Seduction (The Journal of the Wolves of Spruce Hollow) (28 page)

I knew it was time to face the music and get on with confronting Aspen for running away. I couldn’t keep her in wolf form forever. As it was, she was going to be spitting mad at me when she phased back.
 

Not only had I damaged her emotionally during training, but then I’d had the “nerve” to chase her down and foil her great escape from the training camp.
 

My wolf convincing Baby to come back to camp, against Aspen’s wishes, and then mating with her was just the icing on the ‘Freak Out’ cake.

I was fully expecting a major emotional tirade to come bursting out of Aspen the moment she switched back into her human form.
 

 
“Go upstairs to the bedroom,” I told Aspen’s wolf, “but don’t phase yet and I’ll be up in a minute, okay Baby?”
 

Turning, her head slung low in submission, she made a beeline for the landing and padded upstairs, I had no doubt that she would be waiting for me in the bedroom, exactly as I’d asked her to. She was an intelligent and obedient little wolf and I was going to miss her comforting presence but it was time to take control of Aspen. I smiled, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her scrawny little neck and teach her a little lesson for taking off.
 

I puttered around downstairs, gathering supplies that would help me restrain Aspen to the bed. I waffled between simply locking her in the bedroom and chaining her, but ultimately I decided to go all the way and chain her to the bed in a show of dominance. I got wrist and ankle cuffs, lock and several lengths of chain from the locked weapons chest in the back room.
 

Aspen was going to have a complete fit and it made me grin wickedly. I was going to enjoy chaining her to the bed after this little running away stunt that she’d pulled. She needed to learn that impulsive decisions sometimes came with harsh consequences.

As I walked into the bedroom, my arms full of supplies, Baby looked up from her position on the floor. “Hi good girl,” I said to her as she thumped her tail loudly against the floor at my appearance.
 

I dumped everything on the bed with a metallic clang from the cuffs and chain and got to work setting up the restraints. It was something I was used to doing for the new Weres, as most of the males could be quite unruly in the beginning of their training.
 

However, the size of the chain I was currently using was probably way too big for Aspen, as she wasn’t a large, hulking male but a tiny, fragile female. I snickered as I secured the chain to the hidden metal carabiners behind the headboard and under the bed.
 

She was going to pitch a fit and part of me couldn’t wait to confront her.

Chapter 33

~Aspen~

My traitorous wolf was standing on the bed, her four legs in shackles and chains. But she didn’t mind one bit, the stupid imbecile! After she’d mated with Roan’s wolf she’d followed him all the way back to the training camp like a lovesick idiot.
 

I was so ticked off at her. She was supposed to be
my
wolf and here she was, consorting with the enemy! She’d even slept on the couch with Roan last night, all snuggled up next to him like a complete traitor!
 

Roan had completely swept her off her furry little feet. He’d pulled out a nasty splinter that was irritating her to death from running in the woods. He was so gentle as he checked over her sore paw. It almost seemed that he liked her. But I knew what kind of a liar and a faker Roan really was.

And then to top it all off in Roan’s bid to win her over, he’d cooked up some cheeseburgers for her. Damn him. He wasn’t playing fair.
 

My wolf was completely smitten with Roan and had followed him around the house all night like a puppy. The worst part was that it wasn’t one sided as Roan truly seemed to like her an awful lot too. He’d even named her, for the love of god. Baby!
What kind of a frickin name was Baby?
 

However, my wolf loved it and I begrudgingly had to admit that they appeared to have the same sort of connection that I felt with Blackie.
 

Roan was currently affectionately petting my wolf on the head as she stood shackled on the bed.
 

“You’re a good girl, you know that Baby? I’ll take you out hunting next time. Would you like that? We’ll take down a big buck, you and I,” he said as he scratched her under her chin. “It’s time to phase back now, little wolf.”

My wolf licked his hand one last time and I suddenly felt an electric tingling spread all the way up my spine and down my arms and legs until it felt like my entire body was humming and on fire. It was exhilarating to feel so incredibly alive!
 

Suddenly, my consciousness was sucked out of oblivion and firmly shoved back behind my eyes. I was a human with tender skin and strong bone again.

Roan, that rat bastard, had shackled my arms and legs to the bed and I was currently hunched over and kneeling on all fours. Shaking off the residual dizziness from phasing, I looked over to see Roan standing next to the bed, glaring down at me.
 

“Hello, Aspen. How nice to see you again,” he said coolly, his eyes empty of any discernible emotion.
 

“Untie me right now Roan, you can’t keep me chained up here like this!” I shrieked at him.
 

“I can do whatever I want when I’m angry with you, Aspen. Just like you do whatever you want when you are angry with me. Isn’t that how it works between us?” He was calm and surprisingly collected as his eyes roved over my face and body. I could feel his gaze, probing, assessing and trying to pull out my secrets.
 

“Let me go right now Roan!” I yelled as I pulled and fought against the thick chains. I was feeling much less confident than I was willing to display.

“You’re very loud for such a little girl, Aspen. I don’t like it. The only time I like to hear you screaming so loudly is when my hard cock is buried deep inside you,” he said, his voice silky and smooth. He turned around and reached for something on the dresser.
 

It was a roll of silver duct tape and I knew as soon as I saw it what he intended to do.
 

“No, Roan, no, no! Don’t, don’t,” I pleaded as he tore off a piece, held my head still in his large, calloused hands and promptly taped my mouth shut.
 

