His heat radiated into her body, consuming all of her attention. She closed her eyes. How could Cyrus feel so right when everything around her was so completely wrong?
Her body vibrated, and she opened her eyes, and then wished she hadn’t. Betsy moaned. Oh God, how could such animalistic noises be coming from her? How could she be a wolf? She didn’t even like wolves. They ate livestock and made walking through the darkness in the woods a terrifying experience.
Pain radiated through her body. Her muscles ached, and she screamed out, but she couldn’t even hear herself yell. What was happening to her? She was dying. That had to be it. She wasn’t meant to be a wolf, and now she would die because someone had messed with her genes or whatever it was they had done to her.
The sound of her own pain changed as she realized she lay on the floor in her human body. It hurt to use her voice; her throat was scratchy. She raised her head, which pounded like she’d been drinking for days.
Cyrus knelt in front of her. “I forced the change back on you. It seemed the only way.”
Lake squatted next to him. “How did you do that? I’ve never seen that before. You didn’t do that with Lilliana.”
“Lilliana belonged to Travis. It’s an Alpha thing.” Cyrus stroked Betsy’s head, and she took a deep breath. His touch brought relief, which should have concerned her, except the ease of her aches made it impossible for her to think about anything, but the sudden absence of pain. “You’re going to be okay, princess. The first couple times are awful. Then it’s nothing at all.”
That was good news, she supposed, if she didn’t want to ever have to go through that again. “Somebody had better explain to me what is going on, or, so help me, I don’t care how much trouble it causes you, I’m going to the police. Where am I?”
Cyrus extended his hand, and she took it, allowing him to help her stand. If pride was the last to go before the fall, then she must have already tumbled headfirst into some kind of endless pit. The only plus she could see was that, apparently, clothes remained intact during these situations. She wasn’t naked. That would be much, much worse.
Small silver linings…
“You’re in my company headquarters. And two things, princess…” Cyrus spoke as he ran a hand down the side of her face. She shivered, and warmth invaded her core. Uh-oh. She knew that feeling. Any second she’d be begging him to take her from behind. The image made her wetter, and since her nose detected all sorts of new scents, she strongly suspected he knew what was going on inside her womb.
How could she make sense of any of this? Maybe it had always been an illusion; she’d never had privacy. Werewolves had turned out to be very real, which meant they had always been able to smell things best left to the imagination. But she preferred the naïve ignorance she’d possessed before.
She swallowed. Thankfully, he didn’t remark on her desire. They could both pretend the other one didn’t know. “Two things?”
“Right.” He nodded. “The first is I don’t like threats, particularly ones I know you can’t follow through on. They insult both of us. You going to the police is not a possibility.”
Her temper flared. It might be hard to look him in the eye, but she forced herself to keep his gaze. “I can go to the police if I want to.”
Lake snorted, and Betsy ignored her. She had nothing to say to Cyrus’ sister. At least not right now. Her attention locked on Cyrus and his cinnamon smell.
“You can’t.” He stated.
She shook her head. “Unless you’re going to keep me prisoner, I can.” Her own statement startled her. “Are you planning to force me to remain here?”
Cyrus shook his head. She waited to see if he would say something, and, when he didn’t, she had to speak again.
“Then I can go to the cops if I want to.” She’d much rather they gave her some answers, but it seemed important he understand her—wolf or not—she would be the one to make choices regarding her actions. She was tired of everyone else ordering, blackmailing, or otherwise forcing her to bend to their will.
“I suppose technically you could, but you won’t. Want to know why? Here is Wolf 101. You will never want to do anything that could bring me harm—both because I am Alpha—your Alpha and your mate. The first would be enough to stall you, unless you felt compelled to challenge me, and the second would absolutely prevent you from betrayal and the challenge itself.”
She couldn’t deal with that at all. One thing at a time. He did smell fantastic, and she’d thought him handsome when she’d only been human. But mating? That had implications she would need to dwell on later when not in his presence. Or after a few stiff drinks like her father did.
