Blood Moon Series - Book cover

Blood Moon Series

Rachel Mason

Chapter 2

LEILA

Leila sat in the train car between thick wooden crates. Whatever was in them rattled noisily every once in a while with the bouncing of the train.

She’d already dressed in the clothing that had been stuffed inside the small backpack: jeans and a baby-blue T-shirt. It was hot in the train car, so she didn’t bother with the jacket.

Leila’s chest still hurt from the immense exertion. It had been over an hour, and her heart still throbbed painfully. Though Leila wasn’t sure if it was the exertion or her extreme anxiety…

What had she done?

Leila took a hard breath. The panic wasn’t going away. No matter how much relief she might feel at not having to go through with it, she couldn’t stop feeling how selfish she had been.

What would happen when Gregor found out? Would he take it out on her pack?

…Or her sister?

The thoughts rolled around in her head and made it hard to breathe.

What had she done?

It all became too much.

Leila climbed up onto the crate and pushed open the hatch. The cold air was refreshing, at least until she stood up. The wind whipped through her hair painfully as she tried to see where she was.

The train was traveling along a ravine with a steep drop-off to the right. The nearly full moon illuminated the endless wilderness.

She squinted and shielded her eyes against the rushing air as she looked in the direction they were headed. Leila could see lights in the far distance. It must be a human city or a town, but it was still a ways off.

Leila ducked back down and closed the hatch.

In that moment, she made up her mind.

She would jump when the train got close enough. There should be a clearing there.

And the moment she got off, she would call Gregor and beg his forgiveness.

But she was in the middle of nowhere right now. She couldn’t do anything yet. Despite the anxiety she felt, she knew she just needed to calm down…

Everything was going to be okay. She would fix this…

They should be at that town in the next twenty minutes or so.

Leila took a deep breath and turned her attention to the backpack. She dumped the contents onto the floor to see what she had to work with.

There was a passport and driver’s license in the name of Emily McClure with Leila’s picture on it. Leila squinted at it. It looked like her school ID photo. The license listed her age as twenty-one.

A second passport and driver’s license was beneath it in the name of Aimee Moss. It listed her age as nineteen. Leila stared at the paperwork. It looked authentic.

Beneath the passports was a plane ticket for 12:45 PM later that day from an airport in West Virginia under the Aimee Moss name.

It had three connections, and the final destination was Albuquerque. Leila furrowed her brow. Why did Joana want her to go there?

The next was a folded letter. Leila slowly opened it.

Leila,

By now I realize you might be having doubts, but I beg you, don’t come back. I have given you everything you need to start a new life. The wolf who did this for me is a trusted friend. She will not betray you.

I told you once when you were very little that I would always protect you. I wouldn’t have been able to do that if you stayed. I couldn’t bear the thought of you sharing my life. I’m so deeply sorry. It was my fault that you were dragged into this. So I’m determined to get you out of it.

Don’t come home. Do this for both of us, and don’t worry about our pack. They have endured, they will hold their own. And don’t worry about me. He can’t do anything to me now.

Leila felt the tears welling in her eyes. She reread that last line several times and got a clenching feeling in her gut.

Finally, she forced herself to read on.

Inside is a plane ticket. Don’t follow it completely. At the first layover, buy another ticket using the second set of IDs. Discard the first. Go to Anchorage, Alaska.

When it’s discovered you’ve run, the others will soon follow. There’s a refugee pack up there that grandfather told me about.

He said if they ever left, it would be the next place they’d go. Find it. It’s your best chance of meeting up with them again.

Until then, talk to as few people as possible. You’re away from the safety of our pack. There are many dangers for our kind out there, especially alone.

I love you. Forgive me.

Joana

Leila sat there and let the emotions sink in. Leila wished she had come with her, but Joana was bound to Gregor.

It didn’t matter where she went. Joana would always feel the pull to return to her mate. Separation could even be painful.

Leila sat in deep contemplation; the anxiety in her gut had hardly abated.

She was torn. If she returned, she now felt like she would betray her sister, after everything she’d likely gone through to give her this chance.

But she was worried about what the others might suffer on her behalf. Finally, she decided to call home instead.

Leila glanced at the last item. It was a bulky manila envelope. Leila already knew it was full of money before she even peered inside.

It was all one-hundred-dollar bills. It had to be a couple hundred thousand by the looks of it. Leila furrowed her brow.

Why so much? Leila frowned and carefully replaced everything in the bag except Joana’s letter. She read it a few more times before tucking it safely into the zippered pocket of the backpack.

She put her jacket and shoes on and climbed back up to the hatch. The moment she flipped it open, she could clearly see the lights.

With a firm grip on the rail, she climbed up on top to scooch herself carefully onto the back platform.

The moment the trees broke and softer dirt appeared, Leila took a deep, nervous breath and jumped.

***

“Hello?” a female’s accented voice said over the receiver. Leila expected her grandfather, so her mother’s voice surprised her. She didn’t sound like herself.

“Mom?” Leila answered hopefully. She stood at the lone payphone at a small town’s post office. It was a miracle she even found one. The sun was just breaking the horizon.

There was a long silence.

“Hello?” Leila asked again more meekly. Still, there was silence.

Panic began to surge inside her.

“I’m so sorry! I’m coming back—” Leila was cut off.

“Don’t come back. Don’t call again,” her mother said firmly, and a sharp click was followed by a low-pitched tone.

Leila felt that tug deep inside her to obey; her mother had used her alpha authority against her.

