Stealing Their Harley, page 10
“Yeah.” I frown. “How did you know that?”
She ignores my question and asks one of her own. “Do you feel weak and shaky?”
I nod miserably and try to shift my body into a more comfortable position. “Yes.”
“I went through something similar when I was your age,” she admits softly. “Your grandpa told me it was the wolf inside of me trying to get out but failing because I’m only half wolf.”
Nothing she could have said would have shocked me more than her confession. “Y-you’re… You’re half wolf, too?”
“I am,” she admits. “My father’s a wolf shifter. I was never supposed to know, but when I was eleven, I caught him shifting in the woods behind our house. I ran and told my mother and the cat—or wolf—was out of the bag.”
“Oh god. So, you went through this too? How long did it last?” I wonder as another shiver racks my body. “The only thing that makes it better is being around the guys.”
“It went away after about a month,” she assures me. “I didn’t have a mate so I didn’t have a reprieve from it. A mate helps calm the wolf that wants out and that’s why you don’t feel like this when they’re around you.”
“Wait. There’s a wolf inside me?” I feel like I’m falling farther down the rabbit hole. I don’t want to be furry. I hate shaving as it is.
“All born of the wolf have the spirit animal in them. But those of us that are born half human do not possess the necessary magic for that spirit to emerge fully. Once the symptoms start, the wolf awakes for the span of time until the next full moon and then the symptoms dissipate and it goes dormant for the remainder of our life span.
“Wow. That’s beautiful yet tragic.” The temperature in the room dips even further and I can’t help but shake. “You’re really part wolf?” I ask again after a moment of silence.
She sighs softly. “I am. I have to wonder now if that’s why I’m so attracted to your father. Maybe it’s a wolf thing.”
I start to say something in return but stop when voices from the other side of the wall can be heard. At first, it’s hard to make out what’s being said, but then one of the voices strikes a familiar chord in me. I know that voice. It’s my father.
“That’s Dad!” I whisper-yell.
Chapter 12
Mom doesn’t say anything. She presses her ear against the wall and listens harder and I do the same.
“You can have me, Alpha. Please, just let my family go,” Dad pleads with them, and the defeat in his voice breaks my heart. “I’ll do whatever you want if you just let them go.”
A new voice gets added to the mixture of noise. “It’s too late for that, Lowell. You broke the rules. Disrespected your pack when you took that furless slut as a mate. We are superior to them in every way. It’s fine to occasionally sully yourself between the legs of one. After all, those whores can make a wolf’s cock hard just like our bitches can. But, to take one as a wife and allow her to give birth to a half breed is reprehensible and must be punished to the fullest extent of pack law.”
The sound of flesh hitting flesh is so loud, you would think the wall separating the two rooms was made from paper instead of wood. My mother and I both cry out as the obvious sounds of my father being beaten reaches our ears. Hit after hit continues for a good five minutes and then a loud thump can be heard of someone being thrown to the ground.
Mom and I can only sit in the bare room, chained to the floor, and sob as we listen to them hurting my dad.
The beating stops suddenly and we freeze, desperately trying to hear what they’re doing next. We both jump and scream when the door is kicked open and a man drags Dad into the room. Three other men come into the room with him, two of them holding my father’s battered body between them while the other two come over to my mother and me.
Each of the men grabs us by our hair, lifting so that we face the first man that came through the door. My mother and I stand there in silence, waiting to see what they have planned.
“Please Alpha, don’t hurt them.” My dad’s head droops back down after he begs the man standing just inside the doorway.
The man ignores him and angles his head studying me and my mother. The disdain for us is plain on his features so his next words aren’t much of a surprise. “My name is Symon. I am Alpha of the Dawnfall pack.” He walks toward my mom, stopping in front of her. He raises his hand and I watch in horror as it elongates. Razor sharp claws protrude from the points of his fingers and he traces my mother's neck with one sharp claw. I can see a small trail of blood form on her skin, but he doesn’t cause her any serious injury before crossing the room and doing the same to me.
