The Wilder Alpha (6 page)

CHAPTER TEN

Kristi inhaled sharply as pain raced up her body. For the twenty minutes or so, pain had bluntly throbbed over her body. It felt like an invisible opponent was going to town on every inch of her. She bit her lip, swallowing down a grunt of pain while attempting to eat. She knew who and what caused her misery. It was the same person who sent rivers of outrage flowing though her thoughts as she helped on the hunt. Thankfully, her violent expressions were hidden under a veneer of overeager huntress.

Over the course of dinner, she had attempted to ignore the continual bursts of irritation, though, that proved to be more of a chore, especially in the presence of her pack. The emotions had been faint and brief. Knowing where they came from, Kristi easily reined them in. The actual pain was proving to be more difficult to ignore.

Around her, pack mates listed their head toward her. A few raised their eyebrows as they noticed her arms hugged around her midsection. A burn of embarrassment skipped across Kristi’s cheeks.

To Kristi’s right, Selene was the one to voice the concern of the pack, “You all right, Kristi?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, ma’am,” Kristi grunted. She barely held back a wince as pain blossomed across her temple. Vaguely, she thought she tasted blood on her tongue.

“You sure?” Selene’s dark eyebrows furrowed, concern coating her tone. “You look like you’re in pain.”

“Did the food not agree with you?” Another beta leaned over Kristi’s shoulder from behind. He nodded to the barely touched meat that lay in a tin on her knee.

“I don’t know. Maybe,” Kristi falsely conceded. It was a great excuse to dismiss her to her room.

“Probably some human spice Rhys used,” snorted the other beta, rolling his eyes. Indeed, the meat was coated in a thick layer of spices.

“You should see if there’s any of that pink stuff in the supplies we raided,” Selene suggested as she quietly relieved Kristi of the tin. “You know, the stomachache stuff. Works better than grass.”

Kristi didn’t complain as the food lifted away from her. Between her worries, her imagination, and the ailments licking over her body, her appetite had shriveled. As she stood, she nodded weakly. “Yeah, I think I will, Alpha Selene. Thank you.”

Kristi couldn’t shake a subtle irony that plunked in her head. As much as her kind gave humans a hard time, they had found use in their technology, medication, and other advancements. And of all members,
an alpha
suggested indigestion medicine. She shooed the thought away. Perhaps Jay was inflicting her with more than physical pain and emotions.

She made a show of pretending to swallow down achy groans as she hobbled from the campfire circle, holding her stomach. She could feel a plethora of gazes on her, ranging from worried to uncaring.

“Let me come with you,” Alpha Selene got to her feet, her long red hair swinging behind her in her ponytail.

Kristi’s heart shuddered as Selene came up to her, firmly grabbing her arms as if she’d suddenly topple over. With the alpha’s arm around her shoulders, the two of them made their way toward the cavern.

Another pang bit into her torso, throbbing dully with every step she took. Kristi wondered what the hell was going on with the Alpha and her Mate. Were they brawling? Or were her worries exacerbating the pain? She tried to shove all curiosities out of her mind as she made her way to the cliff face.

Away from the heat of the bonfire – ironically, another human invention that her pack clung to – and under the coolness of the night air, Kristi felt marginally better. Her eyes flickered skyward, toward the empty void where the moon hid. She could still feel the moon in her heart, even if she couldn’t see it. It had shifted from full to new since they snatched Jay from Goldbridge.

Her eyes slid to her feet as her thoughts rounded on Jay, yet again. He had been an opportunity to gain information – learn where the Goldbridge alphas slept, understand the layout of the town, find out ways to disable the sirens. In theory, catching a Sentinel should have been good news for the indigenous pack.

Part of Kristi wished she had left him there, unconscious and still a stranger. If Jay hadn’t been dragged back to their base, she never would have fallen for him. He would have stayed a foreigner and a threat. Should they have met in another battle, they could have easily killed one another.

Deeper in her synapses, she knew that part was lying. Some wolves went their whole lives never meeting a Mate. Their importance to one another couldn’t be ignored, no matter how short their interaction. The bond between Jay and Kristi was sacred and blessed – or it should have been. A cold sadness knotted around her heart as the alpha led her into the cavern.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Hours passed in complete darkness. Jay still lay huddled where Gavin left him. Pain echoed over all his limbs and fractures screamed with every little shift. He breathed shallowly and bit his tongue every time a groan threatened to spill outward. His stomach still pinched with hunger and it intensified under his exhausted, lunar-deprived body’s attempt to regenerate. He was pretty certain he’d die there, huddled in the blood-dampened dirt.

