Wolf Untamed by Alexis Calder

1

My wrists were rubbed raw from the ropes. No matter how much I turned and moved, it only made the restraints cut into my flesh more. Grunting with frustration, I tried again. Wincing against the pain, I blew out a breath to keep myself from crying out.

Time didn’t matter in this dark room. I’d been in and out of consciousness several times. Whatever they’d given me took a while to leave my bloodstream. Or my body was making me sleep to avoid the discomfort.

This waking was a little different. My mind was less foggy and I was more aware of my surroundings. Squinting into the dim room, I looked for anything that might help me identify where I was or how I could get out. Aside from the bed I was tied to, there was a dresser and a window. Little flutters of hope filled my chest and I tugged on the restraints again. If I could break these, that window was my ticket to freedom. Unfortunately, they held fast. Whoever had tied me up had done a good job. Fuck. I had to get out of here.

As far as I knew, Tyler had only visited me once but I remembered his threats clearly. A chill rippled through me at the thought that he could have been in here while I was asleep. Anyone could have been. How much of the drug had they given me and what exactly was it?

It was likely I’d been dosed with the anti-shifting drug. The very thing I’d given the recipe for to Alec. The thought of him made me grit my teeth. I was never going to forgive him. I wasn’t going to forgive any of them. Alec, Tyler, Ace, Kyle, Julian… their names circled my mind on repeat. A list of people I needed to punish. I was done being the victim.

Another thought struck me as I considered the others at the feral camp. Had anyone else known what Alec was planning? Malcom had tried to warn me and I ignored him. Then there was Sheila. She was Alec’s right hand woman, but she’d been at the camp with me while he was out brokering deals for my return to hell.

Sheila was probably in on this too. Which meant I couldn’t trust anyone. I should have fled from the camp right away and stuck to my initial plan. Trying to find a place to belong was a distraction. Friends weren’t real. They were just people waiting to betray me. I was fully and truly alone. I always had been. Maybe that was my true curse in life.

The door creaked and I turned toward the sound. “What do you want?” My voice came out gravely and dry.

“Is that any way to greet your alpha?” Ace asked.

My whole body tensed. Tyler was bad, but all the damage he’d done to me over the years was a product of his upbringing. Where had he learned to be so savage? Aside from that, there was the fact that Tyler had made it clear that his dad’s intentions were to end my life.

“What do you want?” I repeated. I was done being afraid. Done worrying about the consequences of my actions. They were going to kill me or not. Whatever I said or did wasn’t going to change a fucking thing.

“That’s an intriguing question.” He sat on the chair next to the bed.

I resisted the urge to pull on the restraints. He’d get pleasure from seeing me struggle and I knew damn well they weren’t going anywhere. They’d done it right when they’d tied me up. Made you wonder how much practice they had at this. The thought sent a shiver down my spine.

“What I want seems to be irrelevant at the moment,” Ace said.

“Just spit it out,” I said.

“You are a firecracker, you know that?” he asked.

“I want to live my life in peace,” I replied.

“And you can, if you submit to your mate as is your place,” he hissed.

“I will never be with Tyler, and you don’t want me to be with him. Why not let us break the bond?”

“Because his wolf has chosen you. It’s the only reason you’re alive. I would have killed you while you slept in that tent.” He leaned closer. “If you were my mate, I’d have killed you myself and dealt with the pain of the loss. You might be an attractive woman, but you ruined yourself when you fucked that feral shifter.”

I tensed. How did he know that? Were they watching me the whole time I was there or was Alec going around bragging about it? And why the hell would he tell people he hooked up with me and then turn me over to them? My head was spinning and my heart ached all over again. Just when I thought I’d gotten over the pain of losing Alec and focused on the anger, it all came flooding back. I hated myself for having any desire for him. I hated that I missed him despite what he’d done. It wasn’t fair. My stupid heart needed to get her alliance straight. Alec was an asshole and I hated him. I just couldn’t get all of me on board with it yet.

“You’re lucky I kept that information from Tyler,” Ace added.

“That’s all I have to say to get him to stop this bonding nonsense?” I asked. “Bring him in, I’ll tell him now.”

Ace stood and lifted his hand. I barely had time to tense before his open palm hit my cheek. I gritted my teeth and my eyes watered as the sting on my face lingered.

“You keep your whore mouth shut. Once that bond is in place, you’ll be faithful and if you’re not, I will kill you myself,” he said.

“Why go through all this trouble?” I asked. “You have no interest in having me in your pack. I know you don’t want me with Tyler.”

Ace growled.

“He really can’t shift, can he?” Tyler had told me as much, but it hadn’t sunk in before. “You think us bonding is the only way?”

“You will complete the mating bond.”

I grinned. “If you kill me, your son could be like me. Never shifting again. Then how will you parade him around as the false alpha?”

Ace stood so fast that he knocked the chair to the ground. “You don’t deserve the kindness Tyler is showing you.”

Laughter bubbled up in my chest and it came out unbidden. Crazed, insane laughter. “That’s what this is? Kindness?”

