Chapter Twelve

We could not go out the door because they were already heading up the stairs and blocked our exit. With a low growl, we turned to the window I had opened when we first came into the room.

‘No,Solar, no.’

I yelped as my wolf's intentions became clear to me. We backed up as far as we could, then jumped through it, tucking in our paws as we dropped to the floor before rolling when we hit the grass below our first-floor room.

It hurt, but I  was thankful it wasn’t concrete. Groaning, we pushed up onto our paws and raced out of the tiny back garden. Three of the males had gone to the front of the hotel, but instinct had told Liam to check the back, and he shouted through their Pack link.

‘She’s running away again, heading back toward the woods, circle round and cut her off.’

They caught a glimpse of gold as the small female streaked past them, and it was pure instinct for them to give chase and then split up to herd her the way they wanted her to go.

I could feel Solar beginning to panic; she did not know the area, and the toxic human waste scents disrupted her ability to find the way to our freedom. I was no help to her; my own panic only served to disorientate my wolf, making her check and turn, going left and then right randomly. Quickly becoming lost, we leapt over the human fences, racing through their gardens, snarling and snapping at their dogs, who barked and yapped at her as they defended their humans.

The four males cornered us behind a disused warehouse on the outskirts of the human city. We were both exhausted, panting hard with head lowered, snarling as the four huge wolves approached her.

‘Shift.’

One of them said in my mind, making me jump as he invaded my thoughts.

‘Shift female.’

The biggest of the slate grey wolves stood in front of me, his deep blue eyes staring straight into ours.

‘Do as you are told, little wolf, let your human come forward.’

I could feel Solar wilting, exhausted from our panicked run. This male’s command was forcing us to obey him.

‘I’m sorry, Dakota, I must obey him.’

Her wolf knew it was all four of them using the full weight of their Beta command to make her obey them.

‘Wow, she’s strong.’

Carter said through their link.

‘How is she not on her knees?’

James added as they increased their command, and my wolf finally gave in and sank to the floor, shifting back into Dakota. Matty quickly stepped forward and covered the naked young woman with a blanket before scooping me into his arms. My eyes rolled into the back of my head as I let the exhaustion finally win, and he felt my whole body go limp as he cradled me against his powerful chest.

‘Let’s get her back to the Alpha before he kills someone.’

Matty ordered, and the four of them took it in turns to carry my helpless body back to their Pack lands and their half-crazed Alpha.

I  opened my eyes a few hours later and blinked in confusion,

‘Where the hell was I?’

The bed I was curled in was soft and warm, and as I looked around me, I   saw a huge, luxurious bedroom, the furnishings sumptuous and expensive. Slowly, I pushed myself into a sitting position, taking in my surroundings. The bed was a massive custom-built four-poster big enough to sleep at least ten. It was draped in stunning blue and silver silks that matched the curtains and cushions on the two leather sofas set in the incredible bay window.

The carpet was a richer blue shot through with silver flecks, and so thick my feet sank into it almost to my ankles. Looking around, I spotted the en-suit,e and the pain in my bladder had me heading into it. After using the facilities, I felt grubby, so stripped out of the tatty jeans and hoodie I  had been wearing and stepped into the shower. When I had thoroughly scrubbed myself, washed my red/gold hair and wrapped myself in the thick, fluffy towels, I  wandered back into the bedroom. On the bed lay a pretty emerald green silk designer dress, along with expensive handmade lingerie and Jimmy Choo heels. I had never owned anything so beautiful; all my previous clothing had been hand-me-downs that I had been forced to wear until they fell apart. Reaching out, I touched the stunning dress, loving the way the fine silk felt in my fingers, and I let it go reluctantly. Turning away from the beautiful dress, I strode into the walk-in closet and found a pair of jeans and a t-shirt more to my liking. When I  had dressed, I tried the door and found to my surprise it was open. Hesitating, I glanced up and down the corridor, which was empty. Creeping out of the room, I kept to the shadows as I moved towards the stairs and headed down, listening to the sounds of the house. Voices came from one of the rooms, and I made my way toward it on silent feet. Completely unaware that if I could hear them, then they could hear my wildly beating heart and the soft panting breaths I was trying to hold in.

I could see the front door a few yards away, my route to the freedom I craved, but to gain it, I  had to pass where the voices were coming from.

‘She’s going to run again.’

Liam spoke through the Pack Link, and they saw Kaiden’s eyes glow with his wolf’s excitement, as the Lycan Alpha, the need to chase down his mate was innate. He lifted his head, widening his nostrils and taking in her scent. To him, she was lemon and honey, with added notes of musk and jasmine, and now he could smell her fear but also her wolf’s excitement,