Bitten, Beaten, & Loved Read online

  Richard sighed. “I thought they might do that. Alright take him to the conference room and I’ll meet him in there.”

  I swallowed my fear down and walked out of Richard’s office. The man was staring at me with a genuine curiosity that frightened me. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to the conference room,” I managed to say in a normal tone despite my nervousness.

  He stood up and walked gracefully towards me. He was definitely a werewolf and he was very handsome. He looked close to my age, but it’s always hard to tell someone’s true age when they aren’t human. As he came closer I felt the pressure of his aura, like a hand against my back. He was a dominant, possibly an alpha. I dipped my head a little in a sign of submission and then led the way to the conference room. He followed five feet behind me and stayed quiet. My shoulder blades were itching fiercely by the time we made it to the conference room. He inhaled as we entered and I tensed to run.

  He sighed happily. “I’ve always loved peppermint.” He sat down in one of the chairs and I moved around him to grab the other three waters and packets. As I started to walk by him again he laid a hand on my arm and I jumped sideways dropping the waters and packets. He frowned. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to startle you.”

  I squatted down, picking up the dropped items, and he squatted down beside me to help. He opened his mouth to say something when he inhaled and drew in my scent. His eyes widened and he looked up into my eyes. “You’re a…”

  I finished grabbing the waters and packets and ran from the conference room. I knew it wasn’t smart to run, but I had to get away from him. Richard walked into the conference room stopping him from following me. “Hello, Mr. Wright. It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

  I put the waters away and put the packets on Richard’s desk before grabbing my purse and running out of the office.

  Richard would have to find a new secretary and I would have to move. I hated moving.

  I made it two more blocks before I sat down and cried. I was so tired of running and I didn’t have enough money to be able to run. I couldn’t let them catch me, but three years of running had exhausted me.

  Someone grabbed at my purse and I looked up into a filthy old man’s gaze, he only had three teeth and was snarling at me. “Hand it over and I won’t hurt you,” he said in a raspy voice.

  I stood up and glared at the old man. “Back off. I’m not in the mood.”

  He pulled out a pocket knife and flipped it open. “I was trying to be nice, but you had to push.”

  I pulled my purse out of his hand and shoved him in the center of the chest making him stumble backwards. People started slowing down to see what was happening. I growled at the old man. “Leave before I lose my patience.”

  He screamed in rage and charged at me. I stepped to the side to dodge his attack when a pair of hands grabbed the man by the throat and shoved him up against the wall. The old man dropped his knife and held up his hands. “Sorry. Sorry.”

  The person holding the man up by his throat turned around and I gasped at the golden wolf eyes staring at me from Mr. Wright’s face. I stepped back from him, dropped my purse and started running as fast as I could.

  “Wait!” He called after me.

  I ignored him, thankful that I could disobey him even though he was a dominant. Fear and adrenaline aided my escape and I made it home quicker than ever before. I looked around and tested the air to see if he had followed, but I couldn’t sense him. I pulled my keys out of my pocket and groaned when I realized that I had dropped my purse there. Hopefully he would give it back to Richard. I opened the door and pulled off my heels before curling up in my bed. What did I do now? I needed to get away from him, but it was too difficult to relocate. Plus, Richard wouldn’t give me a good reference if I just bailed on him.

  I lay in bed for a few more minutes as I debated what my next move would be when my stomach grumbled. “Now I eat,” I whispered. I made a sandwich and sat in the middle of my bed eating it. The adrenaline finally dissipated and I felt a little shaky from the experience. I set the plate on the bedside table and lay down on my side again closing my eyes. I just needed to rest a minute and decide my next course of action.

  The knocking on my door woke me from a dream which had been peaceful, but now that I was awake I couldn’t remember what had happened. I groaned and sat up, wiping the sleep from my eyes. The person knocked twice again and I stumbled out of my room. I checked my reflection in the mirror and frowned at the smeared mascara, which made me look awful. I wiped under my eyes so I looked presentable and opened the front door. Mr. Wright held out my purse and smiled with his head bowed, trying to look submissive. “You dropped this earlier.”

