Insatiable Box Set: Books 1-4

by Rice, Rachel E.

  After finding Adrienne, he began to rest more, but now he couldn’t sleep or rest until Adrienne was safely in his arms once more.

  “Hunter, did you pack the meat and enough water for all of us.”

  “We have some more provisions in these bags,” Lycell called out pointing to the bag he slid on his shoulder.

  “I packed everything you said and somethings you didn’t. We have food and clothes for mother,” Hunter said looking at Devin for confirmation. Devin hit his backpack.

  As long as they had the right nourishment, they could run for miles without any problems. Their bodies were made for running and jumping, but sitting in a car driving over five hundred miles wasn’t ideal for them, or their dispositions.

  Stepping out of the car and stretching and yawning Wilder signaled to Hunter and Devin to be prepared. He raised his hand and they knew what they had to do. When it came to shifting they needed more time than the others. Their youth and inexperience made it more difficult to make the change. They had to be able to shift quickly in case of danger. Make the shift back to human form in seconds and then to werewolf before their prey realized what had happened.

  It was also imperative that they carry a change of shirt and pants if they had cause to shift in a hurry if humans were in the area. That was burdensome for Hunter and Devin because they would rather romp around in their werewolf form most of the time. The twins refused to carry boots. Wilder said that one day they would regret that because as humans, their skin wasn’t as tough as that of a werewolf, and the cold would affect them in ways they hadn’t imagined. But telling them to protect their feet from the cold did no good.

  They were young and Hunter would discover that soon.

  “Because you can’t do anything with teenagers,” Wilder had said to Adrienne when she asked Wilder to make them take along their fur boots. He wasn’t going to worry about them now. He had to think about Adrienne, and after all, his sons were teens and they would be able to survive something like having cold feet. That was the least of his worries.

  Robert is the only one they had to worry about. “Robert you will stay here and make camp. You do know how to pitch a tent,” Lycell said throwing gear at him to which he caught.

  “I can make a shelter out of ice and snow, a tent is child’s play for me, but I’m going with you,” Robert said evidently upset. He knew it would come to this, but he wasn’t backing down. He had too much to lose by not being with them.

  “You can’t keep up, and I’m not going to stay and babysit you,” Drayton said looking him in the eyes somewhat apologetic. Drayton had been the only one on his side lately, but now even he had turned against him siding with his brothers.

  “Don’t you understand, Drayton? I will go crazy not knowing what has happened to Mena. Can’t you reason with Wilder and Lycell?”

  Drayton knew that if someone had mentioned for him to stay under the same circumstances, he wouldn’t listen. They would have to tie him down and that wouldn’t be an easy thing to do. Nothing could stop him from getting to Adrienne.

  “If you want to go, then go. I’m not going to stop you,” Drayton throws his hands up, “but we won’t wait for you.”

  “We’ll probably be there and back before you get half way through the forest. I hope you take your gun because you might need it. Anything could be in that dense terrain, maybe a bear, or a pack of wolves. You know the ones. The ones that look like big dogs only these aren’t domesticated. They’re man eaters, and if they’re hungry, and even if they aren’t, they’ll hunt you and eat you for sport,” Lycell said with a grin.

  Lycell thought that Robert would be discouraged by those words, but Robert wouldn’t be put off by a bear. He had seen bears in the Alaskan tundra. Not close up, but by air, and still he figured that his automatic weapons would keep the bear at a safe distance. Nothing bar dying would keep him from Mena and his babies.

  “Hunter, Devin, are you ready? Leave the food and water at the campsite only take your clothes. We won’t need the food or water.” Wilder turns to Robert. “You had better carry something to eat and drink,” Wilder said none too happy about the idea of taking him along.

  Lycell and Drayton was more than ready. It took too long to get to their campsite, and neither were happy with Wilder’s plans, but he’s the head Alpha, and they always followed him, and didn’t regret their decisions.

  Wilder stripped himself of all his clothes and shifted to his white fur. Placed a knapsack over his shoulder and took off in a quick sprint. Since he was faster than the rest, with the exception of Hunter, he wanted to get to the compound first to get the layout. It was important to find out how many werewolves were guarding Bane.

