Page 71 of Alpha Wolf's Nanny
The wolf didn’t stop. His ears twitched, but there was no change in his wild expression.
Cassie’s chains clinked softly as she twisted, testing their give. None. Too tight to slip, too strong to break. She hissed through her teeth in frustration.
And then, in the middle of all that fear and pain and exhaustion, a single ridiculous memory flickered to life. Logan’ssmug little face as he held up a paperclip, saying, “You’re gonna thank me for this one day, Cass.”
Her eyes widened. A hairpin. She had a hairpin.
It was still there, tucked high behind her ear, wedged beneath the elastic that held her hair in its half-ponytail. A small, silver clip. Totally unremarkable. She’d almost forgotten it. Almost.
Carefully, Cassie leaned her head back against the remnants of the chair, straining her fingers toward the pin. It took several tries, every attempt scraping her wrist against the sharp edge of the cuff, but finally, finally, her fingers caught the edge of the pin and tugged it free.
It fell into her palm like a lifeline.
She closed her fist around it, heart hammering.
Okay. Think. Think. What had Danny said?
“It’s all about tension and listening to the clicks, Cassie,” he said, his small hands carefully manipulating an old padlock. “You gotta feel it in the lock. Be gentle, but not too gentle. And don’t be afraid to jiggle it.”
Logan added, “And if you hear a pop, that means you’re doing something right.”
God, the things Dane taught those two. It was completely irresponsible.
She bit back a hysterical laugh and turned the pin over in her hands, straightening it as best she could.
Then she set to work on the padlock that chained her left wrist.
It was agonizing. Every movement sent pain shooting up her arm. Her fingers were stiff and cramping. She could barelyfeel the tiny notches inside the mechanism. But slowly, steadily, the pin began to move.
Click.
She froze. That had been real. That had been progress.
Click. Click.
The pin snagged, and with a soft, almost inaudible pop, the cuff around her left wrist snapped open.
Cassie nearly wept with relief. Her fingers trembled as she pulled her hand free, then shifted to attack the other wrist.
Behind her, Rick let out a sharp, whimpering snarl. She risked a glance.
He was still in the cage, but his pacing had slowed. He was watching her now, head tilted, tail still, muscles tense with unreadable energy.
“That’s it,” she murmured, “come back to me, Rick. Come back.”
She worked on the other cuff. It was easier now with one hand free, and soon that one fell away, too. Then she reached down to her ankles, twisting awkwardly to get to the locks.
By the time she pulled her legs free, her whole body was shaking. Sweat poured down her temples. But she was unbound.
Cassie stumbled up from the shattered remains of the chair, legs wobbling beneath her. Her hands were raw. Her knees ached. But she was standing.
And she had a plan.
She darted toward Rick’s cage, pin in hand. He snarled, lunging forward, and she flinched instinctively, but his body slammed into the bars and didn’t break through.
“Don’t you dare bite me,” she hissed through clenched teeth, “I’m trying to help you, you stubborn bastard.”
Rick growled again, but it wasn’t quite the same; there was confusion in it now. Wariness.