Leila slowly hung up the phone with a shaking hand. She knew her mother must be trying to protect her. Spare change tumbled down into the chute.

She didn’t bother with it. Leila glanced around the parking lot and spotted a bench. She sat down and took a deep breath.

She wasn’t sure how long she sat there, thinking. But finally, she broke free of her thoughts and glanced at the clock outside the post office. She stood and quickly left.

***

“We’re now making our final descent into Seattle, Washington.”

“At this time we ask you to stow all electronic devices, fasten your seat belt, and return your seat to the upright position,” the flight attendant’s methodical voice said over the telecom.

Leila had never been so relieved in her entire life. She’d never flown before.

Between the bus, the taxi, and the last two flights she’d taken, she had never been more physically miserable in her entire life. In the cramped, tight spaces, her senses were on overload.

The jet engines made her ears numb.

And her approaching heat made it all ten times worse.

It was around midnight by the time Leila got off the plane. She had a six-hour layover until her next flight. The route was poorly planned, but she hadn’t considered that far ahead.

She was cranky, severely sleep-deprived, and starving. It didn’t occur to her she hadn’t eaten in two days until she felt how painfully empty her stomach was.

Her nerves were finally settling enough to gain an appetite back.

Leila walked down the stretch of airport shops and restaurants in search of food.

After a very large, very overpriced meal, she began to browse a tourist shop. A very bored and sleepy young woman sat behind the counter.

Leila glanced over the brochures absentmindedly, until her eyes passed over a beautiful, forested island photo on one of the leaflets.

It called to her wolf.

Leila plucked it from the shelf and started thumbing through it.

“How far are the San Juan Islands?” Leila asked the woman.

“About two hours. You can catch a ferry in Anacortes,” the woman replied disinterestedly. Leila glanced over it again. The photos were pretty. Leila brought it up to the woman and handed her some money.

As she waited for her change, the sudden assault on her senses was unexpected. It took all her willpower to keep from gagging.

It was the smell of death.

Leila spun around, her sharp eyes scanning those in the airport as she struggled to keep down her recently eaten meal. Finally, she found the source.

A woman stood, complacent, a few terminals away. She was watching Leila intently.

Leila could make out the red sheen in her eyes that her concealing contacts couldn’t fully hide from Leila’s keen sight.

The smell grew stronger, and Leila quickly glanced in the other direction. A man and a woman stood together, mingled in the thin crowd. Both were also intently watching her.

Leila didn’t bother with the change. She ignored the woman’s holler to wait and quickly left the area.

Thankfully, they didn’t follow.

Leila’s heart still pounded as she swiftly made her way out of the airport into the cool night air. She glanced briefly at the sky; the moon was nearly full.

Numerous car rental companies’ illuminated signs caught her attention. She headed purposefully toward them.

Leila decided she would find another airport somewhere up north. She wasn’t about to stay there a minute longer. She burst through the doors to the only one without anyone inside.

“I need to rent a car.” Leila couldn’t keep the urgency out of her voice. The man behind the counter looked at her suspiciously.

“I have a family emergency,” Leila quickly lied. It seemed to mildly appease him.

“I’ll need an ID and a credit or debit card. Fill this out,” he said as he slid the paper across the desk. He looked almost bored. Leila paused.

“You don’t take cash?” she asked. He quirked a brow.

“No…miss. We need collateral. In case you don’t bring it back,” he said. Leila stared at the paperwork.

“I don’t have a card,” she said and looked back at him.

“I’m sorry. I can’t help you,” he said snootily. Leila furrowed her brow.

“Do you know where I can buy a car then?” she asked. Again, he gave her a blank stare.

“Miss…it’s 2:30 in the morning.” His tone made her feel stupid. Leila was not naive by any standards, but she had never been on her own in the human world.

Leila glanced behind her. The office was surrounded by windows. There were a good number of people coming and going from the terminals. She didn’t see them, but it made her nervous regardless.

“Thanks,” she said in a very thanks-for-nothing sort of way and turned to go.

“Wait,” he said. Leila paused and glanced back.

“You said you have cash?” he said in a much different tone. Leila nodded.

“How much cash?” he asked again. Leila frowned.

“Enough,” Leila said vaguely. He was watching her with a contemplative look. Finally, he spoke.

“We have some old cars being transported to auction in the morning. If you give me the baseline price, I can buy it with my employee benefit,” he said.

Leila gave him a narrow-eyed glare. It was her turn to be suspicious. They were alone in the booth.

“And you can do that?” she asked. Leila wasn’t about to get pursued by the cops. He grinned, in a shady sort of way.

“Sure…” He lowered his voice. “For a reassignment fee,” he added. Leila glanced up at the camera.

“It doesn’t record sound,” he said in a tone that made her feel childish. She sent him a glare, but she was desperate enough to get out of there. The bus and train stations wouldn’t open for hours.

***

Leila drove along the freeway as the sun broke the horizon. The shady man had asked for an additional $1,000. She wondered if he assumed she was some kind of drug mule.

At least she had gotten out of there.

Even if it was illegal, Leila planned to dump the car anyway once she got to the next airport, but she’d been at it for hours, and she was greatly sleep-deprived.

It was getting harder to focus. Even the symptoms of her oncoming heat paled in comparison to sleep deprivation.

Finally, she pulled off at the next exit to stop for gas and food. She ate quickly at a small restaurant beside the gas station.

After refueling, she was about to pull back onto the road when a sign caught her attention.

