Bronx
Mine.
My wolf wants her.
I want her.
She wants me.
Us.
She’s been radiating arousal for the last twenty minutes and to be honest, I’m surprised my self-control lasted as long as it did. Kissing the human is the last thing I thought I’d be doing today, but I’m drawn to her like a moth to a flame. She kisses me back greedily, readily, without hesitation. There’s something beautiful in that. There’s something incredible about the fact that she barely knows me and she certainly doesn’t trust me, yet she’s giving me this.
She’s offering herself to me in this way and there’s nothing more amazing than that.
Her arms are still bound behind her, thrusting her breasts forward. I reach for her, holding her waist, keeping in her place, and I kiss her over and over. She’s like flowers and rainbows on a warm summer day and for a minute, I wonder what would happen if I kept her.
I could keep her.
No one would have to know what she did.
I just wouldn’t tell anyone.
It would be our little secret.
What are we going to do? Hide her away?
I urge my wolf to be quiet, but he won’t, and he’s right. I can’t do that to her. I can’t do that to myself. Fuck, I can’t do that to my pack.
My pack.
They’re going to be wondering where I am. I’ve been gone longer than I said I would be and if I don’t get moving, they’re going to send wolves after me. We’re close to the Oasis Pack’s headquarters, anyway, and if I keep kissing her, chances are that someone will eventually find and catch us.
I pull away regretfully, and I look down at her. Her eyes are closed, but her face is still lifted. She won’t open her eyes, though, and I’d do just about anything to make her. Eyes really are the window to the soul and they’ll tell me everything I need to know.
Did she enjoy that?
Does she want more?
Does she want me?
“That was a mistake,” I say softly.
I shouldn’t have done it.
Capturing her body is one thing, but I shouldn’t have fucked with her emotions or her feelings. She might get the wrong idea about where we stand with each other, and I can’t have that. Not now. Not when we’re so close to the pack. My people need me to be strong, and I can’t do that if I’m chasing after humans.
I lift her once again, pulling her into my arms. This time, she doesn’t lean against me. She doesn’t open her eyes. She doesn’t say a word. She holds perfectly still as I carry her. She doesn’t speak or move, but she doesn’t have to because after a minute, I smell a distinct salty-smell.
She’s crying.
I made the human cry.
I took her, and I hurt her, and now she’s crying in my arms.
And for the first time since I became the Alpha, I don’t know what to do.
*
Jed runs toward us when he sees us approaching the walls that surround the Oasis Pack’s home.
“Is it hurt?” He asks, approaching me.
“She,” I correct him. “Is fine.”
“Is it…her?” He asks, peering into my arms. He seems a little surprised that it’s Madison. I’m a little surprised, too.
“Yeah,” I say gruffly, but I don’t explain myself or say anything further. I just push past him, moving through the gates that protect our little home from intruders and assailants. The stone walls that surround our home are incredible. I should know. I designed them myself. The set-up of our pack’s base is something I’m very proud of. Many packs live in caves. Not us. We’ve got our own little town, just about.
The wall that surrounds our homes is tall. It’s twelve feet high and completely surrounds the houses inside. We’ve got twenty housing units in townhouse-style, along with an area full of tents for those shifters who prefer to sleep outdoors. There’s also a mess hall and a building for meetings and pack business. There’s a bakery, and we have open spaces for the cubs to play.
I’m not so naïve that I think the cubs never find ways to get out of our little compound, but for the most part, it offers them a safe area to play while their parents are doing other things: working in the garden, hunting, or exploring.
Madison is still crying quietly, but she turns her head and peeks out at the area surrounding us. She’s curious: I’ll give her that.
“Alpha, what’s going on?” Alyssa approaches from the left and Jed hurries to catch up on my right. They flank me, following me as I head toward my townhouse. They exchange looks before eyeing Madison once more. I’m not going to explain what happened right now. Not yet. Soon I’ll have to tell them about her crime against me and explain what’s going to happen to her, but right now, I’m suddenly tired. I don’t want to deal with Madison or Alyssa or Jed or anything.
Part of this is because Jed is my right hand. He’s going to push for me to handle things immediately. Jed doesn’t believe in waiting. It’s one of those things we disagree on. I love Jed like a brother, but he can be harsh and unyielding. At this moment, I don’t think I can be reasonable and calm when it comes to the little human. Madison has me all wound up.
“Nothing,” I say gruffly.
“Not nothing,” Jed corrects. “She was wandering through the forest. Alone. Looked like she was up to no good.” His brow furrows, but I ignore him and keep walking. Madison cringes, and the scent of sadness wafts from her. Good. She’s not radiating fear. That’s important. If Alyssa or Jed smelled Madison being afraid, they’d wonder what the hell actually happened in the woods. Oh, they already wonder, but if Madison was afraid of us, I’d have a lot more explaining to do. Sadness could be about anything.
“Is that true?” Alyssa says. “Do we need to heighten security? Does she pose a risk?”