“How do I even know if what you are telling me is true? You could have made this whole thing up. I don’t know anything about werewolves. Not one thing. You could say all werewolves sleep in blue sheets, and I’d have to go home and do that because I know nothing. And this whole bit about me being a wolf before? I’m not buying it. I was a human until she,”—Betsy pointed at Lake— “did this to me.”
“No.” Lake gasped. “I could never make you a werewolf if you weren’t one. You had a blockage, something keeping you from being what you should be. I removed it, and you shifted.”
“Betsy.” Cyrus pulled her against him. “Do you remember how you told me that sometimes you had urges, things you couldn’t control?”
“You would bring that up.” She struggled against him. If he kept her like that for too long, she wouldn’t be able to stifle her need for him. Just like he’d told her. Female werewolves had to be taken care of when they were in heat. Like dogs.
“Only to tell you that there has always been a reason, and now you have to believe. There is no reason to berate yourself.”
She had no response to that. He wasn’t wrong. If this had always been inside of her, then at least it explained some things, like her need for sex and her propensity to crave raw, red meat.
A door slammed open, and a shriek filled the room as Jensen and Mitchell dragged Nathan through the door. He was bleeding from the head, and his left eye had swollen shut. They carried him, but it looked like one of his ankles was twisted in an unnatural way. She winced. That had to hurt.
Cyrus poked her nose. “When the feeling of satisfaction hits you, embrace the sensation. You’re a werewolf. We attack and beat our enemies.”
What? She didn’t get a chance to answer, because Cyrus released her and walked toward the new arrivals. As Cyrus moved away, Nathan noticed her.
“You.” He hissed. “You’re responsible for this, aren’t you? You’re the reason these creatures grabbed me off the street and invaded my home. After everything I did for you. See if I save your parents now, you slut.”
Cyrus growled and with a swiping gesture too fast to be perceived, he clawed Nathan’s face. An agonized howl left Nathan’s mouth, and five red claw marks appeared on his face.
Lake laughed, a high-pitched snicker. “Don’t insult the Alpha’s mate, you stupid human.”
The Healer’s words made Betsy gasp. Was that what Cyrus meant by embracing the destruction? Lake seemed joyful. But Betsy couldn’t join her in her revelry. Maybe, if so much weren’t at stake, she’d love the way the red marks on Nathan’s face reflected Cyrus’ rage. But Nathan had a point. He’d never call now. Her parents were doomed. A pulse of temper thundered in her forehead before she gritted her teeth. She hadn’t really let herself get mad at them. There hadn’t been time, but now, since it was all going to be over, she wanted to throw something at them. They must have known what they were doing was wrong on all possible levels. They hadn’t been the ones to give up their lives to save her. They hadn’t even tried to protect her and had been publicly ashamed when her sexual issues had come out.
And they had to know something about this wolf business. They couldn’t have raised her and not known? Could they? Not to mention her sister. If her twin lived, as Cyrus said she did, then they’d outright lied to her. She growled and cove
red her mouth.
Cyrus turned around and looked at her. She couldn’t read his expression, but it didn’t matter what he thought. She had suddenly become the most disloyal daughter on the planet. After everything they’d done, everything they’d put up with…
…and all the lies they told me… The disloyal side of her soul didn’t budge on that issue.
But shouldn’t they have known that her needs were normal? If one of them was a werewolf, shouldn’t they have helped her to understand?
Heavens, she was conflicted. Her stomach hurt. She really wanted to go lie down, but that wasn’t an option. Whatever she felt, she wouldn’t hang her mom and dad out to dry. Maybe Nathan could be reasoned with.
“Put him in the cage,” Cyrus ordered, and his men—Jensen and Mitchell crossed the room with Nathan.
So much for reasoning.
“Cyrus.” She crossed to him. “I know you said you’d handle this, but I need him to make that call. Please. This isn’t going to get him to do anything.”
“Ssshh.” He held out his hand. “Come.”
