by J. E. Cluney
“Don’t you fucking touch her!” Ray snarled as he struggled against Caleb.
Caleb barked at him to shut up as he hit the hilt of the knife in his shoulder, causing Ray to hiss and groan in pain.
I gripped the table like a madwoman as flashes of Richard filled my mind, and I whimpered softly as Quentin’s dick brushed my cheeks.
He used one hand to spread my legs, his fingers creeping up to touch me.
He growled in annoyance when no wetness greeted him. It wasn’t like I was in the mood for rape.
I drew in sharp breaths, preparing myself for the brutal pain that was about to hit me. I hated that I could hear Beth crying in the bedroom, with a full view of what was happening. Even Scott could probably see it.
“You’ll watch this,” Caleb snarled as he yanked Ray’s head up.
I cried out as Quentin forced himself into me, driving inside me despite the way my body protested.
I groaned and dug my nails into the table as my insides felt like they were splitting, and I could feel the blood he’d drawn.
I flicked my eyes to David on the floor, focusing on what I needed to do. I just needed the right moment. Even with my Alpha strength, these were four men trained to fight, and they’d use the others against me if given the chance.
Quentin moaned and thrust into me, forcing my head down on the table as I faced Pearse.
He just sneered at me, not breaking eye contact as Quentin raped me. As he defiled my body while Ray snarled and growled, helpless to do anything.
I couldn’t bare trying to turn my head to look at him, couldn’t stand the sight I’d find, of his heartbreak and distress for me.
“Do you like that?” Pearse growled as he leaned forward. I barely had the chance to spy the knife in his other hand from this angle until he was dragging it across my cheek.
The silver burned, and I gasped and cried out, which only resulted in Quentin moaning and driving into me harder.
I fought the urge to scream as Quentin held my hands down while Pearse continued slicing my flesh, dragging the deadly blade down my arm. It burned like hell, a pain I’d never felt before searing me as the silver dragged across my skin, leaving sizzling gashes in its wake.
Then Quentin was stiffening, rocking against me as he moaned and exploded inside me, a disgusting sensation washing over me as he finished within my body. Guilt gnawed at me, pain and self-loathing rearing their ugly heads as I fought the tears that wanted to well up.
“You know what I want to try? I want to slide this up inside you, carve you up in there and then fuck you, I want your blood all over me,” Pearse growled as he held the knife up to inspect my sizzling blood on it.
I squeezed my eyes shut as Quentin pulled out and slapped my ass hard.
“Damn, she’s already bleeding,” Quentin snickered as he pulled his pants up.
“Good,” Pearse said as he licked his lips, the disgusting smacking sound of his lips making me grind my teeth as I opened my eyes.
Utter dismay washed over me as he grabbed his handgun off the table before taking Quentin’s place behind me, while Quentin collected his gun off the floor.
Oh God no. This was not going to plan.
I’d needed that handgun.
I shot up straight, fear driving me to spin on Pearse as I snarled and lashed out with a deadly fist.
I relished the crunch of his jaw as my fist collided with the side of his face and he was sent sprawling to the floor.
“Don’t!”
I spun around and froze as my eyes fell to Ray, who was snarling thanks to Caleb just ripping the blade out of his shoulder.
Except now, it was poised against his throat, a thin bead of blood already sizzling as he pushed it hard against Ray’s neck.
“You fucking whore,” Pearse sputtered, but his words were distorted as he held his jaw, blood dripping from his mouth as the man by the window gave him a questioning look.
“Gary, hold her the fuck down,” he snarled as he spat a bloody mess on the floor.
Shit.
The man by the window, Gary, abandoned his post, leaving the gun there as he came over.
“You fight us, he dies, then the others,” Pearse snarled. “And Quentin will shoot you last.”
I froze, my body refusing to move as fear and uncertainty washed through me.
I was the Alpha, I was stronger than this. I should be able to deal with this. Think, Taylor, think!
