Wolf's Captive (5 page)

There were so many things he needed to do, when all he really wanted to do was go back up to his room and crawl into bed next to Sidney and never let her go again.

*****

Sidney was still staring at herself in the mirror when she heard someone enter the bedroom. A soft knock on the bathroom door told her someone wished to speak to her, but she wasn’t about to open it. If it was Josh, she didn’t have anything to say to him at the moment, and didn’t want to see him.

“Miss,” a small female voice came through the door. It was too quiet and sweet to be Alana’s, besides, Sidney had that woman’s voice burned in to her brain. “I’ve brought you something to eat and clean clothes.”

Sidney wondered for a minute how long she could wait until the girl left, but her stomach rumbled at the sound of the word ‘food’ and she realized she hadn’t eaten since long before she had been captured. She opened the door a crack and stuck her arm out, “Can you hand me the clothes and let me dress before I come out there?”

The girl on the other side of the door smiled at her. She was such a tiny little thing. She appeared shorter than Sidney and she was no bigger around than possibly one of Sidney’s thighs. She had large blue eyes and long, golden blonde hair. Her wide smile looked genuine and pleasant.

She quickly went to the bed and picked up a bundle of clothes, then handed them to Sidney.

Sidney quickly closed the bathroom door and began to unfold the bundle of clothes. A pair of jeans, surprisingly, in her size, a pair of sweatpants, which she suspected is what she would be wearing right now, and a couple of t-shirts that looked like they may fit a bit snuggly. There were no bras or underwear in the mix. Sidney suspected that was on purpose.

She pulled on the sweatpants and one of the t-shirts, noting the way it outlined her fat rolls and exposed her hard nipples. How could he find anything about her attractive?

She took a deep breath before she opened the door, bracing herself for whoever this little woman could be on the other end.

When she opened the door, the woman sat on the edge of the bed very primly, smiling at her sweetly. She stood and walked toward Sidney, and Sidney almost had the urge to run back in the bathroom and slam the door in the girl’s face. However, she stood her ground and when the woman reached out her hand, she accepted it in hers, to shake.

“Hello, Sidney,” the woman said, with a beaming smile on her face. “I’m Tricia, Richard’s mate, and Josh’s housekeeper.”

“Hi,” Sidney replied, feeling awkward when she let go of Tricia’s hand.

Tricia must have noticed because she turned and gestured toward the tray on the bed. “I brought you some food that Emily made you,” she said. “She didn’t know what you would like, and we didn’t have time to make anything really special. So, she made a quick ham and cheese sandwich, with all the fixings, some apple slices, and sliced carrots. All the vegetables are fresh, from our garden.”

Sidney watched Tricia take the lid off the plate, and stared at the food for a moment. It seemed they had a bit of a health kick going on. Sidney would have been happy to join in since she needed to lose a few pounds. However, right this moment, all she wanted was carbs and junk food, to comfort her into an illusion of security.

She smiled, weakly, at Tricia, and made her way over to sit on the bed, next to the tray. “Thank you for doing this,” she said, trying to sound appreciative of the woman’s thoughtfulness. “It looks really good.”

“I’m glad you like it,” Tricia beamed. “Emily said tonight for dinner, she is going to make you something extra special, and you’ll love it.”

Sidney gave her a strange look. Why were these people being so nice to her? Not even hours before she was being threatened and abused by Alana, and now this Tricia woman was acting as if she wanted to be best friends.

Tricia sat next to her on the bed, watching her pick up a carrot stick and put it in her mouth. She felt so weird having someone watch her eat that she looked at Tricia.

“Is something wrong?” Sidney asked.

“No, not at all,” Tricia replied, and then looked as if she realized she was making Sidney uncomfortable because she blushed. “Forgive me. I don’t mean to get into your personal space and make you feel uncomfortable.”

“It’s okay,” Sidney responded.

“It’s just that I’ve never met an actual human before,” Tricia stated, and Sidney almost choked on the apple piece she had stuck in her mouth.

Sidney looked at Tricia warily, but only saw open awe and acceptance.

“You are very beautiful for a human,” Tricia went on. “I wish I had curves like yours. Emily is half human, so she is the only one in the Pack who is built with full curves.”

“Alana is curvy and beautiful,” Sidney replied, and watched Tricia’s face twist in a look of disgust.

“Alana isn’t accepted in our Pack, and never was,” Tricia stated. “Her parents left her here when she was young because they knew then that she was a vicious little snake. No one but Russell likes her, or wants her here.”

