Forbidden Hunger (Lee County Wolves Book 1) (10 page)

Chapter 13

Walking through the rocky woods, Janna’s foot slid on a slippery rock. Her hand slammed down on a pointed boulder making her wonder if that was how this place got its name, because the damn rock gorged the hell out of her hand. She couldn’t believe Jonah had gotten them away from Garrett, but he had. By now, he knew she was gone. If she survived this, there would be hell to pay because Garrett was going to be pissed, but better him pissed than Roxy dead. Roxy was there because of her and that was something Janna couldn’t live with, whether Garrett understood that or not.

She continued down the path Jonah directed her to go. She knew he was near because he said he would be, but he was trying to keep downwind so the bastards who held Roxy couldn’t smell him. Leda had also given her directions, which she told Jonah, and he helped her until they needed to separate.

Hearing voices, she stopped, pressing tightly against a tree. Her eyes searched to see if she could spot Jonah, but there was nothing but trees and rocks. Closing her eyes, she gave herself a pep talk. She could do this. She had to do this, and if she had to shift, she could do that too, even though she had no idea how. Dammit, why didn’t she do it last night when Garrett wanted her to?

“I thought I smelled something.” A voice snapped her eyes wide open. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

She tried not to cringe away when he grabbed her arm, dragging her through the tall weeds and rocks. Walking under a large boulder, they ended up in a clearing. Her eyes immediately found Roxy who was standing with a few other people who looked scared to death.

“No!” Roxy shook her head. “Run, Janna.”

“Oh, she will be running very soon.” Jasper stepped out, his smile growing larger at the sight of her. “Look, Evan, your pledge is here.”

Memories of her mother being murdered flashed through her brain, making her shake in rage. Talking herself down, she had to remain calm. Soon this bastard would get his due. Very soon.

“Let her go.” Janna nodded toward Roxy. “Leda said if I came, you would let her go.”

“Who? That little pain in the ass wolf we sent crawling back?” Jasper laughed loudly. “Well, we changed our mind. One of my boy’s took a liking to the little human and decided to mark her for his pledge. She will be joining the Reaping tonight.”

“You’re a bastard,” Janna spat. She failed to react in time as his backhand hit her so hard her lip split instantly. She felt her beast clawing just below the surface, her body began to shake to the point it scared her. She forced it away. She wasn’t ready. What if she lost control? Plus it wasn’t the time to shift; if she could get alone, maybe, but not now.

“You don’t talk to our alpha like that.” Evan went to backhand her again, but Jasper stopped him.

“Hold on, son.” Jasper dropped his son’s hand. “I have a few more questions to ask before you damage her.”

Janna tried to keep her eyes on Jasper and his son, but all she wanted to do was look for help. It seemed her plan, and coming in and saving the day, was a bust. She was in deep shit and wasn’t afraid to admit it. She just hoped Jonah hadn’t lost her and was still out there close.

“So Jonah is still a coward?” Jasper tilted his head, watching her closely.

“Jonah who?” Janna asked, showing no emotion at Jonah’s name.

He took a step closer to her so he could grab her face in a cruel grip. “Do you think I’m a fool? You know exactly who Jonah is.” He leaned closer to her, the madness in his eyes hard to miss. “Jonah is the reason your mother is dead.”

“No, you are the reason my mother is dead,” she hissed with hatred, and then actually spat in his face.

This time, Jasper backhanded her and punched her hard in the stomach before wiping the spittle from his face. Grabbing her hair, he pulled her more into the clearing. “Just like your mother.” He jerked her around using her hair. “Too brave and stupid for your own good.”

The pain and talk of her mother was making her beast howl inside her head with rage. Raising her hands, she tried to pry his fingers out of her hair, but his grip was too tight.

“Jonah!” Jasper’s yell echoed through the trees. “I have your whore’s daughter. I would have thought you would try to play the hero again. What a disappointment you are to let your whore’s daughter die because you’re a coward.”

The more he talked of her mother, the angrier she became. “You’re the coward, you bastard.” Janna challenged. “You killed an innocent woman. You’ve known where Jonah has been this whole time, haven’t you?”

