by Delta James
“You have nothing to offer me that I want,” answered Skylar.
“I think I do. I had planned to have your pack disciplined before we head for home. My thought was if the lot of you were nursing sore bottoms, you’d be a lot easier to deal with on a small boat. But, if you put down the knife and submit to my authority, you’ll be the only one spanked. I’ll give the others a pass as having acted on your orders. But mark my words, I intend to make your first spanking from me memorable.”
“That’s not much of a deal.”
“Oh, but it is,” he said with the barest hint of a smile on his face. “Either way, I intend to go sit down on that log, put you over my knee, bare your pretty little backside, and paddle it until it’s bright red and swollen. Get nasty while I’m doing it, and you’ll get your first taste of my belt. Take my deal and you’re the only one who gets spanked. Refuse my deal, I’ll disarm you, spank you until you’re crying, and take my belt to your backside and leave welts behind. And your pack members will each get a good taste of the discipline they obviously need before we head for home. So, what is it to be, mate? Just you or your women too?”
Darby watched Skylar search Dylan’s face for the veracity and severity of his words. There wasn’t a woman among them who didn’t realize he was willing to spare them, but only if Skylar submitted.
“I have your word they won’t be disciplined for our bid for freedom?” Skylar asked softly.
“You do.”
Skylar took the knife and threw it, landing it precisely between Dylan’s spread feet.
The men all seemed surprised when Skylar surrendered, but the women who called her alpha were not surprised in the least. To the bitter end, Skylar would defend them as best she could.
The women were loaded on board the powerboat, unable to help their leader as the man who called himself her mate sat down on a log, bared her bottom, and then put her across his knee and began to spank her. All Darby could hear was the lapping of the water against the side of the boat and Dylan’s hand connecting with Skylar’s ass. She and the others struggled to no avail.
“It’ll be all right,” whispered Matthew. “The sooner she learns to yield to him, the easier it will be for her. He won’t hurt her.”
“Really? Ever had your ass beaten by someone big and brawny? Hot news flash, it’s painful.”
Matthew smiled and stroked her hair. “I know. But she’s been naughty for some time and particularly so this afternoon. There’s no way Dylan could let that slide. Some members of the Council already want his head on a platter for being so lenient with you ladies. Now settle down. She’s his fated mate. He’s been waiting for her. Hopefully, Dylan will be able to find yours as well.”
“I won’t mate again. You’ll have to kill me.”
Matthew chuckled. “Don’t be so melodramatic. No one is going to kill you. In fact, there are some that will like that defiant, sassy attitude. I’m not one of them so if you keep poking at me, I’ll ask Dylan to make an exception for you not getting spanked and see to it myself. Now sit down while you can still do so comfortably.”
Finally, the sound of Skylar being punished ceased and she was allowed to get on the boat with the tall man the pack at Calon Gwyllt called alpha. He kept Skylar from joining her women and kept her at his side. The trip back to Calon Gwyllt was long and would have been cold save for the blanket Matthew insisted on wrapping around her.
Chapter Two
When they arrived back at Calon Gwyllt, more men greeted them on the docks. Darby wasn’t sure what they had expected, but apparently it wasn’t angry and defiant women. When one of them tried to help her off the boat, Darby snatched her hand away from him and growled deep in her throat.
“That’s enough,” said the man on the dock. “I’m Nick. I am beta of Calon Gwyllt. You growl again and you won’t make it to your room before you get your bottom bared and get a taste of the discipline you need.”
Dylan spoke with the ranking members of his pack and had the women dispersed to various residences on the large estate. Darby was going to the same house as Anna. Anna flashed her a quick grin. Darby didn’t react. She didn’t know what Anna had up her sleeve, but then neither did the male wolves that surrounded them.
Both Anna and Darby were shown to a lovely set of rooms that were not adjacent to each other. Simon, the house leader tried to be cordial but Darby was terrified. She had learned in the past two years to take her fear and turn it to anger. That anger could fuel whatever she needed to get through a difficult situation. She had no doubt the Ruling Council would send her back to her abusive mate. She wouldn’t go. She would literally rather be dead.
As they were separated at the top of the stairs, Anna made the comment that it was too bad they didn’t have a sailboat. The male wolves looked at her with curiosity and Darby was led to her room wondering what the hell she’d meant by that.
One of the women of the house was prattling on about clothes and dinner and showing her that her room had its own en suite bath.
“Get out,” said Darby.
“I can stay if you like. We’re all so glad you’re here.”
“And I, for one, would rather be dead than to be here.”
“Oh, goodness. That’s not good. No one will hurt you here.”
“Really? Tell that to my alpha…”
“Someone hurt Dylan?” she asked, confused.
“That bastard is not my alpha. Skylar Owen of Bae Diogel is my alpha. Now get the hell out.”
The woman started for the door and then stopped and turned. “I really am sorry you’re so unhappy. If I can do anything, just ask Tim, he’s right outside your door.” She walked through it quickly. As the door closed behind her, Darby threw a vase filled with fresh flowers in her direction and watched it crash against the door.
