Mark of the Wolf

  “You swear your life to me,” Gareth said.

  “I do,” Isak replied.

  “You’ll protect my lifemate in the case of my death or any other circumstances?”

  “I will.”

  “Good.” Gareth’s hand had been on his neck, holding him pinned, but now he released him, standing up and straightening the chairs. The two men sat back down as though nothing had happened. Despite himself, Gareth felt a bit less tension. Isak was now sworn to his side. Maddy would be safe… no matter what the outcome of the fight.

  “Kane is preparing to face you tomorrow,” Isak asked. “He told us to bring you to him should we find you. He's ready to fight. It is the full moon tomorrow night, after all. Perfect timing. Did you plan it that way?”

  “I just want this over with as soon as possible,” Gareth replied. In truth, he hadn't though much of what stage the moon was in, though Alpha fights always happened on the full moon. He didn’t want to wait long enough for Kane to send more people after Maddy, or endanger her in any other way. Werewolves were not the safest of people, and she didn’t know the rules of his world. The sooner he finished this process, the sooner he could focus on building their life together.

  Isak spoke again. “He and his inner circle have been operating the car garage downtown. I can take you there tomorrow.” Isak paused. “You haven't... you haven't told her what you’ll have to do, have you?”

  Gareth knew he meant Maddy. “That’s none of your business.”

  Isak raised his hands defensively. “I’m just saying, she seems like a sweet girl…. You should warn her, at least.”

  “I’ll handle it.”

  “At least tell her the risk you are taking….”

  At that moment, the kitchen door slammed open. Gareth looked up and took in a sharp breath – he could smell Maddy even before she entered the room, and then she stalked past, her eyes dark, her brows drawn down. Her fists were clenched in her pockets. He could smell anger coming off of her, dense and hot, summoning a low growl to form in his throat. Suddenly his blood was pounding. His hormones had been skyrocketing since that kiss in the alley; he had very little control left. The wolf wanted out. Now he felt his canines extend in his mouth and had to lock his muscles to stop from jumping up and grabbing her, forcing her to the wall and taking her sweet mouth, hearing her whimper and moan, god how he loved her sounds….

  She walked past him and he heard the front door slam.

  Isak shared a glance with him, then the tall Swedish werewolf turned to glare at the kitchen. “Yvonne!” he bellowed.

  “What?” the woman called back, leaning against the door frame, her expression innocent.

  “What did you say to her?” Isak asked darkly.

  “Just the truth,” she said sweetly.

  Gareth felt his anger rise. Perhaps he had been entangled with Yvonne as a young wolf, but that had ended long ago, the same day he had lost the pack battle. He bristled, his hate for her even more intense. Not only had she betrayed him, but she had left him for Kane, the very man that had cheated him of his rightful place. She was purely out for power and he wasn’t fooled at all by her sweet smile.

  He moved to stand up but Isak raised his hand. “Give her some space, Gareth,” he said. “Let the girl walk it off. Sometimes women need that. Besides, we have plans to make. You can chase her when we’re done.”

  Gareth nodded, forcing himself to sit back down. Isak was right; they had to make their plans quickly, decide how they would confront Kane and turn the pack against him, and how to set things up after the battle was won. He sighed and gritted his teeth. Maddy would just have to wait a little bit longer… but he would make that wait worthwhile. He couldn't wait to get her to the hotel room.

  With a harsh look at Yvonne that left her scurrying back to the kitchen, he turned to Isak. “So who is willing to support us, and where shall we meet?”

  Chapter 9

  Maddy couldn’t keep the tears off her face. She tried to tell herself it was just the rain, but she knew it was a lie. She was hurt; her chest ached and she didn’t know what to do about it. She had been getting nothing but mixed signals from Gareth since the moment he had saved her life, and now it was worse than ever. He hadn’t followed her out of the house. He didn’t seem to care at all that she was upset. Probably Yvonne was in there right now, crowing over her victory, sitting in his lap and kissing him just the way she used to. The idea of him touching the she-wolf and giving her that sexy smile made Maddy’s blood boil, but it also made the tears come harder. She hated herself for her own weakness; a stronger person would have gone back in and fought Yvonne, competed for his affection, not given up, just like how Gareth wasn’t giving up on his pack. But she couldn’t be that person. Instead she was hiding again, attempting to yank his car door open and huddle in the passenger seat. She had nowhere else to go but here.

