by Casey Morgan
“No, I mean it. I'm doing this all for you, Mini.” Pax moves close to me and cups my cheek. He glances behind me, and his eyes go wide. “They really tied you up?”
“Yeah,” I nod. “I guess the wolves are scared of me,” I joke.
“They really might be,” Pax mumbles. He lets go of my cheek and picks up the arm with the rope wrapped around it. “Don't wiggle too much, I'm going to bite the rope off.”
“Okay,” I breathe.
He opens his mouth, and I see his teeth get sharper. My heart starts to beat faster as he brings his mouth to my wrist, and he bites the rope off easily. The broken strands fall off and hit the floor.
“Thanks,” I say.
I’m fixated on how sharp he was able to make his teeth. I guess he has all these ‘powers’ since he can shift. It’s weird to think about, but it’s also kind of cool. My heart calms down as I allow myself to get used to the idea.
Pax hasn't let go of my wrist, though. He starts to rub where the rope burned a little.
“I thought if I pulled hard enough, I could escape, but that was dumb,” I explain. It also hurt a whole lot. There's a high chance I'm going to get a scar. A reminder of what might be the worst day of my life.
Pax brings his lips to my wrist, where it's red and irritated. “I'm sorry,” he mumbles against my skin.
“It's not your fault.”
“I should have done more to stop them.” His soft lips skim my skin, somehow easing any pain I'm feeling.
“What could you have done? It would have been you against a whole army of wolves. You did the right thing, not fighting back,” I sigh.
He's still caressing my wrist, treating it like if it was a baby bird. I thread my fingers in his long hair. It's weird how soft he is. His hair, his skin – it's all softer than I had expected. Especially now, knowing he's a werewolf, you would think it'd be coarse.
“I promise I won't just let them hurt you like that ever again. I'll protect you with my life.” He finally picks up his head and looks at me. The sadness in his eyes runs deep, almost like mine. Maybe we are meant to be, and I need to let go of all the doubts in my head.
“I know, Pax. I know.”
Chapter Thirteen
Mini
He doesn't look away, continuing to stare into my eyes like he's digging for my soul. Every passing second, our bodies have moved closer and closer. His face approaches mine and stops when our noses touch.
“Can I –” I don't wait for his answer, swiftly bringing my lips to his.
His mouth moves against mine, initially forming words but then succumbing to the passion between us. His hand goes up the back of my shirt, trickling up and down my spine. His tongue pushes between my lips and past my teeth to explore the inside. Our tongues dance with one another, reveling in the feelings of the other's body.
We break apart to see each other. Pax looks as affected as I feel. Whatever is happening between us is strong.
“We should probably…” I don't know where I was taking that sentence, but I give up either way and let my voice fade.
Pax follows suit, standing toe to toe with me. We go back to staring, unable to take our eyes off of each other. It's like I never want to lose sight of him again. He's become my anchor in such a short amount of time.
He places his finger under my chin, lifting my head up to look at him. While his pointer finger keeps my head up, Pax runs his thumb over my bottom lip, causing my mouth to open slightly.
“You really are unbelievably beautiful,” Pax mutters before starting to kiss me again.
I can't resist him and pull my body into his, grinding into his pelvis. The bulge of his dick presses into my stomach, promising me all the pleasure that I could ask for. I stick my hand between our bodies, cupping his package when I get to it. My hand rubs up against him, going back and forth to a slow rhythm.
Pax grunts into my mouth before his hands grab either side of my body and turn me around. He pressed me into the cold hard wall of the basement, my cheek firmly against the stone.
“I'm going to have so much fun with you,” he grumbles.
His fingers go under the hem of my shorts before he pulls them down. I gasp, surprised, but turned on by his forcefulness. My panties are the next thing to go, joining my shorts on the floor. Pax spreads my legs by inserting his knee between them. The fabric of his jeans presses into my pussy, stoking the fires in my belly.
