Sold To The Alphas: A BBW Paranormal Romance (14 page)

From there, I tiptoed over to a copse of evergreen trees bordering the lane and hid behind it. I looked down the lane to the fight in the distance, though I was unable to see much more than dark, blurry shapes and a few glints of silver from moonlight reflecting on the wolves' fur. While the howling and snarling intensified, I said a silent prayer that Chase, Grayson, and the rest of the pack would be okay. Then, with one last look over my shoulder, I set off down the lane, keeping to the side, by the trees.

I knew Chase and Grayson were going to be mad at me for leaving the cabin. However, I figured they were soon going to be pretty mad at me, anyway when I revealed my fertility deception. Though, even if that weren't the case, I still would have left the cabin.

Skye was in danger, and I couldn't just sit back without at least trying to save her, even if it cost me my life, as I knew there was a possibility it might. I realized the Bloodfurs may very well have left a guard or two back at their camp to watch her.

Even if I were attacked and killed by a wolf, though, I would not be sorry. I wouldn't be sorry, either, if I lived and Chase and Grayson were mad at me. I'd tell them the truth. I would not have been able to live with myself knowing that I hadn't even made an attempt to save Skye.

Striding from tree to tree in the dark, I couldn't help but make a little amused snort, realizing that it seemed that I was never
not
in protective big sister mode. Me trying to protect Skye was, of course, the whole reason I'd ended up in the fertility predicament I was currently in with Chase and Grayson, in the first place.

The Bloodfur's camp wasn't terribly far away, though it wasn't exactly close, either. I'd heard talk of it being about two miles away, and dead west. I'd always had an excellent, near-infallible sense of direction, even in the dark; and even being somewhat slow and cautious, staying off the road and walking between the trees, I knew I could make it to the camp within a half-hour or forty-five minutes probably.

The sounds of the fight soon faded into the distance, replaced by the quiet sounds of the forest. Crickets chirped, and an owl somewhere nearby hooted a couple of times, the first time loudly, startling me. A warm, light spring breeze periodically rustled the leaves of the many trees in the forest bordering the lane.

After maybe fifteen or twenty minutes of uneventful walking, I thought I heard footsteps coming up behind me, or maybe I just sensed them. I immediately froze and remained frozen for at least ten seconds, straining my ears, but I heard only the chirp of a nearby cricket and nothing more.

I continued on, a bit warier, trying to be a bit quieter, even though I'd already been making next to no sound at all, my tennis shoes padding near-noiselessly over the tall grass bordering the road. I didn't hear, or
thought
I could hear, any more footsteps behind me.

After maybe another half-hour of walking through the dark, deciding not to use a flashlight for fear of drawing attention to myself, the scent of a campfire was my first sign that I was nearing the encampment. I saw its flickering light through the trees on the other side of the dirt lane. I quickly crossed the lane, tiptoeing, knowing that I was going to have to creep up on the encampment in absolute silence.

Though, once in the woods, this proved to be a challenge. The campfire I'd spotted wasn't quite as close as I'd thought. It was in the middle of what appeared to be a clearing maybe a hundred yards or so deeper into the forest, and the forest floor was covered in noisy, crunchy fallen branches and dead leaves from the previous year. I could definitely understand how Stone had been caught spying earlier that evening.

Despite this, I continued on, as slowly and as quietly as I could, one tentative footstep at a time; and eventually, I reached the clearing. On one of several large, flat stones around the campfire, Skye sat staring in to it, her back to me. As I'd thought she might be, she was tied up, with rope binding her hands behind her.

She also seemed to be tied down to the stone itself with multiple ropes as well. I didn’t see any guards around her. I waited for a few minutes, just to see if any guards would emerge from a cluster of tents adjacent to the fire, but none did, and I decided to make my move.

I tiptoed into the clearing, whispering Skye's name, hoping I wasn't going to scare her half to death. "It's me. Rowan."

She whipped around, her brown eyes wide as saucers, and I saw that her mouth was gagged.

I dashed over, weak with relief that she was okay, and began undoing the knot at the back of the bandana gag in her mouth. "Just one second, and I'll have this off you."

She nodded, and I quickly undid the gag and tossed it on the ground.

"Are you all right? Are there any guards nearby? And has their alpha, Richard, returned?"

Skye's wide eyes suddenly got a little wider.

Swallowing, she made a faint whimpering noise then spoke in a whisper. "I think he just did. He's behind you. And there's another wolf, a smaller one, not too far behind him."

I heard a low snarl, immediately followed by one further away, before I could even turn around, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I hadn't been fast enough. I did not reach Skye in time. And now I was going to die. She was going to be violated. When Richard's scenter wolf scented me as infertile, I doubted they'd even wait a second before killing me.

I stifled a sudden, wild urge to laugh, realizing that I was never going to have to tell Chase and Grayson about my fertility deception after all. I was off the hook about that.

Even though I knew death was likely near, I made a split-second decision. Though maybe it was less a decision and more a realization about what I already knew I was going to do. I was going to fight. I was at least going to make an attempt to defend myself, even if I only lasted a second or two.

To just lay down, accept my fate, and allow the wolves to rip me to shreds seemed cowardly. And though I'd never contemplated it much before, I realized that a coward wasn't who I was.

