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“Not that I know of, Sam has been in love with Cass for years. Everyone knows it, but Cass has always dated females. I know he loves Sam. I just don’t know if he is in love with him and apparently neither does he.”
“Do you think he worries what people would think?”
“No, Little One. I think he’s just genuinely confused. Sam has always been in the background waiting for Cass, and now that he’s not, I think it’s got Cass running scared.”
“Well, what was so important he needed you right away?” Masen turns his head and looks over at me with sad eyes. “He’s thinking about leaving, going up to Pop’s place for a bit, then maybe going out to search for his Mate. He doesn’t want to ruin what Sam has with David, but he’s having a hard time dealing with it.” He sucks in a deep breath. “I think seeing us together has been hard on him, too. He’s surrounded by people who’ve found their Mates. I can’t blame him for wanting that.”
I think I might cry at the thought of him leaving. He was so kind to me when I had no one and hadn’t had anyone in years. “I don’t want him to leave, Masen.”
“I know, baby. He’s gonna come by tonight and talk to you.” We sit in silence the remainder of the drive.
I finally convince Masen to go around seven o’clock. He claims he’ll be home no later than midnight. Sniffer’s not going with them. He doesn’t want to chance seeing Sam and David. If he’s that worried about it, I think it’s more than the loss of a friendship bothering him. Masen tells me he’s coming by around eight to hang out with me and his mom.
Masen kisses me goodbye, and I tell Mickey I’ll be in my room finishing packing until Sniffer gets here. Then I’ll make Masen’s cheesecake. He’s only been gone for about ten minutes when I hear someone outside the bedroom door. Leaving my back to the door, I call out, “Did you forget something?” After a few seconds with no answer, I turn and fire ignites on the left side of my face causing me to stumble back and hit my head on the bed poster. I crumple to the ground with my arms laced protectively over my belly. My vision goes black around the edges as I fight to stay conscious, quickly losing the battle when I receive another blow to my head.
CHAPTER31
Iwake suddenly. The back of my head throbs slowly with my beating heart. My pulse rises. When I remember what’s happened, the thump increases. I keep my body still, not wanting whoever hit me to know I’m awake.
I’m still in Masen’s bedroom, crumpled on the floor where I fell. The only pain I feel is coming from my head, so I think they stopped hitting me when I passed out.
Willing my pulse to slow, I lift the lid of my eye that’s closer to the floor. The strangest thing is I can’t scent whoever was or is still in the room with me. I don’t see anyone, but with my limited sight, I didn’t expect to unless they were right in front of me.
I don’t think I was out more than a minute or two by the way I feel. I know Sniffer should be here in about an hour. Oh God, Mickey. Have they hurt her? Does she even know someone is in the house with us?
If I could shift, I could protect her and my baby, but being pregnant I can’t risk the change. Finally, the sound of muffled footsteps near me comes from the hall outside the door. When I see a pair of my own shoes coming closer, I have to work hard to keep my breaths slow and even. I still can’t tell who it is from the scent, but the shoes are from my condo. The pant legs are cuffed repeatedly and still fall over the tops of my limited edition leather Converse. The closer they come, the more my senses are confused. Masen is all I can scent, no one else.
It becomes painfully clear who my attacker is when I get a hard kick to my thigh. “Roll over you, fat bitch,” Roxanne sneers, while shoving me with her foot. “Not so tough, now, are you cunt?” she spits. “I wanted you to be awake for this, but either way, it’ll still hurt.”
I know what’s coming. I only have seconds to prepare for her assault. With one quick blow, my knee shatters. Not screaming is the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. My eyes roll back in my head as the pain almost pulls me back under. “Stop, stop. You can’t leave evidence, no blood,” she tells herself right before landing a kick to my side. God, no, I have to protect my stomach. Thankfully, she turns around and paces the room, seeming to stop at random moments, then continues quickly pacing. “I still have hours before he gets home. She’ll wake up soon, then this will be over, like it never happened.” She comes back closer and grabs my hand roughly, pulling a plastic strip over my wrist. I don’t think anyone is with her. This is my chance to get out. I know if she gets me off of this property I’m dead. Slowly making a fist, I risk opening my eyes a slit to see where she is. She’s so focused on getting my wrist bound she doesn’t notice me preparing to strike. I have to get this just right. If I have to fight, there’s a chance of her hurting my baby.
I pull my arm back as slowly as I can risk and jerk my arm up as hard as I can, catching her under the chin causing her head to snap back, taking her crouching body off balance enough she falls back and yells, totally surprised.
