“Yep.” Savage stepped forward. “I’ve come for your daughter. She’s my true mate.”
Tobias stepped backwards toward the house and closer to his wife. Did he think to hide behind the female’s skirts? The thought brought others to the front of Savage’s mind. The women were dressed all the same, long skirts, white blouses. All shapeless and blah. The men wore clothes he’d expect to see in productions of Our Town—bow ties, black pants, and suspenders. What the hell was this place?
“Which one?” His voice shook.
Savage looked at the other girls on the porch. Not one of them could be over sixteen. Was he kidding?
“Don’t.” Hayden shook his head.
Savage cracked his neck. His wolf rode him hard, wanting out, wanting Sydney. Wanting to take Sydney and get the fuck out of dodge.
“Sydney.” Savage pointed to the door. “Are you going to get her or shall I?”
Her father shuddered, his whole body visibly vibrating on the porch, a reaction normally seen when Savage pulled out his Alpha powers and pushed them onto someone to bend them to his will. Unless he was broadcasting without knowing he’d done so, nothing he had said yet should have elicited such an extreme display of weakness.
Although, Tobias might simply be a weak-ass wolf.
“You can’t have her,” he stammered.
Savage’s wolf rushed forward and he didn’t try to stop the surge. No one said no to him, except Sydney who had run, and lived to tell about it. With his wolf in his eyes—and Tobias should consider himself lucky that was the only place he let the beast out—he pushed forward with his body and energy.
Tobias fell to his knees. All weaklings did when Savage was mad. The last fool to try to cross him had been Savage’s father.
“Why not?”
Had Tobias heard about his reputation and think him unworthy of his daughter? Did her father think to stand in judgment as a barrier to what the Moon had decreed? Savage had never thought to have a True Mate. But he’d be damned if he was told he couldn’t have her.
Tobias reached out in front of him as though he could block Savage’s pull with his hand. “I’d gladly give her to you. There is nothing more sacred then the true mating. Only she has a role to play and she must fulfill her destiny.”
Savage pulled in his anger. She had a role to play? He stepped toward Tobias by climbing up the steps onto the front porch. The man’s large family, all identically clad, moved out of his way. He squatted down in front of Tobias to give the man a full-on view of his wolf. Sydney’s father dropped his eyes.
Good. They understood each other.
“How much do you want to let her out of her so-called destiny?”
Negotiation Savage understood. Everything had a price.
Tobias shook his head. “If only it were so simple. Why has the Moon done this? With one week left?”
“I never presume to understand why the Moon does what she does.”
“He.” Tobias dropped his eyes again. “The Moon is a He.”
Savage stood. He wasn’t going to debate the gender of a celestial body with the man on the ground.
“Where is my mate?”
He didn’t even wait for the response; pushing past the crowd, he let himself into their home. If Sydney was inside, he’d find her immediately. Fuck anyone who got in his way.
****
Sydney had to be officially losing her mind. Her heat had never been so bad, and her whole body felt as though it was going up in flames. How would she live? How would she make it to the fight with the Garto? By the time the Full Moon hit her, she’d be so wiped she wouldn’t stand a chance.
The door to the basement opened, and she could barely raise her head to see who was coming down. Other than bringing her meals—a task allotted to her little sisters—no one came to see the heated female until the time ended.
Savage’s addictive scent of coconut hit her before she saw his figure on the stairs. She closed her eyes. “I’ve officially lost my mind.”
“No.” Savage’s voice reached her before he stood outside the cage. “I don’t smell insanity. Although I may have gone over the deep end myself. I see you weren’t kidding about the cage.”
She forced herself into a sitting position, hissing from the pain. He really was in front of her, gripping the bars of the cage as though he meant to break them open.
“We have two choices. I can rip this off the wall or you can open it. I’m happy to destroy the contraption. You know what? Forget it. No choices. I’m tired of giving people options.” With a strength she wouldn’t have believed, her true mate who had somehow found her, bent the bars of the cage far apart until he could step between them.