Darby spent the next few hours checking the room to see if there was an obvious escape. There wasn’t. Every time someone came through the door, Darby found something else to throw in their direction. When they tried to bring her something to eat, she shoved the door closed, forcing the tray back into the bearer and spilling its contents all over his clothes.
“Sailboat?” she said quietly. “Why would Anna want a sailboat?” And then it hit her and she had to suppress the urge to laugh. Anna was making a reference to technology. Anna had been their hacker and resident technology geek. Earlier when they had been forced to flee their home, Anna had rigged the sailboat so that Skylar could use it as a weapon. The sailboat had been empty and was driven by remote control. Skylar had merely pressed a button to get it to head full speed into a cabin cruiser blocking their way and burst into flames, forcing the men aboard the cabin cruiser to abandon their vessel by jumping into the water. Darby realized Anna must have found a way to hide something on her person that she thought might be able to help them get away.
There was a knock at the door and a very angry Nick entered. “What part of that’s enough are you questioning?”
“The part where you have any authority to tell me that and expect me to comply.”
“As of this afternoon, you and yours became members of this pack. That makes you and your misbehavior my concern and responsibility.”
“What? Did the big bad boys of your pack tattle on me?”
“No, I met one of them coming downstairs with the food you managed to spill all over him. Everyone here is trying to make allowances for the loss we’re sure you and yours are feeling. But I will not allow you to continue to behave like this. No one here wants to see any of you hurt.”
“Did they not tell you that your fearless leader blackmailed my alpha into surrendering herself to his abuse?”
Nick laughed. “Is that the problem? Your former alpha disrespected and physically threatened the alpha of our pack. The fact that she is his mate does not make the offense any less. He provided the correction and discipline she needed and will get now that she’s with him. And if you’re not careful, you’re going to find yourself in the same position
over my knee for the very same reason.”
Darby decided that fighting with Nick was not in her best interest and decided to try a different tactic. She began to cry softly. The tears weren’t real, but the emotion behind them was. “I’m sorry, Beta. It’s just been a very difficult day.”
“I’m sure it has been. But you have to admit your behavior since you arrived has been nothing short of nasty.”
“I think the tray of food was a bit over the top even for me,” she said, smiling shyly.
“Just a bit? If you think that’s just a bit over the top, I think you’re going to spend the majority of your time here standing in the corner.”
“Yes, Beta,” she said, adopting a more submissive pose. “Would you mind apologizing to him for me until I see him again?”
“I can do that. Do you think you can behave more appropriately from now on?”
“I can try.”
“I’m going to let you have this one pass. You will stay in your room and have supper up here. If your behavior improves, you can join the rest of the pack in the morning. But if I hear about one more tantrum, I will come back up here, bare that bottom, and give you a spanking you won’t forget any time soon. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, Beta.”
“All right. Darby?”
“Yes, Beta?”
“Don’t make me regret this.”
“Yes, Beta.”
The door closed and in a childish display of temper she stuck out her tongue. She figured if he could treat her like a child, she could display the behavior of one.
* * *
A few hours later, there was a knock on the door and a pretty blonde came through it bearing food and wine.
“I’m Bianca. You met my mate, Nick, earlier.”
Darby nodded.
“You’re lucky he was in a generous mood. Trust me when I tell you, that’s not a knee you want to get put across. And those hands that can bring me such extreme pleasure are nasty when being applied to your backside for punishment.”
“A lot of firsthand experience with that?” Darby asked, liking the blonde despite the circumstances of their meeting.
“Unfortunately, yes. Susannah thought she remembered your drink of choice was a good pinot noir. Mine too. This is one of my favorites. I also brought up something to eat. I understand that food brought to you earlier somehow got spilled.”
Darby grinned. “Yes. Somehow it just flew up and spilled all over the guy. Must be gremlins.”
Bianca laughed. “Yes, that must be it.”
Darby spent an enjoyable hour talking with Bianca and enjoying an excellent bottle of pinot. She tried to find out as much about the estate and where it was situated as she could without tipping her hand. She could tell that Bianca was trying to get her to relax and accept what had happened. For now, until Anna revealed her plan, she would play nice.
Darby sat watching out the window as most of the residents of the house headed downstairs for dinner… including the guard at her door. Once the dinner party seemed to be in full swing, there was a quiet knock on the door and Anna let herself in.
“Okay, let’s get some pillows put together so if they do a quick bed check, they’ll think we’re still here.”
“But how?”
Anna grinned. “I managed to conceal a smart phone among the things that got delivered after we got here. I tapped into their security feed and recorded more than an hour. I’ve been working on the video to manipulate the changing shadows and lighting so that we can interrupt their live feed and load it on a continuous loop. That should give us the time we need to get the hell out of here.”
“Do you think we can get to any of the others?”
“No, but once we’re free we can put together a plan to come back and get them. Agreed?”
“You know it.”
They waited until the guards passed under the window to Darby’s room. Anna tapped into the estate’s security system once again and downloaded the altered feed. Once they were sure it hadn’t been detected, they slipped off the balcony and made a run for it.