  Lycell and Drayton shifted into their wolves. Drayton hated being in that form more than Lycell. Lycell embraced the wolf in him, that is, until he fell in love with Adrienne. Drayton and Wilder hated that a human knew what they were. Only Adrienne had seen them shift. Now Robert has been the first human to witness their transformation from handsome strong men into ferocious snarling wolves with thick fur covering their entire body.

  Robert wasn’t surprised at what he saw and he wasn’t afraid. He was a doctor after all, and had seen far worse things than a man turn into a large hairy wolf, with a mouth full of sharp teeth, who could strip any animal of his skin after he killed it in one second, and ate it raw the next second.

  Wilder’s wolf’s body is a beautiful thick white fur, Drayton’s fur is gray with brown streaks, and Lycell is black and dark as a starless night sky. He started out white and grey, but gradually his fur changed into what it is now. Wilder, however, remained white from pup to cub to adult. The same as with Hunter.

  Lycell could travel at night without any problems, but it wouldn’t hide him in the winter and spring snow, and in full daylight. Wilder and Drayton’s fur camouflaged them perfectly for what they had to do.

  Hoping they would arrive much earlier at Bane’s cabin, Lycell knew now he would be at a disadvantage because of the rising sun. He risk the possibility of being seen, where he could be vulnerable in an area where Bane’s wolves were either white, gray, or brown. Bane’s pack didn’t have black wolves.

  It took quickness to catch up with Wilder, Hunter, and Devin. Drayton and Lycell were still straggling behind. They had expected to meet him on the trail, but it appeared that he was miles ahead.

  Then without any warning, a large black bear, hunting for food for her young, leaped out from the trees surprising Lycell. It wasn’t like Lycell to be distracted. He should have smelled it but he didn’t. He had been too busy thinking of Adrienne. She filled his mind and his senses so much so that he didn’t even smell the bear or hear her coming. But the bear smelled him and didn’t fear him. In the forest that can mean disaster.

  With one paw she drove across Lycell’s chest, from one shoulder to the other, and brought him down in a second. Because Drayton wasn’t close behind, he didn’t have time to holler and warn Lycell. By the time Drayton sniffed the odor of the bear, and opened his mouth, the bear had made his first strike on Lycell.

  It was a black bear and Lycell probably surprised it. If it was hungry hunting for food the bear would have gone for the top of his head. But by Lycell’s wounds, the bear was defending his territory.

  As Lycell went down he took a hard swipe at the bear’s hind legs and then rushed him with another deep cut opening the same leg to the bone. The bear made a whimper and fell inches from him. Lycell’s muzzle receded to show his snarling gleaming fangs.

  Drayton reached Lycell in time to scare the bear and it turned on its hind legs and limped away. Lycell knew that the show of his fangs were a bluff because if the bear had attacked again, he couldn’t have held him off. He would be dead, but there would be two dead fierce creatures of the forest.

  “You were lucky Lycell. It appears he wasn’t looking for food. You know that you have to be careful and not let your emotions rule you. Now I know why Wilder didn’t want Robert along.”

>   “What do you think, Drayton? Am I going to live?” Lycell’s voice is shallow and weak.

  “I can’t tell you that. We need Robert and now he has come in handy. I thought I would be the last one to say that.” Drayton picked Lycell up in his arms, turned to carry him back to the campsite. Lycell would have to be hurt badly if he can’t stand on his own.

  “Don’t let Robert see me like this. Put me down when you get in smelling distance of him. I can’t feel anything, did it hurt me bad?”

  “If you want to know did the bear cut off your cock,” he glances down, “I’d say it’s still there. But it might have taken the tip off.” Drayton laughs.

  “Don’t make me laugh,” Lycell groaned, “it hurts when I laugh. Tell me the truth, Drayton. Now is not the time to hold anything from me. Will I...?”

  “It’s all there, and yes you will be able to fuck if you survive the cuts across your chest and the blood loss. And father another litter of pups if you’re lucky, and Adrienne doesn’t mind half a cock.” Lycell tried not to laugh. He hoped Drayton had been making fun of him.