Anacortes 20 miles.

Leila put the car back in park and dug through her backpack to pull out the crumpled leaflet.

Her luck hadn’t been great so far, but an island certainly seemed like the safest place to wait out her heat. She knew she couldn’t be around people, and certainly not in a plane.

She had avoided thinking about it up until now... but the blood moon was tomorrow night. She could no longer put it off.

She had to find someplace safe.

The ocean air was dulling to a wolf’s senses, so thick with salt and fish; it was difficult to catch the scent of anything else. It would serve her purpose well.

Leila could already feel the extreme agitation growing. On a whim, she made up her mind and turned the car around.

By the time she arrived at the wharf, it was busy with morning life. Leila caught sight of a motel and pulled into the parking lot.

Three days of sleeplessness had finally taken its toll. Before going in search of the ferry, she decided to get a few hours of sleep.

The salty sea air was an assault on her senses, but it wasn’t unpleasant. She checked in, went directly to her room, and fell onto the bed in a deep sleep.

***

Leila awoke to the warm, wet feeling between her legs and rubbed a hand over her face in an effort to wake herself.

With squinted, sleepy eyes, she glanced at the small digital clock that sat on the bedstand. 3:14 a.m.

Leila groaned and rolled over as she reluctantly slid a hand between her legs. Her jeans were wet. Leila sat up suddenly and glanced over at the small window. It was night. She’d slept the whole day.

Leila got up and spent the next ten minutes scrubbing the blood from her jeans. She hung them up on the shower railing to dry.

Thankfully, the sheets were spared.

She’d always heard the high school girls complaining of ‘that time of the month’ in the school bathrooms and locker rooms. Wolf females only bled for one night, twice a year. But that was hardly the worst part.

The worry of what would happen after her bleeding stopped was steadily building inside her. This time, she wouldn’t have her mother to force her to keep her wits about her.

Leila had nearly lost her mind the last time. They had spent it in a bunker at the edge of their territory her grandfather had built for the female wolves who started their heats too early.

An unmated female’s heat continued to amplify every blood moon when unsuccessful in obtaining a mate. This would be her fifth…

The vernal and autumnal equinox moons in March and September respectively brought about their heat cycles, known as ‘blood moons’ to some packs, for two reasons.

The blood moons brought about a female wolf’s bleeding cycle that ensured their fertility.

The second reason was back in the olden days, when the world was far less civilized, male wolves once fought each other for the right to mate. That custom had long ago faded from their history, but the name stuck.

Leila had no knowledge of the packs in this region. She had no idea what she would be up against.

She knew how dangerous this was.

Their kind avoided being in the human regions during the equinox moons.

They were so large and bright and close to the horizon, they wolf-glazed their eyes and made them incredibly restless with feral energy.

It was only expected, being that it was their mating season.

Even though they lived a more civilized existence now, they couldn’t always fight their nature. Wolves were more aggressive this time of year. More territorial.

She took a long, hot shower and tried to soothe her troubled thoughts. It didn’t help.

Come morning, Leila inquired where to purchase ferry tickets from the front desk and checked out.

She headed down the wharf on foot. It was a pleasant day. The warm sun did wonders to calm her unsteady nerves.

Joana’s words had continuously haunted her ever since she left Seattle. There are many dangers for our kind.

Three vampires would have been nothing to a pack, but a lone female wolf was another matter entirely. Leila never learned to fight beyond the capacity of her natural instincts.

As an alpha female, she was to be protected, not fight. Her grandfather said that often.

Leila purchased a ticket to one of the lesser populated islands. But she had some time to kill, so she decided to walk around the wharf.

Leila was increasingly starting to lose her sharp focus. Already, the extreme agitation of her heat was setting in. The full moon would be rising soon.

She noticed quite a few human males were casting her second glances.

Although not affected as wolf males were by her pheromones, the human male’s far weaker senses could still unconsciously pick up her scent.

She knew full well none of them had any idea why they felt such an extreme attraction to her. And it was only going to get far worse when her condition fully progressed.

Leila began to feel the impatience mounting to anger. She had to consciously force herself to keep her emotions in check. Her whole body felt hot, and she couldn’t help the agitation.

Just as she was sitting down on a bench, the light breeze shifted. It caressed her face and hair and brought with it a frighteningly familiar scent. Leila’s chest tightened in panic.

It was another wolf. A male wolf.

Leila immediately stood as her eyes darted around the wharf. She couldn’t find the source. The scent was gone as quickly as it came, and her senses were filled with salty air once again.

Leila forced herself to calm down. Had she imagined it? She shifted her thighs uncomfortably. She fully felt the effect of his scent.

No…

It had begun to stir her need.

Leila swiftly snatched up her backpack and started down the street, back toward where she had parked her car.

Leila didn’t know what frightened her more: that another of her kind was so close, or that his scent held such an immense appeal to her. Her heart started to race.

Her wolf didn’t want just any male, it wanted one from a strong bloodline to father her future pups…only those with strong scents appealed to her.

So it startled her even more that out there…of all places…was a genetic match for her?

This was a bad idea—the islands were too perfect for her species not to be inhabited by at least one pack.

Leila walked quickly through the streets and continuously cast glances behind her. She eyed the people along the wharf as she passed.

Most appeared to be tourists. Just as she began to relax, her eyes drifted over a male not three hundred feet from her.

