Werewolf Rage Book #2 in the Taming The Wolf Series (15 page)

As she looked down at the countless wolf bodies rushing around the tree, some of them had jumped up on the trunk, staring at her with eyes that looked familiar.
She wavered tiredly and almost fell back, but scrambled for the tree trunk, moaning in fear. She grasped the next branch above her, only moving because the thought of Cyrus spurred her on.

She sensed the changing of wolves to men underneath and the human shouts now filled the air of men calling her name.
She ignored them and pulled herself up to the next branch. Her hand slipping as her muscles rebelled. She fell helplessly back to the lower branch. The bark scratched her arms and hands and she tried with the rest of her remaining strength to pull herself up.

“Ava!
” screamed a voice that penetrated the exhausted fog that surrounded her. She blinked and looked down at the crowd of men surrounding the tree. It couldn’t be . . .
Cyrus.

She closed her eyes and hoped she wasn’t imagining him.
She opened her eyes again and stared down at the face she loved more than anyone’s and didn’t care if it was a vision or real. She jumped out of the tree and was captured by two arms that meant home. As she was held tightly, shouts of joy filled the air and she did something she despised. She fainted.

Ava woke up and stretched languidly, wondering why her body protested and ached so much.
She must have worked out hard the previous day. She smiled and burrowed further under the blankets, sighing tiredly. She felt like she needed another hour of sleep. She stretched her toes out under the crisp smooth sheets and groaned at the tenderness in her body.

When she opened her eyes she saw the bland, tasteless décor that every hotel room seemed to have. Every hotel looked the same and she had no idea where she was. But she was comfortable at least. She was looking at another bed right next to hers. The sheets were untouched.

“You’re finally awake.”

Ava sat up quickly, shocked out of her tiredness as everything came back in a rush.
Cyrus
. She threw off her blankets and jumped off the bed, flinging herself at her mate. Cyrus picked her up in his arms and sat back down with her sitting on his lap. He hid his face in her hair, breathing in her scent as her heart felt like bursting out of her chest.

“You found me,” she whispered against his cheek.

Cyrus leaned back and stared down into her eyes, his face dark and intense. “I told you I could track you anywhere. There’s nowhere you could go that I wouldn’t be able to find you,” he said softly, smoothing her dirty, tangled hair away from her face.

Ava smiled and closed her eyes.
“I’m so glad. When you found me, I wasn’t sure if I could keep going,” she admitted, pushing her fingers through his thick glossy brown hair.

Cyrus frowned and leaned back with her on the bed, turning his body, so he faced her with his hand on her hip.
“Did you start going through withdrawals?” he asked softly, running his finger over her cheek bone.

Ava shook her head.
“Of course not. I knew you were coming for me. I never doubted it for a second,” she said with a soft smile.

Cyrus smiled faintly and leaned down to kiss her cheek softly.
Something caught his eye though because he turned her neck to the side and pushed her hair out of the way. He ran a finger down the already healing bite mark Braxton had put on her.

Ava swallowed sickly as she remembered what Braxton had done to her and then of how he’d slapped her and then licked the blood before kissing her.
Revulsion filled her body and she pushed Cyrus away from her. She jumped off the bed and ran for the bathroom. She slammed the door behind her and ran to the shower. She pulled the knob and ripped her clothes off as steam began to fill the small hotel bathroom. She stepped into the water and felt the hot, clean water pour down over her head and she closed her eyes in relief for a moment before reaching for the soap. She lathered her whole body twice, shampooing her hair again and again. She didn’t want any trace of Braxton on her body. Not his scent, not his touch, not anything.

When the water turned cold, she turned the water off and grabbed a towel.
She dried off and looked at her filthy clothes lying in a heap on the bathroom floor. She refused to put them on again. She’d wear a sheet as a toga first. She wrapped the towel around her body securely before opening the door.

On the bed was a pair of small gray sweat pants and a plain white t-shirt that looked like it had just come out of the package.
She smiled in gratitude and changed quickly. She rubbed her stomach and realized how empty she felt. She’d gone over twenty-four hours without food on top of running as a wolf. She felt shaky and weak she was so depleted.