Gary turned me to face the table once more as he strode around it, smirking at me. He then yanked me down onto the table so my ass was in the air, pinning my wrists down as he moved to stand opposite me.
“You’re going to scream for me,” Pearse said confidently.
Hell, he wasn’t wrong.
If I’d thought Richard was bad, his men were far worse now.
Pearse yanked my legs apart and toyed with my folds with the tip of the knife.
I couldn’t mask the soft cry as he slid the tip inside me, my nether region burning at the silver penetrating it.
“You sick fucks!” Scott shrieked from in the bedroom, and I heard him struggling against his chains as he roared.
Beth was weeping loudly now, and I prayed that I could get the opening I needed.
But Pearse was right.
He did get me to scream.
The blade swiveled inside me, cutting into my walls as he pressed it inside me, the foreign pain splitting through me as a horrifying scream left my lips.
My body wanted to clamp my legs shut, to force the intruding object away, but doing so would only worsen it.
I shrieked as he sliced me, the pain like nothing I’d ever felt before. Ray roared and clawed at Caleb, and I watched as the knife drew more blood from his throat.
No, please don’t Ray.
The deafening shot rung out as the blade slipped out from inside me, and Quentin cursed as he spun towards the window.
I leaped at the chance.
I used my newfound strength to haul Gary over the table and hurl him to the side, disregarding him as everything began to move faster than I would’ve thought possible.
I screamed as that burning power coursed through me, overwhelming every nerve-ending inside me as I seemed to move faster than everyone around me.
I barely registered the sound of a second shot outside as I focused solely on my task.
I reached down, ignoring the gapping hole in the side of Pearse’s head as I snatched the handgun from his belt and spun around. Everything was in perfect focus, and I watched in satisfaction as Caleb’s face twisted into one of utter shock and confusion, but he wasn’t fast enough.
I fired, watching as Caleb’s forehead split open and his head snapped back from the impact.
Ray was already trying to pull his arm away, and the blade fell from his hand as Caleb crumpled to the floor.
I swung the gun around, smashing it into Quentin’s head just as he was aiming the rifle at me. He swore as he stumbled away, and I tossed the gun to the side.
No quick death for him.
I tore my shirt off as the shift overcame me, and I roared as my massive wolf form towered over him, knocking the gun aside.
I clamped my teeth onto his left arm as he shrieked and begged for help.
I tugged hard as I held him down with my paws, yanking his arm to the side.
The satisfying crunch gave way to tearing as he screamed and wailed like a banshee, flailing his other arm in an attempt to get me off.
I kept pulling, feeling the tendons and muscles giving way, the sinew snapping as the whole arm ripped away from his body by the shoulder.
Blood sprayed from the open wound, and I dropped the piece of useless flesh as I turned on him.
His face was white as he gasped and wheezed, the whites of his eyes showing as he stared up at me in terror. Shock was setting in, but I wanted to make him suffer. I knew he would’ve hurt Mary and Bianca in the same way he’d just hurt me.
I stepped back, my eyes falling
to my new target as his free arm weakly flailed at me.
“No,” he sputtered, gasping as he realized what I intended.
I sunk my fangs into his groin, the scent of his fresh release and my own blood filling my nostrils as I crunched down.
I tore his dick clean off, dropping it on his chest as he just opened and closed his mouth like a fish, unable to scream.
Pain shot through my shoulder as a gun fired, and I spun on Gary. He stood beside the table, having retrieved Pearse’s gun. Too bad those bullets weren’t silver.
I didn’t get the chance to tear into him though.
A grey-white wolf knocked him down before I could move, and I watched with contentment as Ray tore his chest open with tooth and claw, blood spraying everywhere.
I allowed my body to shift back as I moved around the room, checking the pockets of the fallen men.
Caleb had the keys I was after.
I strode into the bedroom, Beth just staring up at my bloody, naked body in pure horror alongside her mother and Fiona.
