Her Three Wolves

by Lilly Wilder

  While he pondered the decision I decided to keep talking, hoping that I might disarm him. “So did you really hear anything out there because I didn’t hear a thing? And who are they talking about? I have nothing but questions, although I’m sure you’re not supposed to tell me. I imagine Jackson must have sat the two of you down before this whole thing began and laid out the rules, but I suppose even he couldn’t have prepared you for what it was like to be standing over a helpless woman, being able to do anything to her…you know, it takes a lot to stand up and resist temptation. But I think there’s a little more to it, isn’t there? You didn’t just do it because you thought it was wrong, but because you’re afraid to. You’re a virgin, aren’t you?” He didn’t say anything in reply, but from the way he blanched I knew it to be the case. “And you probably didn’t want to risk doing anything wrong in front of your brothers. I bet you must idolize them. They seem to have taken care of you, do you even have any parents, or are they the only family you’ve known?”

  I thought back to what he said when he brought me food, about how I was going to save them. I still didn’t understand that, but I hoped that now I had Jamie alone he would reveal some information to me. He turned his head away and looked towards the stairs, his hands clenched by his side.

  “Are you worried about them?”

  Again, there was no response.

  “Jamie, do you really want to stand there ignoring me? I know you don’t see me as some kind of object. I’m a person, but the way you’re acting now you’re being just like Jackson. I’m not here to be at the mercy of your whims. I don’t know what made him this way, but he can’t just go around acting like this. He’s a monster, but you’re not.”

  Jamie whirled around and strode up to the altar. I immediately realized I had made an error by insulting his brother.

  “Jackson is only trying to do what’s right. He’s not a monster. He’s not…he’s just…he’s just confused and he thinks things have to be done in a certain way. But he’s not a bad person. If you could just talk to him…”

  “I’ve been trying to talk to him but he won’t tell me anything! None of you will! Don’t you think that maybe if you just opened up to me a little I might be able to help you? I don’t know what kind of ritual you have planned here but it’s not like I’m some kind of prude. If it means I can be free I might be willing to do a few things, but you have to tell me, and who are these people outside? Are they friends of yours?”

  “No…they’re not friends at all,” Jamie said, and his gaze drifted towards the ceiling. I was about to try convince him to release me from my restraints again when we heard a noise, a loud cry of pain, so loud that even I heard it this time.

  “No…I have to go,” Jamie said. He strode away from the altar. I begged him to wait, to release me, for I feared that if he never came back I would be stuck here until I died a long and unendurable death. But he leaped up the stairs and disappeared into the cabin, dealing with whatever it was he had to deal with.

  I laid my head back against the altar and chewed my lip, wondering just what the hell had happened to me. Part of me wished I had never come looking for Mel, but then again she had only been in this situation because the brothers had marked me out as their quarry, although I was still unaware of what made me special. I struggled against the restraints, rubbing my wrists against them until pain flared through my forearms, trying my best to pry my arms out so I could escape. I was just about willing to do anything to get me out of this hell, even if it meant tearing my skin away, and I worked frantically, wanting to succeed before the brothers came back…if they came back.

  11

  I didn’t hear any further noises until the sound of their feet pummeling the steps. They were carrying Jackson’s limp body in their arms. Logan looked exhausted and battered. His clothes had been torn, while Jamie looked worried. Jackson’s head lolled down, his lank hair drooping around his face, and there was no strength to his body. He was such a powerful man that I was afraid of the kind of man that could do this to him.

  “What happened?” I asked. The brothers brought Jackson into the basement and laid him on the floor. I could see in the flickering light that his clothes were stained with blood and a nasty gash had split his side. Dark blood rushed out, staining the ground, and the brothers were panicking, ignoring me once again.

  “We just have to wait, right? He’ll be okay. He has to be okay,” Jamie said, and I heard the naivety of youth in his voice. There was no way Jackson was going to survive a wound like that, and thinking that he just had to wait it out showed a complete ignorance of medical knowledge. “Are there any more of them?” the youngest brother added, his voice filled with fear.

