Ruined Wolf: A Paranormal Why Choose Romance (Claimed by the Sea Wolves Series Book 2)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

My eyes fluttered open as I shifted in my bed. I’d tried to take Doctor Callahan’s advice and get some sleep before the guys came back, but I’d struggled, my mind whirling as I tried to deal with everything that had happened that day. Eventually, the doctor had returned and given me a sedative that had helped me drift off to sleep, but my dreams had been tense, and I didn’t feel as though the sleep had done me much good. The pain killers were clearly wearing off, and although my wolfish healing ability was clearing up the surface wounds, it was taking a little longer on the inside, and I still felt... well, like I’d been hit by a truck.

I gazed around the room, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, and wondered if I should call a nurse as my head throbbed in pain.

The light that filtered through the hospital blinds was more golden than it had been before, and I guessed it was nearing late afternoon. Nerves roiled in my stomach as I thought about the guys returning. It was time to tell them everything. Maverick had been unbelievable that afternoon, and for a moment, I’d let myself believe that I could stay, and that I could somehow keep the rest to myself and just live with it, but I’d known it couldn’t happen. There was no way I could live my life day in and day out knowing what had happened to their brother without telling them or giving them any sort of closure. It would have made me as bad as Ethan. I hadn’t believed Maverick would be so understanding about the baby, and I’d been desperate to hold onto him, but even he could only take so much.

I shifted on the bed, feeling restless. I wasn’t looking forward to revealing everything I’d kept from them, but at the same time, the wait was unbearable. I just wanted to get it out in the open and deal with whatever came my way. The door opened, and I sat up, adrenaline racing through me, but when a nurse popped her head around the door and smiled at me, I sank back against the sheets.

“Ready for something to eat?” she asked.

Not really, but I’d need something to keep my strength up, and the baby would need sustenance too. I nodded, and she smiled again, ducking back out into the corridor. She reappeared with a tray of something, chatting the whole time, but her words washed over me. I just tried to nod and smile in the right places.

“...and Doctor Callahan has finished his shift, so Doctor Kell will be along shortly just to check on you, but don’t worry, she’s lovely.”

I nodded. “Thank you, I appreciate it.”

“Not at all, my love. You just look after yourself and that little one.”

She left me alone, and I forced myself to eat a few bites of dinner. I could only manage half, because I was still wound up with nerves, and I jumped again when the door opened a second time. I thought it was the nurse returning for the plates, but instead, two men in scrubs, facemasks, and matching caps walked into the room. All I could make out were their eyes.

“Hi,” I said to the first one. “Are you Doctor Kell?” I was sure the nurse had said Doctor Kell was a woman, but I hadn’t really been paying attention. Maybe I was wrong.

The guy shook his head, and then they moved to my bedside, pushing buttons on the machine and disconnecting some of the wires without saying anything. I felt my pulse quickening, worried that maybe something was wrong. I tried to keep my voice steady.

“What’s happened? Where’s Doctor Kell?”

“Doctor Kell is busy,” he snapped. “You’ll be moved as soon as we’ve secured you in the ambulance.”

“I think there’s been some kind of a mix-up,” I replied. “I’m not moving anywhere.”

“Yes, you are,” he stated. “Now keep quiet.”

“No, I’m sorry. I want to see Doctor Kell,” I said, my voice getting louder. Something didn’t feel right. I tried to move, swinging my legs up out of the bed, but the room swayed around me and my vision blurred, and I panicked, realising I could easily pass out. The silent guy grabbed me, pushing me down onto the bed, while the other man leaned over me with a syringe in his hand.

“I told you to be quiet.”

“No, wait... Please, wait!” I gasped as he plunged it into my arm, the numbness of the sedative sweeping through my body.

He stepped back and watched as the medication took hold. It was faster than last time, stronger, I realised, and I hoped to the moon it wouldn’t affect the baby. That was my last thought before everything went dark.

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying on the back seat of a car, covered with a blanket. The car was moving at speed, travelling down bumpy roads. I tried to sit up, but I realised with a jolt that my hands and ankles were tied, and I was gagged. Fear rose inside me, as did nausea as we veered around sharp corners. I tried to struggle against my bonds, but I was bound tightly, and my body felt like lead. I couldn’t muster up any energy to do anything more than lie there helplessly. The men were obviously in a rush. They took tight bends and made several sudden stops, causing me to roll back and forth in the seat, and once, I nearly fell into the footwell.