He let go of her hair pushing her away. “Shut the bitch up,” Jasper ordered, but Janna saw she had hit a nerve.

“Why don’t you shut me up, Jasper?” Janna growled, her eyes narrowing. “Or are you too big of a pussy, just like you were too much of a pussy walking into Garrett Foster’s town to find Jonah yourself? Instead, you had to kill an innocent woman and, mark his daughter all so you could draw him out from his pack, because they’re more powerful than you.”

Murmurs spread through his pack at Janna’s words. “Shut up!” Jasper growled, his eyes growing bright with anger.

Janna didn’t know who he was talking to, her or his pack, who were starting to look at Jasper in a new light.

“She belongs to the Foster Pack?” one of them said, looking around the wooded area before glaring at Jasper. “What the fuck were you thinking?”

“Did you say his daughter?” Jasper stepped toward her, a gleam of evil in his eyes.

That took her back. Had she said that? Realizing she had she tilted her head in pride. “Yes, his daughter.”

“So this isn’t just a Reaping?” another one asked, his eyes also nervously shifting through the woods.

“I said shut the fuck up!” Jasper screamed, his control slipping quickly.

“No, it’s not,” Janna answered for Jasper. “He killed my mother because of his vendetta against Jonah. And all of those people over there are under the protection of Garrett Foster, my mate.”

“Son of a bitch,” one of them cursed. “I’m fucking out of here. I have no beef with the Lee County pack.”

“Go!” Jasper didn’t even look his way, his eyes still on Janna. “You really think I give a fuck whether you stay or go? The rest of you get ready for the Reaping.”

“Maybe we better…” Evan began until Jasper smacked him across the face.

“Don’t ever turn on me.” He finally looked away from Janna to his son. “I will not hesitate to kill you for turning on your own blood. The other fools can leave, but you will stay by my side or die by my hand.”

Okay, Janna knew right then and there Jasper Simone was crazy. She had to stop this Reaping one way or another. She noticed four of his pack had up and took off. Only five remained, other than Evan and Jasper.

With Jasper’s attention off her and on Evan, she headed toward Roxy and the others, but Jasper grabbed her around the throat and squeezed.

“Let her go!” Jonah’s voice was all it took for Jasper’s hand on her throat to loosen. He pushed her away.

Glancing toward Jonah, she was shocked yet relieved to see Garrett, along with the whole pack walking toward them. Garrett’s eyes briefly met hers; she could tell he was livid. His eyes raked her battered face and his eyes brightened to the point they glowed with fury. She tried to let him know with her eyes she was okay, but he looked away. Her heart sank. She had made a big mistake coming here. She should have trusted him.

Jasper looked toward Garrett. “You must be Garret Foster, alpha of Lee County.”

“I’m the man who is going to kill you for touching my mate,” Garrett responded, rolling his shoulders as if getting ready to do just that.

Janna saw fear flash across Jasper’s face, before he quickly hid it. “Take care of him, Evan,” Jasper ordered. When Evan didn’t step forward, he turned to look at his son. “This is your chance. Make me proud.”

Evan stared at Garrett, not looking confident. Garrett stepped forward and continued going until he stood face to face with Evan. Even when a few other men in Jasper’s pack tried to stop Garrett, he just tossed them aside as if they were nothing.

“Give it your best shot.” Garrett’s voice boomed in the quiet woods, echoing through the trees as he stared down at Evan, then his glare shot to Jasper. “But know this. After I kill him, I’m coming after whoever laid those marks on her body. Anyone willing to let me know who will die next?”

Every single one of Jasper’s pack pointed toward him.

“Kill him!” Jasper ordered his son.

Before Evan could even make a move, Garrett punched him repeatedly in the face before picking him up throwing him against a large boulder. Evan slid down the rock, his eyes opened in a death stare. Garrett turned toward Jasper and pointed at him. “You’re next,” Garrett promised, but took his eyes away from him for a second. “Doesn’t look like you have much loyalty, Jasper,” Garrett growled.

