Wolf's Bane (Shifted) (7 page)

“I guess
you’re right. What if Bryce comes in?”

“I’ll
tell him to guard the door. I’m sure he’s just outside. If you shift, then we can take care of at least some of your wounds,” Lexi added.

“Some
of them? Won’t they all heal?”

“The
ones on the outside will. The ones on the inside are harder.”

“
Look at it this way,” Gwen added, “If this Warren you keep thinking about is after you, then you need to be healed. You won’t get far in your condition.”

“Warren
is after you?” Faith asked.

“I
killed his son. Didn’t Bryce tell you?”

“I
think Bryce was trying to protect your privacy as much as possible.”

Ashley
’s heart warmed. Bryce was trying to protect her. What girl wouldn’t love a hot and sexy man with a hero complex? Realizing the turn her thoughts had taken, she looked quickly at Gwen. The woman just smiled and nodded. How embarrassing.

“
So tell us what happened. Some of these bites were made while he was shifted.”

“I was told by our Alpha
, that’s Warren, Warren Bane.”

“You
killed the Alpha’s son?” Lexi gasped.

“
Yeah. I’m basically screwed, I know. So anyway, I was told I would be mated to his son.”

“Told
? Then the rumors about the Bane pack are true?”

“I
don’t know what the rumors are, but I guess the answer is yes. Most marriages are arranged.”

“What
if you meet your true mate?” Gwen asked.

“True
mates are a myth.” The girls laughed at Ashley’s comment. “What’s so funny?”

“
Oh honey, you have no idea. True mates are not a myth. All three of us are true mated.”

“
Seriously, how do you know?”

Lexi
laughed. “Believe me you would know. I met Gage two weeks ago…”

“
Two weeks and you are mated?”

“Yes
, it would have been sooner, but he didn’t touch me until I had known him a week.  I knew I was ridiculously attracted to him before he touched me. It kind of didn’t make sense at the time. His touch told me in an instant that true mates were not only real, but that he was mine. It was the same for all the Cheveyo mates.”

“The
same, how?”

“They
don’t call it mate fever for nothing. You feel it. It’s like a fire deep inside. Every cell in your body recognizes its other half in the person you’re touching. Call it fate, destiny, whatever, but, trust me, you know.” Lexi smiled.

“Speaking of true mates
, when this guy attacked you…”

“Ric
hard Bane, his name was Richard Bane.”

“
Okay, when he attacked you, were his eyes red.”

“No
, I don’t think so. He was in wolf form when he knocked me down. The rest is kind of a blur. I don’t like to think about it.”

“
So he wasn’t feral. Okay, now for the hard question. Did he rape you, Ashley?” Faith went right there.

“No
, I… I don’t think so,” she muttered quietly.

“
What does that mean?”

“
It means I’m not sure. He tried. I do know that. By the time he was naked and in human form, I was in so much pain it was hard to think. All I could think was I had to stop him. I managed to get a hold of a rock, and I just hit him in the head. I didn’t really mean to kill him. I just hit him a few times.”

“Ashl
ey, from the look of these bites if you didn’t kill him, he was going to kill you. You had the right to defend yourself.”

“That’s just
it. According to Warren Bane, I didn’t have the right. He says I was being claimed by his son and I attacked him. As far as Warren Bane is concerned, I’m a cold blooded killer.”

“Bane is wrong
. You are a survivor. I’ll tell Bryce to watch the door. You need to shift, and we are not leaving this room until you do.”

“
You’re a lot like your brother, kind of bossy.”

“
Yeah, but we both mean well.” Lexi smiled. Ashley was strong. She was going to be alright. She had a lot of psychological damage she was going to have to deal with, but she would be fine. No wonder her brother seemed so interested.

Lexi stepped out into the hall
way to speak to Bryce. He looked like an expectant father pacing the hall like a caged animal.

“
How is she?” The desperation in his voice was very unlike her brother. He didn’t usually display such emotion. If Lexi’s instincts were right, Ashley might just get proof that the Mate fever was real. She had never seen Bryce this tense.

“
She’s agreed to shift,” sort of. “I need you to guard the door. No men allowed, even Drew.”

“
Right. You’ll let me know how she is?”

“Bryce
, she’s going to be fine. I’m not going to lie to you and say she’ll be fine right away. It could take a while to get over the psychological aspects.”

“I
know.”

“
This guy, Warren, he’s still after her?”

“We
believe so. I offered to kill him.”

“You
offered to kill the Alpha of another pack to protect a girl you just met?”

“Yes
I did. Do you have something to say about that?” Bryce spat defensively.