“Bastard,” I spit out, my anger overriding my survival instinct.
Without a word, he backhands me. Fire races across my cheek and I taste blood. My mother and father both scream in unison.
The Alpha walks back toward my father, grabs him by the collar and pulls his face close.
“You did this to them. Next time you know never to defy me. Bury their bodies before you come back to the packhouse and if you try to run again, I will make you pay with your life.”
He turns back to us with pure evil shining in his dark eyes. “It’ll only be a few hours for you two, but it’ll be the longest, most painful hours of your lives and it’s all because of this coward.” He kicks Dad in the stomach and walks out of the room. The three other wolves follow, leaving the three of us alone.
As soon as he can gain his breath again, Dad scrambles for us. He unchains Mom and then me, pulling us closer to his sides, all the while sobbing. “I’m so sorry I failed you two. I tried my best. I did everything I could. I’m so sorry.”
I groan as the movement of him pulling me closer sends radiating pain through my body. “We are alive, Dad. That’s all that matters. We will get out of here and find a way to deal with your old pack.”
My dad shakes his head sadly and his sorrow filled eyes meet mine. “You don’t understand, Scooter. A scratch from a wolf is a death sentence for a human, honey. You and your mother only have a few hours left on this earth and it’s all my fault.”
Well, shit. This isn’t how I wanted things to end. I still had so much I wanted to do in life. My mother is quietly sobbing at the news, but my eyes remain dry. I can’t seem to shed any more tears. I hug my father tightly before letting him go. “It’s not your fault, Dad. You did what you could. I don’t blame you.”
“I missed you, Richard,” Mom whispers to him, resting her head on his lap. “I wish you would have told me your secret, but I know why you didn’t. I really thought you just stopped loving me.”
“Never!” he cries. He lifts her head up and kisses her face all over. “I could never stop loving you, Debra. You and Harley are my world. I only wanted to keep you both safe.”
The room spins as I shift my weight to try and find a more comfortable position. My vision blurs and I fight against the rising nausea. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
The warning comes only seconds before I lose the contents of my stomach in the corner of the room. I drop down, unable to support my weight, and roll away from the mess I made.
Dad rests his hand on my back and rubs softly, tears still spilling from his bruised eyes. “The poison of a wolf scratch takes a few hours to fully take effect, but the symptoms start fast. I’m so sorry, Scooter. I wish I could have saved you two. I’m so sorry.”
A door somewhere in the house slams and rattles the wooden walls. The three of us stiffen and huddle together, fearing the Alpha has returned to finish the job. Not satisfied to wait for the poison to work.
We all let out sighs of relief when Rico rushes into the room and gasps in horror at the sight of us. He looks over his shoulder and yells. “They’re in here. Hurry!”
My guys appear before I can blink and they’re all over me. Each one of them touching and kissing me in some way or another. I whimper in pain and they freeze, pulling back to assess the damage. “Oh, thank fuck you are okay, Kacen. I was so worried.”
Kacen looks at me in disbelief and tightens his grip on me. “I scared you? I thought you were dead. Don’t ever do that to me again.”
As they look me over, my father explains to them what happened and what the Alpha of the Dawnfall pack did. Their expressions range from horror to complete rage, the latter coming from Kacen.
“I will end him for this.” He slams his fist through the wall on his way out of the room and I watch him go, terrified he’s about to get himself killed.
I turn to Alekai and Dawson. “Go with him. Help him.”
“We can’t leave you, love,” Dawson protests, kissing one of the bruises forming on my cheek.
I grab his hand and kiss the back of it. “I can’t handle the thought of him being hurt. I’ll be right behind you. Please, go help him. For me.”
Alekai and Dawson share a look and Alekai curses. “Rico, help her. Bring her back to the house. We’ll follow as soon as we can.”
They both kiss my forehead and take off after Kacen.
Rico quickly picks me up in his arms, tears shining in his eyes as he looks me over. “Dammit, Harley. Did you have to go and get yourself hurt?”
I grin at him as best I can with a split lip. “My bad. I’ll do better next time.”
