Lycan Vengeance

Chapter Five

Rose shifted restlessly, trapped somewhere between sleep and consciousness. Her senses screamed that something was wrong, but her sore body demanded more sleep. Her inner alarm bells clanged to high heaven, and she could no longer fight the imminent warning. She cracked her eyes open and slowly scanned the dark room. She remained perfectly still, not allowing one muscle to move, not wanting to alert whatever or whoever had disturbed her sleep that she was awake. At that moment, the moon chose to slip out from whatever cloud it was hiding behind and shined through the window—the window she’d earlier found to be stuck shut when she tested it for a possible escape route—and cast a soft glow over the bed.

A faint sound caught her attention. The scratching noise sounded as if someone were trying to pry the window open. Something or someone was trying to get into her room. She sat up slowly and reached for the bag Knox had brought in from her truck. She dug around in it for a weapon, but, of course, he’d removed them all. Thanks a lot, Knox. She had nothing, not even the dagger he’d returned to her in the woods, as he’d also taken it, along with her clothes, earlier.

Now what am I going to do? She slid silently out of bed, tiptoed to the wall, and pressed her back against the cold wood just beside the window. She fought the shiver threatening to shake her body and rattle her teeth, more from fear than cold, as she took quiet, deep breaths. She hoped she was simply being paranoid, and that the wind would end up being the culprit that had made the noise, but the clang, clang, clang of her inner warning bells were telling her otherwise. She’d learned long ago not to ignore them, and she’d be a fool if she did so now.

She inched closer, until she was standing next to the glass, cautiously leaned around to look out, and barely kept from screaming when she saw a huge gray wolf staring back at her, its front paws propped against the pane. She sprinted for the bathroom, the sound of shattering glass echoing throughout the room, and had just flung the door shut and braced herself against it when something slammed into it hard. The whole thing shook so hard her teeth clattered, and she was amazed it hadn’t shattered under the force. It took all her strength to hold the knob—why couldn’t it have a damn lock?—as it was jiggled furiously from the other side. A few seconds later, the jiggling stopped, and it was silent for a moment before something slammed into the door once again.

This time, the force knocked her back, landing her hard on her backside. When she looked up, a man with hazel eyes and stringy black hair stood glaring at her. His eyes were glowing, and he was naked. Just what she needed. Another lycan to deal with, yet this one didn’t look as if he’d play by the same gentlemanly rules Knox did. Speaking of Knox. Where the hel are you? For one dreadful moment, she wondered if this could be a friend of his. She sincerely hoped not because this one creeped the hell out of her. She got to her feet slowly and took a self-defense stance.

She’d been taught to run, when possible, if up against a stronger foe, but she had no choice in this matter—she was trapped. He was stronger, quicker, and she’d probably lose, but she wasn’t going to make it easy for the bastard.

“Come with me, and I won’t hurt you.” He held his hand out to her.

Was he freaking insane? Of course he is. He’s a fucking rogue. Did he think she was a dingbat or something?

No, he probably didn’t think of her as much of anything other than a piece of meat or play toy. There was no way she was going to go with him anywhere willingly.

“I don’t think so.” As much as it galled her to admit it, she really wished Knox would make an appearance right about now.

“You have the scent. You belong to me. You don’t have a choice.” He sneered at her.

“Last I checked, this was a free country, and we all have choices. I choose not to go anywhere with you.”

He took a step toward her, and she crouched and put her fists up in front of her, readying to defend herself. He stopped, his nostrils flared, and his eyes glowed brighter.

“I like a woman with some fight in her. You’ll be fun to break in.”

“Believe me when I say, you won’t like me in the least when I kick your balls up in your throat, buddy. I wouldn’t ever let a scumbag like you touch me.”

Her stomach churned, and bile burned the back of her throat. How many other women had he pulled this crap on? How many other women had he hurt? How she wished she had her bow or a dagger right now because she’d carve him a new one. He came at her. She dodged him and ran under his arm into the bedroom.

But he was quick—as were all those damned lycans. He caught her around the waist and slammed her to the floor face-first.

The wind was knocked from her lungs, and she gasped for air. He didn’t handle her with the gentleness

Knox had. In fact, his weight pressed her so hard to the floor, she could barely breathe at all. She was going to black out if he didn’t let up a bit. He fisted her hair and yanked her over onto her back, but the moan of pain she craved to voice couldn’t escape her oxygen-deprived lungs.

“Yeah, you’re going to be real fun to play with.”

She spit at him, and anger contorted his face. He raised his hand, and she closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable blow to come, but it never did. Instead she found herself freed of the lycan’s weight. When she opened her eyes, Knox stood over her attacker, as naked as the lycan. Funny how she kept thinking of the rogue as a lycan, but not Knox, even though they were the same.