I went past them, immediately honing in on Scott as he rasped and stared at me with bloodshot eyes.
“It’s going to be okay,” I murmured as I unlocked his chains.
Movement behind me drew my attention, but I relaxed as Ray came in, covered in blood and stark naked. He got to work undoing the women’s bindings as I focused on Scott.
“That bastard,” he croaked.
“He’s dead. They’re all dead,” I said firmly.
Once I’d freed his hands, he slumped down, his body failing to obey.
“Tay!”
I let out a breath of relief as Neema flew into the room, and I moved aside as she instantly focused on Scott’s shoulder.
She gave me shocked looks as she worked on removing the bullet from Scott’s shoulder, but I ignored it.
I licked my lips, not caring about the coppery, warm blood still fresh in my mouth.
Jaye and Nathan were beside me in an instant, helping me to my feet as I began to feel the pain down below once more.
And dear fucking God, it hurt.
Nathan assured me Scott would be okay, that Melissa was with them and she’d take care of him. I didn’t budge from the room until she actually came in, and she immediately went over to Scott to take over from Neema.
I caught Beth’s eyes as Nathan and Jaye led me out of the house. Mary, Beth, and Fiona were all huddled on the porch steps, wrapped in blankets as some women checked them over.
Beth gave me a grateful look, managing the smallest of smiles as she huddled into her mother.
This horrid nightmare was finally over.
I allowed Jaye to clean me off, wiping the blood from my mouth and chin, cleaning up the wounds on my arms and face.
My shoulder was throbbing and aching, and Nathan got a Pryce Pack member to help him remove the bullet. Apparently he was their traveling medic.
Good to know.
Jaye wrapped me in a blanket as I sat on the tray of Chris’s truck. We were going to wait for Melissa to check over the damage inside my lady parts.
But looking around me disconnectedly, I was amazed that everyone had come. The patrol had arrived, and the crushing cries of John and Quinn reached me as I pulled the blanket tighter.
At least Fiona was still here for them.
The entire Pryce Pack was here save for Jude and a few others, who I assumed were manning the outposts and taking care of Jack.
Many of my new Pack had come, and Nathan informed me that it was Brian who shot Pearse in the head. Apparently Brian had been a trained sniper in the Army. An interesting piece of information. I owed him for that. He’d created the opening I needed. Neema had then shot Jared, the man on the porch.
I sat in silence, my body damaged and pained in areas, but a strange feeling settled on me. Maybe relief, but not quite.
Emptiness, numbness.
I was tired.
I barely realized Jaye and Nathan were talking to me as they stuck to my sides like glue.
“Mathew Shaw is dead, the deserter we caught. Said something about Beth that made Carlos snap. He’s on his way here now, we’ve told him they’re safe,” Nathan’s voice finally cut through the haze.
“Everything will be okay now,” Jaye assured me as he tucked some hair behind my ear.
Too bad he was wrong.
I knew better.
9
Months dragged by painfully. I found my way into the recovery group for the women of my new Pack, and was told I’d suffered PTSD from the woman who’d been hired to help us on our road to healing.
Like I didn’t already know something was seriously wrong.
Nightmares of Richard and his followers plagued many of my nights, and I spent much of my free time training with Neema. The new lodge was nearing completion, we’d given the Pryce Pack some land to call their own for when Hannah gave birth and raised her baby. They’d always have a home base now, and we were forever indebted to them.
Jaye came to live with me, stepping down from his position as beta to be with me.
We’d actually managed to join the Packs together with little issue, and my father had taken over leading both of them, with me as second in command. I was not fit to lead, that was for sure, but I still had my Alpha powers, and I still lived on the new Ashwood Ranch.
We’d discussed giving it another name, but I couldn’t be bothered with that at this point in time. I needed to focus on getting better.
My vaginal injuries had healed, but since it was silver, there’d been some internal scarring.
I still hadn’t been with my boys intimately since that night in Fiona’s cabin. We’d knocked the whole place down after disposing of the bodies. David had been buried where Fiona had chosen, which was close to the site of her new home.
