by Leite, Lynn
“I can sometimes hear thoughts that are strong or are directed to me.”
“And how will this help?” he asked Lexi.
“You said she was refusing to shift. If we knew why, we might be able to talk her out of it.”
“Fine. Anything to help.”
“You like this girl, huh?” Lexi taunted.
“Yes. She’s very nice, and stubborn, and hurt. Can we just go?”
“Sure. Faith, Bryce is here.”
Faith, the blond mated to Gage’s brother, Knight, came out of the back room carrying a box of supplies. “Hi Bryce. I think I have everything. You say she was bitten.”
“Yes, more than once.”
“Ouch, how many times would you say she was bitten?”
“Ten. Maybe more,” Bryce winced at the picture that formed in his head of Ashley’s neck and shoulders.
“Good god, was the attacker feral?”
“No, I don’t think so. Does that matter?”
“No, I’ve just never heard of anything like this. Let’s go.”
“Thank you for coming. I didn’t know what else to do.”
“We’ll take care of her. It will be alright.” Faith patted Bryce on the shoulder as they walked to the car.
Bryce led the girls through the pack house to the great room where he had left Ashley. If she wasn’t there, he would find her. Opening the door that was slightly ajar, he saw her sleeping, curled on the couch in front of the fire. He regretted the harsh words he had with her. She seemed so small and frail. No one deserved what she had been through.
“She’s asleep,” he whispered. “I don’t want to frighten her.”
“You’d better let her know we are here. I think waking up to strangers would be bad.” Lexi whispered back. Bryce nodded in agreement.
“Ashley, Ashley, wake up,” he called from the doorway. He had the urge to go to her and gently shake her but knew she’d be frightened at a man’s touch. “Ashley, are you awake?” he called a little louder.
“Bryce?” she groaned sleepily while stretching. She recognized Bryce’s voice. Although she though she might be dreaming.
“Ash, I brought my sister and some of her friends.”
“What?” Ashley said more awake now. Bryce was back and he brought who?
“Ash, this is Lexi, my sister, and this is Gwen and Faith.”
Ashley groaned as she sat up. Her body not only hurt. It was stiff, and the bites pulled at her skin.
“Hi, I’m sorry. I must have fallen asleep,” she apologized to her unexpected guests as she pulled the blanket up around her.
“Lexi, she’s going to hate me.” Bryce muttered, seeing the confused look on Ashley’s face.
“Maybe so, but you’re doing the right thing.”
“Ash, I’m sorry, but I had to do something. Faith is a doctor. I brought her to look at your bites.”
“A doctor?”
“Yes,” Faith said calmly as she stepped forward into the room. “I heard what happened. Can I take a look?”
“You’re a doctor?”
“Yes. Why is that so hard to believe? Women can be doctors you know?”
“We just don’t have any women doctors in the pack I grew up in.”
“You’re Bane?” Gwen asked even though she already knew the answer.
“Yes I am, or I was. I’m nothing now.”
Ashley’s words made Bryce’s stomach turn. Did she really think she was nothing? He got the feeling she meant more than commenting on her pack affiliation. “Ash, don’t say that.”
“I didn’t mean anything by it, Bryce. Why did you bring them here?” She was angry. He could see the look of betrayal in her eyes.
“To help you. You have to shift, and if you won’t, then at least let Faith treat the bites.”
“Why won’t you let this go? Do you have some sort of hero complex? Save the poor wretched girl from herself. I told you I didn’t need your help,” Ashley snapped with tears pooling.
“I tend not to listen when I know people are wrong.” Bryce stiffened by crossing his arms.
“Look, I’m sorry he brought you here. I’m fine really.” Bryce was about to say something when Lexi put a hand on his arm to calm him.
“Bryce, why don’t you wait outside?”
“Fine,” he snapped glaring at Ashley. He wanted to shake her, hold her down, and force her to let Faith treat her. His protective nature was on high alert, and the girl was refusing help.
Lexi waited until the door shut to turn back to Ashley. “Bryce can be harsh when he’s frustrated.”
