by K. S. Martin
Chapter 10
I watched the three pickup trucks ease down the gravel road. All three were newer than my car and the leader had two big wolves in it. The truck rumbled to a stop at the foot of my front steps. The big passenger rolled his window down and smiled at me. I trembled. Something was off. “Hi. I’m Donny. I heard that your pack is taking new members. I know Kelly, Frank’s mate. Are you the female alpha?” I stayed on the middle step. I should’ve shaken his hand but something was still off and to be honest I was a little scared. Where is Jackson? He should be here with me if they want to be pack.
“I’m Summer and yes I am the female alpha.” I wonder for half a second if I can take him the way I took Frank. He’s big, huge. As big as he is though he isn’t an alpha, he’s a beta at best. He’s still twice the size that Frank was but in the end it wouldn’t have mattered how big Frank was I would’ve went after him anyway. The wolf in the driver’s seat though, I’m suspicious of him, he has that alpha feel about him.
“Where is your alpha?” He asks as if I am not good enough all of the sudden for him. I look him over and pull out my new cell phone that Jackson bought for me. It’s the latest tech and it matches his. I text Jackson and Kelly at the same time and tell them about the five big wolves from Frank’s pack and that I’m scared. Kelly comes first with Earl. Earl is great. I really respect him as her mate and my new brother in law. He takes such good care of my sister. He pampers her and treats her like a princess. I am Earl’s biggest fan. He is also Jackson’s beta with Larry and Tim. They’re a good team. Jackson texts back that he is on his way. I relay that to the new wolves as Earl and Kelly approach. I can see from her face that she’s nervous. She eyes the driver of the first truck after waving at the two in the rear.
“Christian.” Kelly says sharply. “What are you doing here? I thought that you were going to be the alpha now.” He got out and towered over her. Shit. He was bigger than I thought. Kelly melted into Earl’s side.
“I got to ask Kelly what you are doing here. You have Frank’s pup in your belly. That pup belongs to us.” Kelly backs up a step. “What happened to Frank?” Kelly’s chin quivers. Jackson is suddenly next to me.
“What’s going on?” He murmurs to me.
“They know Kelly and they want her pup. They want to know what happened to Frank.” I whisper back.
“Gentlemen, I’m Jackson Reynolds, alpha of the East View pack. What can we do for you?” The drivers of the two rear trucks get out and approach. Kelly’s eyes get wide as they flank Jackson and I realize a moment too late what is about to happen. Kelly slips free of Earl and bolts for her house, she shifts midstride into a gorgeous small white wolf. My sister is a thing of beauty in any form but she is the most submissive female to run on four paws. Earl starts after her but two of the visitors grab him. The one called Christian grabs me and stares Jackson down. I try to shift but he has a tight hold on me and I’m powerless. So is Earl.
“Let’s go alpha boy, inside before I snap your mate’s neck.” They marched us up the steps and inside the house. “Where is your restraining wall?” Jackson makes a face and looks at me. I shrug because I don’t understand what he means. Jackson looks at Earl for help when Christian tightens his grip on my neck. I struggle against him and he nudges my rear end with his crotch. Eww. “Struggle all you like female, I’m more than happy to oblige.” I snarl at him and I know my eyes are angry amber. Jackson’s growling as well and having trouble holding his self in check. This is not going to end well.
“It’s in the basement.” Earl growls. He’s snarling and struggling. I know his mind is on Kelly. Jackson leads the way and I see him looking around for a weapon. I know that if we get out of this he will stash them all over the house so this can never happen again. Dad preached for years to us about how important allies are and how it’s always important to protect the pack from threats but we never learned the lesson because no one ever attacked us. We are heading to the back of the basement now to a room I’ve never been inside of before. We haven’t been in this house long and I haven’t explored every inch of it yet. It seems stupid that I haven’t now. It should’ve been the first thing on my list after internet and cable. I blow out a breath trying to calm myself. My heart is pounding and I’m wavering between wolf and human. I can’t shift because he’s on me like a second skin. As long as he has a hold of me, he controls Jackson. As long as he controls the alpha, he controls the pack.