The run across the open lawn was terrifying and exhilarating. When they reached the relative security of the heavily wooded area, they were almost giddy. Their plan appeared to be working. They stayed hidden and watched. Once the party at the main house had come to an end and the residents of the houses seemed to be settling down, Anna and Darby planned to make their next move. They would have to cover open ground and they needed both darkness and no wandering guards in order to be successful. They were about to proceed when they heard a cry from the residence in which they’d been placed. Their escape had been discovered.
“Shit!” whispered Darby. “We’re going to need…” She stopped midsentence when they heard a young male wolf’s mournful howl. Darby wasn’t sure what it meant, until she saw Anna shudder. “Are you kidding me?”
“It’s not my fault, Darby. I’ve done my best to avoid him. It feels like somebody just grabbed my lungs and squeezed. I can barely breathe.”
“It’s all right, Anna.” The howl came on the wind and the effect it had on Anna was powerful. “He’s your mate and he’s calling for you. You need to decide if you want to stay or run. But, from the sound of it and the way your body is responding, he won’t stop until he’s found you.”
“I don’t know what I want. But you need to run and get away from me and from this place. I’ll shift and see if I can’t lead them away from you. Maybe with me as a distraction you can get to Roz or Skylar.”
“No, the alpha here will have already planned for that. I’ll try to get away, but let the others know I won’t be far. I’ll come back for you… all of you who want to go.”
Darby watched as Anna shifted into her wolf form. She had a rare true black coat, one that gave off an almost blue cast in the moonlight. The young male wolf called for her again. Anna shuddered in response but kept herself from returning the call. She looked over her shoulder at Darby, wagged her tail sadly, and sprinted away from her.
Deciding she could make better time as a wolf, Darby shifted as well. Her tawny brown coat with silver tips should let her be well hidden if she kept to the shadows of the trees. She moved through the woods quietly but as quickly as stealth would allow. She heard Anna’s mate call to her again.
Once shifted, all of one’s senses became more acute. Darby could see better in the dark, she could hear the group of shifted men approaching, and she could smell the ocean. As Anna had headed toward the ocean, Darby turned the other way. She hoped her friend could lead them away from her but knew that simply waiting was a fool’s game.
Darby stopped and stilled the sound of her own heartbeat. They hadn’t all gone after Anna, some of them had picked up her scent and were headed her way… fast. Stealth no longer served her needs. They would now be tracking her scent. Darby ran for where she thought the borders of Dylan’s estate and the highway beyond might lay. Her only hope was to get to the road and shift back to human form when she heard a vehicle approaching.
Those who pursued her no longer worried about stealth either. They were close enough now that they began to bay in anticipation of catching her. Darby tried to increase her speed. They were gaining on her. She could see the wall that bordered the estate. There was no exit or gate readily available. She ran in the direction that led away from the ocean. She hated to be on open ground but there was no help for that. Darby darted out of the woods and ran for her life.
Her heart and lungs were operating at maximum capacity. She could hear the wolves behind her and saw something heading out of the woods on an intercept course. She tried to run faster and was in sight of the large gate, which was closed and being guarded. Darby was trying to formulate her next move when she was broadsided by a big gray wolf. They tumbled over the grass together. Before she could regain her feet, he had her pinned. Once again, she was grabbed by the scruff of her neck and shaken. She collapsed in defeat and resumed her human form.
Her captor
shifted as well but continued to pin her to the ground as the others joined him. She heard him say, “Dylan? We have her. We have Darby. She never made it off the estate.” He got off the phone and looked down at her. “Naughty wolf. I imagine Nick’s going to blister your butt when we get back to the house.”
One of the wolves that had pursued her was carrying clothes for her and tossed them to her. “You need to put those on. My mate suggested them, especially the pull-on pants. There’s little doubt you’re going to have your bottom bared in short order. If your behavior so far is any indication, that will happen to you frequently.”
Darby stood and pulled on the clothes. She thought about refusing but decided it was a foolish and empty gesture. She didn’t voluntarily go with them but offered little resistance when two wolves each took one of her arms and propelled her toward the house. Darby could see the rest of the women from Bae Diogel had been gathered together.
Anna was with one of the young wolves with whom they’d tangled this afternoon. He had his arm around her and seemed to be trying to comfort her. Darby was the last of the Bae Diogel pack to enter the house.
* * *
Dylan addressed the assembled pack. “As some or most of you know, two of the ladies formerly of the Bae Diogel pack made a bid for their freedom this evening. They failed. Neither of them ever made it off the estate. While I’m sympathetic to the feeling these ladies may have about how their pack was disbanded, I also have a responsibility to them to bring them back into the fold so to speak. Josh?”
“Yes, Alpha.”
“I believe you have laid claim to your mate?”
“I have. I have claimed Anna as my mate and she has acknowledged my claim in front of witnesses.”
A loud round of applause and congratulations went up around the young couple. Some of the wolves from other packs weren’t too keen on the idea of the pretty dark-haired girl being paired off so quickly and to one of Dylan’s men.
