TerrIIItory (3 page)

Chapter 5

When Bethany came to, the first thing that registered was the smell of bacon and toast.  Her eyes snapped open and her belly growled ravenously, but she noted her wolf’s typical impatient nudge at the prospect of food was absent.

“Morning, Beth.”

She jerked her head to the side to find Evander setting a tray on her bedside table. 
How does he know my name? 
And why in the hell did it make her feel so warm to hear it tumbling from his lips? 
The women must have told him.

“Bethany,” she corrected in a sleep-roughened voice.

Without invitation, he bent over her and slid his hands under her arms, lifting her to a sitting position and repositioning the pillows behind her back.  Then he grabbed the tray of breakfast and settled it over her lap.

“Hope you like pancakes.”

The scent of warm maple syrup slammed into her so hard that she actually closed her eyes and groaned.

“Eat,” Kane commanded and moved to stare out the window, affording her some privacy.

She attacked the plate and was grateful that Kane didn’t watch her because she gave a whole new meaning to ravenous wolf.  The bacon was first.  She devoured all four strips in a few short bites before ignoring the syrup in a little glass in the corner of her tray to roll two pancakes into a scrambled egg-filled burrito.  She devoured the next two cakes and the remainder of her eggs in the same manner.  Cold orange juice washed it all down, and she eyed the mug of steaming, creamy-looking coffee.  Someone had already added cream and, hopefully, sugar.  Once the coffee was gone, she debated drinking the little glass of syrup, but flicked a glance at Kane’s back and thought better of it. 
Damn!  Still hungry.

Lifting a napkin to wipe her mouth she mumbled from behind it, “When can I leave?”  She saw his frame tense.

Kane abandoned the window and stalked to the far end of the room to retrieve the chair Swan had slept in the night before.  He carried it to her bedside and settled it there before taking the tray off her lap and setting it on the dresser.  “If you’re still hungry I can have Raina bring you more.”

Ignoring the remark, she asked again, “When can I leave?”

Kane dropped into the chair and studied her, which had Bethany shifting uncomfortably under his scrutiny.  His eyes were the most mesmerizing green she’d ever seen, and the warmth that flooded her from simply looking at him had her blushing.  Right before she’d gone out, something had happened to her when she’d looked at him.  He felt…right.  Now, she was sure it was just her wolf’s need for a strong Alpha to watch over her while she rested.

Blinking to break their stare, she fidgeted hoping he didn’t sense her wolf’s need for his protection.  There were unmistakable signs when meeting one’s mate.  The first being...she flicked her gaze to his again and wondered why he wasn’t writhing on the floor.  Was she wrong?  With a pull this strong, he’d be stricken if he were truly hers.  Maybe her traumatized wolf was simply trying to latch onto the first male it encountered as a means of self-protection.  It was bad form.

“Who held you at the bunker?” he asked, and Bethany was relieved at the change of subject.

Looking down, she studied the quilt over her lap and fidgeted nervously with a loose thread.  “There were three of them.”

“Three men?”

“No.” She lifted her eyes, but stopped just short of looking at him, instead focusing on the wall.  The comfort she found in his gaze was disconcerting, and she didn’t need or want her wolf attempting to form a bond with this male.  He wasn’t stricken, and everyone knew that, upon meeting his fated female, a male would be immobilized with the searing pain that was the tell-tale sign that he’d found his one. 
Not stricken, not mates. 
“They weren’t human, and they weren’t shifters.  They were…something else.”

“Why didn’t you escape?”  The way he asked let her know he was well aware that she could have.

God, this felt awkward.  Here she was, face-to-face with whom her wolf thought was their mate.  She had the strongest urge to bare her throat, but she fought it.  The last thing she needed was to throw herself at some Alpha out of appreciation.  She swallowed hard and struggled inwardly to contain her she-wolf, who was leaping in excitement in an attempt to get Bethany’s attention.  “At first, I couldn’t just leave the others.  Toward the end, I was too weak.”

Suddenly, Kane’s muscles bunched and his jaw clenched.  Bethany’s gaze jerked to his as he ground out, “Your wounds?”

***

Kane watched as Beth looked at her arms and shrugged.

“Bites,” she supplied nonchalantly, completely oblivious to the fact that the thought of her vulnerable and in pain was tearing him up.

His gaze jerked back to her face.  She had to know. She had to feel their connection.  The way she avoided his eyes and fidgeted nervously should have been enough to convince him, but she’d been through hell.  Her wolf could still be slumbering, and there was always the chance that she wouldn’t even recognize his importance to her.  That thought had his wolf pacing just beneath the surface, his head tossing to and fro as he growled and snuffed great breaths in insistence that Kane tell her…
show
her what she was.  His!

