Crying Wolf, Shoot for the Moon, Thrown to the Wolves

by Rochelle Paige

  “Small and curvy?” I repeated.

  “Well, it was hard to tell because she was hunched over when my dad was helping her walk,” she replied.

  Her answer brought me back to what was important. It didn’t really matter if my mate was short or tall, curvy or skinny, bear or wolf. What mattered was that she was in danger and I needed to find her as soon as possible.

  “We tell the McMahon clan about Eliza’s dream, and we make sure they understand that she thinks my mate is a bear shifter. It’s the easiest way to ensure they are willing to help us,” I told Spencer.

  He raised his eyebrows as he looked my way because it was unusual for me to take the lead with either of my older brothers. Hunter was my alpha and Spencer was my enforcer—but this woman was my mate and she was in danger. That trumped everything else.

  “You want me to call them or do you want to do it yourself?” Spencer asked.

  His question let me know he understood where I was coming from. If it were Eliza in the same situation, he would insist on calling the shots even if he were having this same conversation with Hunter.

  “Do you have the number?” I asked while I tugged my cell phone out of my pocket.

  Spencer pulled up his contacts and handed his phone over to me with the information for Carrick McMahon on the screen. He was the head of his clan and rumored to be the biggest black bear shifter in America, whose beast tipped the scale at close to six hundred pounds. He had a fierce reputation amongst the shifter community, and even though it was common knowledge that he liked to limit his contact with non-bears, he’d managed to collect favors from just about everyone over the years.

  Carrick had never taken a mate, but he did have three sons he’d raised on his own. Triplets who had come from one of the humans he had taken as a lover. It was a strange quirk that a man who was so vocal about bears sticking with other bears had tended to stick with human women over the years. Nobody knew why he hadn’t taken a she-bear to mate, and he wasn’t volunteering the information. Unfortunately, he wasn’t shy about his animosity towards wolves, so I wasn’t looking forward to asking him for help.

  Two

  Annora

  “She’s not staying here. This way, she gets a new home and she will have managed to pay me back for all the years I’ve raised her lazy ass.”

  My father’s voice carried through my bedroom door. It was locked from the outside—a new measure he had taken the day after my mom had dropped her bombshell about my conception. If I’d thought I’d had no freedom before that day, I’d learned very quickly how wrong I’d been.

  I had been ordered to keep my mouth shut and my head down while he figured out what to do with me. The rage in his eyes whenever he looked at me convinced me to take his warning seriously because I didn’t want to give him any reason to punish me. I didn’t think it would take much to send him over the edge.

  My mom wasn’t much better. I’d tried talking with her a couple of times, but she could barely look me in the eye. She wouldn’t answer any of my questions, and I was afraid to push too hard because I knew my father would be livid if he found out I was asking her anything about my conception.

  What I found the most confusing about this crazy situation was the apology I saw flash through her eyes each time her gaze did lock with mine when I had been expecting to see sadness or anger or fear. I couldn’t understand why she would feel the need to gain my forgiveness. Then I figured that maybe it was because she knew things were heading towards disaster for me with the man she had mated.

  “A new home?” my mother hissed her response. “You can’t call living with those heathens a home. What you’re suggesting is a forced mating with a man who is known for his brutality. How would we even know she would be safe with them?”

  “It wouldn’t be forced if she accepts my decision, which she’ll do if she knows what’s good for her!” he roared.

  It sounded like he didn’t have any doubt that he’d be able to get me to do what he wanted. He’d trained me to obey his commands over the years, so I could understand why he’d think I’d go along with his plan—whatever it was. However, after I’d spent the last few weeks knowing he wasn’t my real father, my eyes had been opened to how wrong our relationship had always been. He didn’t really care about my happiness before, and now, he cared even less. I was just a pawn for him to use to his advantage without a care about my well-being.

  “But the rumors about him are horrible. He sounds like a monster,” she halfheartedly protested on my behalf as I heard them move downstairs.

  Their voices didn’t carry as well from down there, so I had to place my ear against the door in order to hear them.

  “We’re lucky he wants her,” my father replied. “Do you want him to come after me for what I owe him? I’m your mate.”

  “And she’s my child,” my mom reminded him.

  “Your bastard child from the man who raped you,” he argued.

  I couldn’t hear the rest of their conversation after the front door opened and closed. So I ran to my window, hoping their voices would drift up from the porch, but I must have missed the end of their argument, because my mom was walking towards her car. When she glanced up at my window, I could see the tears streaming down her cheeks.

  Staring up at me, she mouthed, “I’m sorry,” before climbing into the car and driving away.

  My mom wasn’t going to go against her mate to try to protect me, and even though I’d been taught to obey my father, I couldn’t walk blindly to whatever fate awaited me. Besides, he wasn’t really my father. Not anymore.

  “Get in the goddamn car!” my father roared.

  It had only been hours since my mom had left, and he’d just dragged me from my room, down the stairs, and out the door without saying a word. The rage in his eyes as he looked at me let me know he was angry enough to beat me if I disobeyed, but I couldn’t go along with what he had planned for me—even if I didn’t know exactly what that was.

