by Becca Van
Tarkyn breathed deeply and pushed his animal down as he followed Jarrod and his brothers out to Jarrod’s truck. As they sped through the night, he thought about how much he loved Alyson and how distraught he and his brothers would be if they lost her.
No! He pushed those negative thoughts aside. They weren’t going to lose her. They had only just found her. He would give his life without a qualm if needed. She was the love of their lives, and nothing was going to come between them.
His thoughts brought his wolf back to the surface and his claws pushed from the ends of his fingers while he growled from deep in his chest. Rylan and Chevy’s growls joined his. The trip, which should have taken at least thirty minutes, took fifteen. He was glad Jarrod knew how to control his vehicle at such high speeds.
He was out of the car before Jarrod had stopped completely and ripped his clothes from his body. The change was so fast his bones ached, but he embraced his animal. Two more wolves came up alongside him and Rylan and his brothers all ran toward the farmhouse in the distance.
“I told you three to wait,” Jarrod sent through the common pack link, but they ignored him. “Shit!”
“What can you see, Malcolm?” Rylan asked.
“From what I can see, he has her tied up to an old bed in the back bedroom of the house. Brax and I had to move back so he wouldn’t see us. He got too close to the broken window. He hit her, but we didn’t want to go in yet. She’s been talking to him and trying to get him to calm down, but he has a gun. If he sees us, he could fire a bullet into her heart or head and kill her.”
“Cover us,” Rylan ordered.
Tarkyn didn’t bother to stop or slow down once the house was in sight. He ran around back and saw light emanating through a broken window. He peered through the dirty glass and barely kept his wolf under control. If he or his brothers jumped through the window, he was scared the fucker would pull the trigger and kill their mate.
“Where is my wife and baby, bitch?” Virgil snarled and pushed the barrel of the gun hard against Alyson’s head.
Alyson whimpered and tears flowed from her eyes, and to Tarkyn’s horror she spat in Virgil’s face and yelled, “Fuck you!”
Virgil backhanded Alyson across the face, which caused her to cry out in pain, and it was a real struggle for him and his brothers not to jump through the window and try to save their mate. What they needed was a distraction. If they could somehow lure Virgil away from Aly, then they would be able to save her without her getting shot.
“Jarrod, we need a distraction. He has a gun to her head,” Tarkyn said through the common pack link.
“Okay, I’m on it.”
As the minutes ticked by Tarkyn and his animal were filled with rage, and the struggle for supremacy between his human and animal side was imperative. If his wolf took over, he could get his mate killed.
“Tell me where my wife is and I’ll let you go.” Virgil ran the gun barrel down the side of Aly’s head and then pushed it hard beneath her chin.
Alyson sobbed, but then he heard her take a deep breath as if she was gathering herself back under control. When she spoke this time her voice was full of fury. “Do you think I’m stupid? I know damn well you aren’t going to let me leave here alive. So why don’t you just get it over with and pull the fucking trigger.”
Tarkyn mentally growled. Once they got her out of there and she had recovered he was going to put Alyson over his knee and spank her ass for goading a crazy man into trying to kill her.
The sound of flesh slapping against flesh was sickening. Ire and fear raged a battle inside his chest, and he urged Jarrod on. “Hurry the fuck up. She’s trying to make him kill her.”
Just as Tarkyn finished yelling through the link, a car alarm sounded from the front of the cabin. Virgil stiffened and pulled the gun away from Alyson’s face. He flicked the safety on and pushed the gun into the waistband of his pants. That was just what Tarkyn had been waiting for.
He leapt. Jagged glass cut into his belly, but he didn’t feel any pain. Virgil spun toward the window and reached for the weapon, but Tarkyn was faster.
His front and back paws barely touched the floor before they left the wood again. Rylan and Chevy jumped through the window after him. He didn’t hesitate to let his wolf have free reign. His animal bit down hard as his teeth closed around Virgil Minogue’s arm. He heard the thud of the gun hitting the floor and knew that his mate was safe. With a snarl he released the fucker’s arm and went for his throat. The flesh gave beneath his teeth and he shook his head back and forth violently. Blood filled his mouth, and his teeth sank even further into muscle, cartilage, and sinew. When he felt the life leave the human and the body go slack, he threw it aside without a care.
