Chapter 59

Reylin shook rain off her fur. As a wolf, she navigated the muddy field much easier than she would as a human. The rain obscured the scent, and she lost it just before entering the valley where the old Connor farm sat nestled surrounded by apple trees. Everyone said the place was haunted by the spirits of the murdered family that died in the house. The roof of the barn came into view.

Reylin’s wolf smelled male weres. She darted behind a long-forgotten tractor. Lightning illuminated tire tracks rolling up to the old barn. She caught the scent of shifter blood on the air and then another subtle scent. Human. Bianca.

The wolf whined, and Reylin looked all around. The farm appeared deserted. I’ll just check the barn.

Cautiously, she peered in and saw someone moving. A flash of blonde hair caught her eye, and she pawed against the weathered barn’s exterior. She couldn’t stop the happy bark that bubbled up.

A rope snagged her neck, and she snarled as it tightened.

“Well, what do we have here?” The male yanked her closer. “I smell an unmated female. Hello, beautiful.”

Reylin snapped at him, growling.

“Spirited…I like that.” He pulled her along. She struggled, but the mud made traction impossible, so he made easy work of sliding her into the barn.

Bianca looked up. “Rey?”

Her captor opened the remaining empty cell and pushed her inside, slamming the door. “It’s getting a bit full in here. I didn’t expect so much company today. I’d better go tell Finn I’ve found my mate.”

Reylin cringed. She had no intention of being the man’s mate.

“Are you okay?” Bianca asked after the man left.

The rain had brought the temperature down enough that changing back to human without clothing could be fatal. Rey shook the water from her coat.

“Oh, right, naked,” Bianca said. “Just nod if you’re okay.”

Rey nodded her wolf head, and Bianca relaxed, but then she looked at the cell across from her. The big wolf bleeding on the floor was someone Reylin hadn’t expected.

“Kane was shot, more than once. I think he’s healing, but it’s hard to tell.”

The blood she’d smelled had been his. Bianca was right, the alpha looked to be in bad shape. Reylin whined.

Bianca teared up. “I hope Law’s okay. God, I just want him here.”

One of the men came back and tossed a ratty blanket into Reylin’s cell. Yelping, the wolf backed away into the corner. He chuckled, then turned to spit on Kane, and left.

As soon as the male was gone, Reylin allowed her humanity to wash over her. The wolf receded, and she scooped up the blanket, wrapping the scratchy wool around her body. She wrinkled her nose because the cloth smelled of motor oil.

“Thank God. I didn’t know what to think when they took you.” Reylin pulled the blanket a little tighter around her and glanced at Kane. “He looks terrible. I almost feel sorry for him.”

Bianca bit her lip and flushed. She scowled, and her eyes narrowed as she pursed her lips.

Reylin tilted her head to the side and frowned. “What’s the matter?”

“Kane. He’s my f-father.”

“No way!” Reylin glanced at the injured wolf and then at the distressed human. They did kind of have the same chin. “Really?”

“Yeah, DNA test and all.” Bianca teared up as she looked at Kane. “I have so many questions. So many. Ugh!” She shook her head and turned away, wiping her eyes with the backs of her hands and taking a deep breath. “This is so unfair. There’s so much that would have been different if I had known. Hell, the new roof for the community center would probably have gotten the funding.” She chuckled darkly.

“Wow. I can’t imagine what’s going on in your head right now, but we have to keep it together and find a way out of here.” Reylin shook the bars of her cell, using all her loup-garou strength, but they didn’t budge. “These were designed to hold my kind. We’re not getting out easily.”

“I guess we’ll have to use our human intelligence.” Bianca dug at the wood around one of the bars. She hissed and pulled back her finger. A huge splinter stuck out from under her nail.

Reylin shook the bars again, furious. “There has to be an easier way out of here.”

Kane whined. The wolf panted hard.

Bianca stopped picking at the splinter to glare at the wolf. “Don’t you dare die on me, Kane. Do you hear me? I have a lot I need to say to you. You’re not getting out of giving me answers!”

The wolf whined again.

“They’ll find us—our pack will come for us.” God, I hope I’m not lying.

* * * *

Rune’s fist ached as he squeezed it to resist punching his brother. If Tristian hadn’t stopped him from going after Rey, she’d be safe. Even with the heavy rain, he could smell the interlopers. Reylin was down there. Her scent lingered, but her trail ended at the barn.

Two trucks pulled up, and the headlights shone brightly on the weathered building. One of the men got out and shouted at the group, motioning for them to follow. As Rune watched his muscles bunched, and he crouched, ready to spring.

“Calm down,” Tristian whispered. “You’ll get her killed.”

“You’re the one who let her get into trouble in the first place.” Rune glanced at his brother. The devastation and remorse on Tristian’s face were a sucker punch to the gut. “Don’t worry, bro. We’ll save her. But don’t forget, I get to enjoy her gratitude first,” Rune teased.

“If you suggest she be ‘grateful’, you’ll be lucky if she doesn’t rip your throat out.” Tristian scowled. “I’d like to take a chunk out of those bastards down there. They’ve got to be holding her or the trail would have gone past the barn. She’s in there, I know it.”

“I feel it too. She’s scared.”

Rune shook with the need to go to her. She might not be his mate, yet, but she was connected to him in a way that he had trouble describing. His connection with Tristian, his twin brother, was very similar. Something unseen tied them together, all of them. Until she gave in and agreed to be theirs, nothing would ever feel right.

