Page 14 of Wulf’s Pack

Chapter

Six

O n the way to Nora’s home from the FUA office, she explains a little about how our family came to be together.

A master vampire was obsessed with her and once beat her up in front of Terrance.

It triggered his troll’s protective instincts, and he claimed her as clan.

After that, Nora’s siren’s song grabbed the hearts of the men in her life, and not only did it draw us to her, but it softened our hearts to each other.

One by one, we were claimed as clan and moved into the den.

The den is a troll’s den. Trolls are very particular about their living arrangements.

They like to live under bridges, or in caves if there is no bridge nearby.

I have no idea why they like bridges—it’s probably something about being gatekeepers of their territory—but their magic is earth-based, and living underground soothes them.

Not me. The thought of living somewhere where the roof can collapse and leave me buried beneath feet and feet of dirt gives me the heebie-jeebies.

And on top of that, as a lone wolf, I need my space.

I need my own territory and lots of privacy.

That’s why joining Terrance’s clan was so appealing to me.

Aside from the lack of pack females and politics, I could join the family without having to share territory.

I don’t live far from the rest of them, but I have my own home, and none of them batted an eyelash when I chose to keep it instead of moving in with them.

I have the benefits of a pack family and am still able to cater to the lone nature of my wolf.

Of course, that wolf doesn’t seem to want his loner status anymore. The traitor.

Terrance’s den is under the Ambassador Bridge—a beautiful suspension bridge that crosses the Detroit River connecting the United States to Canada.

The outside is nothing special to look at.

It’s a mostly abandoned area, and the entrance is a door that appears to be a maintenance door on a support pillar of the bridge.

The place is glamoured to throw off humans from accidentally stumbling across it, and it’s so heavily warded that the magic makes the hair on the back of my neck stand when I cross through the front door.

Once inside, we head down a long stairway that opens up into a large home.

It’s nice and modern with huge, vaulted ceilings and wide hallways that easily accommodate the nearly seven-and-a-half-foot tall troll who built it.

It helps with the claustrophobia, but staying the night here is still going to bug me.

It’s dimly lit, but very clean and posh.

It has a masculine décor with a huge TV, a pool table, and a wet bar in the living room.

Skylar enters the room and stands there for a minute, just taking it in.

“Home sweet home,” Nora says. She chuckles at Skylar’s surprise. “Not what you pictured?”

Skylar shakes her head. “When you said under the bridge, I guess I pictured a dank cave system or something.”

She grins. “It surprised me too. It’s amazing to think that all of this is underground. I’m sure magic was involved in the making of it.”

She heads down the hall, waving for Skylar to follow her. “Come on, I’ll show you my room and find you some towels and clothes to wear to bed. You can sleep in my room, and Wulf can survive on the couch for a night.”

We follow Nora into her bedroom. Skylar hovers near the door, chewing on her bottom lip again. “Some clothes to borrow would be great, but you don’t have to give me your room. I can sleep on the smaller couch or something.”

Nora smirks at her. “I have five mates who already fight over whose room I’ll sleep in every night. Trust me, you’re not inconveniencing me. I hardly ever use it beyond changing and showering. I really just have it because occasionally a girl needs her space. Know what I mean?”

“Not really,” Skylar says absently as she checks out the room. “My alpha forced me to sleep in his bed with him every night. He bought me from my parents when I was fourteen. I haven’t had any privacy in eight years.”

I growl. I can’t help it. She was sold by her parents?

And her alpha forced her to sleep with him?

At fourteen? My mind automatically jumps to the worst-case scenario.

Night after night of being sexually assaulted at such a young age.

I want to kill the bastard. “Who is your alpha?” I demand. “What pack are you from?”

Skylar wraps her arms around her middle and shudders. She studies me for a minute, no doubt taking in my rage, and she creases her brow with worry. “It doesn’t matter,” she murmurs. “I escaped, and I’m never going back.”

She’s not going to tell me? “It matters,” I insist, hands clenched in white-knuckled fists.