His mate needed him.
Chapter Thirteen
Chevy rushed over to Alyson as soon as his paws hit the floor. Her face was bruised, the skin around her wrists and ankles was shredded, and she was naked, but she was alive. He forced his wolf back and allowed his human side to take over. As soon as he changed, he undid the rope and pulled her into his arms.
“Aly, you’re safe now, darlin’. We have you. God, I love you so much.”
“Chevy?” she asked in a shaky voice.
“Yes, darlin’, I’m here.” Chevy pulled her tight against him, sharing the warmth from his body. Her skin was very cold and her whole body was shaking. She wrapped her arms around his waist and held on tight while she sobbed. He glanced up to see Tarkyn wiping the blood from his body, and then his brother covered Virgil’s mangled body with an old blanket. Chevy would have held her on his lap if she’d let him, but she sat up when she heard Jarrod and his brothers’ voices.
“I’m naked,” Alyson whispered. “I don’t want them to see me like this.”
Chevy didn’t want his cousins seeing his mate’s body either. He searched the room, but the only useful thing he could see was the dirty quilt on the old bed, and he wasn’t about to use that on his precious woman.
“Jarrod”—Chevy raised his voice slightly, knowing Jarrod would hear him even though his cousin was still outside—“do you have a spare set of clothes? Alyson needs them.”
“I’ll get them.” Tarkyn, who had moved away from Virgil and had been stroking Alyson’s hair, walked toward the door. “Don’t come in. Aly doesn’t want you guys seeing her naked. Did you bring our clothes, too?”
Tarkyn’s arms were full of clothes when he turned back around. He handed over some sweatpants and a shirt to Chevy, and he helped Alyson dress, rolling up the sleeves of the shirt and the legs of the pants so they didn’t irritate her torn skin.
“Okay, she’s decent. Send Blayk in,” Rylan ordered as he dressed.
Chevy handed her over to Rylan so he could dress. He watched as Blayk cleaned and bandaged her wounds. When he was done, Tarkyn picked her up and began to walk out of the house.
“Wait!” Alyson cried. “Tarkyn, put me down.”
“Why?”
“Because you have a cut on your stomach. You need to let Blayk look at that.”
“Pfft. It’s just a scratch, honey. It’ll be healed by the time we get back to Jarrod’s truck.”
“God, I still have so much to learn about you guys.” Alyson looked up to Tarkyn then over to him and finally to Rylan.
“Thank you all for saving me. If it hadn’t been for you three, I wouldn’t be here right now.”
“We would do anything to keep you safe, darlin’. You don’t have to thank us.”
“I want to. I love you all so much. I don’t understand how I can feel the way I do after only knowing you for such a short time, but I do.”
“Give her to me,” Rylan demanded and scooped Alyson out of Tarkyn’s arms. “We were fated to meet, baby. Don’t question it, just accept it. We love you, too, and we will enjoy teaching you everything you want about being a werewolf.”
“As long as I don’t have to be one.”
“Not if we have anything to say about it,” Chevy stated firm
ly. “Do you feel up to talking with Jarrod, darlin’? He wants to know what happened so he can write up a report.”
“Okay, but can we do it outside? I don’t want to be in here anymore.”
Chevy looked around the dirty living room and motioned to Jarrod when their gazes met. His cousin gave a nod and followed them outside.
Everyone was there outside. They had arrived before Chevy and his brothers in case backup had been needed. Now they were all standing around the house, waiting to make sure their mate was safe.
Jonah came forward and stroked Alyson’s hair in a comforting gesture. “Are you all right, Alyson?”
“Yes, thanks, Jonah. My men got to me in time.”
Jonah nodded his head and gave one more scrutinizing look at Alyson and then moved off toward the house to speak with Malcolm.
Rylan sat down on the step, settling Alyson over his lap and pulling her close to his body. He nuzzled her neck with his nose and kissed her skin after breathing in her scent. Jarrod sat on the step next to them and took Alyson’s statement.