“So what do you assholes want?” I growl. Christian snarls and laughs at the same time.
“I like my women feisty so keep it up little one.” He nudges me again. I can feel his hardness and it is not pleasant like when Jackson does it. Jackson snarls because he can feel my emotions. I can feel his too. He’s anxious, frightened, and angry, not in that order. The room is all cement with two small windows near the ceiling. There are shackles attached to the walls but only one set. They must not have counted on more than one prisoner at a time. I hear my captor grunt. “Lock them up. I’ll keep her with me.” Jackson snarls and starts toward us but Christian tightened his grip on me and I can’t breathe. Jackson backs off and lets them shackle him to the wall next to Earl. “Here’s what is going to happen. I am now the alpha of the East View pack. I’ll keep her as my female and as long as she behaves, I’ll let her live. You two will stay here until I decide how you will die.” Jackson struggles against the shackles and chains but he’s stuck. Christian pushes me from the room and locks the door from the outside. The other three walk ahead of us and help themselves to my house. “You’ll behave and you’ll do as you’re told or I will kill your mate. Do you understand?” I nod sharply. “Good, go make us some food, it was a long drive.”
“I can’t cook. Kelly is supposed to teach me.”
“Bull shit. There isn’t a woman alive that can’t cook something.”
“I can’t, I can make a sandwich well enough, maybe scrambled eggs. Kelly did the cooking.”
“Fine, sandwiches.” I nod and go to the kitchen. I can hear the others in the house. They are going through our things in the bedroom and office. “Where are the guest quarters?”
“You can go through the door in the living room or access them from outside on the porch.” I finish with a growl that escapes me.
“You will not growl or snarl at me and you will not shift. You will be submissive if you want that handsome young man to stay handsome and alive.” He cups my chin and squeezes my cheeks. I nod again jerking away and go to the pantry for supplies. As soon as he leaves me, I send out a text to my whole address book. A smart captor would’ve taken my cell first thing. This bunch was not smart.
-Need help, the alpha and beta locked in basement, alpha house full of four intruders that mean us all harm, get help!
I immediately get a text from Autumn who is connected to her cell phone like it is an additional limb.
-What are you talking about Summer?
-Get Dad now! Frank’s betas are here to take over East View. I push send as he comes up behind me and grabbed it away from me then smashed it on the floor under his heel.
“Hey! I just got that!” I scream at him before I think. I immediately cover my mouth with both hands. He is standing over me with cruel amber eyes.
“Your mate will receive two lashes for that. Where is my lunch?” I point the unassembled sandwiches on the counter. “He will receive two more for that. Every time you displease me, I will whip him. Do you understand?” I nod. Shit. Jackson pays for my crimes. I make the sandwiches and put out chips and soda. I hope he gets loose before that happens. One of the wolves drags Kelly into the kitchen. She went home and hid. Stupid girl, just once, why couldn’t she get a backbone? Kelly begins to clean up. She keeps her head down but I see that they bruised and split her lip. There may be a shadow of a bruise on her eye. She was trying to protect the pup. Maybe she showed a little backbone after all.
“What happened to you Sis?” I murmured. The others filed in and sat at my dining room table. I
brought the plates of sandwiches. One of them said thank you. Kelly glanced at him. Something was going on and I watched her. Christian is their alpha, Donny is the beta, and I’m not sure about the other two but they are probably betas too. If all that is true though, who is taking care of the pack? I help Kelly clean up the kitchen, when I glance outside; I see Jackson and Earl racing across the field. Jackson’s black wolf ran just in front of Earl’s brown one. I turn my head to hide my smile. Jackson Reynolds former juvenile delinquent and major mischief-maker picked the locks. Why didn’t I think of that? Of course, he’d picked them. I never could keep him out of my locker at school. Jackson is free and so is Earl, hopefully they have a plan. I would like nothing better than to fight my way out but I know I don’t stand a chance against the four of them. Kelly gives me a curious glance and I ask again, “What happened to your face?”