She looked on the floor and spotted some cheap plastic flip flops and slipped them over her toes before heading for the door.
She opened it slowly and found Cyrus leaning against the wall in the hotel hallway. He looked so tired and upset she just wanted to comfort him. He glanced over at her and smiled slowly as he stood up straight. She stepped into his body wrapping her arms around his waist. He must have sensed how shaky she was because he picked her up in his arms and carried her through the hallway and out into the light. He walked across a parking lot to a small café, pushing the door open with his hip.

He slipped her into a booth covered in bright red vinyl and signaled the waitress to come over.
He scooted in beside her glancing at her worriedly. Until she got some food in her, she didn’t even have the energy to talk. She leaned against the wall as Cyrus told the waitress what they wanted. The older woman with the steel gray bun and bright orange lipstick walked away with a backwards suspicious glance at her.

Cyrus shook his head.
“I’m thinking our waitress is wondering about your drug habit. You look so gray and drained you could pass for a heroin addict easy,” he said without any hint of a smile.

Ava lowered her eyes as Cyrus put his arm around her shoulders.
So she looked hideous. At least she was alive. “Dad?” she asked softly.

Cyrus pushed her still wet hair back from her face and smiled.
“He’s going to meet us back home. We went in different directions looking for you. I took half the men and he took the other half. You’ll get to see him in a few hours.”

The waitress brought over two large glasses of orange juice with straws and then went to greet two new customers.
Ava took a long drink and closed her eyes as her body immediately felt better. She drank half the glass before she looked back at Cyrus who was still watching her with cautious worried eyes.

“Where are we?” she said, glancing around at the small diner.
She looked out the window and saw the mountain in the distance and the lonely road going in each direction.

“We’re about fifty miles north of a little town called
Nipawin and about five hours from home. I’m chartering a plane to fly us back. There’s a little Cessna owned by a farmer who’s willing to take you and me. The rest of the guys are renting cars and leaving any minute. It’s been a hard night on everyone,” he admitted.

Ava nodded her head and finished her orange juice.
Cyrus pushed the other glass toward her and she smiled her thanks. “You’ll have to tell me everyone I should thank,” she said worriedly, thinking of all the families and jobs the men had left to come look for her.

Cyrus smiled and shrugged.
“They’re happy to do it. Saving a beautiful woman in trouble is heaven to most werewolves. Most of them will probably thank you,” he said as their waitress brought their food over. She grinned at the large platter of blueberry pancakes, sausage and fruit.

“I actually think I’m going to eat everything,” she said, picking up her fork and digging in.
Cyrus who had been running all night to find her ate just as voraciously and they were soon done. Cyrus motioned for the waitress again and ordered another two omelets. The woman’s raised her eyebrows in surprise but hurried off with the order.

Ava put the last bite of pancake in her mouth and sighed happily.
She felt almost human again. She watched Cyrus eat for a moment and then frowned as a question that had been with her all night wouldn’t leave.

“Cyrus? What happened to Cole?
The last time I saw him, he was surrounded by hybrids and he wasn’t doing so well,” she said looking at Cyrus’s suddenly solemn face.

Cyrus wiped his mouth on his napkin before turning to look at her.
He grabbed her hand in his and winced. “You’re right. He wasn’t doing so well. When I got there, you were gone and he was lying in a pool of blood barely breathing. I was more um, focused on your well being to be honest and I took what men there were and started tracking you immediately.

“I called my mom and dad this morning though and they gave me an update.
Cole will have to stay in his wolf form for a while. He was chewed up pretty bad. But give him a week and he’ll be up and walking.”

Ava smiled in relief and leaned on the table.
“I’m so happy to hear that. If he had died trying to defend me, I’d feel horrible for the rest of my life.”

Cyrus sat back and frowned, his hands bunching on the table.
“Cole told my dad what he saw when he went to help you. He said Braxton slapped you so hard your head almost popped off and that he licked your blood and started forcefully kissing you. Is that true?” he asked quietly.

Ava looked away out the window as a shiver flew down her neck and through her arms.
The memory of the pain and revulsion would stay with her forever. She hated Braxton Mayhew. If ever a man needed tearing apart, it was him.