  The door wouldn't open; it was locked solid. She pulled her hood up, stamping against the cold, hating the rain and everything else around her. She couldn't go back into the house now; that would be even more humiliating than her dramatic exit. And what if Yvonne really was sitting in Gareth's lap? She would become just another child in the corner, forgotten by the adults, dumb and useless. Maddy glared at the car. She would not become a burden.

  Choosing a direction, Maddy started down the sidewalk. It was a suburban neighborhood, the streets brightly lit despite the late hour; she would just walk around the block and let off some steam. Maybe after a good fast-paced walk everything would make more sense. Maybe she just needed to work out some emotions. She looked determinedly at the sidewalk and her beaten-up tennis shoes, running everything over in her head, every word Gareth had said to her, every expression, every kind deed. He couldn't be faking it... could he? But why? Apparently humans and werewolves couldn't be lifemates, or at least it wasn't as simple as it had first seemed. But then what did that make their relationship? Was she being fooled? Used? The thought was so painful that she had to bite her lip to keep from crying. She had thought she was finally safe, that finally there was someone who wanted her... but how could she trust him when she had never trusted anyone before?

  She reached the end of the block and waited at the crosswalk, then continued down the next row of houses, all of them silent and identical. By now she was soaked through but she didn't care; in fact, she was beginning to care less and less if Gareth ever came after her. Maybe this was a sign. Maybe she should pull back now before she got in too deep.

  She sighed, scuffing her shoe against the cement. It's not like she really had a choice – she was stuck here in Davenport until everything worked itself out. She had no other way home... not that she had anywhere to return to.

  Maddy was so lost in thought that she never saw the black SUV pull up behind her. She didn't hear the door open, or the hooded figure jump down and run towards her. Suddenly hands grabbed her, and she let out gasp, but a hand clamped down on her mouth before she could scream. She found herself smothered with a white cloth. She struggled, frantic, panicking and kicking, trying to fight, trying to figure out what was going on... but it was useless. She tried to look around, eyes wide, but could see no one. The man's arms were like iron, and the chemical smell on the cloth made her lightheaded and dizzy, her limbs growing weak, heavy... so heavy....

  Her vision began to tunnel into darkness, and Maddy felt her legs give out beneath her, strength draining as though someone had turned off a switch. No, this wasn't happening, it made no sense, what...?

  She was not going to let herself pass out... she had to fight, she had to figure out what was happening....

  She tried one last time to scream, gave one last halfhearted wrench, then collapsed backward. Darkness claimed her.

  * * * *

  An hour had passed and Gareth couldn't stand it anymore. He and Isak had covered almost everything they needed to prepare for his fight, and all he could think of was getting to Maddy. He didn't know what she was upset about, but he was ful
ly prepared to reassure her that Yvonne was a worthless, scheming bitch. He missed her presence near him, missed her smell, her warmth.

  “You're not paying attention,” Isak said, his voice humorless.

  “I'm paying attention,” Gareth rumbled. “But these are minor details. The pack will accept whoever wins the battle for Alpha whether or not they are familiar with me. I'm sure most of them remember me, anyway.” He couldn't help but smile bitterly. It was the way of the pack to follow whoever won the fight for dominance, a custom that had worked against him in the past. Now it would work in his favor; Isak had assured him that no one was satisfied with Kane as Alpha. There had been murmurs of revolt for some time now.

  Isak sighed, shaking his head. “I'll make the necessary phone calls, rally as many members as possible,” he said. Then he nodded to the door. “Why don't you go find your mate?”