  It wasn’t like Lycell to be surprised by any animal. Drayton thought. Lycell was bleeding profusely from the wound inflicted, yet when he hit the ground, his instincts snapped in. He reached for the bear’s arms and legs trying to reach its neck to open it jugular vein. That didn’t do much but the slash on the bear’s hind quarters prevented it from dealing another deadly blow, but it was still able to limp away.

  Drayton had picked up a branch and hit the bear before chasing it off. As Drayton carried Lycell, Lycell appeared to be going in and out of consciousness.

  “Put me down, now Drayton, I’ll be alright,” Lycell’s voice although weak, his tone was strong.

  “No you won’t.”

  “You can’t worry about me, you have to help Wilder. That was my mistake worrying about Adrienne and not concentrating on what I had to do to get her back. Now I’m of no use to anyone.”

  “I don’t want to hear that. If I let you die, Adrienne will never forgive me.” Drayton kept running and then he met Robert on the trail. When he placed Lycell on his feet he was naked in human form, and he crumpled before Robert. Drayton and Robert caught him before he hit the icy ground.

  “What happened?” Robert questioned.

  “A bear,” Drayton said turning to Robert with a worried look on his face.

  Robert knew what that meant. “Some vital organs may have been severed,” Robert said examining him as he lay on the ground. “The wounds don’t appear to be deep. He’s just a bleeder which can be worrisome, but I have something in my backpack that can stop that.

  He knew that werewolves healed faster than humans, but they could die too, and many have died from bear attacks. He saw enough of that in Alaska with the Kodiak bears killing an entire village when they slept. That usually happens when they are hungry and game is scarce.

  “Put him down in the snow. I’ll take care of him. Just bring my Mena back to me. Go. You can’t do anything here, but you can help bring her back to me, and I’ll keep your brother alive. Promise me you’ll bring Mena back.”

  “I promise you I’ll do all I can to get her back to you.” Drayton wished he could keep that promise.

  When Wilder, Hunter, and Devin reached Bane’s compound he looked behind him wondering what was keeping Drayton and Lycell. He decided to get closer to the compound, alone, and see what he was up against. Signaling to his sons to remain in the wooded area near a stream, he crept up to the back of the cabin.

  There were no lights and no sign of anyone in the large log cabin. If there had been anyone there, smoke would be bellowing from the chimney, because this day was an especially cold one even for him. Wilder had been running for an hour, and his strength was failing because of lack of sleep and lack of fresh raw meat.

  He would need his strength for what he was about to face.

  Chapter 12

  Adrienne wondered how long she would have to be tied to a chair in a cave. The thought displeased her as well as the idea that Bane would relish doing this to any woman. It was the worse she ever felt. At first she thought she was reaching Bane, but there was no hope for him. There was no reasoning with an animal like him, she thought. Tying her up, feeding and treating her like a dog, he wouldn’t treat a dog like that. What next?

  Then she heard a sound. A gruff sound coming from the opening of the cave. It was too dark for her to see. The fire had gone out in the pit minutes before. Aside from her being cold she was hungry. Bane had placed her in a chair in the far back of the cave and with her hands tied. She couldn’t do anything. He had promised her that it wouldn’t take long. Had he used her to catch Wilder and the others? Her mind took a curious turn.

  Why had he left no light and had her in the dark. When she tried to ask, he had said that light would attract animals. “That didn’t make sense,” she had said to him. He sternly forbid her to ask another question, and said she would be okay, and he would be back soon.

  “Get some sleep we have a long day tomorrow,” he had said to her dismissing her questions once more.

  “How do you expect me to sleep like this?” she had said moving in the chair showing her hands bound behind her back, and her ankles tied tight.

  “That’s not my concern. Do as you wish,” he had said and he shifted in front of her and was gone. She tried to sleep and think about the wonderful times she had with Wilder, Lycell, and the glorious honeymoon with Drayton, and her children she thought she would never have. Now she had an abundance of them and more coming. She hoped she would survive long enough to see them being born and to see them become handsome werewolves like their fathers. Then she heard an ear numbing thundering sound heading her way. It appeared to shake the floor of the cave.