“I told him to take you in the field while you were unconscious. He is determined to have you submit on your own.” Ace grinned. “Keep laughing. Tomorrow he’ll be claiming you weather you like it or not.”

That stopped my laughter. I glared at Ace. “Break the bond, asshole. He’ll get his shifting back and I’ll be out of your life forever.”

“It’s too late for that,” he said. “Submit or not. I don’t care how the bond is formed.”

I was left alone in the dark and my chest felt like I had a hundred-pound weight sitting on my ribs. Breathing was hard as dread gripped me. I must have been more out of it than I realized. Tyler had given me a few days, but my time was up. How had time gone so quickly?

The door opened again and a smaller figure stepped into the room. “Lola?”

It was a female voice but I didn’t recognize it. Squinting into the dark, I tried to make out the newcomer. “Who’s there?”

“They sent me to talk to you,” she said, the figure moving closer to the bed.

In the dim light, I recognized Viki, Tyler’s mom. She was a timid woman who always took a back seat to her husband. I rarely saw her, but when I did, she nearly faded into the background. It was common knowledge that Ace wasn’t faithful, but I’d honestly never heard anyone speak badly about Viki. She was everything I wasn’t. Quiet, demure, subservient. I felt bad for her. What had Ace done to break her like this?

“I’m not going to change my mind.” There had to be a way out of here that I wasn’t seeing yet. I was determined not to be forced in a bond I didn’t want.

“They’re not going to let you go,” she said. “And they’re not going to allow death as an alternative.”

My brow furrowed.

“They will force the bond on you. I’ve heard them talking. It’s the only plan. Tyler will claim you and you can either participate or remain tied up.”

“What the fuck is wrong with all of you?” I demanded.

“Tyler isn’t all bad,” she said. “You might come to love him in time. In your own way.”

“The way you are with Ace? No, thank you,” I said.

“It’s different with me and Ace,” she said. “We’re not true mates.”

This surprised me. Not that I knew much about the personal lives of the members of the pack, but I assumed if Ace bothered to settle down, he’d only do it with a true mate.

“I can see you didn’t know.” She righted the tipped chair and sat down. “My father was alpha. No alphas had stepped up to take his place and when he died, Ace was the strongest and I knew he’d protect me. I know it doesn’t seem like it, but there were far worse options than him. I took the lesser of the evils.”

“I don’t want that life,” I said.

“I know. But true mates are different. They’re rare and precious. You probably already feel something for Tyler, even if you’re fighting it. You will be true partners in time. He will treat you well, I believe that,” she said.

“You’re kidding, right?” I stared at her wide-eyed. “How closed off do they keep you? Do you have any idea what he’s done to me over the years?”

She nodded. “I do. And I know why.”

“I’m listening, but I’m not going to change my mind,” I told her.

“He’s felt the bond to you most of his life. Fighting the bond manifests in strange ways. For him, it was to be aggressive toward you to keep the emotions from surfacing.”

“That’s not an excuse and doesn’t make any of it okay,” I said.

“No, it doesn’t. But notice that he hasn’t hurt you since you returned. He’s been in here checking on you night and day. He won’t allow anyone in to hurt you. Ace and I only got in just now because he finally agreed to go to sleep. He’s allowed the bond to form and he has prevented his father from killing you,” she said. “You should have seen him when Ace said he was going to take you out. I’ve never seen Tyler move so fast. He would kill his own father rather than see you harmed. The bond is strong between you.”

“I don’t feel a thing,” I lied. I didn’t feel affection for Tyler, but there was something there and it made me feel uncomfortable and nauseous. Stupid mating bond. I hated it and I hated everything about him and this whole stupid pack.

“They’re going to allow you to use the bathroom so you can clean up. If you choose to allow the bond, they’ll untie you,” she said.

My heart raced. That was the best news I’d heard since arriving. Without the restraints, I had a chance at escape. I knew I had to be careful about how I approached this. Did I pretend to go along with it so I could be free? If I jumped too quickly, they’d know.

“And if I don’t?” I asked.

“Then he’ll complete the bond against your will. None of us want that,” she said.

“Why can’t they just break the bond and let me go?” I asked.

“Ace says it’s because Tyler can’t shift, but that’s not the truth.”

“What is the truth?” I pressed.

“Tyler is forcing himself not to shift,” she said. “A mother knows these things.”

“Why would he do that?” I asked.

“Because for him, the bond is already complete. For him, you are his true mate and he will stop at nothing to have you.”

I swallowed hard. That was not the answer I wanted. “I don’t have a choice?”

“I’m afraid not,” she said.

This was my chance. I knew I was only going to get one shot at getting out of here. “Okay. Let me get myself cleaned up so I can be ready.”

I could almost feel Viki’s relief. “I’ll let them know.”

I knew it wasn’t real. I knew I was planning to escape, but my emotions were a wreck. My mind raced with a million possibilities. What if I couldn’t get away? What if Tyler had his way with me? What if I started to desire him the way he wanted me? What if this was my life and I was stuck here forever?

I couldn’t let that happen. One step at a time. First, out of these ties, then find a way out of this house. If I could do that, I could flee to the forest and then I’d at least have a chance. It was all I could hope for.