He was tall, almost excessively so, at least six-five, probably six-six, and broad with short, dark brown hair. Although she couldn’t currently smell him, she knew instantly he was one of hers.

He was staring directly at her, and the expression on his face was one of shock.

Like her, he must have just noticed her presence. Even from a distance, she could see the growing hunger in his gray-blue eyes. Leila’s breath caught, and she spun in a full-out run.

Why was he out among humans?! None of their kind should be out right now! She thought at the very least she wouldn’t run into another here.

He was blocking her way to the car. She’d have to somehow circle back around. Leila shoved her way through the unsuspecting crowd, uncaring at the angry shouts she received.

She glanced behind her, but could no longer see him. Just as she rounded a street corner into a less crowded lane, another scent hit her hard. Leila froze.

More. She cursed her luck. These weren’t like the first that held such appeal; these repulsed her.

They must have poor breeding, far from the standards her body had set. Leila glanced back; the wharf would be the safer option.

If they lived around here, they wouldn’t risk shifting. She turned back, but she was too late.

“All alone, sweetheart?” a deep raspy male voice asked. Leila spun around. Three burly wolves, all tall and broad, were fast approaching.

She narrowed her eyes as she received the full effect of their unappealing scent. Slowly, she began to inch back toward the wharf.

“I’m just passing through,” she said firmly, and she hated how her voice trembled.

They were all watching her intently. She took several steps backward. They quickly came toward her.

Leila felt the gut-clenching fear. She didn’t care that there was a crowd. If she had to shift, she fully intended to.

Suddenly, they stopped.

“Bit out of your territory,” a pleasant male voice said from behind her. Leila spun around. The first male stood calmly. The burly wolf sneered.

“Just here to chat with the lady. She passed through our territory not long ago,” the wolf explained coolly. Out of the two, she highly preferred the first.

Slowly, she moved toward him, but there was no need. He grabbed her and yanked her behind him. The full effect of his scent nearly dizzied her, and she felt the pull of desire, despite herself.

Her body grew hotter.

“You lost your chance. We told you we didn’t want you near here. Leave,” the dark-haired male said viciously.

Leila watched the male’s back. Whoever he was, he emanated power. Leila knew he was higher ranked than the average wolf. Much higher.

Was he an alpha-born?

The other wolves looked hesitant, their eyes locked on her. The tension was mounting. Leila glanced back toward the wharf. This was her chance. She tried to dart. He swiftly grabbed her.

“Don’t,” he warned and the look he gave her made her knees weak. The other three glared.

“Wait for me at the docks,” he said firmly; his eyes held something she didn’t expect to see. Behind the straining desire, was…concern? Leila numbly nodded.

He released her arm, and she swiftly made her way back to the crowded street.

She vaguely heard their voices behind her. The effect he had on her faded as she put some distance between them and she knew full well what would happen if she stayed.

Leila broke into an all-out run once she was clearly out of sight. Despite whatever security he might be able to offer her, she had her pack to return to.

She couldn’t be weak now. She darted through the crowds once more.

Leila nearly ran straight into the car and quickly fumbled with the keys. She got it unlocked and nearly yanked the door from its hinges as she climbed in.

Leila floored it backward. Cars swerved out of the way as she flew into the street and sped toward the nearest highway.

Leila had no idea what direction she was headed. She barely lasted half an hour before she had to pull off.

Leila felt it now; the effects were steadily building, a fog was taking over her mind. Her breathing was deep and uneven. His scent had kicked it up.

No, Leila begged as she leaned her forehead briefly against the steering wheel.

She should have had at least another few hours of sanity. The moon wasn’t supposed to rise until late afternoon.

Leila glanced around her. She was in another wooded region; she must have gone south.

It wasn’t safe, she wasn’t far enough, but it didn’t matter. She couldn’t focus. She stopped at the first motel she could find and checked in.

***

Leila lay breathing deeply on the bed as she tried desperately not to move.

Every shift slid the fabric of the blankets along her hypersensitized skin and sent a jolt through her body that seemed to radiate down to the throbbing, wanting ache between her thighs.

Every nerve in her body was alive and active.

Leila had shut herself up in the room, closed all windows and doors, and shoved a towel beneath any cracks in a desperate attempt to keep another from catching her scent.

Night had finally fallen. The full moon was brightly shining, and she was in complete misery. It had never been this bad before.

All her senses were hyperactive, she could hear what every person was doing in the rooms around her, but her mind was too unfocused to interpret the sounds.

Her body was flushed with heat, a light sheen of sweat covered her form. Her hair stuck to her face. She could feel her heartbeat in her ears.

Leila whimpered slightly and tightly pressed her thighs together as the raging yearning grew steadily worse. It took all her willpower to keep from touching herself.

She knew how much worse that would make it, but as the minutes dragged on, her resolve was waning.

Finally, despite what remained of her reason screaming for her not to, Leila slid a hand between her thighs. She ran her fingers slowly over the soaked fabric of her underwear.

Leila felt the sudden shiver course through her. She was painfully aroused; her sweet scent grew stronger as she stirred her slickness with her touch.

With deep, heavy breaths, Leila pushed aside the wet silky fabric and gritted her teeth as she lightly caressed her fingers over her wet slit.

Slowly, she parted her soft folds and caressed between them. The jolt of lust she received was almost painful. Leila pulled her hand away; she could feel herself trembling.

With great resolve, she forced herself out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom. She turned the water on as cold as it would go, clumsily stripped off her clothes, and stepped in.

