Ash Tail Pack

by T. Cobbin

  The moment her foot touched pack land, the emotions from the pack became stronger, halting her. “Wow, Dad went through this every day?” she asked herself aloud.

  Placing her suitcase and bags on the ground, Raven closed her eyes and rummaged through the emotions bombarding her. She found she could turn the volume of them all down in her head so they just simmered in the background. She also found that she could find a specific person and know what they were feeling, which was a lot easier now that she was on pack land than it had been when she wasn’t. With a smirk on her face, she shifted through the pack’s emotions until she found Duke’s.

  Happiness bombarded her, frustration that time was slow, she felt the love and passion he had for her too. Wow. Perhaps others felt the same? She again rummaged around until she found a female in the pack. Someone who had been a close school friend, May. She was feeling…love and passion, but for someone else? Looking closer at her friend’s emotions, she saw: horny…sex…she was… Oops. Raven quickly shut the pack’s emotions off to a simmer. May’s emotions dictated she could have been having sex. Perhaps looking around for people’s emotions wasn’t always a good thing.

  She was going to have to learn how to do it eventually, to make sure the pack was good. But at this precise moment, learning of a friend having sex just two minutes after stepping back on pack land, wasn’t the thing Raven wanted to know. Picking up her suitcase and bags, she headed toward home again.

  She couldn’t wait to see Duke. She hadn’t lied when she told him four years ago that she would miss him. Since his parents’ death, he had become a permanent fixture in her life. They had been friends at school, but not as close as they had been after the death of his parents.

  She had often replayed the sweet kiss he’d placed on her before he’d turned and left. She had seen each of his muscles tightening as if he’d wanted to walk back to her. His hands had fisted, his body straight with taut muscles. He’d looked like he was in pain. The thought of not seeing him for four years had her heart hurting so much it had taken her a while to stop crying. She received her first email from him two days later. Every day after that, she’d received another and another. Between going to college and working, she didn’t miss a day of replying to him.

  With the pack’s emotions simmering in her mind, and the scents and sounds around her, it brought home straight back into her soul. She’d often wondered how she would feel being back there. Would her friends greet her or hate her for going away? With the pack going ten years without young, how would they treat her? She could find out by rummaging through their emotions, one by one, but wouldn’t that be cheating? She’d wait until she could see their faces first, wait to see if they accepted her as alpha.

  “She’s here,” a male voice called out from somewhere near.

  The male’s lust and desire was the first thing she felt, then his scent hit her. Then another two sets of emotions and scents bombarded her. The intense emotions had her dropping her luggage, gripping her head, and squeezing her eyes shut. A mixture of lust, passion, and hatred besieged her from two of the males. The third, however, seemed unsure, worried, and reluctant.

  When the first hand touched her arm, she opened her eyes in a flash. Was that Buddy? He’d been someone she’d gone to school with. Raven didn’t have time to ponder much else when two other sets of hands grabbed her. A hand covered her mouth and she was pulled against a hard body.

  “We’ve been waiting,” another male voice declared in her ear. “We heard Duke say you weren’t due here for another hour. I’m glad we waited early just in case.”

  “You really gonna mate her?” Buddy asked as the male holding her began pushing her deeper into the woods, off the small muddy trail that led to their village.

  “Of course. You and your mate want kids, right?” the male asked.

  Through the emails she’d shared with both Duke and her father, Raven had learned quite a few of her friends had mated. Buddy was one of them. She tried to think of the male friends Buddy used to hang around with. Frank was one of them, but who was the other? It irked her not knowing who held her from behind. She recognized that voice, but who was he? And mate her? Hang on a minute. Slowly, Raven’s mind decreased in pain from the influxes of such heated emotions and allowed her to catch up with what was happening.

  She brought her elbow back into the male who was holding her. Hearing him grunt gave her satisfaction, but his arms banded around her tighter rather than loosening. She tried to talk, but the hand over her mouth clamped down too.

