Wolf's Bane (Shifted) (5 page)

“
Some asshole hurt you, but you don’t have to wear the damage on your skin. That just means he wins.” Bryce pounded a fist on the back of the couch. He wanted to walk around and scoop her up and forcibly drive her to the nearest clinic. He couldn’t make her shift, but he could make her get help. She would probably hate him and he might be doing more harm than good, but he felt helpless just standing there.

“
He didn’t win, he’s DEAD!” Ashley shouted as she tried fighting back the tears.

“
I’ve heard of women refusing to shift so that their mates mark would scar, telling the world they were taken. Is that what you’re doing?” Bryce knew he was pushing her, but someone had to.

“Fuck
you, Bryce. I hated him, and you know it. You’re just trying to make me angry enough to shift.”

“
Is it working?” Bryce tried to hide a grin. This girl was smart and a ball of fire when she was pushed.

“No!
”

“
What the hell is going on here?” Bryce turned to see Drew standing in the doorway.

“
Ashley is petitioning for martyrdom, and I was just leaving.”

“
Good riddance!” Ashley yelled as the tears flowed to the surface. She wasn’t going to cry. Bryce had made her so damn mad. So why was she sorry to see him go? He probably couldn’t look at her anymore. The marks were hideous. She would be hideous if she didn’t shift. That was what she had wanted, to be unattractive to men, to be left alone. So she should be glad to see him storm out. She wasn’t.

“What was that?”
Drew growled as he started following Bryce down the hall. “I heard the screaming all the way upstairs.”

“Have
you seen her? Have you seen what that monster did?”

“
No, she wouldn’t let anyone look at the injuries.”

“Injuries
! Drew, he tore at her, he bit her. There are oozing red welts all along her neck and back.”

“She
showed you?”

“
No, I caught her stoking the fire without that damn blanket. Look, I know she’s your niece, but I have to do something. I’m calling Lexi. She just almost died; maybe she can talk some sense into that girl and get her to shift. She told me she wouldn’t let the doctors see her because they were….”

“
They were what Bryce?”

Ashley had
specifically said she didn’t want men touching her. She didn’t say anything about women. “…Because they were men. Drew, I think I have an idea. She’ll probably hate me after this, but I don’t care.”

“
She won’t hate you. She seems comfortable with you.”

“
Right. ‘fuck you’, and ‘good riddance’. That doesn’t sound comfortable to me.”

6

Drew Weston watched Bryce storm off. Ashley was fuming but, at least, she was talking. Drew had been surprised to see his niece standing up to Bryce and yelling at him instead of drawing back inside herself as she huddled on the couch not speaking.

Julie had been right
. Bryce was good for her. Even if he made her angry, at least she was showing some emotion.

“Ash, are
you alright?” he said calmly, walking back into the room.

“I’m
fine,” she growled. Apparently, she was still mad.

“Bryce means well.”

“I know that. It’s just he …”

“
He what?”

Ashley didn’t know how to
respond. What was she going to say? ”He gets under my skin?” “He calls me on my shit?” “He doesn’t treat me like I’ll break?” “He makes me think inappropriate thoughts?” That last one surprised her. She realized she wouldn’t mind Bryce touching her. She was attracted to him when she didn’t think she’d ever be attracted to anyone ever again. He wouldn’t hurt her. She didn’t have any reason to fear him.

“He
makes me crazy,” she finally said looking up at her uncle.

“I would say the feeling is mutual. I half expected him to punch
a hole in the wall. What were you two arguing about?”

“
Nothing. It’s nothing.”

“Fine
, I’ll let the two of you work that out. Ashley, I was thinking that you might want to meet the others in the house. I don’t want you running into some stranger and being frightened.”

“
How many people are here? I could just stay in this room and my bedroom.”

“
You can’t hide here forever. The people here are Bryce’s brothers. They are renovating the front rooms.”

“The
front rooms needed renovating, now?” Her uncle had promised that the pack house would be practically empty. Now, he was renovating?

“
It was the best way to explain the fact that the house was closed. On any given day, fifty or more people could come by. Not to mention Bryce’s fan club.”

“
Bryce’s fan club?”

“
He will be Alpha someday. That makes him very popular with the ladies.” Ashley didn’t like the thought of women surrounding Bryce. She had to admit the feeling was jealousy. He had the choice of any woman he wanted, and she was… what had he said… torn up. She was damaged goods. He had seen the bites. He had to have been disgusted by the sight of her.

“
Okay, we can meet the others. They are just Bryce’s family right?”