I concentrated on not being sick. With both of them in the front seat, neither of them would notice if I threw up from the motion or the effect of the drug, and with the gag in place, I could easily choke on my own vomit and be dead before they thought to check on me. I focused on calming myself and breathing slowly. It helped me focus as well, though my mind still felt fuzzy from the drug they’d used to knock me out.

When I felt a little calmer and less sick, I tried to work out what was going on. The two men came into my hospital room for me. They must be working for Ethan. A sick thought occurred to me. Had the accident with the truck been deliberate? Maverick hadn’t mentioned the other driver when he’d come to my room, though I supposed we’d both been rather distracted at the time. Had Ethan tried to have me killed? It certainly would have fixed his problems, especially if he’d worked out what I had taken from his house.

Dimly, I remembered the men searching my room. Had they found the papers I’d stolen? If so, I was screwed. They were my only proof, the only thing I had to show the guys to try and start making amends for everything I’d kept from them. A thread of hope remained that if I could bring Ethan’s deeds to their attention, then they might not think so badly of me, but now I would have nothing to show them. I almost laughed at myself. Here I was, bound and gagged in the back of a car, heading who knew where, and I was worried about what the guys were going to think of me lying to them.

I had no idea where these guys were taking me. If the truck had been an attempt on my life, then it was more than likely that they were going to kill me and dump my body in the sea.

Panic filled me at the thought, and I began to struggle again, thrashing back and forth on the seat.

“Shit, the bitch is awake.”

“Won’t matter. She’s not going anywhere, and we’ll be there soon.”

I froze at his words, and he laughed. “Fight all you want, omega bitch. You’re going back where you belong.”

No. He couldn’t mean... No, they couldn’t get me off the island. There was no way they could be taking me back to High Rocks. I felt cold all over, and a familiar fear swept across my body as my father’s face formed in my mind. I began to shake.

It wasn’t much longer before the car slowed, the tyres crunching on gravel. The car stopped abruptly, and the engine cut off, plunging the interior of the car into silence. I could hear the rush of waves against a shore, sending a chill down my spine. We’d reached our destination.

I was now shaking uncontrollably. I knew that wherever these guys had taken me, it wasn’t good. I tried to force myself to think logically and calmly, but it was impossible. All I could think about was my father and High Rocks.

The car door opened near my head, and I blinked as the blanket was dragged away from my face. Night had fallen, so it was completely dark. I must have been drugged for a few hours, since the moon was already high in the sky. A single white floodlight cast bright light into my eyes, and I squinted, trying to see my captor as he leaned over me. The man who dragged me from the car was one of those in the hospital room, the silent one. He grabbed me under my arms and pulled me out, making me gasp in pain.

“Stand up,” he ordered, propping me up. I tried, but my body just wasn’t capable of it, and my knees buckled. He gave a huff of annoyance and picked me up instead, slinging me over his shoulder.

I wriggled, trying to move the jabbing pressure of his shoulder away from the baby.

He smacked my ass hard. “Keep still, or I’ll drag you.”

I stopped moving, afraid he’d do what he promised.

The other man laughed. “That’s one hell of a nice ass she’s got there.”

My face flushed red as I realised I was still in my hospital gown with nothing underneath, baring everything to my captors. The man who held me paused, sliding his hand up under the gown. I felt the prod of his fingers, then a flash of pain as he forced two digits inside me. I must have made some noise, because the other man laughed again. Hatred filled me. I wanted to kill him. My wolf snarled inside me, and I lashed out, twisting and dragging my nails across the guy’s face. He jerked away, pulling his fingers out, and reached up to grab my hand, clamping his fingers tightly around my wrist.

“Fucking bitch.”

“Come on, Dex, we can play with her on the boat. It’ll take a good hour to get to the meeting point on the mainland.”

Dex carried me along a rickety wooden pier, and I felt myself being lowered into a dirty boat that rocked on the choppy waves. I was shoved roughly onto a plastic seat, and Dex and the other guy set about starting the engine and untying the boat from the dock. I watched them closely as I bent down and quickly untied the rope around my ankles. Dex started to turn, and I straightened up, keeping the rope loose around my ankles. He grinned at me, and I could see red marks on his face where I’d scored the skin.

I glanced at the dock, wondering if I could get up and out of the boat and make it to the trees before they caught me. It was a stupid thought. I could barely stand, and these guys were wolf shifters. Even if I made it to the trees, it would only take them seconds to run me down.

