Ending the call, she turned toward me with a serious expression. “We have a male werewolf who attempted suicide. He’s refusing any help. There is also some resistance from his family.”
“Should we get another doctor over there?” I asked.
Evie shook her head. “Physically, he’s stable, but emotionally, he’s not doing very well. I need another werewolf to back me up. He’s still on pack land.”
I nodded. While I understood why she’d question whether I’d be willing to help, I was a psychologist, and I intended to use my education and training to help, even if I made a pack angry with me for setting foot on their land without gaining prior authorization. They could kiss my ass. “Let’s go.”
“It’s your old pack,” Evie admitted, which gave me a moment’s pause. My old pack would mean having to face many demons from my past. Still, I had no choice. I would not allow the ignorance of my old pack to prevent this werewolf from getting the help he deserved.
I shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. This is my job, and I’m going with you.”
Evie looked concerned, but her smile was genuine. “I’m proud to have you as my friend.”
Severed Ties Chapter 7
I’d expected to be nervous about returning to my old home and facing those who believed I wasn’t good enough to live among them, but I wasn’t. It would be a lie to say I had stopped caring what they thought of me. This had been my pack, and as a werewolf, pack meant everything—at least, it had until I’d learned to survive without them. During my college years, I’d begun to wonder if a werewolf’s need for their pack had more to do with conditioning than instinct. For quite some time after being cast out, I’d felt empty and alone, but the sense of loss had subsided as time passed. I’d made new connections to fill the void left by the loss of my pack. It got easier as time went by until I realized I was an individual, not just part of a pack.
“Maybe I’m not being fair to Jake,” I mused before popping a pill into my mouth and taking a drink of water.
“Way to state the obvious, Hadley,” Evie remarked, sparing me a brief glance as she pulled up to the gate of the subdivision.
“What do you want?” the guard snapped. He seemed vaguely familiar, and the fact that I didn’t recognize him on sight was another reminder of the distance between now and my old life.
“We’re here to help with your wolf who attempted suicide,” Evie replied pleasantly. “I’m Evie Talbot.”
The guard’s face softened for just a moment before he looked angry again. Enforcers tried to be scary at all times, but I knew from experience that wasn’t all there was to them. The day I’d attempted suicide, one of the coldest enforcers in the pack had stayed at the hospital when my parents hadn’t even gone with me. He’d gruffly ordered me not to die and then talked to me about how he was sorry about the pack turning their backs on me. I’ve always appreciated his kindness.
Evie drove us through the rows of houses to the one the guard had directed us to. Not much had changed since I’d been away. Some houses had been painted, but the subdivision was mostly unchanged. There were rows of similar looking two-story homes, much like in any other middle class community, and most humans probably wondered why a neighborhood with such simple homes was gated. The gate likely wasn’t necessary, but werewolves were big on security. It was all about control with werewolves. While the pack might consider me weak, I knew I was strong for controlling my depression. Those in the pack who’d never had to battle the monsters within, couldn’t understand.
“This isn’t looking good,” I muttered when we neared the house and found it surrounded by cars and angry looking werewolves. Several wolves were snarling in wolf form, while others were still in human form arguing with someone I couldn’t see yet. What concerned me most were the wolves who were armed.
“I can’t believe they didn’t mention this mess,” Evie grumbled. “I could have brought other witches to help us deal with this.”
“You should call them now,” I suggested. “I’m not even sure how to proceed with this. Of course, maybe I’m overreacting. The werewolves called us, so they might just let us pass to do our job.”
It was possible, but angry wolves could be extremely irrational, so I wasn’t willing to hold my breath, especially when Evie had been told the werewolf’s family was resistant to him being treated.
“I’ll send a group message, and hopefully, some other witches will show up, but we need to try to get to the werewolf. There’s no way of knowing what kind of medical attention he needs,” Evie remarked. “I know they said he was fine, but these werewolves clearly aren’t telling us everything.”
“Agreed,” I said with a nod, and waited as Evie sent her group text. I wasn’t sure who I could message for help that wouldn’t be on Evie’s list. Then an idea came to me, but I hesitated, not wanting to put Jake in danger or risk his position with the pack. In the end, I decided to let him make his own decision.
Hadley: I’m here to help with the werewolf who attempted suicide. Things are crazy. Do you know what’s going on?
“Let’s grab our stuff and try to make it to the house,” Evie said, and I nodded.
We walked around to the back of the SUV to grab Evie’s medical supplies. We also had weapons in the back, but it seemed more dangerous to bring them when there were this many angry werewolves.
Jake still hadn’t messaged me back, so I assumed he either hadn’t gotten my message yet, or he didn’t want to get involved.
As we neared the group of angry werewolves, many stopped to stare openly at me, proving they recognized me. Some immediately averted their eyes, shunning me, while others regarded me with anger. A few cast brief looks of pity before looking way. Those in wolf form bared their teeth.
The current pack leader turned to snarl at me, still in human form. His long blond hair was a tangled mess, and his amber eyes looked near-crazed. Liam had always been very controlled. It was likely how he’d ended up being the leader. He liked everything orderly, and he fought without emotion. Liam’s emotions were running high that day.
