Chapter 16 - Liv
CHAPTER 16 - LIV
Trigger warning: kidnap and captivity of main character.
Nerves spluttered in my belly that he planned to use me for some nefarious purpose. Bribery to negotiate the survival of his pack? Sacrifice me to end my future torment? Kidnap me for his pleasure?
Loyalty to my pack split me in two. My need to get cleaned up and down a Tylenol for my aching face surpassed my desire to leave, and I walked behind him into his clubhouse. He said a strange word and traced a weird pattern before entering, unlocking a protective spell by the look of it.
Outdated decor cried out for renovation. Garish honey-brown wallpaper that I wanted to scratch off the walls for hurting my eyes. The kitchen with pastel cabinets and counter and matching linoleum flooring scratched to high hell and stained with grease. Ginger scented the air, and I stopped to take in the sweet and spicy scent.
Dash nodded to six five-gallon tubs brewing an amber liquid on the far end of the bench. “We make our own beer and spirits.”
“Pack Hester does too.” Beer, wine, whisky, and ciders.
Wolves preferred fresh food grown on our lands to commercially sold products. Growing and harvesting our own cost less, made us less reliant on outside forces, and taught the young pups self-reliance and a sense of community. Home-grown fruit, vegetables, and meat tasted fresher and more vibrant than food frozen for a season. The chickens were happy to receive the fruit and vegetables and laid the creamiest eggs that poultry farms couldn’t compare.
I moved on to the wall in what would have been the lounge room. Dash kept close, his body heat flaring mine, protective instincts on alert after the altercation with TJ.
Photos of rides, bikes, and parties lined one wall, and my chest constricted at missing out on this part of his life. That he wasn’t a part of mine. That he never would be after calling quits on our lunar bond.
Dash ushered me into the small, tiled bathroom, with equally as ancient pastel cupboards that made my head ache, setting me on the toilet while he hunted for his first aid kit and a washcloth. Water hissed as he wet the cloth, rinsed the excess liquid out and bent down in front of me. Wisps of his wild rain scent toyed with my nose, and I closed off my wolf to his influence.
Fire roared along our connection when his gaze dipped to my split lip and busted nose. “I’m gonna kill him for that.”
I laughed, the motion hurting my face, and I stilled. “Get in line.”
“I’m first in fucking line.”
I tried not to let the fact that he unexpectedly came to my rescue or the tender way he scrubbed the blood from my face and cleaned my wounds sway me in any way.
Previously, when he touched me, his expert, confident hands knew just the right way to make me swoon. A touch learned from sleeping with a lot of women. I tried to skip past that thought so it didn't drive me to despair and jealousy the way Whitney had. I didn’t want Dash to know how he still affected me after all this time.
Pity my shewolf had other ideas, roaring to the surface, baring her teeth, warning invisible challengers away from what belonged to hers. I lost control of her and my raging hormones, the Wolf Moon having activated my Lunar heat. Soon, the need to mate would become unbearable, and I’d need Dash’s knot to satisfy it.
He stood up to rinse the coppery mess from the cloth. “This is why I objected to going along with the Umbras’ plans.”
What other motivations did Dash Lumbry have that we didn’t know about?
“I took one for the team.” Joke and make light of the situation. Befriend him. Penetrate Dash’s secrets and get answers.
Back with his newly rinsed cloth, Dash crouched on his haunches and clasped my hand. “Don’t, Liv. You’re not the sacrificial lamb. I won’t allow it.”
There he went again, trying to convince me of his good intentions when Dash was the guy with nothing but bad intentions. I fought my instincts and hormones to stop myself from being fooled into thinking he cared for me when he had his own agenda.
“What do you care?” I patted the spot over my heart where he denied our Lunar connection. Fuck. I had to stop going there and ripping the scab off when it felt like a fresh blade through my ribcage.
“I care more than you fucking know.” My wolf swooned at the fierce way he growled each word.
