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ASPEN

It took every ounce of control I had not to let my wolf turn my hands into claws and tear up the king’s brother’s back. If his hands strayed anywhere other than the backs of my knees, where they were currently located, I wasn’t going to be able to stop her.

But his hands didn’t stray.

He only took my trail for a few minutes before he turned down another one I knew well. It connected with a dirt road eventually.

Sure enough, we reached a dirt road ten minutes later. A doorless, roofless, offroad Jeep painted bright blue was parked right where we stepped out.

The king’s brother must’ve contacted the driver mentally, and the driver must’ve been nearby to reach us that fast. Their pack wasn’t located anywhere near the place I liked to run.

The Alpha Trio of every pack could communicate mentally with all of their wolves. I’d never experienced it, because I’d never actually been a part of a pack, but I knew it could be useful.

“Since when do we abduct groupies?” the guy in the driver’s seat asked, surprise evident in his voice.

My captor grunted. “Just drive.”

I hoped he’d throw me in the back seat or something. My wolf could survive a jump from a car moving fairly fast with minimal injuries, and she might be able to get away from the king’s brother.

Instead, he sat me on the middle console, with one thick arm around my waist.

I grabbed the bar over my head to stay upright as the driver peeled down the road.

He yelled, “This is a bad idea! If you bring a groupie to the Lodge, there will be challenges!”

“Do you smell sex on her?” my captor called back.

The guy shoved his head against my arm and sniffed.

I leaned away, but not before he gagged. “All I can smell is perfume.”

“I’m a pack female,” I said. “My brother is the Creek Alpha.”

The guy jerked his head back, looking at the king’s brother. “Seriously? Why’d you steal Fletcher’s sister? Everyone knows how protective he is of her.”

“Just get us back,” the king’s brother said.

The guy didn’t look convinced, but saluted him anyway.

An hour and a half later, I was thoroughly covered in dirt and long-past overstimulated from the uncomfortably tight arm still wrapped around my waist.

When we finally turned down a road and through a gate, relief made my shoulders sag. The gate wasn’t labeled, but it had to be the Lodge the Jeep’s driver had mentioned.

We turned once, and again, before I finally saw the Lodge through the trees.

My eyes widened.

I had thought Fletcher’s pack was big, with its gigantic three-story packhouse and the extra few dozen cabins built around it. But the Creek pack had literally nothing on the king’s.

Their Lodge was monstrous. Seven floors tall, and made of gorgeous, thick wood and rock, it stretched on for ages before turning. The walkways were made of stone that complimented the lodges, and the windows and doors fit the look of everything else.

It looked far more like a rustic resort than it resembled a house.

“How many people live here?” I asked. I wasn’t sure who I was talking to. My captor, or his driver.

“They stopped sharing the number after five hundred,” the driver said. “That was twenty years ago.”

That was way more wolves than I could even imagine one man keeping a hold of. Fletcher was strong, but his three hundred was considered a lot, and he had no interest in taking more wolves.

The king’s brother grunted, then lifted me out of the Jeep and stepped back smoothly. Instead of carrying me again, he set me on my feet and put his hand on my shoulder. When he propelled me toward the large front doors, my gaze landed on two guys who looked just like him.

They must’ve stepped outside a moment earlier, because I hadn’t seen them at first glance. They weren’t the kind of men who could go unnoticed.

I looked between them quickly, trying to find differences.

Neither of them had scars on their faces like my captor did. His hair was curlier than either of theirs, too. One of them had wilder, longer hair. The other had hair that was shorter and done artfully with gel.

While my captor was absolutely naked and hadn’t bothered even putting pants on, the one with the fancier hair had on a pair of expensive-looking jeans and a blue button-up shirt. The wilder one wore nothing but pair of gray sweats.

As my abductor led me closer, I realized the true difference between them.

The wild one radiated dominance the way a fire radiated heat. His magic packed an insane, intense punch. It was so strong that the air around him felt thicker.

There would be no confusing him with the others.