By the time they were finished, his mate was struggling to keep her eyes open.
Rylan stood with her still in his arms. Chevy had been standing at the bottom of the steps, his knee bent so he was touching Alyson’s leg, but now he straightened up as well, eager to get their mate back home. But before they’d gotten far, Jonah joined them again.
“You three did well in there,” he said. “You were strong and courageous for your mate, and you acted smart by not letting your wolves take over. Thanks to you, that man will never threaten anyone again.” The Alpha’s eyes fell to Alyson and then lifted to Rylan. “That’s why I want to make you my Betas.”
Chevy saw Tarkyn begin smiling immediately. It took Rylan a little longer for the news to visibly sink in. “Your Betas?” he repeated. “So soon?”
Jonah put his hand on Rylan’s shoulder, careful not to disturb Alyson. “I know you’ll protect the rest of the pack as loyally as you protect your mate.”
“Thank you, Alpha.” Rylan bowed his head. Chevy and Tarkyn did likewise. “This is an honor.”
Chevy could hear the pleasure in his brother’s voice. He thanked Jonah as well, but it was hard to feel excited. We have our promotion, but what about our mate? Any other accomplishment would be hollow if Alyson wouldn’t stay with them after all of this. After all, she was free now to go out on her own, independent and in no danger from Virgil.
“Here.” Jarrod dug into his pocket and brought out the keys to his truck then handed them over to Tarkyn. “Take your mate home. I’ll get a lift with Malcolm and Brax. And congratulations.”
“Thank you.” Tarkyn nodded to Rylan. “Let’s go home.”
Chevy followed them back to where all the vehicles had been parked out of sight. His anxieties came with him. When Alyson wakes up, I guess we’ll just have to see if she wants to stay.
* * * *
Now that she was safe and her shock and adrenaline rush had passed, Alyson was exhausted. She could barely keep her eyes open and couldn’t stop yawning. She was safe once more in the arms of one of her men. Rylan held her tight against him as he walked, the heat from his body warming her and his arms and muscles comforting. Placing her cheek against his shoulder, she let her eyes slide shut. Even though she was still aware of her men, she let her body drift in and out of a doze. The past few hours had been harrowing, and her body was demanding rest.
The closing of a door brought her up from her semiconscious state, and she opened her eyes and lifted her head just as Tarkyn started the sheriff’s truck.
“Rest, baby. We’ll be home before you know it, and then you can sleep.”
“I want a shower. I need to wash his touch from my skin.”
“Did he touch you, Aly?” Tarkyn asked from the driver’s seat. “You never did say whether he touched you inappropriately while giving your statement to Jarrod.”
“No, he didn’t do…” She sobbed. “He just wanted to be able to see his work on my skin. He was going to cut me all over and then kill me.”
“Shh, baby, you’re safe now,” Rylan whispered and caressed a hand up and down her thigh. “He won’t ever be able to hurt you again.”
“Virgil was going to torture me until I told him where his wife and child were.” She buried her face in Rylan’s chest. “I would have died before I betrayed them.”
“Let me have her.” Chevy reached out from his seat in the back next to her and Rylan. She could see the concern in his eyes and that need he had to hold her. Rylan passed her over, and Chevy hugged her tight, the sound of his heart beating and the weight of his arms and big body beneath her comforting. “We know you wouldn’t have told that fucker where his family was hiding, Aly.”
She sniffed and buried her face between his pectorals. His familiar scent and his muscular arms were just what she needed to push the last terrifying few hours from her mind. The drone of the truck’s wheels on the road was soothing and her eyes closed once more. She relaxed into Chevy and let sleep take over her.
* * * *
“How is she?” Tarkyn looked into the rearview mirror and tried to see Alyson’s face.
“She’s asleep.”
“Thank God. I think we should let her rest for as long as we can. We can help her clean up when she wakes, but I don’t want to disturb her if she continues to sleep.”
“I agree,” Rylan said. “Our mate has been to hell and back and needs rest to recuperate.”