“Yes,” she whispered finally, “he hurt me and then made it perfectly clear that he enjoyed doing it.
He also made a few other things perfectly clear,” she added, rubbing her cold arms.

Cyrus growled low in his throat and she could sense the anger ripping through his system.
She looked back at Cyrus and tried to smile, “It’s over now.”

Cyrus stared at her, his blue eyes narrowed in fury.
“Did he do anything else, after he took you? Don’t be scared to tell me. Did he rape you?” he asked softly, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Ava closed her eyes, to keep the tears at bay.
She had been out of it for hours and honestly had no idea what had happened to her during that time, but her instincts told her that she was untouched.

“No, I don’t think so,” she said, biting her lip.
She glanced out the window again and shivered. “Cyrus? How far away are we from where you found me? Could Braxton find us here?” she asked, scanning the street and the farm land surrounding them.

Cyrus put his arm around her and pulled her into the warmth of his side.
“Sweetheart, we’re safe. Your father went straight to Tanner’s Landing last night. He and his men have been spying on the town all morning. He said that Braxton and his men showed up a few hours ago. Harry has a few friends from there and he’s been talking to them all morning and trying to keep tabs on Braxton. We’re safe honey. I promise,” he said sadly.

Ava felt her heart
twist, knowing Cyrus was taking it hard. It was bad enough that she’d been taken by her grandfather’s men a few months ago. But to have it happen again and under these circumstances would be hard to take for any man, let alone a werewolf.

The waitress brought their omelets and their check and with another suspicious look left them alone. They ate in silence for a
while before Ava pushed her plate away. She felt like eating, but her body couldn’t take anymore.

She ran her fingers through her hair and felt a moment’s vanity.
Here she was, exhausted, pale and gray with no make up or even a brush. How Cyrus could even stand to look at her, she didn’t know.

Cyrus must have sensed her emotions because he glanced over at her and sat up, pushing his plate away.
“What’s wrong?” he prompted.

Ava shrugged and tried to smile.
“Oh nothing really. I just want to go home. I want to see my kids and go to the pub. I want to walk through your mom’s garden and cook a meal. I don’t want to have to think about any of this. I wish none of it had happened. I feel . . . ,
different
,” she said softly, rubbing a hand over her mouth.

Cyrus stood up and took his wallet out.
He threw a few bills on the table and reached out a hand for her. She took it gratefully and stood up. Cyrus picked her up again in his arms and she didn’t even protest. She just laid her head on his shoulder as he walked out of the diner, ignoring the looks of all the men and women staring at them.

He took her back to her room, still not talking and placed her on the bed.
He covered her up with the sheet and blanket and sat next to her, staring down into her face. “You will be different Ava. You’re an innocent, sensitive and kind hearted woman. How could you not be? But it doesn’t have to be permanent.”

Ava stared silently up into the face of the man she loved and tried to smile.
“I knew I’d see you again,” she said and then turned over on her side and began weeping.

Cyrus lay down
beside her and cuddled her in his arms as she cried herself out, falling to sleep eventually.

When she woke up she was being bundled into a small plane and buckled into a seat that had holes in the seat cover.
She blinked away the sleep and looked at Cyrus in trepidation. He smiled at her reassuringly and turned to talk to the pilot, a short man with a long red beard. And then they were zooming across a dirt field and taking off into the sky. The bumpy flight, made her queasy and tense and an hour later when they landed on a stretch of farm land she unhooked her hands from the arm rests and stumbled out of the plane. She’d kneel down and kiss the ground, but she was scared she’d just throw up if she did.

Cyrus hugged her quickly, kissing her pale cheek before ushering her to a waiting car.
They drove in silence, holding hands down the familiar roads of Paskell and reaching the main street within minutes. She stared in wonder and sat up as she saw all the posters and balloons decorating the store fronts and window of the homes lining the streets.
Welcome Home Ava! Pray for Ava!
And then even more interesting,
Freedom for Women!

She leaned back in the seat and stared at Cyrus, shaking her head in wonder.
“Oh my word,” she whispered.