Page 5 of Blood Pack Beginning (Pack #5)

CHAPTER FOUR

Despite everything they’d learned, Cyrus still had his doubts as to whether they should be partnering with vampires. Amir appeared all in. Omar reluctantly agreed, but Cyrus doubted he’d be much use. He’d never seen a bigger pussy. Heck, their sister, Lorelei, a dormant, was a shit-ton tougher than their younger brother.

As for Diego, he agreed to help with the hunt for the murderers, but Cyrus had a feeling it was more about impressing Sasha, the woman who’d rebuffed his flirting.

For the moment, Cyrus went along with the tentative truce with their captors. Yes, captors, because that’s what they were. Sure, they could put the Lycan in a pair of nice rooms. Feed them giant juicy rib steaks. Teach them combat. But none of that made him trust Sasha and the others. It didn’t help the only person they really had contact with was Sasha. She’d been put in charge of them and took her role as teacher seriously. They trained every night after dinner. Fisticuffs. Wrestling. Even got lessons in using guns and knives.

While he’d yet to decide if he liked the woman, she certainly knew her shit—and she pushed them hard.

“Hit me,” she’d yell if she felt like they held back.

Cyrus had no problem with it. Amir had come around too, realizing quickly she could handle a punch. But Omar… well, he’d never be a decent fighter; he lacked the instinct. As for Diego, he still wanted into her pants. Probably why he kept letting her flip him to his back. He enjoyed it when she straddled him with a hand to his throat. Cyrus enjoyed it too—to his chagrin—but he didn’t allow it on purpose.

The biggest problem Cyrus had was the sense of secrecy still surrounding them. Yes, Sasha answered any question they asked—though usually sarcastically. However, he couldn’t shake the sense she held back. And he was less than impressed with the fact that they weren’t doing more to warn the packs of the threat to them. It especially baffled because Nathan, leader of the Lycan Council, understood the danger, and yet, when Cyrus spoke to him on the phone, he’d claimed that those who needed to be aware had been informed. Meaning the alphas, and only the alphas, knew of the danger. But what of the rest? Cyrus wanted to warn them all.

“It’s not up to us ,” Sasha had stated when Cyrus asked why they weren’t shouting the news of the troubles to all the Lycans, not just their leaders.

“ My kind should know they’re in danger ,” he’d argued.

“Agreed, but the Lycan Council is the one making the call, and they don’t want to cause panic. Which, as you can imagine, is exactly what would happen if, all of a sudden, the Lycan Packs discovered not only the existence of vampires but the fact there are bad players amongst our kind targeting them.”

To which he’d countered, “Who’s to say these bad vamps you’re after didn’t already get to the Lycan Council? That they’re not already pulling the strings?”

“It’s possible, and it’s something Nathan’s aware of. He claims to be handling it.”

Was he, though? After hearing the full story about how Nathan’s father, Roderick, had been infected—because that was the only word Cyrus had for the fact a Lycan had been turned part vampire—who was to say Nathan hadn’t been affected too? Hell, Cyrus worried about Sasha or her big scary boss doing something to them, making them into hybrid monsters who thought nothing of killing Lycans, despite the fact that she claimed they were immune. For him to believe that, he’d need to trust her, and his trust wasn’t easily earned.

During the day, while the vampires slept, Cyrus often found himself unable to slumber, managing only a few hours before he ended up outside. He often glanced to the closed main gate and the many cars parked near it. How far could he get if he hopped in one and drove off? He could have set off on foot—four furry feet to be exact—and probably lost himself in the wilderness nearby. Yet, he didn’t. Couldn’t.

For one, he wouldn’t leave his friends behind, and secondly, a part of him—a small part—kind of wanted to be a member of the team that saved the Packs. That avenged Moon Dew. He’d never forget seeing his sweet aunt lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood. Despite being cast out of the pack at eighteen for being dormant, she’d remained in close contact with her brother and nephews.

They’d often visited his aunt, under the guise of work, his trucker father choosing routes that passed close to Moon Dew so they could pop in for some of his aunt’s epic roast beef and her special mashed potatoes finished off with apple pie for dessert.

When his dad passed, Cyrus kept up the tradition, loving how his aunt’s eyes would light up when she opened the door to see him. Hard to believe she was gone because some assholes had ended her life violently. Why kill her when they’d taken others? Why take anyone at all?

