Page 2 of Wolf's Wild Woman

“You have to leave,” she replied, hands still softly petting over Benji’s head. “You need to go now.”

“What did you do with my money?” I demanded, my voice firmer even as my eyes watered.

She glanced back at me, and for a minute, I thought I saw remorse in her gaze before she hardened it. “I took it.”

Fear had my heart pounding hard against my ribcage. That money was my ticket out. Without it, I’d be stuck in this town. I couldn’t be here. Not anymore. I’d never be safe in this pack again.

“No.” I shook my head back and forth frantically. “No.”

“I took it,” she repeated, the words as damaging as a knife’s wicked blade. Only they somehow managed to cut deeper. The look on my face seemed to give my mother the impetus she needed to truly face me. “Did you think I didn’t know about the money you hid away? Hidden in a spot where anyone could find it! I knew you were planning something stupid with that money, so I took it.”

“That was my money!” I screamed.

“Lower your voice before you wake everyone. Trust me when I say you won’t like that outcome,” she hissed softly as if she really were concerned. “Take your stuff and get out. I’ve given you all I can.”

“You’ve given me nothing,” I hissed back at her.

“You’ve always been an ungrateful little bitch. I gave you life. Provided you with a home, food, clothes. Let you run wild all over this town, doing as you please. And what do I get in return? A judgmental daughter who thinks she’s better than me.”

“Not wanting the life you’ve chosen doesn’t mean I think I’m better,” I tried to explain, but my mother wasn’t having it.

“You think I don’t know you sent the alpha here all those years ago. Did you think he’d pick you for his? Rowan Byrd was never your mate. He might have let you spread your thighs for him, but you never would have been anything more than his whore.”

“Don’t you speak about Rowan that way,” I growled.

“A whore, Rebel. Just like your mother.” Her words were harsh and cruel.

I slapped her. Hard. The impact ricocheted up my arm to settle in my shoulder. She didn’t retaliate. She simply stood there, and I swore her gaze filled with sadness. Why would she be sad, though?

“I’ll never be like you,” I told her for what felt like the hundredth time.

“You might not have a choice anymore,” she warned, throwing a glance back at Benji. “He won’t let this go.”

She must have seen the question in my gaze because she shook her head.

“You didn’t kill him.” She scowled at me. “Why couldn’t you just do as he asked? He’s an experienced man, Rebbie. He could take really good care of you if you let him.”

“He planned to rape me, Mother. There’s no pleasure in that.”

“You should have been willing!” she cried out. “Who do you think you’re saving yourself for? You won’t be safe anywhere, now. He’ll hunt you down, and there won’t be a thing I can do to stop him. I don’t think there’s a safe place in this entire world for you.”

I shook my head even as she continued to speak. A low roar filled my ears, drowning out the rest of her words. Rowan would have protected me. He’d have taken care of Benji and his buddies the first time they made me uncomfortable. I missed our alpha. Not because I once saw him as a potential lover or mate, but because he was the closest thing to a father figure I’d ever had. He’d protected me. Sheltered me. And I liked to believe some part of him had loved me. Not sexually. Contrary to what my mother seemed to believe, sex didn’t equate to love. I craved a love my mother would never understand. Hell, maybe, one she’d never known. I’d settle for nothing less.

Benji groaned on the floor, and I knew I needed to leave before he came around. I grabbed my bag and turned for the door.

“Hurry! Rumor has it Rowan’s sister is at that wolf bar tonight. Apparently, the alpha of the James Pack and some of his wolves will be putting in an appearance. I think her father promised Raina as a mate. Maybe, she’ll help you,” my mother whispered as she headed toward Benji again. “I can’t. Don’t ever come back here, Rebbie. Never.”

I practically ran back to my bike. It took me three times before I could get it started. I wasn’t sure how I felt about asking Raina for help. Ivy would most likely be with her. Ivy’s mother had once been a pack whore the same as my mother, and I didn’t want to bring my trouble to her door. I bet she had enough as it was, what with her taking care of her baby sister. But the James Pack. Maybe, their alpha would listen to me. If not, I’d go. I’d find somewhere safe. Somewhere to stay hidden for as long as I needed. The rest of my life, if necessary.

“I’m not afraid of them,” I whispered aloud, but I wasn’t sure if I was talking about Benji and his friends or the James Pack.

Chapter Two

~Taylor~

“Fuck,” I muttered under my breath as I took in the chaos around me. I’d known shit would be bad when those fucking elders from the Rigton wolves came sniffing around our alpha Bastion James. We’d gotten quite the reputation since our pack had formed. We were a group of misfits and bastards joining together to create one pack. The James Pack.

Somehow, Bastion had fallen hook, line, and sinker for the offer put to him by the Rigtons. So much so, we were out in force tonight at a bar, so Bastion could lay claim to his apparently unwilling mate. Why she’d try to run from Bas is beyond me, but what do I know? Women tended to shy away from me. If my size didn’t scare them, my scars or voice usually did. I’d grown facial hair in a sad attempt to hide the scars that covered the lower part of my face and neck. And my voice? Well, if there was anything I could do to change the deep, guttural pitch that made it sound like I gargled razor blades, I would. But that’s what happens when some of your vocal chords get damaged.

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