Still facing Skye, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my little pocketknife. "I'm going to go down fighting. Close your eyes."

"Ro, please don't. Please just beg them-"

"I love you, Skye. Close your eyes."

Another low snarl, even nearer behind me this time, made me turn around without even making sure that Skye followed my instruction, though I prayed that she would.

Maybe ten paces in front of me stood a massive gray wolf at least as big as Chase and Grayson. At least. Fingers trembling so badly I almost couldn't complete the task, I pulled out the blade of the pocketknife while keeping my gaze on the alpha.

I wanted to get in at least one or two good stabs at him, and I knew if he pounced on me while I wasn't looking, that wasn't going to be a possibility. It would be all over.

Still keeping my gaze locked on his glittering greenish eyes, I curled a fist around the knife handle and lifted it. "Maybe you're going to kill me. But I'm going to hurt you first."

Taking a deep breath, I decided to charge him before he could charge me. Before I even could, something strange happened. Richard burst into a fireball. A literal fireball. His howls rose above sudden gasps from Skye and me while flames engulfed every inch of him.

He’d suddenly and inexplicably burst into flames, I thought I'd seen a flash of white light coming from somewhere to my left. I turned my head to try to see from where it might have come, or from
who
it might have come, just in time to see a dark figure walking over from the lane, extending something like a long stick or a staff. A shadowy shape on the dark figure's shoulder suddenly cawed.

Dropping my knife in the dirt, I gasped. "Rose!"

Ignoring me, she pointed her staff at Richard's small scenter wolf, who stood maybe ten or fifteen feet behind his flaming alpha, who was now clearly dead.

"Would you like some, too? Because there's plenty more where that came from."

The small wolf stared her down for a long moment, snarling, fangs bared, before abruptly turning and streaking into the forest.

After watching for a few moments, walking stick still pointed in his direction, until he'd faded into the dark spaces between the trees, Rose lowered her stick and began walking over to Skye and me.

"We'll let that one go, because as winded as I still am from trying to keep up with you going down the lane, Rowan, I'm not about to chase a wolf through the forest.

“Not to mention that...well, that was the first time I've ever actually used my powers to take out a wolf, and I'm not positive I can do it again right away. Not sure exactly how much gas I have in the tank, so to speak."

The next several minutes flew by in a happy haze of hugging Rose and hugging Skye while Richard's carcass burned to ashes. With tears of joy streaming down my face, I even leaned in to plant a kiss right on Jack's pointy little beak, and, docile as ever, he let me.

Once I'd freed her from her rope restraints, Skye also gave Jack a kiss, sniffling. "I don't even know exactly why I'm kissing this bird, but I'm just so happy that we're all okay and safe that I guess I'm doing it anyway."

Chase and Grayson soon arrived after having realized I was missing, once all the Bloodfur wolves back in Shadowfen had been killed.

As I'd suspected, they were mad at me for leaving the cabin. They were very mad, actually. However, more than anything, they seemed relieved that I was okay. When they heard the story of
why
I was okay, they both stared at Rose briefly, seeming to be incredulous, then pulled her into their arms, thanking her and kissing the top of her gray-haired head.

She at first protested she hadn't really done anything, but then she immediately burst into tears, telling them they were very welcome for her help.

That night, Skye slept at Flora and Hunter's, since they had a three-bedroom cabin. Chase, Grayson, and I all spent the night together at mine, making love until the wee hours of the morning.

We didn't use any toys or Ticklers, because for some reason, on this particular night, I just wanted to take my pleasure from the touch of their hands and the feel of their bodies alone. It just felt right.

The next morning, they left not long after dawn to go deal with the disposal of the all the Bloodfur wolf carcasses littering the lane. Maybe a half-hour or so after they'd left, there was a knock on the door, and I dashed over to answer it, thinking it might be Skye. Instead, it was Flora, grinning from ear-to-ear.

“Can I come in?"

Smiling, I said of course, knowing she was about to tell me about her second miracle.  Not two seconds after I'd shut the door behind her, she did. We embraced, sniffling and laughing, though I couldn't deny that her news was bittersweet.

I wanted desperately to experience what she was experiencing myself, and I knew I never would.

Soon Flora gave me one last tight squeeze, pulled away, and handed me a plastic bag. "I brought you something, because by the time I ever need these again,
if
I ever need these again, they'll be expired."

I took the bag from her, looked inside, and saw at least a half-dozen Ashcrest-made home pregnancy test kits.

With an ache in my chest, I shook my head, handing the bag back to Flora. "No. Thank you, but I'll never need these. You should probably give them to Skye."

Flora took the bag, frowning hard enough to make a deep crease between her big blue eyes. "Why don't you think you'll ever need these? What are you talking about?"

With the ache in my chest intensifying, I heaved a sigh. "I'll have to explain later, because first, I need to talk to Chase and Grayson, then Skye. And I need to do it right now, before I lose my nerve. It's time. I can't put this off any longer. I can't live a lie for one more day, for one more minute, even. It's just not right."

While Flora continued frowning at me, I took out my phone and began composing a text I was going to send to both Chase and Grayson, asking them both to come back to my cabin as soon as possible. Once the text was complete, I hit the send message button on my phone's screen, praying Chase and Grayson would allow me just one more embrace, just so I could feel their strong arms around me one last time, before they sent me back to Greenleaf.