Sidney was surprised by this revelation and almost wanted to laugh. “I thought she was to be Josh’s mate,” Sidney responded.

“Ewww, no,” Tricia almost yelled out her reply. “Josh wants nothing to do with that woman. He knows she is no good. He just tolerates her because his father knew her parents before they disappeared and he felt sorry for Alana. If you ask me, Alana killed her parents, and that’s why no one has been able to find them for years.”

Sidney found herself picking up the ham sandwich as she listened to Tricia explain Alana’s history. She bit into it, not really thinking it would be any different from any other ham sandwiches, but she was wrong. As soon as the bread, vegetables, and ham touched her tongue, her taste buds exploded with the delicious taste of the food. She involuntarily closed her eyes and groaned as she ate, not caring that Tricia sat there smiling at her reaction.

“It’s good, isn’t it?” Tricia asked. “We grow all the food on our land, including the animals. So, everything is fresh and free from any preservatives or chemicals.”

Sidney opened her eyes and looked at Tricia’s smug smile. She wanted to giggle at the woman’s excitement over telling Sidney they made everything fresh, but she felt that might be a bit rude, so, she suppressed it.

“It’s delicious,” Sidney stated. “I’ve never tasted anything so good.”

“Just wait until you eat what Emily has planned for you tonight,” Tricia responded. “Nothing is too good for our Alpha’s mate, and Emily plans to spoil you with the best cooking you’ve ever had.”

Sidney did choke a little at what Tricia said about her being their Alpha’s mate.

“Alpha’s mate?” she asked, wary of the answer.

Tricia looked at her confused, and then bit her lip as if she realized she had said something wrong.

“Well, yeah,” she answered a little sheepishly. “You’re Josh’s true mate, and once he claims you, you will become the she-Alpha of our Pack.”

“I can’t do that,” Sidney stated, suddenly losing her appetite. “I’m human, and besides, Josh doesn’t seem like he likes me very much.”

“Oh—Josh likes you alright,” Tricia said, watching Sidney get up and pace. “I’ve never seen him so worked up about a woman in my life, and Josh and I grew up together.”

“But why?” Sidney asked, stopping in the middle of her pace to direct the question at Tricia.

“Because you’re his true mate,” Tricia said, as if it were obvious. “You two were made for each other.”

“But, I’m human, and he’s been nothing but horrible to me since we met,” Sidney said. “Hell, he locked me in here.”

Tricia stood and walked over to where Sidney stood. “I think you just took him by surprise,” she said, as if she were trying to comfort a wild animal. “We rarely, if ever, find our true mates, and you just walked straight up to him out of nowhere. Plus, you’re human, and again, we rarely, if ever, mate with humans. Some of us consider it wrong to mix our blood, but many of us know it is necessary in order to remain clean and not turn our kind into feral wolves.

“Josh’s father believed we should not mix our blood, which is why he stuck us out here, so far away from civilization. Most of us have never even laid eyes on a human.”

Sidney went back to the bed and sat down, feeling weak in the legs at Tricia’s explanation. “Wow,” was all she could think of to say. “That’s crazy.”

“Tell me about it,” Tricia smiled. “The man was a bit of a feral one himself. My parents said, when he had become Alpha, everyone was surprised. He hadn’t been meant to obtain the role. He had challenged our original Alpha, and killed him, taking the position. Him and Alana’s parents moved us out here, and set up this little hidden village, when Josh was one. No one knows what happened to Josh’s mother. We never met her.

"We lived out here with Josh’s father as our Alpha, and each day he seemed to become a bit crazier. Then, one day, when Josh was about 17, his father just turned into a wolf and disappeared for good. We figure it was because of Josh’s mother. Either she didn’t accept the mating bond, or, as many of us speculate, she died during childbirth. We were taught after the mating bond is complete, if our mates were to reject us or die, we would either die too, or go feral. We just had never actually seen it happen.

"It devastated Josh. He not only lost his father, but he also had become the new Alpha over night. Many of us feared he wouldn’t be able to take on the role. However, he seemed to fit right into it, as soon as the role was his. He took charge of everything and has from then on.

"He’s a great Alpha. He is kind, wise, and just. I think, if his mother was still around and his father hadn’t gone insane, they would have been proud of him.”

Tricia spoke of Josh as if were the greatest person she had ever known. Sidney watched the woman’s eyes sparkle with admiration, and couldn’t help but wonder if she had a bit of a crush on him.