And my captor had the scar, so I wouldn’t mix the other two up at all, even if they looked mostly identical otherwise.

The guy who’d abducted me finally stopped in front of his brothers.

A moment of silence passed.

They were all clearly communicating mentally, though all of their gazes were fixed on me.

“Am I allowed to know why we stole Fletcher’s sister yet?” the driver asked, wandering over to us.

“No. Keep it to yourself until I make an announcement,” the king said, his eyes never leaving me.

My wolf lifted her chin, sort of preening beneath the men’s attention.

She thought they knew what we were.

I thought so too.

Finally, the king grabbed my waist. His brother let go and stepped back. He turned me smoothly, so my back was to his bare chest, and walked me into the building.

I didn’t try to dig my heels in. If he tried to hurt me, rape me, or kill me, I would. Definitely. With everything I had. But until I knew what they wanted with me, there was no point in fighting. There wasn’t any way I could beat one of them, let alone three.

We passed gorgeous, architectural structures and beautiful wooden beams as we wove through the massive building. Every man we passed stared at us like I was an alien or something. I hoped they were looking at the men behind me, but knew that was a pipe dream.

They didn’t know why I was there.

I wasn’t part of their pack, or one of their groupies.

They were staring at me .

We didn’t pass any women, but I was too tense to think anything of that.

Finally, I was led inside a spacious, studio apartment that clearly belonged to someone. The sheets on the bed were tangled. There were clothes laying haphazardly on a few pieces of furniture. A towel on the floor. Shoes left lazily by the door.

Terror clutched me.

There was only one reason they’d bring me to someone’s room.

Finally, I dug in my heels. “Don’t hurt me. My brother will attack you. It’ll upset the packs and unbalance the city. People will talk. You?—”

“No one’s going to hurt you,” the Alpha behind me growled.

I opened my mouth to say something, to fight for my life somehow. Before I had the chance, the Alpha walked me into a ginormous shower made of rustic-looking stone.

My captor stepped past me and turned the water on.

Water fell over me. I spun around in time to watch the king and his brothers step back , instead of coming closer.

Finally, I realized what they were doing.

Washing the perfume off me.

Now, I felt like an idiot.

They probably didn’t even want me naked.

There was no way I was going to avoid them finding out what I was anymore. My scent would give it away immediately. But, I still needed to act like I was clinging to my secret, for the sake of protecting the more important truth.

The king stepped closer, and I forced myself to stay where I was. His bare chest nearly brushed mine, his nostrils flaring as he reached past me. His dominance felt like electricity crackling against my skin, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. It actually felt kind of nice.

I held my ground as he grabbed a bar of soap that smelled like absolutely nothing, and lifted it between us.

“Clean it off or I’ll wash you myself,” he said in a low voice.

We both knew he was talking about the perfume.

I ripped the soap out of his hand, and the king finally stepped back, giving me room to breathe again.

With a huff, I set the soap back down on the shelf he’d taken it from.

The king took a step toward me, but stopped when I unzipped my jacket and tossed it to him. He caught it easily, and his fancy brother gagged at the strong scent of perfume on the wet fabric.

I had a pair of spandex volleyball shorts under my leggings. I preferred to take my leggings off and run in nothing but those sometimes. So, my pants went next. When I’d peeled the fabric off my skin, I threw them at my captor, hoping they’d accidentally hit him in the face.

The Alpha caught them before they could, and his eyes narrowed at me when he did. His dominance thickened the air, but it still felt good.

In just my sports bra and shorts, I grabbed the soap and ran it over my skin quickly. Efficiently.

The soap went back where it belonged before I stepped under the water to rinse off. There weren’t many suds. It seemed like the kind of handmade soap that was way more expensive than it should’ve been, but left your skin feeling amazing.

I could never use that stuff. I had to buy the strongest-smelling shower gel I could find.

Guess that was about to change, though. I could use good, unscented soap—at the price of my freedom and safety.

Fletcher was going to lose his ever-loving shit.