“No,” I say bluntly, stopping in front of my house. I move up the steps and push the door open. Then I step inside, still carrying Madison. Alyssa and Jed follow me into my home, not bothering to ask if it’s okay. We share pretty much everything here in the pack, including private spaces. Many of the wolves even choose to share townhomes, which means we really are like one big, ridiculous family.
I might be the pack Alpha, but these wolves are my pride and joy. I don’t mind having people over to my house. I live alone, but that’s just because I’m the Alpha and when I took over the pack last year, the leadership insisted I have my own space.
“Why did you bring her here?” Jed asks me, trailing behind. “Is she injured, Alpha? Is there a problem? Because I can go get Eric.” Eric is our primary medic. Shifters heal much faster than other animals. We have healing properties in our blood that make it nearly impossible to hurt us. Still, sometimes a cub gets injured or there’s a sickness we can’t quite seem to handle on our own. That’s where Eric comes in. He’s a good wolf. He’s dedicated and quick-witted, but I don’t need him now.
“No, you don’t need to get Eric,” I tell Jed. I carry Madison through the living room and kitchen area. Then I move up the narrow staircase to the second floor. The stairs creak beneath my weight. I really should repair them soon.
My townhouse is small: only two bedrooms. It’s more than enough space for me and any visitors I might have, though. Every so often, a shifter from a visiting pack or clan will stay with us for a few days. Typically, I just have them stay at my house, rather than putting them up with another member of the pack. Being the Alpha means staying with me is a sign of honor and respect, and I’m all about making visitors feel welcome and at ease with our little group.
“Where are you taking me?” Madison finally asks, peeking out of my arms. Her voice is a whisper, and I glance down at her sharply.
“What are you doing, Alpha?” Alyssa asks.
“Why is she here?” Jed asks.
“Will you all just shut the fuck up?” Now it’s my turn to ask a question. It’s one I’m not happy about asking. If it were up to me, I’d be in silence right now so I could actually think for a few minutes instead of having to deal with the bombardment of questions and voices in my own damn home.
Something in my tone must indicate that I’m serious because the questions stop and everyone shuts up. I get into my fucking bedroom and place Madison on the bed. She doesn’t move – not that she could, even if she wanted to – and I start rummaging around, looking for something.
“Ah,” I finally hold up the chain I’ve been looking for.
“What the fuck is that?” Alyssa frowns as I bring it over to Madison.
“Wrist cuffs,” I tell her. “And a chain.”
“Isn’t that for BDSM?” Jed stares at the chains.
I don’t answer. Instead, I untie the rope from Madison’s wrists and rub her skin for a second to relax any tension in her muscles. She’s my prisoner, but I don’t want to hurt her.
Yet.
I’m still planning to kill her.
I’m just not going to do it today.
In the meantime, she should be comfortable, yeah? I place each wrist in a cuff, lock them with a little key, and then attach the chain to the cuffs and finally, to my bed.
I stand back to look at her. She’s tied to my bed now. Her wrists are in front of her and pressed together, so she can’t do anything crazy like try to punch me or hit me. She can, however, sit up. She can scratch her nose. Hell, there’s enough length on the chain that she can even go to the bathroom on her own.
“Alyssa, go check my bathroom. Remove anything sharp or that could be used as a weapon.” Alyssa instantly moves to obey. Madison looks to Alyssa to Jed and finally back to me.
“What are you going to do to me?” She whispers.
“Anything I want,” I tell her. Then I leave the room.
“Anything you want?” Jed hisses at me, following closely at my heels. “What the fuck, Bronx? Are you going to rape her?”
“No.”
“Are you going to touch her?”
“No.”
“Well then, what the fuck are you going to do?”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him I’m going to kill her. Normally, I would, but for some reason, it doesn’t seem right. What the hell is that all about? Jed is my most trusted friend, yet I don’t want him to know I’m thinking about killing Madison.
That’s because he is ruthless, my wolf whispers. He would kill her this second without waiting to hear another word.
“That’s not your concern,” I tell him flatly. “For now, she stays with me, and you’ll do well to tell the other wolves to stay the fuck away from her. I don’t want anyone talking to her, looking at her, or trying to make friends with her. Got it? Oh, and no one is to hurt her.”
“What the hell happened in the woods, man?” Jed seems more confused now than ever.
“More than I have time to talk about right now. She’s not here to hurt anyone,” I tell him. He doesn’t need to know that she basically poisoned me or that she was going to kill me. He doesn’t need to know that or he’ll instantly run in there, shift, and tear her throat out. Jed would do anything to protect me. The entire pack would. They’re the best shifters I’ve ever known. I love this pack. They truly are a part of me, and I’ll never stop admiring the fierce loyalty of each member.
“Done,” Alyssa comes out of the bedroom and closes the door behind her. She hands me a nail file and a couple of nail clippers, along with tweezers and some random things she found in my bathroom cabinets.
“Thank you,” I tell her. “That can all go in the guest bathroom.”
“What are you doing, Alpha?” She asks, lowering her voice. “I mean, really. You’ve never captured a human before. Why this one? Why now?”
“It’s a long fucking story,” I tell her. “And right now, I just want to hunt. Drop that in the bathroom and meet me outside. We’re going out.”