Faintly, Jay heard the boulder shear across the wall. Pale firelight spilled into his cavern as the scent of sandalwood and sun-baked rock flitted to his nose. He couldn’t find the energy to shove himself into a sitting position while Kristi tugged the rock back in place.

When darkness fell again, he listened to her fiddle with something. A click and an artificial beam of light cleaved through the darkness.

Kristi swung the flashlight to and fro, before landing on a huddled heap. Her heart ached as her nose caught whiff of blood, a lot of blood. Her own body throbbed with aches, but they seemed minimal compared to the extent of Jay’s injuries. She clenched at the little white first aid kit – somewhat guilty for her act of treason after Alpha Selene’s concern – before willing her feet to pad closer to her Mate.

As she neared Jay, the scent of blood intensified. Illuminated by the flashlight, Kristi finally saw the bruises and cuts that riddled his body. Conflicting feelings skipped through her head: resentment for Alpha Gavin quickly followed with resignation.

Jay didn’t move as she knelt down beside him. She found a place to prop up her flashlight and instantly went to work. She tore off the remnants of his shirt, using the swatches as dirty rags. As gently as she could, Kristi washed away the blood and dirt with a canteen of water. Fear gripped her guts as Jay refused to move or moan. Even as she applied rubbing alcohol or stitched up the bigger gashes, he didn’t flinch.

If it weren’t for the renewed pain licking up her body from her ministrations, she would have worried. When she did everything she could, she sat back. Her eyes trailed across the dips and curvatures of his body. Her sloppy stitch work was obvious, even in the light of the flashlight.

She didn’t care what Alpha Gavin would say, though. The stench of blood was so thick in the cavern that he wouldn’t smell her. If Kristi gave him a bigger issue to worry about, he’d never know of Jay being tended to.

He still hadn’t rolled over to face her. He still lay on his side, tightly wound into a ball. With every bruise and cut, a needle of guilt pierced Kristi’s gut. This was all her fault. She shouldn’t have allowed his abduction. They should have left him for Goldbridge to handle. Yet, Kristi had been drawn to him. She didn’t want to see him like this, pitted with injuries and curled up in agony. Before Kristi knew it, she quietly murmured, “You could run away.”

He didn’t answer her. For a breath, Jay wasn’t even sure she had said it. Maybe his starved and dehydrated mind imagined the words. His heart still jumped at the thought. He could slip out of the encampment and no one would be the wiser. Well, until Gavin came in to play again. He could only imagine what the alpha would do to a traitorous beta.

Just as Jay was about to write the suggestion off as deliriousness, Kristi spoke again. Her words were so soft, he had to strain to hear them, “The guards are gone. You really could.”

Rolling over, ignoring the pain that jolted across his body, Jay squinted up at Kristi. Her eyes glowed in the illumination. He resisted the urge to reach out and touch her. He narrowed his eyes, weighing the options. If he left, Gavin would do horrible things to Kristi or worse – like attempt to mate with her. The very thought made his stomach curdle. The only other option was to take Kristi with him. Jay grunted and shook his head, “No.”

“But –” She was cut off by Jay suddenly sitting up while hissing in pain.

He grabbed the canteen at her side without invitation. Tipping the water back into his mouth, he chugged the rest of the liquid down. Kristi watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed. A rivulet of water dribbled down the side of his jaw. “You love your pack,” muttered Jay after his tongue flicked out and salvaged the stray drop of water. He capped the canteen and twisted the lid firmly in place. He gave her a sidelong glance, gauging her reaction to his words, “Helping me means leaving them or dying by their hand.”

Kristi’s expression pinched with annoyance and pain. Didn’t he think she knew what she would give up? “
Jay
.”

“The wolves of Goldbridge won’t care if I don’t return.” Jay tossed the canteen into Kristi’s lap. He forced himself to exude an air of aloofness. In reality, Jay wanted to run. He wanted both of them to run and settle down somewhere deep in the woods, away from this asinine feud. That wasn’t going to happen, so Jay decided to prepare for the inevitable. “If I die, I die.”

“
I
care if you die,” snapped Kristi, clenching her hands into fists.

Despite the guilty joy that touched his heart, Jay waved her statement away. Gavin’s words replayed in his head, making his stomach roil angrily. With an ounce of bitterness, he muttered, “You’ll get over it.”

“No, I won’t.” Kristi wanted to snarl. She wanted to pound sense into Jay and make him believe her sincerity. The beating wouldn’t help. Jay’s stubbornness far outweighed any physical punishment. Desperation for his safety still churned through her thoughts. “Why don’t you just tell us something about the town?”

