Her breathing slowed, and she found herself nodding before she consciously realized she was doing so. Some of the pain in her joints eased a bit. “Your eyes.”
“We don’t live among humans here. There isn’t the need to hide who we are. My wolf wanted to surface a bit and I let him.” He shrugged. “If it bothers you, for now, I’ll keep it down.”
As quickly as he said the word, his eyes went back to their human brown.
“Although that you would fear what you yourself possess troubles me.”
She wasn’t exactly sure she did have her wolf in her anymore. They could wait for another time to discuss the changes her incarceration had wrought. When she felt steadier, better able to stand up to the force she had rightly assumed Beaux to be, they’d talk about what the True Believers had done to her.
“In my world, the wolf is kept hidden, as best we can, until full moon. We can’t let the other wolves around us smell our feelings. There are ways to control all of it, to keep ourselves protected. To keep it all hidden from view.”
Beaux shook his head. “I don’t understand why you think behaving in such a way keeps you safer.”
“You’ve never been attacked on both sides. Have you ever waged wars and somehow won when you shouldn’t have? Watched your parents bleed to death at your feet?”
That particular memory surfaced, and she shoved it down with a gasp. Her parents’ death was not something she thought about. Ever.
“When those things happen you learn to cover your back. No one gets an edge.”
“Lake, it’s all predetermined by the Moon—what will be, what will not. The best we can do is stay true to ourselves while we navigate the process and trust there is plan in the end.”
Her ears rang, and, if she’d had something to throw, she would have. “You sound like an old man. Did I blink and suddenly you’re one hundred and fifty?”
“Lake….”
She had opened her mouth, and now she couldn’t seem to shut it.
“It’s all predetermined? I call bullshit. All of it? So the last six months, when they held me down, inserted chemicals into my body, took my shift, killed my wolf, all of those experiences were something the Moon needed from me? So it could…what? Laugh? Celestial bodies have nothing better to do than screw around with me?”
She advanced on him. Maybe she’d finally crossed over into insanity. Maybe Beaux would do her the favor of putting her down before she hurt herself or someone else. With a shove, she pushed at him. Only he didn’t budge, didn’t move or react to her at all, like her motions meant nothing.
“What about the children? What did they do to deserve it? The Moon cares nothing about them?”
“I need you to explain what you mean. I don’t understand.”
She could barely hear him. His words were gobbly-gook in her mind. Their faces darted before her eyes. How many had there been? She couldn’t seem to remember anymore. Hundreds? Each one of them lived inside her, and she was helpless to do a thing to fix them. What was the point of any of it when she remained forever ineffectual?
Kyra had died because of her ineptitude. Life had seeped from her mother’s body. What was the point? What was it?
She must have been shouting her thoughts. She had no idea. Tears washed down her face, and she didn’t try to stop them. The world blurred.
“Lake.” Beaux pulled her into his embrace. “Hush, now. Stop hurting yourself.” He hugged her tighter. “I’ve got you.”
She struggled in his arms. It was better when she struck him. His calm sucked the fight right out of her. Before she knew it, she was sagging against him, her knees finally buckling.
Beaux picked her up and carried her to the ratty couch. Maybe she should be grateful she lost her werewolf sense of smell. She would bet money the couch stank.
“I’m sorry.”
She kept her face pressed against his shoulder. The faintest drift of sandalwood greeted her, and she buried her face deeper. Humans could tell aromas. Somehow she’d make do with a diminished sense of smell like they did. And she enjoyed sandalwood. More than she wanted.
“Don’t be sorry.”
He stroked the back of her head. Before that moment she hadn’t imagined Beaux as a kind, gentle man. The Alpha of Montana seemed gruff and stiff most of the time.
He’d let her pound on his body, and now he held her like he had nothing better to do in the world.
“I am. You didn’t deserve an attack from me. I was a mess before they took me. Now I’m never going to be okay.”
“Yes you will.” He spoke with such certainty she pulled back to look at him.
“How can you know I will?” She wiped at her tears while she regarded him.
Beaux’s eyes shifted wolf, and then he blinked them away. She’d never known someone who let his beast so close to the surface all the time. In his arms, however, the sight didn’t frighten her at all.
“Because you’re mine, and I won’t allow it to be any other way.”
Lake groaned and decided against commenting. Instead, she pressed her face to him and closed her eyes. He’d never understand her. That much was clear. Even if he smelled like heaven and held her how she needed but would never admit.
“Beaux.” She started to speak and changed her mind. Maybe silence was best.
“Lake.”
She looked up. Had he made a joke? Repeating her name when she’d said his. Did his imitating her constitute amusement on his part? His eyes sparkled down at her. He knew he had said something kind of funny, and she snorted through her nose before throwing her hand up to cover her face. Had anyone ever made such an embarrassing noise?
“Um.” She cleared her throat. “I know he’s a sore subject for you.”
Sometimes he was for her, too, but her sibling relationship wasn’t a topic she wanted to get into.
“But my brother?”
“I’m familiar with him.”
He leaned back a little and she sat up straighter on his lap.