He sobs into my shoulder, knowing as well as I do there won’t be a next time. I only have a few hours left.
Dad cradles Mom in his arms and the four of us make our way quickly through the cabin where we were being kept. We trek through the woods for a while until we hear shouting coming from the other direction. I stop Rico. “Go toward the shouting. I need to know that my guys are okay.”
“Harley, I don’t think—” Rico protests, but one look at me and he relents, leading us in a new direction.
The closer we get, the more my nerves flare. When we break through the trees into a clearing, Rico stops short. A giant circle of wolves and men fills the clearing, but we can’t see what’s in the middle. “Put me down, Rico.”
“Harley, I really need to get you out of here,” Rico protests even as he sets me on my feet. “You’re in no shape to be walking around.”
“Stay back here with my mom,” I mutter, noticing my father set her down just in time for her to get sick by the tree line. “She needs you more right now. I need to find the guys.”
“I’m not leaving you alone, Harley,” he scoffs, as if I’m insane. “The guys would murder me. Hell, I’d murder myself.”
“Fine,” I sigh, limping past him with a hand on my sore ribs. My body feels like a hot poker is striking various parts of it, but I try my best to lock the pain away. “Come on.”
I make my way slowly to the circle of wolves and men, spotting Dawson and Alekai still in human form about halfway around.
“There’s Alekai and Dawson,” I tell Rico. “Now, go be with my mom. I need you with her.”
He hesitates, but finally does as I ask. He knows how important it is to me that she’s taken care of. Fighting the dizziness, I can’t help but brush up against others as I try to get to my mates. Men turn and barely give me a glance before turning back to watch whatever is going on in the ring. I finally reach Dawson’s side and I place my hand on his shoulder to grab his attention.
His silvery gaze meets mine and sharpen with intensity as he realizes I didn’t listen and stayed on the pack grounds. I try to peek around him so that I can finally see what has captured everyone's attention but he stops me by turning toward me and using his body to block my view once more.
“What’s going on, Dawson? Is the fighting over? Where’s Kacen?” The questions keep flowing from my mouth, one right after another.
“Harley, love. What are you doing here? Trust me, you don’t want to be here right now.” Dawson grabs both of my shoulders gently and rubs his hands up and down my upper arms. “It’s not safe. Kacen cannot be distracted by the sight of you.”
“What are you talking about? Why can’t Kacen see me?” I try to peer around him again. “What’s going on, Dawson? Tell me right now if you ever want to pee upright again.” My threat is only kind of a joke. I would never hurt him, but I plan to bluff my way into an answer.
Dawson sighs heavily and then seems to come to a decision. He moves over just enough so that I can see past his large frame. A part of me wishes he never moved.
There are two men in the ring. Both men are clad in nothing but jeans. While normally I would find two half-naked men roughing each other up a little tantalizing, the brawl that is currently happening has my insides twisting in horror. Both men are coated in blood and the blows they are inflicting on each other never seem to stop. The others around me watch in rapture and I have to fight my instinct to look away.
“What’s happening, Dawson?” My eyes widen as I’m finally able to see the second man’s face clearly. Kacen is one of the men in the ring!
“Holy shit! Why aren’t you helping him?” I scream, not understanding why everyone just stood around like it was a Saturday afternoon barbeque.
“What the fuck is she doing here, Dawson?” Alekai stands just to the left of us. His usual jovial expression is grim. My terror escalates and threatens to bubble over into pure hysteria.
“Forget about me, for fuck’s sake! Why aren’t you helping Kacen?” I stand on my tiptoes, poking my other mate in the chest. If someone doesn’t help Kacen soon, I am going to find the biggest branch I can carry and start clobbering some heads, starting with the asshole in the ring with my man.
“It’s an Alpha challenge, sugar,” Alekai answers despondently. “No one can interfere or enter the ring until one of them is dead.” He grabs my hand and pulls me forward. “See, feel for yourself.”