“What’s that, Aspen? Were you trying to say something,” he chuckled as he got off the bed and walked towards the door, “I’m going downstairs to make breakfast, little girl, as I’m starving and I know you must be too. I’ll be back up soon with something for you to eat and I’ll warn you in advance that you better not be thinking of pulling one of your little stunts and refusing to eat in protest because I have no problem whatsoever with starving you. I’m sure you remember your little adventure with being chained to the platform in the woods.”
 

Acting as though he hadn’t just threatened me with starvation, he winked and flashed a perfect smile at me, as he turned and left the room.

I could hear Roan cooking downstairs in the kitchen. Pots were clanging loudly as he sang “Fire Woman” by The Cult.
 

Singing!
 

Can you believe the unmitigated gall of that bastard!?!
Here he had me imprisoned up here in the bedroom, trussed up on the bed like a rabbit and he was downstairs, singing while he cooks!
 

I kneeled silently on the bed and fumed, drowning in all the things I was going to say to him once he pulled the duct tape off my mouth.
 

True to his word, Roan was soon back upstairs with two plates of food in hand. They were piled high with scrambled eggs, bacon and toast. I hadn’t eaten in human form since yesterday morning and when I inhaled the delicious scent of the meal that Roan had prepared, my stomach rumbled loudly.
 

“Hungry?” Roan asked as he set the plates down on dresser. They were well out of my reach but the scent of the bacon reached me easily. “Well, let me tell you how things are going to go here. I’m going to unchain your wrists and we’re going to sit and have a civilized breakfast together. If at any time you start to run your mouth, take a swing at me or refuse to eat every last bite on your plate, I will chain you back up and leave you here until tomorrow with no water or bathroom breaks. And then we’ll try it all over again tomorrow morning. Nod your head if you understand me.”
 

Reluctantly, I nodded my head slowly. My eyes were burning with hatred for him but he didn’t seem to care. Instead, he completely ignored my dirty looks and sat down on the bed with me.
 

“You’re going to learn to control your little emotions and stop running from me or I will control you so completely that you won’t be able to take a piss without me standing right over to you. You got me, little girl?” he said as he leaned in close to me, his face inches from mine.
 

I could feel Roan’s breath fan out over my face as he hissed out the venomous words. My eyes glared fiery hatred at him as we sat there and glowered at one another.

Locked in a wordless battle, we stared one another down and I could feel Roan on the periphery of my consciousness, watching, listening and trying to gauge my emotions.
 

Completely caught up in our silent sparring, I didn’t notice when he reached up suddenly and yanked the tape off my mouth without warning.
 

“Ooowww!” I yelped in surprise, “that friggin hurt Roan!”

His eyes remained impassive and didn’t leave mine as he grabbed both my wrists in one hand and unlocked the shackles with the other.
 

“Now eat,” he said as he got up and shoved the plate laden with delicious food into my lap. I threw him a dirty look and for a second, I contemplated dumping the food on the floor, just to spite him. But the uncomfortable gnawing in my stomach won out. I was starving and reluctantly picked up the fork and started eating.
 

The scrambled eggs were so delicious, fluffy and warm in the pit of my stomach that I couldn’t stop the groan of pleasure that escaped my lips as I started shoveling in the food with abandon. Roan watched me eat with a quiet mixture of wry amusement and curiosity.
 

As soon as I started eating, I knew that there was no question about it, I was going to eat every damn thing on the plate. I felt ravenous and would have licked it clean had Roan not been there.
 

He continued to watch me like a hawk as I ate but his thoughts were closed off to me. I ignored him and closed my eyes as I savored the food in my mouth.
 

He leaned towards me and his body looked tense as he sniffed the air around me.
Did I smell bad after being in wolf form for so long?
I sniffed too but didn’t smell anything off, so I looked to his face for confirmation but he just cocked his head and regarded me curiously.
 

“Can I have a drink of water?” I asked quietly after I had finished my breakfast. I hated asking him for anything, even a glass of water. It burned me to have to rely on him but he hadn’t left me with much choice in my current state.
 

Nodding silently, Roan left the room and came back up stairs carrying a steaming cup of coffee for him and a tall glass of milk for me. He then passed it to me and I downed the cold, creamy goodness before he’d even had a chance to sit back down on the bed.
 

I felt slightly sweaty and slightly overheated as I silently sat there and watched Roan finish his breakfast.
Maybe I’d eaten too fast?
My stomach felt fine but my skin felt warm and clammy.

I don’t think that I’d ever finished a meal ahead of Roan before.
Maybe my Were appetite was finally kicking in?
 

Roan leaned forward and scrapped half of his eggs and toast onto the empty plate in my lap then sat back up and continued eating without missing a beat. Dumbfounded, I sat and stared at him.
Why had he done that?
 

“Um, thanks,” I muttered in confusion as I picked up my fork. He grunted a non-committal response as he folded a piece of toast in half and bit into it.

Roan was a perplexing individual and I frequently had no idea where I stood with him. He was the king of mixed messages. Shaking my head in confusion, I dove into the food.
 

I finally felt sated and full after inhaling half of Roan’s breakfast, as well as my own. As soon as we were both finished eating, Roan stood up and collected the plates. Once again, I noticed that he leaned in and sniffed me when I held my plate out for him. I looked up at him and searched his face, but he looked away and refused to meet my eyes.
 

“I’m going downstairs to close up the camp. I’ll be back up to get you as soon as I’m done packing our things. We’re going home.” His voice was hard and emotionless as he turned and left the bedroom.

“What?!? What do you mean we’re going home? That’s where I was trying to go in the first place when you chased me down and forced me to come back here!” I yelled at his retreating form.