Jett's Wild Wolf (Mystic Wolves 3)

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED:
This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER:

Elle Boon

Dedication

I’d like to first thank the readers for liking my stories as much as I love them. Thank you, thank you, readers!

To my friend Debbie Ramos who has always been the very best beta reader...EVER. Thank you! Valerie Tibbs for always giving me the best covers, you totally rock. Trenda Tbird, you are an amazing new addition to my team of beta readers, and seriously, love you so hard. Y’all are amazing ladies that I am blessed to call friends. I wouldn’t have been able to continue on my journey without all of your support. I’d also like to thank all the amazing authors I can call friends. Thank you all for your support and help.

A huge thank you to the bestest crit partner and lady I owe so much to, Caitlyn O’Leary, you are most def the bestest lady I’ve met in the business so far. Big huge hugs.

And last, but not least, I owe many thanks to my husband and my children. Without their love and support I wouldn’t be able to do what I love...Making up stories! XOXO.

Elle

JETT’S WILD WOLF

Book THREE

Prologue

T
aryn Cole felt the first skitter of fear slither down her spine as Keith pinned her with his black eyes. The man who claimed her as his daughter, or as one of his possessions, gave her one of his death stares. Others in the great room either dropped to their knees, or showed him their throats, but she did neither, barely resisting the urge.

“Where have you been, little girl?” Keith’s voice grated like nails against concrete.

She’d learned at a very young age not to allow him to see how he affected her. A deep inhale helped steady her nerves. “My truck broke down.” As long as she stayed close to the truth, Keith wouldn’t scent a lie. Another thing she’d learned at his knee, fists, and claws.

Keith cleared the ten or so feet separating them in one leap, startling a gasp out of her. “Don’t lie to me, you little bitch. I know there was more to it than that. You were in the woods up in Mystic again. Which one of those bastards were you sniffing after?”

His face had contorted into his half-beast. A cross between wolf and whatever he could be. Even Taryn had no clue what all he was, but he was mean.

Her head tilted toward the two wolves standing off to the side. “I followed those two, yes.” Again, half truths.

His chest expanded with his deep inhale. She was sure he’d give her some mundane chore, or take away her privileges like a child. At twenty-five years old, being treated like a five year old on a weekly basis was nothing new.

As his large arm raised with its muscles and veins covered by fur, she didn’t flinch as he ran the back of his knuckles down her cheek. “Your skin is so smooth, and soft. Unblemished from time and age. Do you know how lucky you are to have my genes coursing through your veins?”

She swallowed. “Yes, alpha.” Nobody could accuse her of being a stupid wolf. Her eyes stayed below his chin, yet she never gave him the respect due his status.

“When will you learn your place?” His voice didn’t raise. One claw scraped down, lifting her chin to meet his eyes.

The hate and loathing staring back at her made her gut clench. Whether it was directed at her or the Mystic Wolves didn’t matter. Alpha Keith was angry, or suspicious.

Her voice came out a croak. “I don’t have a place. I’m the lowest member of your pack, below even that.”

The blow that knocked her across the room shocked her, then the pain hit, blood filling her mouth. Before she could get to her feet, he was on her, his hand gripped her by the shirt and lifted her up, dangling her feet off the ground.

The scary beast in front of her drew his arm back, the shifted paw of the wolf was larger than a full grown bear, and he flashed his black claws like they were knives. They reminded Taryn of the movie
Nightmare On Elm Street
, when the killer would taunt his victims before he’d slice the razor sharp talons, gutting them. Some days she wondered if he’d actually kill her. Had silently prayed for death on more than one occasion.

He laughed. “Oh, you are truly smart. Too smart maybe.”

A rake of those too sharp claws swiped across her cheek, burning her flesh like liquid acid pouring down on her. Silently she screamed, knowing he fed off the pain and anguish of others. Oh, he loved to see his handy work, too. She watched satisfaction flare in his unholy black orbs at the blood running down her face, ruining one of her favorite shirts.

Still, she hung several feet off the ground. His grip on her shirt never loosening while he held her at his height of over six feet four, give or take, in human form, but in his beast mode he was closer to seven.

