Lust of Wolves: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (Ashwood Wolves Book 2) Read online

  © 2019 J.E. Cluney

  All Rights Reserved

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  Chapters

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  1

  I awoke to an earsplitting headache, my ears ringing as I groaned and tried to sit up. The attempt only made my body ache and struggle, and it took me a moment to realize my hands were bound behind me. The pain in my wrists, especially with them roped behind me, made me hiss as they throbbed with pain.

  I took a few deep breaths, focusing on my surroundings and what had happened. My stomach was tight and bruised, and every movement hurt both my abdomen and my head, and my wrists were too pained to struggle against my bindings.

  The fight with Richard tore through my mind like another smack to the head. The heartbreaking sight of him straddling me, grinning triumphantly as I looked up at him in defiance and fury. I managed a weak smile as I remembered I’d gotten him good in the nose. Broken it.

  Serves him right.

  My mouth was dry, but I tasted the lingering blood as I swallowed, running my tongue over my split lip.

  My left eye was having trouble opening, and the dull throb and ache around it was starting to worsen, the pain increasing.

  I flicked my eyes around, trying to discern where I was.

  The bumps and jostles informed me I was in a vehicle. But the more my eyes adjusted to the dark, the more I came to a conclusion. I was in a trunk. Go figure.

  What had happened when I’d fallen unconscious?

  Sickness washed over me as I realized I must be in Richard’s car, deemed too risky to be in the backseat. Gadion would’ve stopped my family, my father and brother, and my boys, from interfering. At least, I hoped he did. I prayed they were okay. They must be pissed beyond measure, and worried.

  Hell, I was worried. And in pain.

  Would’ve been nice if the prick could’ve bound my hands in front of me to alleviate some of the pain.

  I blinked as another wave of pain swept over me and I gritted my teeth. My head was pounding with a vengeance, and my swollen eye was throbbing.

  I’d heal though, I just needed to think of what I was meant to do.

  I was being claimed. I was to be Richard’s mate.

  The thought made me gag.

  I could never be with that ruthless, disgusting man.

  I had my mates, my wild Jaye, my sweet Nathan, my burly Scott. This was not how my life was meant to go.

  But considering I was bound in the trunk, there was little I could do about that right now.

  I needed to think, to come up with a way out of this mess. Considering I was now, technically, a part of the Williamson Pack, I couldn’t kill Richard. That was punishable by death, killing a Pack mate.

  Damn.

  I closed my eyes as the pounding in my skull intensified, as if it was slowly splitting open.

  Great way to start your life with a new mate, by punching her in the head.

  Even if she broke your nose.

  My boys had told me repeatedly that they wouldn’t allow him to have me, that they’d find a way. I didn’t want to rely on that though. This was my problem, I’d lost the fight. And considering I’d trained hard to be a Huntress, I wasn’t too sure I wanted my father taking Richard on. I was too worried he’d lose, and Richard wouldn’t let him survive that fight.

  How long had I been out for anyway? The Williamson ranch was quite a fair way away from our ranch, a few hours. And we’d met between the two territories for the battle, so if I was still in the car, then I hadn’t been unconscious too long.

  My mind jumped to my boys, remembering how they roared when Richard punched me in the head, and I hoped they hadn’t come after him. For all I knew, they could be hurt.

  Or worse.

  My chest tightened at that sudden thought, and I clenched my jaw.

  No, they weren’t that stupid. I had to trust Gadion and my father wouldn’t have allowed them to interfere. Like I could trust a vampire Councilman whom I’d only known from one phone call. Still, as the member of the Council dealing with werewolf issues, it was his duty to make sure that laws were followed and ‘wolves were safe.

  I could only hope that was enough, but the worry that wriggled into my mind, the doubt and the fear, it was crushing.

  All I could do was wait in agony until we reached Richard’s home. Surely he’d brag if one of my boys had gotten hurt. Or worse.

  The minutes dragged by like an eternity, and I desperately wished my pain away, my head woozy and my vision blurring from the monstrous migraine.

  Every bump in the road and every turn made my body ache and cry out in pain as I jostled around the trunk, crammed into it in an uncomfortable fashion. Not to mention it was getting mighty warm in here.

  By the time the car rumbled to a stop, I was on the brink of passing out once more from the pain and probably the lack of oxygen in the trunk. Guess he’d forgotten that I needed to breathe.

  The trunk clicked open and was heaved up, and I gasped in fresh air as the cool night breeze washed over me, soothing my aches and clammy skin.

  I snarled as Richard looked down at me, a proud, smug smile marring his face. I wanted to knock it clean off, but instead I looked to his bruising nose, the stain of blood around it making me smirk.

  “How’s the nose?” I asked with an arched eyebrow, loving the pissed off scowl that overcame him.

  He raised a fist, and I waited for the incoming hit.

  Nothing happened as who I could only assume was a Pack member stepped forward.

  “This she-wolf will become your mate, we may have to postpone the ceremony if she’s so badly wounded,” the man said, shooting me a distressed look, as if he was pleading for me to keep my mouth shut.

  He didn’t know me at all.

