by Lexie Davis
He blew out a breath. “Fine. Quinn refuses to shift back. He wants blood so I’ll have to talk to him. Keep lover boy here.”
Max left and Sasha turned to Diego. “Are you okay? You have a pretty nasty bite in your side.”
“Yeah. It hurts like a bitch.” He grunted as he moved his weight to his other foot. “I’m fine though.” He reached out and pulled her to him for a kiss. “We’ll find her, sweetie. I promise, we’ll find her and Deacon will regret all he’s ever done.”
She pulled away. “I don’t want to think about it right now.”
Max came around the house with Quinn, who was now dressed and in human form. He spoke to Diego, pointing his finger. “You’d better not screw this up or you’ll wish you’d never met me.”
He nodded and the men invited him inside the Grey Wolf mansion.
* * * *
After the men chatted about what to do, Diego looked over at Sasha and said, “You need to stay here.”
“I can track. I’m going with you.”
Diego grabbed her wrist and stopped her from moving. “Listen to me. Deacon wants you. You’d be better off here with Chloe.”
“If Deacon wants me, then he can have me. He just has to let Roni go.”
Sasha knew how bad it sounded, but she’d willing trade spots with her sister. If it meant that her sister got to live, she’d do anything. Diego’s gripped tightened on her wrist.
“You need to listen to me.” Diego forced her to meet his eyes. “I can’t help anyone if I have to worry about you both. Stay put so I know you’re safe.”
“I can’t,” Sasha whispered. “I can’t sit here and do nothing while she’s enduring God knows what.”
“Sasha, I’m begging you. I need you to trust me.”
“Let’s go,” Max said heading to the front door.
Tears burned her eyes. She knew the reason she was so emotional was because the full moon was just around the corner. But she did trust Diego. She nodded and he let her wrist go.
“We only have a few hours before the full moon. Hopefully, we’ll send Quinn and the others in the right direction before we have to come home to you and Chloe.” Diego glanced over his shoulder at the Grey Wolves. “That is if they don’t kill me first.”
She fisted her hand in his shirt and pulled him to her. “Don’t joke about that.”
She kissed him soundly before releasing him and pushing him away. She watched the five men leave without feeling any sense of comfort they’d being Roni back.
Diego didn’t have much to say to the Grey Wolves as they drove to Deacon’s compound. No matter how much Sasha pleaded, they didn’t like him anymore than he liked them.
“Sasha keeps insisting you’re not one of them. How is that so?” one of the Grey Wolves asked.
“Shut up, Hopper.” Quinn kept his voice low.
“I left the pack over five years ago,” Diego answered, ignoring their leader.
“Why?” Max asked.
Diego focused on driving. “Deacon.”
“What could he have possibly done to offend you?” Quinn sat in the front seat and turned slightly to face Diego.
“He was the reason my former mate left the pack.” Diego didn’t want to get this personal with them but he really didn’t have much of a choice. “Her parents took her away to a refuge and she didn’t want to be associated with a Black Wolf. After that, I left the pack and lived as a stray.”
Thinking about Alison wasn’t as hurtful anymore. Even with her attitude and her parents’ attitude back then. He didn’t let it grate on his nerves anymore, and most importantly, he didn’t continuously ask the question why. But the more he thought of her, the more he realised the similarities of that situation with the one he shared with Sasha. Her pack wouldn’t accept him just like Alison’s refuge wouldn’t accept him. Her pack wouldn’t let her leave and honestly, she’d be stupid to. The old saying ‘stuck between a rock and a hard place’ rang true.
“So you lost your girl to this dickhead?” Quinn finally said. “Is that why you’re willing to help us find Roni?”
Diego turned down another street, heading away from his small town and completely into Deacon’s territory. “I’m helping you find Roni because she’s Sasha’s sister. I’m doing it for her. That is the only reason.”
Chapter Six
The full moon was hanging high in the sky and Sasha felt the first urge of the needing phase hit her strong. She worried about her sister. If she felt the need for sex, then she knew Roni was no different. She knew the Black Wolves would take advantage and God only knew what else.
