Chapter 4

“Why did you do that?” Juniper asked.

This was the first time Maya had been close to the young girl. She always tried to keep to herself, as she knew the disgust the other pack had for her. It wasn’t like her half-breed blood was going to jump out and change the other members of the pack. She heard the sounds of the men and women as they ran for their lives. The pain coming from them in animal and human form scared the life out of her. She’d never heard anything so horrid as the sound of death.

“Why did I do what?” Maya asked, glancing at the blonde.

Juniper was slender, beautiful, and would be a wonderful wolf one day.

“Ask them to spare me? You’ve given yourself to that monster in order to save my life. I don’t understand.”

Juniper’s eyes were red and swollen from crying. She winced every time the noise of a fallen pack member echoed throughout the night.

“I did what I had to. You don’t deserve to die when you’ve not even lived. Whatever problem this pack has with ours, they’re not going to think about who they kill.”

Maya cried out as the silver worked under her shirt and banded around her waist. Why couldn’t she have developed a liking to silver rather than be allergic to it?

“Try to stay still and it won’t itch,” Juniper said.

Nodding, Maya stayed still and found the silver was uncomfortable but didn’t hurt anymore.

“Thank you, and that is the reason why I had to spare you.”

“Why? No one else would have. They act like nice people, but they wouldn’t have spared me.”

“You’ve been nice to me, Juniper. I couldn’t let anyone hurt you. Put it down to me not being a full breed or blood or whatever it is you all call me.”

They were silent once again. The sounds of their fallen pack were getting quieter and fewer. There wouldn’t be any left within a few minutes.

“I’m sorry about the rest of your pack,” Maya said.

“Don’t worry. I’m not. They probably deserved what is coming to them.”

The anger in Juniper’s voice startled Maya.

Within the hour, Milo and Zion were back. Zion was buttoning up his jeans. The action was purely male, and her pussy pounded as a shot of lust struck her hard. The intense feeling startled Maya, making her tense.

Juniper remained still, staring past Maya’s shoulder.

“Are you okay to bring Juniper to the house?” Zion asked.

Milo nodded, working the silver chain from around them.

“I’m going to take Maya. I’m sure we have much to discuss.”

Her body was itching all over from the chains and also from the way Zion was making her feel.

You’re his toy. You’re not here willingly.

She tried to cut off all of her lustful thoughts about the man in front of her. Could her need for him have anything to do with her virgin state? Maya hoped not. She wasn’t ready to fall for a man she didn’t know.

You’re going to be having sex with him by the end of the night. Virgin no longer.

When she’d made the agreement to be with him, Maya hadn’t thought about that little hiccup. Shit, she hoped it didn’t hurt. There was no way she could stand for him to know he would be her first.

Probably her last, too, seeing as she never trusted a male’s company.

The silver moved up her skin, creating a burning path of pain. Falling to her knees, she cried out as the pain got too much.

Quickly, the silver left her skin, and Maya gasped.

“Silver is not supposed to be like that,” Zion said, helping her to her feet.

“I don’t suppose being allergic to silver as a human wouldn’t have helped.”

She always had a severe reaction to silver jewelry and had to go for gold or not bother at all.

“As a wolf, that pain would be magnified,” Zion said.

“I guess.”

The silver fucking hurt.

She watched Juniper being led away and started struggling within Zion’s arms.

“You’re not going to hurt her, are you?”

“We have a deal. I keep my word.”

“You’ve just slaughtered my entire pack. Forgive me if I don’t believe you.”

Zion threw his head back and laughed. The hand on her arm tightened. It didn’t hurt, but she knew there was no chance of escape. He would stop her from going anywhere.

“It’s nice to know your bite hasn’t been taken from you.”

He moved in close, inhaling her scent.

“God, I can’t wait to see if your pussy is as tight as I imagine.”

Crossing her legs, she glared at him.

“Crossing your legs is not going to keep my dick from you. You’re going to have me everywhere.”

His hand moved to her ass, gripping her flesh tight.

“Your ass, mouth, cunt, and tits are all mine.”

Don’t be turned on.

She was a virgin, but she wasn’t immune to the lust. Since she’d been bitten, the sexual urges within her had grown strong. There was nothing she could do to stop the cravings. Those very same cravings had forced her to start buying p**n movies in an attempt to find some kind of release with her own hand. In the last year alone, she imagined she’d masturbated more than in the whole of her life. At twenty-five years old, it was quite pitiful.

“Ah, I see you like the sound of that.”

Zion leaned in close, pressing his nose against the curve of her neck. If he were to bite her neck, he’d kill her. Her pulse pounded, and she tried to calm down. If he took a chunk out of her neck, he’d hit a major artery, and being a half-breed, she wouldn’t be able to survive such an attack. She hoped he would take into account her more human side.

“You want my dick, don’t you?”

Licking her lips, she stared past his shoulder, wishing there was something else she could be doing.

“You’re not going to answer. I can live with that. I’ll have you begging soon enough.”

Together, they walked out into the night. The warm air washed over her, and she gasped. The scent of the night air called to her wolf, begging to be released. This was the first time she’d kept her change within her. The moment the full moon was high in the night sky, she liked to change.

The next three days were important to her, as it kept the sickness at bay. When she hadn’t turned one month because she could no longer stand the treatment of the pack, she’d been ill for the entire month. Work had been horrid, as she couldn’t stand the noises and scents. The only way she could keep focus was if she turned every full moon.

“Your pack were assholes,” Zion said, taking her away from the open land toward the tree line.

She heard the sound of the flowing water of the river and waterfall she knew was there. The first time she’d found it, Maya hadn’t left the waterfall for the entire weekend of the full moon.

“What are you talking about?” she asked, trying to keep up with his pace.

He was well over six feet, and she was struggling to keep up with his long strides at her own five foot six.

“There are ways and means to keep the wolf at bay. There are half-breeds out there who cannot turn every full moon. They have ways and means to handle themselves. Running, working out, even taking a cold water bath can help with the cravings.”

Maya hadn’t heard of other ways. Looking back, none of the pack wanted to talk to her. Rowan and Dax had been nice, but once she controlled the turning and knew what she was doing, neither of her leaders offered any advice. In fact, besides Juniper, no one spoke to her at all. It was like she didn’t exist to anyone. They kept the small room at their house for her to stay in, but she felt more like a pet than a member of the pack.

Shaking her head, she kept up with Zion’s pace.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said.

“No, you wouldn’t.”

She recognized where he was going as they walked up the incline of the forest. He was taking her to the top of the waterfall. Maya concentrated on climbing. Before long, she felt out of breath. Zion kept hold of her arm, leading her up to the top.

“I don’t trust your wolf, and it’s time for you to know how to control your wolf. Some of the half-breeds can’t even wait for the full moon before turning.”

When they got to the top, she looked down at the water below.

“Why are we here?” she asked.

“It’s time for you to know how to handle yourself.”

Before she could ask what he meant, he pushed her over the edge.

Screaming, Maya panicked seconds before she plunged into the water below.