A small voice inside her whispered that they weren’t the same, but she chose to ignore it and the implications it held. She scrambled up off the floor and ran out of the bedroom, a need to get away driving her to the front door. She hadn’t been scared in a long time, but the encounter with the rogue had unleashed the fear from the night Tammy had died, and it rushed her from every direction. She had to run as hard, as fast, and as far away as she could. Unfortunately, her terrified mind didn’t take time to remember the fact that it was freezing outside and that she only wore a T-shirt. By the time her legs started cramping from the exertion, she was shivering.

Knox stood over the rogue, ready to kill him if he had to. The lycan struggled for breath through the hand

Knox had clamped on his throat.

“How dare you come into my home and threaten my mate? I will kill you for touching her. You do understand that it is my right to do so by lycan law?”

“No! I was taught that any woman with the scent was ours to do with as we saw fit.”

Knox shoved his face close to the rogue and spoke through clenched teeth, the need to kill him riding him hard.

“I’m an ancient, pup, and I’m telling you that is some fucked-up information you were fed. It’s all lies. I’ll tell you something else. You have two options: first, I kill you, which is feeling pretty right to me at the moment, or second, you haul ass to Sanctuary for some reformation. Your choice, but make it quick.”

The hesitation and fear that played over the pup’s face might have made Knox feel a bit sorry for him if

Rose hadn’t been involved.

“I don’t understand. I was doing what I was taught.”

“You were taught wrong. Ancient law plainly states we are to protect any potential mate until the destined mate is found.” Knox squeezed the lycan’s throat tighter until he gasped harder for air.

“Please. I don’t understand what you mean about destined mates!” the pup gasped, and his face started turning purple.

The sadness that hit Knox was disheartening. How had his kind gotten so out of control? “I can only assume you’ve never been told that those that carry the main scent also have a mated scent. All those that carry the main scent are destined mates to one of our kind. That destined mate is the only one who can smell the mated scent. But I suppose the rogues you’ve been running with probably don’t know about that, or don’t give a shit about it themselves. Just think about all of the women you’ve seen used, abused, and think about how they were meant for one specific mate, and how important that pair would have been to our kind.”

A complete and utter look of despair replaced the fear and confusion on the pup’s face. “I swear, I didn’t know. I’m sorry. I’ll go to Sanctuary. Please don’t kill me.”

Knox held on to the throat of the pup for several more seconds, waging a war within himself. He wanted to kill him, but he could tell the rogue was being honest. He was good at detecting lies, and he would be willing to bet his life the pup was telling the truth. He’d chosen reformation, and Knox had to give him a chance to do as he said. He reluctantly loosened his grip.

“The female you attacked is my destined mate. I can smell the second scent, which means she’s meant for me. You assaulted an ancient’s woman. By law, I could—probably should—kill you for your actions. You should have been protecting her, not accosting her. Those who carry the scent are essential to our survival. You have a lot to learn. I’m going after her now, and if you run, I will find you, and when I do, we go with the other option I mentioned, the one where you die. We understand each other?”

“Yes.” The pup rubbed at his throat, where dark red, angry marks still marred the skin from Knox’s crushing fingers.

“Wait here.”

Knox led the rogue to the living room after getting him some clothes to put on and pointed him to the couch. “You better be here when I get back.”

Knox quickly pulled the jeans, shirt, socks, and boots back on he’d left lying in front of the door earlier, and went after Rose. He wouldn’t track her down in wolf form because he didn’t want to frighten her more than she’d already been by the attack. What the hell was she thinking going out in the freezing cold and knee-

deep snow in only a T-shirt? She could freeze to death, and he was going to tan her ass good for this one. He owed her two now.

He gave the pup one last fierce glare before going out the door. Within moments he followed her scent and tracks. She hadn’t gotten far, but not far was too far in his opinion. He found her about three-quarters of a mile in the forest, and although she was still running, her pace was slow and clumsy. He caught her with ease, wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her to him.

She cried out and turned on him with fear burning in her eyes—fear that tore at his heart and nearly brought him to his knees. Rage seared him from the inside, demanding the death of the pup for scaring her.

Until he claimed her, put his mark on her, she would be in danger from every rogue who got close enough to smell her intoxicating scent—and even that wouldn’t be enough to stop some rogues, but it would certainly give most pause. She struggled against him, pummeled his chest with her fists, and he held her, trying to keep her from hurting herself. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she tired and went limp against him. He hugged her carefully and nuzzled the top of her head with his cheek.