Dex could clearly read what I was thinking, because his grin got wider. “Don’t even think about it. You’d never make it. It would be a shame to rip you apart here, but Alpha was quite clear. Bring you home or leave you in pieces. He wasn’t that bothered by which, but the money’s better if we deliver you alive with the baby intact.”

My insides went cold as the boat pulled away from the pier. My father knew about the baby. How could he know? Unless... Ethan. I already knew he was working with my father somehow, despite all pretences that the pack war was still going on. Had he made a deal with Ethan to get me off the island? I couldn’t see any other way High Rocks wolves could sneak on and off the island, as well as being able to walk out of the hospital with me without some kind of inside help.

The boat pulled away, the water getting choppier as we got farther from the mainland. Dex rocked a little on his feet as he walked towards me.

“Now then, about that ass...” He reached for me, and I kicked out at him. He took my feet square in his chest and stumbled backwards.

I jumped to my feet, my head spinning, and launched myself at him. Already off balance, he pitched backwards and off the side of the boat, hitting the water with a splash. I fell against the side but just managed to stop myself from following him into the water.

“You are such a fucking nuisance.”

I looked up just as the other guy grabbed me by the shoulder, and his fist connected with the side of my face with a sharp crack. Pain exploded through my head, and I sank to my knees, retching. I reached for the gag, yanking it down as I heaved. I hadn’t eaten much at the hospital, but what I had came up all over the deck.

“You disgusting bitch,” the guy snarled, staring down at me in disdain.

“Hey, a hand?”

He looked over at his friend, who was bobbing in the water, and then reached down and grabbed my hair, clenching his fingers tightly. “If I go over, so do you,” he warned. He leaned down, grabbing Dex’s hand, and helped him find his footing to climb back into the boat. Dex glared at me and stepped forward.

“Hold her still,” he growled, unbuckling his trousers. His friend dragged me to the deck, and I cried out as hair pulled away from my scalp, my hands flying to his wrist as I tried to loosen his grip.

Dex knelt between my legs, shoving them apart. “I’m going to fuck you so hard you’ll see stars, omega bitch,” he said, bending down to spit on me.

I struggled, trying to push him away with my legs, but he was so fucking strong. I wasn’t giving up. I changed tactics, instead going for the one holding me down. I released his wrist and went for his face, feeling something squish under my fingers. He screamed, letting go of my hair and falling backwards as he grabbed for his face.

Dex froze, his cock hanging from his trousers like some confused snake, and I brought my feet up and thrust forward, kicking him square between the legs with my heels. He made a gurgling noise and clamped his hands to his groin.

“Fuck,” he wheezed.

I scrambled backwards, away from him, then stopped as the cold smoothness of a blade pressed against my throat.

“You are going to pay for that,” a deadly voice said.

I turned to look at the other guy and gasped. I’d taken out one of his eyes. Blood and fluid leaked from his eye socket, and I retched again. He opened his mouth to say something, but then something hit the boat hard, and he went toppling over.

I heard thuds as feet hit the deck and then a scream from Dex. Rolling over, I pushed myself to my knees and crawled away from the guy with the knife. Something wet and warm hit my face, and the metallic taste of blood trickled into my mouth. I looked up to see Dex’s intestines spill over the deck in front of him. He looked down at them and then at me with such a shocked expression. I actually laughed. I couldn’t stop laughing, even when Lucas reached around and brought his knife across Dex’s throat, finishing the job. Another spray of blood hit me, and I still laughed.

“She’s in shock,” Maverick said to Lucas.

Lucas nodded. “I’ll get the other guy. You deal with her.”

“Alive, Lucas, we need him alive.”

“Alive is fine. Intact, not so much,” Lucas growled as the guy I’d half blinded actually turned and tried to crawl away from my mate. Maverick’s arms wrapped around me, cradling me against his chest.

I giggled, seeing the spray of blood had hit him too.

“Hush, Nova. You’re fine, baby. You’re fine. We’ve got you.”

I took a deep breath, trying to stop the giggles, and heard a sickening crack behind me and then another scream.

“Lucas, I said alive,” Maverick stated firmly.

“I only broke his ankle,” Lucas muttered. “Just making sure he can’t run.”

“Run, rabbit, run,” I giggled, then sighed and cuddled closer to Maverick.

“Sleep, baby. I’ve got you,” he murmured, and I obeyed, welcoming the darkness that rose up to wrap itself around me.