Page 26 of Alpha Wolf’s Nanny (Silvermist Wolves #2)

Cassie came to with a gasp, her head snapping forward, temples pounding like someone had driven nails into her skull.

The air was thick with rot and rust. Metal, oil, and something far more sinister.

Her wrists ached, and when she tried to move, a sharp bite of pain told her she wasn’t going anywhere.

Her arms were bound tightly to the arms of a wooden chair, iron cuffs digging into her skin. Her ankles were shackled to the legs below. The chains rattled when she shifted, the sound far too loud in the cavernous warehouse around her.

She squinted against the sickly fluorescent lights flickering overhead. Cold concrete beneath. A line of industrial shelving behind her. Crates stacked in shadows. And to her side…movement.

A low, guttural growl vibrated through the air, sending terror shooting down her spine.

Cassie’s heart slammed against her ribs as she turned her head toward the noise.

Rick.

He was in wolf form, fully shifted. His massive frame paced restlessly behind thick bars of reinforced iron, the kind used for exotic animal enclosures, the door held closed with multiple padlocks as thick as her arm.

His fur was matted with dirt and sweat, his eyes wild.

No trace of his usual icy calculation. No clever arrogance.

Only raw, snarling rage.

“Rick?” she called out softly.

He lunged at the bars with a howl that made her flinch.

His teeth snapped inches from the metal. Saliva dripped from his muzzle.

He didn’t seem to see her. Or, if he did, it didn’t register.

Cassie’s breath caught. He was too far gone. The drug, maybe? Or just the fear? She wasn’t sure. But whatever veneer of control Rick usually held, it was gone. And without that, she was on her own.

Footsteps echoed from somewhere behind her, slow and deliberate. Her blood turned to ice.

“I see you’re awake, sweetheart,” a voice drawled.

The man stepped into view, a cruel grin stretched across his pockmarked face. She didn’t recognize him, but she knew who he was all the same. They had found her. After so many years, they had finally tracked her down.

“I gotta say,” he went on, arms spreading wide like they were catching up over drinks, “you’re a tough one to track. Crossed the damn country. Buried yourself in a town so backwoods it’s practically off-grid. I’m almost impressed.”

A flashing glint in his hand caught her eye, and she saw the serrated blade in his hand, wickedly sharp and poised to attack.

The man saw her eyes tracking the knife, and laughed, low and wicked.

“See something you like, sweetheart? Don’t you worry, you’re gonna get very well acquainted with this thing before the sun’s up. ”

“How did you find me?” she choked, wrestling against her restraints, panic clawing her throat.

The man grinned. “See, we’ve got this thing called motivation. Caught wind of you a few weeks ago, been tracking you ever since. Clever idea to surround yourself with mangy wolves, there was a moment there I thought we wouldn’t get close enough to you without alerting your precious guard dog.”

“Weeks?” Cassie repeated, her heart dropping to her stomach.

“Oh yeah, sweetheart. We caught a lucky break, though. From the sounds of things, Red Teeth is a nasty piece of work. I’ll have to send him a bottle of wine for getting your protector out of town.”

“You’re working with Red Teeth?” Cassie spat, narrowing her eyes.

The man scoffed, “Hardly. I’m just opportunistic, love.”

Cassie swallowed hard. “What do you want?”

“You, sweetheart. All of this is for you. You should be pleased. Money was a nice incentive at first. But let’s be honest, this ain’t about that anymore. You made us look stupid. Ran off like we’re amateurs. Nice to know you take after your dear old dad.”

Her breath caught in her throat. So they knew about her father.

The man tossed the knife, flipping it in a menacing arc through the air, before catching it expertly by the handle. “Don’t you worry about pops, sweetheart. We caught up with him a year and a half ago. And boy, did he squeal like a piggy.”

Cassie gasped, a ragged, wet sound, as something inside her that she didn’t even know was still there broke. She hated her father. Hated him ever since he left. But to know he’d been hunted like her, tracked down and butchered…

Bile rose in her throat, and she fought to keep the contents of her stomach down.

The man stepped closer, and Cassie could see the yellowing bruises on his knuckles. She recoiled as much as the chains allowed.