“Does he know I’m okay? Why isn’t he here? And where is here exactly?”
A muscle ticked in Beaux’s jaw.
“Cyrus is aware I rescued you. He would be here if I had any intention of letting him on pack land, which I do not. And, if my response doesn’t answer your third question, I’ll be more explicit. You’re in Montana.”
Her head pounded from a combination of the drugs in her system, her emotional outburst, the exhaustion of the last six months, and, now, Beaux’s attitude when it came to Cyrus.
“You’re going to keep me away from my family.”
He shook his head. “Not indefinitely, mate. However, for now, yes.”
“Then I’m still kidnapped.”
His eyebrows darted up. “Do you feel held against your will? As you sit here on my lap?”
“If you’re telling me I’m not free to go where I want, then, yes, I’d say I am being restrained.”
He stroked the side of her face, and she shuddered. Drat her body and her unwanted response to him.
“What you said before about being changed. You’re not human.”
“I pretty much am.”
Beaux shook his head.
“You smell the same. Whatever has happened to you isn’t permanent.”
She flung his hand off her. How dare he presume to know? She was the Healer, and even she didn’t know what had been done.
“You’re changing the topic.”
“No, I’m not.”
He took her hand and rubbed his finger over her knuckles. Why did the man never react when she struck at him?
“You’re not a human. And we’ve been playing the mating game here for nine months.”
“That’s not exactly true. Six months of it, I was the captive of the True Believers.”
“Oh, darling. I was still chasing you.”
Her mouth fell open. The whole time? Beaux had been on her trail when she’d been taken? Why did she feel better? Had she never truly been alone?
/>
“Get to the point. You won’t let Cyrus come here. You’re keeping me from my family.”
“You ran. I chased. I caught you.”
His words sunk in, and her body buzzed as she realized what he was saying.
“And now you want to convince me to be your True Mate.”
“Now I show you how you belong to me, forever in my pack, as my True Mate, as the Moon willed it. Forever.”
A spasm jerked through her body, and she would have fallen backwards if he hadn’t had an arm around her.
“Shit.”
Why had she thought this would stop when she got away? It never would. Tears sprang from her eyes. The children. Oh, by the Moon, the children….
“Lake.”
For the first time since she awakened, Beaux was shouting. She could hear the concern in the rapid pace of his breath.
“It’s the children, Beaux. They’re hurting them. You have to stop them. Please, please, save the children, Beaux.”
Her world spun before it all went black.
Chapter Three
Beaux set his unconscious mate on the couch. Her head lolled, but her breathing was good. The second she passed out, her heart rate had returned to normal. For a gut-wrenching moment, he’d thought he’d lost her—again.
Her death could not be allowed to happen. Ever.
His hands shook as he dialed his phone, but he ignored the feeling. Losing control wasn’t an option, especially not while Lake needed him. Who were the children she mentioned?
Too many questions and still no answers. He was a patient man, and, when the right time presented itself, he would ask. With Lake so fragile, he had no intention of pushing.
But he needed to know about the children. Immediately. The rest could wait or be left to resolve on its own.
She’d accused him of holding her captive….
John picked up on the third ring. “My Alpha?”
“I need a car. I’m in Fred’s cabin.”
John would know where. They’d all heard Fred speak of it enough.
“Lake’s not well, and I can’t take care of her needs here.”
“We’ll be there soon, sir.”
“Thank you.”
He hung up the phone. John would get there as fast as possible. He trusted him. His pack would help him through her recovery; they would take care of Lake as if she were one of their own. She was theirs—as he was, and she belonged with him.
Beaux knelt next to his sleeping mate and placed his hand on her forehead. No fever. That was good. Or maybe it wasn’t. How could he fight whatever was attacking her when he didn’t understand it?
Her eyes flew open, and, like the night before, she didn’t seem to be focusing on him. This time, he was prepared for it. He wouldn’t let her hurt herself when she thrashed. Instead, he hugged her tight. She had liked it earlier when she’d been so upset. He’d smelled the calm overtake her in his arms. A good sign, he hoped.
“The children, Beaux. You have to get them.”
He had no idea who they were, but he would promise to lasso a unicorn if she wanted it, and find a way to make it happen.
“I will. I’ll get the children, Lake. You can relax. Leave it to me. I’ll get them.”
Her breathing eased, and she pulled away to look at him. She blinked rapidly for a second, and then her gaze seemed less wild. “Beaux?”
“Yes, darling. It’s me.” Thank the Moon she had come back from wherever she’d gone. What the fuck was going on? Were the drugs leaving her system? As werewolves they didn’t react to medicine like humans. Sleeping pills left them wired; anti-anxiety medication made them rave. What had they given her?
“Did I…pass out?”
He nodded. “You did. Who are the children, Lake?”
“Oh.”
She wiped at her eyes. He had to figure out how to make sure she never cried again. It tore him up inside. She needed to be feisty, angry. They’d get her back there. It was fine if she challenged him for a while. Baby steps. Eventually, she’d recover and be his.
“Can you talk about it?”
He really hoped she could. Give him something to begin searching.