I leap off the floor only to collapse on my broken knee and scream. The pain is so intense. I stop breathing for a few seconds, then I try crawling from the room. “MASEN! MASEN!” I bellow as loud as possible while repeating it in my head, hoping he hears me through our bond or my screams for him. I can hear her shuffling behind me, my hit not causing nearly enough damage to slow her down.
“He won’t hear you,” she cackles. “Do you have any idea what they do on the run?” She comes closer, but I still drag myself through the room. “No? I’ll tell you. They hunt. Any and everything they can find. Any prey they come across is theirs for the taking. Animals, women, anything!” she spits. “I’ve taken the liberty of having every unMated female in our Pack in those woods. Only the fully Mated will be able to resist the pull of the Pack so close to the moon. He timed it just right, don’t you think?” She’s trailing behind me, letting me crawl through the house on my belly.
“What did you do with Mickey?”
“Oh, she’ll be fine, I can’t have my mother-in-law hurt, now, can I? Mickey will wake up none the wiser after a good night’s sleep. Masen will be upset for a few days when he finds you’ve left, but soon, he will come to me for comfort, just like he did five years ago.” Her foot smashes down on the small of my back, pushing me down on the floor.Masen, if you can hear me, please, we need you. Help us.I beg, but I hear no response. A sob escapes my mouth as I realize we might not make it out of here alive.
“Ah, don’t cry now. If you would have just died with your parents like you were supposed to all those years ago, this would have never happened!” She’s ranting, and her crazy words are punctuated by blows to my weakened body. “You’ve ruined everything!” Kick. “Why couldn’t you just stay gone?” A fist to my back. At least, I’m on my stomach, and our child will be protected as long as possible. “I thought when they left you in foster care you’d be broken. What human can resist a female shifter, right? How many times did you get fucked by some dirty human? I can’t believe Masen would still touch you. You probably loved it, you Nasty Whore!” I can’t let her words penetrate through my pain-filled fog. I have to concentrate on saving myself and my baby.
Maybe if I shift, we’ll both make it. I shifted Monday, and she was fine. Can I risk any more damage to my body before none of it matters?
“Don’t go checking out on me yet. I have plans for you and don’t bother trying to shift. That band on your wrist won’t let your wolf free. That pussy of a prick William chickened out after he saw you and Masen leave the mall, but I need Masen to think you left with him of your own free will.” Is she fucking crazy? Masen knows I’d never leave him. I turn back and finally look at her. The shirt and pants she wears are Masen’s, rolled and folded to fit her much smaller frame. That’s why I scented him. She must be masking her natural scent somehow, too.
How many times has she been here, just like this? I can tell she’s familiar with her surroundings, never faltering on where to go as she shoves and kicks me until I move in her desired direction. If I can just hold out a little longer, Sniffer will be close enough to hear me. “Why? Why are you doing this to me?” It comes out barely above a whisper.
“TO YOU? THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! He loved me before you. After the night in Podunk Kenfuckingtucky, he was never the same. Always distracted, never touching me, never needing me. Do you have any idea what that’s like? To love someone so deeply and know he feels the same only to have it taken away by a FUCKING CHILD!” I cower under her screams hoping the blows don’t come. “He’ll love me again, you know. He was so close before you came back. Do you know he fucked me Saturday morning, just days before you came here and ruined us?” she shrieks. Her hands hammer my head, slamming my face into the hard ground.
Blood drips from my mouth as I scream for help once again, my voice much weaker this time. “Masen, help me, MASEN...” I close my eyes as the next blow to my back makes my stomach cramp. “NO, NO!” I yell and kick out with my good leg trying in vain to get her away from me. “No, please,” I beg before the blackness swallows me.
MASEN
I don’t even want to be here. Those are my thoughts as my father and I meet the others behind the hall. Pop knows my feelings and said he felt the same way when it was time for his final free run. “It’s almost more for your Pack than you, son. They need to know they won’t be losing you as a brother, friend, or leader. It’ll be over before you know it. You’ll go home with a full belly to your little Mate, and tomorrow, everything will be right.” He smiles and smacks me on the back. My dad is seventy-five but doesn’t look a day over forty. He still loves my mother more than most newlyweds. That’s what I want for us.
I almost tell him my Sophia is with young, but I want to tell him, Mom, and Cass together. I know my mother will insist on staying, especially since Sophia has no mother to be with her. Pop will give up his pack and move here so they can be closer to us and my son that I know grows in her belly.
