Wolf Untamed by Alexis Calder

4

Six grown shifter males seemed like overkill. Or maybe it was a compliment. Either way, with that many outside my window, I wasn’t taking that exit. With an irritated sigh, I backed away from the window. There had to be another option.

I walked to the door and crouched on the ground to look under the crack. Details weren’t clear, but there was obvious movement and shadows indicating people guarding the door.

They weren’t taking any chances of me getting lucky enough to get by them. I knew I had two choices: accept my fate and yield, or find a way to fight.

Giving up was easier and I would be lying if I said I hadn’t contemplated it. Thankfully, the pity party hadn’t lasted long. Thinking of the look on Alec’s face when he saw me alive was enough to push me. I needed him to know that he wasn’t successful at getting rid of me. I was going to get out of this. Without a mating bond.

I dumped everything from the drawers, I checked in the closet, I even crawled under the bed. The room was free of anything I could use as a weapon. With a huff of frustration, I sat on the bed to think. Worst case, I made a suicide run to get out of here. Or I guess I could play the willing mate and see if I could convince Tyler to move our intimate time elsewhere. If we were alone, could I fight just him off? That didn’t seem likely, and I hated the idea of being alone with him anywhere. Realistically, he was stronger than me. There was too much chance of him getting what he wanted.

Rage roared inside me. How dare he even consider forcing himself on me. This whole pack was fucked up and I wanted all of them to pay. Nobody should be treated the way I was growing up, but this was beyond what I ever imagined.

The door creaked and I jumped to my feet, fists clenched. I wasn’t ready. I needed more time to figure this out.

Kyle lifted his hands in mock surrender. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

“What the fuck do you want?” I demanded.

He closed the door then took a few tentative steps closer to me.

“That’s enough,” I said, holding my hand up in front of me. “Back the fuck off, Kyle.”

He kept his hands in front of him and took another step. “I need you to listen to me.”

I took a step back. “I don’t want to hear anything you have to say.”

“Even if it’s about Alec?” he said the name so quietly, I wasn’t sure I heard him correctly.

“What did you say?”

This time, when he moved closer, I didn’t flinch.

“They’ll kill me if they hear what I say,” he whispered.

My brow furrowed, I was confused but intrigued. It was probably some kind of ploy, but what else did I have to lose at this point. I moved closer to him. “If you touch me, I’ll kill you.”

“I know you will,” he said. “Give me a second…” He backed up and raised his voice. “Tyler is the best thing that ever happened to you. I know you’ve been through a lot, but this is the right choice. You two have a bond.”

I winced but caught on that he was feeding the people behind the door some words to keep them happy.

Kyle quickly walked toward me and I tensed, but held my ground. “Talk fast,” I said quietly.

“I overheard Ace. I know about the mark.” He looked down as if he’d see it glowing through my clothes, then he returned his eyes to mine. “I need to know if it’s true.”

“Why do you care?” I asked.

He lifted his shirt and pulled his jeans down enough to reveal a mark on his hip bone. The double crescent mark of a protector.

“You never said anything.” I was completely surprised. Most of the wolves who got marks didn’t shut up about them.

“You know why,” he said. “Tyler doesn’t have one. When mine showed up, he took me into his inner circle. It changed everything for my family. I didn’t have a choice. I thought he was my alpha. I thought I was doing my duty.”

I rolled my eyes. “You were a blind follower.”

“They promised treatment for Blaire,” he said.

“Your sister?” I’d seen his younger sister only a few times when we were kids. She wasn’t even old enough to be in school yet.

“She needed surgeries. Medicines not available in pack lands. She’d have died,” he said. “If I stopped…”

“Is this supposed to make up for how you treated me?” I asked.

He shook his head. “No, but I’m going to start working on that now.”

I scoffed.

“Your friend is in the basement. Locked in a cell.”

“I don’t have any friends.” The words stung, but it was the truth.

“He got himself captured to try to get to you,” he said. “The feral shifter. Alec.”