Leila gasped as she sank to the shower floor and sat there beneath the frigid water, but it did little to calm the raging heat inside her.

The stimulation of the water on her sensitive skin became too much. Leila quickly shut it off.

She sat there for a time, languishing in miserable need and hating herself for leaving the dark-haired wolf who had consumed her thoughts ever since she got a hint of his tempting scent.

She wanted him so bad…it hurt.

Leila could stand it no longer. She stumbled out of the shower, ineptly put on her clothes over her wet sensitive skin—a whole new form of torture—and shuffled toward the door.

She nearly tripped over a dislodged pillow on the way.

She had no idea what time it was and nor did she care. There were still a good amount of people on the streets.

Her hyperactive senses were making her predicament far worse; it was hard to focus with the amount of stimulation she was receiving from all the activity.

Leila moved directly to the bar across the street from the Motel in desperation, not even realizing she was barefoot.

Her hair was still dripping, and she wore no undergarments. Her shirt was wet and clinging to her.

But worst of all, her eyes were wolf-glazed. Not that she cared. Completely disheveled, Leila yanked open the door.

Nearly every man within turned to glance in her direction. Leila struggled to even her breathing as she scanned the men within the bar in frustration.

Although desperate, Leila’s body was not seeking just any male; it was seeking a genetic match to father her young. To mate with her meant to bond with her for life.

And none of these human males met the standard. Deeply aggravated, Leila turned to go.

“Wait…,” a male voice from behind her said. Leila spun around as the unsuspecting man put a hand on her shoulder.

With a strength a woman of her stature should not have had, she twisted his hand off her, nearly dislocating his shoulder. His yelp of pain quieted as the door slammed behind her.

Leila’s eyes shifted intently toward the forest. She could faintly smell the salty air; she hadn’t gone far. He had to be looking for her.

Leila staggered toward the forest and ignored anyone who inquired as to her state of wellness.

She knew she must look thoroughly crazy.

Leila’s mind was starting to slip into a frenzy, and she barely maintained enough sense to keep her head turned so people couldn’t see the wolf glaze in her eyes.

The sharp points of her canines poked against her lower lip.

She was starting to lose it.

Finally, she stumbled into the shelter of the forest. Leila could feel herself trembling. Her body was burning. She could no longer stop it.

She shifted into fur and tattered her clothing as she bounded into the forest in a full-out sprint.

It took her nearly three miles until she caught another hint of that scent. It spurred her on all the faster until more scents hit her. Leila struggled hard through the fog in her mind to make sense of it.

Leila slowed to a stop and gradually pulled herself out of the frenzied haze. She breathed in a deep breath of salty air.

Almost immediately, she could make out at least eight—no, nine—males. A warning broke through her cloud of lust. This was dangerous for her.

They had all caught her scent by now—they couldn’t possibly miss it and were headed toward her. Leila felt the sudden wave of dread; it finally cleared her mind enough to focus.

The male from the dock’s scent was getting stronger and four others that were dizzyingly similar. All were running toward her from slightly different directions, and two were very close to her.

They were to the northwest. The others were the unappealing ones she recognized from earlier in the street. They were to the east, just as spread out.

Leila didn’t have to think twice; she broke into an all-out run toward the north.

As they neared her, Leila was struggling to keep from slipping back into the frenzy, as hard as she tried to keep her focus.

Their scents tugged hard at her burning need. But five was still a problem. Leila struggled to breathe.

She could see the lights of some town in the distance and swerved in a different direction to avoid it.

The group from the east was getting dangerously close; she could hear their labored breathing as they sprinted toward her in fur. Leila’s survival instincts took over her mating lust.

Leila changed direction, away from both. In the frenzied state she’d likely put them in, they could unintentionally tear her apart.

She was quickly running out of the forest, however. Open woods became backyards.

She was once again forced to choose a group. Finally, she could hear the north group, their fierce breathing and pounding footpads.

As she broke through a woodland clearing, the other group was close on her heels.

Five immensely large wolves broke through the opposite side of the clearing nearly at the same time. She headed directly toward them and leaped over the smallest of them at the last possible second.

She didn’t miss a beat in her pace as she heard the fierce snarling from behind her as the two groups collided. It bought her time.

Leila ran until she couldn’t hear them any longer. She kept going until the forest abruptly ended. She paused sharply.

Uncertain what to do, she followed along the edge for a time, attempting to catch her breath. Dogs were barking territorially from all directions.

They had set off nearly every single one in the surrounding towns.

The wind shifted again, and suddenly she could smell blood. It was so much she could almost taste it.

Leila turned and bounded back into the woods, back toward the motel. She needed to take advantage of her focus and get in the car and go as far as she could.

She barely made it a mile before she was overwhelmed by his scent again. He and two others were heading toward her.

Leila picked up her pace, but she was struggling. She couldn’t seem to put any distance between them.

With them so close, her mating instincts were fighting hard against her need for preservation. Her mind began to cloud.

So preoccupied with eluding the three behind her, she didn’t even notice the fourth. From the tree line to the west of her, she saw him bounding toward her too late to avoid it.

The impact nearly ripped the breath from her lungs, and they both went tumbling sideways. Finally, they rolled to a stop.

Leila could barely breathe with his weight on her; she felt his teeth press painlessly into the back of her neck. With a growl, he jerked slightly. Leila gritted her teeth.

She took in a deep breath of his scent and nearly lost all conscious thought to her need.

He was trying to mount her.

