get this, she looked right at Aiden and said you’re not Bryce.”
“Good lord, I can’t even tell them apart.”
“Apparently, she can. Julie, I think perhaps Bryce’s approach is working better than ours. Maybe treating Ashley like a wounded child isn’t the best way to deal with this. She seems to have more fight in her when Bryce is there.”
“She’ll need to fight if Bane comes after her. Drew, do you really think he will? I mean, it would be stupid to go against council to avenge his son. His son deserved what he got.”
“Bane, from what Hannah told me, is not that stable. To answer your question, I don’t know. Ashley seems to think he will look for her, and I have to believe she knows better than we do what this man will do.”
Julie shook her head. She didn’t know what to do for her niece. No one deserved to be treated the way she had, and to be running in fear. She couldn’t imagine what the girl was going through.
7
Bryce pulled into the clinic parking lot. Lexi had told him to meet her there after he had explained about Ashley. He just hoped that Lexis new sister-in-law, Faith, would help. Faith was a doctor, a female doctor. Ashley would probably never speak to him again, but he couldn’t live with himself if he did nothing. The girl was attacked. She wasn’t in her right mind. She had to shift, or at least, get the bites treated. Maybe Lexi and Faith could talk some sense into her.
Lexi greeted him at the door. “We’re all set. I told Maverick what was happening and he said to take Faith and Gwen.”
“Gwen?”
“Yeah, she will be very helpful. She can read minds,” Lexi stage whispered.
“I can’t read minds, Lexi. Hi I’m Gwen. We met when they brought Gage in.”
“Yes. What is this about reading minds?”