Me… I saw it for what it was: Dash protecting his investments. Build his motorcycle club into a successful business and salvage his pack finances. Align with Pack Hester with me as his mate by marriage only, settle any territory disputes, eliminate the Malice threat, and enjoy the spoils of Whitney when he recovered her.
“Let me get you a Tylenol for the pain.” Dash moved away from me, and my wolf mourned the loss of his heat melting the frost I bore as a shield around my heart.
Cupboards clicked as he opened them and ruffled through them, selecting a box of pain meds. Water flushed into the cup he filled, and when three quarters full, he flicked off the faucet, handing me the glass.
“Here.” He deposited two caplets into my waiting palm and slid the glass into my fingers.
I swallowed them down, desperate to forget the pain biting into me that would take a day for my wolf healing to take care of.
“Hungry? I can get you something from the kitchen.” He took the glass from me, emptied the rest of the water, and set the container on the counter.
Opportunity flashed before my eyes. Escape from the clubhouse and flee to my pack’s land. I snatched the chance with, “I’d love to take a lie down and sleep off the pain for a bit.”
Dash gave me an easy smile that reminded me of better days and my heart clenched. “Sure. Take my room. It’s not much, but it’ll do.”
His room. How long did he plan on keeping me here? Did we have to share his bed? The thought had the heat between my legs go from fireplace to nuclear fusion. Bad things came of arrangements like that. The kind where we got close, and I regretted it. Prospects I shut down with greater determination to leave.
He steered me to the first room on the left, a small bedroom with a coat of paint concealing the lines of wallpaper beneath. Scents of whisky, cigarettes, and hard partying hit me. A double bed jammed in the corner smelled of late nights and even later starts. I closed off my nose to any more scents not wanting to detect sex or sweat or any other shit that enraged my jealous shewolf.
“Sheets are clean.” He pulled back the blanket, then fluffed up the pillow. “The mattress is old but comfortable.”
I smiled, hiding my cunning down deep. “Thanks.”
“I’ll be outside. Need anything?” His concerned stare caressed every part of me, convincing me to stay, and the human side of me screamed not to go soft now and get used to his kind treatment when it wouldn’t last.
Dash wasn’t keeping me here, no matter how dangerous things got. I aggravated TJ by punching the psychopath. Carved my name in blood. Consequences I deserved for being stupid, and no one but me would pay them. Not my sister. Not my pack.
Fuck. Dash and I were more alike than I cared to admit, inviting trouble wherever we went. I had to warn Father and his men so they had time to mount a defense from possible friction on our borders. It wasn’t fair to let Heather bear father’s wrath when she told him what happened. I had to exit the clubhouse and get the fuck out of here. Strip naked and shift into my shewolf and run like the wind, if necessary. Anything to escape Dash’s mad ideas.
“I’d love a tea.” I hid my cunning behind an appreciative smile.
“Back in a minute.” Dash excused himself and I took one last look at his back. Unyielding and fearless. Better get used to the sight of his back. The front of him was too devastating to take in.
Time to make my break for it before he stopped me, and the world came to an end for my pack. Preparing my tea ought to take him a few minutes. Enough time for me to sneak out into the woods bordering the clubhouse, shift, and get a small head start. My wolf might be smaller, but she was faster and used to long runs.
The moment the door clicked closed, my ass launched off the mattress, my feet silently carrying me across the mud-brown carpet. I paused by the door to listen for a moment to Dash’s retreating footsteps and his soft humming to a tune I didn’t recognize. A five-second head start was all I gave him before I tugged the door open, wincing at the creak of old hinges, and ducking into the bright hallway lit by a skylight in need of cleaning of bugs and leaves. Light footfalls carried me out of the hall, through the lounge and to the foyer, where I had the rusty door open in seconds. Outside, I crept along the edge of the driveway to avoid crushing stones and alerting his man in the garage. On the road, I found my bearings, heading west, running as fast as my legs could manage.
I got to the end of the street when a voice shouted at me, “Where the hell do you think you’re going?”