The throbbing ache between her thighs increased tenfold. A second time, he growled and twisted his teeth when she wasn’t cooperating. Leila struggled to refocus her mind through the cloud of lust.

She couldn’t think.

Her whole body ached with want, but she fiercely fought against it. By the third time, his teeth became painful.

Sense pierced through the haze for the briefest of moments, and as much as she wanted to, she couldn’t give in. The others were coming…she could hear them.

She had to get out of there—she just might die if she stayed.

A thought struck her. She was smaller in human form. Leila shifted back. The male immediately let up. It was clear he wasn’t expecting that.

Leila used it to her advantage to slip free from his jaws and shove away from him.

Before he could react, the hard pounding of paws broke through the brush.

The wolf was viciously tackled off sideways and the small clearing suddenly became a battleground of snarling teeth and claws.

Leila’s survival intuition kicked back in, as much as her body was on fire. She scrambled to her feet. Leila turned to shift and bounded back into the woods, but she never got the chance.

As she turned, she unexpectedly ran into something firm. Strong hands grabbed her shoulders. The fifth had caught up.

He was larger than the others and his scent hit her like a brick. It was dizzying. It called to something deep inside her. Her wolf reacted to it almost violently.

For a moment, she lost herself completely to her wolf.

If she had thought the wolf on the wharf had smelled good, she was sorely mistaken.

He suddenly spun her around and shoved her to the ground. She heard him sharply shout, but she was too far gone to recognize his words. The others instantly stopped. This was their alpha.

Leila felt a jolt of immense excitement when his hands slid onto her waist and yanked her hips up higher as she felt him move behind her.

She made fists against the grassy ground as she felt something hard press against her entrance. Her breath caught in her lungs. Her whole body felt the jolt.

Leila emitted a strained noise of pleading, far too gone to form any coherent words. The throbbing ache was on the cusp of driving her mad.

She couldn’t fight it anymore.

She was overly ready for him. Leila could feel the warmth of her heat trickle down her thighs.

He didn’t make her wait; it was evident in his movements that the immeasurable want had overtaken him as well.

With one hard thrust, he impaled her untouched body. Leila cried out in a mixture of pain, pleasure, but mostly…relief.

Pure and utter relief.

She struggled to breathe through the sensations that coursed through her heated body. He was big.

She felt so full, almost too full, but the pain of him tearing through her virginity was lost in the gratification of finally soothing the throbbing ache.

Why had she been running at all?

As he pulled out of her soaked body, preparing for another rough lunge, Leila laid her head down on the ground as she arched her back and spread her thighs wider in eagerness.

Somewhere in her subconscious, she knew what she had just done. She had just given her submission.

True and irrevocable submission.

It caused the abrupt snap of her previous alpha bonds and the forming of a new one.

But at that moment, she couldn’t comprehend it. Her entire focus lay with the want between her thighs.

His grip on her waist tightened as he slammed back against her hard enough to jerk her whole body against the ground and began to thrust, hard and wanting.

Leila struggled to breathe through the sensations her overly sensitive body was receiving.

She closed her eyes, her fists tightened against the mossy ground as each motion of his hips gave her just what she wanted, what she needed.

She heard soft, strangled noises, and she didn’t even realize they were coming from her.

His thrusts grew harder with eagerness—his control was beginning to slip, but her heavy breathing and the sound of their joining were all she could focus on.

She felt the urgency in his movements; he was getting close.

In that heated moment, she didn’t care that she didn’t know him, didn’t care that she’d be bound to him for the remainder of her life.

All she cared about was soothing her need.

Pleasure was steadily pooling in her lower half in the form of pressure. It was quickly becoming too much. She was now teetering on the breaking point.

And then it hit her hard, like a tight, hot rush.

She jerked her hips back against him and gritted her teeth. Leila made fists against the mossy ground as her body tensed completely, her inner muscles tightening in pulsing waves.

All her senses blurred in ecstasy.

She had never felt anything like it in her life.

Through the haze, she heard him groan in pleasure, felt him grip her hips firmly, and deeply bury himself inside her squeezing walls. He pressed her to the ground in the process.

Leila felt the inner heat of his seed fill her depths. His strong hand slid up her back, keeping her firmly pinned as he finished inside her fertile womb.

Through the haze of pleasure, she felt him give her one final thrust with a possessive growl as he used his weight to press even deeper into her body.

It sent another immense jolt through her before he slowly withdrew.

She felt the loss of his weight and warmth with disappointment mingled with the afterglow of the moment, though as the pleasure high began to fade, the satisfaction was short-lived.

She felt horribly empty.

To Leila’s horror, the hot longing slowly began to surface anew, more intensely than before. It was as if he had stoked that low-burning heat inside her to a full-blown fire.

Leila whimpered with need.

As her mind sharpened, she heard the angry growls and scuffling. By their tones, she could easily tell the others were nearly beside themselves with frenzy.

But she didn’t care. She wanted more.

Just as she began to push off the ground to desperately seek out her new mate, she was firmly pushed back down by a new pair of hands.

Leila’s eyes widened, and a sharp sense of clarity broke through the lustful haze.

Was that her mate? No. He smelled different. Her mating bond was fresh—like fresh paint, it wasn’t fully set yet.

Her mind was fuzzy. She pushed up against him and tried to twist from his grip, but his strength was far beyond her own.

Just as she prepared to shift, the first pair of hands pushed down on her shoulders. She felt him lean in close to her ear.