“I want to kill the fucker over and over again for what he put our woman through.” Tarkyn’s voice came out in a deep rumble as his imagination replayed the knife plunging toward his mate. It was going to take some time before he got over his fear at seeing her naked and bound at the hands of Virgil Minogue.
He parked Jarrod’s truck and got out, holding the rear door open for Chevy. When the women and some of the younger pack members surged out of the house, he placed his finger over his lips. Alyson needed to sleep, and he didn’t want their voices waking her. Michelle came over and stood next to him, but instead of speaking out loud she used the pack common link.
“How is she really, Tarkyn?”
“She’ll be fine. We got to her just in time. It may take her a while to get over the trauma, but she’s safe and alive.”
“Thank God. I heard you took that asshole out. You and your brothers are the perfect mates for her.”
“Thank you, my queen.” Tarkyn nodded his head in deference to his Alpha female.
“Cut that shit out, Tarkyn. You know I hate it. Sheesh.” She smiled at him but cocked her hip with attitude.
“As you wish…Michelle.”
“Get your woman upstairs to bed.”
Chevy carried Alyson inside and upstairs to their suite of rooms and straight into Rylan’s bed, since his was the largest. Rylan pulled the covers back, and he carefully laid her in the middle of the mattress. With gentle hands he and his brothers stripped their woman of her clothes and then took off their own before climbing into bed beside her. Rylan got in on her right, Tarkyn on her left, and Chevy lay across the bottom with a spare blanket to cover him. Rylan settled Alyson on her side and moved in until his front was plastered against hers with her head resting on his arm and shoulder. Tarkyn moved up against her back to spoon her, and Chevy wrapped an arm around her calf.
They were where they needed to be, breathing in their mate’s scent and touching her, assuring themselves she was safe and sound. Alive, back where she belonged, in their beds, hearts, and souls.
* * * *
Alyson shifted in her sleep and whimpered. Rylan ran his hand up and down her side, soothing her, but she was so caught up in her nightmare she didn’t respond to his touch. All of a sudden she bolted upright.
Tarkyn sat up and flicked the lamp on. Rylan reached out for Alyson, but she was still ensconced in her dream even though her eyes were open. Tears streamed down her face and her eyes darted around the room. She hit at him and cried out with terror.
He hugged her arms and upper torso so she couldn’t hurt herself and lifted her onto his lap. Chevy and Tarkyn were talking to her, trying to get through to her and bring her out of her nightmare.
“It’s all right, darlin’, you’re safe. We have you,” Chevy crooned.
“Wake up, honey. We’re here.”
Nothing his brothers said made a difference. Alyson continued to struggle and cry.
“Wake up, Alyson!” Rylan yelled.
Her breathing hitched and she blinked several times. It seemed his loud voice had pulled her from her terror. Rylan eased his hold on her and wiped the moisture from her cheeks.
“That’s it, baby. Wake up now. You’re safe.”
“Oh God,” she sobbed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you. Did I hurt you?”
Rylan snorted. “It would take a lot more than a hit from you to hurt me, baby. I’m a werewolf, remember.”
Alyson pushed against his shoulder and arm. He released her, worried when she scrambled from the bed.
Alyson looked at all of them fearfully, as if they were strangers.
Rylan’s heart ached for her. He wanted to comfort her, but his own fears choked him.
“What can we do for you, honey?” Chevy asked gently.
Alyson looked at them blankly. Rylan waited. Don’t pull away from us now.
Chapter Fourteen
Alyson controlled her rampaging heart. The bad dream was fading away. She was safe, here with her men. But it wasn’t enough.
Rylan followed her into the bathroom and rubbed her back as she washed her face and hands and then brushed her teeth. She headed out of the bathroom and paced around the room. Rylan leaned against the wall and watched her with a frown on his face. Alyson couldn’t seem to settle down. Her insides were jumpy and her body felt shaky. She gripped her hands and tried to stop them shaking, but it didn’t help. In fact, the harder she tried to stop the tremors the worse they were.
“Come here, Aly.” Rylan pushed off from the wall and moved close to her. When he stopped in front of her he opened his arms, offering her comfort.