Her mouth fell open. Maybe she should have thought of something to say. There had to be a million things. But she was so damn hot. How was she to think when everything…hurt?
Savage sat on the bed next to her. “You don’t know me yet. You will. Can you allow yourself to trust me to do something about your pain? It’s eating me up inside. My wolf is losing his mind.”
Hers came to life with his statement pushing into her eyes. It wasn’t Full Moon, and to have her other half wanting out so much pained her already aching body.
Savage smiled, placing a hand on the side of her face. “Not yet.”
His power pushed at her canine, and her wolf sagged down, dropping from the surface. Sydney closed her eyes.
“Thank you.”
“Trust me to do more?” He wiped a hair off her sticky brow and she opened her eyes. She really had been sweating, and it occurred to her she must really stink. Oh, she really didn’t want Savage to think she smelled bad.
“I…” This had to be the most humiliating moment of her life. Lying to an Alpha was probably a bad idea. Her father, who had none of Savage’s power, could detect untruth. “Couple of things. Number one, I’m sorry I smell so bad.”
His mouth twisted to the side like he wanted to smile and then didn’t.
“You really don’t, gorgeous. I only smell pain mixed in with your roses. That’s all. Nothing foul. I hate your discomfort. My wolf particularly wants to snarl and snap. We’re both under control. For the moment. What’s your second concern?”
“I didn’t want to have sex in the club. It was too public. I thought I did. Then I got there and…no. I do trust you to take care of my pain. Actually, you’re all I’ve been able to think about for twenty-four hours. I would kill for you to help. Only, with my family upstairs, that’s somehow worse than the club.”
He bent over to kiss the top of her head. “I am not going to have sex with you for the first time in this basement. I do need your consent so what I am about to do doesn’t hurt you worse.” His voice was no more than a whisper. “When it’s over, you may feel tired. That’s normal. You’ll need to trust me to take care of you then, too. The relief will be temporary. When it returns, we’ll be somewhere else.”
She raised her eyes to hold his gaze. “Of course I trust you. Who wouldn’t? Everything about you is simply…perfection.”
He did smile for a split second. “Goes to show you do belong to me. Otherwise you wouldn’t be so sure.” He shifted on the bed. “Wrap your arms around my neck.”
Her muscles didn’t want to comply and burned the whole time she did. Eventually, she managed to do as he instructed. Savage’s arms came around her, pulling her until her head rested on his chest. She could hear his heart beat. Steady, strong. He hadn’t told her to close her eyes but she did. His power hit her hard.
Sydney gasped. She had never in her life experienced anything like it. The room spun and he whispered in her ear. “Give in. It’s easier.”
“How?”
Savage stroked her neck. “Belong to me.”
Since the moment his scent hit her outside the club, or maybe even from the second she first saw him, she had. How would she give in more? Her wolf moved inside her, brushing against her, pushing her on. The heat inside of her spread, dissipated…eased.
Her head lolled back, her muscles suddenly too exhausted to hold it up.
“Good girl.” He kissed her cheek. “I’ve got you.”
Savage stroked the length of her spine. The heat wasn’t gone, but suddenly it was manageable. She had no idea how long it would last. “I’m going to appreciate every second.”
Tiredness pressed hard on her mind. She didn’t want to sleep. There were so many questions. “How did you find me?”
“You ran. I chased.”
His words caused a happy satisfaction to spread in her mind. Savage scooped her up in his arms, and she placed her head on his shoulder. Sydney had only met the male, briefly, the day before. Now she was more than happy to let him carry her around wherever he wanted. She wasn’t even going to ask where they were going.
Maybe later.
He climbed the stairs into her living room. A brief scan told her that her entire family was present as well as a bunch of wolves she’d never seen before. Her father and mother huddled in the corner, holding hands. Their distress hit her hard. Sour, foul tasting. She gagged, wishing she could control the response. Sydney had always hated to upset them. Her father quickly went from sad to brutally angry. The rod on the mantel was a constant concern made even more intense when he told them to bring it to him.