Kane forced his rage back and slowly pushed himself up out of his chair.  Circling the bed, his eyes dipped to Bethany’s exposed arm and the bite wounds there.  As he approached he saw her body tense.

Strong fingers lifted to capture her delicate wrist as he bent over her.  He felt heat shoot through him at the mere touch, and his wolf whined in anticipation.  He felt a shudder course through Bethany, and he grinned before his eyes dipped to her wounds, and all humor vanished.  Those fucking
things
had fed off his mate!

“When can I leave?”

Oh yeah, she’s feeling
something!  He released her wrist at her gentle tug and straightened.  “You need to rest and heal.  I need answers.”  He turned toward the door.  “And you’re not leaving until I find and kill those things.”

“I can take care of myself,” she challenged.

Evander stopped halfway out the door to eye her over his shoulder.  “You’re
not
leaving, Beth.” He let his wolf show through in his eyes as he unleashed the full whip of his Alpha authority in his tone.  “End of discussion.”

He watched her jerk in immediate response, and he smirked, knowing that she wanted to defy him.  He wasn’t her Alpha, but he was
an
Alpha, and she was in his territory, which meant she’d do as he commanded or have her actions considered an outright challenge.  While it was something she couldn’t do in her current state, part of him wondered if she’d defy him were she fully healed.  When she lowered her chin to scowl up at him, he outright grinned.  His mate would definitely be a handful.

After a few moments, she lowered her eyes in a show of submission, and he chuffed a laugh before leaving the room.  Now that she was fed, she needed rest. He wanted her fully healed.

In the hallway, Evander stopped Raina on her way to Bethany’s room.  “Make sure she sleeps and eats well today.  I don’t want her out of that bed until those wounds are gone.”

Raina dipped her head and continued on to Bethany’s room.

Chapter 6

You’re not leaving, Beth.
She mimicked him in her head, annoyed that the sound of her name on his lips sent pleasure coursing through her.  She eyed the closed door in fury.  The damn brute of an Alpha clearly had no problem throwing his weight around, and it was insulting.

Look at me!
  She dropped her head to eye her bruised and bite-marred arms.  Clearly, she wasn’t a challenge.  Hell, her muscles still protested her movements, which was disconcerting.  She should have begun to heal by now, but she hadn’t.  She lifted a hand to the worst of the bites, hidden on the swell of her left breast.  It still stung.  Pulling her shirt open she peeked at it and was worried to find that it was still an open wound.  Where the creatures’ teeth had sunk in should have at least scabbed over by now.  It hadn’t.

The jarring of the door handle had her dropping her hand and lifting her head to eye the newcomer.  The redhead, Raina, entered with a warm smile.

“How are you feeling?”  Raina eyed her empty plate.  “Are you still hungry?  I can get you more.”

“No, thank you.” Bethany shifted her weight and winced at the pain the movement brought.

“Are you okay?” Raina hurried to the side of the bed with concern marring her features.  She was the polar opposite of Bethany.  At five-foot-three Bethany was short, but she knew that standing next to Raina, she’d seem like a dwarf.  The willowy redhead was model tall and model thin with unmarred porcelain skin.  She was elegant and had Bethany feeling decidedly ugly.

“You his mate?”  She could have slapped herself for asking, but the words were out before she could check them.

“Who?”  Raina’s fine brows lifted.

“The Alpha?”

Raina’s bright lips curved in a smile.  “God, no!  He’s too…”

Bethany watched as she fought for the right descriptor.

“Too
Alpha
.”  Raina giggled as she crossed to a closet and opened the door to pull out a pillow and extra blanket.  “Kane’s not mated.”

Rania’s soft curls bounced as she worked to lay the blanket across Bethany’s feet before crossing to the head of the bed and setting the pillow beside Bethany’s arm.  “None of the pack is mated.”  She stilled.  “I mean, some of us are…”

Again, Bethany watched the other woman struggle for the right words.

“Well, I don’t know what you call it, but I’m pretty sure that Swan is Mateo’s, and Lincoln is…well, he’s mine.”

Bethany grinned as Raina blushed beet red and ducked her head with the admission.

“I need to leave.  How do I get out of here?”

“You don’t.” Raina gasped, jerking her head up.  “Kane doesn’t want you leaving right now.”  She was shaking her head vehemently. “So you can’t go.”  Her eyes dipped to Bethany’s arms. “Besides, you’re not even healed yet.  You couldn’t leave like this.”

“Do you have a pack healer?”

