Third Rank Penn Lake Wolves Book Three (7 page)

Chapter Eleven

Callie skidded to a halt outside Christopher
and Mary’s house. She’d had four missed calls from Hope, so she had run outside
to redial. She was hoping she had called to say they had Maggie. However,
before she had the chance to press a button, she heard the one voice she’d
always dreaded.

‘Hello, daughter.’ Whirling
around, Callie came face to face with Marcus. ‘Nice little set-up you have
here. Shame I’m going to rip it all apart.’ He grabbed her throat and, with
incredible force, threw her through the air against the front door. He smiled
to himself as she slumped to the floor. Then, he watched in amusement as the
other stupid Penn Lake pack members came running out of the house. Sarah was
the first to spot Callie and went straight to her side.

 ‘Callie, are you okay? Callie,
can you hear me?’ The fear in her voice only fuelled Marcus’s anger the more.

‘Well, well, look at what we have
here,’ he sneered. ‘Leaving the ladies, whilst the men go out to work? Very
traditional.’

‘Not all the men, Marcus.’
Christopher stood taller and placed himself in front of the women.

‘My, how the once mighty alpha
has fallen. You’re too old and weak to fight me and win. As for the rest of your
puny pack, I could kill them before they even make a move.’ Marcus gazed over all
the females. ‘Still, at least I’ll have something to do until the precious
brothers return with their distraction.’ Christopher knew that Marcus had
planned for them to rescue Maggie all along, just so he could cause some damage
here, but he would fight with all his life before he would let that happen.

‘Sarah, Mary, get Callie and go,’
he ordered. ‘I want you locked upstairs. No matter what happens, you don’t come
out. Do you understand me, Mary?’ He looked at his wife of many years and saw
the terror in her eyes.

‘Please, Chris, no. Don’t fight
him,’ she begged. The pain raced across his heart.

‘This has to end,’ he continued, ‘and
I can’t let him near you or my girls.’ Although he was no longer alpha, Christopher
still had the fight in him to protect his pack and family.

‘How very touching,’ snarled
Marcus, ‘but when I rip your throat out I’ll have my own fun with your family.’
Suddenly, he changed into his wolf and lunged forward. All Christopher could do
was to shout ‘Run!’ before he, too, changed into his wolf.

Mary ushered Sarah inside and
helped her drag Callie back inside the house, down towards the kitchen.

‘Grab a knife,’ cried Mary
frantically. ‘Anything to protect yourself. If in doubt, turn. You are stronger
and faster as a wolf. Don’t stay. Just run and find Seth.’ Callie had started
to come to, and tried to sit up.

‘Sarah? Marcus?’ Her head felt
like it had been run over by a truck and her whole body ached.

‘Oh, Callie…’ Sarah swung her
arms around her friend. ‘Christopher’s outside with that maniac. We have to do
something – we can’t just sit here.’

‘Mary, run and get some of the
pack members,’ said Callie, once she was able to think straight. ‘This time of
day they are probably all back from work. Get help. There is only one of him
and a few of us. We’ll try and distract him.’

‘No, I’m not leaving Chris...’ Mary
was shaking her head.

‘You’re not leaving him, you’re
helping him,’ said Sarah. ‘Please, get help.’ Mary knew Sarah was right. She
couldn’t just sit there and listen to them fight. She ran towards the back of
the house, while Sarah and Callie ran to the front.

Callie had changed to her wolf by
the time she’d reached the front porch. She stared down in horror. Marcus had
his teeth around Christopher’s neck, his sharp teeth drawing blood where they
bit down.

‘Let him go, you bastard!’ Sarah
bent down and threw a rock at him, making him drop Christopher, who fell limp
to the ground.
Please don’t be dead,
was all Callie could think. She
needed to get Marcus out of the way so she could check on him. When Marcus
started towards Sarah, she saw him limping on his back leg.
Good,
she
thought.
Hope it fucking hurts
. Sarah kept taunting him, trying to
distract him, and it appeared to be working.

‘Help is coming,’ shouted Sarah, ‘and
we’re going to rip you apart.’ With that, Marcus launched himself at her, snapping
his teeth.