He tensed under the question. Jay’s lips pursed as he grunted, “I won’t have a hand in their slaughter.”

“You said so yourself,” snapped Kristi, in exasperation, “They don’t care about you. I do.”

“
Enough
. I’ve made my choice.” Pain ached across Jay’s brain. He didn’t want to argue. Hunger and sleep tag-teamed him into submission. He inched himself back down onto the ground, the pull of his amateur stitches threatening to break. He ignored the pulsating pangs and curled up, intent to ignore Kristi as he closed his eyes.

She wasn’t done, though. Crossing her arms, Kristi glared down at her Mate. “You should rethink your choice.”

Kristi’s hiss was only met with silence. Jay breathed in and out in short gasps, his fingers sinking into the dirt beneath him. Sharp discontentment sliced through her as Jay ignored her. Yet, exhaustion tugged at her eyes and her limbs. Kristi heaved a sigh, shaking her head. Whether thanks to Jay’s own tiredness or her own stress, she was beat.

“Before I go, I grabbed you some food.” She grunted, reaching into her pockets. She tossed the snack cakes and granola bars – things that wouldn’t be missed in the pantry – onto the ground beside Jay. As she gathered her supplies and made her way to the door, she added, “Bury the wrappers when you’re done.”

He laid there in the dark, listening to the shift of the boulder. Her scent dwindled quickly as darkness moved back into the cavern. Jay didn’t move for a long time. His nose twitched and his stomach growled. Giving in, Jay snatched up a snack cake, unwrapping it and shoving the whole thing in his mouth. A groan of delight left his lips, but sadness tinged his thoughts. His eyes flickered to the boulder in the dark as the subtle smell of sandalwood permeated his cell.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Time passed. Kristi’s scent faded. Naps and pain interrupted Jay’s perpetual darkness. Otherwise, it felt as if a decade passed. Pain still wracked at his body, yet – over the endless time – it lessened. At least his body managed to heal itself, despite lack of nutrients – a small positive in a world full of negatives.

A few times, Jay attempted to work out. He managed fifty push-ups before a combination of pain and exhaustion forced him to lay in the dirt. A far cry from the two hundred he’d accomplish every so often in his prison. Every passing second marked a growing depression in his head. Part of him wished the shadows would simply swallow him up, erasing his existence.

When Gavin’s cocktail scent of blood-mildew-mud flickered through Jay’s nose, his guts cinched. Through the boulder, he heard muffled conversation, cut short by the boulder’s movement. It was time for another round with the alpha. Jay expected it.

The green-eyed man stepped into the room and the alchemical lights blared to life. Jay raised his arm, blinking against the sudden illumination. Despite his sore body’s protests, Jay managed to climb to his feet, using the wall for stability. He lowered his arm, finding the alpha’s furious gaze on him.

“Who did this?” Gavin waved his arm toward Jay’s body.

Jay glanced down, realizing he was bare-chested. In the lights, he realized how much of a mess he looked like. Half-healed bruises, scabs, shoddy stitch work stretched across his sun-starved, pallid flesh. He looked like Frankenstein’s monster. Jay shot the alpha a look. Kristi’s scent had faded, but he didn’t want any wild goose chase to start up after this. He needed to sear this infraction from Gavin’s mind. “You sure are a shitty alpha.”

“What?” Gavin’s question sounded more like a demand.

“You heard me,” Jay started to circle the alpha and Gavin followed his lead. Neither tore their gazes from one another. Though Jay’s body complained with every step, he ignored the pain that rollicked over his body. “You can’t catch a scent and your pack disobeys you and helps the enemy. You must be a pisspoor alpha.”

“Big words from someone so useless, their own people haven’t come looking.”

“Which is sadder: a wolf who knows their subpar status,” Jay raised his eyebrows, amusement tickling at his thoughts. Was Gavin this self-conscious? Perhaps seeing Jay’s mended injuries sparked the inferior feelings. Regardless, Jay wanted Gavin to cling to that rage. He needed the alpha to completely forget someone in his pack had defied him. Jay listed his head to the side, as he added, “Or a weak alpha?”

“
I’m not weak
,” snarled Gavin, a vein throbbing from his temple. His jaw flexed and bloodlust leaked into his gaze. His fingers crooked and fidgeted, as if preparing to rip Jay’s jugular out.

Jay’s smirk grew as a false sense of bravado took over his mouth, “Ooh, is the widdle alpha concerned what a Sentinel thinks of him?”