“So sorry to hear my condition frustrates him. I really don’t understand why he even cares.”
“He just does. There’s no explaining it. So, are you going to let Faith take a look? Bryce thought you would be more comfortable with a woman doctor.”
“Bryce needs to mind his own business.”
“I’ve known him all his life. That’s not going to happen.”
Gwen looked at the fragile girl on the couch. The thoughts spiraling in her head were mostly based on fear. Fear of a man named Warren. “Who is Warren?” she asked. Ashley froze looking at the small blonde.
“I’m sure Bryce told you.”
“He told us you were attacked. That’s all. Was this Warren the one that attacked you?”
“No, it was his son. Where did you get the name Warren from if Bryce didn’t tell you?”
“Gwen can hear strong thought,” Lexi told Ashley the truth. Deceiving the girl wouldn’t help to build trust.
“You can tell what I’m thinking?”
“Only some of it. There is the name Warren and fear.” Gwen smiled and continued. “Then there’s Bryce and how you can’t decide if you want to slap him or...”
“Enough! Okay, you made your point. So I suppose the only way to get you three to leave is to let Faith look at me. Fine look!” Ashley let the blanket slide from her shoulders. The girls tried not to react to what they were seeing. Bryce had said it was bad. No wonder Bryce was so driven. The girls shoulder looked like raw meat.
“Okay, I’m with Bryce on this one. Faith is going to have to look at that,” Lexi gave Ashley a look that said just try and defy me.
“Fine. To be honest they really hurt.”
“I’ll bet they do. Why didn’t you shift?” Faith said gently as she approached the girl.
“I don’t know,” Ashley replied shyly.
“She didn’t shift because there were always men in the room. She thought she’d keep the scars and that men wouldn’t think she was attractive anymore. She thought that if she was ugly, she’d be safe.” Gwen spouted.
“I didn’t … I … you know, that’s really annoying.” Ashley growled. There was no way she could deny the truth when this woman was pulling the thoughts right out of her head.
“Sorry,” Gwen shrugged her shoulders.
“Ashley, right now, the attack is new. Believe me, I know how twisted your thoughts can be.”
“Your dad said something about you being attacked recently?”
“Yeah. He tried to kill me. I was lucky but I still have nightmares,” Lexi confirmed quietly. No one but Gage knew about the nightmares
“I’m suggesting you turn, Ashley. There is a lot of damage here. There are no men in the room. You can turn safely.” Faith said surveying the damage done to the girl
“I guess you’re right. What if Bryce comes in?”
“I’ll tell him to guard the door. I’m sure he’s just outside. If you shift, then we can take care of at least some of your wounds,” Lexi added.
“Some of them? Won’t they all heal?”
“The ones on the outside will. The ones on the inside are harder.”
“Look at it this way,” Gwen added, “If this Warren you keep thinking about is after you, then you need to be healed. You won’t get far in your condition.”
“Warren is after you?” Faith asked.
“I killed his son. Didn’t Bryce tell you?
”
“I think Bryce was trying to protect your privacy as much as possible.”
Ashley’s heart warmed. Bryce was trying to protect her. What girl wouldn’t love a hot and sexy man with a hero complex? Realizing the turn her thoughts had taken, she looked quickly at Gwen. The woman just smiled and nodded. How embarrassing.
“So tell us what happened. Some of these bites were made while he was shifted.”
“I was told by our Alpha, that’s Warren, Warren Bane.”
“You killed the Alpha’s son?” Lexi gasped.
“Yeah. I’m basically screwed, I know. So anyway, I was told I would be mated to his son.”
“Told? Then the rumors about the Bane pack are true?”
“I don’t know what the rumors are, but I guess the answer is yes. Most marriages are arranged.”
“What if you meet your true mate?” Gwen asked.
“True mates are a myth.” The girls laughed at Ashley’s comment. “What’s so funny?”
“Oh honey, you have no idea. True mates are not a myth. All three of us are true mated.”
“Seriously, how do you know?”