She sat in her room, staring out the window. After giving Chloe strict rules to leave her alone, she’d entered her sanctuary and locked the door behind her. She didn’t want to be around anyone. She didn’t want to…
Movement caught her attention as she saw a pack of wolves approach. She stared, focusing on the leader, and gasped when she realised it was Deacon. With the men gone, she didn’t have any protection against the Black Wolf pack. She stood and ran across the room, unlocking the door and rushing out. Chloe was in downstairs when she’d left her and Sasha hurried down the staircase in an effort to find Max’s mate.
“Chloe?” She hurried to the kitchen and the other female was nowhere to be found.
“What do you want?” Sasha turned her head and saw Chloe standing in the doorway, Deacon on the other side. “Where’s Roni?”
Sasha stood in the shadows, watching. The scent of the males radiated through the room, the pheromones calling to her inner female. How did Chloe stand there in their presence and be completely unaffected?
“My boys are entertaining her.”
“You are such an ass.”
Sasha squeezed her legs shut, feeling the first rush of moisture. She wasn’t a bit attracted to any one of them. She took a deep breath, trying to fight off the need. She needed Diego.
“Where is your leader?” Deacon asked, trying to glance inside the house.
“Around.” Chloe blocked him. “Give us back Roni and I promise he won’t kill you.”
Deacon gave a hearty laugh. “Quinn couldn’t kill me even if he tried. Oh, wait, he did try. I do believe it was in your honour.”
She smiled and Sasha frowned. “My pack loves me. That’s what real packs do for one another.”
“Stop wasting my time and get me your leader.” Deacon stepped closer. Chloe didn’t back away. “Unless he’s not here? Did your leader go off and leave you with no protection against the big, bad wolves?”
He gave her a snarling grin that made Sasha’s skin crawl. Two females against a pack of six or seven Black Wolves was not anywhere near an even match. She wasn’t even sure both Chloe and she could take Deacon alone. They had no defence. With all their pack members looking for Roni, they had no defence against the mastermind of evil.
“You aren’t as big as you think you are.” Chloe sighed, uninterested. “What do you want with Quinn?”
“To propose a trade off. Our female for the bitch at Diego’s house. My pack informed me that they are twins.”
Chloe laughed. “You mean you didn’t kidnap the right female? Whew, what geniuses you have working for you, Deacon.”
Sasha watched his eyes narrow dangerously. Did Chloe enjoy playing with fire? Riling up Deacon wasn’t the wisest thing in the world. And without protection, they really didn’t need to piss him off.
“Shut the fuck up and give me your leader, bitch.”
“Who are you calling—”
“I’m right here. You don’t need to talk to Quinn. I authorise the trade right now. My sister for me.” Sasha stepped forward, replaying in her mind all the information the Max taught her about the Black Wolves. “But you have to leave her here. I’m not going anywhere until Roni is on Grey Wolf property, with Chloe.”
Deacon inhaled, his eyes dilating. She knew he smelt her pheromones. Not even her special powers could prevent it. And she wanted him. Not because of any sort of attrac
tion between the two, but for the nature of their species. Females were drawn to any male during her needing phase. But if Chloe could control it, so could she. She had to. Roni’s life depended on it.
“Okay. We have a deal.” Deacon grabbed her arm, squeezing hard. He snapped his fingers and two wolves threw Roni’s body at the foot of the front steps.
Sasha cried out as Chloe ran to Roni. The curses coming from Chloe’s normally sweet mouth was all Sasha needed to know. Roni was dead and it was all her fault.
* * * *
“He’s not here.” Diego frowned, sniffing the area. From the scents of the area, Deacon hadn’t been home for a while.
Quinn grabbed Diego’s collar. “Are you messing with us?”
A cell phone chirped and Max reached for his hip. Diego glanced from Quinn to Thunder to Hopper who all gathered around him, ready to unleash their inner beast. The things I do for females.
“Why the hell would I mess with you? I told you I was doing this for Sasha.” He shoved Quinn away.
