Battle for a Mates Heart Read online

  Of course, she never missed the longing she saw in Charlie’s eyes when she was in the room with him. After the interrogation with Radar, Alpha Clifton had decided that her presence during future interrogations would help keep the mind-reader focused. Apparently, her mind was not as noisy as Sal’s. A shiver ran down her spine whenever she thought about the creepy wolf. She knew he abused Charlie both physically and mentally, but there hadn’t been much she could do about it.

  A soft sigh escaped her lips. When she had jumped into the circle, she had only wanted to help the poor human who was being forced to mate against his will. Her thoughts returned to the shifter she had wanted to mate; but like Ricky, she had been denied the right by Alpha Clifton. Very few of the females in the Willow Creek Pack had been allowed to mate.

  Over the years, a number of the females had left without a word, probably because they wanted a happier life than was available in her birth pack. However, now that Alpha Clifton had been driven from the pack she would be able to mate Drake, start her own family and put this nightmare behind her. Of course, first, she had to find a way to get not only herself but Charlie and Radar freed.

  She fingered the necklace as she exited her room and started to walk toward the dining hall. As she passed the alpha’s bedroom, she couldn’t help the disgust that threatened to make her vomit. There were too many nights she’d spent in the shifter’s bed, trying to pretend that his 'wham bam, thank you, ma’am' approach to lovemaking turned her on.

  She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had an orgasm. Being a wolf-shifter, she had a naturally high sex drive and had hooked up for an evening or two in the past. However, after she met Drake, she had stopped the one-night stands.

  Drake wasn’t her Semme’ mate, but she loved him. Which made what she was doing now, feel like she was cheating on him. But if she refused the alpha’s advances, then she would be a prisoner or worse.

  At least this way, she had a chance of escaping and helping the others. Some days, though, she felt as if she was no better than a common whore. She had to believe that Drake would forgive her and could help her forget this madness.

  Sammy jumped as an arm was placed around her waist, “Hi sweetheart, did you want to grab a quickie before breakfast?” Alpha Clifton didn’t wait for her answer, as he forced his tongue into her mouth. The she-wolf had to fight against her gag reflex as she opened and allowed the man to continue his assault. His hand squeezed her left breast hard enough that she was sure there would be a bruise. Before he could get much further, there was a quiet cough behind them.

  “I’m sorry Alpha, but a couple of the new recruits have arrived. You said you wanted them to see Charlie,” Biff looked amused, as Sammy tried to straighten her blouse. The lust she saw on the beta’s face caused her to narrow her eyes.

  “Don’t even think about it wolf! I belong to Alpha Clifton,” Sammy snarled. She heard the alpha snort beside her.

  “True for now, girl,” the alpha said softly. Clifton grabbed her chin and forced her to look into his eyes. A small shudder ran through her frame as she looked into the eyes of the pure evil in front of her. “However, if you don’t produce an heir soon, maybe I’ll start sharing you with a few of my close friends.”

  Sammy felt her stomach drop through the floor. She had been taking Queen Anne’s Lace seeds mixed in with her evening tea, to prevent the unwanted pregnancy. From the look on the alpha’s face, he was growing tired of waiting for her to produce. “I’m sure it will happen soon lover, it’s only been a few months after all,” the she-wolf said softly. She stroked the man’s chest as she leaned closer to him.

  Alpha Clifton took a step back and turned to talk to Biff, “All right, as soon as we’ve eaten I’ll send her down to sit with the freak. How many new recruits showed up?”

  “Just two…” Biff hurriedly added, “we have more on the way tomorrow. I know it’s taking time to rebuild our forces Alpha, but in order to keep hidden, we have to be careful.”

  “I don’t want any excuses! We need to rebuild my pack and make it stronger. Alpha Grant will rule the day he stole what was mine,” Clifton growled.

  Sammy followed quietly behind the two wolf shifters. It was clear that time was running out; for not only her but the Windy River Pack as well. She knew the alpha was trying to rebuild his pack and from what she’d seen so far, the wolves who were signing on were the worst kind of wolf—rogues. They were either mad or simply, pure evil.

  The only reason they joined was because the promise of belonging to a powerful pack was just too much for them to ignore. All wolves needed a pack to survive. Of course, the fact that each was also promised a share of the spoils from any pack Alpha Clifton decided to attack was an added bonus for them. The only good thing was many of them were untrained as warriors, which meant it would take time to train them; time that hopefully, Sammy could use to escape.

  As they approached the dining room, Sammy was reminded again of the place they currently inhabited. It was an old insane asylum, located in a remote mountain area outside of Seattle. The place gave her the creeps.

  Of course, she had only been allowed to wander on the main floor where the living quarters, training facilities, and dining area were located. The floor above them required a passcode to enter. Whatever was going on couldn’t be good, because the few times she’d been near the door when it opened, Sammy’s enhanced hearing picked up the sounds of suffering.

