Ravaged By The Pack (The Alpha's Mate) (7 page)

The afterglow was short-lived. Shortly after taking a seat at the edge of the bed, Todd jumped up and buried his fist in the wall, shouting in anger. “Goddammit!” he cried. “What have I done?”

She peered up at him tiredly, her eyes struggling to focus. She felt as though she'd just woken up after a night of hard drinking, the alcohol still in her veins and muddling her vision. The bruises and marks on her body were like those incurred after many a wild night, too. “What's the matter?” she asked, struggling to raise her head off of the mattress. “You seemed to enjoy it.”

Todd pulled his fist from the wall and snarled, stamping on the floor. “You... you enchanted me. You knew this would happen, didn't you? You damn witch, coming in here and seducing me like that. I ought to kill you!”

She arched a brow. “C'mon there, don't be an idiot. You didn't complain during the deed and I sure as hell didn't initiate it. You're totally killing the mood, talking about killing people,” she said, clicking her tongue.

He was not amused, however. “Don't you get it? Now that we've mated, you could become pregnant. If you become pregnant with my child, the prophecy could come to pass and the Blackston pack will be re-united. That's precisely the outcome I was hoping to avoid.”

“So why'd you do it, then?” she asked, smirking. She knew damn well that he hadn't been able to help himself, but she wanted to hear it.

He lowered his gaze. “I felt compelled to do it. It was an urge I couldn't fight, as though I were being controlled by forces outside of myself. I can't... I can't explain it.” He displayed no little consternation at not being able to control himself.

“Well, I've got some good news for you,” she said, laying back on the bed and sighing. “That little prophecy of yours ain't gonna come to pass.”

“What?”

“You heard me. If I am your moon-lady, then this little prophecy has hit a serious roadblock. You see, I'm infertile. I can't conceive a child.” She paused, studying the ceiling. This wasn't the sort of thing she'd ever wished to discuss after a bout of hot sex, but considering the circumstances, she thought it an important tidbit to share. “I was injured as a kid, and doctors told me that I'd never be able to conceive. I had some of my, uh, baby-making parts removed as a result. So, yeah. Quit freaking out.”

Todd laughed incredulously. “You're not serious.” He looked over at her, his gaze narrowing. “You can't conceive?”

She shook her head. “You want me to repeat it?”

He pursed his lips and considered her words. “I see. I didn't foresee this.”

“Yeah, me neither,” chimed in Jenna. “Never thought I'd get kidnapped by a werewolf who would be obsessed with the idea of my having his super-babies. It's all pretty unreal right now.”

“Well, if that's the case, then maybe I should just let you go, Jenna. If you can't conceive, then perhaps the Hillrunners can have you. How about that?” he said with a smirk.

“Oh?” she said, propping herself up on her elbows. “Are you really such a prick that you'd leave me out there? You really want those guys to get their hands on me and do the same thing that you just did?”

He grimaced, his instincts coming to the fore. He'd claimed her as a mate now, and until he was truly through with her, even the thought of another Lycan bedding her was enough to make his blood boil. Todd shrugged. “Fine, then. You can stay with us for the time being. Until we can decide what to do about the Hillrunners.” Suddenly, he looked to the window, his ears and nose twitching very slightly. He balled his hand into a fist and turned to her. “And speaking of the Hillrunners...”

A tall, skinny man rushed into the room. He was younger looking than Todd, with long, brownish hair. Pushing past the door, his eyes wide with apparent terror, he caught sight of Jenna and immediately fell back a few steps. Jenna shrieked and dove under a blanket to shield herself from his prying eyes.

“What are you doing in here?” demanded Todd, pointing at the doorway. “Out!”

“But, the Hillrunners!” he cried. The young man's loose-fitting T-shirt hung across his flimsy-looking frame. He backed up a bit more, cowering in the hall.

“I know. They're coming.” Todd turned to Jenna. “They've come for you.”

***

Jenna shook off her fatigue and scrambled into her clothes. When she had dressed, Todd led her from the bedroom to a large, open room, where a number of men waited. All of them looked at her intently as she entered, their strangely-colored eyes locking on onto her as though by magnetism.
So this is the rest of the pack, huh?

Todd stood at the room's center. “Do you all smell that? The Hillrunners?”