Callie ran to pull Marcus off
her. Sarah had held her arm up to protect herself against the assault, but
Marcus bit down so hard that Callie heard the bone crushing. Sarah let out a
piercing scream, but Callie couldn’t get to her fast enough. It was if her body
was in slow motion. Movement came from the corner of her eye and she saw
Christopher’s wolf back on its feet and running towards them. Sarah’s screamed
pierced through the air until Christopher bit down hard on Marcus’s back leg. He
instantly let go of Sarah’s arm and jumped Christopher again. Callie ran to Sarah’s
side, changing back to her human form.

‘Sarah! Oh god, are you okay? Don’t
move. I think it’s broken.’

‘Fuck, it hurts.’ Sarah cradled
her arm against her body and the two women watched as the two wolves became locked
in a fight.

Marcus was just about to pounce
when several snarls and howls filled the air behind Sarah. She looked to see
the rest of the pack ready to fight. They all gathered around her and Callie
and she smiled, feeling the immense pride she had for her pack members and knew
Marcus would never survive the attack. They were safe.

‘Callie, call Seth. We need him
back now. Christopher is hurt!’

Sarah managed to get up and stood
in front of the pack. Marcus snarled and showed his teeth and, for a while, she
thought he was going to take on the entire pack.
The man sure is sick in the
head
, she thought. However, he growled one last time and took off towards
the woods. Several of the pack took off after him and she only hoped they would
come back safe. More of them stayed behind, just in case there was a further
attack.

Sarah looked around and saw Mary
hugging a very still Christopher, still in wolf form. She ran over and sat down,
cradling her arm.

‘Is he...’ Sarah didn’t want to
know the answer. How was the family going to manage without him?

‘Not yet,’ replied Mary softly. ‘I
can still feel the mating feeling inside. If he died, that part would die with
him. We need to get him to help. He can’t change back to human form as it might
kill him. His wolf will heal him. It
has
to…’ She pressed her face into
her husband’s fur, tears running down her face. Sarah put her arm around Mary. He
couldn’t die, not like this.

‘I’ve called Seth,’ said Callie,
running up to them. ‘They’re on their way. How is Christopher?’

‘I don’t know,’ replied Sarah. ‘It
looks bad, Callie. Can we move him inside?’ Mary looked up and nodded. Sarah
didn’t have to ask, as a few of the pack had changed back to human form and
carried their old alpha inside to the bedroom.

Chapter Twelve

The drive home had been a long
one. However, once they made it back to the island, Maggie was relieved to hear
that Brandon’s father was still alive, albeit close to death. Logan and Seth
had taken Colt to the local doctor and left him there to be looked over before
they returned to their mates and parents. She didn’t want to intrude, so she
headed to Hope’s house.

She decided she would start preparing
dinner for them all. She thought that, after their long day, they would need to
eat, but mainly it was because she wanted to keep busy. Brandon hadn’t spoken
to her, or even looked at her, during the journey home. The wolves that chased
after Marcus had returned, having lost his scent after he swam across the water
and it was decided they would head a hunting party to find him in the morning.

Maggie’s role in all this was
very unclear and she didn’t know if she should stay or just go. Brandon had
come to her rescue at the cost of his father’s life, possibly, so she figured
she couldn’t just up and leave again. Plus, she wanted to make sure they were
all okay. Apart from that, however, she had nowhere to go. Colt had promised he
would help her start a fresh life, but how could she trust him? Had he simply
said that to keep her hopes up when she needed it? She ran her fingers roughly
through her hair, not knowing what to do, and began to pace up and down.

‘You’re going to wear a hole in
my floor.’ Hope’s cheery voice rang out in the quiet house.

‘Hope!’ Maggie ran and hugged her
as if she was never going to see her again.

‘Hey, Maggie. It’s going to be
fine. Doc says Dad’s a fighter and a strong wolf. He should show signs of
improvement in a few days. Mum’s going to drive him nuts by fussing over him,
anyway.’ The red rings around Hope’s eyes showed she had been crying, even
though she sounded positive. Maggie knew it had been a close call with their
father and he wasn’t out of the woods yet.