  I jumped back from him and he waved his hands. “Don’t be scared. I’m not going to…”

  I ran away from him and towards the back door. He was faster though and appeared in front of the door frowning. “Just wait a second…”

  I ran towards the front door and he slammed it shut just before I got there. I crouched down and snarled. “What do you want?”

  He started to snarl back at me and then shook his head. “I just want to talk.”

  I growled again. “Who sent you? How’d you find me?”

  “What are you talking about? No one sent me. You ran off before I could even talk to you. Now just calm down.”

  I felt the pressure of a strange magic, like an arm reaching out to hug me and gave in. I let the magic envelope me in a warm hug and gasped in surprise when the magic calmed me. I had never felt a dominant use magic to calm before. It was surprisingly nice, but it didn’t make me trust him any. I backed away from him until I stood against the back door, still cautious. It was obvious that I couldn’t run away from him, so I might as well calm down and think while he talked. “What do you want?”

  He sat down cross-legged in the middle of my living room floor. “I just want to talk.”

  It felt odd to be standing when a dominant was sitting, but I wanted to be able to run if I needed to. “Talk.”

  He smiled. “What pack are you from?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t belong to a pack.”

  He frowned. “You’re solo? That’s not allowed.”

  I felt my lip twitch and shrugged. “My ties were broken with my last pack.”

  He stared at me in shock. “You broke your ties? Why?”

  He seemed so sincere, so genuinely concerned that I almost told him. I bit my lip nervously and said, “It’s a long story, but basically my pack didn’t treat me well.”

  He frowned harder and then I felt his anger like a warm wind ruffling my fur. He definitely had the potential to be an alpha if he wasn’t one already. “Is that where you got the scar from?” he asked with anger in his voice.

  My right hand instantly went to my left wrist and traced the scar. I shook my head, speaking quietly, “No, I did that.”

  He stared at me in shock for a moment before talking again. “Why don’t you come with me to speak to my alpha…”

  I growled and grabbed the door handle. “I’m not going back! I won’t go back to them!”

  He held his hands up in a sign of surrender. “Alright. Alright. Calm down. You shouldn’t get so worked up this close to the full moon.”

  I released the handle and stared at him in complete and utter shock. “You’re not going to take me back?”

  He shook his head. “If you don’t want to go, I’m not going to force you.”

  I sat down on the arm of the couch by the door. I didn’t really believe him, but acting like a lunatic wouldn’t help the situation. “So, why are you here then?”

  He smiled. “To give you back your purse and talk to you. It’s been a long time since I’ve met another werewolf outside of the pack meetings.”

  “Since we’re not allowed to go solo, you mean? You’re a born wolf aren’t you?” I asked curiously.

  He frowned. “How’d you know that?”

  I blushed and looked down. “The born wol
ves are always more handsome than the bitten ones. Plus, you’re not attacking me and a bitten wolf as dominant as you would have already attacked me.”

  He shook his head. “That’s not true. I know a lot of bitten wolves that are completely in control of their wolves.”

  I stared at him in shock. “Really?”

  He frowned. “Of course. Those that aren’t in control aren’t allowed out.”

  I shifted my butt and asked, “What do you want? I don’t mean to be rude, but if you aren’t taking me to my old pack or to your pack, then why are you here?”

  He smiled and looked embarrassed. “I was actually hoping you would go out with me.”

  I tested the air for any hint of him lying, but he seemed to be telling the truth. I shook my head. “I can’t. I’m sorry.”

  He stood up slowly and set a business card on top of my purse on the coffee table. “I don’t know what happened with your last pack, but I would never hurt you. Please think about going out with me.”

  I watched as he walked out of the house and exhaled in relief. After staring at the business card for an hour I got up the nerve to call Richard. He answered on the first ring, “Rose.”

  “I’m sorry Richard.”

  He laughed. “Don’t be sorry. Whatever you said to that boy he signed the contract and fronted half of the costs. You’re getting a very nice bonus, my dear. Good job.”