Jasper took his eyes off his son, no remorse on in his face. “And that’s because of you.” He turned toward Jonah. “Because my pledge was stolen from me, my pack didn’t trust my leadership, my authority.”

“The Reaping has been outlawed for a long time,” Garrett replied, easing closer to Jasper, yet his eyes were on Janna, who still stood too close to the bastard.

“It’s me he wants. Let me and Jasper handle this.” Jonah nodded toward Janna. “She has nothing to do with any of this.”

“Oh, but you’re wrong.” Jasper pulled out a gun, holding it out toward Jonah before swinging it toward Janna. “She has everything to do with it. You took my pledge, made a fool out of me in front of my pack, so I will make you pay. You will never stop paying for my disgrace.”

It took Janna a second to realize what was happening, but it was too late. Her eyes instantly found Garrett’s. Seeing the true terror on his face, she knew she was going to die. Regret hit her so hard her legs almost buckled underneath her. She watched as Garrett shifted right before her eyes to try to get to Jasper in time, but it was too late. The sound of the gun going off and the howl of rage happened at the same time. Pain like nothing she had ever felt hit her chest, throwing her off her feet. Garrett’s wolf’s scream of rage was the last thing she heard.

******

Someone was petting her head. Janna’s eyes felt heavy, her tongue swollen with thirst. She fought against the darkness, but it was too much. She heard a whimper and wondered briefly who was hurt and why in the hell she was so tired. Had she been drugged? Finally, she opened her eyes to a blurry world. Lifting her head was impossible, but she tried.

“I think she’s coming around.” A woman’s voice sounded frantic.

“Watch out, Sam,” a familiar voice ordered. “Janna? Can you hear me?”

Janna tried to answer, but couldn’t speak. Her eyes moved down. Two large paws lay in front of her, which was odd. She opened up her mouth again and heard panting; she couldn’t speak. Suddenly, things became a little clearer and she panicked. Those were her paws and she was the one panting. Terror hit her hard, making her struggle.

“Janna stop!” Garrett’s voice ordered, his large hands trying to calm her. He got down close to her face. “You had to shift to live, to heal. You’re fine, but you have to stay this way so you can get better.”

She stopped struggling, not because she wanted to, but because she was too weak to continue. Her head dropped heavily, her eyes closed on their own. Darkness once again claimed her and she welcomed it.

What felt like hours later, Janna woke again; this time she was in human form. As soon as her eyes opened, they looked down checking for furry paws; but instead, she saw her body under soft cotton covers. Relief swept through her. Sitting up, she felt so much better than the first time she woke. Glancing over, Garrett sat in a chair next to the bed, his eyes closed. She took a moment to study him. He looked like he had lost some weight and dark shadows marred his handsome face.

Quietly, she sat the rest of the way up and felt a small pull in her chest area. Looking down, there was a white bandage. Slowly, she peeled it away from her skin. To her astonishment, there was nothing there. Hearing the chair creak, she looked up, meeting Garrett’s intense gaze.

When he didn’t say anything, but just stared, Janna slowly looked down. “I’m sorry.”

Garrett finally moved as he removed the bandage the rest of the way. Staring at her chest, he remained quiet. It wasn’t until he raised his gaze to hers, that she saw his unshed tears. Gently, he pulled her into his grip, bringing her onto his lap, holding her tightly, but not tight enough to hurt her.

“Do not ever do anything like that again,” he said into her neck as he held her tightly. “I thought I lost you.”

Janna nodded, her own tears falling freely. “How long have I been…?”

“Almost a month.” Garrett pulled away to look down into her face. “The bullet was silver, which is deadly for us, but your human part saved you as well as your wolf.”

“My wolf?” Janna asked, confused. She only remembered very little of what happened.

“With you being unconscious, your wolf knew what needed to be done and took over. You shifted at your wolf’s will.” Garrett kissed her mouth lightly. “You have a very clever wolf.”

Her eyes shot up to his, panic shadowing her face. “Leda?”

“Is fine.” He frowned. “As is everyone else.”