Chapter 7
Victor
My instincts don’t seem to care if the mating bond was created by Mother Fate or a foolish little girl playing with magic.
I could smell her arousal when I walked into the diner. The scent was enough to hold me there, and I was enjoying it more than the burgers when her scent changed. The arousal was replaced by fear and disgust.
Frank’s back was turned, but I would have gone through him if I had to. Nothing was going to stand between me and my mate when she needed me. I was already in the alley before I got myself under control. Then I lost it again when I saw Joe’s hand on Taryn’s face.
Nobody touches what is mine. If Taryn hadn’t been so fucking scared, he would have lost that hand.
Then he would have lost his life, when I found out why he was in prison.
I hesitated because of her. Because for some reason, I didn’t want her to see the monster she brought to Covington.
Joe was spared because I wanted to spare her from seeing the worst side of me.
I stayed close to the diner until Taryn’s shift was over, and then I followed her home. It was daylight, so I couldn’t get close enough to see if she noticed the book was gone. I don’t know how often she looks in that old box. By the time it was dark, she was already in bed.
Now that my mate is safe, I’m on the hunt again. I spent some time looking into Joe’s case and made a few calls to members of Silver Pack. Old wolves collect favors, and we have plenty to go around.
Joe said it was a misunderstanding. That was a fucking lie.
I saw the photos of the woman’s injuries.
He beat the shit out of her before he raped her, and she wasn’t his only victim.
She was just the one who sent him to prison.
Two other women recanted their testimony before their cases ever made it to trial.
I stop outside the trailer park Joe lives in and circle it, staying hidden in the shadows while I figure out what I’m dealing with. Joe’s sitting outside his trailer with three guys. They’re drinking beer, smoking cigarettes, and laughing.
“So, yeah, that fucking bitch at the diner? Fuck her. And fuck Frank, too. Asshole,” Joe mutters, sipping his beer.
“Who was the guy who showed up? Just some random customer?” the guy to Joe’s left asks.
“Fuck if I know,” Joe answers, rubbing his neck. “He’s lucky, that’s all I’ll say. I don’t care how fucking big he is. If I wasn’t on parole, I would have shanked his ass.”
“Shanked his ass?” the guy across from them snickers. “Thought you stopped shanking ass when you got out of prison.”
“Fuck you, Garth! I’ll shank your ass too!” Joe says angrily, then his eyes cut to the guy next to Garth. “You too, LeDoux.”
“Only my wife gets to shank my ass, Joe,” LeDoux laughs, then his laughter dies out. “But seriously, who was this guy? If he fucked with you, we should track him down. Teach him what happens to people who stick their noses in shit that doesn’t concern them.”
Joe looks around, sips his beer, and leans forward. “I don’t give a fuck about him. He’s gone. But this girl… Mmmmm, Taaaryn.”
“Did you use the line I suggested?” Garth asks. “I told my wife she was the best part of waking up every morning and I got a blowjob.”
“Bitch just asked me if I liked Folger’s coffee,” Joe says, shaking his head in confusion. “Whatever. She lives in the basement under my boss’s house. I’ve been there a few times. Just a sliding glass door.”
“Uh, what are you suggesting, Joe?” the guy next to him asks, taking a drag from his cigarette.
“What, you wearing a wire, fucker? I have to spell it out?” Joe snaps. “You know what I’m saying.”
“She alone?” Garth asks.
“Frank and Melinda go out some nights,” Joe says.
“Tonight?” LeDoux asks.
“Can’t be tonight. They’re home.” Joe shakes his head.
“Do they have money in the house?” LeDoux leans forward, flicking his cigarette at Joe’s feet. “You don’t work for Frank no more.”
Joe looks around at the others. Their expressions darken.
They lean just a little closer, lowering their voices.
Now they’re discussing Melinda, Frank’s wife.
How easily they could kill Frank if they had to.
But Taryn’s the prize. That’s what Joe wants.
He doesn’t even seem to care about the money.
The money is just what makes the others lean closer.
I guess I’ve heard enough.
I’m a streak of smoke as I burst out of the shadows, fangs bared, seven hundred pounds of fury slamming into Joe’s chest before I bite through his neck.
The others are still staring at Joe’s body twitching in the dirt when I turn on Garth. He reaches for something at his belt, but he never gets it free. The rest of them scramble, shouting obscenities and screaming. I take out LeDoux’s hamstring, then my paw crushes his skull.
A few turns and just as many screams, and it’s over. The last one only makes it three steps before I’m on his back. But now there are people turning on lights in the trailers. They’re coming outside. The massacre is bad enough. I don’t need them to see what actually killed these men.
I turn and leap into the shadows, accelerating to top speed as I whip around trees and over uneven terrain. Everything’s a blur now. I’m moving so fast I’m silent. I don’t slow down until I’m near Taryn’s neighborhood.
I stop by a stream, shift, and clean the blood off my body.
I let out a few deep breaths and feel the adrenaline settling.
But I can’t rest yet. I shift back into wolf form and head to my campsite, but that isn’t good enough either.
I keep going until I’m outside her sliding glass door. Until I know she’s safe.
And she is. Safe in her bed. Unaware of the horror that was coming for her tonight.
Was it drunken bullshit among friends or an actual threat? I don’t know. It should bother me, but it doesn’t. They spoke it into existence, and they got what they deserved. Frank and Melinda will sleep soundly tonight, all because of the girl they keep in their fucking miserable basement.