Savage crossed the room and sat on the couch. “We’ll do introductions later. I’m actually hoping your daughter is going to fall asleep.” He must have been addressing her father. His voice was nice, soothing. Probably her dad wasn’t going to ask for the rod while Savage was there. Her thoughts felt funny, like they weren’t running properly and she didn’t even mind.
He’d told her she didn’t smell bad. Sweet man.
Everything was so much cooler.
“What did you do to her?” Sydney’s mother’s voice, it quivered, which wasn’t unusual. Most of the time, she didn’t venture an opinion when Sydney’s father was around. One word answers. She must really have wanted to know.
“That’s between me and her. She’s temporarily feeling better.” He pressed his hand on her shoulder, holding her steady. Able to see only the white of his silk shirt—the problems of the world fled away. Savage was wearing silk. She must be ruining it with her sweat. Only her father ever wore the fabric, and he did not like them to touch it. Sydney tried to sit up, to get her must-be-staining-his-shirt face off him, but he held her steady.
Well, if he didn’t care….
“She can’t go with you.” Her father.
“She is.” Savage’s voice grumbled through his chest, sounding more like a growl. “Parents can’t prevent true matings. I’ve only not already removed her from you because I think I’d rather not start her life with me by cutting you off entirely. Don’t get me wrong. I will.”
“Trust him.” A low, powerful voice she’d never heard who must have been one of Savage’s people spoke. “He has no problem ending relationships which don’t work for him. My brother is nothing if not swift and brutal. That’s a good thing for your daughter. She’ll always be safe.”
“Are you wearing makeup?” One of her sisters spoke up from the corner. Ruby, she was five. A gasp and then a slap. Someone had let Ruby know she wasn’t supposed to speak. Sydney flinched. Having been several times in her life disciplined the same way, she could practically feel Ruby’s pain and terror. The child’s agony struck Sydney seconds later. She pulled from Savage, wanting to get to her. Her siblings weren’t her children, but she’d raised them. If she left, the job would fall to her next oldest sister, Tate, to take the role. Everyone understood his or her role in the family. When the Garto took Sydney, Tate would be second-mother.
Savage spoke low; his response was practically a whisper. “I am wearing makeup. I like it.” He raised his hand, which she only knew because his body shifted beneath her. “Who are you? You there, the one who hit her.”
“I’m Thaddeus.”
Sydney groaned. She couldn’t help it. Out of everyone in the family, she most detested him.
“I’m the eldest here. She spoke out of turn. Children should be seen, not heard.”
“Here’s how this works, Thaddeus. If you raise your hand to the child again, there will be consequences. I’m holding your sister. She’s my mate. The man standing in the corner, he’s my brother Hayden. He’s the Alpha of the Napa Valley. I can’t order him to teach you a lesson, yet, knowing him as I do, I strongly suspect he already wants to. Actually, I don’t think I’d have to order any of the twenty dominant males who came with me to show you what happens to men who slap little girls in my pack in California.” He shook his head. “I can’t control what happens when I leave here. There’s no Alpha in Idaho for me to appeal to. Other than your sister, I have no rights. Let’s say while I’m here, you’re not going to put your hands on anyone.”
Silence met his statement, and Sydney smiled into his shirt. He was so…exactly what she needed. “I’m waiting for the yes, sir, Thaddeus.”
“Yes, sir. Her brother squeaked.
“Since we’re through with the lecture portion of the day, how about someone tell me what destiny my mate has that I can make go away so I can get her in the car and out of this place as fast as I can. I’ve had enough of this crap.”
“It’s the Garto-Wolf. She’s our sacrifice.” Thaddeus didn’t have to sound so damned giddy about it. Dread slipped around her happy haze. Yes, there was the Garto. Always the Garto. Always waiting for her.
Chapter Four
Savage didn’t like the way Sydney tensed. He needed her to stay calm, to stay cool. The more agitated she got, the quicker her heat would come flaring to life. The Alpha cool-down promised only temporary relief for her need. Sydney required sex, and he intended to give it to her. Gladly, joyfully, as much as she wanted and away from any public discussion or her family.
