“You fucking bitch”

Vanessa MaCauley flinched and tensed herself for the blow she knew was sure to come. Her life had become hell ever since her brother Jacob had caught her sneaking back into the house a week ago. She’d missed his party, but that wasn’t the worst of it… Oh no, not the worst of it at all. He’d also caught the scent of a Wolf on her. A male Wolf. A male Wolf who wasn’t Veyr, the Master of the City, and the man he’d decided she was to mate.

That Veyr had a woman already made no difference to Jacob. He was still convinced that he could somehow make their union happen, although neither Vanessa nor Veyr wanted it. She liked Veyr. From what she’d seen of him, he was a decent, upstanding and honorable man.

Jacob’s blow caught her at the side of her lips and pain flared through her face. She sucked a breath in, refusing to let him have the satisfaction of hearing her cry out. That her own brother could treat her like this, beating her and keeping her a prisoner, made her heart ache and bleed.

“You disgust me… After everything father and I have done for you,” he hissed, his hand hard on her arm as he hustled her through the dark passages of the palace. It was before dawn, so he wasn’t taking her to any of the court functions. Wolves partied late into the night and slept through the morning.

“Where are we going?” She asked, using a turn in the corridor to dab at her cut lip without Jacob seeing. If he did, she’d end up with another cut on the other side. Beneath the thin dress he’d had her dressed in, a nightgown rather than a dress, her body was covered with cuts and bruises. Given the accelerated healing her Wolf afforded her, some of her injuries would have killed a human outright. All because she defied him. All because she wanted love, not an arranged marriage.

“None of your fucking business,” he hissed back, his pace so quick she stumbled against him. He shoved her away with a sneer, grip so hard it bruised her arm. “But if you behave, and do as you’re told, I might just be able to rescue something from this mess.”

She kept silent, recognizing the maniacal little gleam in his eye. When Jacob got like this, there was no arguing with him. Even breathing the wrong way would bring another beating down on her. She focused her energy on her surroundings instead. Myriad scents enveloped her… The scent of servants who used these back corridors, the smell of wood polish and other scents, those of the guards who swore fealty to the Master. Her heart leaped as she searched them for one particular scent. One so familiar to her, it had wrapped itself around her heart and refused to let go.

Jace Trenton. The Captain of the Guard and Veyr’s right-hand man.

Her lover.

Her love.

“He’s not down here,” Jacob whispered in her ear, as though he could read her thoughts. “You’ll never be with him again. You’ll play your part like a good little wolf or he’ll bleed his last on the sharp blade of a silver knife. Die alone in the dark somewhere because of you. You want that?”

Fear almost stopped her heart. Although Lycan society was based on honor, Jacob was not an honorable man. She knew without a shadow of a doubt he would carry out his threat. He wouldn’t challenge Jace in a legal fight. No way, no how… the idea was laughable. If Jacob got in the ring with Jace, the bigger wolf would kill him, and her brother knew it. Instead, he would have his bully boys find Jace somewhere quiet and dark, corner him and kill him. Silver knives, or silver bullets would end his life… and it would be her fault.

No, that would not happen. No matter what unpleasantness Jacob had planned, she would have to roll with it until she figured a way out of the situation. He couldn’t keep her locked up, and watched, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. At some point, hopefully soon, her guards would slip up and she could escape.

Determination straightened her spine and she kept up with Jacob. She had no idea where he was taking her. He’d done this before though, yanked her from sleep and dragged her somewhere for one of his little lessons. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself for a couple of miserable hours before he’d let her sleep again. It seemed odd he’d brought her to the palace, but she’d realized years ago that Jacob was madder than a sack of ferrets.

He stopped in front of another doorway, pausing to listen for movement in the room beyond, and she breathed in. If there was someone in there, perhaps she could cry for help? Any of Jace’s men would help her, surely? Even if it was just to get away, to escape somewhere Jacob couldn’t find her.

But the scent that reached her was striking in its familiarity. It belonged to Veyr, the Master of the City. Jacob grinned in triumph and opened the door, a plain servant’s entrance hidden behind a drape, to reveal a bedchamber.