  Adrienne glanced up to see what she thought was the largest bear she had ever seen. It was the only bear she had ever seen, and it was real, and not in a zoo. She tried to think. What did Wilder teach her about bears? “Don’t look them in the eyes. Is it a female? Did he say how I would know? Something about having her cubs nearby. But it’s alone. Maybe it’s not a female. Does that make the bear any less ferocious? He didn’t say. Make noise maybe it will go away. I can’t wave to it. I’m sitting here like food waiting to be wolfed up,” her mind is telling her. Adrienne began rocking back and forward, shouting, cursing, and grunting.

  “That’s not scaring him. It’s making him angry. He’s standing on two feet hulking above me. He’s not afraid of me. Bane left me here to be eaten like those rabbits he’s planning on having for dinner. Maybe that’s how he came by that large rug in this cave,” Adrienne thought. “Bring his women here, and use them as bait, then go back to his pack and brag about what a hunter he is.”

  Her mind overcome with fear, anguish, and a sense of helplessness couldn’t think of what to do. That’s it. It’s all over. It was a sweet life while it lasted, she thought. She knew living with werewolves had its dangers, but she never thought it would come to this.

  Adrienne had made up her mind that it was the end, and she sat quiet closing her eyes. Then when the death blow came, she wouldn’t feel anything. She waited and opened one eye and that’s when she saw Bane. He’s a large white werewolf like Wilder. Maybe it’s her Wilder, but Wilder’s eyes are blue, and Bane’s are glowing amber and red. This werewolf to Adrienne’s disappointment is Bane, but he’s her hero for now, and she’s happy to see him.

  He stood as if trying to decide whether he should run.

  There was no way he would fight a bear for her. What did he have to gain? He looked like someone who didn’t have a dog in that fight, and there was no reason to risk death.

  To Adrienne’s surprise, Bane’s fur bristled on his body, and he snarled and made menacing sounds and showed his sharp fangs to the bear. It turned back to face Adrienne advancing in her direction with his back to Bane, not worrying about him. Maybe the bear had never come into contact with werewolves. Maybe it thought he was an overgrown wolf.
>
  But Bane had been in close counters with bears, and if he could help it, he knew it was better to distract them. He let out a ferocious wolf call which rang with rage and bounced off the walls of the cave. But the bear focused his mind on one thing, his night snack, sitting tied to a chair.

  The appearance of Bane as a werewolf was far more threatening to Adrienne than the bear. Bane is as tall as the bear, but the large black bear was undeterred by Bane. He had his mind set on Adrienne.

  Bane immediately dropped his handful of rabbits near the entrance, picked up a log and rushed the bear. He hit it from behind over and over. The bear turned in surprise, and Bane hit him on his nose, and then Bane made a mad leap and with his sharp fangs he took a chunk out of its shoulder spitting it on the ground.

  The bear cried out in pain and fell on all fours, where Bane thought he would charge him, so he stepped aside taking a menacing stance waiting for the attack. It never came. The bear shot for the opening of the cave, not before pausing and grabbing the rabbits in his teeth, and exiting the mouth of the cave. Bane breathed a sigh of relief. He had tackled a bear before, but it took his pack of ten wolves to take one down. He knew that if the bear hadn’t retreated then he and Adrienne would be food.

  “Are you alright, Adrienne?” Bane asked after taking time to shift back to human form. Adrienne sat shivering and trembling from fright and the cold. When she realized that she was still alive she became angry.

  “What do you care?” She says as his head lowered and he ripped off the rope from her arms and body with his sharp incisors. Then sitting near her legs naked, he untied her feet.

  When he had freed her completely, she looked down at him sitting helpless at her feet. He looked like a vulnerable handsome man and she became more enraged. She raised her hand to slap him. He caught her hand in midair before it landed on his cheek.

  “Do not confuse me with Wilder or Drayton. Why would you continue to enrage me? Don’t you know that I have punished werefemales for doing far less than what you attempted to do?”