Chapter Six
1544 Words
Two months later
Hailey sat with her hands tied in front of her as the sounds of crying filled the air. This wasn’t a miracle.
She didn’t even know what had happened. One moment, the alpha had been hitting her for spilling coffee on his pristine shoes that were some kind of designer brand, then they were running. The entire pack had tried to save themselves as they were attacked.
Seated in the center of the town, Hailey tried not to look, but she had no choice as the lead man who attacked stood in the center, right near the torn-down statue of their alpha. Their present alpha whimpered on the ground like a coward.
She didn’t care what happened to her alpha. He was poisonous, pure evil. The man who had his foot on the alpha’s chest captured her attention, and she wasn’t sure why.
Her mouth went parched as she peeked from the top of his head, all the way down his body. He only washed away a pair of pants and boots. His chest and arms were all bare, showing the sight of his muscular chest. There was no ink on his body, but a bunch of scars. Several of them she recognized as wolf marks.
The scent coming from him told her he was a wolf.
If he was one of their types, why did he raid their pack? Not that it was a difficulty for her. She was used to jogging, but it was rather strange being encircled by those who often mocked her during the times she attempted to save herself.
“You,” the new man said, pointing off at the group of men.
Hailey glanced to where he pointed and saw Bill, one of her many tormentors, picked up and dragged to the center where their attacker waited.
They had all tried to run, but they hadn’t gotten far before they were captured. The man in the center hadn’t been alone.
Men of equal size surrounded him. They were present now, smiling at them. The women and men had been separated. The men were chained up, the women bound with rope.
The feeling of it against her flesh was uncomfortable. She hated being tied up.
Sluggish, depth whiffs helped, but she sniffed as the man, who she now inferred was the alpha, drew a knife, plummeted it into Bill’s stomach, and thrust it up to his heart.
The sight of blood made her feel sick, and she had no choice but to look away.
“You all believe your alpha is going to save you? He is weak. He is nothing. Simpering on the floor like a damn coward,” he said.
Hailey raised her gaze in time to see him slam his hand against his chest.
“The name’s Jackson, and each of you, you’re going to pay.” His gaze ran over the crowd, and when it landed on her, he nodded for one of his men to grab her.
She didn’t fight. There was no point.
Her pack wouldn’t save her. There would be no victory here.
She was surprised as his men lifted her, not brutally, but with care.
Why weren’t they being rough? Why weren’t they forcing her to the floor like an animal?
One of the men put a hand on her back and helped her move closer to … Jackson.
It was a strange name. Not one she’d heard before.
Her heart raced as she was less than a foot in front of him. His men let her go, and she faced him, waiting for whatever decision he’d decided to make.
Sinking her teeth into her lip, she tried not to beg for mercy, or to ask for anything. Instead, she remained perfectly still, waiting for whatever verdict he intended to give.
She hoped for a quick death. One that didn’t hurt her. She was so tired of the pain.
Her hands were jerked in front of her, and then the rope was removed from her wrists. Hailey looked at Jackson, trying to see any sign of what he’d done. Any clue?
Nothing.
The man wasn’t an open book.
The sharp gaze of his eyes was almost black, with hints of brown. Was the man mad? Had his wolf taken over?
His hair was shoulder-length, long, and brown. To many women, he’d be considered handsome, even if she established him … attractive. This was unusual for her, seeing as most of the men in her pack had forced her to hate them right from the start.
He flicked the blade so that he held the tip in his fingers and presented the handle to her. “Finish him off,” he said. His voice was deep, commanding.
She felt the alpha within his wolf.
Her wolf was scared stiff, but she wasn’t sure if that was her or not.
“What?”
“You heard me.” He kicked at the alpha, who lay curled up in a ball, groaning.
The beating she’d witnessed the alpha receive was bad, but she couldn’t help but feel he was a coward, considering the number of times he’d ordered her beating, and she’d had no choice but to take it.
In comparison, he truly didn’t have what it took to lead.
Hailey shook her head, clasping her hands together. “No.” She couldn’t do it.
Jackson burst out laughing. “Well, well, well, I am surprised.” He took a step toward her, and she couldn’t help but tense up. “Do you think I don’t know what this man is capable of?” He inhaled deeply, and Hailey couldn’t look away as his nose trailed from her cheek, up to her ear.
Her body came alive, and she hated herself.
At a moment like this, why did she suddenly start behaving like a wolf in warmth?
Letting go of her arrows, she gripped them in her fists, wishing so damn much that her body would get control of itself. The thought of being aroused right now didn’t bode well with her.
Jackson inhaled. “I can smell you. It’s okay, little one. I am used to women being affected by me. You’re not the first, and you won’t be the last.”
“I’m not going to kill him,” she said.
“Why not? He means nothing to you. This man has done nothing but hurt and torture you for years. Has he broken your spirit so much that you won’t even think of taking revenge?” he asked.
“How do you know that?”
The whole pack would be able to hear their conversation. The thing about wolves was they had great listening skills.
“Why do you think I came here, Hailey?” he asked. “I saw everything, and all of these creatures stood by, did nothing, or helped in your pain and misery. It is time for you to take your revenge and kill all of those who harmed you.”
****
Jackson had never sorted out a pack in his life.
Raised in the foster care system of normal humans, he’d known at a young age that he was different. He had those keen senses none of the other kids had. They didn’t hear conversations feet away, especially those of whispers. None of them heard the rats or roaches in the homes.
None of them were ready for an attack, but he always was.
At the ripe age of sixteen, he found out exactly what he was. A wolf. Born to hunt, to lead.
In the last twenty-nine years, he’d learned to adapt, to hunt, to survive. During those years, he’d found out exactly what happened to him, and the men and women with him now were like him, in a way. None of them were leaders. They had been looking for an alpha, and as much as he hated it, Jackson didn’t have a choice.
Rogue wolves were … dangerous. He learned a lot during his time.
Just like he’d studied this woman in front of him.
Two months ago, he’d picked up a scent his wolf just couldn’t deny. He’d tried to control himself, but the need to find that scent, to make her his, was overwhelming. He was aware of mates, the strength and bond a female could bring, but he hadn’t wanted one himself.
He’d f****d his fair share of willing human and wolf females but never had a woman made him feel this way.
Hailey Foster, Fostergiawfulul little wolf in a broken pack. He stared at her now, with the mark on her neck that must have been branded on her flesh before her first transition. He recognized the mark well. Every single member of his pack had it. The mark of the unwanted. The symbol that would stop all other packs from wanting her if the alpha decided to banish her from his pack.
Seeing the mark made him angry.
They had used this woman as their punching bag. He’d watched them all beat her, curious as to what this female had done to earn such reactions.
Two months it had taken for him to realize she had done nothing but exist. They were afraid of her.
- Writer