  Struggling against him, I tried my best to get away. “No!” I cried out as I jerked my wrist out of his grasp and turned to run.

  He jumped after me and took me to the ground. “Eighteen years I’ve housed you, fed you, and put up with your lazy ass,” he rumbled. “Now, you have a chance to pay me back for everything I’ve done for you. So you will get your ass in my car and do exactly what I tell you. Because if you don’t, I’ll beat you until you’re willing to say yes anyway. And then, when I get home, I’ll make your mom pay for your insubordination.”

  If his words hadn’t scared me, the evil promise in his eyes certainly would have. I didn’t have much energy left because I’d barely eaten in days. And as the scent of his rage hit my nostrils, I felt more defeated than I ever had in my short life. I didn’t see any way out of this mess other than to go along with what he was telling me to do. So with my head dropped low, I stared at the ground as I slowly moved towards the car and climbed in.

  After an hour into the drive, the silence started to get to me. He’d barely glanced my way the whole time, and I could practically taste the tension in the air. Not knowing where we were going or what was going to happen to me was driving me crazy. Thirty minutes later, I couldn’t take it anymore.

  “Where are we going?”

  Although I was careful to speak in a soft tone and a manner that shouldn’t have implied any disrespect, his head whipped to the side so he could level me with a glare. Then he narrowed his eyes, and a mocking smirk tilted his lips before answered.

  “To your new mate.”

  “Mate?” I repeated, stunned by his reply.

  “Yes,” he snapped. “One you’re damn lucky is willing to take you since you’re bear and not wolf.”

  “Who?” I asked, barely able to form words since my mind was reeling at the news that he expected me to accept a stranger as my mate.

  “The alpha of the Lyall pack.”

  Not a stranger, then, but I wished he were. I’d always tried to avoid the fierce wolf,
who ruled his pack with an iron fist, when he’d visited because the way he looked at me worried me. There had been a burning lust in his eyes from the first time we’d met. Even though I was only fifteen back then, I’d known he wanted me. The frank carnality in his gaze had been unmistakable, and it’d freaked me the hell out. The fascination he held for me wasn’t mutual, and I’d spent three years hoping I would find my mate so he wouldn’t try to come for me.

  I’d heard the rumors about his brutality and knew he was even worse than the man who’d raised me. Wyatt Lyall had lived too long without a mate, and it had made him almost feral. His actions were more wolf than man, and he had no empathy for others. If you crossed him, you did so knowing that your punishment would be vicious. His pack took what they wanted, when they wanted, and from whomever they wanted. They were feared by most, and I never understood why my father was willing to work with them except for the fact that they paid well. He liked to live large and had never figured out a way to do it honestly.

  “I won’t take him as my mate,” I whispered softly—but not quietly enough to hide my resistance from my father.

  “You will,” he insisted. “Of that I have no doubt because the Lyall alpha won’t accept any other possibility.”

  “You’ll really let him force me into a mating I don’t want?” I asked disbelievingly. Even though he’d been horrible to me throughout the years, I couldn’t accept that he would go to these lengths to get me out of his home.

  “Yes. Without even blinking an eye,” he confirmed. “Even if I had a choice, I would still make the same decision.”

  “A choice?”

  “Don’t know why, but that man has been plotting to take you as his mate from the moment he first saw you. Until a few weeks ago, I might have hesitated at forcing you,” he admitted gruffly. “Wyatt forced me into a corner. Lent me so much money that I have no hope of ever paying him back. Made me an offer too good to refuse: I bring you to him and he forgives my debt. All of it.”

  “You’re trading me for money?”

  He chuckled darkly. “Hell, if he’d waited a few more weeks, I would have handed you over for free. Turned out to be a fucking fantastic deal for me. I guess the joke’s on him.”

  His betrayal was hard enough for me to take without knowing how much joy my situation was bringing him. I knew there wasn’t anything I could say to change his mind.

  As we drove closer to Lyall territory, my only hope was to do something drastic. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and I’d never been in a more dangerous situation in my life. My father was stronger than I was as man and faster than I was as wolf. He had years of experience fighting in wolf form, whereas I’d shifted only once. Once we reached our destination, I would have no hope of escape. If Wyatt got his hands on me, he’d never let me go, so it was either now or never.

  The tree-lined road seemed deserted. We hadn’t passed another car for at least fifteen minutes. When I glanced over at my father, I realized he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. Many shifters didn’t bother with them because the odds of one of us dying in a car crash were slim. My father was especially arrogant, so he never used one. Since I had always been smaller than other children, my mom had worried about my health, so she’d always made me wear mine. It was a habit that might save my life now.

  Glimpsing at the dashboard, I checked to see how fast we were going. My father’s preference for speeding was another factor in my favor—we were going eighty miles per hour. At this rate, it wouldn’t take much for me to cause a crash. Breathing deeply, I gathered my strength and reached out for my bear. It was the first time I’d tried to link with the beast that lived inside me in years, but she responded swiftly by sending a rush of power into my veins. My nails lengthened into claws that pierced my jeans as I flexed my fingers against my legs. With the curve in the road coming up, I knew that the time to act was now.