Despair was sinking deep into my abdomen, but I hid it thoroughly.

The big, powerful bastards staring at me didn’t get to know what I was feeling.

When the water had rinsed all of the soap away, I shut it off. The alternative was letting one of them step around to my back and do it themselves. My wolf and I agreed that we might as well enjoy the last few minutes of freedom we would likely ever have.

As soon as it was off, three identical sets of nostrils flared.

One man rumbled.

“Well, fuck,” the fancy guy said.

“I was right,” my captor added.

“You’re a wolf,” the Alpha King said.

It was a solid few seconds before I realized he was talking to me.

“The first we’ve found since our mother passed,” the fancy guy put in.

The Alpha King stepped toward me. He inhaled deeply, and his chest rumbled again.

I had no idea what he was rumbling over. Some of the males did that when they liked the way a woman smelled, but their situation was so different than mine. That couldn’t have been it.

“Your mother?” I asked.

“She’s the reason we’re bigger than everyone else,” the fancy guy agreed. “She was a female wolf. The only one of her generation, as far as we know. Our father held her captive until she died when we were seven.”

My eyes widened, my body stiffening.

They had been so young, they probably hadn’t realized what she could do. He had probably hidden it from them.

But had they just admitted they were going to lock me?—

“That fucker,” my captor growled under his breath.

The curse relaxed me a little.

They probably didn’t want to lock me up if they hated their father for doing the same.

Right?

The Alpha prowled around my back, which immediately erased the small amount of relaxation I’d felt. I tried to stay still, but I had no idea what he was doing. Looking for weaknesses? Checking me out? Trying to decide the best place to chain me to a wall?

“You’ve never been part of a pack,” he said in a low voice.

It wasn’t a question.

An alpha claimed a wolf as part of their pack with a swipe of their claws. It always left a scar. Usually on their back, shoulder, or arm. It was considered barbaric to scar them anywhere else, and hadn’t been done for at least a century.

“No. Someone would’ve noticed.”

“Your brother kept you hidden,” he said.

I didn’t confirm that.

I would never give him ammunition against Fletcher.

“I called a contact in his pack. They’re twins,” the fancy one said. “Aspen and Fletcher Keys. Nearly twenty-six years old. Raised by a small pack on the outskirts of Crimson Lake. The Stone Pack. It was dissembled a few years back, and the records of its members were destroyed.”

“He was thorough. I’m impressed.” The king stopped in front of me, blocking my view of his brothers and meeting his gaze as he spoke to them. “Send him a gift basket. And an invitation to our mating ceremony, under the next full moon.”

I sucked in a breath.

My wolf studied him through my eyes, still trying to make up her mind about how she felt.

One of his brothers grunted. Probably my captor.

The other coughed. Probably the fancy one. “Your what ?”

“The next full moon is three weeks away. I’ll claim her then. She stays in my room until it’s done.”

My eyes widened.

The fancy brother cleared his throat. Loudly. “You know she has to agree to it, right?”

“Of course I know how a fucking mate bond works, Clay.” His eyes didn’t leave mine.

Guess the fancy one was named Clay.

My heartbeat threatened to drown out all other sound in the room. Err, the shower.

“Okay, but?—”

Clay cut himself off when the Alpha stepped closer to me. His bare chest nearly met mine, and I couldn’t tear my eyes from his.

They looked like honey, and shifted to melted gold as his wolf stepped in. He lifted my chin with a knuckle, until my eyes met his.

My heart pounded erratically as he brushed four fingers gently to my throat—and white noise flooded my ears as the tips of four sharp claws cut into my skin ever so lightly.

I didn’t dare take a breath as he dragged them across my throat diagonally, from my chin to my collarbone. They stung, just the tiniest bit.

He withdrew the claws, and I squeezed my eyes shut as he leaned forward. His nose brushed the side of my throat, making me fight a shudder before he dragged his tongue over the shallow wounds slowly. One at a time.