His next blow broke several ribs, a gasp escaping before she could control it.

“Ah, let’s see how much more you can stand. Hmm?” Keith asked, dropping her from his grasp.

Taryn tried to protect her head, knowing it was the most important part of her body. Everything else would heal itself within hours with no outward sign of damage. However, a head injury could take days.

The sound of the pack cheering Keith on became background noise as he continued to kick and hit her. She tried to curl into a ball, focusing all her energy on keeping her head from taking any of his abuse. Every now and again he’d give a grunt, but even that was for show. By the time he was finished, Taryn couldn’t count the number of broken bones in her body on both hands.

Excruciating pain radiated out of every pore of her being. Both eyes had swollen to slits from the kicks to her face. Whatever had angered him, Keith had decided she was going to be his punching bag tonight. Not an uncommon occurrence, but this was one of the worst beatings she’d suffered in years. This time she didn’t have a mother figure willing to crawl over and help her back to their rooms.

“Someone help the whelp up before I kill her this time. It’s not her day to die, yet.” He growled, sounding more beast than man.

She wanted to tell whoever came to drag her up to leave her alone, but the gentle touch and sweet scents of her friends washed over her. They hadn’t been in the space when Taryn had been summoned by Keith, otherwise her friends would’ve tried to intervene. They’d have been hurt even worse than her, only their injuries wouldn’t have healed as fast, nor as completely.

Joni and Sky eased their arms under her, their wolf strength gave them the ability to lift her with ease. When they reached the sparse room she called her own, they lay her on the full sized bed. A moan finally escaping her busted lips. “Could you get me a glass of water, please?” Was that her voice? She hoped they understood the garbled mess.

Her friend Sky rushed to the small room, not bothering to turn the light on. The cup shook in the other girl’s hand. “You look so bad, Ryn.”

It hurt to swallow, let alone to reassure her friends she’d be okay. They didn’t know how fast she would heal. Heck, she wasn’t sure how quickly it would take this time. “Need, time, ladies.”

“We are staying with you, so shut the hell up. I brought wine,” Joni whispered.

Too tired and hurting to argue, Taryn took another drink of water. Lying on her bed, knowing she was ruining the beautiful bedding, she wanted to cry. A weakness Keith would love to see. Already bones were realigning, bruised organs healing. The last parts of her to heal would be the outer package, which could take days. Days of agony where she would feel each bone and cartilage reform, refill with fresh blood and tissue. Her mind shut down as her last thought was of the alluring wolf, Jett Tremaine. Goddess, but he was a fine specimen she’d love to do dirty things to.

The next time she woke it didn’t feel like she’d been run over by a Mack Truck, and then backed over again. Lifting her eyelids, she risked a glance down her body, expecting to see blood crusted over every inch of her.

“Thank you jeezus. I didn’t think you’d ever wake the fuck up. I swear you scared like ten years off my life,” Joni said, coming to stand beside her, a glass in her hand.

It took Taryn a couple seconds to get her voice to work, and then she was able to speak. “How long was I out?”

“Three mother fucking days,” Sky growled.

Taryn tried to sit up at the announcement, but the world spun a little. “What? I didn’t wake at all?”

“I almost hauled your ass in to the hospital. One more day and you were going.” Joni held the drink out, the anxiety she’d obviously felt clear in her tone. “Drink this, and then you need to eat, and no you didn’t wake.”

Gulping the orange juice down her parched throat, Taryn was glad her friends had stayed with her.

“How do you feel?” Sky asked.

The thought of moving her body didn’t appeal in the least, but Taryn was no pussy. She stretched her legs out, expecting a little pain. When none came she tested her arms, again no pain.

“We took turns watching you, making sure none of the assholes decided to come in and take advantage of you. The second day we decided to wash you up a bit. I couldn’t stand to look at the blood on you a moment longer, but we didn’t want to jar you too much. Do you think you’re up for a bath?” Sky was the mothering sort. Someday she’d make a great mate, just not to one of the jackholes in their pack.

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