Shit. Dash, not far behind me. Thirty feet and gaining traction by his agile gait. A wolf stalking his prey.
“Home!” I shouted, picking up my pace, pushing my legs to their limits to beat Dash at his own game.
“I told you, you’re staying with me!” Dash’s voice cracked like a whip, full of dominance designed to bring me to heel. Pity we were Alphas, and his dominance didn’t affect me like it did others. Although, it made my stomach contract and ignite with a pleasant heat. One I had to ignore and really test my body to defeat it and build on the distance between us.
“Dash, let me leave,” I panted, gasping for air, trying to get as much of it circulating through my body to fuel my flight.
Wolves ran for miles without stopping, but human bodies weren’t as robust and lacked the stamina for sprinting long distances over rugged terrain. Air sawed in my lungs at my quickened pace. Acid built in my legs from pushing myself harder than I ever had.
“Don’t make me come and get you.” Dash’s warning shot bolts of arousal to my core. “Running only sets you in my predator’s sights.”
Fuck him. I was every bit the predator as he was. Bring it.
“Have it your way.” At his warning, I glanced over my shoulder, catching the glint of silver. His lips curved into a wolfish smile. Power fueled his muscles as he pursued me.
The bastard wasn’t even panting. No signs of breaking a sweat either. His father put him through all sorts of military exercises, and he was fitter, stronger, and sturdier. Outrunning him required an advantage I didn’t have in the running department. Soon I’d be forced to face him and fight, but not until I reached the woods and shed this human body.
“The further you run, the worse this is for you, Liv.” Dash’s threat set the flame in my belly to a bonfire. My shewolf enjoyed the thrill of the chase. The hunt. Being his prey. Longed to be captured, mounted, mated. Bitch didn’t take long to lose her fighting spirit when it came to her mate.
“Fuck you, Dash!”
Longer, more conditioned legs caught up to me in a matter of strides. Steadfast arms hooked around my waist, yanking me off my feet, dangling me. Dash’s boots skidded along the pavement, coming to a halt.
My chest pumped rapid beats and not just from running. Dash beat me and won the right to claim me. My damn shewolf let him know, sending pulses of her need across our Lunar bond.
Meanwhile, I wriggled with all my might, smacking his arms with my fists, kicking his legs. “Let me go.”
His calf curled over my legs and rendered them ineffective. “Do you know what I do to my men when they misbehave?”
Oh, my shewolf longed to know. I wanted out of his arms and to get back to my pack. “I’m not one of your men.”
Robust and strong fingers sealed around one wrist, then the other, subduing my struggle. “No, but you’re my mate.”
“Rejected mate more like it.” Left with nothing else to deliver a blow, I banged the back of my head at his chest, rousing his wolf, and the delicious rumble signaling how much they enjoyed the rough play.
Wild wolves were even rougher, nipping, scratching, wrestling, and chasing. Mating sometimes involved a bit of primal play, the male wolf hunting the female, catching her, winning the reward for the effort. My running fed his predator giving chase. Our bond went taut with need. My shewolf begged to go free and start the stalking and capture ritual again in our wolf fur. I couldn’t keep up the fight for long when pain lanced down my head into my neck.
It was just his wolf claiming ownership, nothing more, and I refused to entertain any more of it. “Put me down. I’ll walk,” I panted, struggling helplessly in his merciless grasp, the pain spinning into a helpless dizzy rush.
Dash twisted me to face him, pressing me flush to his body, his wolf murmuring at the softness of my belly and tits brushing his chest. He wrapped one of my legs around his hips and attempted to secure the other. I didn’t like being this close when control edged away from me.
“I like you here.” Dash’s growl and the flicker of smoke in his silver eyes smothered some of my resistance. “You disobeyed an order to stay. Now you have to face the music.”
Effortlessly, he hoisted me away from his chest, lifting me above his shoulders, resting the squishy part of my belly on his powerfully built shoulders. I whimpered at the nausea from disturbing my head wound. His hand cracked down on my ass, and I arched my back from the smarting pain.