The need to understand, and the desire for vengeance, kept Cyrus inside the compound, participating in the training lessons. But at moments like these, when he only had his thoughts for company, he wondered if he was a dumbass for listening to anything that came out of a vampire’s mouth.

At least the vamps didn’t feed on them. Omar had been mightily concerned about that, but they’d yet to notice any holes on their bodies. Then again, given how fast they healed, would they even notice?

All in all, their stay wasn’t unpleasant. Things had almost become a sort of normal. It helped that there were other Lycan around, not only Toni and Marc, who were mated to Sasha’s boss—to Cyrus’ shock and amazement—but also others who’d arrived needing shelter.

The shifting of his mindset halted the day Sasha walked them back down to the panic room which resembled an open concept apartment with seating, a television bolted to the wall and a mini kitchen.

The Lycans balked. She hadn’t locked them in there since Thaddeus had cleared them days ago.

“Has something changed?” Cyrus asked.

“I need to go deal with a situation,” she said, not meeting their eyes.

“What kind of situation?” Amir asked.

“A nasty one involving ghouls.”

That brought a frown from Diego. “Aren’t those the failed vampire things you told us about?”

“They are violent creatures with a constant hunger for blood. Very dangerous, which is why you’ll be staying behind.”

“What?” Amir shook his head. “Isn’t this what we’ve been training for?”

Her lips pinched. “Yes, but you’re not ready yet.”

“Like fuck we’re not.” A bristling Amir stepped toward her, body tense and fists clenched by his sides.

“You’ve improved drastically since we started the lessons, but it’s more than skill. I’m not sure if I can trust you yet to protect my back.”

“We’ve done nothing to warrant that kind of suspicion.” Diego’s hot retort.

“Yet,” she stated. “I haven’t lived this long by being stupid about my safety. You’ll stay here while I go help Thaddeus.”

“Like fuck we will.”

“Did you think you had a choice?” Her sweet reply before her hand moved quickly. Cyrus only had a second to realize she held the tranq gun before the dart hit him.

It was filled with the same potent shit she’d used on them the first time she’d locked them in there. Just like before, he hit the ground so fast he didn’t have time to call her a nasty name.

A drooling Cyrus woke face first on the floor and rolled to his back with a groan. The first of the four to rouse, but within minutes, all but Omar stirred, with Amir, of course, being pissed.

“I can’t believe she fucking drugged us—again!” The big man rose to his feet and staggered to the door. It didn’t yield at his tug. No real surprise, but tell that to Amir, who pounded on the locked portal bellowing, “Let me out!”

The door remained shut, and no one replied, but Omar who groggily said, “What happened?”

“Sasha put us to sleep,” Cyrus answered as he dragged his sluggish ass to a chair.

“To keep us safe,” Diego opined, once more cutting her too much slack.

“You mean she did this to keep herself safe because she doesn’t trust us,” Amir grumbled as he paced in front of the only exit to the room.

“In her defense, she doesn’t know us well yet.”

“Stop making excuses for her,” Cyrus snapped at Diego. “You don’t ask someone to be your ally then drug and lock them up.”

“It is admittedly a bit overkill,” Diego admitted.

“If she didn’t trust us to guard her back, then she could have simply left us behind. No reason to lock us away,” Cyrus pointed out.

“You’re saying you wouldn’t have tried to follow?” Diego’s arched query.

Amir whirled. “I’ll bet the reason she didn’t want us along is because she’s hiding something.”

“Like what?” Diego sounded genuinely curious.

“I don’t know. Maybe she’s been lying this whole time. Maybe her boss is the vampire causing issues.” Amir had a quick reply.

“Nathan confirmed their story,” Cyrus reminded.

“Who’s to say he wasn’t compromised?” The quick rebuttal by Amir.

“If the vampires can turn an alpha like Nathan, then the Lycans are fucked.” Cyrus offered a bleak response that tilted Diego’s lips downwards and turned Amir’s face to rigid stone.

Of them all, only Omar appeared unperturbed. He went poking in the fridge for a snack.

“This is bullshit.” Amir ranted. “Why bother training us if she’s just gonna lock us away each time there’s a skirmish?”