I shift, snarl, and slam my fist into the ground. I tense up immediately because she hears it and sits up in bed.
I don’t move. I don’t even breathe. Not until her head is back on her pillow.
“Fuck,” I exhale a pent up breath.
I just left a pile of corpses on the outskirts of suburbia.
A pile torn apart by a wolf. This isn’t New Salem.
The cops don’t look the other way when they find a crime scene that looks like a savage animal tore through a trailer park.
All of that should matter, but the only thing I give a fuck about is sleeping a few feet in front of me.
I’ve never felt more connected to my wolf. Never felt such peace after violence.
This curse needs to be broken. I can’t let my world narrow down to auburn hair and sad gray eyes. This is too dangerous. I’ll do unthinkable things for her, just to do unthinkable things to her.
My nails claw the dirt and I call my wolf. I sprint back to my campsite and shift again, leaning back against a tree.
I don’t have any missed calls from Saul.
Fuck.
Taryn is safe. Nothing else matters right now. The mating bond is getting stronger, but the frenzy isn’t here yet. I can still resist her, even if I’m tearing apart the scum of Covington because they thought about harming her.
I doze off for a while, but my head rises instinctively when the light comes on in the basement. Taryn’s awake. She’s going to the diner, I’m sure. I’m also sure she’s running late again. Foolish little girl. She should have found a spell that wakes her up on time every day.
As much as it aches, I don’t rush down just to catch a glimpse of her gorgeous body. My dick throbs to attention, so I unzip my pants. I let it push free, hard enough to ache in the cool air. But it wants her a lot more than it wants freedom.
“Damn it,” I grunt, reaching down and stroking my cock.
It’s going to get worse the closer I get to the frenzy. This need. The frenzy is inescapable. It’s going to get worse the closer I get to the frenzy. This inescapable need. This hunger. It’ll consume me.
If this were a real mating bond, we would have met sooner.
There would be dates instead of bloodshed.
Or lots of fucking, depending on how well the first meeting goes.
I could have already tasted that wet arousal between her thighs.
I could have sunk my entire length into that delicious heat. Fuck, I need it. I need it bad.
“Taryn,” I groan, my fist pumping faster, my leg twitching against the ground. “Fuuuuck!”
I stroke myself hard enough to spill my seed. I turn and most of it hits the ground, but not all of it. Now my pants need to be washed. Another fucking problem because of her.
Jacking off gives a slight rush of relief. There’s less pressure everywhere and I feel like I can breathe easier. I fucking needed that.
But I still need to hear from Saul. I check my phone and there’s still nothing.
It’s a busy day at the diner for Taryn. I just watch from across the street.
Frank doesn’t have any time to harass her because he’s in the kitchen.
She seems very relieved not to have Joe around.
Honestly, it looks like some of her stress just melted away.
I swear the circles under her eyes are lighter today.
But the peace doesn’t last. Around noon, police officers arrive, and they aren’t there for lunch.
Taryn and Frank are both questioned, and both look pale as hell after the police leave the diner.
Frank closes up early, and they ride home together.
Melinda arrives shortly after they do, and she’s never home this early.
“Great,” I mutter, leaning against the tree. “I fucking traumatized suburbia.”
Nobody leaves the house for the rest of the day. The next day, Melinda goes to work, but Frank doesn’t. Taryn must be in her basement, since the lights are on.
Then my phone lights up. It’s Saul.
“Tell me you’re close,” I almost beg.
“Close enough to have your scent, Victor,” he replies. “I’d ask what you’ve been up to, but it’s all people are talking about.”
“Yeah, this fucking mating bond,” I snarl angrily. “But they deserved it. Or I think they did. Fuck, I don’t know.”
“This has you all wound up, huh?” Saul chuckles dryly. “Stay where you are. I’m coming to you.”
Yeah, my scent is all over this fucking town now. Wolf, blood, and death. Saul will find me easily, sitting here, watching my mate’s house. Looking like a fool or a savage, I’m not even sure anymore.
Almost thirty minutes later, I catch Saul’s scent and I’m standing when he skids to a stop near me. He shifts, tosses his backpack on the ground, and puts on his clothes before walking closer.
“Here,” he says, tossing me a brown burlap bag not much bigger than a quarter.
“What’s this?” I ask, catching it and looking closer.
It’s sealed, and there’s something inside. I can’t identify the scent, but there’s definitely something pungent inside.
“You have to burn it. You need to be close enough to her for both of you to breathe it in,” Saul explains. “I got it from a shaman. It should break any curse, but it’ll definitely get rid of this one.”
“Thank fuck,” I mumble as I heave a sigh of relief, rubbing the bag in my hand. “Alright, I’ll get rid of this fucking mating bond and then I’m coming home. I’m assuming Silver Pack will welcome me back?”
“With open arms, brother,” Saul assures me. “You missed one hell of a party and a couple of women were asking where you were. It could have been a great night for you.”
“Yeah, not having any of those out here,” I mutter, glancing at the spot where my seed stained the ground.
“Let me know if you need anything else,” Saul offers. “You’ve made Covington rather interesting, so I think I’ll stick around a few days.”
“Glad I could help plan your vacation,” I snipe, turning my eyes back to the house.
But this is no vacation for me. I’ve got what I need to break this curse. Shatter this mating bond before it has a chance to turn into a frenzy. I just need to get close enough to Taryn to use it.
I took care of the monsters in the dark.
Now, the only thing that’s coming out of the shadows is me.