“We need to get down there,” Rune said.

“I know, but there are too many of them. We have to wait for the pack.”

As much as it hurt, Tristian was right. They had to wait. Rune fought the change as his wolf struggled for control.

* * * *

Bianca jumped as three big men entered the barn and opened Kane’s cell.

“We’re moving them,” said machete-man. “Get the wolf in the back of the truck. Make sure it’s locked well, and if he sits up, put another round or two in him.”

“Who are you? Why are you doing this?” Bianca asked. She and Reylin exchanged a worried glance.

Machete-man chuckled. “I’m the man who’s going to kill your daddy. You get to live until your life has no value to me. Don’t push your luck. There are worse things than death, and some of the boys don’t mind humping a human.”

Bianca shrank back into the corner of her cell. Kane whined, and one of the men kicked him as they picked him up.

A short man with a pockmarked face went to Reylin’s cell and opened the door. “Come on, beauty.” He sniffed loudly. “Pure. I want her, she’s a pure-blood.”

The fattest one laughed until he cried. “Dibs was called on her already. You’d never stand a chance. Better you wait for a bigger selection. You’ll be lucky if you get a bitten, Runt.”

Runt glared. He sniffed Reylin again. “Come out, pretty, or I’ll come in and drag you out by your hair.”

Reylin stepped out of the cage. She seemed ready for a fight but kept her eyes on Bianca. When one of their captors opened Bianca’s cage Reylin mouthed the word run and simultaneously kicked Runt in the stomach.

Bianca used the surprise to push past the man who’d opened her door. A big male blocked the exit, causing her to run toward the unstable ladder leading to the hayloft. Luck was on her side because the rotting wood held as she jumped onto the middle of the ladder and started to climb. She didn’t look down to see if anyone followed her; she just moved as fast as she could.

“I wish I hadn’t let my gym membership lapse,” Bianca grumbled as she pulled herself to the top with shaking arms.

A menacing growl startled her, and she almost slipped. Panting, she glanced down. Kane. He still bled but appeared stronger. He kept the machete-loving maniac and his pack away from the ladder. Reylin struggled against Runt. Bianca debated between trying to help her friend or attempting escape. Both options seemed futile. She’d never stand a chance if she tried to fight, but if she managed to get away she could bring back help.

The loft was falling apart and hadn’t benefited from the remodeling. “Shit.” She took a deep breath. “Here goes nothing.”

Several cautious steps later she was looking outside. An ancient, rusted conveyor sat where it had once brought hay into the loft. The fire which left the farm abandoned must have happened during the hay harvest.

“I can’t believe I have to do this.” Bianca only had two phobias—clowns and heights. “At least this doesn’t lead to a circus.”

She put her hands on the sides of the narrow, metal conveyance. It shook but didn’t collapse. The farm had sat abandoned for as long as she could remember. A fall could kill her or make her lose her baby. But staying definitely killed her and her baby.

Taking a deep breath, she climbed out onto the wobbly escape route. The rusting metal groaned but stayed where it was. She focused on sliding her hands and legs as evenly as she could and slowly made her way down. About halfway to the bottom the metal gave under her palm, cutting her hand and making the hay elevator shake. The chain in the middle clanked, and for a breathless second she thought the ancient equipment was going to disintegrate, but it didn’t.

She did her best not to put pressure on the injury as she kept going. “I hope my tetanus is up to date.” But that was the least of her worries.

“Hey, Montgomery, there she is!” screamed a man holding a rifle aimed at her.

She moved faster and dropped off the side as she approached the ground, landing on her knees. Her whole body ached. Bianca stood on shaking legs and ran toward the road.

The breath was knocked from her lungs as something large collided with her back. Bianca lay crushed in the mud, struggling to breathe again. Rough hands fumbled with her and rolled her onto her back. The big male held her down in the mud, but when he wiped the muck off her face, he was surprisingly gentle.

Machete-man gazed down at her with his unnatural glowing eyes. “You didn’t think I’d let you go that easily, did you?” The rain turned into a lighter mist. She spit dirt out of her mouth, and her captor chuckled. “You’ve missed out on so much as a human. Your body is so frail, so breakable.”

Bianca’s teeth chattered from the terror as much as the cold as she watched a slow smile curve his lips.

“My name is Finn. You’ve proven yourself worthy to be bitten. I might hate your father, but I am fascinated with you, Bianca. Your alpha is a fool. I’m not sending you back to him.”

Her heart hammered in her chest. In the distance, she heard Reylin scream.

“Let my friend go. Let Kane go,” Bianca begged. “I’ll do whatever you want, but don’t hurt anyone else.”

Finn grinned at her, and she glared at him. “Fire. I like that. Oh, Bianca, I’ve waited a long time for a mate. Even a bitten woman is rare where I come from. You have no idea how precious the women in Wild Rose Valley really are. I’ll be good to you, woman, damn good to you.”

Bianca slapped him and thrashed, trying to get away.

He threw his head back, laughing, but stopped to snap his teeth. “Even my human bite would start the change, but when I bite you, it will be in my wolf form, because I want you powerful. An alpha male needs an alpha female by his side.”

“No!” Bianca scratched his face. “I have a mate!”

“And now you have a new one.” Finn began to change.