“The one in the flannel came to my house and I tried to fight him off.” She whispered.
“Good girl.” I murmur gathering the meat and cheese to carry to the refrigerator. Kelly grins proudly.
“His junk hurts.” She smiled prettily at me and I gave her another ‘good girl.’ I hope Jackson hurries. When they’ve finished eating, they put Kelly and me in front of the TV. They go back to the dining room to discuss their plans. My wolf ears aren’t good enough to hear them. I study the front door. It’s bolted shut. If it was unlocked, I may be able to get her out of here. The window is an option. I can break through and she can shift and follow. I wonder how fast they would catch us and decide it’s not worth the effort. I sigh. Kelly watches me for a moment then lies down and covers herself with a blanket. “Can you get me some warm milk please?” I nod and go back into the kitchen. All eyes are amber and on me.
“Kelly needs milk. Sorry to interrupt.” I pull a mug off the shelf and fill it then put it in the microwave for a minute. They are still watching me. I grab a soda from the fridge and take the milk from the microwave then leave the kitchen. Their conversation continues. For hostage takers they are docile and I wonder if I can dominate them. It’s not unheard of for a female to dominate lesser males but with Kelly in the house, I decide not to try it. I go back to the living room to find an open window and Kelly gone. I smile and say to the empty room. “Here you are Sissy.” I still hear them in there, no one has moved. They aren’t the smartest of criminals since everyone has escaped except me. I cross to the big window and step out of it. It cranks and it opens out instead of rising up so they didn’t hear her with their attention on me. She’s smarter than she looks. I shift and dash in the same direction that Jackson ran. I follow his scent. There are no other wolves around because he has gotten them all to safety. He’s a good alpha. I follow the trail for more than a mile. I was nearing the creek and the cave when Jackson’s wolf tackled me and sent sideways onto my back. He nips at me playfully then yips. We both shift and his mouth is on mine. I hear Earl laughing. Jackson is trying to consume me. His hands are everywhere pulling and grabbing. I want him. I want him right here but the others are watching. I pull back. His lips are moving over my skin, across my cheek and down my throat to his mark. When he is satisfied, that I am alive and well he steps back.
“Did you follow Kelly out of the window?” I smile and nod, my eyes find Kelly. She’s wrapped her body around Earl.
“Did you bring my milk?” Kelly giggles.
“Sure, it’s on the coffee table, I’ll go get it.” I roll my eyes and she laughs.
“Okay, now that everyone is okay we’ll make our plan for war.” Jackson says. He gathers the men around and they discuss it. I calm the females who have huddled in the cave. Kelly borrows Autumn’s phone and calls someone in her old pack. Her informant tells her that they kicked Christian out of the pack with his followers. The pack did not want to continue with the way that Frank ruled, they wanted a change. They’d decided before putting Christian in the alpha position that they were going to modernize. There would be no more hunting humans and there would only be one mate per wolf. He did not agree. He wanted a harem. That was old school big time. Packs frequently did that hundreds of years ago. The alpha would keep all of the young fertile females for his pleasure and would only release them when they were no longer pleasing to him. Christian wanted to renew those rules and when he informed them, they turned on him. He was about to suffer that fate again. Autumn and her friend were on the social networking sites spreading the word that we were under attack. Someone told her that Dad and his alliances were on their way and were two hours out. God help Christian when he met up with my father. Dad is on the council that governs and doles out punishment to errant wolves. He’s also a real hard ass when he wants to be and I hope for our sake that Shirley hasn’t softened Dad up any. The thought of tearing his throat out though is still very appealing to me. Jackson sits down beside me.
“I want you to stay here and guard the females. We are going to take the alpha house back and lock these guys up until your dad and the council arrives.”
“The council is coming here?” Jackson nodded. “They are going to determine their fates and ours.”
“What do you mean ours?” Jackson hung his head.
“I mean they are going to decide if we are to remain as alphas, they haven’t approved of us yet and after this…” I gasped.