  I stared at the phone for a moment. He’d signed because of me? No. “Well that’s good. I need to ask you for a favor though.”

  Richard hesitated a moment. “Okay?”

  “I need to take the rest of the week off.”

  “Right. I forgot that it was about that time of the month for you to take time off. Why don’t you swing by the office in a few minutes and pick up your bonus before you go? Just in case you need it.”

  I hung up and pulled on my heels. I picked up the business card on top of my purse and read the name. “Sean Wright, specializing in all your personal travel needs.” I slid the card into my purse and walked quickly to work. Maybe I would call him when I got back to at least apologize for being so rude to him. Maybe he really wasn’t like the males from my last pack. I shook my head. No, male werewolves couldn’t be trusted.

  When I walked into the office Richard handed me an envelope bulging with cash. “Don’t comment or open it. Just be thankful,” he said.

  I smiled at him as I put the envelope in my purse. “Thank you.” I grabbed my tennis shoes and shut down my computer before walking back home. I looked around nervously, worried Sean would jump out and drag me kicking and screaming to his pack, but nothing happened. I packed what few things I needed and climbed into the car. As I drove out of the city and towards the mountains I began to feel calmer. It took three hours to drive to the specific part of the forest I wanted to run in, but I knew it would be worth it. I parked my car and stripped quickly out of my clothes before running into the forest. Being a werewolf had forced me to learn not to be modest.

  The change was painful, but at the end it felt like a really good back adjustment. I stretched my four legs and wagged my tail. My wolf loved being free and I let her take over as we ran through the forest. Your wolf and you aren’t two different people, but more like you without human thoughts or inhibitions. She just wanted to run and hunt, whereas my human mind wanted to think about the problems we had encountered. To keep from letting her take over you have to keep a harmonious balance of wolf and woman. If the wolf takes over she goes rogue and hunting humans sounds like a fun dessert to rogues.

  After tiring myself out running, I lay down in the leaves and sighed in contentment. I would spend the next four days in wolf form, only changing if absolutely necessary. A rabbit darted across the path in front of me and I jumped up racing after it. After successfully catching and eating the rabbit I found a patch of sun and lay down to relax. These were the best times of my life. No work. No werewolves. Just me enjoying my wolf form.

  It would have been better if Sean was here, running with me though.

  I snarled and shook my head. No, I wouldn’t think about him. This weekend was Sean free. Just me and the tasty small animals. I enjoyed this time alone. I was my own wolf. I was free.

  * * *

  Two days passed by quickly, but it was glorious to be able to run and hunt in wolf form. I crouched down as I spotted a herd of deer fifty feet in front of me. I didn’t usually hunt deer, but I was in an adventurous mood. The deer hadn’t seen me and an older deer with a slight limp was closest to me, perfect to take down. A normal wolf wouldn’t have been able to manage it, but as a werewolf I had more power than even a dire wolf and a bit more weight as well. I jumped from my spot and ran forward just as four other wolves ran at the herd.

  No not wolves, werewolves. I turned away from the herd running to the right and hoping they hadn’t seen me. I dodged around a tree and chanced a look back to see them chasing me now instead of the deer. Shit.

  I ran faster weaving in and out of the trees and tucked my tail down as I heard them yip and bark to others of their pack. I heard responding barks in front of me and tried to alter my course, but a particularly large male jumped into the side of me, sending me head over tail. I landed on my stomach and hopped up with my teeth bared and my legs flexed, ready to run. The wolves encircled me, snarling and keeping me completely trapped. I cowered between them and tried to find an escape route. The wolf who had tackled me moved forward, growling angrily when a gray and black wolf jumped over the top of the others to stand between me and the large wolf.

  I inhaled and stared at the wolf in shock. Sean? The gray and black wolf growled at the others and they all backed up. Another wolf walked forward and I felt his presence like being crushed by a car. Alpha. Sean bowed his head, but stayed standing in front of me. Bones popped and snapped and then a five-foot-six tall man stood in front of Sean. He looked around Sean at me and frowned. “What is this, Sean?”