“Sounds like you have a bit of a thing for him,” Sidney teased, and almost giggled at the blush that covered Tricia’s cheeks.

Tricia sat down next to her again. “No, not anymore. I just admire him as my Alpha. In our younger years, we did have a bit of a fling, but now I am mated to my Richard, and wouldn’t have it any other way. Richard is so perfect for me. I love him with everything in me.”

Sidney saw the love in Tricia’s eyes, and felt happy for the woman. She had only known Tricia for a few minutes, but she was already warming up to the sweet lady, and could see them quickly becoming friends, if circumstances were different.

“I’m happy for you,” Sidney stated, gaining a smile of appreciation from Tricia. “But, I don’t think that Josh and I are really mates. I think there has been some kind of mistake, and I need to leave here.”

Tricia’s face fell, “There has been no mistake. We wolves know our mates by their scent. They give off a certain scent to the one they are meant to be with that attracts us to them. Josh knows you are his mate. After you’ve been here with him for a while, you will know it too.”

Tricia stood, and gave her a small smile, “I know this is scary for you, Sidney. But, I also know Josh would never harm you or let harm come to you. You mean too much to him.”

Sidney let out a bitter laugh, “Next thing you’re going to say is he is in love with me.”

“No,” Tricia responded quietly. “It isn’t love. However, it is something much more powerful than love. It is something deep down, that connects you both, soul to soul. You will probably grow to love each other over time, but it will only make the connection that much stronger.”

“But I don’t want to be with some man who only wants me because of some genetic make-up of his,” Sidney retorted, growing frustrated. “I’ve spent too many years of my life being with someone who I didn’t love but stayed with because we seemed to fit together. Then I found him in his office with his secretary’s legs wrapped around his waist while he fucked her on his desk.”

Tricia gave her a sympathetic look, which just made Sidney want to cry.

“I’m so sorry, sweetie,” she said, walking over to Sidney and hugging her. “But it’s not like that. Josh will never want another woman now that he has you. You are it for him.”

“But that’s just because of my smell,” Sidney insisted. “Not because he really wants me or is physically attracted to me. He has beautiful women, like Alana, throwing themselves at him. I am nothing compared to her or probably any other beautiful woman in this village.”

“I happen to think you’re very beautiful,” Tricia stated. “A lot more beautiful than Alana. I took one look at you and could tell you are a person who is beautiful inside and out. Whereas, Alana is hideously ugly on the inside, and it shows.”

“Yeah, but she has the perfect body,” Sidney responded. “I am just chubby and flat chested compared to her.”

Tricia laughed, “Those breasts are fake. She snuck away from the compound a few years ago to get a boob job. Before then she barely even had anything.”

“She’s still tall and skinny, where I’m short and fat,” Sidney argued.

“You are not fat,” Tricia seemed to be getting frustrated. “I would kill to have curves like yours. As for being short, what’s wrong with that? Most men don’t like a woman towering over them. I know Alana is still shorter than any man here, but she is the tallest female we have, and she doesn’t fit, at all. I know, with certainty, that Josh finds your height perfect. He probably looks at how tiny you are compared to him and becomes possessive and protective over you, as my Richard does me. It’s not always fun trying to convince them you can take care of yourself, but it does have it’s merits being cherished by the big men.”

Sidney smiled, despite herself. She could tell Tricia really loved her mate, and was happy with how he cherished her. She was happy for the woman. She seemed so nice, and deserving of someone who would love her.

“Why don’t you get some rest?” Tricia asked. “Josh will probably be back later, and you look exhausted. Better to get your energy up before he gets here. There’s no telling what he’s got planned for you.”

Sidney was confused by her feelings of both fear and excitement at Tricia’s words. After just a little bit of talking to Tricia, she no longer felt so terrified of the man who abducted her. She felt sorry for him.

She did still plan to escape, and she didn’t believe she was really his true mate. However, she wasn’t going to cower in fear of him anymore. She would just have to tell him she didn’t believe in all this mate nonsense and demand he let her go.

She also would have to refuse to do anything else with him, even if her body did burn with desire just thinking of the things he could do to her.

Tricia left with a soft click of the lock, and Sidney laid back on the bed to stare at the ceiling and plan what she was going to say to Josh. After many minutes, just staring at the stucco, she felt her eyes grow heavy, and before she knew it, everything went black and she was sound asleep.