Lexi laughed. “Believe me you would know. I met Gage two weeks ago…”
“Two weeks and you are mated?”
“Yes, it would have been sooner, but he didn’t touch me until I had known him a week. I knew I was ridiculously attracted to him before he touched me. It kind of didn’t make sense at the time. His touch told me in an instant that true mates were not only real, but that he was mine. It was the same for all the Cheveyo mates.”
“The same, how?”
“They don’t call it mate fever for nothing. You feel it. It’s like a fire deep inside. Every cell in your body recognizes its other half in the person you’re touching. Call it fate, destiny, whatever, but, trust me, you know.” Lexi smiled.
“Speaking of true mates, when this guy attacked you…”
“Richard Bane, his name was Richard Bane.”
“Okay, when he attacked you, were his eyes red.”
“No, I don’t think so. He was in wolf form when he knocked me down. The rest is kind of a blur. I don’t like to think about it.”
“So he wasn’t feral. Okay, now for the hard question. Did he rape you, Ashley?” Faith went right there.
“No, I… I don’t think so,” she muttered quietly.
“What does that mean?”
“It means I’m not sure. He tried. I do know that. By the time he was naked and in human form, I was in so much pain it was hard to think. All I could think was I had to stop him. I managed to get a hold of a rock, and I just hit him in the head. I didn’t really mean to kill him. I just hit him a few times.”
“Ashley, from the look of these bites if you didn’t kill him, he was going to kill you. You had the right to defend yourself.”
“That’s just it. According to Warren Bane, I didn’t have the right. He says I was being claimed by his son and I attacked him. As far as Warren Bane is concerned, I’m a cold blooded killer.”
“Bane is wrong. You are a survivor. I’ll tell Bryce to watch the door. You need to shift, and we are not leaving this room until you do.”
“You’re a lot like your brother, kind of bossy.”
“Yeah, but we both mean well.” Lexi smiled. Ashley was strong. She was going to be alright. She had a lot of psychological damage she was going to have to deal with, but she would be fine. No wonder her brother seemed so interested.
Lexi stepped out into the hallway to speak to Bryce. He looked like an expectant father pacing the hall like a caged animal.
“How is she?” The desperation in his voice was very unlike her brother. He didn’t usually display such emotion. If Lexi’s instincts were right, Ashley might just get proof that the Mate fever was real. She had never seen Bryce this tense.
“She’s agreed to shift,” sort of. “I need you to guard the door. No men allowed, even Drew.”
“Right. You’ll let me know how she is?”
“Bryce, she’s going to be fine. I’m not going to lie to you and say she’ll be fine right away. It could take a while to get over the psychological aspects.”
“I know.”
“This guy, Warren, he’s still after her?”
“We believe so. I offered to kill him.”
“You offered to kill the Alpha of another pack to protect a girl you just met?”
“Yes I did. Do you have something to say about that?” Bryce spat defensively.
“No … nothing to say at all. Just guard the door.” Lexi tried to hide the smirk forming. Bryce had it bad, and if she was right, Ashley had a bit of a crush on him as well. At least, she didn’t seem frightened of Bryce.
8
It took another half hour of convincing before the girls were finally able to get Ashley to shift.
“I’m not going to lie to you. It’s going to hurt,” Faith said as Ashley stripped the tank top and shorts off. Ashley’s inner wolf was pushing to the surface. It had been held at bay for too long. Now it wanted to break free. The pain was not what Ashley had expected. It wasn’t the searing burn the bites had been. It was a dull ache that faded as she completed the shift.
Looking toward the door that led outside, Ashley thought she might just stay that way. She could run in wolf form, live that way. If she ran far enough, Warren Bane wouldn’t find her. The Reiner pack wouldn’t have to put themselves at risk any longer. Her parents were safe. At least, she hoped they were safe in California somewhere. Even if Bane did somehow find her, the people she cared about would be safe.