“
No … nothing to say at all. Just guard the door.” Lexi tried to hide the smirk forming. Bryce had it bad, and if she was right, Ashley had a bit of a crush on him as well. At least, she didn’t seem frightened of Bryce.

8

It took another half hour of convincing before the girls were finally able to get Ashley to shift.

“
I’m not going to lie to you. It’s going to hurt,” Faith said as Ashley stripped the tank top and shorts off.  Ashley’s inner wolf was pushing to the surface. It had been held at bay for too long. Now it wanted to break free. The pain was not what Ashley had expected. It wasn’t the searing burn the bites had been. It was a dull ache that faded as she completed the shift.

Looking toward the
door that led outside, Ashley thought she might just stay that way. She could run in wolf form, live that way. If she ran far enough, Warren Bane wouldn’t find her. The Reiner pack wouldn’t have to put themselves at risk any longer. Her parents were safe. At least, she hoped they were safe in California somewhere. Even if Bane did somehow find her, the people she cared about would be safe.

“She’s
thinking about running,” Gwen said to the others. Ashley turned to look at the small blonde that read minds. Her wolf was urging her to just bolt out the door and not look back. She knew they would follow. Bryce would follow. There was something about that man that told her he wasn’t going to let her just run off. She hoped it had more to do with her than a loyalty to her uncle. The thought surprised her. She was sure that it would be years before she even looked at a man as anything but a threat, but Bryce was different. She wasn’t threatened by him. She knew deep down he could never hurt her.

“
Oh, no you don’t. Shift back,” Lexi said standing in front of the exterior door. Ashley barked a laugh. The feisty redhead might not look like her brothers, but she sure acted like them.

Ashl
ey pulled her human side to the surface, looking at the women who were standing guard. “You look better,” Faith smiled handing the quilt to her so she wouldn’t have to stand naked in the middle of the great room. “I’d like to check your blood pressure and other vital signs. And maybe a blood test.”

“Blood
test?” Ashley asked. Wolves didn’t carry disease the way humans did.

“
You said you weren’t sure if he raped you, Ashley. It’s just a precaution.”

“
Shit,” Ashley was slammed by the real possibility that she had been at least violated. She was reasonably sure he hadn’t finished but she was half out of it by the time she hit him. Closing her eyes, she tried to expel the image of Richard’s grin as he pinned her. It was pure evil. She had presented a challenge when she denied his claim. His response to being rejected was true to the Bane way of life. He hadn’t listened at all. He just told her he was taking what was his.

Had he managed to penetrate her
? She wasn’t at all sure. By then, she was so torn up the pain was overriding everything except the survival instinct.

“
Ashley, I can have the results in about an hour after I get to the clinic. You don’t have to think about it until then. You have options.” Faith was trying to comfort her, but it was making it worse. Not thinking about it suited her just fine.

“
Okay, take the blood.” Ashley was praying she didn’t have to deal with it any more. An unwanted pregnancy would send her over the edge. “Lexi, how far is the clinic. I don’t think I can just sit here and wait for a phone call.”

“
Half hour, forty-five minutes away depending on traffic.”

“
Can I go with you?” Ashley asked shyly.

“I don’t see why not
. Let me talk to Drew and Bryce. We need to see if they think it’s safe. Maverick will be there.”

“Maverick?”

“He’s the Cheveyo pack Alpha. It’s his clinic.”

“
He’s a doctor?” Ashley didn’t want to be forced to be examined by a male. Maybe staying put was best.

“
He’s aware of the situation. You’ll be safe,” Faith said to comfort the woman. She looked better. The bites had healed, but the pain in her eyes was still there.

“
He lets you work for him?” Ashley had never met a female doctor. The females in the Bane pack held traditional female jobs like cleaning and cooking. That or they stayed home.

“I
work
with
him, not for him, Ashley. He’s not like your Alpha. He’s more like your uncle.

“
Oh, okay.”

Lexi
stepped toward the girl while smiling and extending her hand. “Come on. Let’s get you dressed. Then we’ll tell Drew you’re coming with us. I don’t think he’ll have any objection.”

Bryce was silent as he drove the women to the Cheveyo clinic. Drew had insisted he go along as protection. Bryce was
relieved rather than bothered about escorting the girls. He didn’t know why Ashley was going. Faith said there were tests she wanted to do that couldn’t be done there. He was just relieved that Ashley had shifted.

Ashley sat in the back between Faith and Gwen
, while Lexi sat in front with him. He wanted to ask what tests had to be done. Was she alright? Was there more damage than he had seen on the surface? But he didn’t. He could see that Ashley was holding on by a mere thread.