  Moving swiftly, I dug my claws into his leg and shoved it down so his foot pressed onto the accelerator pedal. His roar of pain rang in my ears as his hand gripped my arm to tear me away. When I let him move me, I turned in my seat to grab the wheel with my other hand. Yanking hard, I sent the car hurtling into the trees and braced for the impact.

  I wasn’t sure how long I’d been knocked out before the sound of footsteps woke me. My breathing was labored, and the pain in my chest meant I’d probably broken a few ribs. As I took stock of the rest of my body, I realized the impact had done more damage than I had expected. If I hadn’t been so weak from my father’s imprisonment over the last few weeks, it might not have been that bad, but having gone so long with barely any food or water had worn me down. Nevertheless, I’d done what I’d had to do to get away from him.

  A quick glance around the car told me that my father had fared worse than I had in the crash since his body was sprawled across the hood of the car. Blood dripped from the broken glass of the windshield. With as bad as his condition was, I figured I might have an hour or two head start.

  “Hey. You okay?” the stranger whose footsteps had woken me asked from outside the passenger’s door.

  He had the look of a wolf—dark hair and eyes paired with a tall frame and an athletic build. There was a jagged scar running along his forehead that should have made him look scary, but the concern in his eyes shone through. When I nodded, he started to walk around the car so he could check on my father.

  “No,” I warned. “Leave him.”

  “Just wanted to see if he was going to be okay, little girl,” he reassured me.

  “No time,” I murmured as I jerked on my seatbelt, frantic to escape the car. “Need to get out of here.”

  My desperation must have been obvious, because he opened the door and cut the belt off with a knife he’d pulled from his front pocket. I froze when I saw it, and my eyes didn’t leave the blade until he’d placed it back in his pants.

  “I’m not gonna hurt you,” he said, raising his hands in front of him with his palms facing me in a sign of surrender. “I just want to help.”

  Although my mom had taught me at an early age not to trust strangers, she’d also walked away knowing that my father was going to hand me over to a madman. I guessed it was time for me to stop following her lead and make my own decisions.

  “Thank you for helping me,” I whispered, my stomach heaving as I stepped out of the car.

  Pain rolled through my body, and it took everything I had inside me to stop myself from passing out. Even though I was scared to trust anyone, I couldn’t stop myself from leaning heavily against the stranger, who had appeared at the perfect time to lend assistance. I was at the end of my rope, and if I didn’t reach out for help, I was going to fail. Failure right now meant death—or a fate worse than it.

  “You’re welcome, sweetie,” he murmured. “I’m glad I’m here to help.”

  “But why?” I wondered aloud, unaccustomed to kindness from family, let alone a stranger.

  “Well,” he drawled, “I have a daughter. Or had. I haven’t seen her in almost three years now, and I can only hope that, if there was a time she needed help, someone else was there to lend her a hand.”

  I looked at him suspiciously, disappointed to hear he was estranged from his daughter after the way the man I had called Father for so many years had so easily discarded me.

  “Why haven’t you seen her in so long?”

  “Because I trusted the wrong people to keep her safe,” he muttered. “And she paid the price for my mistake.”

  He seemed so angry on her behalf, and it made me feel more comfortable. He reminded me of the fathers of the friends I’d had growing up—the ones who treated their daughters like they were precious and should be protected at all costs. Not like the man who had raised me.

  “Who did you trust and how did your daughter pay for it?”

  “My alpha,” he responded, which wasn’t the answer I’d expected. Wolves were supposed to trust their alphas. It was part of the bond of the pack. If you can’t trust your leader or y
our parents, then who can you trust? “I was injured protecting his son in an ambush. My mate gave her life trying to save his, but neither of them made it. When my alpha should have been watching over my daughter while I healed from wounds that nearly killed me too, he kicked her out of our pack.”

  My heart went out to his daughter. I knew what it was like to feel like you were alone in the world with nobody to turn to.

  “Why?” I asked. “What did she do?”

  He sighed deeply before answering. “I just don’t know,” he said, shaking his head back and forth. “I swear my baby girl would never do anything to betray our pack. She might not have made many close friends growing up because she always kept a wall up around other people, but she was the sweetest girl in the world. When we left for our trip, she was safe and sound in our home. When I finally made it back, she was just gone.”

  “Where did she go?”

  “That’s the million-dollar question, sweetie,” he replied. "She waited outside of town for a month, most likely hoping I’d come back. Then it was like she’d vanished without a trace. Like she was trying to wipe her slate clean and start fresh. I’ve tried to piece together what happened to her after that, but it hasn’t been easy because our alpha called it a shunning and there wasn’t anyone who was willing to answer my questions and risk his wrath.”

  “A shunning?” I gasped. I’d never met anyone who knew a wolf who had been shunned by their pack. It rarely happened because a wolf had to do something heinous to deserve that kind of punishment.

  “Yeah. That motherfucking bastard wasn’t happy with kicking her out of the only home she’d ever known on the same day her mom died,” he growled. “Even though he knew I wasn’t going to make it back for months because I’d almost died that day too.”