“You don’t belong here, little bitch,” he snapped at me.
“We’re here to help the wolf,” I told him.
He laughed. “What can you do to help? You’re weak. You couldn’t even handle a few problems. Why the hell would I think you can help my son? Get off my land, you miserable bitch.”
It was a good thing Evie was used to dealing with werewolves or she might have taken offense to Liam calling me a bitch twice. With witches, it was an insult. With werewolves it wasn’t.
“Don’t fucking talk to her that way!”
I turned, shocked by the angry command from Jake, who was stalking toward us.
“This doesn’t concern you,” Liam said, warning clear in his voice. “I didn’t ask anyone to call these bitches.”
“Your son needs medical attention,” a vaguely familiar female werewolf interjected. When Liam snarled at her, her eyes dropped, showing submission.
“He can’t stay here!” another wolf shouted.
“Those are the pack rules!” added another.
“I am the pack leader,” Liam growled.
“Then you agree it’s a bad rule to send wolves like Hadley away,” Jake said, refusing to look away from his pack leader. I was regretting my decision to message Jake. Liam was dominant to him and he could seriously hurt Jake or even banish him from the pack for his defiance.
“My son did not try to hurt himself,” Liam argued. “It was an accident.”
“Then let us help him,” Evie coaxed. “I’m a doctor, and I can at least check on his injuries.”
“He’s fine,” Liam argued. “Leave and don’t come back. We don’t need any help from witches or rejects.”
Jake lunged toward Liam, and I quickly put myself between them. When Liam started toward us, Evie was able to cast a binding spell to hold him in place. Her actions resulted in more threats being thrown back and forth between the gathered werewolves.
“Let me go, Hadley,” Jake growled. My arms were wrapped around his waist, and I was using all my strength to hold him in place.
“We just need to get to Liam’s son,” I told him. “Please, just let this go for now, and get us to the house.”
“Let’s go,” Jake told me.
I looked over at Evie, not sure what to do. If she went to the house, the binding spell would be broken and we’d have to deal with Liam again.
“Just check on him and see if there’s anything you can do,” Evie told me.
“I can’t leave you out here alone,” I argued. “These wolves could all turn on you.”
“We’ll protect the witch,” offered an enforcer. There was another enforcer by his side. Both would be in trouble for helping Evie, but that was their choice to make.
I grabbed Evie’s medical bag in case I needed to do some minor patch ups and headed toward the house with Jake by my side. We could hear the screams before we got to the front door. Inside, we found Liam’s son in the bedroom. He was chained to the bed, his wrists wrapped with gauze. The blood had soaked through, but they no longer seemed to be bleeding.
“Why won’t you just let me die?” the werewolf moaned pitifully.
I’d expected to find one of Liam’s younger sons, not Loch who was about twenty years older than me. While I hadn’t known him very well, he’d always seemed energetic and happy, having many friends.
“Hey, Loch,” I greeted him, approaching slowly.
His eyes focused on me for a moment as if not recognizing me. When he realized who I was, he smiled, but that smile seemed practiced and fake. “Hey there, Hadley. Long time no see.”
“You see many banished pack members these days?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. I sensed Jake by my side, but he said nothing.
“Nah,” Loch replied, and his smile wobbled. “You’re supposed to be dead to me, but I guess it’s okay if I talk to you since I should be dead, too. Do you ever wish you’d succeeded in killing yourself?”
“No, I don’t,” I told him. “I did at first, but now I’m happy with my life.”
“I hate him for stopping me,” Loch admitted.
“He loves you,” Jake added.
Loch shook his head. “I’ve always been an embarrassment. He probably only saved me because my death would embarrass him more.”
“Your father is really losing it out there,” I told him. “My witch friend had to cast a binding spell to control him.”
Loch gave a weak laugh. “That sounds a lot better than chains. He should have let me die.”
“I know what it’s like to have problems you think no one will understand, but I can help you,” I assured him. “Why don’t you come with me, and we can get you checked out and see what we can do to make things easier.”
“I want to leave so much,” Loch breathed out, and I knew he meant he wanted to die. “I’m tired of pretending I’m not weak.”
“You aren’t weak,” Jake argued. “Hadley thought she was weak all those years ago, too, but she’s one of the strongest people I’ve ever met. She can help you be strong like that.”
Loch was silent for several minutes, and in that time, Jake came up behind me to slip an arm around my waist. “I guess it’s better than staying chained to a bed,” Loch finally replied.
“I promise it will be better than being chained to a bed,” I assured Loch. “Let’s remove these chains and see if we can get you out of here without starting a pack war.”
Severed Ties Chapter 8
I hadn’t seen Jake since we’d gotten Loch to the werewolf section of the witch run hospital. Having been too busy dealing with Loch, there’d been no chance to talk to Jake. I was naturally concerned about how his decision to take my side would affect his place in the pack. When we’d been ready to leave the hospital, I’d been tempted to call him, but instead decided to send him a simple message thanking him. I figured if he messaged me back, we could talk more tonight. Otherwise, we’d talk after he had time to deal with Liam.