  “Fucking help me, will you? If she gets free, our plans go out the window. Lift her legs,” the male ordered.

  “You really think if you mate her and you become the alpha, the elders will allow it?” Buddy asked, grabbing hold of her feet and lifting them off the ground.

  “We’ve gone over this. Yes. If she bears my mating mark, no matter how it’s done, I will be her alpha male. I will share the mental mantle. It can’t be taken from me unless I die!” The male behind her sounded so confident.

  Reality dawned on Raven. If he was to be alpha male, and she didn’t sleep with him willingly… He was planning to rape her! She struggled harder against the three pairs of hands holding her. But they were strong enough to carry on walking with her, as if she was a lightweight. She couldn’t even reach for her wolf to shift, because her mind was still filled with the explosive emotions of the men holding her.

  Even though Buddy and Frank didn’t feel as confident as the third male carrying her, they still helped him. A roughly built cabin came into her line of sight. Nearing it, Buddy, who had hold of her legs, kicked the door open.

  “Get her on the bed,” the male behind her ordered.

  She struggled harder, but the hands holding her clamped down tighter. The bed had what looked like clean white sheets on it. At least the sheets are clean, right? Then another thought hit her—they needed the sheets to place on the line the next day. Another stupid pack law. After a couple were mated, their sheets were placed on their washing line the next day, so it could be witnessed they were properly mated. Ugh. The men really had planned everything out.

  Raven bucked as hard as she could, but found herself rolled and held down on the bed face down. Her face was buried in the mattress, making breathing difficult.

  “We need to strip her,” the unknown male growled.

  “Hey, man, I’m mated, I said I ain’t wanting to see her naked.” That was Buddy’s voice.

  “Then close your eyes, moron.”

  “I don’t know about this. It ain’t right.”

  She could feel Buddy’s conflicted emotions. He was scared and didn’t think what he was doing was right. And yet his overwhelming urge to have pups had placed him in this situation.

  A low growl swept the room, “Shut your fucking eyes, and just don’t take your hands off her,” the male rumbled behind her.

  Raven’s emotions now overcame the males’ and pack’s. Fear blasted from every one of her pores. Her heart thundered against her rib cage. She couldn’t free herself no matter how hard she tried. She managed to free her mouth and suck in a lungful of air. She screamed, but it was cut off a few seconds later when her head was once again shoved deep into the bedding below her.

  “Come on, before we’re discovered. I have to get inside her and mark her.” The male urged his friends, panic filling his voice.

  He was right, if he managed to get inside her, even a single drop of his sperm, along with the marks he would create by dragging his claws against her skin, then biology would take over and make him not only her mate, but alpha male too. The worst thing about it all was if he raped and marked her now, he would forever share that mantle with her, until he died. If she was to choose another male after, she would still carry that mantle alone.

  Please, goddess, someone find me, she pleaded silently. If only she hadn’t arrived early. If only she had waited for Duke. But ‘if only’ didn’t help her right now. She had to get free.

&nbs
p; She didn’t stop struggling the whole time her clothes were ripped from her body. She could smell the strong lust wafting from the male eager to rape her, his emotions screaming in her mind. He couldn’t wait, he was excited. He was the one with his hand on her head, holding it down. Nausea swam through her when he climbed onto the bed and over her naked body.

  Oh shit, he’s really going to rape me. Please, someone stop him.

  Chapter 2

  A massive thud had everything freezing, apart from the cabin walls that shook.

  “What the fuck is going on?” a deep voice boomed around the small cabin.

  The three men holding Raven down froze. Tears filled her eyes. Even with a hand over one ear and the other ear plastered to the bed underneath her, she recognized that voice. Duke. Hearing his voice was like hearing an angel. Goddess be thanked.

  “You can’t keep her from us any longer, beta,” one of the men spat. It was then she remembered the voice. Timmy Johnson? He’d sat next to her in school. “We need young to keep going. And now that her father is dead, she is the one who can give us that again.”