I could feel the skin knitting together slowly, the slight sting fading away almost as soon as it had appeared. An Alpha’s claiming mark always healed almost instantly.

The king pulled away, and satisfaction filled the man’s wolfish eyes as he took in what had to be four small scars across my throat. His chest rumbled again, and I could finally identify the sound.

Appreciation .

My hands trembled, and his gaze lowered to them. His expression went neutral for a moment before he grabbed a robe off a hook and tossed it my way. It hit me in the face, but I caught it.

“Anyone who touches her forfeits their life,” he said.

I lowered the robe from my face, and my eyes widened when I realized he was already gone.

My gaze met the fancy brother’s. Clay. His face was pale, his gelled hair messy.

I looked at my captor. He grunted again, and shook his head like he couldn’t help me. Then he smacked his brother on the arm, and left.

“What the fuck?” the fancy guy finally asked, a solid two minutes later.

“I don’t know.” I dropped my head into the fabric in my hands. “At least I’m not dead.”

“Not yet .”

My gaze jerked up, and Clay lifted his hands like he wasn’t a threat.

Obviously, he was.

“I’m kidding. Enzo is more wolf than man, but he wouldn’t kill a female werewolf after announcing he wanted to mate with her.” He hesitated a minute. “Probably. Unless you give him trouble.”

My eyes widened.

Clay had no idea whether or not his brother was going to kill me.

“The king’s name is Enzo?”

“His wolf doesn’t like to be called king, but yes. The pack calls him Alpha, or Savage. Our last name. Anyway, I’m going to need some time to work through all of that.” He gestured toward me. Guess I was all of that . “We’ll reconvene tomorrow or something.”

I let out a shaky breath. “What happens now?”

“Now, I leave you to get comfortable in Enzo’s room. Your room, apparently. And I figure out a way to let your brother know you’re safe without starting a war. I also need to tell both our pack and the rest of them what’s happening, without creating more of a mess. It helps that no one knows what our mother was. If they did…” he shook his head. “Chaos and murder.”

“Savagery?” I suggested weakly.

He cracked a small grin. “Good one. Yeah. I’ve gotta go. You’ll need to eat something in the pack’s dining hall to show that you’re… you know. Alive. Not injured. A werewolf.”

I looked at the ground. “Where did my clothes go?”

“Ah. Enzo took them. Probably going to burn them. The perfume had become one with the fabric.”

It really had.

That was how I protected myself, though.

“Can you go get the rest of my clothes?” I asked.

“Are they all doused in perfume?”

I blinked. “Yes.”

“Then that’s not going to happen, Princess.”

“Princess?” My voice raised an octave.

I’d been in hiding for my entire life and had been through literal hell because of what I was, and he was calling me Princess ?

“I mean, you’re now engaged to the king. That makes you a princess, doesn’t it?”

“You’re his brother. Does that make you a prince?”

Clay grinned. “You know, I think it does. I’m going to run with that.”

I shook my head, frustration welling in my chest. “I’m not going to your dinner without clothes.”

“Just wear some of Enzo’s. It’ll probably calm his wolf down to see you in them.”

“I’m not going to a meal with your pack in your Alpha’s clothes. I don’t even know any of you.”

“Well, I’m Clay. The stiff bastard who picked you up in the woods is Hunter. Everyone else will probably introduce themselves when you meet them.” His phone buzzed, and he looked down at it. His lips twisted in a grimace. “I’ve got to run. Someone will be by to bring you to dinner. Enzo, probably. He’ll want to stake his claim and all that. Enjoy this.”

With one last gesture to the room, he strode out of the shower.

“Wait,” I called out, clutching the robe to my chest as I hurried after him. “My phone was in the pocket of my leggings. I’ll need that. And?—”

“You’re going to have to talk to Enzo. If I give you things, his wolf will think I’m challenging him,” Clay called over his shoulder.

The door to the bedroom opened, then shut behind him.

I let out a frustrated groan.

Somehow, I was even more confused than I had been before we walked in.

But hey, at least my life wasn’t at risk anymore.