  But the sincere look of fear for my safety in his eyes made me do a double take. He was roughly the same build as Nathan, but had a more sweet face, a young face, I realized. He’d be lucky to be over twenty. His black hair was crew cut like Richard’s, and his deep brown eyes were worried. An ugly scar cut down through one eyebrow and sliced across his eyelid, ending midway down his left cheek. I could only wonder how he’d obtained such a horrid injury.

  “Take her inside, get one of the bitches to clean her up. Keep her tied up, we don’t need her trying to escape,” Richard snapped as he glared down at me.

  “On it,” the young man dipped his head as he reached into the trunk. He slid his arms underneath me carefully, and I withheld any display of pain, refusing to show Richard that I was struggling.

  “We’ll have the ceremony at midnight, make sure she’s ready,” Richard growled as he thumped the trunk down once I was in the young man’s arms safely.

  “She’s injured, maybe you should wait a few days,” the man argued softly,
but he averted his eyes when Richard towered over him, rage flashing through his eyes.

  “Don’t you dare question your Alpha! This little ‘wolf is mine, and I’ll have her tonight. I need children, and I’ll make sure she bears them,” he growled.

  I closed my eyes from the throbbing pain in my body, not wanting to see that ruthless, despicable man’s face.

  “Of course, sir,” the man managed a pathetic bow with me in his arms before he turned away.

  I heard Richard muttering and growling behind us, but I took the moment to look up at the man carrying me.

  “Name’s Raymond, you’re Taylor Ashwood, from the Ashwood Pack,” he said softly once we were out of earshot of Richard. “I’m so sorry about all this. I wouldn’t wish our Alpha upon anyone,” he murmured as he caught my gaze.

  “Well, he’s your Alpha, you have to listen to him,” I managed to say, but my mind was stuck on something else. “Did anyone from my Pack get hurt?”

  “No, one of the betas nearly wolfed out, the other two looked ready to jump right in, but your Alpha there kept them in check, said you wouldn’t want them throwing their lives away. Your Alpha and brother were distressed, but they managed to withhold their emotions, I guess,” he assured me.

  I relaxed only slightly at this knowledge. My boys and family were safe. I was grateful for Raymond telling me that. He had no idea what a relief it was to know. But then my mind wandered to what Richard had said, and an icy chill ran through me.

  Tonight he wanted the ceremony to mate us. The thought terrified me. I needed more time, time to escape, to flee from here. To figure all this out.

  “I don’t want to be his,” I mumbled, wincing as Raymond climbed some steps and had to change his hand positions on me.

  It wasn’t easy carrying me considering my arms were still bound behind my back painfully, but he somehow managed it.

  A glance around revealed that Richard’s home was set right in the woods with a decent clearing around it, a large lodge from what I could make out. Raymond was taking me through a side door, and the outside world gave way to a wooden interior.

  “No one does. But no one is strong enough to overthrow him. His family has Alpha’d this Pack for generations. Although, rumor has it that he poisoned his own father to gain the position sooner. Wouldn’t surprise me. His mother died shortly after he became Alpha, suspicious circumstances, but no one was willing to question him. He’s ruthless, those who defy him end up badly beaten and on the brink of death. Some never fully recover,” Raymond said softly as he carried me carefully down a hallway, the gentle light from the ceiling fixtures giving the lodge a cozy feel. Well, it would feel like that to anyone else who wasn’t in my situation.

  “Why are you telling me all this?” I said, my voice croaky and dry.

  “I want you to not get hurt even more. Please don’t try to escape, we’re bound by Pack loyalty, and many of us are his children, we can’t turn on him. If you get away, and trust me, some of us would even want to help you, he’d bring harm to us. Including the children,” Raymond sighed.

  “He’s your father?” I asked in disbelief. “And he’d seriously hurt children?”

  “It was he who impregnated my mother, but he is not my father. My father raised me as if I was his own despite where I came from. I would never consider the Alpha my father,” Raymond scoffed. “And not even children are unscathed by his fury. I got this from him when I was nine,” he flicked his head left, and I realized he was talking about the scar down the left side of his face. “He nearly took out my eye. My mother went into heat and fell pregnant to my actual father. The Alpha had ordered to have her the next time. My mother disobeyed, so he punished her through me.”

  “What a goddamn monster,” I hissed, followed by a whimper as Raymond shifted my body to open a bedroom door.

  “I’m sorry, I’ll undo your bindings, as long as you promise not to run away. Please. You might be our only chance at salvation. Maybe a strong woman like you can help… I don’t know, change him,” Raymond looked exasperated as he trudged into the bedroom and lay me down on the double bed. The sheets were an olive green, and the pillows were a dusky grey. Not the colors I would’ve chosen, but whatever. It wasn’t my main concern right now.

  The room was large but sparse, a bed and wardrobe were the only objects inside.

  “I don’t think anyone could change him,” I gave a sharp laugh despite the way it made my head drum.

  “Will you stay, please? I know it must terrify you what’s going to happen tonight, I can’t promise you what kind of experience it’ll be. But I know if you run, he’ll have you hunted down and probably shot before you make it to our borders,” Raymond said as he sat on the bed beside me.

