Chapter 7
By nature I was a terrible sleeper. It could take me hours to get to sleep and when I did, I was often plagued by nightmares.
That was on a good night. A night where I wasn’t being held hostage by mythical creatures.
I’d expected a night of tossing and turning as I tried to work out a plan to get out of here, yet as soon as I closed my eyes, my body relaxed in a wave and I fell quickly to sleep.
I woke up feeling more relaxed than I had in years.
That lasted for all of ten seconds before I bolted upright, feeling a pair of green eyes fixed on me. Kole was sitting on the bed, watching me as I slept. It took me a moment to realise I was no longer chained up.
“Sleep well?” His raised brows and faint smile told me he knew that had been the best night's sleep of my life.
“I would have slept better if I wasn’t chained up like a dog.” I rubbed a hand over my wrists even though they didn’t hurt. He’d been very careful not to fasten them too tight, which was going to work to my advantage in the future.
I took stock of myself. My head and elbow still twinged a little. I lifted the covers. My clothes were still intact.
“I didn’t try to rape you in your sleep if that’s what you’re wondering.”
“No, you’ll wait till I’m fully conscious and in front of an audience to do that, right?” I spat back. Every time he showed me the slightest kindness, visions of what he planned to do to me chased away any softness I might feel.
His eyes blazed, his jaw clenching. “Do you think I want to do that?”
“If you don’t want to, then don’t.”
“I don’t have a choice.”
“You always have choices,” I snapped. “They might not be the ones you want but you always have choices. You’re just too much of a coward to do what you know is right.”
He stood, towering over me. “Saving my family is what is right.”
I straightened my spine, refusing to be intimidated. “Sure, as long as it’s not you paying the price.” I looked him up and down, showing my disgust. “Whatever. Thank you for not fucking me while I slept. You’re a real gentleman.”
These weren’t wise moves on my part. I should be earning his trust, but I knew he was too smart to believe I would suddenly start accepting this insanity.
He’d said yesterday that wolves could smell lies, pretending I was a-okay would be a waste of time.
His stare told me of his distrust, his mouth set in a shrewd line.
“The council was right about you. My parents said to be patient, to give you time...but no, the council was right. You need a firmer hand. To be taught respect.” My stomach turned, wondering what that could mean. “For now, you need to get dressed.”
“For what?”
“Breakfast. Your clothes are in the closet.” His heated gaze ran over me, telling me he’d wished waking up together for the first time had gone a different way. I knew he wanted me. I knew using that to my advantage would be a dangerous game.
Before his thoughts could get the better of him, I got out of bed. In the bathroom I quickly relieved myself and brushed my teeth and hair.
He sat on the bed, waiting for me as I headed for the walk-in closet in search of clothes. I scowled when all I found were rows of pretty dresses and prettier shoes. This wasn’t going to work.
“Problem?”
I yelped and spun on my heel. “Can you make some noise when you move? Put a collar on with a bell or something?”
“Would that make you happy?”
“It’d make me laugh.” For a moment, his glower faded, faint amusement shimmering in its place.
Underneath all of this Alpha male crap was a man that knew how to laugh.
A part of me yearned to find that man, tugging on my heart with barbed wire strings.
But I couldn’t think about that man, because this was the one that was going to hurt me.
“What’s the hold up?”
“Yeah,” I sighed, gesturing at the clothes. “I’m not a doll.”
He eyed the clothes, frowning. “That’s Kara’s handiwork. Wear your other clothes.”
“From yesterday? I can’t find them.”
“I sent them to be laundered. I meant the ones we brought from your motel room.”
My heart shuddered to a halt. “What?”
He moved into the closet and sniffed, looking around – was he following his nose? He looked up and reached for something on the top shelf.
“I don’t know why they put it up here.” He pulled down a rucksack.
My rucksack. I took it, staring at the item from another life.
A life before werewolves and chains. “Your clothes and other belongings are in there. We had to remove certain things but we’ll keep them in storage until we can trust you. ”
“How did you get this?” My voice sounded so distant. I was counting on this. The motel would have noticed I’d never come back for my things, they would have reported me missing, they would have…
“We had a female who looked like you check out of the motel under your name. With a pair of sunglasses and a fake accent it wasn’t difficult.”