It was empty at the moment, but the rumpled bedclothes and warm scent of man and wolf told her that the occupant had only just left. Her eyes widened in surprise. Frozen with shock, she didn’t fight back when Jacob bundled her into the room. But then her instincts kicked in.

“No!” She struggled like a wildcat against his hold, her heart pounding. “These are Veyr’s rooms…he’ll kill us both!”

“Oh, I don’t think so…I really don’t think so.”

She couldn’t break Jacob’s grip and found herself marched to the bed. Twisting, she looked around the room in panic. By the moon, she hoped Cyan wasn’t in here. Jacob was ruthless, he’d lose no sleep over killing her to put Vanessa in her place at the Master’s side. And since Cyan couldn’t shift, she would be easy prey.

Something clicked in her brain. Cyan couldn’t shift, but she could. Reaching down, she let her wolf loose, the creature slipping its leash to race up to under her skin. She turned, the growl already forming in her throat.

Jacob’s fist crashed down, the right hook impacting the side of Vanessa’s face. For a moment her vision went white, then numb as she swayed on her feet. She blinked, but Jacob was as insubstantial as a ghost in front of her.

She thought he smiled. Heard the amusement in his voice as he spoke. “See what he’s done to you…don’t worry, dear. The Master will pay.”

A hand on her shoulder sent her backward, toppled her onto the soft surface of the bed and the darkness and pain overwhelmed her.

---

Jace had been on duty for a few hours when the palace alarms went off. Instantly, he set off at a run, leaving the kitchen and his coffee behind.

“Bryce, talk to me,” he ordered, his finger on his earpiece.

Bryce, the wolf in charge of the security control room and in front of all the camera feeds, replied. “It’s the Master’s suite, boss. Looks like half the council are trying to break in there.”

Crap. That was so not good. Jace dug deep and increased his speed, yelling at two guards he passed in the main hall to follow him. He wasn’t stupid. Any security chief worth his salt had his ear to the ground and a finger on the pulse of the gossip, whatever phrase you wanted to use… So he knew that the rumor Veyr had mated Cyan had rattled cages in all quarters.

If the entire council were out for blood, then he would need more muscle. They were all alphas, and dangerous even if they didn’t have the same level of training as he and Veyr did. Together, they’d be able to take them on, but it would be a bloodbath, and slaughtering all the pack alphas could start a turf war…something Jace knew Veyr would want to avoid.

He reached the corridor outside Veyr’s suite just as Jacob McCauley broke down the door.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he bellowed, putting on a last spurt of speed to reach the massed alphas and put himself between them and the door. “These are the Master’s rooms.”

A quick glance told him that nearly all the alphas were present. Just Cyan’s brother, Nick, was absent. Not a surprise, since Jace himself had escorted Cyan to her old pack-house last night for a family dinner. She was due to return sometime this afternoon.

Jacob turned wild eyes on him, and to Jace’s surprise, they were filled with panic and fear. “My sister, he has my sister in there!”

“Your sister…Vanessa?” Just the name was enough to send a warm burst of sensation through Jace’s chest. He’d not seen her for a week, all her text’s assuring him she was fine, just suffering her, uh… monthlies. He had thought nothing of it. Some lycan women preferred not to be around people during the full moon, especially if they weren’t mated. It got too uncomfortable for them.

“Yes! Vanessa! He took her last night!” Jacob tried to push past, but Jace caught him, restraining the smaller man with ease. Worry threaded its icy tentacles down his spine as he turned his head to look at the ruined door. Scents wafted through the gap. Veyr’s was predominant, as was the steam-warmed smell of shampoo that told him the Master was or had just been in the shower. Cyan’s scent was fading, to be replaced by another. Light, delicate and haunting…his heart stuttered in his chest…one he knew.

“Shit.” He shoved Jacob at Simon to his left and pushed open the ruined wood of the door. It fell off its hinges, allowing the crowd behind him a clear view of the room just as Veyr walked in from the shower, a towel around his waist.