“That was one of our scarier assignments,” Evie remarked as she dropped me at home. It was late, so I’d decided to go home and pick up my own car in the morning.
“It certainly was,” I agreed. “Maybe we should bring security with us when we go to less friendly packs.”
“Good idea,” Evie agreed. “I’ll bring it up, and with any luck, our bosses will agree. No message from Jake?” she asked.
I shook my head. “Hopefully, he isn’t in too much trouble over all this.”
Evie shrugged. “It was his choice to make, and I don’t think he regrets it.”
She was right, and I kept reminding myself of that fact as I made my way to my apartment, nearly gagging at the overwhelming smell of fried fish.
“Took you long enough to get here,” Jake remarked.
My mouth dropped open at the sight of him leaning against my front door with his arms crossed in front of his chest. “What are you doing here?” I asked. “I thought you’d still be dealing with Liam.”
Jake gave me a sexy smile and looked down at his bags. “I was wondering if you could put a friend up for a little while. At least, until I find my own place.”
“You were banished for helping me?” I asked, feeling that was too much.
Jake shook his head, not really responding as he prowled toward me. When he was standing directly in front of me, his hand cupped my chin and he tipped my head back. “You were amazing today, Hadley. I always knew you were something special. I spent the last decade without you, and I’ve got no intention of missing another moment.”
“What about the pack?” I asked, having trouble focusing with Jake this close to me.
“The pack can kiss my ass,” he told me, his thumb brushing across my lower lip. “Invite me inside, Hadley.”
“Please come inside, Jake,” I breathed out.
Severed Ties Chapter 9
Jake spun me and backed me up until I was pinned between him and the front door. “I need to get you inside.”
I laughed nervously. “Yes, it would be nice to get away from the wretched smell of my neighbor’s food.”
“There’s also the fact that I desperately need in you,” he replied, taking the key from my hand and unlocking the door before stepping back and opening it.
When Jake closed the door behind us, I turned to face him, and the raw need in his eyes made my breath catch in my throat.
“I’ve dreamed of being with you like this so many times, Hadley,” he admitted.
“You have?” I asked.
He nodded and brushed his lips against mine, keeping his hands at his sides. The heat from his body caressed my skin and made me achy and needy. His hands settled on my hips, pulling me closer until the bulge of his erection pressed against my belly. When his lips crashed down on mine, the world seemed to spin. His tongue swept past my lips to explore my mouth boldly, and I reveled in the sensations shooting through my body. I was pulsing with need and near orgasm just from his kiss.
My hands slid under the edge of his t-shirt, needing to explore the hard contours of his torso, and I moaned at how good he felt under my hands. Desperate with need, I pulled back some and nipped his lower lip playfully. Jake growled. “I’m not done with you yet.”
“I certainly hope not,” I purred, and before I realized his intentions, Jake had me tossed over his shoulder as he stalked toward my bedroom.
Based on his muttered curse, I assumed the first door he opened was the coat closet. “It’s the one farthest back,” I told him. “Unless you were chilly and looking for a jacket.”
Jake gave my ass a sharp smack, and I moaned. Stalking into my bedroom, Jake set me on the bed before stripping off his shirt and joining me, pressing me into the soft mattress with his hard body. His kiss became frenzied as my fingers explored the muscles on his back.
Tearing his mouth from mine, Jake kissed his way down my body. When his fingers reached the bottom of my sweater, I grabbed it and stripped i
t over my head, eager to be naked with him. My bra came next, and Jake groaned as he regarded me. Like most werewolves, I was fit with a lean muscular build and firm breasts. Jake’s mouth teased my nipples, tugging at them until I was aching for more of his touch. When I was panting and writhing beneath him, he finally moved further down my body, stripping off my pants and lacy thong. His mouth settled on me, and I nearly screamed. Jake’s tongue expertly worked my clit, bringing me to the edge of ecstasy before gentling to draw out my pleasure.
When he finally took pity on me and let me come, my body bucked and I screamed as intense spasms rocked my core. Jake quickly climbed off the bed and stripped out of his jeans, tossing a condom on the bed.
“Please tell me you want this as much as I do,” he rasped out.
“I want you,” I assured him, nearly overwhelmed with emotion. “More than you know, I want you, Jake.”
The guttural sound that came from the back of Jake’s throat was animalistic, and it aroused me more seeing him lose control. He hurried to put the condom on before pulling me to the edge of the bed. He remained standing as he thrust into my body so hard the headboard slammed against the wall. His powerful thrusts were relentless, and I soon found myself nearing the edge again.
My scream was echoed by Jake’s as we both came hard.
“I love you, Hadley,” Jake ground out. “I’ve always loved you.”
Jake moved us both back onto the bed and gathered me in his arms. The words that came from my mouth surprised me. “I love you, too. I always have, but I don’t think I understood how much until now. You were my friend, and the only thing I missed from the pack, but you were more than that. You were the man I compared all others to.”
Jake stroked my hair, and I could hear the smile in his voice when he spoke. “You have no idea how happy that makes me.”
“Are you sure you’ll be okay without the pack?” I asked.
“You’re all the pack I need,” he assured me.
Undeniably Hellbound (Spells That Bind Book 4) Page 31