His wolf wanted to howl, and, if he’d been alone, he’d have given into the urge. Considering Lake hadn’t liked when his eyes shifted, he’d control his werewolf moves until she found her feet.
“The True Believers have hundreds of werewolf children.”
Her words stopped him short, and his wolf surged forward despite his best effort to control the instinct. She’d shocked him. His mate didn’t cringe, and he didn’t scent fear, which was good considering he couldn’t call it back, couldn’t make the animal keep its cool. Not after her announcement.
“What?” The word sounded like a growl.
“One of the places they took me was—is—a holding facility. Some of these children, they’ve never been out of captivity. They’re dying. Sometimes I can’t think about it. What I saw, it was too much for words, like a nightmare. My memory of it flees, goes somewhere else. I don’t know why. I try to hold onto it, to tell myself how important it is for me to talk to someone who can do something.”
His blood pressure rose, and his head pulsed. “You’re telling someone now.”
“Yes.” She nodded. “You’re exactly the person to speak to. No one would be better.”
Not even Cyrus?
He didn’t ask the ridiculous question. Hell, he wished he hadn’t thought it.
“Tell me more about the children. How old are they? Why do the True Believers have them?”
She shook her head. “All different ages.”
Lake grabbed at her forehead, and he could smell the surge of pain rolling off her. His mate’s scent altered, becoming sour and acrid. The torment coating her rode him hard, and he wanted to lash out at whatever caused the surge. Except in this case, he had no enemy physically present to fight.
“Go on.”
“The older children, they lose them, they die. The man in charge of them, his name is Louis, he thought because I was a Healer I could help. I couldn’t. There was nothing to do. Nothing.”
Tears pooled in her eyes, but they didn’t fall. His beautiful, strong mate managed better than men twice her size.
He stroked the side of her face. “Go on. Tell me so I can find them.”
She reached out and took his hands. “Oh, Beaux. There was nothing I could do. I tried and tried.”
She paused to swallow. He should get her more water.
“One died and then another. I broke. It was too much. Then they drugged me, and I woke up elsewhere.”
He listened to his gut and went to get her some water. Before he spoke again, he gave it to her. She drank, and the act cooled some of his nerves.
“Lake, why does an organization bent on killing werewolves keep children?”
And how could there be so many missing children without the Alphas knowing about? Was this an Alpha Prime problem? With no one werewolf to rule the group, were the Alphas not reporting abducted youths to each other?
Beaux hated Lucian, the last Alpha Prime long before someone had killed him—and despite several Alphas looking into it, they still didn’t know who to give the credit or blame for that. Even so, the man had his uses when he lived. Lucian wouldn’t have missed such huge problems.
“I don’t know. They took babies. We already knew that part. Betsy and Lilliana were supposed to be taken. Since they were latent—unable to shift—Betsy had been raised by the True Believers to see what would happen. Lilliana had escaped, taken away by one who deserted from their sick cause. There had to be others.”
The mates of the Alphas of Philadelphia and New York City, Travis and Cyrus, hadn’t known each other until recently. Both women were latent werewolves until Beaux’s mate fixed them so they could shift. She’d given both women a part of themselves they’d been missing.
How long had the True Believers been getting away with this and why?
Lake
trembled; what little energy she possessed was wearing thin. He wanted her to rest. Nothing would please him more than to feed her from his hand, to see to her needs, to make her better by his care alone. First, however, he had to get answers.
“Where were they? Did you know where you were?”
He’d chased her so many places. Had he missed the children? His heart turned over. If they had been there and he hadn’t rescued them, he’d never forgive himself.
“No.” She sniffed. “I never knew where they were except for the time I got out in New Orleans. Other than that, it was one anonymous scientific facility after another. I could never tell the difference.”
“Okay.” He kissed the end of her nose. The depth of her beauty astounded him, and the need to claim her rode him hard. He wouldn’t give in. Not until she wanted it and certainly not now.
“Beaux will you find them?”
“Yes.”
It was a big promise, and he was happy to make it. He’d never stop until he located the missing and with them found out what had happened to Lake.
“Thank you.”
He smoothed her hair away from her face.
“Are you comfortable here or would you prefer to be back in the bed?”
She laughed, a small broken sound. “Are you trying to be polite and in your own way tell me I need to sleep?”
“Would you prefer me to order you to?”
It wouldn’t be easier to do so. She didn’t belong to him yet, and she might not obey. Lake’s health came first. She needed to sleep.
“No.” She shook her head.
“Bed or couch?”
“Where will you be?” She looked down, and his chest panged.
He had no idea what to make of the sensation. Beaux was Alpha of his pack. Men and women lowered their eyes when they spoke to him all the time. Why did it bother him Lake had done so?
“I’ll be here. Waiting for my pack mate to arrive with the car, which might take several hours.”
“Where are we going?”
Her question surprised him. Did she want to stay here?
“Home.”
“Whose home?”
And now they were back to this. She still wanted him to release her and let her return to her interfering brother. It wasn’t going to happen. Not until he had at least been given a fair shot at winning his mate. He growled when he spoke.