Betsy took his outstretched fingers, embracing them with her own. She shouldn’t be so willing to, but she needed his touch and not even in a sexual way. Cyrus could make this all okay. She shook her head. Was this some kind of Alpha thing, her constant need for him to make things right?
“Nathan.” Cyrus walked with her over to the cage. “You owe Betsy an apology.”
“I would never apologize to her. She should be kissing the ground I walk on. Instead, she’s taken up with all of you. My father warned me that this could happen. This is the devil’s work. You’re all unnatural aberrations that need to be hunted down and killed.”
“Oh. We’ve got a true believer here.” Cyrus laughed. Mitchell and Jensen joined him. Betsy didn’t really see what was so amusing, but the male werewolves seemed to really enjoy his statement. “I haven’t had one of you in a cage for years. Tell me, how long ago did you guys join up?”
“What are you talking about?” If she was going to stand outside the cage and listen to this stuff, she needed to at least understand.
“There have always been humans who try to hunt us. Most dismiss our existence completely, but the ones who believe typically want us dead. It’s long been my pleasure to show them the error of their ways.”
“You’re saying your father knew about werewolves?” No one from her hometown went around talking about myths. They were too busy drinking and managing the livestock industry. Maybe doing both at the same time. Her parents didn’t even let her watch horror movies with werewolves or vampires—she’d snuck those.
“Everyone knew, you bitch.”
Cyrus growled again, but Nathan didn’t seem to notice. He kept talking. “My daddy killed more werewolves before I was born than he can count. He only stopped because my mom didn’t want him getting killed after I was born. But he could have been the greatest ever. In Montana, where we’re all from, he’s like a god.”
What the hell is he talking about? Because what Nathan described—that didn’t fit her image of his parents either. So, had everyone known the secret—except her?
“That so?” When Cyrus spoke, Betsy shuddered. She’d never heard him use that particular tone before. Calling it menacing didn’t do it justice. She turned to look at him, rubbing the goose bumps on her arms with her free hand. Hearing him that angry made her want to hyperventilate.
She struggled for composure. Why did it matter that Nathan’s family knew about werewolves? She was a werewolf. Had they known that? And why didn’t she know about her parents? Were they all latents? There were so many questions and no answers coming.
Cyrus dropped her hand and surged forward. In a blur of motion, he gripped Nathan by the neck and pulled him up against the bars. The other man gagged.
“Here’s how this works. I’m going to hand you a phone, and you’re going to use it to make your daily phone call. You aren’t going to use any code words to tip anyone off that all is not well. If you do that, I’ll know. I’ll smell it. My kind can do that. Make your call or die when my pack hunts you down during the next full moon. You’ll be the rabbit. We’ll be the wolves. There’s always a choice. This one is yours.”
Cyrus dropped him, and Nathan rolled around the floor of the cage and gasped for air.
“What’s it going to be? Call or die?”
“I’ll call.” He had to strain to talk.
“Good.” Cyrus turned to Jensen. “Get him some water. I wouldn’t want his daddy to suspect anything is wrong. Not even a sore throat.”
“Well, this is unexpected.”
Betsy jumped at the new voice and whirled around. A man she hadn’t met yet stood in the doorway. He was tall, maybe even an inch beyond Cyrus, which was impressive. He had long brown hair that hit shoulders. He was dressed impeccably in a black-on-black suit that reminded her of gangster movies she’d watched alone at night.
But it was his eyes that struck her. They were pure white. She’d never seen anything like them before. Her mouth hung open, and although she knew she must look like a landed fish, she couldn’t seem to shut her lips. In the same way she’d known Cyrus smelled like power, she knew the scent of power.
“You’re early.” Cyrus didn’t take his eyes off the cage to address the newcomer.
“I come when I please.”
“Not to my city you don’t, Alexei. You come when you’re invited and not a second before. Get out.”