  I stared hard at him, feeling sorry for the young man. He couldn’t be older than me, and the sincere lost look he had, the worry in his eyes, and the tense way he carried himself, it pained me. As much as I wanted to test my luck escaping, I couldn’t fathom him paying the price of my escape. He’d suffered enough.

  “I won’t run, I’m not exactly in a fighting fit state anyway,” I managed a soft smile. It was true, even if I wanted to, my head was pounding and my stomach was bruised and sore. Not to mention I could barely see out my left eye. I was in no state to make my escape.

  “Thank you,” Raymond let out a relieved breath before undoing the ropes on my wrists.

  I groaned as I slowly pulled my arms around to my chest, the jarring pain in my shoulders from them being forced behind me so long only added to the list of problems with me at the moment.

  “You can call me Ray,” he said after a moment of watching me gingerly touch my already bruised and swollen wrists.

  “Thanks,” I mumbled, the realization of exactly what was to come dropping onto me like a freight train.

  I trembled as I closed my eyes, forcing back the tears that stung them. I wouldn’t cry, I wouldn’t pity myself. I would handle this. And I’d find a way home.

  “I’m sorry,” Ray mumbled as he stood up. “I’ll give you some time to get yourself together before I send one of the women in. They’ll patch you up.”

  I didn’t trust myself to say anything, so I remained silent as Ray left, closing the door behind him.

  The resounding click of the lock made me grind my teeth as I drew in a sharp breath. There was a row of small windows along the top of the wall behind the bed, none of which were big enough for a person to squeeze through. A precaution, perhaps, but I doubted they’d built this room just for me. It probably was just so the room stayed warmer in winter.

  I curled in on myself as I wallowed, refusing to let the tears spill forth as I thought about my boys and my family.

  At least they were safe now. Richard would be too focused on me to go after my father’s position just yet. He’d never challenged my father before, only attempted raids on our ranch. Perhaps he wasn’t too confident he’d win. My father was a strong man, quick and light on his feet, but packed a deadly punch. But I’d gotten first hand knowledge of Richard’s brutality and strength. I could see why my father hadn’t ever intervened with his Pack despite being the Area Enforcer and knowing the extra tidbits about the Williamson Pack. Did he know that Richard hurt children? I doubted my father would stand by and let that happen, but he knew of Richard’s theft of mates within his own Pack during heat, and how he ruled them with an iron thumb.

  I agonized over my night ahead, of the binding ceremony. I’d been to enough of them to know what they entailed. Tonight, Richard would claim me in blood and body, and the ceremony would seal our union as mates. It was like a wedding, but everything, including the animalistic honeymoon and exchanging of blood, was on display before the whole Pack. Children excluded until the age of sixteen.

  The idea of his huge, meaty hands touching me, of him forcing himself upon me, having me to himself, it filled me with hopelessness. How would my boys ever look at me the same? Sure, they shared me, but that was different. Would they forgive me f
or this?

  I had no choice, I’d lost the fight.

  I couldn’t contain the soft sobs any longer as they wreaked my body, the tears burning in my left swollen eye.

  I only cried for a few moments before the excruciating pain in my head took over and I groaned in despair.

  A woman entered my room after unlocking the door, and I glared at her with my one good eye, giving her a careful once over. She was around thirty, her dirty blonde curls tied up in a messy ponytail, and she wore a sweet little navy blue dress.

  She gave me a sad smile as she strode over, a pile of clothing over one arm and a first aid kit in the other.

  “Hey,” she said softly, as if I was a wounded animal she had to gain the trust of. “I’m May, I’m here to patch you up,” she murmured, her voice soft and soothing.

  I swallowed as I sat up, wondering if she had the same feelings as Ray towards the Alpha.

  I wanted to move away from her, to hide in my sorrow, but by the tender look she gave me, I knew she only wanted to help.

  “Ray will be in with painkillers and water in a moment. I’ve got some ointments that’ll help with your wrists, they look pretty sore. I’m sure you’re aware of the special herbs that help us ‘wolves heal,” May said as she slowly joined me on the bed, making sure I was comfortable with her doing so.

  Herbs for our kind were special. Ancient human tribes used them because of what ‘wolves had taught them, although the effects weren’t as strong for humans.

  I allowed her to gingerly take my arms and inspect my wrists. She’d set the pile of clothes beside her on the bed, and the old tin first aid box was on her lap.

  She pursed her lips and delved into the tin, an array of homemade ointments and tonics inside it. Little brown bottles with handwritten labels, small balm tins and a sewing kit, along with disinfectant, were the items it contained.

  She pulled out a balm tin with the handwritten label of ‘Swelling/Bruising’ and got to work gently running the cool balm over my wrists. Her fingers were careful and soft, but it still hurt as she ran them over my green and blue bruises that were already making themselves known. Once she was satisfied, she moved to my left eye, careful to keep the balm away from my actual eye. I hissed and gritted my teeth as she smoothed the balm over the swollen, tender flesh, but my wrists were already cooling in a soothing way.