6. Koit
KOIT
Groaning, I shifted on the cold hard floor of wherever they’d brought me.
I’d just sent off all the rejected prospects and went into town to grab a few things when I’d been pulled into a shop to help with a fight that broke out.
But it was just a diversion to get me surrounded and knocked unconscious.
Rolling onto my back, I stared up at the darkness, kicking myself for being such an idiot, Rik and I made a pact that we wouldn’t put ourselves in a situation that would lead to us getting hurt.
Clearly, I’d fucked up on that front, the hard part was that fights like this seemed to be happening all the time with tension between all the different packs blending together.
Viv had already created a plan to integrate them and we’d felt it was only right that we kept to the schedule.
Seems though, without a trusted leadership, the pack was not feeling particularly welcoming.
Wolves from our pack weren’t unfamiliar with disagreements between pack members and the spats that broke out from that.
Darius’s pack on the other hand, had never been allowed to express their frustrations in a physical manner before.
It had always been mediated through conversation with the betas that had been left in charge, so when they got wailed on here they freaked out, making things worse.
Even though the seven of us had been trying to work together, we couldn’t make these choices without Viv— our true leader.
Turning my thoughts back to the fight, I realized that it happened far too close to Sofia’s shop for my liking.
I knew that she had set her sights on me and felt that if Viv was out of the picture, then why couldn’t she make a move on me.
Part of me thinks that she might not be very mentally stable, having made passes at me even in front of Viv, but now it was on a whole other level.
I tried to remember faces of who had been involved in the fight but with everything happening so fast I just reacted.
What I did know is that I wasn’t in town, it was far too quiet and the scent of this place jogged something in my memory, but with my brain pounding in my skull it was hard to think.
Sitting up is when I found my hands and legs were bound, and lucky me, they had picked silver manacles to hold me.
As I moved it caused my skin to burn as it rubbed against the metal making me hiss.
Giving up on the idea of moving around the room I laid back down, trying to irritate my wrists as little as possible.
Whoever had planned this had done a fine job covering their bases, I had to give them that.
But it also told me that I wasn’t dealing with the average disgruntled pack member.
Could these people be part of Vadik’s hidden army?
If that was the case, being here alone with no one knowing where I was definitely put me in a precarious position.
How long would they leave me here? Would they come back to torture me? What did they want from me?
My mind raced as I waited in the darkness, the quiet deafening as my ears strained to pick up any and all noises that could give me a clue.
Pulling my wolf forward, I sharpened my eyesight and nose as much as I could, trying to figure out what information was itching at the back of my brain.
Then I caught a whiff of a scent that had been burned into my memory for all eternity— wolfsbane.
After we’d found the cabin and the grove of wolfbane, we’d searched the rest of the island to make sure it wasn’t anywhere else.
That had to mean I was in the lab under the cabin, and am locked in here with the possibility of being gassed at any time.
Panic started to set in as memories of the last time I was here flashed through my mind, the raw emotions slammed into me as if it was happening all over again.
No this couldn’t happen, we had made sure to disable the system when we sent people to gather all the files to ensure that there wasn’t a second trip to the system.
We’d also had teams come in with weed killers to destroy all the wolfsbane around the cabin so it couldn’t be used.
Then my thoughts drifted to the fact that someone had to have maintained the place for Sarma, could they have fixed everything we took apart?
Did they have wolfsbane stored up? Was I going to die here like Rik almost did?
Why couldn’t we catch a fucking break?
Snarling, I rolled over so I could get my knees under me, and I sat up not giving a shit at the pain coming from my wrists and ankles.
If this was going to be the end, then I needed to do anything and everything I could to fight till my last breath.
There was a second passage in here that we never could find, but it was still somewhere, and I was properly motivated to find where the hell it was.
Gathering all the strength I had left and pulled against the wrist restraints.
Letting out a roar, I felt my skin shredding and my muscles protesting the force I was putting into it, but finally I could feel the metal bending.
My body gave out before I managed to get very far but it was a start, if I could find something to brace against it would help even more.
Crawling like an inchworm, I managed to make my way towards what I was hoping would be a wall.
If I could find the outer wall of the room it would give me a better chance of finding something to leverage against. Slamming my shoulder into a pillar, I swore and reached out to feel where it was and how to get around it.
I walked around the whole thing checking to see if there was anything useful on it, but it was just smooth concrete.
Back down on the ground, I continued my way across the room, thankfully my hands ran into the desk before my head did, that shit was hurting enough as it was already.
Pulling the rolling chair out from the desk I sat down pleased with the fact that I could now roll around the space instead of crawl.
Just as I was about to continue my search, the lights flashed on, causing me to grunt at the pain it caused my head.
“My my it seems we didn’t hit you hard enough to keep you out,” a feminine voice filled the room. “It didn’t need to be this way Koit, but you left me no choice.”
Cracking open an eye I looked up to find Sofia with two other beefy wolves that I didn’t recognize. Now I confess that I didn’t know every single wolf on this island, but I knew enough of them to recognize they were new.
