The Wolf's Mate Book 1: Jason & Cadence Page 16

  Wistfully, she kissed the top of his furry snout, told him she loved him, and wished him a good hunt. She recognized two of the mid-ranked wolves standing guard, one at the front and one at the back of the house, and she climbed the stairs with a yawn and went to lay down to catch a nap, pillow firmly between her legs.

  Chapter 10

  Jason sat on his haunches at the back of Cadence’s house and waited for her to go upstairs. With his sharp hearing, he could make out the sounds of her moving around inside. She climbed the stairs slowly and he could tell she was tired. They’d been up a lot the last two nights, and although she rested during the day, she was fairly insatiable the moment she saw him and he’d noticed her eyes were pretty bloodshot this evening. Not that he’d complain. He couldn’t really think about anything much except peeling her out of her clothes and tying her to the headboard with that mating strap. Not sure that’s what the ancients had in mind when they used it as part of the ceremony, but he wanted her at his mercy tonight, so he could give her as much pleasure as she could handle before they made love. The only way he could take care of her right was if she kept her hands off him.

  She opened the bedroom window and leaned out, looking for him, and when she saw him, she blew him a kiss and waved, and turned off the light. He heard the bed squeak as she lay down, and after making sure that his men were standing guard, he headed off with the pack to hunt. Jake’s pack was going to another area to hunt because this night, this territory was all for the Tressel pack. A celebration of the mating and the missing part of their hierarchy.

  With a sharp series of barks, he took off for the deep woods and his pack joined him. They’d hunt as a group tonight first before splintering off to follow their own prey. This was the most primitive bachelor’s party on record: a bunch of wolves hunting.

  Within an hour they were deep within the woods, tracking a herd of deer. Michael and Bo flanked him and they advanced on the group as a true pack, groups of three and four taking down the deer in a coordinated effort. As his canines latched onto the back of the neck of the largest buck, he felt a shiver of fear slide down his spine.

  Odd.

  Must be the buck. Fear made their blood taste sweeter, all those endorphins. With a mighty shake of his head, he snapped the buck’s neck and it went limp. Releasing his hold, he looked down the length of the buck’s body and saw Michael and Bo tearing into the belly and hindquarters and he opened his jaws to take a chunk out of the neck when he felt another tremor of fear. But the buck was dead. Another wave pierced him, but this one more closely to his heart. It was Cadence. Something was happening to Cadence and she was so frightened that he could feel her fear at such a great distance.

  He barked a sharp command to his people and took off for her home as fast as he could run. Within minutes the entire pack was on their way, howls and barks of encouragement followed him as their paws pounded on the ground. The run to the herd had seemed to be over so fast, but the same distance back to his mate was taking forever. Even though they came at a straight shot instead of weaving and enjoying themselves, the clock spun and her fear slid away from him the closer he got.

  When they broke through the stand of trees beyond her property, he saw Harry lying on his side on the back porch. Jason shifted into his human form and stumbled forward up the steps, gaining his feet and racing up to the bedroom. Gone! He slammed the door open so hard it imbedded into the wall. The bed was empty. He ripped the covers back and saw a single spot of blood on the white pillowcase.

  He took a deep breath and settled himself, drawing on the deepest part of his scent receptors as the sound of his people entering the house echoed around him. He could smell her in the room, sweet and warm, and then he picked up the scent of males, two of them, and knew exactly who had taken his mate: Chris and one of his band mates, Westin.

  He grabbed the clothes that Cadence had folded and left on the dresser and was shoving his feet angrily into his boots when Michael came into the room. “Fuck!” He growled, looking at the empty bed. “The guys are drugged, but they’re alive and otherwise unharmed. J?”

  Jason looked up at his brother. “I want everyone dressed and on their bikes in ten minutes out here. Find me Jake.”

  Within ten minutes, dozens of motorcycles and vehicles were crowded on the large yard and he stood on the porch with Michael and his top men.

  Jake came to stand next to him, looking equally pissed and worried. “Five are gone, Jason. Chris, Zan, Westin, Quincy, and Darrin. Cells are off and no one’s seen them.” Brett, his youngest son, came to the bottom of the steps.