“Don’t,” he growled in a commanding voice, but she could hear the strain in it. It was almost animalistic.

Leila felt that familiar tug deep inside her to obey him, and she instantly stopped her struggle. Her body responded to his alpha authority. Shock momentarily coursed through her.

He was her alpha now.

Before she could even register that thought, the new male behind her gripped her hips and forcefully thrust inside her. Leila emitted a sharp gasp from the hard rush of respite at being filled again.

It stole her entire focus and made her brain fuzzy.

She couldn’t think.

She took several heavy breaths and closed her eyes as she tried to adjust to the feel. Like the first, her pelvis felt so full, it was bordering on pain.

Not that he gave her any time to adjust. She hadn’t realized how truly gentle and controlled the first had been until the second began to savagely pound into her with built-up need.

She leaned forward to brace herself against the ground.

Somewhere in her mind, she knew she should be fighting this—she was already claimed—but soothing the fiery want between her thighs quickly became her full focus again.

Her wolf wanted this.

It felt good. ~More~ than good. His hard length pounding inside her. Her mind could barely focus on anything else. She trembled beneath him as he leaned forward to pin her harder to the ground.

She felt her wolf edging for control as the animalistic nature of the act began to cloud her mind.

All reason faded away.

Leila gritted her teeth through the intense pleasure. She struggled to breathe as the male behind her ravaged her. The rapid wet slapping of their joining was all her hearing could focus on.

And it was quick, her building pleasure. Leila whimpered as hot searing bliss overtook her body in sharp pulsing waves again.

He growled above her at her inner tightness, but he would not allow it to stop him.

He continued to stubbornly thrust through her tightened embrace. It caused a whole new form of torture for her to endure.

And she was completely lost in the euphoric pleasure for a time.

When finally she emerged from the powerfully gratifying haze, gasping for air, she was already heading toward another.

He didn’t last much longer, and she felt him bury himself deep inside her in a blissful release.

Leila panted with frantic need; he had just begun to build her up to her third release, only to withdraw before she managed to hit her peak.

Leila gritted her teeth as his weight and warmth left her. Her fiery heat only seemed to grow with want. Her whole body was trembling, and the ache between her thighs only grew worse by the moment.

She felt so empty.

Again she heard angry scuffling. From beside her, another growling shout from her first lover.

The desperate anger was obvious in his tone; he was trying to keep his pack from tearing each other apart.

Were they fighting still? She couldn’t focus enough to tell…but she knew she had done this.

She was flipped over unexpectedly. A third pushed her thighs spread and thrust inside her, hard. Leila gasped sharply and arched her back, at this new angle, he felt even larger.

It spread her painfully.

Leila gritted her teeth and dragged her nails up along his back as he began to move with pent-up need. She knew she drew blood, she could smell it, but he didn’t seem to care.

She could feel his intense lust as he put his weight into each rough lunge of his hips. He was even rougher than the last.

Finally, she glanced up at his face. It was the one she had met in the streets. In the dim light, she could see his wolf-glazed eyes burning with lustful hunger.

He was staring down at her intently with a feral look in his eyes. She could just barely see his sharpened canines against his lower lip. At that moment, there was little human left in him.

And she didn’t care one bit.

Leila moaned desperately and wrapped her legs around him to rock her hips urgently against his thrusts.

The cloud of lust was overtaking her thoughts again.

He suddenly slid his arms beneath her back and hooked his hands at her shoulders to hold her firmly as he added more weight to his ramming thrusts and filled her completely with each lunge.

She could hear how wet she was with his hard quick movements, and she gasped each time he hit a little too deep inside her.

She could feel his desperation matching the pace of her own. Leila spread her trembling thighs wider and threw her head back against the ground.

She emitted pleasurable noises between broken breaths as she urged him on with her hips.

Finally, she could feel her edge fast approaching and with a particularly rough thrust, she lost it.

Leila’s breath caught as her muscles clenched hard around him. Instinctively, she bit down on his shoulder hard enough to taste his blood.

She could feel herself trembling uncontrollably. With one last lunge, he filled her insides with a pleasured growl against her ear.

By the time he pulled out, Leila was panting again with need. She felt so empty…

She glanced around her with glazed eyes; her wolf had begun to take over again.

As with the last few times, the dark shapes engaged in an angry scuffle; there was more growling and more shouting.

Leila squirmed uncomfortably and ran her hands over her face and back through her hair to make tight fists in frustration.

The throbbing ache between her thighs was growing stronger again. It was torture. Leila was trembling. How long could this possibly last?

She didn’t care who took her; she just wanted someone inside her!

She felt a body move over her. He gripped her hips and with a rough thrust, he buried fully into her. Leila groaned as the ache was once again momentarily soothed.

He leaned forward and pressed firmly against her.

She felt his rippling muscles against her much softer form, and his tight grip holding her firmly pressed against him made it slightly difficult to breathe.

By his tenseness, she could tell he was struggling hard to keep composed. Leila gritted her teeth as she felt him start to pound into her at a bruising pace.

His grip on her hips was painful, but she couldn’t even make herself care, not even as she felt his sharp teeth pierce her shoulder near her neck.

She felt the full surge of her wolf as she eagerly swayed her hips. Her canines pierced her lip when the wolf atop her upped his already demanding pace.

Leila dropped her head back and groaned as she spread her thighs wider to let him completely have her.

She let herself get lost in her need.

Leila didn’t even realize she’d given in to her wolf until she came out of the lustful haze beneath another new lover as he pounded inside her wantonly.