‘I’m so pleased, Hope,’ she said.
‘I never would have forgiven myself if he had died whilst you were recuing me.’
She pulled out of her hug and looked down into her hands, which were now
shaking.

‘I would do it again every time,
Maggie.’ The deep tones of Brandon’s voice sent shivers up her spine. She
whirled around to see him standing against the door frame. He held his hand out
to her to take, but she eyed it suspiciously. ‘Can we talk?’

Oh god. Maggie knew this was the
moment he was going to tell her that, now she was rescued, she could get the
hell off his island again. She squared her shoulders and walked to him. Hope
cleared her throat and made to leave the room.

‘I’m going to stay with Mum
tonight,’ she said. ‘So I won’t be here... all night!’ Hope added the last
words in a suggestive tone. What did she mean?

When Hope had closed the door
after her, Brandon took a step forwards.

‘Maggie, please. I need to tell
you something.’ Brandon took her hand and wrapped his strong fingers around
hers. The electric spark raced through her vein. Now was not the time to get
horny, Maggie. She braced herself for ‘the talk’.

‘Okay,’ she said. ‘What do you
need to tell me?’ Her heart was almost beating out of her chest and she was
sure he could feel the sweat gathering on the palms of her hands. Brandon
didn’t say anything. Instead, he simply placed his hand to the back of her neck
and leant down to kiss her. The sweetest, most gentle kiss she had ever had in
her life. It was so sweet that tears formed immediately in her eyes. ‘Brandon?’
She didn’t understand.

‘Maggie. I’m sorry for the things
I said to you and, as my sister and Callie pointed out, I fucked up.’ Maggie
made to speak, but he cut her off with another sweet kiss. ‘Let me finish. I
love you, Maggie. My wolf craves you. I know we need to work on a few trust
issues, but I know it was hard for you to come clean when you did. To risk your
life to tell me about Marcus’s plan and everything he had done to you and your mother
was a big step for you, and I destroyed your trust in me. I promised I’d never
let you go, but I did just that. Please forgive me, Maggie.’ She wrapped herself
in those big arms that felt just like home.

‘Brandon, please,’ she replied. ‘I’m
the one who should have come to you sooner and told you before I fell in love
with you.’ Maggie watched his eyes turn from the deep brown to his wolf’s
amber. ‘I found out about Greg the night of the wedding and still I kept it
from you. I’m sorry. I’ll never keep anything from you again, if you could just
learn to give me another chance.’ God, she was begging for him, but looking
into his eyes and wrapped in his embrace she didn’t care. ‘I love you.’

Brandon leant down towards her
and kissed her mouth so hungrily she thought he might swallow her whole. But
she didn’t care. All she cared about was being in his arms again. His hands
swept down her back and groped her arse as he lifted her against his waist. She
instinctively wrapped her legs around him as he walked towards the table and
planted her down.

‘Get these clothes off you. I
need to be inside you again.’ Brandon ripped her T-shirt down the middle and
was working on the button of her jeans. She raised her hips so he could pull
them off her. Once she was naked, he kissed her again and started undoing his
own buttons. She realised he was going to fuck her right there on Hope’s
kitchen table, but still she didn’t care. Brandon’s scent and warmth engulfed
her whole body.

‘Damn it, Maggie, you’re so
beautiful.’ He stepped up against her and, pulling her hips towards the edge, he
plunged deep into her body. Maggie let out a scream of satisfaction as her
nails dug into his shoulder, but Brandon didn’t move. He just held still,
seated fully inside her. ‘I love you…’

‘I love you too, Brandon.’ Maggie
couldn’t believe it. She felt like she was dreaming. Then, he started to move,
slowly at first, building the pace. One of his hands cupped her breast and he ran
a thumb over her nipple, causing her to moan.

‘I’m not going to last long,’ he
breathed, ‘but next time I’m going to love you slowly, all night.’ She was so
close to shattering around him that she didn’t take in what he’d said. All she
heard was something about ‘all night’. ‘You’re so tight and so wet! I love
being inside you.’