Raina stilled, eyeing Bethany warily. “Yes.  But time should be sufficient for your wounds.  You won’t need…”

“I was just curious,” Bethany cut in, but knew her lie failed when Raina’s eyes narrowed on her.

Raina eyed her body.  “If you’re hurting…”

“No.  Just tired.”  At least that much was the truth.  “Do you mind if I get some sleep?  Apparently, I‘ll need a little longer to fully heal.”

The redhead was more than satisfied with Bethany’s request.  She looked downright pleased.  “Absolutely.  Kane says you should sleep and eat. There’s an extra pillow and a blanket in case you get chilled.  I’ve been temporarily assigned the room next door, so if you need anything at all just call out.”  She was already backing toward the door.  “Otherwise, I’ll be in with your lunch in about four hours.”

“That’s not necessary.”  Bethany frowned.

“Kane’s orders.”

Damn this Kane.
Why did Alphas have to be the end-all, be-all of a pack?  Not for the first time in her life, Bethany was glad that she was part of a small group of wolves with equal authority.  She and her three other pack mates had grown up together.  Charin, her best friend, was identical in age to Bethany’s twenty-four years.  Charin’s younger brother, Bobby, and his best friend, Marcus, comprised the remainder of their small pack, but it hadn’t always been so small.

Growing up there had been a dozen adult members of the pack, but small-town living meant no secrets.  One night, the local townsfolk raided their compound in an outright attack.  They’d been a peaceable pack, holding votes rather than kowtowing to the strongest male.  Even in confrontation they’d been unwilling to shift or attack their weaker human counterparts.  The adults confronted the townsfolk in a peaceable manner while the four youngest were sent to the woods to hide.  The adults’ faith in humanity proved fatal.  Not a single adult had survived the night and the four remaining teenagers, including Bethany, had run fast and hard.

After their pack was slaughtered, leaving only the four of them, Bethany and her peers had decided collectively to uphold the ways of their parents and form their own, leaderless pack.  No leader, no Alpha.  Each had equal say, and though she had thought it would be hard for the two males to endure, it hadn’t been.  In fact, both Bobby and Marcus seemed relieved at the lack of responsibility.  Perhaps it was because she and Charin were older, or because the boys didn’t want the burden, but they’d agreed to equal authority.  It’s how they’d remained.

Bethany, Charin, Bobby, and Marcus had formed their own pack and had relied on each other growing up.  It was just recently that Bethany and Charin had left the small home the four had shared to seek lives of their own.  Charin, who’d put herself through nursing school, had taken a job as an RN and finally rented the little condo she’d always dreamed of.  Bethany’s life wasn’t so fabulous.  She was a receptionist with a dumpy little apartment, but it was hers.  One thing pack life had never granted her was the luxury of sole possessions.  Her crappy apartment and old beater of a car were the first things she’d ever truly called her own.  Admittedly, Charin had invited Bethany to move in with her and split the rent, but they’d agreed to make a go of life without pack and ‘without pack’ meant standing on their own.

Lying in bed, Bethany felt the weight of sleep tugging at her as her thoughts went to Charin.  She turned to eye the phone and wondered if she should call her friend, but what would she say?  She wasn’t sure if Charin or the boys even knew she’d been missing.  Exhaustion gnawed at her, and she opted to wait.  She eyed the room.  For now she was safe, and she desperately needed to rest and heal.

One hand lifted to absently finger the wound on breast.  It still hurt, and that was worrisome.  Closing her eyes she reached for her wolf and felt her belly knot as her wolf recoiled.  Something was definitely wrong.  Opening her eyes she blinked back the pooling moisture with the realization that, for the sake of the human women, she’d traumatized her wolf.  After what humans had done to her family she’d initially thought it would be easy to leave the women behind, but it hadn’t been.  Their terror was so great Bethany couldn’t bring herself to go.  And then, when she realized how fragile their bodies were, she’d intentionally provoked their kidnappers to attack her in hopes of sparing the other women.  She couldn’t help but wonder if it was worth it.  Did those women even appreciate the gift they’d been given? 
Doubtful!
  Humans were an ungrateful species.

Pushing her regret aside, Bethany sunk deeper into the soft mattress and pulled the warm blankets up around her shoulders.  God how she’d missed the comfort of an actual bed and a full belly.  She was as content as she could hope for at the moment and prayed that the nourishment and security would lull her wolf into coming forth to heal her body.

What if it doesn’t work? 
She forced back her worry and took slow, measured breaths. 
One step at a time.  I’ll rest and check my wounds when I wake. A good four hours after a full meal should be enough
.   She fell asleep with her fingers crossed.