“I hope she took enough backup with her.” Diego pursed his lips. “Those ghouls she told us about sound nasty.”

A reminder that led to Cyrus asking, “What happens if she doesn’t come back?”

Their gazes went to the impenetrable door. If Sasha, or anyone for that matter, didn’t return, then they had no way to escape. With limited food, how long before they died?

“She’ll be back. She’s tough,” Diego stated, showing the utmost confidence in Sasha. No surprise. He made no bones about the fact he wanted to fuck her.

“Guess we’ll know in a few hours.”

“Why a few hours?” Diego asked with a creased brow.

“Because that’s when dawn arrives.” Cyrus pointed to the clock on the wall.

“I am going to wring her neck for thinking we weren’t good enough to help,” Amir growled. The lack of faith in their combat skills was the true reason for Amir’s moping.

“Good luck trying. None of us have managed to land a hand on her yet,” Diego reminded.

The woman had proven to be the epitome of fierce.

“I think it’s time we had a discussion on whether or not we should stay.” Cyrus broached it for the first time aloud.

“Where else would we go?” Amir faced him with hands planted on his hips.

“Back to our pack to warn them what’s happening. Make sure Xander puts protective measures in place.” Xander being the alpha for the Woolly Pillars Pack. Dumb name. Blame the builder of the neighborhood where the pack settled. They’d bought up all the housing in the gated community but never bothered changing the name.

“You really think Xander will believe us?” Diego scoffed.

Cyrus shrugged. “Only one way to find out.”

“You and Diego might be able to go, but you know Omar and I can’t come with you. You know what your alpha would do to a pair of rogues,” Amir reminded.

Hunt and terminate because wolves weren’t meant to be alone. While it didn’t happen all the time, lone wolves were more likely to snap and turn feral. A feral wolf didn’t care about hiding and posed a danger to all.

Now, with the added vampire threat? Nathan had made it clear he had no intention of giving any rogues a fair trial. Would Xander be any different?

Cyrus pinched his lips. “I could try putting in a good word for you and Omar with Xander,” to which Diego snorted.

“You know he’ll never agree to take them in. The man barely suffers us as is.” A common problem in a pack with too many males, not enough females, ruled by an older alpha convinced everyone was after his position. Not entirely paranoia. Many wanted change, but none were willing to risk their lives to challenge Xander, a burly man in his fifties and built like a brick wall.

“What other choice do we have? Or would you rather stay here and get knocked out and locked up every time there’s a fight?” Cyrus countered. “Not to mention, no one’s said how we’ll escape if she doesn’t return.”

“Rather than try and deal with Xander, who is an ass on his best day, we could work on showing Sasha she can trust us so that she takes us the next time there’s a skirmish,” Diego countered.

“Haven’t we already proven we’re not assholes?” Amir huffed. “I mean, what more do we have to do to prove ourselves? We’ve been doing as we’re told. Hell, we let her boss rifle around in our brains. Not to mention, we haven’t tried to stake her or the other vamps.”

“As if any of us is fast enough to even try,” Diego snorted.

“Is staying even the right choice?” Cyrus mused aloud. “From the sounds of it, the packs are in danger, and for some reason, the Lycan Council, or at least Nathan, isn’t willing to properly warn them. I can understand he doesn’t want to spread panic, but ignorance, in this case, could be more dangerous.”

“No one will believe you.” Omar suddenly interjected, and they rounded on him. The young man kept chewing on the chicken leg he’d found in the fridge.

“We’re not liars,” Amir reminded his brother.

“Obviously, but how would that conversation even go?” Omar explained. “‘Hey, did you know there’s vampires stealing Lycans and turning them into ghouls and mind-controlled killing machines?’ It sounds crazy.”

“All the more reason to get the truth out there to prepare people,” Cyrus argued.

“You can try if you want, but given the choice, I’d stay here. The food is good. The training, while annoying, isn’t terrible. And I, for one, am fine being kept away from ghouls and shit. Not all of us want to fight.”

Disappointment tugged at Amir’s features. The two brothers couldn’t have been more unalike.

“I’m okay with getting my fists dirty,” Diego offered in direct counterpoint. “Think it would impress Sasha if I took out a ghoul on my own?”

“Do all your life decisions have to be based on whether or not it will get you in a woman’s pants?” Amir snapped.