‘Yes, Brandon, please make me
come.’ With that, he bit down on her shoulder and she shattered right there, on
the table, in Hope’s kitchen. She couldn’t stop coming as she felt his hot seed
pulse inside her. Her pussy muscles were clenching him so tightly it was if
they never wanted him to leave, and she didn’t. He let go of her shoulder and
licked across the wound. She knew it would scar, but she didn’t care. The scar was
hers to wear with pride forever, if he would have her.

‘Damn it, Maggie. You are so
perfect.’ His fingers brushed over the puncture wound as she shivered in his
arms. ‘Did I hurt you, angel?’ Hearing him call her by that name made Maggie
clench around him again. ‘Stop it, you vixen, or I’ll be forced to flip you
over and fuck you again on this table.’ Brandon was smiling down at her, now
with a look of satisfaction that she loved to see on his face. ‘Jesus, Hope’s
going to kill me if she ever found out what we’ve been doing on her table. I
wanted it to be gentler, calmer, but I couldn’t resist you standing there.’

‘Remind me again why I’m not
allowed to do this…’ She willed her muscles tight again and she heard him
groan. He picked her up and carried her to her bedroom without breaking
contact. He gently laid her down on the bed and withdrew from her.

‘Did I hurt you?’ asked Brandon
again. ‘I didn’t mean to be so rough with you, it’s just that I missed you and
needed you so much. When I saw you in Hope’s kitchen looking so deflated, I
knew then I couldn’t live without you. We have a lot to talk about, but I
promise we will get through it together.’ He kissed her lips and went into the
bathroom.

Maggie pulled herself under the
covers and hoped Brandon would stay with her tonight, even though she knew it
would take time rebuild their friendship. She smiled to herself, just as
Brandon walked back into the room.

‘I love seeing that smile on your
face, angel. What are you thinking about?’ He climbed in next to her and pulled
her against him.

‘I was just thinking that it’s
nice to finally belong somewhere. Have real friends and a sense of family, even
though I know I’ll have to gain everyone’s trust again.’

‘Shh, Maggie. Everyone already
loves you and it was them that made me see sense in it all. They were ready to
kill me for letting you go in the first place. You’re going to have to talk to
Seth about everything you know, but I’ll never leave your side again. I
promise.’ He pulled her closer and rested his hand on her lower back as she
settled her head against his chest, listening to his heart beating.

‘Thank you, Brandon. How is Colt?’
At the mention of Colt’s name, Brandon’s whole body stiffened.

‘Why do you want to know? Shit,
Maggie, did you two have something going before you came here?’ Brandon
loosened his hold and pulled his arm up to place it over his eyes. Maggie
laughed, which caused him to look over to her with a confused expression.

‘Oh Brandon, I know it’s going to
take time to build our trust again. But no, there was nothing going on between
me and Colt. In fact, we never really spoke. His father kept me captive for a
long time and killed my mother, but he gave me hope in that room when I had
none. It’s not his fault that his father is a maniac, no more than it is Callie’s.’
Brandon stiffened again at Callie's name. ‘Colt told me they are brother and
sister,’ she continued. ‘For Callie's sake I couldn’t let him die there. Whether
he wants to or not, he is going to need a family, this family, to help him through
it all. If I have to be his friend to do it, then I hope you will support me?’

‘Fuck,’ replied Brandon
irritably. ‘The man is a prick, but I see your point. Seth will have to decide
what happens to him, ultimately. I’d rather you didn’t see him, but I guess
what you say makes sense. He’s going to be fine once his broken ribs heal. Alex
and a few others have him in a holding cell, near the marina, that we use for
rogue wolves.’ Brandon pulled her closer again and she snuggled her head back
down on his chest. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t trust you.’

‘It’s going to take time, you and
me,’ she said. ‘But there is nowhere else I’d rather be.’

‘Then go to sleep, my angel, because
I promise you’re not going to get much sleep tonight.’ Brandon kissed the top
of her head and then closed his eyes. Maggie couldn’t believe the turn of
events in just a short space of time, but she was glad to be right here with
Brandon, where she belonged. Hopefully, home at last.