  Gareth glanced up, grinning in return. “You know me too well, Isak,” he said.

  “Be thankful I do,” his old friend replied. “Otherwise you would be without a Beta.”

  Gareth let out a bark of a laugh and rose from his chair, shaking Isak's hand and glancing at the doorway where Yvonne had disappeared. “Try not to let her know too much,” he said quietly. “I don't trust her.”

  “Don't worry about that, I'll take care of it,” Isak assured him, nodding. Apparently he was well aware of his sister's faults. “Now go, before your human gets even more mad at you.”

  Gareth wanted to laugh, but he knew Isak was right – Maddy had seemed angry with him, and though he wasn't sure why, he fully blamed Yvonne. He sighed inwardly; now it was time to set things straight. Where had his lifemate run off to?

  Standing and walking across the living room, Gareth waved a casual goodbye and let himself out the door, stepping into the rain. He stood for a moment in the glow of the porch light, allowing his senses to adjust and the cold air to clear his mind... then he paused. His car was locked and empty. He sniffed the air. Maddy had been here, but now she was gone.

  Gone. He tried to ignore the finger of ice that ran down his spine. She was fine, probably she had just gone for a walk, he would catch up with her in no time....

  Walking for a whole hour? his thoughts murmured. He pushed them aside. He had figured she would stay here on the porch, or at least near the house – didn't the girl have any sense? Didn't she know the dangers? With a sickening lurch, he realized she probably didn't. She was human; he kept forgetting that she was from a different world. A tame world.

  He picked out her scent quickly, though it was beginning to fade from the constant rain. He followed it to his car and then turned right, heading down the sidewalk, quickening his pace. The rain continued to pour, plastering his black hair to his forehead, making him squint through the water. He saw no sign of her.

  He reached the crosswalk and ran across the street, not waiting for the light. Although he hated to admit it, his heart was beginning to pound, his stomach twisting in cold certainty. Something wasn't right. Something definitely wasn't right.

  There. He found it. Her footsteps became unsteady and were joined by another scent, this one a heavier, male odor... definitely a wolf. By the quality of the stench, he could already guess who it was. He cleared his lungs and took a deep breath, his expression turning darker. Some form of chemical. They had drugged her.

  An abduction. He should have known. He had been stupid to let her run around outside by herself, especially since Kane already knew he was in town. Didn't the girl have any instinct at all? She should have known not to go so far.... He leaned close to the street, sniffing out the area where the car had pulled over to the side of the road, where the man had jumped out and attacked her. There was no blood, which was a small comfort, but it meant nothing. He knew what the wolves would do to her once they got her alone... it would be terrible. And it would all be his fault for dragging her into this mess.

  “Oh Maddy,” he murmured, turning back to his car, his keys already in hand. He had memorized the SUV's scent; now to follow it to its destination. “Hold on, I'm coming.”

  * * *

  Maddy returned to consciousness slowly, drowsy and dizzy and utterly confused. Where was she? What had happened? She tried to open her eyes and look around, but everything was black... it took her a moment to realize she was blindfolded. But why? She thought back, trying to remember what she had been doing... her head throbbed. Isak's house, that's right. And someone had been there... a woman, a beautiful woman, who had said such cruel things....

  It all came flooding back to her in a sudden flash. Running out of the house, walking through the rain, so upset that she wanted to scream... but someone had attacked her. Someone had grabbed her from behind, and then....

  A sudden laugh met her ears, and she realized that there were voices in the background. “Looks like someone's awake,” said a low, slimy voice.

  She shuddered, wondering if she should pretend to still be asleep, but quickly decided it would be useless. Fear bit deep into her, making her lips tremble. She shifted, blind, trying to learn her surroundings... she was sitting upright, tied to a chair. Her back hurt and her legs were sore and cramped. She grimaced.

  “Who are you?” she demanded, deciding to take the more forward approach. She had been dealing with abductors and crooks for days now; she wondered which group had finally gotten her. The enemy wolf pack, or more thugs from the loan shark? She was cold, terrified, alone... but she would not show them fear. That much she had control over.