  Jason looked down at him. “Where would your brother go if he wanted to disappear?”

  Brett shook his head. “I don’t know. I haven’t heard from him since he left after hurting Cadence.”

  His knuckles turned white as he clenched his hands. He felt fucking helpless, and he didn’t want to think what it might mean that he couldn’t feel her fear anymore. His father said, “Doesn’t one of the guys in the band have family property north of here, in the hills?”

  Clarity rang through him like a bell. Of course! He knew exactly where it was, too. He just had to hope that he wasn’t too late to save his sweetheart. He raised his voice high above the din and everyone in both packs went quiet. “The alpha of the Tressel pack is out there and in danger. Let’s go bring her home safe.”

  The wolves howled angrily to the sky and he was already on his bike and racing down the dirt road that led away from her home, his pack and the Garra pack close behind.

  Hamersville Station was a bit of nothing town, a whistle-stop, as his grandfather would have said, mostly farms and cabins left abandoned except during hunting season. North of Allen by about 40 miles, when they were teenagers, they used to hang out up at Zan’s cousin’s cabin, secluded in the depths of the hilly woods that made up the town.

  His heart pounded in his ears, louder than even the engine of his bike, as he raced along the highway, northbound. He wouldn’t stop for anything or anyone. He didn’t care if the end result was a herd of police following them all the way there, he’d see her safe and home first.

  Again and again his thoughts passed over the evening and he cursed himself for not staying with her, not waiting out his shifting time by her side so he could keep her safe. Once again he’d been careless with her safety; very certain that no one would dare to touch a fully mated female. The wolves he’d posted at the house were just because he couldn’t stand for her to be alone. He had no idea that she’d really need them.

  His anxiety peaked again and he pushed the bike as fast as he could, unaware of the scenery that flashed by in the darkness as they moved to the cabin. He prayed she was there. He prayed she was alive and unharmed. And he mostly prayed that if he died tonight saving her life, that she’d know that he loved her more than his next breath. Because he surely did.

  Chapter 11

  Trying to open her eyes as she started to wake up, Cadence found they felt too heavy, as if weights were attached to her eyelids. Everything felt heavy. Her arms felt like weights were tied to them and her head was like a big useless ball. She slid forward slightly and heard the squeal of brakes and suddenly she was very afraid. A blast of cold air washed over her after the sound of a door wrenching open, and arms grabbed her cruelly, pulling her.

  When she could force her eyes open, she saw only blurs which spiked her fear, and her stomach rolled as she was put on her feet and she hit the ground and retched. The ground was hard, dry grass and dirt, and the area didn’t smell familiar to her at all. She was about to ask where she was when someone wiped a wet rag across her face and a voice she knew all too well said, “That’s just the drugs clearing your system. You’ll be just fine for the ceremony, Cadence.”

  “Chris?” She coughed and spit out more bile, sucking in a few frantic gasps of cold air.

  “Of course, my love. Did you think I would leave you alone on our mating night?”

  Arms snaked around her and lift
ed her off the ground and she tried to calm her fear but it was like a dog snapping at her neck, all teeth and claws and desperation. She could do nothing until she had her sight back, but she took in all she could with her other senses. She heard voices, and recognized Zan and Westin, Darrin, and Quincy. Zan sounded very surprised, “That’s what you guys went to get? Cadence?”

  Chris’ voice went ice cold. “I told you I was going to get my mate. Who did you think I was talking about, Zan?”

  Quincy growled, “Fucking shut it, Zan. When you broke ties with the Garra pack, you oathed yourself to our new alpha and that means you don’t question what he does.”

  Chris lowered her until she felt the ground under her butt and he let her go. A water bottle was shoved into her hand. “Drink this, darling. You’ll feel better really soon.”

  “Chris,” she croaked, “why are you doing this?”

  “Because we were meant to be together. You survived the accident. That means our love is pure and strong.”