  The basement of the building housed the cells, including the one where Charlie was currently kept. She couldn’t see the other prisoners but based on the poor conditions that the half-breed lived in; it wasn’t hard to believe anyone being kept in these rooms would suffer.

  But the worst part of the building was the sub-basement or the ‘pit’ as Alpha Clifton referred to it. She had caught a glimpse of it when poor Radar had been placed inside. She was sure the only reason the alpha had allowed her to see where the unfortunate wolf was being kept was to let her see what would happen if she made him unhappy.

  What Sammy had seen though made her skin crawl. The room was only large enough for the person to lie on what looked like nothing more than a bed of straw. There had been a bucket in the corner, but otherwise, there was nothing else. There wasn’t even a light in the windowless room. Sal had explained to her that these rooms were similar to solitary confinement cells in prisons, except these were even worse.

  She hadn’t seen Radar since the day they closed the door on his cell. Luckily, Charlie had been able to convince Alpha Clifton that he was simply an outside contractor hired for the job and had no knowledge of the Windy River Pack.

  But while the interrogations were stopped, the alpha wanted to make an example of the poor shifter. He wanted it known what would happen to anyone who went against him. The she-wolf wasn’t sure if death wouldn’t have been better.

  Sammy worried that Radar would give up. However, Charlie had told her he could still sense the man and had been able to at least give him some comfort by communicating with Radar in his dreams. The half-breed had told her it was a skill he rarely used because it put him at risk.

  He had also talked to her in her dreams when she was not in the cell with him. It was comforting to know that Radar wasn’t alone. But he had warned Sammy that even his intervention would not be enough to keep Radar from losing himself if he was not rescued soon.

  “Are you ready to go?” Alpha Clifton’s impatient growl jerked her from her thoughts. Sammy hadn’t even realized she had eaten.

  She tilted her head, “Of course, Alpha.”

  “Good and if you finish early, come find me. I’m feeling a little frisky this afternoon,” Clifton snickered as he grabbed her ass and squeezed. It took all her strength not to slap the man silly. Instead, she smiled softly while running her tongue over her lower lip. She could feel the wolf’s interest as she stood and leaned back against him. If only he knew her true thoughts, he’d be covering his balls instead of pushing himself closer.

  Samm
y managed to smile as a plan began to form in her mind. She had never been allowed in the control room. The clueless alpha had finally made a mistake she might be able to use to at least get Charlie free. After all, if she played her cards right, the stupid prick would be alone in the room and too busy to watch the monitors.

  Sammy turned her head and whispered, “I’ll meet you in the observation room afterwards, and we can work on getting that heir of yours cooking.” She winked at the alpha before she turned to follow the beta to the next interrogation.

  Luckily once she entered the basement area, Biff left to get the new wolves that would be submitted for interrogation. She walked quickly toward Charlie’s cell door. Sal wasn’t in his usual position at the guard station, which could only mean he was with the unfortunate shifter.

  Squaring her shoulders, she passed the desk and headed to the door. Knocking loudly, she snarled, “Sal get yourself back to your station. Alpha Clifton is sending down two more wolves, and we need Charlie to do his thing.”

  The door opened to reveal Sal. His pants were hanging low on his hips. It was obvious what he’d been doing when she’d interrupted him. “How dare you speak to me that way, bitch?” The wolf growled and showed his teeth. Sammy placed one hand on her hip while she used her other to shove the wolf back. The surprised look on Sal’s face was priceless.

  She walked into the room and glared up at the camera. “Honestly Alpha, how do you expect me to get the freak to do his thing when this walking hormone can’t keep it in his pants for more than two minutes?”

  She gestured to the unmoving figure on the bed before she continued, “I’m not even sure I can fix what he’s broken.” Sammy licked her lips and ran her hand down the front of her body, “and after you got me so revved up for our little tryst afterward too. Why don’t you just let Sal handle these interrogations? Then I can join you and watch the fun of him trying to get the unconscious half-breed to do the readings for you.”

  The alpha’s chuckle reverberated through the room. “Now, now, kitten. You know Sal has needs…”

  “Fine, then while he’s filling his needs, you will have to wait for the information you wanted because from what I’m seeing here, Charlie isn’t in any shape to do anything right now.” Sammy walked over to the cot and turned the still mass over.

  The blank stare in Charlie’s eyes wasn’t a good sign. The shifter had lost even more weight, and there were fresh wounds on his body that would eventually scar if he wasn’t allowed to shift. Squaring her shoulders, she glared back toward Sal before she spoke, “How can he help us when he appears to be catatonic?”

  Alpha Clifton’s voice changed to a growl, “Sal, what have you done to him?”

