Second Chances (3 page)

Chapter 7

Colt knocked on his father’s door, having heard the loud shouting
and screaming from their housekeeper, Sandra. He could hear his father walking
around inside, pacing up and down, and he knew something was troubling the old
man. Marcus was one of the oldest wolves he knew and, even though he was
showing signs of aging, he was still one of the strongest around. His father
didn't scare him exactly, but he unnerved him as he loved to torture and taunt
his victims.

Colt’s life had changed for the worse when his mother
disappeared a few years ago. He knew Marcus had had something to do with it,
but couldn’t prove his father had killed his mother any more than he could
forgive the Penn Lake pricks for scarring his face. He also didn't know why his
father was so obsessed with getting the female wolf back from them; but, from
what he could guess, the one they called Callie was related to him somehow,
plus his father had killed her parents.

He shook his head in an effort to clear his mind and knocked
again, but didn't wait for an answer before he opened the door. Sandra was lying
on the floor; Colt could see her neck was clearly broken and her body and face
showed signs of being beaten before she had died. Colt rushed to her to check
for a pulse, even though he knew she was dead. He could smell her body already starting
to decompose.

‘What the fuck did you do?’ Colt looked at Marcus, unable to
contain his feelings of disgust.

‘Don’t look at me like that, you weak pup,’ shouted Marcus. ‘She
no longer served her purpose and I wasn’t in the best of moods.’ He had started
pacing again. ‘Send fucking humans to do a wolf’s job and they fuck it up. The
girl and the giant Penn Lake wolf have got away. I told them I would fucking
rip them apart if they failed. Fucking humans…’ He turned his attention to Colt,
who was still crouching alongside the dead woman’s body. ‘Leave that bitch and
go! Get me her daughter. I need something to rid me of this anger.’ He threw a
key at Colt’s feet.

‘What the fuck is this?’ Colt picked up the key and hoped
Marcus wasn’t thinking what he thought he was.

‘It’s a key, you thick shit,’ said Marcus. ‘Go get the girl
and fast. I want you to head out into the woods with a few others. Firstly,
find those pathetic humans and rip their throats out, then bring me that fat
bitch back here. She will not escape me this time.’ He looked down at the body
of Sandra. ‘And bury that waste of space, will you? I don't want her rotting
corpse on my carpet.’ With that, he walked out of the room.

Colt couldn’t believe he had killed Sandra. She wasn’t that
old, but she had worked a hard life being with Marcus. Colt had never had
anything to do with her daughter, but suddenly he felt sick at the thought of having
to tell her that her mother was dead and now he was going to take her to a fate
worse than death – his father. He knew he couldn’t let Marcus down, or else he
would end up like Sandra. On the plus side, however, he would get to hunt down those
Penn Lake pricks and make them pay for what they did to him.

Making his way up the stairs, he walked to a room at the end
of the hall. The key fitted the lock perfectly and he unlocked the door. What
he saw turned his stomach even more. The woman couldn’t have been more than 30
years old and she was covered in what looked like a ripped shirt. Her legs were
bare and her hands were chained to a long silver cord that was attached to the
bed. She had turned immediately when she heard the lock turn in the door, but
clearly he wasn’t who she wanted to see when he saw her smile fail.

‘Where is my mother? Who are you?’ Her voice was soft, but
her stance was strong. It was like she was ready to fight if she needed to. He
could only stare at her beauty. She had long brown hair that fell in waves and
the biggest brown eyes that were full of emotion. Anger, hurt – but mostly fear.
She was right to be fearful as he thought about what lay ahead of her.

‘Did you hear me?’ she said. ‘Where is my mother?’ He could
hear the strain in her voice as she tried to remain composed.

‘She is dead,’ he replied simply. ‘Marcus killed her. If you
want to stay alive you will do as you’re told and come with me.’ He hated being
a prick, but he hated his father’s anger even more. He needed a few more months,
or years, before he felt strong enough to fight his father for alpha position.
He wouldn’t let the emotions of one human get in the way of his plans.

Colt watched the woman crumple to the floor, her shoulders
heaving as the tears came. Yes, he felt sorry for her, but it wasn’t his
problem to fix. What Daddy wanted Daddy got
... ‘For now
’ his wolf told
him.
Yes, for now
, he thought. He reached down and unlocked the woman’s
chain with the same key and pulled her up by her arm.

‘Come on, Marcus wants to see you. If you’re good he won’t
hurt you too much.’ He winced at his words.

‘I don't care what he does,’ she cried. ‘I’d rather die than
let that fucker touch me.’ She spat at him as he yanked her arm tighter.

‘Then you will die. Do what he says and you may stand a
chance of leaving this place.’ He hoped she caught his meaning. From what
little Colt had known, she had lived here most of her life in captivity under
Marcus’s ruling. Her mother had been brought here long before Colt’s mother had
disappeared and, soon after, her daughter was brought in to keep her under
control. She had only been a small child then, but that was the only time he
had seen her. He knew Sandra would do anything for her daughter, including
putting up with Marcus’s fierce temper when he lashed out. He walked her into
his father’s office and was thankful to see he had calmed.