Gavin didn’t reply. He only forced a scornful, bitter laugh from his lips.

“You must be pretty weak.” Jay spoke in a light, conversational tone, though his volume did increase. The guards had to be listening in. Jay glanced toward the boulder, while a smile broadened across his lips. The tension became hotter and sharper as Gavin narrowed his eyes. Still, Jay pressed on, “You didn’t bother with me until I was starved of food and moonlight.”

A guttural growl rumbled through the air. Gavin’s pupils narrowed into slits. His fingernails grew and darkened, becoming hardened claws. Tufts of fur sprouted along his jaw,

“Your beta had the guts to face me right away.”

Gavin charged forward, slamming Jay against a wall. His forearm pinned Jay’s down by his throat. Spittle flew from the alpha’s mouth as he snapped, “Shut your trap, you piece of filth.”

“What? Afraid your guards will hear us?” Jay continued to grin, ignoring the saliva that speckled his face. He didn’t even bother to struggle against Gavin’s hold. Let the alpha think Jay wasn’t the least bit concerned. Pressure and pain clenched onto his throat, making him rasp. “Maybe they’ll start to wonder why they’re following such a weakling.”

Jay didn’t even see Gavin’s knuckles flying toward him. Pain cracked up his jaw and the back of his head ricocheted off the dirt wall behind him. He didn’t have time to rebound. Another set of knuckles careened into his jaw, another crack of pain. Darkness danced along the edges of his vision.

Before a third blow could be landed, Jay’s senses pulled together. He snatched Gavin’s punch by the wrist, twisting it back and blocking the next incoming knuckles. The alpha’s eyes bugged, rage erupting from a growl in his chest. Gavin’s teeth elongated and his nose wrinkled in a snarl.

Jay’s body ached with blocked transformations. Without the moon’s rays, however, it was worthless to even try. He’d have to rely on his own innate abilities, sans transformation.

Gavin opened his maw, sweeping down to snap around Jay’s throat. The Sentinel slammed his head into Gavin’s face. The alpha howled in pain, yanking backward from Jay’s solid hold. Jay slammed his foot into the alpha’s knee while Gavin yowled and crumpled as Jay released him.

Jay didn’t waste a breath. He pinned Gavin down with his knees, raining down blows as fast and as hard as his body would allow. Pain tore through Jay’s body as he exerted himself; a migraine throbbed at his head. Gavin’s teeth had punctured his forehead and steady dribbles of blood oozed down face. The alpha struggled beneath him, cursing and snarling between his blocks.

A change in air pressure and the grind of the boulder moving went unnoticed by Jay. It wasn’t until two guards hoisted him from Gavin did he realize their entry. Jay squirmed and struggled in their holds, desperation and fatigue warring inside his head. Part of him wanted to give up. Another part of him reeled to put this so-called alpha in his place. A weak alpha did no favors for a pack. Perhaps the wolf inside Jay wasn’t as weak as he thought.

As the two behemoths held onto him, Gavin managed to climb to his feet. The alpha swiped his hand across his mouth, wiping away blood, before spitting a red clot out of his mouth. Jay had to swallow pride when he saw a tooth in the bloodied globule.

The alpha sneered and huffed before Jay. Curiosity radiated from the two guards, but Gavin didn’t even deem either an acknowledgment. Blood and dirt smeared across the alpha’s clothes, accompanying the tears. Gavin cracked his knuckles, his sneer morphing into a grin.

“Bring him to his knees,” ordered the alpha.

Jay struggled against the guards, but the pressure of their strength forced him downward. He leered up at Gavin, waiting for the next movement. Gavin’s booted foot arched upward, catching Jay by his shoulder. Jay bit down on his tongue, absorbing his outcries. Gavin continued to slam his boot into Jay’s right shoulder, harder and harder.

A crack echoed through the cavern and agony exploded in Jay’s synapses. Dark spots danced around the edges of Jay’s vision. A whimper weaseled from his lips as the guard dropped the limb. Jay listed toward his left, using the other guard as support. His shoulder hung, dislocated and useless, at Jay’s side.

“Now, for the other one,” crooned Gavin. The first guard snatched Jay by the back of his neck while the other shifted his grip on Jay’s other shoulder. Jay wasn’t sure, but he hoped both of the lesser wolves were put off by their alpha’s methods of torture. A pessimistic part of him highly doubted it. He couldn’t concentrate on his negativity, though, as Gavin pummeled his functioning shoulder with a flurry of strikes.