“In this case, yes. There’s something about Sasha that calls to me.” Diego made no bones about his attraction, and for some reason, Cyrus felt a spurt of jealousy.

Insane. He didn’t even like the woman. Tell that to his body that reacted to her presence. His dreams featured her, usually wearing very little clothing. Did he desire her? To his annoyance, yes, but that didn’t mean he’d make stupid decisions simply so he could wet his dick in vampire pussy.

“All of this is moot if she doesn’t return,” Cyrus reminded.

Only, she did come back, mere minutes before dawn, streaked in dirt and blood, her hair and clothing damp with rain.

The shock of seeing her in that state had them silent for a moment.

Amir roared first. “What the fuck?”

“Hello to you too, Puppy Chow. Can you save the tantrum for later? I’m tired.”

“How’d the fight go?” Cyrus asked.

“We won.”

“Does this mean the threat to the Packs is gone?” Cyrus asked.

Her lips flattened. “No. We have no idea who’s controlling the ghouls now that Morpheus is dead.”

“Were the ones you fought today any of the people abducted from Moon Dew?” Amir asked.

“I don’t think so. They would have been still fresh, whereas these creatures weren’t.”

Cyrus cocked his head. “You don’t think we’ll find them.”

“More like I doubt we’ll do so quick enough to save any. Morpheus was using ghouls to perpetuate his evil. And given their hunger…”

She didn’t complete the statement, didn’t have to in order to paint a chilling picture where the ghouls would eat the captives

“We have to find them.”

“We’ve got some people working on it. We stripped the ghouls before disposal tonight. If they had anything to indicate where they were hiding, we’ll find it.”

“Let me guess, when you go off to investigate, we’ll get tranqued again,” a bitter Amir commented.

“Is puppy grumpy I didn’t let him come play?” Sasha taunted.

“Don’t tease him,” Cyrus snapped. “He’s right to be pissed. We all are. Why train us if you’re not going to use us? For that matter, why even bother asking us to be allies if you plan to lock us away each time there’s a problem? Then there’s the fact that if you’d have died, we would have, too, because you know full well this panic room can’t be broken out of. That’s pretty fucked, and if that’s how you’re going to treat us, then I rescind my offer to help.” He didn’t hold back.

He half expected Sasha to blow him off. To his surprise, she ducked her head. “You’re right. That was a shitty thing for me to do. You have to understand this alliance thing with Lycans is Thaddeus’ idea. He’s the one keen on us working together. It’s rather new to me and, after a lifetime of avoiding Lycans, not an easy adjustment.”

“So you’re training us because your boss ordered it, but in reality, you don’t trust us at all,” Amir assessed.

“Can you blame me?” she countered. “It’s easy for Thaddeus because he’s mated to two wolves.”

“There are more wolves here than just Toni and Marc,” Diego pointed out. “He seems to trust us all, at least more than you do.”

“Because he’s also somehow got the alpha command, which means he doesn’t fear you turning on him. He can command you puppies to obey. Me, I’ve only got my quick fists and feet. If you were to turn on me in a battle, I’d be fucked. So yeah, I ditched your asses, but if it helps, I did feel a little bad about it.”

“No, you didn’t,” Cyrus commented, crossing his arms over his chest.

Her lips tilted. “Okay, I didn’t until you called me out. But in retrospect, I can see why you’re pissed. So how’s this? I promise not to tranquilize you in the future and lock you away.”

“What about bringing us the next time there’s a problem?”

She hesitated, and Amir barked, “For fuck’s sake, woman. Either you want us on your team or you don’t.”

“Fine! You can come on my next mission. But…” She eyed them and wagged a finger. “Keep in mind, I will be the one in charge. Listen to me or…”

“Or what?”

“When the fight ends and I need some blood to recover, whoever doesn’t listen gets to be my snack.”

With that, she whirled, presented a perfect ass, and stalked off, most likely to bed.

And in that silence, as at least three of them watched—because Omar remained more interested in an apple he munched—Diego muttered, “Might be worth my while being bad just to have her suck on me.”

For some reason, the comment had Cyrus picturing Sasha doing it.

But not to Diego.

In his mental flash, she knelt on her knees in front of Cyrus and those perfect lips sucked…

His cock.