She whimpered and wrapped her arms around him. Leila desperately nuzzled into his neck as he relieved the maddening ache inside her.

She closed her eyes as she felt her wolf edging for control again. She no longer cared to fight it.

Leila just gave in completely to the abandoned craze and lost her human focus completely. She could no longer think, she simply acted on lustful animalistic instinct.

***

Leila’s focus was immensely choppy. There was a truck, and a hot body pressed against her. Then the cold salty spray of the ocean and the low hum of a boat engine.

And finally, the softness of a bed, several in fact. All the while, her lustful need had hardly abated.

Leila slowly began to regain a bit of her focus—at least, longer than the brief increments she’d been having.

She had no idea how much time had passed, or how she came about standing on the cool tile.

Her hands were tightly held at her wrists, preventing her from reaching between his legs for the one thing she suddenly wanted all the more with her growing sense of clarity.

Her hair was a mess, strands stuck to her damp face. She still felt so hot. Leila tried to blink away the fog.

The lustful haze was still there, and the throbbing ache was still present, but the raging inferno had calmed down to a low-burning fire.

It was almost bearable. Almost.

She twisted at the hold on her wrists and growled in annoyance.

Whoever it was that held her, yanked her closer to him to keep her from struggling and pulled her hands tightly behind her back to restrain her firmly.

She felt his hot skin against the length of her own.

His hard body was all muscle; she felt her heart start to pound as flashes of what he had felt like atop her…moving inside her…rushed through her mind.

And his scent called so deeply to her wolf. It spiked that aching want back into the realm of unbearable. She whimpered.

“Geez, Quinn, just give her the whole fucking bottle. I can’t stand it anymore,” a male voice off to the side said, his tone dripping with frustration.

“Then leave,” Quinn spat back in irritation. The other muttered something, but she didn’t hear it. It was hard to focus on any other than the one who held her. He remained silent.

Leila tried hard to think through the fog. Slowly, more images came back to her, and she felt the flush of heat against her skin.

The male restraining her shifted uncomfortably, and she could feel him start to swell against her. Her increasing arousal was affecting him.

Suddenly she felt a hard prick upon her arm. Leila tried to jerk away from it, but another hand held her firmly.

Whatever was injected into her arm, it was in a substantial amount, and it burned a little.

Leila turned her head against his chest and pressed her cheek firmly against his warm skin as she took a deep, heavy breath from the discomfort.

She felt him shift his hold on her, and his hand slid up through her hair in a comforting manner. Finally, the needle withdrew.

The second one gently began to tug on her, but the first didn’t let her go. His grip tightened almost painfully, but she didn’t mind.

Her wolf preferred him.

“I’ll do it,” the male who held her finally said in a deep, pleasant male voice. It was the alpha, she clearly remembered it. She heard the others leave.

Instinctively, she tried to lean into him; she had an overwhelming urge to wrap her arms around him, but she couldn’t move. Even if he wasn’t restraining her, she doubted she could.

Leila had never been drunk before, but through the haze of her thoughts, she figured this was what it must feel like.

There had been a constant hissing noise in the background, and as he pulled her up against him and she felt the warm spray of water, she finally realized what it was.

He gripped her forearms and held her upright. The water felt heavenly. She closed her eyes and soaked in the feeling.

The male pulled her against him to keep her upright, and she felt something soft slide along her still sensitive skin. The smell of a mild soap accompanied it.

Unintentional as it was, he began to dangerously stroke that fire inside her as he ran the cloth along her receptive body. Leila began to pant, and the hand he had freed began to reach down between them…

He dropped the cloth and gripped her wrist to stop her with a low growl. Leila whimpered pleadingly.

“Please…,” she begged, and she hardly recognized the sound of her own voice. Tears welled in her eyes at her desperation.

She was so hot. The ache was so bad.

It was torture.

There was a long moment of silence, and finally, to her relief, he gently slid his hands beneath her and hoisted her up against the shower wall.

Leila pressed her soft warm body fully against his hardened one and brushed her lips against his neck.

She felt the rippling of his muscles as he positioned himself between her thighs. Leila groaned and closed her eyes at the feel of him gently pushing inside her.

Slow but firm.

She pulled in a deep breath at how incredibly full her pelvis felt and pressed her cheek against his shoulder.

Unlike all the other times, this time the feel of him inside her aching center truly ~did~ soothe her. She felt him lean down and nuzzle at the side of her head as he slowly started to move.

She could feel his restraint. He was practically shaking with it. Leila could barely breathe.

The rocking of his hips felt so nice.

Gently, he built her up to near release. Every nerve in her body was receptive to his touch. Leila curled her thighs up higher on his waist as each thrust of his hips pushed her closer and closer.

Finally, Leila whimpered in pleasure; she didn’t have the strength to do more than that as her wet inner muscles clenched around him in hard pulsing waves.

It seemed to be all he needed. With one final thrust, she felt his warmth fill her as he made a pained groan against her ear.

Leila struggled to breathe as she felt an immense sense of real gratification wash over her. She hooked her arms around his shoulders and pressed herself closer against him. She was reluctant for him to pull away.

She didn’t want to lose this warmth like all those other times.

Leila tried to even her breathing, but a strange feeling started to overcome her.

What was happening?

Leila vaguely remembered the needle. Her eyelids felt immensely heavy, and her limbs began to fail her. She felt him pull her close against him as she went limp in his arms and darkness overtook her.

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