I flatten my hands against the wall, fingers splayed. Pax moves his knee and replaces it with his hands, rubbing the side of his palm along my folds. I wriggle, wanting a release of the built-up pressure.
“Do you like that?” Pax whispers into my ear.
“Yes,” I breathe.
After my affirmation, he hooks his fingers into me, pumping them in and out of my pussy with aggression. I lift my leg up, resting it on a nearby junk pile. He adds another finger, using them to stretch me out.
“Are you ready for my cock?”
“I want it,” I beg, licking my lips.
Pax presses his thumb into my clit, rubbing it furiously. My nails scrape against the wall as the tension builds. It gets to be too much, and my pussy vibrates as an orgasm washes through me, the sensations sprinkling warmth down my body. I push my face into the stone wall, looking to it for stability.
My breath catches before it begins to even out. I regain my composure when Pax covers both of my hands with his, pressing his front into my back.
“Fuck,” Pax mumbles.
He grinds along my ass a few times before I hear the zip of his jeans being pulled down. The sound alone is enough to wet my pussy again. Next, I hear them hit the floor before feeling the head of his dick rub against my entrance.
“You're perfect,” Pax breathes against my neck, nuzzling into the crook between it and my shoulder.
I bring my hand back and tangle my fingers in his hair. The strands wrap around my digits, and I pull him even closer to me. This causes his shaft to slightly slip into me. I go up on my toes, wanting more.
“Fuck me, Pax.”
He obliges, crashing his pelvis into my body, his balls slapping my ass with force. I'm pressed into the wall, my breast squished. I wrap my other arm back around his body and grab his ass.
“More,” I beg.
Pax pulls out almost to the head and then buries himself deep in me again. He keeps the motion going, gradually increasing his speed. The ridges on his cock massage my insides, twisting my body into knots as he fucks me.
“Fuck!” I scream along with a whole slew of wanton noises.
Pax quickly covers my mouth with his hand. “You have to be quiet!” he hisses.
I nod, but he keeps his hand on my lips, quieting any moans escaping. My eyes roll back into my head as the heat inside of me builds to dangerous levels. I'm balancing myself on my toes, Pax's dick creating tension all the way down to my feet. I can barely contain my body, fighting to maintain even a sliver of control.
“Fucking hell,” Pax grunts before spilling into me.
I can feel his cum shooting inside of my pussy, coating my insides with his essence. It drips down my leg, marking up my thighs. My entire body starts to quiver as my second orgasm rips through my being, tearing into my senses. I bite down on Pax's palm, unable to fully control my reaction.
Riding out the wave, I swing my hips around, getting every ounce of pleasure from every inch of him. My body calms down once again, and I collapse on to Pax. He holds me up, keeping my weakened frame from hitting the floor. All my energy has been drained from my body, my eyelids wanting to flutter close. Even in this scary basement, with Pax by my side, my fear has gone away.
“We need to leave,” Pax whispers into my ear.
I agree. Standing back up on my own two feet, I look around for my clothing. They’re off in the corner. I pull my shorts on up after my panties, covering myself.
I turn around and look at Pax, who is fully dressed as well.
“There’s something I have to tell you,” he sombe
rly admits.
Those words send a shiver through me. I’m not sure how my situation could get worse, but it’s always possible.
“What is it?”
“I followed Flint tonight. I was on my way to get you out of here when I saw him leaving the compound. He went to meet up with another werewolf, and they were talking about plans for taking over our silver mine. Like I suspected, he’s the reason all of these horrible things are happening.” Pax looks at me, waiting for my reaction.
“I didn’t know you all had a silver mine, but I’m guessing that’s why he wanted the map? I should have never listened to him. He promised to take me away from here if I did him this one little favor. From the moment I got into his car, I had a bad feeling.”
Maybe I should have trusted my gut, but then I wouldn’t have gotten the chance to meet Pax. This whole experience has been frightening, but Pax is the bright spot.
