Nathan looked down at Dana's still form and seethed. Her naked flesh was covered in bruises, scratches, and welts. Even more astonishing, her captors had feared her enough to wrap her body in links upon burning links of silver. He dropped to his knees, and ignoring the sizzling pain, he grasped the silver chain and pulled it apart as easily as snapping thread. Her skin was chafed red and blistered where it had touched her, and he boiled with anger. I'm going to kill them slowly and painfully. He'd reserve a painful punishment for the dirty miscreants-those who still lived, that was-who'd dared touch the woman he'd claimed as his when still only a boy. Never mind she'd run from him. Dana was, and always would be, his. His beta appeared in the doorway and whistled as his keen gaze took in her state. "Holy fuck. What kind of sick bastards treat a woman like that?" The kind who need to die twice. Nathan couldn't speak. He couldn't. Anger and grief over her condition choke
John watched Nathan cradling Dana's injured body and fought the urge to take her from him. He'd heard of the animalistic need to possess unclaimed Lycan females. He'd actually laughed about it. As resident physician, he'd deemed himself above such a base need, even as he'd watched others succumb. After all, he'd met other unmated Lycan females, and while he'd felt at times a mild interest, he'd never experienced or expected anything like the magnetic pull Dana exuded. His recollection of her from way back was vague. He'd left for university before she'd matured enough to be interesting. During his brief visits home, he'd heard about her from Nathan, and even more about her after she ran away. He'd puzzled about the girl who'd made his best friend fall into a funk after she left. He'd wondered what kind of golden pussy she had to make Nathan obsess about finding her again. But now, faced with her and, even worse, after having touched her, he couldn't deny the draw. It didn't
Nathan could see John's interest in Dana. He didn't like it one bit. There was a time long ago, before Dana had left, when he'd imagined John would be one of the men he'd share his future mate with as per pack law. But, now, having her back again, Nathan found himself less than keen with that idea, a fact that he'd share with Dana if she ever gave him a chance to say his piece. Jealousy or not, though, he couldn't deny Dana needed the attention of a doctor. While her Lycan blood would heal her, broken bones still needed to be set straight, and while rare, there was still a chance of infection. Nathan pulled back the blanket, exposing her upper chest and breasts that were more defined than he remembered. The cooler air of the cabin made them pucker, and his mouth dried up, even as lust shot through him, hardening his cock. A quick glance up caught John staring with his mouth open, his eyes glazed. "Get on with it," Nathan growled. John didn't reply, just went to
Dana knew she was caught in a dream, a recurring one, but she couldn't wake herself, and she was forced to watch and relive the pain of the most defining moment of her life. "Marry me. Be my mate." Nathan dropped to a knee and gazed up at her with shining blue eyes. It awed her that this hunk, strongest of all the boys, wanted her. She tousled his dark hair, unable to resist its thick waves. "Are you insane? I just graduated from high school and haven't even started college yet." She protested, but with a smile. Who could resist the romance of the moment, and who could resist Nathan? She'd loved him it seemed like forever. "So what? You can still take classes as my wife. Why wait? You know we're meant to be together. To become mates for life." His use of the word "mates" reminded her of one uncomfortable fact. "But I can't shift into a wolf like you, which means it won't be a true mating bond." Not to mention they couldn't have children because, like a human, do
She awoke late the next day, her father having let her sleep in and miss her chores given the incredible events of the night before. And she wasn't just talking about the fact that she could now shift like the others. Nathan had asked her to marry him! She would be his wife. As if thinking of him had conjured him, she heard a tapping at her window. She flung back her covers and went to the window in only a T-shirt and underwear. Modesty seemed stupid given their lovemaking. Not to mention her sudden change back into human shape, in all its naked glory, to an audience of several. Her blushes had at least kept her hot until someone gave her a shirt to drape herself in. Even more warming were Nathan's glares at those who openly leered. Who said jealousy wasn't attractive? She unlocked her window and slid it open so her fianc-she giggled in her head at that title-could come in. He grinned widely at her as he enveloped her in a hug that made her squeak. She squealed as he
A lonely life. And one that twelve years later still made her question if it had been the right choice. As her mind went through its third cycle of the night that everything changed, she felt herself pulled from the dream. As she floated back to consciousness, she realized someone shook her gently while a persistent voice insisted she wake up. She slapped at the hand that tapped her cheek, her mind sluggish, and her eyelids held closed by a ton of bricks. "Stop," she protested in a weak voice, forcing the words past a tongue that was thick and dry. She fuzzily wondered how she hadn't died. She remembered pain, lots of it. She also recalled her deep despair and the wish to end it all. She definitely didn't recall lying on a soft mattress like the one she found herself on now or the enticing smell of wolf that, for once, didn't make her want to bolt. Fear kept her eyes closed. What if she had died and was now in some sort of werewolf heaven? "And here I thought you'd be eager
John followed Nathan's stiff body and knew they were in for trouble. They'd all expected her to balk at Nathan's plan, but nobody could have predicted she'd do an about-face and use pack law to choose more mates. Rarely used, it was an obscure clause that Lycan females of age with no guardian could invoke to surround herself with protection. The chosen males could actually say no, but, and this was where the fight would begin, John had no interest in saying no. John wanted Dana with an intensity he'd never expected or experienced. And while Jeffrey, one of her impromptu choices, might back out, given he was quite smitten with a human girl in town, John could already tell Kody didn't mind the idea at all of being mated with the feisty Dana. Nathan was going to freak. They followed Nathan's stiff back down the stairs to the main floor. Nathan whirled once they hit the cavernous living room with its floor-to-ceiling windows. "Unfucking real. She's doing this just to puni
Dana didn't allow herself to cry with self-pity for long. Tears wouldn't fix anything; only action might. Dana realized she probably couldn't get away, but that wouldn't stop her from trying. The guys might have left and locked her in, but doors weren't the only way out. She dove out of the bed, toward the chest of drawers she saw. She rummaged through the male clothing-smelling disturbingly of Nathan-and yanked out a T-shirt that hung down to her knees. Not that she cared. She found some black briefs, but they threatened to slide right down her legs. She yanked them off and pitched them across the room. Screw it. A proper escape didn't require underwear. She headed to the window when she spotted a familiar duffel bag. They grabbed my stuff? She unzipped and, sure enough, found her clothing. Quickly, she stripped the large T-shirt and dressed in her own stuff. She kept her ears peeled for Nathan's return, but while she heard a lot of yelling and thumping, she didn't sense a