I tried not to show my panic. “What about the rest of my stuff? My laptop, camera, phone? It was all in my car.” If I could get to them, I could send an email to someone, try to get some help.
“We have it. We contacted your boss for you, Patricia, right?”
I stared at him, my palms beginning to sweat. “How did you?—”
“I had someone tracking you from the second I found out you existed. My Beta was following your car through the woods, he heard your conversation. ‘I’ll call you in a few days with an update.’ That’s what you told her?
My Gamma sent her an email from your account, she thinks you’ll be off grid for a few weeks. We won’t be disturbed.”
I gripped the rucksack, trying my hardest not to cry. “What happens in a few weeks when she’s expecting to hear from me again?”
Kole shrugged. “In a few weeks our bond will be sealed. You won’t be able to leave me.”
I looked away, I couldn’t stand the sight of his too-handsome face anymore.
“No one’s looking for me,” I murmured, my mind spinning. He reached out to rest a hand on my arm and I flinched away. “Don’t touch me.” My last hope was shattered. To my relief, Kole left me in the closet to dress alone.
I sank to the floor, allowing myself a moment to break. I dropped my head into my hands. What was I going to do? My chest felt tight, like I couldn’t breathe.
Get your shit together, Iona.
I opened my rucksack, looking through my gear.
Despite my despair, I started to smile. Without knowing it, Kole had handed me my escape starter kit.
My knife, map, compass, and GPS were gone, but the majority of my stuff was still here.
My clothes, sleeping bag, water filter, purification tablets, even my fishing line and hooks.
This was good, but I couldn't help but wonder why he’d given these things back to me. Was he testing me? Trying to see if I would escape? Or did he just underestimate me so much that he didn’t think to take these items away too? I was hoping it was the latter.
I zipped up the bag and put it back on the shelf, leaving all of my clothes in place. I was going to need them later. I scowled at the rack of too-pretty clothes and pulled the least offensive dress off a hanger. I dressed quickly, shoving my feet into the boots I’d been wearing when they took me.
Kole was waiting when I re-emerged. He nodded, apparently pleased with my appearance.
“Better.”
“Better? Is there a compliment in there somewhere?” I folded my arms, a capped sleeve falling off one shoulder. These kinds of clothes never fit me right.
“You’re hard work, you know that?”
“Feel free to send me on my way anytime.” I laughed, but we both knew I wasn’t joking.
I sighed. I didn’t want to be here. I didn’t want to have to play nice.
But I needed to try. “Kole…shit…” He raised a questioning brow at me.
Why did I have to be so bad at this? “Thank you for not taking advantage of your position last night. Holding back can’t have been easy for you. ”
He cast a wary eye over me. He didn’t trust me. He was smart. “Do you really mean that?”
“Can’t you tell if I’m lying? You said yesterday that your kind can smell it.”
He looked as if he was debating himself whether to lie or not. “With other wolves we can smell it, humans are more complicated.”
“Oh.” I tried not to let the relief show on my face. Planning an escape without telling a few lies would have been very difficult. A grey area I could work with. “Well yes, I meant it. Thank you for holding back.”
He gave me a stiff nod. “Holding you was enough.”
My chest tightened. Unlike me, he wasn’t lying. I felt deeply uncomfortable in the face of such openness.
“Can I ask a favour?” He blinked in surprise, then gestured for me to go ahead. “I’d like my camera back. I understand you not trusting me with my phone or laptop but my camera has a lot of sentimental value. It would make me happy if you returned it.”
“No. You’ll get it back when we can trust you not to photograph us and sell the pictures.”
I bristled at the insinuation that I would do something like that.
I would never be that cruel. If humans found out about werewolves, I had no doubt they’d be wiped out.
Kole knew that too and he knew that he’d given me more than enough reason to screw them over.
I couldn’t blame him for not risking it.
I missed my camera, I’d been without it for too long but I decided to drop it for now.
“So, breakfast?”
“Yes, the pack’s waiting.” He stood, shaking himself out of our moment.
“Wait, what? Why?”
“You’re eating with the pack this morning.” He straightened his shoulders, clearly ready for my argument. He was getting one.
“Like hell I am. If you think I’m going to let you parade me around in front of your band of mangy mutts, you're out of your mind.”
“Have it your way.” He turned and for a moment I thought I’d won, before he headed for the bed, detaching the chain.