“She’s thinking about running,” Gwen said to the others. Ashley turned to look at the small blonde that read minds. Her wolf was urging her to just bolt out the door and not look back. She knew they would follow. Bryce would follow. There was something about that man that told her he wasn’t going to let her just run off. She hoped it had more to do with her than a loyalty to her uncle. The thought surprised her. She was sure that it would be years before she even looked at a man as anything but a threat, but Bryce was different. She wasn’t threatened by him. She knew deep down he could never hurt her.
“Oh, no you don’t. Shift back,” Lexi said standing in front of the exterior door. Ashley barked a laugh. The feisty redhead might not look like her brothers, but she sure acted like them.
Ashley pulled her human side to the surface, looking at the women who were standing guard. “You look better,” Faith smiled handing the quilt to her so she wouldn’t have to stand naked in the middle of the great room. “I’d like to check your blood pressure and other vital signs. And maybe a blood test.”
“Blood test?” Ashley asked. Wolves didn’t carry disease the way humans did.
“You said you weren’t sure if he raped you, Ashley. It’s just a precaution.”
“Shit,” Ashley was slammed by the real possibility that she had been at least violated. She was reasonably sure he hadn’t finished but she was half out of it by the time she hit him. Closing her eyes, she tried to expel the image of Richard’s grin as he pinned her. It was pure evil. She had presented a challenge when she denied his claim. His response to being rejected was true to the Bane way of life. He hadn’t listened at all. He just told her he was taking what was his.
Had he managed to penetrate her? She wasn’t at all sure. By then, she was so torn up the pain was overriding everything except the survival instinct.
“Ashley, I can have the results in about an hour after I get to the clinic. You don’t have to think about it until then. You have options.” Faith was trying to comfort her, but it was making it worse. Not thinking about it suited her just fine.
“Okay, take the blood.” Ashley was praying she didn’t have to deal with it any more. An unwanted pregnancy would send her over the edge. “Lexi, how far is the clinic. I don’t think I can just sit here and wait for a phone call.”
“Half hour, forty-five minutes away depending on traffic.”
“Can I go
with you?” Ashley asked shyly.
“I don’t see why not. Let me talk to Drew and Bryce. We need to see if they think it’s safe. Maverick will be there.”
“Maverick?”
“He’s the Cheveyo pack Alpha. It’s his clinic.”
“He’s a doctor?” Ashley didn’t want to be forced to be examined by a male. Maybe staying put was best.
“He’s aware of the situation. You’ll be safe,” Faith said to comfort the woman. She looked better. The bites had healed, but the pain in her eyes was still there.
“He lets you work for him?” Ashley had never met a female doctor. The females in the Bane pack held traditional female jobs like cleaning and cooking. That or they stayed home.
“I work with him, not for him, Ashley. He’s not like your Alpha. He’s more like your uncle.
“Oh, okay.”
Lexi stepped toward the girl while smiling and extending her hand. “Come on. Let’s get you dressed. Then we’ll tell Drew you’re coming with us. I don’t think he’ll have any objection.”
Bryce was silent as he drove the women to the Cheveyo clinic. Drew had insisted he go along as protection. Bryce was relieved rather than bothered about escorting the girls. He didn’t know why Ashley was going. Faith said there were tests she wanted to do that couldn’t be done there. He was just relieved that Ashley had shifted.
Ashley sat in the back between Faith and Gwen, while Lexi sat in front with him. He wanted to ask what tests had to be done. Was she alright? Was there more damage than he had seen on the surface? But he didn’t. He could see that Ashley was holding on by a mere thread.
Once they arrived at the Cheveyo clinic, Faith and Gwen whisked Ashley back to one of the exam rooms. He didn’t like her being out of his sight, but he knew Maverick was there. If anything happened, the Cheveyo Alpha would be an asset.
“Lexi, what’s wrong?” he asked as soon as Ashley disappeared from view.
“It’s just a precaution, Bryce. Relax. She’ll be fine.”
“I hate that this happened to her,” Bryce grumbled. He just wanted to punch something or someone, preferably Warren Bane.
“We all do Bryce. She’s strong she’ll come out of this alright.”