Putting her to sleep concerned him even though he wanted her to rest. He couldn’t control what she dreamed, much as he wished he could. If whatever storyline played out in her head upset her, she’d wake worse than she’d been before he’d taken some of her pain. Who knew where they’d be then?
He stroked her hair. Everyone in the room was a werewolf; they could all hear as well as he could. Whispering was pointless. “Whatever is happening, I’ve got it under control. I’ve got you, gorgeous.”
Thaddeus, her asshat older brother who had slapped the baby in the corner, needed a good thrashing behind the barn. Savage wasn’t in position to deal with him, and. since he seemed to have gotten chatty since being yelled at, they’d keep going as they were. Her mother and father had all but shut down.
“Did you say Garto-Wolf?” Savage repeated the phrase he’d been given to make sure.
Hayden followed immediately. “What the hell is a Garto-Wolf?”
“I actually know what it is, Hay.” Savage replied. “I’m simply unsure what it has to do with Sydney right now.”
“Well, I don’t know what it is so if you could enlighten me, I’d really appreciate understanding what bullshit is being slung around here.”
His brother almost never cursed. The slap must have gotten under his skin. It had been horrific to watch. Who struck a child so hard? She’d asked a question. Why let them in the room to sit so still and silent?
None of Sydney’s—Moon help him—nineteen siblings moved at all. They must be used to being slapped around. Why hadn’t the Moon gotten him to Sydney sooner?
“The Garto-Wolf is a childhood myth. Don’t you remember hearing about it when we were kids? Don’t talk back to your mom, the Garto will come. Don’t growl in public, the Garto will come. Don’t disrespect the Alpha behind his back, the Garto will come. Behavior modification myth for young children until they’re old enough to realize the next step is to be pack handled.”
Sydney shook her head, and he pushed more cooling energy her way.
Don’t be perverse, the Garto will come. Don’t like many ways to have sex, the Garto will come.
“It’s not a myth.”
Thaddeus sat up in his seat. “The Garto-Wolf is real. He comes for the first female child from the four families. The first full moon after her twenty-fifth birthday, the female is sacrificed. In return, he keeps our crops flourishing and our lives as we want them to be. Everyone in the district, all the wolves do well here because of the Garto. Sydney is our sacrifice, as my first daughter will be and all the first daughters of my siblings and cousins.”
“Are you fucking kidding?” Hayden vocalized while Savage digested the information.
Savage stood. “We’re leaving.”
Even if there were a Garto-Wolf, and there was not, Sydney was not going to be anyone’s so-called sacrifice.
Finally, her father spoke. “If it was as simple as leaving, I would have done so years ago.”
His mate stiffened in his arms. She hadn’t known. Sydney lifted her head. “You would?”
Her voice was small, and it broke his heart.
Tobias stood. “When my great-great-great grandfather made this deal with the Garto, I don’t believe he thought it would continue this many generations. Who knows? Maybe he did. His cousin tried to run. The Garto found them—in Maine. He slaughtered her anyway and took two more daughters as a punishment. Every time the girl runs, the sacrifice is worse. I love you, Syd. I would gladly give you to this man, earrings, makeup and all. From what I understand, San Francisco is beautiful. I’ve never been there. But all that will happen if you try to go is he will kill you in San Francisco. He’ll kill your sisters, too.”
Savage set Sydney on the couch. Stroking her hair one more time in the probably futile hope of keeping her cool, he turned on her father. “I’d like to get a couple of things straight.”
“By all means.” Her father dropped his gaze.
“You’re, whatever, how-many-greats grandfather made a deal with the so-called Garto-Wolf, and now you’re all still giving over your daughters?” He needed to be clear on the details of how disgusting this whole thing turned out to be.
“Correct.” Her father nodded. “The first full moon after their twenty-fifth birthday. That’s this weekend.”