Ravaged By The Pack (The Alpha's Mate) (5 page)

Her mind gave out on her as she saw them approach. The breath she'd reserved for yet another scream left her lungs and she spiraled into unconsciousness, landing hard against the floor. The last thing she saw were the wolves diving towards her.

***

Upon opening her eyes, the first thing that came to the surface was disbelief.
I'm alive? But how?
Her mind spiraled back into action, recalling the last few moments before she'd slipped into unconsciousness. Wolves, tons of them, had been in her room. And yet, as her senses returned to her, she found she wasn't in her room. Blinking, she turned her vacant gaze to her surroundings and studied them for a few moments. She was in a room she didn't recognize; lit only by a number of candles on a stand beside the bed where she lay, the space was altogether rustic and still. She felt the soft linens beneath her, the air scented with a faint, sweet scent, like potpourri. Jenna watched the candles flicker for a short while before sitting up and having a look at the rest of the room. And that was when she first caught sight of him.

Standing against the wall, arms crossed in a pensive pose and scarcely dressed, was Todd. He looked over at her as she stirred in bed, his face solemn. His body, draped only in his tattered clothing, featured numerous gashes, still damp with blood. He looked as though he'd been put through the ringer. “Awake?” he asked simply.

Jenna screamed. It was as though she'd transitioned from one nightmare to another. During the first she'd been surrounded by wolves. But now it was just Todd. She'd seen him transform into a hideous monster. Knowing what he was capable of, what he really was, she didn't have to strain her imagination to realize what was in store. He had seemingly won out against the other wolves and claimed her for himself. What he planned to do with her now was anyone's guess. She scrambled out of bed in terror at the sight of him, hitting the floor with a thud.

“That's enough of that,” he said, leaning down. “Have a seat. I'm not going to hurt you.”

Jenna burst into tears, cowering on the floor beside the edge of the bed. She shied away from him, fearing that he might lash out at any moment. She blurted many questions, though it was unlikely that he understood them beneath the heavy sobs. “W-why did they try and eat me?” she managed to gasp. “And w-why are you going to eat me? What d-did I d-do to you?”

Todd tried to help her to her feet, though Jenna only recoiled at the prospect of his touch. She shrank back, scooting towards the opposite corner and pressing herself against the wall. Annoyed with her reaction, he resumed his stance, crossing his arms and leering down at her. “I'm not going to eat you, damn it.”

Jenna's face was red, streaked with tears. She brought a quivering hand to her eyes, wiping at them between stifled whimpers. “W-what? Y-you're n-not?”

He shook his head.

She cradled her limbs and tried to compose herself. Sitting silently for some time, she managed to slow her breathing and choke down her fear long enough to speak clearly. “So, you're not interested in eating me and... the other wolves...?”

“They weren't trying to eat you either,” he said flatly, examining his fingernails in the dim light.

She arched a brow and wiped at her eyes. “Yeah, OK. So why the heck did they burst into my room? They sure
looked
like hungry wolves, if you ask me.”

Todd gave a slight smirk. “You don't know much about wolves, I take it?”

“But
you
do, you damned monster,” she replied, eyeing him with disgust. “If I had known that you were... that you were one of those things, I'd have...”

“Come off it,” he growled. “I saved you from those wolves, but I might've just let them take you into the woods. You'd have faced a fate worse than death at their hands, of that I'm sure. Anyway,” he continued, motioning to the room around him, “you're in my home now. You'll follow my rules, get it? Have a seat on the bed like a civilized person so that we can talk. There's a lot of ground to cover.”

Slowly, Jenna stood up and made her way back to the bed. Settling in amongst the plush pillows, she clutched at her knees. In doing so, she found her lower leg, where her pajamas had been torn, to be quite sore. A long, red scratch marked the skin. She ran a palm against it, shuddering as a stinging pain shot through her leg. Here and there, she found small tears in her pajamas; apparently she'd been roughed-up a bit after losing consciousness. Her joints were achy, and though she couldn't see them, she felt certain that there were at least a few bruises to be found on her legs and abdomen. “All right,” she said. “What happened and why am I here at your place?”

Todd paced before the bed as he began. “Tell me... do you know anything about werewolves?”

She chuckled as though it hadn't been meant as a serious question. Sure, she'd heard of werewolves. In books and movies, anyway. Tortured men who transformed into beasts during a full moon, vulnerable only to silver bullets. She was familiar with the conventions. “Yeah, I've seen
Teen Wolf
.”

He glowered. “Smartass. If you knew anything about Lycans then you'd know why those wolves were after you. They weren't interested in eating you, like I said. They were there for a very different reason. They wanted to
breed
with you.”

Jenna was baffled. “Wait... what?” She paused to think, running a hand through her messy hair. “They wanted to... have
sex
with me? The wolves did?” She laughed nervously.

His expression didn't lighten, however. “That's right. They wanted to fuck and impregnate you, all in the pursuit of gaining power. Let me tell you a bit about us Lycans, Jenna. We don't walk around as wolf-men and we aren't susceptible to silver bullets like we are in the movies. We can transition between our wolf forms and our human forms at will, regardless of the phase of the moon, though we do have a certain affinity for the light of a full moon. The movies got that much right.”

“OK,” she replied. “So the wolves showed up for a big, furry gang-bang and I was the unwitting host, then?”

Todd ignored her and continued. “I suppose I should tell you a bit about my pack. A little history should clear up most of your questions. You see, I'm the leader of the Blackston pack. We've lived in this area for many, many years. My ancestors walked this land before the first human settlers arrived, and we'll be here long after they've gone and moved on. But one-hundred years ago...” at this, his gaze narrowed, “there was a break in the Blackston clan. You see, up until a century ago, we lived in the wilderness, one big, happy family. But then my ancestors fought and the pack split into two segments.”