  “And she gave you permission to hold her down, rip her clothes off, and rape her?” Duke growled menacingly.

  He moved closer to the bed where Raven could see some of her savior. Movement had the mattress beside her shifting, indicating Timmy was climbing off the bed.

  “What were you planning on doing? Mating her and forcefully become the alpha of the pack? You think others will follow you?” Duke boomed.

  He moved into Raven’s eyesight fully, showing off his glorious naked body. He must have wolfed it to get here for him to have no clothes on. She also couldn’t help but notice he sported an impressive erection.

  Wait, what? She was being held down, naked, on a bed by three men, and he had just walked into the cabin with a boner? Did it please him to see her so helpless? No, she couldn’t be thinking like that. He’d come to save her, not help them. Hadn’t he? Think, woman, she chastised herself. Wolf shifters could often get hard just from the excitement of being in a fight, an adrenaline rush. She blew out a breath, cursing men.

  “If I’m alpha, they will have to follow me,” the male’s voice roared back at Duke.

  This male actually thought he could lead? After raping her? Was he stupid or just plain crazy? Well, if it was Timmy Johnson, he had copied from her a lot!

  Moving her gaze up, she scanned Duke’s face. He looked pretty pissed off, with a tinge of worry when he quickly glanced down at her. Guilt swamped her for thinking that he’d be excited to take part in the men’s party. She could have searched for his emotions, but all this pack emotions shit was still new to her. Plus, she could only feel Timmy’s anger and frustration rippling through her mind. She presumed it was because he had his hand on her and was nearest.

  “We need pups!” Timmy declared, shouting at Duke. “Ten fucking years, and not one pup. With her coming into heat, we can finally begin building our pack back up.”

  How did he know she was due to come into heat? But then again, her birthday was next month, she’d be twenty-one. Once every three months a female went into heat, especially a few days after their birthday. For Timmy to know about her heat, he had to be pretty damn observant.

  “By raping the alpha female?” Duke asked incredulously. “In the history of the Ash Tail Pack, there has never been one incident of someone raping our women.”

  “We’ve never gone ten fucking years barren either,” the male screamed. “So piss off and let one of us fuck her and become alpha, Mr. Beta Man,” he sneered. “Leave!”

  “Shouldn’t she get to choose?” Duke asked calmly. “How about I challenge you?”

  He was going to challenge for rights for alpha male? Now? Fucking men. She wasn’t sure if Duke was a prick or the males listening to him were thick as shit for doing so. Was she the only sane one in this cabin? She struggled underneath the men still holding her, but the hand holding her head shoved it further into the mattress and blinded her again with his anger.

  She wanted to scream, to tell the men they were stupid bastards. She wanted to say a whole lot of other things too, but her mind just hollered in pain. Gradually, the male’s intense emotions diminished a little, enough for her to hear what was going on.

  “A challenge?” the male asked. Intrigue filled his voice.

  “Yes. If she chooses you, I leave the pack calm and quiet and let you lead. If she chooses anyone else but you, I get to hand you your arse before expelling you from the pack. Unless she chooses me, whereas you will have time to gather your shit and walk off pack land on your own two feet. Without a beating.”

  For the first time since Duke had entered the cabin, she prayed the stupid male would listen to him. Yes, let me choose. Please let me choose. Ever since the sweet virgin kiss Duke had placed on her lips the night he sent her away, she’d dreamed about him. She didn’t want anyone else but Duke. But...shit, was he already mated and hadn’t told her?

  Inhaling as much as she could, she went through all the different scents until she picked up Duke’s. Oh goddess, he smelled like Old Spice and green grass. She didn’t smell any female on him, he was all man. Closing her eyes, she clamped down on her emotions. She didn’t want the men thinking she was getting off being in this situation.

  The room was silent, and the male’s hand holding her head down lifted a touch, allowing her to breathe properly. The other males’ hands on her arms and legs also released her a little. Raven breathed out a sigh of relief as Timmy’s raging emotions began to calm. Searching through her mind, she finally managed to confirm the male was indeed who she’d thought he was.