  “No, that was a scout. If he’d have left though and gone back and told the others…damn. They’re looking for us, and they’re getting closer. It’s only a matter of time,” Logan said.

  “But what are we going to do if Jackson doesn’t make it?” Jamie asked, crouching by the wounded man. Logan looked at him and didn’t have an answer.

  “I can help, but you have to let me out of these restraints,” I said.

  The brothers looked at me, and then at each other, and then down to Logan.

  “Look, I’ve lived on the streets for a long time. I’ve had to fend for myself. I know how to patch up a wound. You let me out I’ll save Jackson, but you’re going to have to get me out of these restraints, but if you don’t then he’s definitely going to die, and you’re going to have to live with the knowledge that you could have done something to save him, but you didn’t.”

  Jamie immediately rose to come to me, but Logan pulled him back. I wasn’t confident of saving Jackson, but I had to use any advantage to get out of these restraints. I was so confused about who had attacked them, but I had to put my questions aside for the time being. My priority was still escape, and if I had to leave without learning the truth about what was going on here then so be it, although I did really want to know because it was crazy, and even though I had been there for a couple of days I still wasn’t sure if actually I was living through a dream.

  “What do you need,” Logan asked. I listed a few things like cotton wool, a bowl, a disinfected needle and something to stitch up the wound. Logan nodded and directed Jamie to go upstairs and get everything I had listed, while he came over to me and released the restraints.

  “You don’t trust him to look after me?” I asked.

  “I don’t trust you,” Logan said, smirking. I was glad to see that he still had his sense of humor given the scene that lay before us. I rubbed my wrists and stretched my body as soon as I was free of the restraints. It took a few moments for the blood to flow back properly, and I was a little light-headed as I swung myself off the altar and rushed to Jackson’s side. There was no use me making a run for it now because Jamie would have stopped me. I had to wait for the perfect opportunity, and in the meantime I would try and help Jackson because then they would owe me, and I always called in my favors.

  When I fell to my knees I looked at the gaping wound and I was shocked by how deep it was. It looked as though a wild animal had done it, as though something had swiped a great claw down the middle of his body and torn through the flesh.

  “I’ve gotta say Logan, seeing it up this close, I’m not sure there’s anything I can do.”

  “Patch him up. He’s always been good at healing,” Logan said. Blood was pooling on the floor around Jackson’s body. It seemed as though he’d lost a lot already and his skin was growing paler by the second. I was impressed by the steadfast way Logan believed in his brother, but I didn’t think it would matter much in the long run.

  “What did this anyway?” I asked. Before Logan could answer Jamie came down the stairs, running so fast that he almost tripped over his own feet. He stumbled down and handed me everything I had asked for. “Oh, and get a towel or something for this blood. He’s losing too much,” I said. Jamie nodded and ran back upstairs. I wiped away
as much of the blood as I could and then I got to work at stitching him up. I had to get Logan’s help to hold the flesh together as I wove the needle and thread in between his flesh. Jackson’s chest rose and fell steadily, but I wasn’t sure it was going to continue.

  “You know, at some point you’re going to have to tell me what’s going on, so it might as well be now,” I said, hoping that since we were both doing the same thing Logan might choose to tell me a few things.

  “It’s not my place. If Jackson makes it through this I’m sure he’ll tell you anything you want to know, but first just focus on saving him.”

  “And if he dies?”

  “He’s not going to die.”

  Jamie returned with a towel and began mopping up the blood that had seeped around Jackson’s body. I worked swiftly, knowing that I could take this needle and try to fight my way out, but I knew that people didn’t help enemies, they helped friends, and if I was going to get a chance to escape it was going to be because I had endeared myself to them. I knew all about Stockholm Syndrome, where the captive became enamored with the captor and eventually turned to do their bidding, but the reverse was true as well, the Lima Syndrome, where the captors started to become friendlier towards the people they were holding prisoner. If I could just endear myself to them and prove to them that I wasn’t a threat they might go a little easier on me, and then I’d take my opportunity and leave this place before it was too late.