“What did they fight about?” asked Jenna, caressing her wounded calf.

“It was a struggle for dominance between two alphas. One of them couldn't stand the idea of taking a subordinate role and tried to overthrow the existing alpha. To make a long story short, the pack split up and followed one or the other. My ancestors came to the city to live among the humans. And those wolves you met earlier, well, they decided to remain in the wild hills. We call them the Hillrunners.”

“All right. But that still doesn't explain why, uh, they were so
interested
in me,” replied Jenna.

“Right. Well, Lycans enjoy the company of human women. It's a known fact. But you...” his lips curled into a curious smile as he continued, “you're a
special
catch. See, the Hillrunners have been looking for you about a hundred years now. My pack might've been doing the same, if I shared the same goal.”

“Wait, wait. I'm only in my twenties, you know? A hundred years? Do they have me confused with some super old werewolf babe or...?”

“No, there's no mistake.” Todd made his way to the bed and took a seat beside her. Roughly, he grasped her hand and ran his fingers along her open palm. “You're not like other human women. Once every hundred years, a woman is born that is imbued with the power of the moon. A 'spirit of the moon', so to speak. You give off a powerful scent; imperceptible to humans, but alluring to wolves. Now that you're...” he looked her over a moment, “
sexually mature
, we've taken notice. When you came to Twinbrook, we caught our first whiff of you. Ever since, the race has been on to claim you.”

Jenna gulped. “Sure, OK. So, I'm some moon-child or whatever. That's cool. But why does that make me so desirable?”

Todd still hadn't let go of her hand. He gingerly traced the ridges of her palm with his fingernails. “You're special because you have the power of the moon flowing through your veins. More specifically, your womb is capable of producing powerful offspring. The only thing you require is an alpha's seed. The reason the Hillrunners are after you... and the reason I saved you from them, is because you mustn't conceive a child with either me or Ben, the leader of the Hillrunners. If you do, then a new alpha will be born; an alpha powerful enough to take over the Blackston clan and re-unite it.”

She weighed his words for a time, but found it hard to believe. The whole thing seemed like a fucked-up fairy tale. “So, let me get this straight,” she said finally. “If you or the other guys have sex with me and I have a kid, that kid will grow up to beat your asses and re-unite your broken pack? Is that about right?”

Todd nodded.

“So...” began Jenna, red-faced, “if that's the case, then why wouldn't you want to breed with me too, then? What's stopping you? Wouldn't it be a
good
thing to bring the pack back together?”

“No,” he replied sharply. “No, it would
not
be a good thing. Not by any means. One hundred years ago, we went our separate ways. We have completely different lives. The Blackstons took to living with the humans. The Hillrunners are still savages. We're two completely different groups now. If only the Hillrunners could forget their ancient grudge, then they wouldn't be after you either. But then they crave control. They want the prophecy to come to pass, so that they can position themselves to hold a higher status in a re-formed pack. Understand? And I want to keep them from doing that. It's difficult, though. Both Ben and I-- and any other wolf in the vicinity, for that matter-- feel compelled to breed with you. It's in our blood. We're drawn to the spirit of the moon.”

“Does that mean that... you
don't
want to breed with me, then?” she asked, cracking a slight smile. “Or rather, that you're resisting the urge to?”

He gave a wry laugh. “Wouldn't
you
like to know?”

She might've bought his facade, had she not peered down and found the crotch of his tattered pants standing straight out. He was at full attention, and although he'd let go of her hand, he still seemed to be fighting the urge to touch her. He was evidently going to great lengths to keep from grabbing at her; every aspect of his body language seemed to indicate an interest in taking her, overshadowed by a wavering sense of restraint.

“No,” he continued, “I don't want you because I don't want to bring the pack back together. Like I said, we live in two different worlds now, us and the Hillrunners. If it were possible, I'd send you far away to keep you from them, but now that they're onto your scent, they'd follow you no matter what.”

“But,” she said, amused, “you
do
want me. You don't want to make the prophecy come true, but you can't exactly help yourself, can you?” she peered down at his erection and grinned.

With a grunt, he stood up and crossed his arms. He took to pacing silently for a time.

“Well, thanks for saving me, anyway. I appreciate that. But... what now? When can I leave?”

He stopped, his back to her, and sighed. “You can't.”

Jenna frowned. “You're... you're serious?”

“I can't let you out of my sight. If the Hillrunners get ahold of you, it's game-over. The only way I can make sure that they don't breed with you is if you're near me at all times. I'm sorry. You have full use of my house. It's spacious and you'll have everything you need. When this blows over...
if
this blows over... you'll be free to go.”

She was dumbstruck. “Wait just a damn minute!” she cried, standing up. “You can't just keep me prisoner here! I'm a free woman! You can't just keep me in this house against my will, you know!”

He shot her a fierce glance. “Can't I, though?”

Jenna fell back a few paces. “Well...” Her mind raced about in the hopes of finding some means to escape. And then it occurred to her. “Well, if you don't let me go, and we're spending all of this time together, then what makes you think you'll be able to control yourself?” She took a step forward, eyeing his body with interest. He had a well-sculpted physique, though he was rough-looking and wounded. The unmistakable curve of his muscles beneath the tattered clothing drove her wild, despite the situation at hand. She couldn't help but ogle him a bit as she continued. “And you're hurt, too.” She reached out and caressed his bare arm, her fingers tracing a scratch along his forearm. “We should leave here and get you medical help.”

He yanked his arm away and snarled. “Get your hands off of me!”