“What the fuck is going on Sofia? Why am I here?” I demanded not taking my eyes off her two assistants, they were the real danger here.
Sofia walked up to me and sat in my lap, cupping my face with her hand. “You poor sweet idiot, do you really not know?”
Growling, I shot up dumping her to the ground in a heap, but this also caused my chair to roll away on me, leaving me in a tough spot. If I moved at all I would topple over and I did not want to be on the ground with these guys here, but I couldn’t stand her touching me.
Snarling, Sofia stood brushing off her dress, before she walked up to me and shoved me on my ass hard.
“Why are you such an asshole?. Do you know what I’ve done to keep you alive?
Vadik wanted me to make sure you all ended up dead when this is all finished, but I was able to save you.
Now you treat me like I’m some disease.”
What the actual FUCK is going on?
“Sofia, I’m mated to Vivianna, the Dama of this pack,” I said slowly hoping it might help her understand me better.
Sofia stood over me baring her teeth. “No, she’s gone, you’ll never see her again. Vadik finally got the bitch he wants and tossed all of us aside like we’re nothing, so don’t ever speak her name to me again.”
“Do you know where she is?” I blurted, unable to stop myself, even knowing it would piss her off more.
“No, but even if I did, I sure as hell wouldn’t tell you so you could run off and be with her. How stupid do you think I am?” Sofia asked, hands on her hips.
I opened my mouth to say something but thought better of it and kept it shut.
Sofia shifted so she straddled me then lowered herself so she sat right on top of my very limp dick.
Grinding herself against me in what I could only guess she hoped would be seductive.
Bile rose in my throat at the thought of her in that way.
Once upon a time I might have been a playboy, but my body, heart, and soul belonged to Viv and Viv alone.
Nothing this crazy bitch did would change that.
“She might have left you but I promise I never will, I’ll always be here for you— but we have to wait a little longer.
We need to take care of your mate brothers before we can take our place as the new leaders of this pack,” she purred, running a hand down my chest. “Vadik always rewards those who are faithful and please him...I was very good at pleasing him before she showed up. Then he sent me to this hell hole to assist Sarma, the craggy old bitch. She didn’t even like or respect Vadik.
All she wanted was some manufactured baby because her crusty cave of a womb couldn’t make one of her own. ”
Holy shit how had we not known that this was going on under our noses?
Glancing over at the two guards with her, I knew they had hidden away after Vadik evacuated his men.
How many more could be hidden on the island?
They must have some hidden place Sarma provided for them, that’s the only reason why we haven’t found it yet.
All of us have been patrolling the island for something just like this to show up, we didn’t want to get hit with another attack we were sorely prepared for.
“So,” I started trying not to show my disgust as she once again rubbed herself on me. “Vadik must trust you to leave you with such an important job. Clearly, I must have been wrong about him. I never thought he trusted or liked women all that much.”
It was a dangerous move, but I had to see what I could get out of her while I figured out some way to get free.
Sofia looked down at me with shock and horror on her face. “Vadik values obedience above all else, and who better to serve a man in power than a woman?”
Now I knew she was off her rocker. This was the twenty-first century, no one could get away with saying something like that. Although it made me wonder just how old Sofia was if she still felt that was her place in the world.
“Of course I agree, it’s just these days the whole women are seen not heard idea is so frowned upon...”
“Stupid females,” She scoffed. “Don’t they know that being forgotten is their greatest weapon?
When men forget that you are in the room, or the threat you pose, it puts you in the highest position of power.
You would be shocked at the things I know hearing it right from that foolish man’s mouth...
all because I’m a woman. So yes, this was a job that needed to be handled delicately and done right the first time.
There is no room for fuck ups in a matter such as this. ”
Oddly enough I had to hand it to her, she wasn’t wrong. Many men hardly thought of women as threatening and god were they ever.
“I have to say I’m impressed with all that you’ve accomplished so far in such a short time,” I ventured trying to keep her talking.
Sofia leaned forward bracing both hands on my chest, so she was looming over my face.
“You all made it so easy for me. The poor left behind mates of our Dama, lost and drifting in the wind, fighting to keep hold of what they were never meant to rule.” She nipped at my nose causing me to flinch.
“It’s time for the old ways to resurface and put the woman back in power with Vadik as our god. ”
She grinned at me, her teeth shifting slightly to be much more pointed and sharp looking.
Sofia was going to try to mate mark me, then most likely kill me when she discovered it wouldn’t work.
Bucking, I tried to get her off me, but her guards rushed to hold me down kicking me in my ribs.
I don’t care if you’re human or shifter but that always fucking hurts and is a bitch to heal.
Just when I thought there was no way out of this, and I was never going to see Viv again, Sofia was ripped off me and slammed into the concrete wall.
There stood Tav, eyes wild, hair in dirty ratted dreads and only wearing a pair of ripped jeans. His bare skin had blood spatter all over it and his hands were coated in the stuff. A deep threatening growl rumbled deep in his chest.
Thank fuck. He’s back.