“
Yes Ashley. I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”

“I know,” she responded knowing that if Warren had
meant what he said about coming after her, there might be nothing her uncle could do to stop him. He was right. She couldn’t live in two rooms, hiding in the pack house forever. She needed to find a way to live apart from the pack. Maybe the witness protection program took in weres.

Ashley wrapped her blanket tighter around her shoulders. She had tried putting on a long sleeve shirt, but the fabric against her sensitive skin was too much. For now, she had to wear a tank top. The blanket hid most of her injuries, even if it wasn’t exactly a fashion statement.

“Boys
, could you come here a moment?” Drew called as Ashley looked to see five men working on the front staircase.

“
Yes Alpha,” one of the younger men said anxiously. Had they been told she was here? What would they think about her disrupting an entire pack’s daily life?

“This is my
niece, Ashley. She will be staying with us for a time. I just wanted her to meet you so she would know you are…”Drew hesitated.

“
Safe,” Ashley finished for him. It was clear by the expressions on their faces that they knew why she was here.

“Ash
, you already know Lars and Bryce.”

“That’s not Bryce,” Ashley said eliciting stunned looks. “What
? You’re not Bryce. Am I right?” she said to the Bryce lookalike standing in front of her. They all looked like brothers, but this one was identical to the man she had just told to fuck off.

“No
, I’m Aiden. Bryce and I are twins. People can’t usually tell us apart,” Aiden smiled. “This is Matt, Colin, and Brendan, the youngest.” She had already assumed that Brendan was the youngest.

“
Nice to meet you. This is a big family. All boys?” she said directing the comment to Lars, who she was most comfortable with.

“No
, I have one daughter, Lexi. She’s my oldest. I’m sure you’ll meet her soon.”

“
Yeah, if Gage ever lets her out of his sight.” The were she remembered as Colin said with a laugh.

“Gage?” Ashl
ey choked. Who was this Gage, and why would he let Lexi out of his sight? She thought this pack was different from the bane pack. Aunt Julie said women were treated as equals.

“Gage is her mate. They were recently mated and Colin was being funny. Lexi had some problems last week and Gage is very protective,” Lars explained.

“Problems?”

“
Some dude tried to kill her,” Colin’s face fell when he realized what he had said. The girl looked terrified. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Colin
, that’s enough!” Lars barked shutting the boy right up.

“
She was attacked?” Ashley felt a little sick at the thought. Perhaps it wasn’t safe anywhere.

“Her mate was the target. She wasn’t injured
. I was just trying to explain Colin’s crass comment about Gage not letting her out. She can go out.”

“Yeah
. If anything, Gage is a little whipped. He’ll do anything to please her.” Matt added.

“Boys
, perhaps not talking would be best.” Lars snapped.

Ashley smiled
. Okay, she was getting the picture. It wasn’t that this Lexi couldn’t go out. It was that she didn’t want to.

“
Thank you for helping Uncle Drew. I really appreciate all that your family is doing,” Ashley told Lars.

“
It’s nice to see you looking a little better than last night. Okay boys, back to work,” Lars said shooing the others away.

“
You do look better than you did last night. Would you like to go for a walk in the yard? It’s completely secluded,” Drew said as they headed back to the Great room.

“I think
I’d like to rest, Uncle,” she said softly. Her whole body ached, and the movement had caused the blanket to rub against her wounds. Bryce was right. She had to shift, and they were getting worse. She wondered where Bryce had gone. She had made him angry. The thought of him avoiding her caused an unusual heartache. She liked Bryce Woodland more than she was willing to admit even to herself.

Drew left Ashley in the Great room, resting on the couch, and went to find Bryce. He had stormed off after arguing with Ashley. Ashley was fine after whatever had been said. He needed to ask Bryce more about what had happened. The level of concern that Bryce had shown told him Ashley’s injuries were bad. For now, he would have to take Bryce’s word on how bad it really was. She was still hiding in that blanket, not wanting anyone to see the injuries Bryce had seen.

“Bryce,” he called
while strolling into his office where Bryce had been working.

“
Not here. He left a while ago to see Ashley,” Julie said from the corner by the filing cabinet.

“
He left her about an hour ago.”

“Was
she talking?”

“
She was yelling. Bryce said he saw her injuries. It’s worse than we thought, Julie. She was bitten several times according to Bryce.”

“They
were arguing? I got the impression that he liked her.”

“I
think you might be right. I have never seen him so frustrated. Calm cool Bryce was ready to tear his hair out.”