The Alpha's Captive (3 page)

A chorus of howls rang out. The sounds of running vibrated the ground as the other pack members flooded the clearing where his parents lay dead. The three men were outnumbered. The hunters grabbed their fallen comrade and edged out of the woods. As one carried the fallen hunter, the other walked backward, cautiously staring at the wolves until they were far enough away.

Once the men were out of sight he looked around him. The pack surrounded him and let out sorrowful cries as they looked upon their dead alpha and his wife.

The image of his parents’ dead and bloodied bodies would be forever burned into Devon’s mind. His sweet and loving mother, his strong and honorable father had been taken from them and for what? Devon still didn’t know the answer to that question. There was no rhyme or reason as to why hunters were after them, they just were.

It was that very moment that he’d become the alpha. No vote or fight for dominance had been needed. He was the oldest son of the deceased alpha. It was his title by birthright. But after the death of his parents, the majority of the pack members he had grown up with decided to move away. He tried to tell them hunters were everywhere, but they felt if they were able to take down their alpha, they were no longer safe in this particular area. Devon understood, but it didn’t ease the pain any less.

Thump, thump, thump
.

Devon looked up and saw Josef standing in the doorway. He scrubbed a hand down his face and looked at his watch. Over an hour had passed. Time sure did fly when remembering things he’d rather soon forget.

“You okay there, Dev?” Josef’s concerned eyes roamed over Devon’s face.

“Yeah, just tired I guess.” And he was. Erik had been missing for a week now, and he feared that his brother had been murdered. Why else would they take a wolf if not to torture then kill it?

The thought of someone torturing his baby brother caused his eyes to sting with unshed tears. Erik was too young to know that kind of horror. He’d seen enough in his childhood to last a lifetime. Erik didn’t deserve this.

“Understandable, man.” Josef came to stand in front of Devon’s desk. “We got the kid chained up in the barn. He was starting to come to when we got here. We had already blindfolded him before we left, and Viktor put a gag in his mouth. I thought it best to come and get you before your brother lost his shit and there’s nothing left to bargain with.”

Devon shot up from his desk. “Fuck, Josef!” He ran past his friend heading for the back door. “You shouldn’t have left them alone. I thought you were smarter than that.”

“I am.” Josef followed close behind him. “But I also thought it might loosen the kid up if he spent some one-on-one time with that crazy fuck for a few minutes.”

That was a real possibility. Viktor wasn’t quite sane on good days, and he hadn’t been since Erik was taken.

As they drew closer to the barn he recognized his brother’s voice. Viktor was taunting their captive.

Devon pushed open the door and stood in the shadows. He watched as Viktor extended his claws and traced a line on the young man’s cheek down to his chest. A thin line of blood beaded the mark. The man whined and tried to back away, but it was no use. Viktor had bound his wrists with a length of chain and looped it around a beam in the ceiling. The man had to stand on the tips of his toes to keep his balance.

A pain-filled cry drew Devon’s attention to the man’s face. He looked young. Not much older than Erik’s sixteen years, but it was hard to tell with his eyes shielded. His light-blond hair was short in the back, shaggy on top, and laid long around his ears. Right now the kid’s hair stood out in all directions and a fine coat of sweat glistened on his body.

Devon dropped his gaze to take in the man’s slender body. His chest was bare, and all he wore were a baggy pair of sleeping pants. He wasn’t ripped with bulky muscle but corded with lean, tight muscles. His stomach rose and fell fast and highlighted his abs. Devon’s eyes went even lower to take in the trim, narrow waist. Letting his eyes travel back up, he looked upon the man’s face. His features were striking for a man, Devon thought. He had high cheek bones, still with some baby fat rounding them out. His jawline looked almost feminine, soft and delicate, made for gripping lightly to brush gentle kisses along his lips.

What the hell am I thinking?

Devon took a step forward then another. Viktor gripped the kid’s face hard enough to leave nail marks. Tears spilled out from behind the length of material tied around his face. But then a vision of Erik flashed before his mind, bound and gagged, begging for his life. Whatever he felt toward this man vanished.