No one in the room moved or made a sound except Nathan, who wept on the ground of the cage. Yet, Betsy knew Cyrus’ words amounted to a very big problem. She smiled, finally closing her mouth. Prickles of awareness broke out on her neck. Heavens, Cyrus had issued a challenge. There could be bloodshed with whoever this Alexei turned out to be. And the idea titillated her.
Heaven help her—what had happened to her?
Chapter Five
Cyrus hadn’t become Alpha of New York by being a pushover. He wasn’t scared or impressed with Alexei’s shtick, and he had no intention of letting the Alpha of Boston waltz into his city—let alone his headquarters—willy-nilly without some kind of response. As he was certain Alexei would expect nothing less, he had to wonder what the fuck the other man really hoped to accomplish with this.
Behind Alexei, two wolves entered and, growled loudly. One of them showed his teeth. Cyrus took a deep breath to confirm what he’d already scented. Alexei had brought only those two wolves with him. The other Alpha might not mean war, but his wolves didn’t want him threatened. That was fine. Cyrus had his own protectors.
Jensen lunged forward as Cyrus anticipated he would. “You would come here and threaten our Alpha?”
Alexei laughed, tilting his face towards the ceiling when he did. “ Call off your attack dogs, and I’ll turn off mine. We can discuss my early arrival civilly over a drink. You can tell me why you have a human in a cage and I can explain the situation of baby kidnappings in Boston that has brought me to your door.”
His words cooled whatever smart remark Cyrus would have made about attack dogs. “Human babies or werewolf?”
Both were completely unacceptable, but Cyrus had faced a situation the year earlier in which his pregnant females were getting attacked. He’d thought Travis Michaels to blame until that misunderstanding had been cleared up. Now he had to keep the impregnated pack members hidden. Cyrus had assumed the perpetrator of the crimes had wanted the deaths of the women, but maybe it wasn’t that. Maybe the target had been their children...
He glanced down at his mate. Her parents had been selling children.
Could this be that large? Could it cross the continent? An ache for Lucian’s leadership swept through him like a hard wind, threatening to knock him over. Not that anyone need know—certainly not the pale-eyed warrior across the room.
“I don’t think any other topic would have allowed you entrance. Shall we talk upstairs?”
Alexei nodded and turned around. But Cyrus wasn’t quite done yet.
“Your two pack mates can stay down here. They can help Jensen use some of his aggression to get Nathan to do what I say. Jensen, I need him to call home. You’ll tell me if anything is wrong scent-wise. Get him his water.”
Jensen’s pupils were huge. His trusted friend and pack member would have preferred a fight to his task, but since that wasn’t happening, at least not yet, Jensen nodded. Cyrus patted him on the back when he passed.
Mitchell spoke. “Alpha, I don’t feel comfortable with you going with him alone. Take one of us with you or call others.”
Alexei turned around. “Going soft, Cyrus? There was a time when no one would have doubted your ability to take me in a fight. Do your pack members doubt your skills?”
“Perhaps they don’t want me dead. Is your pack accustomed to letting you enter possible deadly encounters without any assistance from them? Are they hoping someone will take off your head or set you on fire?”
Alexei’s pack members growled. Cyrus winked at them, which made them growl louder. “Down, boys. Your leader is in no danger from me unless he opens his mouth to say something threatening. I don’t think he travelled here to do that, not if he needs my assistance with baby snatchings. Betsy, Lake, you’re with me.”
This stopped Alexei. The other Alpha raised a brown eyebrow. “You wish to bring the females?”
“Yes.” He didn’t need to explain more. The man could have the women in the room, or he could save his issues for another day. Cyrus had no intention of leaving his mate or his sister alone in the room with Nathan. The male was stuffed in a cage, but he might say something upsetting. Cyrus would not allow that to happen. They’d all had enough for one day.
Lake groaned loudly. “Hello.” She nodded to Alexei and led him away toward the elevators. Alexei followed in her wake. His sister would see to settling the other Alpha in Cyrus’ office.
Betsy cleared her throat, and he turned to look at him. “I need to go?”