“If you go after him, you’ll get yourself killed,” she says. “He’s evil and well-connected, and his pack is strong. Please let it go. I’m free of him now. That’s all that matters.”

I disagree, but she looks scared for me, and she’s begging. I can’t fight her. I’ll get her to tell me eventually. Once she learns to trust me and sees how powerful our clan is, she’ll let us take care of him. “Are you free of him?” I ask. “Have you broken your pack bond?”

Skylar gives me a small nod. “It was the first thing I did. I couldn’t escape if he could just give me alpha commands through the bond.”

She turns her back to me and lifts her shirt so I can see her previous pack mark on her left shoulder blade. I cross the room to her to examine the mark.

She glances at me over her shoulder. “I stole a silver knife when I left. I was able to catch a ride with a human woman who was sympathetic toward underworlders. I explained what I needed, and she made the cut. I felt the bond break, and he’s not in my head anymore.”

I lift my hand to the mark, but I don’t touch her skin no matter how enticing her bare back is. The solid line through the bite mark is now just a scar, but it goes all the way through like it’s supposed to. I breathe a sigh of relief.

Pack bonds are formed when an alpha, in their shifted form, bites another shifter with the intent to claim them.

The bitten shifter has the choice to accept the connection, and once they do, the bond is formed.

The alpha then has a physical and mental link to the new pack member.

They can feel you if they concentrate—your emotions and pain.

They’ll know if you’re hurt or dying. They speak to you mentally, and can even lend you their alpha strength.

To break the bond, you have to break the magic.

The only way to do that is to use a silver knife or have your current alpha or a new alpha slash through your pack mark.

“Why did you accept his bond in the first place?” I can’t fathom a reason she would willingly bond herself to such a monster.

Skylar lowers her shirt and steps up to the dresser, looking at the handful of framed photographs Nora keeps there.

“It’s a long story,” she says quietly. “When my alpha found me, I was in a terrible situation. He offered to take me away from it. He was charming and kind. It felt like he was rescuing me. He offered the pack bond, and I eagerly accepted it.”

Skylar shudders again and rubs her hands over her arms as if trying to scrub away chills. “It was only after he brought me home and tried to force a mate bond on me that I learned his true nature. By then, it was too late. He owned me.”

This just keeps getting worse. “He tried to force a mate bond?”

“Many times. When my wolf never accepted it, he blamed me. It didn’t matter how much he tortured me, or how long he starved me. My wolf always refused him.” She glances at me again. “I suppose now I know why. She knew you were out there.”

My wolf snarls in my mind, but I manage to keep quiet this time. I clench my jaw so hard my head cramps, and my fingernails bite into the palms of my hands. I’m shaking so badly, it’s all I can do not to shift.

Sensing my distress, Skylar turns to me.

She steps up to me and gently runs the backs of her fingers down the side of my face.

I clasp her hand before she can pull away and keep it pressed against my cheek.

My eyes fall shut. Warmth and calm seep into me through her touch, soothing my soul.

I take a deep breath, and suddenly I’m the one shuddering.

“I’m free of him,” she says as if to reassure me. “I’m safe now.”

“Yes. Safe,” I say. I can only get simple words out with my wolf sharing the driver’s seat. “I protect.”

Skylar’s stomach growls, breaking me from the trance she has me under. I open my eyes just in time to see her blush. “Go take your shower. I’ll make us some dinner.”

Nora pulls a pair of pajamas from her dresser and leads Skylar into the bathroom.

I use the moment to get control of myself.

I’m a wreck. Everything’s turned upside down.

I have no idea how to be all that Skylar needs—all that she deserves.

But I’m determined to do it. It’s like my whole mindset has done a complete 180 in the span of a few hours.

What I always thought was a terrible idea suddenly makes so much sense.

I never thought I could be happy with a mate, but I already crave her.

She’s so different from every other wolf I’ve ever met.

Meek, but with an obvious inner strength.

She survived years of torture without losing herself.

She saved herself even while beaten half to death.

She stepped in to help Carl with grace and confidence.

There is no ego. There is no aggression.

I find it so attractive. It’s like she was made for me. She was. The moon goddess fated us.