  “Shut up,” a voice responded. She thought it sounded familiar, but she couldn't place it. “Little bitch... now that you're awake, we're going to show you a thing or two.”

  The voice was cold and leering, and she bit down on her lip, telling herself to be strong. She couldn't control her imagination, however – a thousand scenes flashed before her eyes, all of them ending with her body being thrown out with the trash. Just like her stepfather had always wanted. At least now she could make him proud.

  But what about Gareth? Sudden pain struck her, and she tried not to cry. She had left without saying anything... and he would never find her. How could he? She had been stolen in the middle of the night, taken with nothing left behind. Hopefully he would return to Yvonne and be happy with her... hopefully this lifemate stuff really was just gibberish. For some reason that thought was even more painful than the thought of dying a gory, bloody death.

  “You're pathetic,” she growled, tightening her jaw. “I don't care what you say – you can't scare me!” If she was going to die, she would do it bravely. Her life so far had been nothing but hell... somehow this ending made sense.

  The voice was closer now. Prickles ran over her skin as she sensed a body hover over her. “Oh, you're not scared?” the voice hissed, and suddenly she felt something sharp pressing into the back of her hand, cutting into the flesh. She gasped. “Well, we can fix that.”

  Someone reached around and grabbed the back of her blindfold, ripping it off of her head. A squeak of surprise escaped her lips and she sat back, breathing hard, blinking in the sudden harsh light. She looked around, trembling from shock, taking in her surroundings.

  It appeared that she was in some sort of a garage, or maybe a basement. The floor was cement and there were boxes of junk piled up in all the corners, a naked lightbulb hanging from a chain in the ceiling. And in front of her, towering over her, brandishing a wickedly curved knife in one hand....

  It was the brown-haired wolf from before, the one she had never thought she would see again. She tried to think of his name – what had it been? Jesse? He smiled coldly, holding up the knife. “I see you remember us.”

  She glanced behind him, seeing the blond man standing in a corner along with another man she didn't recognize. Fear suddenly rose in her chest and choked her.

  Maddy glanced down at her hand where blood was streaming from the cut.

  “Our Alpha has decided that you're more trouble than you're worth,” Jesse grinned. “But we're g
oing to have some fun with you first.” The men behind him leered in agreement. Maddy's heart began to race, the reality of the situation hitting her. She was done being brave. She wanted to scream.

  “Quick, gag her!” the blond grunted, throwing his partner a dirty rag. “Then get her pants off. Let's finish with this.”

  “Shall we untie her?” the unidentified wolf said. “I like it when they struggle.”

  The blond hesitated. “Well... alright, but I don't want to get stuck cleaning up the mess this time....”

  Jesse moved in with the rag, and Maddy lost all nerve – kicking the chair back desperately, she tried to scoot away from him, to escape in any way possible despite her hands being tied down.

  “Get away from me!” she screamed, and kept screaming, shouting wordlessly at the top of her lungs, anything to make noise. “Help!” she yelled, so loud that her throat hurt. “Aaah!” Maybe if she made enough noise, someone would come help her, or at least call the cops.. She could only hope. Jesse dove clumsily after her, trying to stick the rag in her mouth, but she snapped at his hand in an attempt to bite it.

  “Fuck you! Get the fuck off of me!” she continued to yell, trying to kick him with her feet, scooting the chair back until she hit a wall. She was writhing and twisting against the chair, trying to work her hands loose from the arm rests so she could fight back. Jesse kept diving for her mouth and pulling back, cussing, the men laughing behind him.

  “Come on, dumbass, she's just a little cunt!” the blond shouted. “What are you, scared?”

  “Shut up, man!” Jesse growled, darting a glare over his shoulder, then turning back to her. “Now hold still, you bitch.”

  “You touch me and I'll kill you!” she shrieked, knowing it was an empty threat. She was helpless. “Asshole, get the fuck away!”