“Shhh.” He stroked her back in what he hoped was a comforting manner. “It’s okay, Rose. I’m here.

Nothing can hurt you now.”

When he realized she was now crying, his heart lurched in his chest. When he got back to the house, he was going to kill that bastard rogue for making her cry. Fuck the fact the pup had been misled. He’d scared

Rose, and Knox wanted a piece of the little shit’s hide.

“I’m sorry. I don’t ever cry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“You were attacked. It’s understandable. I hope you can forgive me for not getting to you sooner. I’m sorry.”

She sniffed and rubbed her face on his shirt. “Can we talk a-about this later? I’m r-really cold.”

“Son of a bitch.” He’d forgotten she was half-naked. He’d forgotten about everything except the feel of her soft curves pressed against him. He picked her up, and she snuggled against him. Shivers racked her body intermittently.

“What were you thinking running out here in only a T-shirt? You could have frozen to death.”

“I j-just needed to get away. I wasn’t thinking at all. I want to go home, Knox. Please l-let me leave.”

He couldn’t, and he knew by the way she stiffened in his arms after he didn’t answer her that she was aware of it.

“You must realize, especially after tonight, you aren’t safe. I can protect you.”

“I don’t want to be protected. I’m not your property. I can take c-care of myself.”

“Look, if you want to go home, I’ll take you. But I’m staying with you.”

She sobbed again, and a dull ache throbbed in his chest with each beat of his heart. She didn’t understand fully why he couldn’t let her go, and he was pretty sure she wouldn’t like it when she found out she was his mate. In fact, she would be spitting mad and probably try to kill him again. He wanted to hold off as long as possible with that information, but he hated lying to her—even by omission. She was his, and he wanted honesty between them, but at this point in the game, the truth would only serve to make things worse.

He toed the door to the house open, and the pup jumped up from the couch. When Knox sat Rose down, she turned and shrieked when she saw the rogue. Before any of them could say a word, she’d punched the pup right in the nose, which put him in his current position—bent over wailing, trying to staunch the blood flow.

Knox held Rose back when she went for the pup again. “It’s okay. He’s not going to hurt you. I swear.”

He looked at the rogue, who was glaring at them. “Calm down, son. You and I both know you deserved much more than that. Now tell the lady you’re sorry before I turn her loose and let her have another go at you.”

Knox took a step toward him. “And trust me when I tell you from personal experience that she can rearrange your nuts with little effort.”

The pup’s eyes widened, and he took a step back, cupping his balls protectively. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” His voice was nasal through the nose that was about twice the size it had been only a few moments ago.

“Are you serious? You believe this asshole? He attacked me, Knox.” Rose spun on him. Her anger vibrated through the room.

“Go to your room, and get in a hot bath. You need to warm up. I swear to you by the time you’re done, he’ll be gone, and we’ll have a long talk.”

“I’m not a child. I don’t need you to tell me what to do. I’m not budging one inch until he’s out of here or dead—dead preferably.”

Knox stared at her while she stood shivering, standing her ground. She looked like a fierce, sopping wet mop with tendrils of hair that hung in clumps around her shoulders and face. He had no doubt his little hellcat meant exactly what she said too. He let out an exasperated breath, motioned for the rogue to follow him outside, and shut the door behind them.

“Sanctuary is about a hundred and fifty miles north of here. Head there now, and tell them I sent you when you get there. I’ve never been there personally, but they know who I am.” He pulled his wallet from his back pocket and gave the pup a card with his number on it. “Have them call me when you get there, and it better be by tomorrow afternoon at the latest, or I’m coming after you.”

“But—”

“Just shut up while you’re ahead of the game. You can find your way there. Now get going, and I better get that call.”

He watched the pup walk away in a dejected manner fitting of a teen who’d been thoroughly chastised, slumped shoulders and all. While the rogue had been rough with Rose, Knox was aware he could have done way more damage to her than he had. If he had, he wouldn’t be walking away now. It was hard for him to let him do so now. He’d seen his share of rogues, and this particular one seemed a good candidate for reformation. He reminded him of a lost dog that had been kicked around one too many times.

The pup seemed to have attacked more out of fear and confusion than meanness. He hoped he would learn and come to understand the importance of their laws because they needed all the help they could get for the fight for their survival. But only time would tell. If he strayed again, there wouldn’t be another chance.

Knox turned and walked toward the small shed beside the house. Inside he got some boards, a hammer, and nails to fix the broken window in the bedroom. When he got back to the house, he was relieved to hear the bath running. He and Rose were going to have a long talk, and it wasn’t going to be a walk in the park trying to get her to understand the big picture where his race was concerned.