Each of the men nodded gravely. They huddled around their leader, awaiting his order.

“We'll need to head to the safe zone, out of town. Yes? The girl comes with me.” He turned to Jenna and grasped her by the shoulder, tugging her close. “You stay by my side if you want to make it safely, got that?”

She nodded.

Todd continued. “So the girl stays with me and the rest of you help run interference till the two of us can get away. When the fight is done, we re-group at the safe area outside of town. Understood?”

The men replied in the affirmative and marched out of the room down a corridor. The corridor led to a small foyer, which itself led outside.

Jenna's stomach roiled.
Dude, I'm not much of a runner. No way in hell am I going to be able to run from a pack of horny wolves.
She looked up at Todd nervously. “Say,” she began, “are you sure we'll make it? Aren't these guys, well,
fast
?”

He ignored her however, shoving open the front door and taking a step out into the night. His naked body, still damp with sweat, glittered in the moonlight. Before him there stalked a number of woods in the shadows, their yellow eyes the only thing giving them away. He reached down and picked Jenna up, wrapping an arm around her back and one beneath her knees. Clearing his throat, he made a declaration to the Hillrunners. “You've come for the Spirit of the Moon, I see. I'm sorry to have to tell you that you're too late. She's mine. If you value your lives, turn back now.”

A large, familiar-looking wolf with gold fur stepped up, spittle dripping from its bared teeth. This was likely the alpha she'd been warned about. Jenna held Todd's neck tightly as he took another step forward. The rest of the Blackston pack filed out of the house behind him, numerous of them already in wolf form.

“Now!” cried Todd to his pack. And in an instant, they dispersed, engaging the Hillrunners. The quiet night was filled with the baying and growling of dogs.

Todd hopped from the porch and broke immediately into a full sprint, clutching Jenna to his chest as though she were weightless. His powerful footfalls filled the air like the galloping of a horse, and his bare feet sank into the damp soil. He made a bee-line for the woods. What he hoped to find there she could only guess.

From behind came the sound of a furious pursuit. Jenna rummaged up the courage to peer over Todd's shoulder and found that the massive gold wolf, the alpha of the Hillrunners, was hot on their tail. The beast dashed ask quickly as its legs would allow, its eyes fixed intensely on its target.

The golden wolf did something unexpected as Todd turned a corner on a footpath; it took a running jump and, with no little acrobatic skill, dug its fore-claws into his back, knocking him to the ground and sending Jenna sprawling to the forest floor. She smacked the cold ground, groaning as her face connected with a mess of chill mud. Disoriented, the sounds of the struggle mingling with the rustling of foliage, she rolled onto her back and tried to focus her eyes. It was too dark, however. Moments ago, before they'd entered the woods, the moonlight had allowed her a fair bit of vision. Here in the woods though, she couldn't hardly see her hand in front of her face.

From somewhere in the darkness, Todd shrieked at her. “Run!”

As quickly as she could, she pulled herself up and took off. Bumping into trees, her lungs burning for breath, she staggered away, the sounds of the dogfight slowly fading into the distance. She ran like she'd never run before, till her legs quivered beneath her and she felt safe enough to stop for a break. Jenna collapsed beside a tall tree, feeling dizzy and hysterical.

Wolves. I'm being followed-- hunted-- by wolves.

Her eyes brimmed with tears, though she couldn't afford to cry right then. She didn't have the luxury of fear. As soon as she caught her breath, she needed to keep running. To break out of the woods and head somewhere into the city, where she might have the protection of other people. But then, where was she, exactly? In her flight, she'd only ventured deeper into the pitch-black woods. She rose to her feet, leaning against the trunk of a tree and surveyed the area.

Behind her, she found a narrow slit of the forest illuminated by moonlight. It was a clearing, seemingly. She started for it, hoping to get a better view of the surrounding woods, but suddenly paused as something dashed through the clearing and towards her. It was a wolf. Her heart soared at the sight.
Todd? Did you manage to catch up to me?

Her excitement withered as she caught a second glimpse. The wolf racing towards her; the wolf that would be upon her in an instant, had gold-colored fur. And the sharpness in its gaze relayed but one thing. She saw it, clear as day.

Its eyes said, “
I see you
.”

To be continued...

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Alpha's Mate
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--Ellen Waite