  So I did my best to save Jackson, or at least make it appear as though I had saved him because I was sure that the wound was fatal. Logan still wasn’t telling me what had caused this and I was just about getting tired of the secrets, but it wasn’t as though I could do anything to make him speak. I simply had to do what he asked and try and get Jackson through it all. When I finished I sat back, wiped the sweat off my brow, and mopped up the seeping blood that was smeared around the wound.

  “Is that it? Is he going to be okay?” Jamie asked.

  “I don’t know, but I’ve done all I can. If he’s going to pull through then he’s going to need somewhere comfortable to rest and let his body to all the heavy lifting, but I’ve got to say that it doesn’t look good. I know he’s a tough man, but there are limits. That type of wound is one of the deepest I’ve ever seen. Really, he needs to be in the care of a hospital.”

  “No hospitals,” Logan said.

  “But Logan-” Jamie began, but was cut off by a sharp glare. I decided not to get in the middle of these family disputes. It seemed as though there was a great deal of tension between the three of them and I had no idea why. I had been brought here for a purpose, and there were some people hunting them, but who?

  “Let’s get him upstairs,” Logan said, and then looked at me, “You come with us too.” I was covered in blood and sweat, and I nodded. He and Jamie held Logan.

  “Be careful of his wound,” I said. They nodded and staggered up the stairs slowly. The three of them took up the entire width of the stairs so there was no chance of me slipping by them, but I stepped carefully and waited until we were out of the basement. I knew they weren’t going to leave Jackson unattended, so if I did escape I’d only have to deal with one of them, which was most likely Logan, and I felt confident that if I had a head start I should be able to make it back to the city. Of course, that wasn’t counting for the mysterious wolf who had led me to them. I still hadn’t seen any sign of the wolf around the cabin, and I wondered if it was actually still out there, lurking somewhere, waiting for me again.

  We got to the top of the stairs and to my dismay Logan took Jackson himself and ordered Jamie to look after me. I would have rather had been left alone, but I thought that Jamie was easier to manipulate.

  “What am I supposed to do? Just stand here? You can’t put me back into that room when I’m like this,” I gestured down to my blood-soaked hands and clothes. Logan sighed.

  “Fine, have a bath and clean yourself up. Jamie, make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid. You know how important this is.”

  Logan carried Jackson to another room while Jamie showed me to the bathroom.

  “Are you going to keep a close eye on me?” I asked. Jamie blushed and didn’t say anything in response. He opened the door and gestured for me to enter, and then he closed it on me. I stood against the door and rested my head against the wall, trying to think of away to get out. Again, there was only a small window in this room that was purely there to let the steam out and wasn’t large enough for me to escape. I rubbed my hands together and looked at the blood on them. I was frankly amazed that Jackson hadn’t already died from the wound he had suffered.

  I hadn’t lied to Logan; I did actually need a bath, so I turned the faucets and watched as the water filled the tub. Steam rose through the air and I searched the cabinets for any kind of bubble bath, but unsurprisingly the men didn’t have anything like that. I climbed into the warm water and watched as the blood and sweat was pulled away from my skin. I let myself fall into the warm water, letting the heat embrace my body. I thought about what I was going to do next. One of the brothers had been neutralized by some outside force so I only had two to deal with, and one of them was young, and had already shown signs of weakness. If I played this right I might be able to get a chance to escape, but I had to play it cool.

  I washed myself slowly, trying to spend as long in the bath as I could. I let the water soak my flesh and soon enough the water had turned crimson. I pulled the plug and the water gurgled. I stretched out my legs and let the water flow away from my body, taking all the darkness and grime with it. I felt more myself, refreshed and ready to take on any challenge. I stood up and watched as the red liquid was swallowed by the bathtub, leaving behind a clean white bath.