  “Yeah, okay, Duke, I accept your challenge. Let her choose, and I want to make sure there are witnesses to full mating too.” She could almost hear the man puffing out his chest. Like she’d actually choose him to be her mate.

  All hands from the three males released her, leaving her free to move. Jumping up, she ripped the top sheet off the bed, tucked it around her naked body, and stood with her back to Duke. Nakedness wasn’t a big thing being they were all shifters, but Raven didn’t want to be naked in front of three men who were willing to take part in raping her. Facing the three males, she studied each of their faces.

  The three men stared back at her. Timmy Johnson, and his tag-along friends, Buddy and Frank. They’d grown up in the four years she’d been away. But not as much muscle wise as Duke standing behind her. Timmy stared at her, his chin held high. She could almost hear his thoughts. I’m your alpha, choose me. Frank stood beside Timmy, angry; he’d wanted this plan to work. He’d wanted a piece of the action. But Buddy’s face and emotions were different. Remorse, guilt, sorrow. Raven immediately felt sorry for Buddy’s mate. How could he have even thought this plan would work, let alone go home to her after he’d watched his friend rape his alpha female?

  “You thick fuckers,” she screamed at them, finally able to vent her anger. “You actually think I would choose any of you after you tried to fucking rape me?” She turned toward Timmy. “You really thought that if you mated me—by force—and made yourself alpha of the pack, that they would follow you. How dumb are you? Even the fucking elders wouldn’t agree.”

  Timmy growled low and moved into an attack stance. His fangs elongated, slipping over his lower lip. The other two men followed suit.

  “The elders? They wouldn’t be able to do shit!” Timmy snorted. “The mental mantle of the alpha would be mine. I’d be yours and the pack’s alpha. I’d make sure we had plenty of pups. The pack could continue with their own. We would grow.”

  How much more shit could this male spew? Raven wondered.

  “You are nothing, Timmy Johnson. You think raping a woman is acceptable? I wouldn’t choose you if you paid me!”

  “Complete his challenge.” Timmy looked over Raven’s shoulder and nodded to Duke. “Make your choice, female,” he ordered, staring back at her.

  Really? Hot damn, this man is thick as shit!

 
“Duke. I choose Duke, you dumb arse.”

  A deep, long, low growl filled the room from the disgruntled male. Duke banded an arm around her waist and pulled her against him.

  She couldn’t help herself as more words spurted from her mouth. She was so fucking angry. “And what’s more, once I have mated him, you better not be on pack land, because I am going to let all the other males in the pack know what you’ve done today. Especially your families.”

  Timmy’s two friends stood straight and paled. Whereas Timmy looked ready to pounce on her.

  “Get out,” she roared, allowing her wolf forward to add more power to her voice.

  “No!” Timmy roared back. “I have the right to see him finish the challenge.” He pointed over her shoulder toward Duke.

  Fucking pack law. By rights, Duke had issued a challenge for her. Timmy had worded his side of the challenge so there would be witnesses, so even if he was being expelled from the pack because of it, he still had the right to see the challenge through.

  She could feel Duke stiffen behind her. Turning around, she looked up into his sorrowful green eyes.

  He shook his head and placed his hands on her shoulders. “No. I won’t put you through this. I’ll challenge him to a fight and kick his arse.”

  “You know that won’t work. If the challenge isn’t finished, he could go to the elders. Even if you did mate me, he could be allowed to reside in the pack. You can’t let him be allowed to stay, or his friends. They might do this to some of our other females. Please, Duke, finish this.”

  “But—”

  “Please,” she begged, interrupting him.

  “It’s your first time.”

  Duke was right. Throughout the years they had been writing to each other, she had always told him of her escapades, right down to the nitty-gritty details of her so-called love life. She was a virgin. What she had never told Duke was she’d saved herself for him. She again remembered the sweet kiss he placed on her lips before she left four years ago.