  Okay. He’d gone off his rocker. What the hell was she going to do? She blinked furiously and drained the water bottle. Thankfully she wasn’t tied up, but she certainly couldn’t outrun five werewolves. Not without a damn good head start.

  She smelled the fire before she felt the warmth as it blazed brightly. Finally her blurry vision started to clear. She saw the five men milling around with purpose as if they had tasks. She wasn’t being watched, and she darted a look around and saw nothing but an old cabin. It looked familiar, even covered in the light and shadows from the full moon overhead. She wondered how long she’d been out, what happened to the guards, and whether Jason knew she was missing yet. He had to find her, she willed him to find her.

  She took the opportunity of their distraction to bolt, and she didn’t get two steps before someone landed on her back and slammed her into the ground. Her shoulder landed on a large stone and before she could register any pain, she was wrenched to her feet by her hair. She cried out and got a hand across her cheek, a hot burn left in its wake.

  “Did you think I wouldn’t be watching you?” Chris spat at her.

  She sobbed, “I’m sorry, Chris. Please, let me go. Don’t do this.”

  “Oh, we’re doing this alright.” He fisted his hand in her hair so tightly that strands pulled free and he planted his mouth on hers until her teeth cut into her lips and she tasted blood.

  She cried when he broke the kiss and jerked the front of her shirt open, the buttons flying with ripping sounds, and yanked it off her shoulders.

  Zan protested, “Wait, that’s a mating strap. Chris, she’s already mated to Jason. You can’t take her, he’ll kill you! It’s our oldest law.”

  Chris’ eyes flashed amber in the firelight and his fangs elongated as he shoved her backwards into someone’s arms and said, “Hold her.” With a growl, he leapt on Zan and her only hope for an ally in the midst of the chaos was screaming in terror of his own.

  Westin purred in her ear, his fingers tightening on her flesh. “Tonight’s gonna be fun, baby. Chris’ll fuck you, and then we all will. You’ll be our personal chew toy, for a new kind of pack. A pack with no rules.” He squeezed her breast through her corset roughly and she stifled a pained groan. Terror licked at her again. It was much worse than fending off Chris. She couldn’t hope to make it through the night against four more of them. A wolf on the full moon was excitable enough before and after their shift, but they were acting as if they’d not gotten a chance to shift. That made them tense and emotional, with a hair trigger that trended towards violence.

  Chris stood after a few minutes of beating on Zan, who lay in a crumpled, bleeding heap outside the crudely constructed stone circle.

  “Now, darling, first of all, you don’t need this anymore.” He tore the necklace off and tossed it away. It arced in the firelight and she felt the loss from around her neck.

  In the middle of a full-blown panic attack, she couldn’t breathe right or concentrate on anything. Her terror ratcheted up another notch as he began a convoluted version of the mating vows.

  “Tonight you’re my mate and I’m yours. Does anyone have anything to say about that?” He jerked on the waistband of her jeans and the button popped. She whimpered, helpless in Westin’s tight hold.

  “Fucking get to it, man!” One of them yelled and the others cheered and her blood went cold.

  “We’re making our own traditions.” His fangs extended and she thought he was going to bite her but instead he sank one fang into his wrist and wiped his blood over her heart and then his own. Her stomach rolled when the scent of his blood hit her nose. “You’re mine forever, Cadence.”

  As he went for her jeans again, her chest heaved and she thought her heart would stop completely. Then she felt something stirring in her mind, a strength that hadn’t deserted her in the middle of this horror. Her wolf. She was wolf enough to be alpha; she was wolf enough to defeat this lesser wolf who had gone over the edge of sanity. The zipper lowered slowly and an idea formed quickly.

  “Chris, baby, Chris? Look at me, honey.” She spoke with as even a tone as she could muster. He had to believe her.

  He looked at her and his eyes were glowing. “We’re going to make love, Chris. Don’t you want to feel me completely naked under you? Don’t you want Westin to wait his turn with the others?” She licked her lips and looked at him.

  He blinked and took a few breaths. “That’s it, baby, take off my shoes, first, so you can get my pants off right.” She cooed to him.