What the fuck? His daddy Dom discipline or voice didn’t work on me. My legs paddled, my boots kicking his thighs, earning another sharp burn on my backside.
“Stop wriggling. You’re just making this harder.” His dominance aimed to beat me into submission. “Submit or I’ll keep it up.” Prickling on his end of the bond told me his wolf was up for some rough and tumble foreplay.
“You’re just as bad as TJ, you cocky bastard.” Holding off the pain and urge to vomit, I thundered my fists on his back, pitiful attempts to break his hold on me. The asshole was used to pain and endurance from all his father’s training, while I was the opposite.
Physically, I was no match for Dash in human form. My shewolf was another story, as that was where I got most of my exercise. Slumped over his shoulder, dragged back to his clubhouse, I couldn’t chance a shift in front of humans. After the bakery disaster, I wasn’t tempting another.
The bastard had the audacity to knead the globes of my ass, his finger tickling my ass crack. “I’d be happy to give you cocky.”
I pounded him harder, worsening my giddiness and nausea. “Fuck! You’re giving off mixed signals here.”
“You sense my wolf and I enjoy rough play, yet you continue to wiggle, arousing us both. Little tease.” He fingered my pussy this time, and I fell limp and silent, his wolf groaning with disapproval. Trying to get a rise out of me, he slapped my ass again and I bucked and thrashed on his shoulder. Dash’s grip on my thigh tightened to hold me in place. “You’re like a wild filly. I can’t wait to break you.”
“Fuck you, Dash.” This was a game to him. I was the helpless rabbit caught in his gaze. He wanted to play with me just like TJ.
He yanked the clubhouse door open. “You want to fight me too, Liv? I thought we were allies.”
“Allies?” I laughed at his back, his shoulder digging into the soft of my belly, starting to hurt, but not as much as my head and neck. “You want to control me like they do.”
He eased the sting of my ass by roughly massaging it. “That couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Damn him for catching and overpowering me. I didn’t want to hear his lies and excuses. Didn’t want to submit to his plan. “Then let me go.”
“I told you I can’t do that, Liv.” He carried me down the hall to another room, where he pried open a hidden panel.
“What the fuck? Where are you taking me?” I kicked for my life to get away. Blinding pain forced my body to go limp.
“Liv, you’re injured and need rest. Stop hurting yourself.” His hand clamped on my neck, his fingers burying into my flesh, holding me still.
“Dash, please,” I pleaded as he descended stairs into a darkened cellar. “You don’t have to do this.”
Terror flooded my veins. This went beyond anything TJ could ever do.
“You’re safe here and that is where you’ll stay.” His boots hit the stone floor and proceeded to the corner of the room.
I tried to get a glimpse of what was down here, but moving hit me with searing, white pain. What sounded like a creaky cell door swung open, and I knew I was really fucked.
“Always knew I couldn’t count on you, Dash,” I muttered as he gently lowered me from his shoulder onto a musty, squeaky bed. “But I never thought you’d be this heartless to keep me captive.”
Something snapped on his end of the bond. His patience? Temper?
“Fuck, Liv.” He swiped a hand through ruffled hair. “What do you want me to do? Go to war for you? Risk my pack’s lives?”
Hell, yes. I wanted him to fight for me. Not abandon me like he did before. Prove to me he was the Lunar mate the goddess intended for me.
I didn’t dignify the bastard with an answer and slumped into the thin pillow since my fatigued body had its strength stolen from it.
“You can stay here until it’s safe to leave.” Dash’s warning sparked an icy claw to scratch in my gut. “Until I can come up with a better alternative to war with the Malices.”
Again, I remained silent. A protest. A big fuck him.
Dash snorted at my silence. “That’s all you’ve got for me?”
I sent a bigger fuck you along our bond, and turned away, my mind racing, trying to figure out a way to get out of here. Escape the hold of all the men, not just Dash, seeking to use me for their gain.