‘Hello there, Maggie,’ said Marcus. Colt looked down at his
little charge and thought the name suited her.

‘Fuck you, you monster.’ Her comment made him smile to
himself.

‘Now, aren’t we a feisty one?’ replied Marcus. ‘I will so
much enjoy knocking that spirit out of you. If you weren’t untried I would love
nothing more than to fuck it out of you, but as it is I need you to remain
untouched for a few more weeks.’ Marcus appeared to have complete control of
his emotions, but Colt knew this was when the old man was at his worse. He
could feel Maggie shaking under his hand, so he shoved her towards the nearest
chair for her to sit. ‘I need your help with a little problem that I'm having,’
continued Marcus. ‘Do it right and I will grant you your freedom. But get it
wrong… and I will make sure you don't remain untried for long. Do you
understand?’

Maggie stood up and spat on the desk in front of Marcus. ‘Fuck
you. I’d rather die than help you out.’ Colt pushed her back down in the chair,
waiting for his father to explode.

‘Oh yes, I'm going to enjoy letting the pack have you as
their new toy, but not before I’ve taken you first.’ Marcus stood up and walked
to sit in the chair next to Maggie. ‘I promise you that your death will not
come as swift as it did your mother’s and I will enjoy making you scream in
pain.’ His hand landed on her knee and moved up her leg towards her inner thigh.
Maggie was physically shaking and Colt was surprised she didn't puke on the
floor.

‘What do you need me to do?’ She was openly crying now and
her eyes never left the floor. Colt felt his body relax as his father lifted
his hand off her thigh, and he returned to his chair behind his desk. This poor
bitch was never going to be free from him, even if he promised her freedom.

‘I need you to get close to one of the Penn Lake wolf boys,’
replied Marcus. ‘I don't care which one, but I need you to gain their trust and
lure them here to me. Fuck them if you want. I don't care how you do it, but I
want one of their own here in my dungeon in less than two months. Do you
understand me?’ He was looking straight at her with his intimidating stare.

‘Yes, I understand,’ said the girl. ‘If... if I do this… I
will be free? You promise?’ She was sobbing uncontrollably, her whole body shaking.

‘I promise, my dear,’ said Marcus. ‘Once those fuckers are
here under my control you will be free to go. Colt is going to bury your mother,
so I suggest you run along and pack. He is going to drop you in town once he is
done. You will then find a way to get close to those Penns. Oh, and Maggie,’ he
added as an afterthought. ‘Don't think about running. I have eyes within the
ranks of Penn Lake and they will be reporting your progress, okay?’ The last
comment made Colt take notice. He didn't know they had a spy amongst the wolves.

‘Yes.’ She stood and ran from the room. Colt was glad the
whole sobbing mess was gone, but now he had to deal with his father.

‘I need you to get a team together and bring the girl back
here,’ said Marcus brusquely. ‘Don't fail me and don't let those humans live,
either. They had their chance and failed.’

Without replying, Colt walked from the room and went in
search of the few wolves he could count on in battle. This was going to be a
very long night.

Chapter 8

Callie swore that if she ever saw another wood again she
would scream. They had walked all day and she was sweaty, tired and bored. Logan
still seemed to prowl through the woods as if he was out for an afternoon
stroll. She fucking hated walking and she fucking hated the woods.

‘Can you hear the road ahead?’ called out Logan. ‘Thank fuck
for that. Hopefully, we can make it a few more miles without running into those
pricks and get out of here.’

He had turned to talk to her. Callie, however, still looking
down at the floor, hadn’t noticed and walked straight into his huge, muscular
chest. Two hands reached out and grabbed her by her shoulders to steady her. Suddenly,
she was being pulled into the said huge chest and towards his warmth. His eyes
had her pinned in place as his head moved down to place a gentle kiss on her
mouth. Callie opened her mouth to protest, but Logan took it as a sign to
further the kiss. His mouth covered hers in a brutal assault and, before she
could think straight, she felt herself being pinned against a tree as her mate
ravished her mouth. Her fingers moved behind his neck as one hand grabbed his
shoulder, whilst the other wrapped around his neck to hold him in place.

Callie couldn’t believe Logan was kissing her as if his life
depended on it. Suddenly her mind swirled. Did he know something she didn't?
Did he think they would never get out of these woods? Logan must have felt the
change in her, as he released her from his hold and let her feet drop to the
floor. Funny, she hadn’t even known her feet had left the ground. Oh boy, she
was in trouble now. Logan was going to blow up like he did every time he
touched her.

She stood her ground, waiting for him to start with the
harsh words about how she wasn’t good enough, or thin enough. But, as she stood
there looking at him, the words didn't come. Instead, his hand came up to cup
her cheek and she instantly felt the heat flood her body. Logan smiled the most
devastating smile she had ever seen.