  I stepped out and grabbed a towel, and then I called to Jamie. It took a few moments for him to respond, and when he did he only spoke through the door.

  “I need you,” I said, making my voice as pleading as possible. I waited a few moments, and then the door opened a crack.

  “What do you want?” he asked, still hesitant to come in. I grabbed his hand and pulled him into the room. I was still stark naked, my body glistening with liquid, my supple flesh exposed. When he saw me his face turned red and his mouth hung open. His eyes ran over my body and then darted away, as though he was afraid and ashamed of everything he witnessed. He stammered and tried to get away but I maneuvered him against the wall so he couldn’t escape. I made sure my breasts brushed against his body, and I could already feel him bristling with arousal. He could have been no more than 19, a few years younger than me, and yet he seemed so much more naïve than I was at that age, but then again he had two older brothers to take care of him, whereas I had nobody.

  “I just wanted a little help while I dried off, and a little company. I have to admit that I’ve been quite shaken this whole time, as you can imagine. I mean, you can see everything that’s happened to me, and you were just so brave when you rushed out to help your brothers. It takes a special person to run into danger like that, and you should be proud. I can tell that they’ve had a strong influence on you, you’re lucky to have them in your life.”

  “I know,” Jamie said.

  “I guess I just feel a little safer with you being around. I wasn’t lucky like you are. My family was…well, they never really wanted me around. I learned from a young age that I was going to be alone in the world. I guess things would have turned out differently if I’d have had a couple of siblings like Jackson and Logan taking care of me.”

  I picked up a towel and began rubbing myself down, bending over, using every inch of my flexibility to give Jamie a good view. I wondered if he had even seen a naked woman before in the flesh, for he was looking at me with great curiosity.

  “They’re good brothers.”

  “I know, and you seem like a good man yourself, which makes it so confusing about why you’re keeping me here against my will and why you were going to…do what you were going to do.”
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  I rubbed the towel around my neck and breasts, arching my body as I did so. I turned around and curved my body, dragging the towel up and down my spine, twirling to show him every inch of me. I saw him gulp and he struggled to keep his gaze from drifting to my body, but he was unable to stop himself. He drank in the sight of my body and he was quickly becoming mine.

  I finished drying myself off and threw the towel aside before I picked up a robe and pulled it around my shoulders, although I didn’t fasten the belt, so the robe hung loosely and still displayed my naked front. I walked up closer to Jamie, who stiffened, and stopped inches away from him.

  I pressed my hand against his heart and felt how quickly it was beating. I smirked and ran my tongue over my lower lip.

  “You know, I don’t blame you for what happened earlier. Jackson is obviously stressed and it means a lot that you stood up and refused to do something you were uncomfortable with. That’s what it takes to be a real man, and I’m glad that there’s one person here I can trust. I just wanted you to know that sometimes you don’t have to take things you want, sometimes all you have to do is ask.” I got on my tiptoes and kissed him softly on the cheek, allowing my lips to linger against him for a few moments. I exhaled deeply and softly as I rolled back on my heels, but I kept my hand on his chest. His breaths were fervent and nervous, and I knew I had him.

  But then the door flung open and Logan was standing there. He cried out to Jamie and grabbed me by the arm. I yelped but he dragged me to my room and locked me in there once again, leaving my alone with my thoughts. I didn’t bother pressing my ear to the door as I knew I wouldn’t be able to hear what they were saying, but I imagined Logan was warning Jamie against my feminine wiles and how he should be on guard against me. It might make things more difficult the next time I attempted to seduce Jamie, or perhaps it might work in my favor. The brothers were fractured. They had lost their Alpha, and maybe Jamie might just start seeing things in a new light. After all, he was becoming a man now, and men liked to be in charge.