Captured (Wolf in Exile Part 1): Werewolf Shifter/Vampire Paranormal Romance (5 page)

When he looked up again, his eyes were flat and emotionless. “Murder.”

Her shoulders clenched and her eyes grew wild with intense alarm. “You were convicted of murdering who?” Her voice broke nervously.

“My parents.”

Primitive fear knotted inside of Kalena and her lips parted in shock.

Before she could voice her next question, he slid a boulder aside to reveal the opening to the shelter and slipped outside. Only a small piece of daylight shined inside before he let it close.

Feelings of dismay rose within her and she questioned how she could ever trust a convicted murderer.

T
rue to his word
, Thane came back to the hut in what seemed like no time. Kalena had already begun the process of unwrapping the fish when he shifted the boulder and came inside. Now they sat around the fire pit, discarding the inedible remnants of the fish in the hole.

She folded her legs and waited as he poked at the pile of logs with a long piece of metal. The fire cracked as Thane laid another piece of wood on top of the others.

“You didn’t kill your parents, did you?” Kalena asked.

“No, I didn’t.”

“What happened?”

He didn’t immediately answer.

Kalena realized that she was probably prying too much on the matter. His parents were dead. Murdered. He was wrongfully accused, sent here by his own brother, and he somehow believed that there was no escape for him. What else was there to know?

“My parents were assassinated in their home. Shot dead while they slept. In order to get what they wanted, someone needed them out of the equation. I was the first one on the scene…after the shooting happened.”

“Oh…” Kalena couldn’t imagine the pain of losing either parent. Her parents still preferred the warmer weather and had decided to stay in Florida, even after discussing moving to a state with milder, less humid weather. They loved to travel and that kept them out of Kalena’s affairs most of the time. However, given her current state, now was not a good time to have her parents on a two-week cruise and excursion to Greece.

“As time passes, wounds tend to heal themselves, but the memories never go away." His voice was laced with sadness.

“I’m sorry. I wish I knew how to help you.”

“You're the strongest link that me or my pack brothers have when it comes to gaining access codes to the financial system and the backdoor database you mentioned,” he said. “You don't ever have to step foot on Silex properties again, but if you relay whatever you know to my pack brothers, they may be able to replicate it and retrieve the data files.”

She sighed. “It's the least I can do for you when I get out of here. If I get out of here…”

“You will.”

Kalena wrung her hands together. “How cruel can a person get to hold innocent people against their will in a place like this without ever verifying anything?”

“Cruelty has little to do with it. Our Pack laws dictate everything, even our punishment for crimes we have committed. The shifter community is far different than a human’s,” Thane said. “The truth is that we are animals, and we're treated by humans as such, despite our dual nature. There are a lot of customs and rituals belonging to us that humans won’t understand, but as long as we uphold the peace treaty written years ago, your government swore to turn a blind eye on our practices.”

“What practices?”

“Practices such as the rules governing us, and the laws within our Packs which have been in existence for hundreds of years. In the shifter world, we still fight for dominance, and in some cases, we fight to the death.”

“Like when you fought and killed the wolves in the cage.”

He swallowed visibly. “Yes, but we don’t fight and kill for no reason at all. There has to be something at stake, something we want badly.”

“Like power. Politicians argue all the time over power in our government,” she offered.

He nodded. “Yes, like power. And territory. Among other things.”

“What exactly was at stake last night?” She just couldn’t accept that a man would immerse himself in so much violence to take a drugged woman back to a prison hut for three nights.

“I share every part of my being with my wolf. Whatever he wants, I want. Of course, we don’t always agree. While the man might be more coerced into satisfying physical needs, the wolf is only content when all of his emotional needs are met. There is a reason why wolves run in packs. Remove the wolf from the pack, and the animal will almost always want for that sense of belonging and companionship again.”

Kalena frowned. “You’re lonely.”

His gaze dropped and he rose, picking up the carved out bowls they’d used to eat with and taking them to a wooden table. He began to clean the bowls.

She got up and followed him across the room. Before she could stop herself, she pressed her fingers to the old scars on his back.

A shocked gasp escaped from his lips. “Kalena,” he mumbled.

“These happened during the fight, didn’t they?” she asked, lightly tracing the scars.

Both of his palms were gripping the edge of the table and his back was still turned. “Yes.”

“And the older ones that have healed over time. How did you get those?”

“The wolf politics are no different here than they are on the outside of these barricades. Most of those came from fighting, as well.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever touched a shifter like this before,” she whispered, her fingers trembling against the tendons on his back.

His muscles rippled under her touch and she could have sworn she heard a moan escape his lips. His musky scent surrounded her, and she closed the gap between them and pressed her ear to his back on the side near his heart. As she listened, sure enough, a low growl flowed from his lips. It was the sexiest thing she had ever heard from a man, and her whole body heated in excitement and instant arousal.

An electrifying charge pulsed through Kalena. The surreal sensations immediately relaxed her. Her skin grew hot where her cheek was pressed against him.