My chest tightened. He’d come back for me? How was I supposed to react to that? He was the reason I was here in the first place. He sold me out for the toxin and cash. I was nothing to him. For all he knew, they’d kill me the moment he walked away. He’d sold me out. Him coming back changed nothing. “So what?”

“Don’t you get it? He tried to play both sides. Or he grew a conscious. I don’t know what feral wolves do. Either way, they caught him at your window. You were still unconscious.”

“How is any of this helpful to me?” I demanded. “Are you trying to threaten him in hopes that I’ll fuck your friend?”

“Seriously, Lola. Get over yourself. I’m trying to help you. Can’t you see that?”

“Nobody helps me,” I said.

He lifted his shirt again. “I am a protector. You are my alpha. Not Tyler. You.”

I felt like the air had been knocked from my lungs and I stared at him in horror. “I am not an alpha. The mark is a mistake.”

“The moon goddess doesn’t make mistakes,” he said.

“Then how do you explain the mating bond with Tyler?” I asked.

“I don’t know. But our pack has been under the rule of a tyrant for too long. You either step up and do your job or you don’t. That’s not my call. That’s yours. Just know that whatever you choose, I’m with you,” he said.

“No.” I shook my head. “You’re no better than them. Besides, your sister.”

“She got what she needed. She’s going to be okay. My mom can protect her from here. And you were right. I’m not better than them. But I do want to start trying to make amends.”

The door opened and we both turned toward it. Ace was standing in the threshold. Behind him, I could see several other shifters. There was a clear message. I wasn’t going anywhere.

“She’s ready for Tyler,” Kyle said. “She knows her place.”

“Nobody asked you to interfere.” Ace’s expression was murderous.

“I overheard,” Kyle said. “She’s agreed to get a tattoo. Something to commemorate her bond. On her hip.”

I swallowed and forced myself to maintain a defiant glare at Ace. Internally, I felt sick at the thought of having to be with Tyler. If Kyle was going to help me get out of this, playing along might be my only hope.

Ace’s expression relaxed and he lifted a brow. “Oh?”

“Do you want to send the tattoo artist tonight?” I asked, surprising myself with how even my tone was. “I was thinking I’d get a dark gray wolf. Same color as Tyler’s.”

Ace narrowed his eyes. “What brought this change?”

“When I realized I might lose him, I felt the bond,” I said. It was true, I had acted on instinct to save Tyler. It didn’t mean I wanted to be with him.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Ace said. He turned to Kyle. “Good work, Sinclair.”

Kyle nodded.

Ace closed the door behind him, leaving me alone with Kyle.

“Are you serious about what you said?” I whispered. It was impossible to trust him, but I wasn’t sure I had another choice. “If this is some sick joke, I will find a way to take you out with me.”

He smirked. “I know you would. But you’ve got the mark. You’re my alpha even if you’re not ready to accept it yourself.”

I sighed. Telling him I didn’t want the job wasn’t going to get through to him right now. “If you’re serious, how do I get out of here?”

“Don’t you want to rescue your friend?” he asked.

Fuck.I did want to help Alec despite what he did to me. What was wrong with me? On the other hand, I was not going to risk my freedom. “I need out of here. He made his bed. I will not risk my life for his.”

“Cutthroat.”

“You know what he did,” I said.

“He tried to have it all,” Kyle said. “Tried to play both sides. That never works.”

“Good thing you know that. Because if you’re playing me…”

“I’m not. You’re going to have to trust me. Eventually,” Kyle said. “I won’t ask for it yet. I’m going to earn it.”

“Does all this mean you have a plan to get me out of here?” I asked.

“You’re not going to like it,” he said.

“I don’t care what it is as long as I get out,” I said.

“With or without the feral shifter?” Kyle let the words hang between us. He didn’t look like he was judging me or expecting me to answer a certain way. Was he really going to go along with whatever I chose? Was this happening?

“I can’t risk my freedom. You’re the one with the plan. Can I do both?” I asked.

“If you’re willing to give my plan a chance, I think we can,” he said.

I knew I wasn’t going to get out of here without some help. “Fine.”

“Give me five minutes,” he said. “Be ready.”