  Sean whined, yipped, and barked to the alpha, but I couldn’t understand what he was saying. Unless you’re in the pack with another werewolf, you can’t communicate while in wolf form, even by barking to each other.

  The alpha stepped around Sean to look at me. “What pack are you from, girl?”

  I shook my head and pawed an “x” into the dirt. The alpha frowned harder. “Change, so I can talk to you.”

  I looked around at all of the wolves glaring at me and whined. I didn’t want to be in human form if they tried to attack me. Sean backed up three steps so that he was standing beside me and snorted. He nudged my shoulder and I shook my head. He was trying to show that he would protect me, but he couldn’t protect me if the alpha ordered them to attack. There was an opening now that Sean had moved. If I took it, I could probably make it to the car before they caught up to me. I shifted my feet nervously and the alpha sighed. “We aren’t going to hurt you.”

  I’d heard that line before. I bolted through the opening and past the alpha. I ran as fast as I could towards the car and heard only one wolf following me. I hoped it wasn’t the brute who had tackled me earlier. I made it to the car and changed forms as fast as I could. Luckily changing is one of my talents and I finished in under a minute. I threw on a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt just as Sean came in to view. He yipped at me and I climbed into the car, started the engine and backed down the road as fast as I could. Sean stared at me from the road as I ran away with a look of confusion and sadness on his drooped head.

  CHAPTER THREE

  I stayed in the house in my wolf form the rest of the weekend, but no one came. I decided it was probably safe and went to work on Monday morning. Richard left a pile of letters on my desk and I started photocopying them. Hours passed as I worked on photocopying the attachments to the letters, when someone came in the front door. “I’ll be with you in a minute,” I called to them. No one responded, but some of his clients were rude like that. I finished copying everything and carried the stack back towards my desk. I stopped in the middle o
f the lobby and stared at Sean who was standing by my desk.

  He smiled at me and sat down in the chair in front of my desk. “Hey, Rose.”

  I swallowed the fear down and walked to my desk, setting the papers down. “Mr. Wright. How can I help you today?”

  He frowned at the use of his last name, but managed to regain his smile. “I’ve come to take you out to lunch.”

  I stared at him in shock. “What?”

  “You didn’t call me, but I assume that was because you were in wolf form most of the weekend. So, I decided that since I saved you in the forest you would want to go out to lunch with me.”

  Blackmail, wonderful. “I’m sorry, but…”

  Richard walked into the office and his eyes widened. “Mr. Wright, I didn’t know I had an appointment with you today.” Richard glared at me accusingly and I fought the urge to flip him off.

  Sean stood up and shook his head. “No, actually I’m here to take Rose out to lunch. We ran into each other this weekend and she agreed to go out to lunch with me.”

  I cleared my throat. “But as I was telling Mr. Wright I know we have an important matter to deal with today…”

  Richard waved his hand. “I can handle it.” That bastard knew what I was trying to do. “You two go on. Take as long as you need.”

  Sean was smiling smugly and I wanted to smack the smugness right off of his face. Sneaky bugger. “Fine, one meal,” I said softly.

  Sean nodded his head to Richard. “Mr. Smith.” Then he walked to the front door and held it open.

  I grabbed my purse and glared at Richard who responded by smiling wider as I walked by. Sean led me down the sidewalk, which was filling up with people for the lunch hour. He stopped in front of a Mexican restaurant and held open the door for me. I stopped and looked at him, keeping my head down in submission and said, “One meal.”

  He nodded his head. “One meal.”

  We walked to an empty table and sat down. The waitress brought out chips, salsa, and cups of water. I ate the chips in silence while hoping that my fear wasn’t right, that he wouldn’t make me trust him just to send me back to my former pack. Sean watched me with curiosity in his eyes. I supposed that I should at least be polite since he was one of Richard’s clients. “Thank you for helping me with the bum and your pack.”