Kalena lifted her face and glanced at Thane’s bronze skin, only to find an ancient looking symbol glowing brightly on his back. Her eyes widened in exhilaration at the sight. It looked like pure magic.

“Wha—?”

Before Kalena could complete her sentence, she found herself on the other side of the hut, back against the wall, with Thane’s wide frame pressed tightly to her body.

She panted, her breasts pushing against his chest.

Glistening white canines were distended, and his irises swirled with a myriad of colors. The ink on his arms and along his neck glowed as he held her in place against the wall.

Thane bowed his head, pressed his nose against her throat, and inhaled deeply. His mouth was damp as it brushed against her sensitive skin. She arched into him, noting the sizeable erection pushing against her belly. Her pussy clenched and ached and sexual thoughts spun like crazy in her head.

She whimpered, slowly realizing that Thane could have done anything to her body and she would have welcomed it. She wanted it.

He dragged his mouth up her neck and along her jawline, until finally his lips were pressed against her chin.

“Are you going to kiss me?” she panted.

“Is that what you want?” he rasped.

“Ye—”

He captured her lips with his, cutting off her breath. He tested her at first, teasing the outer skin on her mouth ever so softly. She trembled beneath his exploration, until her legs grew weak. When she brought her arm around to touch his tempting skin again, he trapped both wrists above her head. He pressed hard and hot against her mouth and his tongue thrust deep past her lips.

The same electrifying pulse that stunned her earlier now flowed through her like a river as his body smashed into hers full force. She was lost in the scent of him and taken off guard by this need to have more of him.

Without warning, he stopped and pulled back from her. The warmth was gone. His glow was gone. The symbols on his skin were gone.

“Impossible,” he mumbled.

“I’m sorry?”

“I shouldn’t have done that.” He backed away toward the door, grabbing a backpack along the way. “I need to step away for a little bit. I’ll be right back.”

“Don’t leave…”

“I’m coming back. Don’t remove the boulder for anyone, and stay inside for your safety.”

And with that, he was gone, leaving Kalena standing in the middle of a claustrophobic hut still dizzy from the best kiss she’d ever experienced in her whole life.

O
n the outside
of the hut, Thane breathed deeply to regain his bearings. His veins still ran profusely with a deep feeling he couldn’t process, an emotion he’d never felt before. Only the strongest of emotions could unleash the powers that controlled his soul and his wolf. No woman had ever had that much of an affect on him, exposing his markings with just one touch.

Thane swallowed and ran his fingers back through his hair. He had to control himself around her. She needed protection. Having thoughts about taking her on his bed served no purpose to his mission and would never ensure her safety.

He shed his clothing, stuffed them in the sack, and shifted just outside of the hut. He grabbed the sack in his mouth and took off into a full sprint on the well-known path. It didn’t take him long to detect David’s scent on the ground just outside Thane’s territory.

He returned to human form and slipped on his jeans.

David jumped down from his position in the trees to the ground. “Goddamn it to hell, Thane! You slaughtered two wolves out there.”

“You saw everything, didn’t you?” Thane watched as David paced back and forth in front of him.

“Where’s the female you took?” David said in a hushed tone.

“In my den. Her name’s Kalena.”

“I didn’t see you kneel, and it’s a good thing, but what was Nolan’s price for her?”

Thane bit into his bottom lip. “All the marked stones in my possession, plus he believes that I will return her.”

David’s eyes widened. “Do you plan on not returnin’ her?”

“I think she was framed. She doesn’t belong here. I sensed it from the moment I heard her screams, and I sense something else, too. But I can’t be sure—”

“You’re nuts...you’re freakin’ nuts.” David scratched the back of his head and sped up his pacing.

“Stop all that dancing in front of me, will you? Hear me out...”

The ex-SEAL leaned back against a tree. “I’m listenin’.”

“I have a plan. Kalena has connections to Silex, the same organization that is behind the system that got us thrown in here. I have little time left to bring her up to speed on what her employer is doing behind the scenes. None of my connections at that company have been able to break through the firewall. Something tells me she knows how.”

“How do you plan on gettin’ her outta here?”

Thane grabbed his bag and pulled out a box. He opened the lid and David looked inside.

David shrugged. “It’s empty.”

“It looks like an empty box, but it’s not. One of my connections on the outside slipped the box inside of the cargo bins a few months ago. I just had to find the human with the orange drawstring bag and offer him something he needed badly in exchange. There’s a mechanism built inside. If it was scanned before the drop, the device would have looked like an old penny to the naked eye.”

“What is it really?”

“It’s almost like a panic button. Once activated, it’ll only stay powered up long enough for my exact location to be determined.”

“And then?”

“There’s only one shot to escape this place by helicopter,” Thane said.

“Man, you’re really insane. Why the fuck haven’t you pushed the button before? You’re waitin’ like a sittin’ duck.”