He raises my hand up and presses it against something I can’t see. Shocked, I move my body closer, and place my other hand alongside the first. There is some type of invisible forcefield separating us from the men in the ring.
“W... what is this?” I stutter and move my hands up higher, seeing if I can find a break in the barrier, but my fingers only encounter a solid warm energy.
“The circle forms when an Alpha issues a challenge. It’s our way to settle disputes in order to avoid additional bloodshed. If we allowed an all-out battle between packs, humans could find out about us and that could lead to an even larger battle.” Alekai’s hand finds my shoulder and he gives it a comforting squeeze. “It’s up to Kacen now, sugar. But don’t worry, he will win against Symon. Have faith in him and whatever you do, don’t scream again. Kacen will be able to hear you and it might distract him at a critical moment.”
I do as he asks but it’s hard to keep quiet as I watch the two men continue to fight. “Why are they fighting in their human form? Shouldn’t they be shifted?” I question quietly, trying to distract myself as Symon lands a hard strike to Kacen’s stomach.
“No, love.” Dawson answers me before Alekai can. “Shifting in a challenge is considered a weakness and is not allowed. Our kind believe only true champions can maintain their human forms under such duress. If you die while maintaining your human form in a challenge, you will be gifted in the afterlife. No Alpha has ever been killed in a challenge as a wolf.”
I want to continue to watch but dizziness overcomes me and I stumble backward. I am caught in a warm embrace from two of my mates and I ache to feel the arms of my third. Lips come down on the top of my head and I watch as Alekai frowns at Dawson. I feel Dawson shake his head back and forth slowly.
It takes a moment for me to realize Dawson is silently telling Alekai I’m not doing well. He’s right. My body feels like it’s growing weaker by the second. My eyes close of their own volition and I sink further into Dawson, only for them to spring back open as I hear gasps coming from those around me.
Symon has fallen on his back and Kacen wastes no time pressing his advantage. He lands blow after blow, hitting the other man without pausing. Blood spurts and I watch as a small stream arcs up, landing on the ground beside the fallen man. Dawson wraps one of his arms around me, and braces me against his body while his other hand comes up to cover my eyes. He leans down and whispers, “There is no need for you to see this, love. Listen to my voice instead of the fighting. It will be over in another moment and we will finally be free to take you home.”
I do as he asks, listening as he murmurs soft, soothing words as I try to block out the sounds of the fight coming to an end. A loud snap echoes across the clearing and I jump because I know what that sound means. The Alpha of the Dawnfall pack is dead. Kacen snapped his neck, ending Symon’s reign of terror.
I watch in awe as the entire circle bows down to Kacen, including Alekai and Dawson. I have no trouble sinking to the ground with them, but only because my body won’t allow me to stand any longer.
Kacen spins in a slow circle and I force my eyes to stay on him instead of the bloody heap at his feet. “I am your Alpha now. Anyone who has a problem with that, speak now.” He waits, watching the circle of wolves and men, challenging anyone to defy him. No one does. His gaze lands on me and I watch his eyes widen and I catch a quick flash of fear. He knows I’m getting worse. I don’t have much time left.
He rushes to me and murmurs in my ear. “Who did this to you, baby? Show me who it was.”
I scan the crowd and notice three men shuffling backward. I point out the cowards to Kacen and watch in morbid fascination as Alekai and Dawson stalk toward them like wolves after their prey. Kacen doesn’t allow me to watch what happens to the three men, but by the sounds and screams I hear, it’s not good. I know they’ll never be seen again.
Kacen stands again, pulling me up with him, and scans the crowd. “You are either with me and mine or you are against us. You have seen what happens when you are against us. I will give you one chance and one chance only to run. Go rogue and hope you are never found, or stay and I will show you what a real wolf pack is supposed to be like. The choice is yours. I do not run my pack the way Symon did and you will learn this quickly.”
There’s a deafening silence for several beats before the whole pack breaks out in cheers for Kacen. He simply nods as if it’s what he expected. “I will send some trusted members of my pack to sort things out here. I will be back. Thank you for your loyalty.”