“I didn’t know that they had to approve of us, I thought that when Dad gave us his blessing that we were good.” He shook his head. “That’s crap.”
“Your dad told me that they would have a meeting and discuss it then let us know.”
“You didn’t tell me that.”
“You didn’t need to worry about it Sweetness. I figured it was a done deal.” He put his arm around me. “I’m sorry Summer, I should’ve told you. It won’t happen again, no matter what.” I leaned into him and rested my face against his neck just to breathe him in. “I have to go Sweetheart.”
“Jackson.” I didn’t know what I wanted to say but I didn’t want him to go yet. Kelly was cuddled in Earl’s arms and Autumn in Tim’s. Autumn looked angry at what was going to happen but Tim was consoling her. “I need you so don’t get hurt.” He kissed the top of my head and got up. “Jackson.” I said with my biggest doe eyes. He gave me a soft smile.
“Anything for you Darlin’, your safety is most important, and I’m going to make sure that you are safe.”
“Wait for Dad.” Jackson shook his head.
“We could all be dead by then.” Jackson rounded up his troops. He left four males with us and took the rest of the male pack members with him. They shifted at once and headed in the direction of the house. I wait for a few minutes then tell the rest of them to stay put. I shift and follow. I want to make sure that nothing goes wrong, at least that’s what I told myself.
I watched as my pack members flanked the house. They were at every door and window. There was no movement inside. Jackson was at the side door that went into the kitchen. I saw him then, Christian. He was coming from the woods behind the house and he was nearing Jackson. Jackson scented him and turned. Both of them shifted into their wolves and the battle began. I wanted to help but I have to let Jackson be the alpha, he has to do this on his own. The three others are coming from the woods now and entering the house while Christian and Jackson battle. There’s blood, teeth and claws everywhere at once. I creep closer and stay out of sight. I watch. If Jackson has any trouble, I will forget his honor because I will not stand for my mate getting hurt. Jackson has him down and I stay where I am watching. Christian flips him onto his back and snarls in Jackson’s face, Jackson snaps at him. Christian goes for Jackson’s throat. I bolt. My feet hardly hit the ground as I fly toward him. I hit him hard going for his throat but missing. He tosses me through the air and I land with a whimper. Jackson roars. I’m out of breath but I’m awake. I struggle to get up and when I finally do. I see Jackson rip Christian’s throat out as he flails. Jackson flings muscle, sinew, and blood aside. I shift as I walk over to them.
“I did the same thi
ng to your alpha dickhead. Nobody messes with Jackson or me.” I spat down at his dying eyes. “Go to hell.” Jackson wraps his arms around me and pulls me away. He still thinks that I’m too delicate for this kind of thing and usually I may be but nobody hurts Jackson. He’s mine.
Chapter 11
“Is that true Summer? Did you kill Frank?” My father’s voice booms behind me. I nod then shake my head. “Well, which is it?” I can’t tell if he’s mad or not. He has a weird look on his face that I haven’t seen before. It almost looks like pride.
“He was going after Jackson and yes I went for his throat. I had him down and near death but Jackson stopped me. When he got up Kelly put a letter opener in his heart. He’d just beat the crap out of her and yes I was angry about that but she was angrier since he kept beating her up until she lost her pups.” He nodded. That’s all, just nodded.
“I saw what happened here today. Were you told to stay behind and safe?” I nodded and chewed my lip. “Why didn’t you?”
“Because I’m a busy body at heart Dad you know that.” He grinned.
“You’re an alpha. I may have more questions later. The council and I will need a place to meet when they arrive. Is your basement available?” I nod again. “Fine. I am going to send everyone else home but I will need someone to guard those three.” He pointed at Christian’s men. They were duct taped in the porch furniture and were bruised nicely.
I go to Jackson after my dad speaks with him. Tim and a few others are going after the women but Jackson takes me inside. He has my hand and is taking me down the hall to our bedroom, I’m not sure why. When we get there, he closes the door and locks it then checks the windows. I watch him with curiosity. He turns toward me unbuttoning his shirt.