“Viktor, back off,” he ordered. Viktor narrowed his eyes but did as he was told. Devon stood towering over the other man and could smell the terror coming off the kid.

Standing so near to the young Stefano, Devon felt a little dizzy. Under the reek of fear he identified a pleasant and tantalizing scent. A sweet, alluring odor caused his nostrils to flare, and he sucked in the enticing aroma. It reminded Devon of a summer’s day by the beach. The way the sun warmed a person’s skin and the salt in the water. The smell thawed the ice around Devon’s heart, and his belly filled with warmth. It was almost intoxicating. He wanted to be closer to it, closer to Stefano’s son. His eyes felt heavy as he swayed closer to the bound man. Something about this man called to the beast inside Devon. It wanted to protect and care for him.

But he might be one of them.

Devon cursed his subconscious for being right. After all this was Stefano’s son. The man had gunned Devon and his pack down and took off with Erik. No telling what the son of a hunter was capable of.

“I’m going to remove this from around your mouth.” He tapped a finger to the man’s taped-over lips and inhaled sharply when a gust of hot, moist breath fanned across his finger. Devon gave himself a mental shake. “Do not scream. We’re miles away for anyone to hear you, so you might as well save your breath.”

The young man nodded his understanding, and Devon removed the gag.

“Thank you,” came a soft whisper.

“You’re welcome.” Before he realized what he was doing, Devon brushed his fingers through their captive’s hair, pushing the strands off his forehead. He heard the man’s breath quicken. “What’s your name?”

“Aiden, Aiden Stefano.”

“Hello, Aiden. My name is Devon.” The resemblance between Aiden and his father was undeniable. He’d never forget the man who shot his baby brother. Aiden was quite a bit smaller than his father, but it was Stefano’s son held captive on his property. “I’m looking to locate your father.”

Aiden swallowed hard, causing his Adam’s apple to bob up and down. “What do you want with my dad?”

The uncertainty and fear in Aiden’s voice tugged at his soul, but he trudged on. Devon’s attraction for the younger Stefano couldn’t get in the way of finding his brother.

“I’m looking for him because he’s one of the hunters that took my brother.” Devon couldn’t resist and placed his hand at the nape of Aiden’s neck. “And you will make for a good bargaining chip to get him back.”

When Aiden came to he lay in the backseat of a large SUV with both hands tied tightly together and a blindfold over his eyes. The sharp edges of the chain dug into his wrist whenever he tried to wiggle loose. He could feel the warm trickle of blood run down his arm.

The dark fabric covering his eyes didn’t allow any light to seep through, but he could still hear. Voices from the front seat kept on at a steady rhythm. His kidnappers didn’t seem to notice he’d woken up, and Aiden wanted to keep it that way.

Aiden squeezed his eyes tight, and the action caused pain to radiate around the skin above his left eye. He remembered that Viktor punched him in the face, knocking him out while they were still at Aiden’s house. So where he was now, Aiden had no clue.

When they reached their destination the men dragged him out of the car. He couldn’t see anything and didn’t know what was happening or what would happen next. His mind instantly ran through every horrific scenario he’d ever heard of. Nothing good ever came from being kidnapped, bound and gagged, and chained up.

Aiden could hear the clinking of metal and the bite of pain around his wrist as Viktor tightened the chain. The next thing Aiden knew his arms were wrenched up into the air. His toes were the only thing keeping him balanced and he had to struggle to keep from falling. A burning sensation ran up the length of his arms from the stretch and his toes began to cramp.

The one called Josef told Viktor to keep his hands to himself while he went and got Devon. Aiden didn’t know who this Devon guy was but prepared himself for the worst. He’d been kidnapped after all. The news reports told tales of tortured, raped, and murdered victims whose bodies were so badly disfigured not even their family could identify them. So yeah, Aiden was petrified.