“I need to find a way to stop him,” Pax comments. I can see how heavily this whole thing is weighing on him. He seems to be the only one who is willing to go after Flint. All because Anson can’t see the truth.
“But first things first,” Pax sighs. “We need to get you out of here.”
“How are you going to do that?” He must know about the challenges. “I can’t fit through that window, and there are guards at the door.” I’ve gone through so many scenarios of how I’d get out of here, but nothing looked possible.
But Pax probably knows more than I do.
“I’m going to have to do something I don’t want to…” He frowns deeply.
“What?”
“I’m going to have to hurt my pack members.”
Chapter Fourteen
Pax
“I’m going to have to hurt my pack members.”
That’s what I tell Mini. It’s the only way to get her out of here. I’ve thought about this, and I’ve thought about this hard. In my wolf form, I barely fit through the window. I know she won’t be able to get out that way.
The only other exit is the door. Once we get past those guards, we’ll need to get up the stairs and through the front. Hopefully, we don’t make too much noise and grab any unwanted attention.
“You’re going to attack them?” Mini sounds hesitant. I don’t really want to do this either, but I’m drawing blanks regarding other solutions.
“Just stay behind me. I’ll make sure nothing happens to you. You’re getting out of here.” I know I can’t leave her here. Anson won’t do anything unnecessarily cruel, but that doesn’t mean he is above hurting Mini if he thinks it will get him the information he needs. For wolves, it always the pack above everything else.
I look around the room for something to fight with. The hilt of a sword catches my attention, and I grab it. It gleams in the minimal moonlight coming through the small window. It’s perfect.
“Wait!” Mini moves in front of me, looking at the sword. “You’re going to use that?” She points to the sword in my hand, an old heirloom.
“Yeah, I’m not going to stab anyone to death or anything.” If I can help it, the violence is going to be kept to a minimum.
“It’s not that. Isn’t that sword made of silver? I know the movies are basically full of lies, but I thought silver was like poison to werewolves. Isn’t that going to like really hurt anyone it touches?”
“Are you worried about my pack?”
“I just,” Mini takes a deep breath. “I just know you’re doing this solely for me, not because you hate your family or whatever. I know you don’t want to hurt them more than necessary, and silver might do that. At least, I think it will. I don’t know the fact from the fiction yet.”
I know this is a super tense moment where I’m about to barge out of this room and fight my way out of the only home I’ve ever known, but I can’t help smiling because Mini is genuinely worried about my family and me. I was worried it might take her a good amount of time to get used to the whole werewolf idea, but it seems like she might be adapting a lot faster than either of us could have ever expected.
“Remember that mine, I mentioned?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, the reason why we protect it so fiercely is because veins leak out of said mine, and it gets into our food and water, making us immune to silver. It’s why we grow everything here, and it’s why we’ve never left. Not only does it make us immune, but it also makes us a lot stronger and tougher than the other packs.”
“So, it won’t hurt them?” she asks, fidgeting with her hands.
“I mean, if we fight, they might get a few bruises, but the silver won’t hurt them, not at all.”
“Okay,” she sighs. “I’m ready.”
We both face the door, and I make sure Mini is behind me. I’m standing right in front of the door, amping myself up to do this. I can do this.
Kicking the door, it breaks off of its hinges and falls on to Hans. It must have hit him square on the head because he is knocked out cold. Marc turns around, and surprise takes over his face.
“Pax, what are you doing,” he growls.
“I’m doing the right thing. I don’t want to fight you, Marc. If you let us pass, I’ll leave you be.”
“You know I can’t do that. Alpha’s orders.” And with that he comes at me. I manage to hit him on the head with the butt of the sword, and he falls to the ground. Marc was never the best fighter, which is why he was probably tasked with guarding Mini.
Looking at my pack members laid out on the floor because of me, it hurts just as much as I thought it would. I know when they wake up, all they’ll have is a headache. That’s one of the only things that brings me comfort. That, and the fact that Mini will be safe.