‘I know what you’re thinking, Callie,’ he said softly. ‘But
we’ll get out of this. I’m not sorry I kissed you, though. But you need to stop
those raunchy thoughts – I can smell your desire and it’s making it hard for me
to control myself.’ With that, he placed another gentle kiss on her lips, then turned
around and carried on walking through the wood.

Callie was aware she was standing, staring at his back with
her mouth open. But what the fuck had just happened? Logan had done a complete
turnaround from not wanting her to now full-on passion.
Hell, yes
, she
thought, mentally high-fiving herself.
Bring it on.
Now she had a
purpose to keep moving through the woods, towards finding out what this new
Logan had in store.

Logan knew he was a complete prick for doing it, but he had
to give Callie something to live for. He could feel her will slipping away the
further they walked and he needed her to keep moving forward and not give up. What
he didn't expect was the raging heat that shot through him when she buried her
fingers in his hair and she opened her mouth to him. He couldn’t resist taking
the kiss further. His cock stirred at the taste of her in his mouth. Shit, now
he had another hard-on and he was surprised he didn't pass out from all the
blood flowing through it. He so needed to get laid when he got home. But the
thought of taking one of the other females home instead of Callie didn't hold
the appeal it used to.

Maybe Seth had been right, that sex with your one true mate
was phenomenal. If he truly was a complete prick, he could take Callie for a
spin before he finally settled on another for his mate. But even
he
knew
he couldn’t do that to her. The more time he spent walking through the woods,
the more he realised she was actually an okay girl. Most of his usual bed
partners would have cried and screamed in panic had it been them lost in these
woods, but Callie just pulled up her big girl knickers and ploughed on. He knew
she was feeling the pain after walking for so long, but she didn't once give in.
He could feel her holding back a little now, but as they were so close he couldn’t
let her give up. If kissing her gave her the hope she needed to move on, he would
do it.  

‘I can hear the road, too,’ she called out to him. ‘Hopefully,
that means we are near town. I need a shower and food.’ She knew she was making
polite conversation, but she didn't want to bring up what happened just in case
Logan had regretted it. She watched his strong strides and wondered how it
would feel to have those strong, hard thighs spreading her legs apart so he
could make love to her... She felt her body shiver and she couldn’t help the
sigh that come out.

‘With that sigh and scent I can only imagine you’re having
good thoughts,’ Logan chuckled. Callie felt the blush all through her body. She
was so embarrassed that he was able to smell how turned on she felt, but she
figured she would go for gold now.

‘Well, if you do insist on walking in front of me, I have no
choice but to watch your arse.’ Wow, she really had found her backbone! Logan
laughed out loud and reached back for her hand. She let her hand glide into his
and, suddenly, it felt like she had been doing this for years, holding hands
with a loved one walking through the wood...
Whilst being chased by human maniacs
,
she laughed to herself.

‘Then I better make sure you keep up,’ replied Logan, ‘and
that we can make it to a hotel to wait for Seth to pick us up.’ He hoped that
Seth had left the island by now and was already looking for them, as he didn't
know how he was going to cope with being holed up in a hotel room with Callie.

‘Logan?’

‘Yes, baby?’

‘Do you really think Marcus killed my parents? I know
Brandon is looking into it, but do you really think he is the wolf I remember?’

Callie already knew the answer, but what she really wanted
to know was why, and the only way she was going to get that answer was to face
the arsehole again. That, she was not ready for. So much had happened in her
life – some things for the better, some not so good. The bakery was doing
really well, and spending time with Logan running through the woods seemed to
have brought about a change of heart in the way he felt about her. Yet, she
couldn’t help but feel something was coming, that something big was going to tear
apart her perfect world.

Logan looked back at her momentarily. ‘I don't know, but my
guess is that he had something to do with it, or he wouldn’t have known who you
were or that your parents had died. Brandon is working on your history to see
if he can find any connection with Marcus. Either way, he will pay for what he
has done to you and Sarah.’ He squeezed her hand to let her know it was going
to be all right. ‘If it’s on the Net, Brandon will find out. He’s our resident
geek.’

‘I know he’s looking,’ said Callie, ‘and you are both so
busy rebuilding that spa where you first met us, but part of me doesn’t want to
know. The other part wants to find out why he killed them but left me alive to
risk finding him later on…’ Logan growled so loudly it rattled through the
woods.

‘It doesn’t matter what that sick fucker wants,’ he replied
angrily. ‘He is getting nowhere near you to find out. I won’t risk your safety,
or Brandon’s, for answers that don't need answering. He is sick in the head and
I'm not sure he didn't do it just for kicks. He is old and should have stood
down as alpha years ago, but power goes to your head and that is the outcome. Colt,
his son, follows his lead and will one day take over their pack. You will never
have to see them again if I have my way.’

They walked further towards the road, but still he wouldn’t
let go of Callie’s hand. He couldn’t even if he wanted to and, if he were to admit
it to himself, he actually liked holding her hand.

‘Thanks, Logan. It means a lot to me that you’re here.’ Callie
skipped along next to him, hoping to find food and a shower soon.