Once Josef left, Viktor asked him asinine questions that didn’t make any since. Stuff like did he think he was better than a wolf? Aiden couldn’t respond because the big brute stuffed a handkerchief in his mouth then tied a tie around his head. Viktor must have thought the question rhetorical and didn’t expect an answer because with the gag around his mouth Aiden couldn’t give one.

It didn’t matter. Aiden wouldn’t have known how to respond. Did he think he was better than a wolf? He didn’t know. Wolves were animals, and he was a human so on some level yes. But it wasn’t important. It was like comparing apples to oranges. They were two entirely different things.

He couldn’t hold back a whimper when Viktor trailed something sharp down his face. The cut stung as his skin split open. He started to fight with vigor against the bindings on his wrist that held him up in the air like a slab of meat in a butcher’s shop.

Tears damped his blindfold, and some escaped down his cheek. The salty drops ran free, causing the mark on his face to sting. He fought the bindings once more. Between the fear raking through his body and the pain shooting across his face, Aiden was freaking the fuck out. All he wanted to do was wake up back in his own bed to realize this horrible mess was all just a nightmare.

The sound of a door opening caused Aiden to still his movements. Heavy footfalls drew closer, and Aiden’s heart rate began to spike. He strained to see through the black material covering his eyes, but couldn’t make out a single thing. Whoever was walking toward him, Aiden had no way of knowing if the person wanted to harm him or not. Since he was tied up like a wild animal, he had to assume this person was a threat.

A booming voice spoke out. Aiden knew it wasn’t Viktor’s. Besides being a little rougher and deeper than Viktor’s, whoever the newcomer was he yelled at Viktor to stop touching him. For which Aiden was thankful.

The man’s masculine smell tickled at Aiden’s nose. Without the use of his eyes, his other senses became heightened. He took a deep breath, and the earthy aroma of a crisp fall wind combined with the bitter scent of coffee filled Aiden’s nostrils. The combination sparked a fissure of desire deep inside him.

Then the man touched him, and Aiden nearly came undone. The rough pads of the man’s fingertips scraped across the sensitive skin of his neck. Goosebumps prickled along his arms, and he wanted more. He was trussed up like a piece of meat and battered and bruised, and all he could think about was that he really wanted to see what this man looked like. Were his kind touches a prelude to who the man truly was or was this all just a trick to lure Aiden into a false sense of security?

Even without seeing the man there was just something about him that called to Aiden. The calm voice and the gentle touches touched Aiden in a way that didn’t scream murderer. Sure Aiden was a nineteen-year-old male in his sexual prime, but it was uncommon for him to be drawn to anyone, especially in a situation like this.

The man removed his gag and introduced himself.
Devon
. A name Aiden didn’t think he’d ever forget. The words Devon spoke rolled off his tongue like honey, sweet and alluring. Even with the fear pumping through Aiden’s veins, he found himself wanting the other man to hold him and make everything better. To tell him he wasn’t in any danger.

So caught up in the presence of Devon, Aiden missed the question he was asked.

“I’m sorry,” Aiden squeaked out.

“I said your father is one of the men responsible for kidnapping my brother. Do you happen to know where they are keeping him?”

Aiden tried to piece together what he just heard. Hunter? His dad? He’d never seen or heard about his father going hunting for anything let alone another human being. Devon must have his information wrong because what he said was absurd.

“No, I don’t.” Aiden shook his head. “I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”

“Like hell you don’t.” Aiden heard Viktor’s harsh voice right before another blow landed to the side of his head. He tried to fight against the dizziness, but it was pointless. His balanced slipped as he succumbed to sleep once again.

* * * *

Viktor moved too fast, and Devon barely had enough time to catch Aiden as he lost his balance and dangled in the air from the blow his brother delivered. The dead weight would be too much for Aiden’s bound arms to hold, and Devon didn’t want the young man to break or dislocate his arms.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Devon hoisted Aiden up in his arms and motioned with his chin for Josef to come help him. Josef released the chain wrapped around the overhead beam, freeing Aiden. Devon gathered Aiden in his arms and cradled him close.