“We’ve got to go,” I frantically tell her. She nods, her eyes wide.
We walk down the hallway, reaching the stairwell. I don’t hear anyone running upstairs, coming towards us. If we can get to the woods, I can shift and take Mini on my back to the nearest town. Once she’s away from the compound, she should be safe.
Slowly, the two of us ascend the stairs. When we’re just a few away from the top, I hear quickly approaching steps from behind. I turn around and see Hans bounding towards us in his wolf form. He must have woken up. I push Mini away from Hans, and I lift the sword, ready to strike. But, instead of attacking me, he starts to howl, raising the alarm.
“Shit!”
I knock him out the same way I did Marc, hoping I was fast enough. He wasn’t howling for long, so we might be safe, but I don’t want to risk it.
“We need to get out of here. Now.”
Mini senses my sudden intensity. I run up the stairs and throw the door open. Luckily, no one is waiting for us. I grab Mini’s hand, and we run to the front door. We get to the final corner, and I’m sure we’ve just done the impossible, when we come across Anson, Flint, and Tamir blocking us.
“Pax! What have you done?” Anson looks at me with such disappointment. My ultimate goal was to avoid this confrontation, but it looks like it’s going to happen, nonetheless.
“I told you, alpha. Mini is innocent. Flint is the one who has betrayed us.” I point to the man who has only brought destruction to our door. How can no one else see it?
“You are the one betraying the pack right now. You want to go against the family for her? A girl you met less than a day ago? What have I done that has made you do this?”
“You’re not listening to me! Mini never knew about our mine. Flint isn’t here to buy our undeveloped land. He is here to steal from us. He wants us gone by any means necessary.”
“How can I trust someone who so explicitly goes against orders?” Anson shakes his head. “You no longer have my trust, Pax. I hope you understand that.”
There’s no reasoning with him. He wants to believe what he wants to believe. Yelling at one another while tensions are high won’t change his mind. We need to leave and come back later when Anson is more reasonable.
“If you don’t care what I have to say, then I’m leaving with M
ini.” I try to pass by, but the three of them – Anson, Flint, and Tamir – they keep their position.
“You’re not going anywhere,” Anson threatens. “Tamir!” My brother stands at position, ready to take orders. “Attack!”
He seems surprised by the order, looking to the alpha for reassurance. Anson just nods. He said what he said. Tamir looks back at me, his normally stone-cold demeanor breaking for a second. I know he doesn’t want to fight his only brother, but if my brother is anything, he is loyal. He is one who would never break pack law.
Tamir comes at me, his fist out ready to fight. I swing the sword, striking him in the arm with the broadside. I think it’s just going to knock him to the side, but the sword actually cuts his skin, burning it. Immediately, I snatch it back, stopping the contact. Tamir falls to the ground, clutching where he was hit.
“What’s happening?” There’s panic in his eyes, something I’ve never seen in my lifetime. Tamir has never shown fear, but right now, he is genuinely scared.
Mini grabs my bicep, and I turn to look at her.
“I thought you said you guys are immune.”
“We are. I mean, we are supposed to be.”
I don’t know what’s happening. This has never happened. I look at Flint, who has a smirk on his face that quickly disappears. Anson goes to Tamir to inspect his arm.
“Did you do this?” He points to Mini, accusing her of something none of us understand. “Are you some kind of witch?”
“No! It was him,” I point to Flint, but Anson isn’t hearing it.
He gets off the ground and lunges at us. I put my body in between him and Mini, preparing to do the unthinkable and actually fight my alpha.
“Anson!” Everything stops when Daric runs in. The panic in his voice grabs everyone’s attention. “The Mathis pack is back! They’re attacking the compound!”
We all look at one another. Our differences need to be put aside at the moment. Protecting our home from those who wish to destroy it is the most important thing.
“Raise the alarm. All men who can fight will fight.” Anson looks at me on the last word. I nod, confirming my commitment. “Tamir, stay here and heal. We’ll discuss this later.”