“Honey, calm down.” Max held up a finger when Diego was about to speak. “What do you…he came by the house? When? Why?” Silence. “Oh, fuck.”
Diego’s entire body went on alert. He knew before Max even said a word. They all knew. All five men headed to the truck with Diego driving. He couldn’t think straight. He knew Sasha would do anything to get her sister back. From everything he’d talked with her about to the way she reacted when she found out Roni was missing—he knew Deacon proposed an offer and Sasha was with him.
“Why the fuck did I leave her alone?” he said it out loud. “I thought she’d be safe at the house.”
Max hung up the phone. “Drive home, Diego. Chloe said we’re not going to like what happened and I need to make sure she’s all right.”
He drove to the Grey Wolf sanctuary at a breakneck speed. He pulled to a stop and all five of them jumped out of the truck. Chloe was kneeling over a rank, bloody body, holding the head in her lap. She glanced up with tears streaking her cheeks.
“He killed Roni and took Sasha.”
Diego stared as Quinn knelt beside her and stroked his mate’s cheek. Max came to his mate and squatted beside her, pulling her close. Nobody said another word.
Diego knew he should have seen it coming. Deacon didn’t care about anyone or anything around him. If it didn’t suit him anymore, he did away with it. From the looks of Roni’s body, he’d had his share of torturous fun.
Quinn took his shirt off and wrapped it around Roni’s body. Max tried to get Chloe to move away but she wouldn’t. He kissed her head and sat beside her, holding her the best he could.
“You guys go,” Max said. “I’m staying behind.”
Quinn finished stripping from his clothes then met Diego’s eyes. “I want his blood.”
He shifted into a wolf along with Hopper and Thunder. Diego stared at Roni and Chloe before meeting Max’s eyes. “Does Sasha know about her sister?”
Chloe nodded, blubbering as she cried. “She traded places. She didn’t know Roni was dead until they dropped her body. I tried to help her, but there was nothing I could do.”
Diego nodded and took off his shirt. His side had practically healed from Quinn’s bite earlier. He felt strong, and the need to find Sasha ran through him stronger than anything. And when he did find her, Deacon would be the one praying for death. Death, in fact, was the easiest part of living.
“Bring her back, Diego. We all love her. Just…” Max rubbed Chloe’s arm, “bring her back.”
The unspoken message was ‘dead or alive’. Diego nodded and shifted. His instinct kicked in immediately picking up Deacon’s scent. He hoped like hell Sasha didn’t try to mask hers. The other wolves waited for Diego to lead them. He would, and this time, his drive was stronger than ever. He snarled and took off towards the woods. Deacon couldn’t be too far.
* * * *
Sasha cried, her entire body hurting. She was three hours into the needing phase and her body felt on fire. The men made lecherous comments but thankfully didn’t touch her. Knowing Deacon, he was probably getting a thrill out of watching her suffer. She wanted to shift. She had no chance against them if she did so she tried to remain in human form as long as she could.
“Do you think lover boy will really come for you?” Deacon asked.
She didn’t respond. Max had told her once that Black Wolves kidnap females during their first change and refuse to relieve them of the intense physical pain of needing. He said they waited until the female begged for relief then literally fucked them to death.
Diego, please come for me. She didn’t know how much longer she could remain untouched. Her thighs were soaked, and the pheromones from the males around her only sent her needing body into overdrive. Tears came harder, flooding down her cheeks.
“You ready for the touch of a man yet?” Deacon reached out to palm her breast.
She smacked his hand away with as much strength as she had. “Don’t touch me. Don’t you ever think of touching me again.”
One of the other wolves laughed. “She’s only been into needing for three hours, Deke. Give it a few more and she’d spread those thighs willingly. She’ll be begging for it.”
I’d rather die. And she would. Sasha ignored the other males as they travelled through the woods. She didn’t have a clue to where they were going but she was their prisoner. She was shackled at her ankles and wrists, walking like a chained dog behind their leader. She wasn’t in the position to be assertive.