Thane exhaled. “The people who put me in here are holding something over my head. They have someone I care about. If I ever leave this place, I’ll be putting her life in danger. But if I stay here, she lives.”

“Somethin’ tells me you plan on pushin’ that button and lettin’ a woman you just met get away.”

“I need to be certain that I can take down this operation without fail. Kalena’s link to the company and free access to the files will get me or one of my Pack brothers inside. Things need to happen in a certain order. I can’t be in two places at once. I need to make sure Danika is safe before I release the evidence on Silex.”

“Danika?”

Thane nodded. “Yes, my youngest kin. Gavril threatened to have her killed if I ever left here. The moment I step foot outside of these barricades, the device will go off. I fear I won’t be able to reach her in time to explain everything and keep her out of harm’s way.”

“This is some fucked up shit, but I’m with you one hundred percent.”

Thane hung his head and chewed the side of his mouth. “The one obstacle I have before me is to gain Kalena’s trust. She’ll want to escape, probably now more than ever after I told her what I’ve been convicted of and just how corrupt Silex Pharmaceuticals has become.”

The ex-SEAL narrowed his gaze. “You’ve got more than one obstacle, wolf. Are you sure about this plan?”

“I can only push that button once and I’m going to push it for Kalena. My pack mates will take it from there and work with her to generate access codes. We’ll gather the evidence that will halt production of D996 and shut Area S2 down.”

David started pacing back and forth again. “You wolves take too many goddamn risks,” he commented.

“And you humans dance around too much.”

A
fter his talk with David
, it took Thane no more than five minutes to maneuver the rocky terrain in wolf form to get back to Kalena. He felt guilty for keeping her in his hut, but if she moved around on the grounds too much, there was a chance that Nolan and his runners would pick up her scent. And there was no telling what Nolan would do with her. He wouldn’t put it past the leader to renege on the deal and come for Kalena earlier than they had agreed. It was a good thing that he’d gotten Kalena when he had. The right information in the wrong hands could be detrimental to the plans Thane had set in motion. Kalena’s connection to Silex had thrown him for a loop, but was it just sheer luck?

Thane needed to buy all the time he could until she was safe. The longer Nolan and his runners took to track her scent, the more time he had to make sure she was all right. If the helicopters didn’t arrive before the expiration of the deal he’d made, he would have to stall the leader.

Just before reaching the shelter, he shifted and quickly pulled on his jeans. He paused with his palm on the boulder and inhaled deeply. Her lavender scent was ingrained in his memory even though he couldn’t smell her standing on the outside. His heart rate returned to some form of normalcy, but his pulse quickened when he thought about how soft her skin had felt against his lips. She’d made him feel whole again, something he hadn’t felt in a long, long time. Not even when he was marked as an Alpha had he felt as complete as he did whenever he heard Kalena’s voice.

But he had to let her go. This was no place for a woman like Kalena. Even now, he doubted whether he wanted her to return to the company and be in the same building with a man he hated so much.

In a matter of hours, he’d have to make that decision.

Thane gathered up his composure and then pushed the boulder aside to enter the hut. He was immediately overcome by her allure, but the euphoric feeling vanished quickly when he realized the temperature in the hut was cold and the interior was nearly pitch black. The eerie silence inside was not a good sign.

His pupils expanded as he used his wolf vision to search the area. Panic set in the instant he caught sight of her small frame laying on the floor nearly two feet away from the bed. It made no sense that she’d be resting on the dusty floor and not on the bed.

He rushed over to her, turning her over so that she was face up. Her eyes were closed and her lips were parted. It was as if she were asleep, in a deep sleep.

“Kalena.” Thane shook her lightly.

There was no movement and her body felt like dead weight on his lap.

“No,” he growled. “Goddamn, what did they do to you?”

Anxiety crept up in his throat and he tried to gulp it down. He rose with her in his arms and laid her out on the cot. Her pulse danced quickly against his finger when he tested it. That was a relief, but she was still unresponsive. A palm to her forehead yielded a temperature that seemed higher than usual for a human.

Thane’s mind ran rampant for ways to help her. A damp towel to her forehead, water to her lips, calling her name. Nothing seemed to wake her.

Finally, he sunk to his knees on the cot beside her, fully processing exactly what ailed her. She’d been drugged. It all made sense now. She’d fallen into a coma.

They’d given her that fucking drug!
D996.

She’d even confirmed it earlier herself without realizing it. She couldn’t remember anything after being caught in the labs and before she woke up on the truck.

How much of it had they injected her with? When? And why?

“Fuck,” he exclaimed, his canines shooting past his gum line.

He picked up Kalena’s hand and pressed his lips to the delicate skin over her knuckles. There was only one way to help her now. He’d have to do it before it was too late.

Thane Silex would have to make a decision—a life altering one—sooner rather than later.

T
hank you for reading CAPTURED
, the first installment in the serial,
Wolf in Exile
. If you enjoyed the story, don't forget to leave a review and tell others what you loved about it.

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isit Amber Ella Monroe
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