No one was looking at him though. Instead, every pair of eyes turned toward the bed, and its sole, slender occupant, her delicate nightdress ripped and covered in blood.

“Vanessa…”

---

“So it is agreed, then?” Jacob looked around the council chamber. “Veyr is to put aside his dalliance with the Trevais woman, and will mate my sister since he has now ruined her.”

Jace stood to one side of the room, his fists clenched into hard balls as he told himself that launching across the council chamber and punching Jacob in the nose would not help matters any. He didn’t know how the little asshole had done it, had gotten Vanessa into the palace, let alone into Veyr’s chambers like that, with no one seeing.

“It’s a matter of pack honor.” Alex Kingwood nodded as the rest of the alphas looked toward him. “The Master must not be seen to bring dishonor on any of the packs.”

Veyr sat at the head of the table opposite Jace, his face set like stone. Jace didn’t believe for a moment he’d ever laid a finger on Vanessa. The pain in his eyes at the moment was almost a physical thing. Jace swore to himself and clenched his hand until he felt something snap in his fist. Didn’t matter, his wolf would heal the damage.

“Indeed,” Jacob nodded, his manner bright and chirpy. And why wouldn’t he be? He’d gotten what he’d been after all along. His sister mated to the Master, regardless of how many lives he destroyed in the process. “I shall make arrangements for the ceremony immediately.”

“Ahh…” Alex held up his hand, his eyes narrowed. “Wasn’t Lady McCauley…hurt? We should give her some time to recover her strength before the ceremony. You know how women are. They like time to organize clothing and hair and whatnot.”

Anger flashed in Jacob’s eyes, but he seemed to recognize that Alex’s words were more an order than a suggestion. “Very well, I will arrange for the ceremony to be held tomorrow.”

“You do that… Now, perhaps we should leave the Master to collect his thoughts?” Alex rose, his arm outstretched as though to put it around Jacob’s shoulders. Jace, however, caught the flash of fury buried deep in the Kingwood alpha’s eyes and knew he wanted to tighten that arm around Jacob’s neck until the little shit couldn’t breathe. The alpha gave Jace a little nod as he left, trailed by the rest of the council.

After the door had closed, leaving the two of them alone in the room, Jace remained where he was. Veyr was one of his oldest friends, but the fury that rolled through Jace’s body at the moment was enough to test his control over his wolf. He hadn’t lost it that way since he was a teen and his wolf had first manifested. He wouldn’t lose it now.

“I didn’t touch her, Jace. I swear.” Veyr looked up, his expression open and honest. “Do you think I’d do that to you? Take your woman?”

Jace blinked. Okay, he hadn’t seen that one coming. His surprise must have shown on his face because Veyr gave a bitter little smile. “Come on, you think I haven’t seen the way you look at her? Or the way she looks at you? I have eyes, you know.”

Jace huffed, a non-committal sound. “The little fucker’s outplayed us both.”

“Yeah. Didn’t think he had it in him.” Veyr dropped his head back against the ornate carved back of the chair, a mark of his office. Then he looked up, directly at Jace. “There’s just one way I can see out of this.”

Jace’s eyebrow winged up. “What’s that then?”

This was where Veyr excelled and he hadn’t got a clue. Politics weren’t his thing, the application of brutal and bloody violence was. Something he planned to go find when he’d clocked off shift. He might even swing by Reese’s and take a turn or two in the cages.

Veyr’s expression didn’t alter, his gaze locked with Jace’s.

“You have to challenge me for the title. You have to become Master of the City.”

Jace looked at him as though he’d grown two heads. “You’re a fucking idiot. That fight is to the death and even though you can be a right pain in the ass, I’m not killing you. Besides, your woman would skin me and wear me as an evening cape if I did.”

“True.” Veyr frowned, a flash of pain in his eyes at the mention of Cyan. “We need a plan B then.”

Jace smiled, his mind working at a mile a minute. “I think I have one. You might even like it…”