“Uh-oh.”
Deacon stopped and turned towards the source. “What?”
“We’ve got company.”
Sasha’s heart leapt. She angled her head, looking for any sign of the Grey Wolves. Deacon sniffed the air and narrowed his eyes at her. “Looks like lover boy decided to come after all.” He pushed her into the arms of his cronies. “You deal with her, while we take care of these losers.”
Sasha screamed.
Diego was hot on the trail and heard a scream. He took off at full force towards the noise. The woods were completely dark with only the sounds of night creatures roaming about. An owl hooted at a distance. Diego wanted to believe Deacon and his crew were close. The scent was stronger. He and Quinn ran side by side, sniffing at the ground as they moved. Sasha’s scent came through the air and it reeked of pheromones. The beast within him wanted to howl.
He pushed that thought away, knowing he needed to find her and make sure she was okay before he even thought about her needing. Quinn ran ahead and jumped on a wolf, beginning the fight.
“Diego!” Sasha screamed.
He glanced around, jumping over the four members of the pack, heading towards her voice. Two men held her naked, one trying his damndest to thrust inside her. Diego saw red. He jumped on the first, killing him within seconds. He turned to the other before the man could change and snapped his neck too. Diego shifted and knelt beside her, running his hands over her body, making sure she wasn’t hurt.
“Are you okay?” She looped her arms over his head and refused to let go. Diego lifted her and moved farther into the woods, away from the Black Wolves.
He couldn’t stop thinking about how great she felt in his arms. Chains bound her wrists and ankles, clanking with their movements. He stopped behind a large tree, completely hidden from the commotion.
“I need you to go back to the house. Max is there with Chloe.”
“Diego, I can’t do it.” She cried against him. “Every part of my body hurts.”
His hands roamed over her again. “Did they hurt you?”
“No.” She met his eyes. His cock hardened immediately. “I need you, Diego.”
“Not here.” He kissed her lips. “Let me help your pack take care of these guys. Then, I promise I’ll take care of you.” She nodded. He sat her down and caressed her arms. “Are you sure they didn’t hurt you?”
She nodded again. Tears filled her eyes. “They killed Roni.”
He pulled her to him and kiss
ed her cheek. “That’s why I need to help your pack out. Go home. As soon as these guys are dead, I promise I’ll be there. Just a few more minutes, okay?”
She shifted, breaking the chains that bound her ankles and wrists. Diego made sure she had clearance to get away before he went back to fend off the Black Wolves. Quinn was snapping at Deacon while the others were taking on two Black Wolves at a time. He watched Sasha run off, wishing like crazy he could go with her. It was nearly three hours into the needing and she hadn’t mated once, that he knew of. He wasn’t sure how much longer she could wait untouched.
Jumping at the wolf on Thunder’s back, Diego had no problem snapping its neck. He fought with the other one on Hopper and got him to leave the grey wolf alone. It was a never-ending bloodbath between good and bad, he realised in irony. The Black Wolves would always be around to cause trouble. Deacon shifted, staying low key as his cronies fought his battle for him. Quinn tried his damndest to get to the leader but his pack protected him, like good packs should. But Diego saw a way around them and took advantage. Jumping towards Deacon, Diego tackled him, his jowls pressing against the sensitive arteries of the Black Wolves leader’s neck. Within seconds, he would be dead.
Chapter Seven
Sasha collapsed outside of the house, shifting back to human form. Sweat poured from her pores, wetting her skin. She crawled around the front, finding Max.
“Max,” she cried.
He lifted his head and spotted her, running to her immediately. He picked her up and carried her inside. “Chloe?”
The other female came around the corner and cried in relief. “What happened?”
“Get some towels from the bathroom and a wet wash cloth.” Max pulled a blanket off the back of the couch and laid her on it. “You don’t appear to be hurt. Is it the needing?”
Sasha nodded.
“How many hours has it been?”
Chloe came back and handed him what he’d requested. “It’s been three hours and forty-five minutes since the full moon rose.”
