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After a few more tense moments, Night slowly stepped away from his beta, but his shoulders were still taut with rage. Dom, keeping an eye on his Alpha, slowly walked toward the spot where the ripped pants had landed. He gathered them up along with the shoes and reached up into the branches of a nearby pine tree. He pulled down a black bag and stuffed the clothes inside it.
Now that the clothes were gone, Night’s shoulders finally began to relax. He kept a close eye on his beta, watching him move to one of the nearby trees. Dom pulled down another bag from the branches and removed a pair of pants and shoes from them. He slowly approached Night and showed him the clothes.
Night relaxed a bit more and nodded. I frowned, confused. Was I watching a Warg ritual? But no, once Dom had Night’s approval, he walked back to me and gave me the new clothes. I pulled on the new pants, boots, and a second long-sleeved shirt over my head. I was finally warm, and I realized that these clothes smelled familiar. They were Night’s.
A shiver ran through my body as I crossed my arms. Great. Either Night is a control freak, or he’s claimed me as his own personal human plaything. I seethed even as dread penetrated down to my bones. This marked the second time that I was stuck with an Alpha who seemed hell-bent on ruining my life.
“There, now that you’re comfortable,” Night said, walking toward me, “take a seat over there and stay quiet. Don’t even think about running off, or I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to keep you safe.”
I huffed a sigh, but I didn’t have the energy to argue. I rolled my eyes and found a spot to sit down against a tree. I was planning on escaping, but I could take this opportunity to both rest up and hear what Night had planned for me.
Now that the rest of the pack was dressed, Dom instructed them to establish a camp. Those who were injured were seen to by Dom, Night, and a few other wolves, while the able-bodied went off to collect wood.
They worked as a unit, everyone knowing exactly what they were doing without having to be told. This was a sharp contrast to the few training exercises I’d observed in the Kings’ pack. The Kings were a fearsome force who were known for their strength, but I had seen the men use their exercises to show off for the women. I couldn’t say how the men behaved outside of the compound, but it was clear that they didn’t take their training seriously.
I watched the Wargs put together a fire and make pallets from tree branches. They even set up a pallet for me. I knew it was for me because it was the only one that Night paid close attention to. He was particular about its positioning in relation to his own pallet, as well as in relation to other male wolves. I tried not to roll my eyes when he snapped at one of his men for placing my pallet too close to the tree line.
When the preparations were done, and the fire was crackling away, I moved closer to the fire, eager for its warmth. The wolves had gathered in a circle around Night to hear what he had to say.
“I’m sure you all must be confused by this turn of events. We go in to challenge Redwolf, and we leave with a human girl. Unfortunately, the plan changed when I infiltrated the Redwolf cabin. I found her,” he nodded toward where I sat huddled by the fire, “tied up in Troy’s room.”
Murmuring began among the wolves as they looked at each other and snuck glances at me. I tried to ignore their curious stares, but my face heated at their attention.
“Troy returned to the cabin unexpectedly, and I realized we could use her to our advantage.”
Shivers coursed down my spine. I don’t like where this is going. At all. I lifted my head, turning my attention from the fire to meet Night’s blazing emerald gaze.
“We lost out on the opportunity to challenge Troy tonight, but she’ll give us another opportunity.” He smirked at me, and the shadows cast over his face in the firelight gave his handsome face a sinister edge. “Troy clearly values her, so she’ll be a perfect bargaining chip for our next move.”
12
NIGHT
I was already awake by the time the sun began to rise. I took the last watch of the night, so I had the treat of watching the golden sun spread across her face. She slept curled in a ball on top of her pallet, her hands resting beneath her ear. Her chestnut brown hair fell gently across her cheek. My fingers itched with the urge to brush the hair off her face, a desire that confused the hell out of me.
She—Bryn—was my prisoner, my pawn in a war that had officially started last night. I ought to know better than to allow myself to feel anything for her—especially when I fully intended to let her go once I’d carried out my plans.
The rest of the pack arose shortly after me. Bryn was the last to wake. When she did, her eyes parted slowly as if she were waking from a long dream. I was the first person to meet those light blue-gray eyes, and my wolf was practically purring inside me.
I ignored the wolf and got brusquely to my feet. “Today we cross the river,” I announced as Bryn sat up, rubbing her eyes. “Redwolf is going to be pursuing the girl, so we should try to keep moving.”
After we’d put out the fire, taken down the pallets, and eliminated any other evidence of our camp, we began to trek down to the Kootenai river. We needed to cross it to return to Warg territory. When we reached the river, my pack removed their clothing and shifted into their wolf forms because it was easier to traverse the water. I opted to stay in my human form. I threw Bryn over my shoulder, ignoring her flailing arms and stammering protests, and trudged through the cold water.
She called me any name she could think of, including “kidnapper” and “overgrown asshole,” but none of them fazed me.
“If you keep talking to me like that,” I said when she stopped yelling long enough to let me get a word in, “I’ll drop you in. I don’t think I’d mind watching you turn into a sopping wet rabbit.”
“Go to hell, Night,” she snapped, panting from all the unnecessary movements she was making.
She was weaker than she’d been yesterday. I knew this because there wasn’t as much power behind the blows she delivered to my back or her attempts to kick free of my arm, which held her legs.
When we reached the clearing on the other side, I set Bryn down on the ground. Despite my efforts, she had been splashed with water. She stood in her oversized clothes, trembling in the cool breeze of the spring morning. I stood near her and called for my pack to take a break.
Dom, still in the light brown fur coat of his wolf form, tilted his head. “We could keep going,” his voice entered my mind.
“Not with her like this, we can’t,” I replied. “We should let her get warm and dry before we go on.”
“Understood.”