“So, here’s the thing, we’re gonna have to make an example out of you. A very public, very messy example. Word gets around fast in certain circles.”

Rick growled again, slamming his body against the cage. The metal groaned. Cassie looked at him, desperate for any sense of recognition, of humanity, but there was nothing. Only the beast. Whatever drug they had given him, it was powerful.

The man glanced back at him, sneering, “That one’s going to fetch us a nice little fortune.

Once we sedate him properly, of course. Nasty things, shifters.

Can’t have him tearing our heads off before the sale.

Very nice of you to lead us to Timberrdige, by the way.

We might get quite the supply chain going. ”

“Sell him?” Cassie choked. “He’s not a thing. He’s a person!”

He crouched so they were eye-level. “No, sweetheart. He’s a monster. Just like you. Just like all of you little freaks hiding out in your cozy forest towns. People don’t want peace with your kind. They want proof that monsters bleed, too.”

He stood and turned to leave. “Back in a tick. Gotta prep the goods for shipment.”

He laughed as he walked off, the sound echoing through the room.

For several long minutes, the silence was deafening.

Oh God. Oh God. They knew about the pack. About the boys. She had let them go straight to Silvermist. And now…they were going to attack. And it was all her fault.

Cassie sat frozen in the chair, trying to breathe through the panic pressing down on her chest like a vice.

Her ears rang with the echo of that mocking laugh, each cruel syllable scraping down her spine.

She was shaking so hard now that the chains rattled with every breath, the cold bite of metal a constant reminder that she was trapped, helpless, and utterly alone.

Rick’s growls quieted for a heartbeat, but then resumed, low and guttural, the sound of something suffering, something barely tethered to the world. She looked at him and felt a fresh wave of despair wash over her. He was a monster in a cage. But he was her monster. And he was all she had.

Tears stung her eyes. Cassie closed them, clenched her jaw, and willed herself not to cry. Not now. But the weight of it, of what they wanted to do to her, of how close she was to breaking, of the looming threat to Silvermist and the boys, was too much.

A sob escaped her lips before she could stop it.

“No,” she whispered aloud, angry at herself. “No, no, no.”

With a burst of frantic energy, she twisted her torso hard enough that the chair creaked beneath her. She did it again, and again, ignoring the way her shoulders screamed in protest. The third time, the old wood cracked. On the fourth, the back leg gave way with a splintering crunch.

Cassie toppled sideways and hit the ground with a grunt. Pain exploded in her shoulder, but she didn’t care. She was out of the chair, or at least what was left of it.

But the chains were still there.

The cuffs around her wrists and ankles held fast. She could barely move more than a foot in any direction. Her limbs were scraped and raw from the tumble, and now she lay half- curled on the concrete floor, the broken remnants of the chair still tangled around her.

She tried to sit up but couldn’t quite manage it with the way her arms were still fastened down. Tears threatened again, hot and helpless.

“That’s it, then,” she whispered bitterly. “That’s all I’ve got.”

She slumped back against the floor, defeated, her heart hammering in her chest. Rick snarled and paced, hurling his weight at the bars again, and the sound reverberated through her bones.

No. No, she had to keep a clear head. Had to keep her wits about her. She couldn’t afford to break down. Not now. Not when the boys were depending on her. Not when Rick, feral and frantic, was their only hope of getting out of this place alive.

She glanced toward the cage. Rick was still pacing, claws clattering on the concrete, his snarls raw and constant. His body slammed against the bars with enough force to make them rattle, but the locks held firm.

“Rick,” she tried again, louder this time. Her voice cracked. “Rick, please. I need you to focus. You have to come back to yourself. Just for a second.”

The wolf didn’t stop. His ears twitched, but there was no change in his wild expression.

Cassie’s chains clinked softly as she twisted, testing their give. None. Too tight to slip, too strong to break. She hissed through her teeth in frustration.

And then, in the middle of all that fear and pain and exhaustion, a single ridiculous memory flickered to life. Logan’s smug little face as he held up a paperclip, saying, “You’re gonna thank me for this one day, Cass.”

Her eyes widened. A hairpin. She had a hairpin.