  He knelt in front of her, dropping like a stone and undid the laces of her hiking boots. Tossing them aside, he moved his hands up her legs slowly, eagerness on every feature. Reaching for her jeans again, he growled, “Let her go, Westin. Wait your turn.”

  When Westin didn’t move, Chris growled. “I said move!”

  With a huff, he let her go and she sighed at the relief in pressure from around her waist. He’d been holding her like a vise. While he worked her jeans down her legs, she dug back through her martial arts training and grabbed hold of the half wolf in her mind so she could use every ounce of power and knowledge available to her. She would put him down and she would get away from them. She had no choice.

  She stepped free of her jeans, resting her hands on his shoulders and when he was in just the right place, she sank her hands into his hair and shoved his head into her knee. With a crack that echoed like a gunshot, he howled and rolled away from her and she ran. They didn’t chase her right away, but she was in socks with no pants and in unfamiliar territory. Plus, it was night. She relied on her wolf to get her through the woods, but even she couldn’t navigate someplace she’d never been.

  She raced past the cabin, towards what looked like a road. As she ran, her feet hit things that hurt, but she pushed past the pain, her eyes trained on the place ahead of her. She heard the roar of motorcycle engines, and she knew she was done for if she was caught. The dirt road ended at another road that stretched in either direction, but there appeared to be nothing but woods and fields for miles. She cast her eyes up the hill and saw a guardrail. That meant a road!

  Instead of sticking to the road, she started for the hill. They couldn’t get up the steep hill on their bikes so they had to climb with her or get to the road another way. Sticks cut her hands, stones bit into her knees, but she pushed on until she could grab the bottom of the guardrail as the shouts from below her grew closer. She pulled herself up and over it, falling to the ground in front of it with a harsh cry. Something pierced her thigh and she reached for the pain and found a shard of thick glass like a beer bottle and tossed it aside. Struggling to get to her feet, she heard the sound of motorcycles growing closer and she tried to get back over the guardrail, but her hands were slippery and ached, and in an instant she was blinded with headlights and she sobbed in defeat.

  Boots stomped towards her and she screamed, “Please, Chris, no!”

  “Sweetheart, it’s me.” Jason’s sweet voice reached her ears and she lifted her
head. “Cades, Cades?”

  “Oh Jas.” She lifted her arms to him and he closed the distance fast, whipping off his jacket to cover her before standing up with her tight in his arms.

  He barked, “Find him! Fucking find all of them!” Engines roared and then drifted away and a door creaked open. She felt something soft under her bare legs and she stiffened.

  “It’s alright, Cades,” he soothed, “it’s my dad’s truck. Callie’s here. They’re going to take you back to my trailer.”

  She grabbed his collar. “Please don’t leave me, Jas!”

  His brow furrowed and he leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. “I have to make it safe for you, sweetheart. I’ll be home soon, I promise. Dad?”

  “I’ll get her back to your trailer and take care of her until you get back, son. You go avenge our alpha.”

  She felt herself slipping away from everything, and Jason’s voice went tinny and distant and then she was gone.

  Chapter 12

  Jason had thought the worst thing he had ever seen was Cadence in the hospital. This topped everything. Bleeding, bruised, half naked and absolutely terrified. Every instinct in his body was at war. Half of him didn’t want her out of his sight because she was in pain and afraid. The other half of him knew that Chris had to pay. She deserved to feel safe and he would be the one to give it to her.

  His cell beeped and Michael’s breathless voice said, “We found ‘em, J. One was unconscious by a bonfire, the other four we chased on the bikes and they’re down by the bonfire at the cabin now.”

  “I’ll be right there.”

  He reined in his beast. He couldn’t be emotional right now; he had to act by the laws of their ancestors. While there was no leeway for Chris, the others in his rogue posse were another story. Arriving quickly, he pulled up next to the cabin and turned off the bike. He saw every male except his father standing around the bonfire. His highest ranked men each held one of the rogues, except for the one that was unconscious. All the Tressel pack females were waiting at the trailer park to stand guard over their alpha until he could get back to her.