Fiona now lived in her own cabin closer to her sons, and they took care of her.
Scott was recovered, and he and Nathan visited me frequently. Scott couldn’t believe how close Jaye and Ray had become over their creative tastes, especially since Jaye had been the most uncertain about Ray joining our strange group of lovers.
Jaye was helping Ray with his photography business, and I’d just bought him a new camera for his birthday a few days ago. I’d wanted to give him something more intimate, but when I’d tried, I panicked and ended up curled in his arms as he whispered words of reassurance.
So much for taking the power back from Richard. The night in that cabin had only set me back even more. And Ray’s iPod was still helping, but not to the same extent.
I had a long road ahead, but at least I wasn’t alone. Mary and Bianca sometimes stayed over to join in the group therapy sessions. Beth had come along at first, but she didn’t cope well, so she was pursuing other help back at the old ranch.
Now I sat at the new barbecue area outside the new lodge as the builders worked to have it finished in the next few days. It looked amazing and welcoming, a perfect change from the old lodge, which I still resided in much to my dismay.
I bounced my leg on the concrete as I rested back, the hard edge of the wooden table pressed into my lower back.
I unfurled the earphones wrapped around the precious iPod I carried everywhere. It’s ability to fix me was no longer there, but it still comforted me and helped drive out the intrusions in my mind. It was still something.
Like right now, the feeling of that silver blade sliding inside me, slicing me and searing my broken flesh. It was like having a heated iron prodder jammed up in there, burning and tearing into me.
The memories of Quentin forcing himself inside me, overridden by flashes of Richard.
I shoved the earbuds into my ears and amped up some heavy rock music. I needed to drown out the ghoulish thoughts, the vivid memories.
My skin crawled as I felt ghostly hands brushing my skin, and I flinched as the hot air brushed my neck.
A glance back revealed no one. Just a phantom memory.
I pursed my lips, hating how badly
this affected me still. I was stronger than this. I was almost a true Huntress. I’d been training so much with Neema, and soon I’d be going back out on hunts with her to gain my true rank. She’d hand in a report and sort it for me, and I’d then undergo a trial to see if I was deemed fit for the duty.
And yet, here I was, tortured by my own mind. By ghosts.
I balled my hands up as I drew in a sharp breath, allowing the Alpha power inside me to flare to life.
I had taken the power from my first attacker. And the others were dead.
So why couldn’t I shake it?
I relaxed, the tension easing from inside me as the energy radiated through me.
I’d handled the situation with those deserters, even if it had meant making a sacrifice first. My Pack had come through, and everyone was rescued.
I turned my head as I sensed someone coming, and I withdrew one earbud as I spotted Ray headed my way.
“Hey, how you doing?” he asked as he joined me, sliding onto the bench beside me and giving me a small smile. He already knew, he could see my pain.
“I’m getting there,” I sighed as I took out the other earbud and shut the iPod off.
“Yeah, you will,” he agreed as he wrapped one arm around my shoulders and gave me a peck on the cheek. “I know it’s hard. You can’t just get over something like that. But seeing everyone, all the other women, they’re all slowly getting better with the help they’ve got now. And you will too,” he promised as he pulled me closer and nuzzled my head.
“I hate that they’re all dead and they’re still hurting me. It sucks ass,” I muttered as I played with the earphone cables.
“Your nightmares aren’t as consistent. You’ve had a few good nights,” Ray tried to remind me.
He was right. I was slowly recovering, just not fast enough for my liking.
“Yeah, I guess,” I murmured.
“Well, I thought today, we could have a picnic,” Ray tried to ease my mind. “Down by the horse fields, there’s a nice old oak there, I thought you might like the spot.”
“What’s on the menu?” I asked with a grin.
“Well, I went for traditional ham and cheese sandwiches with a few side snacks and soda,” he grinned and chuckled.