It was still there, tucked high behind her ear, wedged beneath the elastic that held her hair in its half-ponytail. A small, silver clip. Totally unremarkable. She’d almost forgotten it. Almost.

Carefully, Cassie leaned her head back against the remnants of the chair, straining her fingers toward the pin. It took several tries, every attempt scraping her wrist against the sharp edge of the cuff, but finally, finally, her fingers caught the edge of the pin and tugged it free.

It fell into her palm like a lifeline.

She closed her fist around it, heart hammering.

Okay. Think. Think. What had Danny said?

“It’s all about tension and listening to the clicks, Cassie,” he said, his small hands carefully manipulating an old padlock. “You gotta feel it in the lock. Be gentle, but not too gentle. And don’t be afraid to jiggle it.”

Logan added, “And if you hear a pop, that means you’re doing something right.”

God, the things Dane taught those two. It was completely irresponsible.

She bit back a hysterical laugh and turned the pin over in her hands, straightening it as best she could.

Then she set to work on the padlock that chained her left wrist.

It was agonizing. Every movement sent pain shooting up her arm. Her fingers were stiff and cramping. She could barely feel the tiny notches inside the mechanism. But slowly, steadily, the pin began to move.

Click.

She froze. That had been real. That had been progress.

Click. Click.

The pin snagged, and with a soft, almost inaudible pop, the cuff around her left wrist snapped open.

Cassie nearly wept with relief. Her fingers trembled as she pulled her hand free, then shifted to attack the other wrist.

Behind her, Rick let out a sharp, whimpering snarl. She risked a glance.

He was still in the cage, but his pacing had slowed. He was watching her now, head tilted, tail still, muscles tense with unreadable energy.

“That’s it,” she murmured, “come back to me, Rick. Come back.”

She worked on the other cuff. It was easier now with one hand free, and soon that one fell away, too. Then she reached down to her ankles, twisting awkwardly to get to the locks.

By the time she pulled her legs free, her whole body was shaking. Sweat poured down her temples. But she was unbound.

Cassie stumbled up from the shattered remains of the chair, legs wobbling beneath her. Her hands were raw. Her knees ached. But she was standing.

And she had a plan.

She darted toward Rick’s cage, pin in hand. He snarled, lunging forward, and she flinched instinctively, but his body slammed into the bars and didn’t break through.

“Don’t you dare bite me,” she hissed through clenched teeth, “I’m trying to help you, you stubborn bastard.”

Rick growled again, but it wasn’t quite the same; there was confusion in it now. Wariness.

She approached the largest padlock on the cage door and set to work.

It was tougher. The lock was industrial grade, coated in rust, and thick with age. The pin bent under pressure, and she nearly cried out when it slipped and jabbed into her finger. But then…

Click. Click. Pop.

The first one fell away.

She moved to the next.

Rick was standing still now, body coiled but not attacking. Watching.

“I don’t know if you can understand me,” she said quietly, “but if you can, please. Help me. I can’t do this without you.”

The second lock fell.

“And please,” she looked right into his eyes, “don’t bite my hand off.”

The third she couldn’t quite get, but when she stepped back, the remaining bar holding the door shut was loose enough that Rick, with one brutal charge, could break through.

She took a breath. Then stepped aside.

Rick stared at her for a long moment.

And then, without warning, he charged the door.

The crash echoed like thunder, and the metal snapped apart with a wrenching scream. Rick burst into the warehouse proper, chest heaving, nostrils flared.

Cassie shrank back, heart caught in her throat.

The wolf turned towards her, teeth wickedly sharp, eyes still wild. He took one step towards her. Then another.

Her heart was in her throat.

This was it. He was going to kill her. Drugged up and aggressive, he was going to turn on anyone or anything. And she only had a hairpin for defense. He’d pinned her once, and he’d been in his right mind at the time. Now…

He snarled and she whimpered, falling backwards, desperately kicking and scrambling away from him. But he didn’t advance.

She paused, chest heaving, and watched him.

He gnashed his teeth a few times, shaking his head this way and that, blinking heavily. Then, with a burst of aggressive speed, he ran towards the door, threw back his head, and let out a long, keening howl that shook the air.

A call to the pack.

Hope bloomed in her chest.

They weren’t alone anymore. Not for long.