  For the first time, Sal looked worried. However, he quickly hid his fear as he faced the camera. Instead, the shifter shrugged, “Nothing Alpha, he’s not permanently damaged. If you give me a few minutes, I’ll bring him around.”

  “You’ve done enough! Leave and let Sammy girl try to fix him. I told you what would happen the last time you went too far,” Alpha Clifton shouted.

  Sal started to object, but before he could talk the alpha interrupted him, “The last time you got too frisky, we had to wait a week before he could review the new recruits. Do you remember what happened?” the alpha paused, “one of them was a spy from the Seattle Pack!”

  “But…” Sal started to speak, but the alpha wasn’t through talking.

  “You’re no longer in charge of this prisoner. In fact, you can spend a few weeks in the pits on guard duty. You won’t have anyone to play with either. You will keep your hands off of the prisoner. I’ll assign someone else to guard the half-breed until you can learn to not break my property!” It was clear the alpha was furious with the turn of events. Sammy watched as Sal tilted his head before he turned and stormed from the room.

  “Can you reach him, kitten?” the alpha asked. While it had been a question, the tone of his voice made it clear she really didn’t have a choice. She slapped Charlie’s face once, and then again before she saw his eyes begin to blink. Sammy hated to hurt the shifter, but she had to make it look good, or else they’d both be in trouble. Her instincts were to hold the man and comfort him, but if what she was planning worked, the amount of pain she caused now would eventually lead to his freedom.

  “Get up freak; we need you to talk to a few new recruits.” The she-wolf reached down and pulled the man up and got him to sit on the side of the bed. She didn’t like how easy it had been for her to move him. “Look, if you don’t do this then I’ll ask the alpha to let Sal come back and finish what he started—or do you actually enjoy it?”

  “NO!” Charlie’s voice was barely above a whisper, but the revulsion and fear in his eyes told her and the alpha watching that the threat was effective.

  “Fine, then I’ll give you ten minutes to pull yourself together and get ready, but if you don’t perform…” She could feel the shifter shudder at the unvoiced threat.

  “Damn girl, now I can’t wait for you to join me,” the alpha chuckled. “I’ll let Biff know to bring them to you in about twenty minutes. That should give you time to get him cleaned up and ready.”

  Sammy nodded and turned her attention back toward the shifter. He was still bleeding from the claw and bite marks on his skin. While she couldn’t do much to treat his wounds, at least she could get them cleaned up a bit.

  She reached down on the floor and picked up the discarded jeans. “Here,” Sammy tossed them onto the bed, “get yourself dressed and I’ll get a washcloth to at least get you a little more presentable.”

  After a few minutes, she’d managed to get him washed down. During the whole time he’d remained silent which was unusual, normally he spoke to her using his ability to mind- speak. As she leaned closer to finish wiping down his back she whispered, “Are you okay?”

  Charlie’s face didn’t change, but his words flowed into her mind. “Sorry Sammy, so sorry you had to walk in on—on,” his voice quieted in her mind. However, now that the connection was open she could at least talk freely to him.

  She could sense his shame and hopelessness. The poor man must really be weak if he was allowing his emotions to show through. If only she could hold him for just a moment, but the alpha would see that as weakness.

  She dropped the washcloth on the floor beside the bed and walked to stand closer to the door. Sammy began to examine her nails while carefully keeping what she was thinking hidden from her face. “Charlie, I know you’re getting tired, but I think I have a way to get you out of here. The question I have is, do you think you’re up to it?”

  ◆◆◆

  It was hard to believe in only a short time, the crafty she-wolf had managed to not only communicate, but also execute her escape plan for him. Even more surprising, was that it had worked. Charlie shivered from the cold as he stopped for a brief moment to catch his breath.

  He could see his breath crystallize while his paws sank into the deep snow covering the mountain path he was currently on. He had to keep moving, even though his body was already depleted. There was no time to rest.

  Once it was discovered he had escaped, the alpha would probably move locations, which meant Sammy and Radar would either be moved or worse, killed. He had to make the six-hundred-mile journey to the Windy River Pack quickly. Unfortunately, in his current condition, he’d be lucky to make it in less than a day. Taking a deep breath, he began to run again. He couldn’t let Sammy down, not after the risk she had taken to free him.

  The tired shifter still couldn’t believe Sammy’s crazy plan had worked. It had been a lucky break to have Sal reassigned. The fact that Sammy had managed to unlock the collar while she cleaned his wounds, still amazed him.

  Of course, she left it on him so that when Biff had come with the two new recruits, they would not suspect anything was wrong. It had been hard to not remove the hated device, but he’d managed to keep up the pretense.

  Charlie had watched as the wily she-wolf then manage
d to leave the door to the cell slightly ajar. Of course, Biff was thinking with his little head as she bent over to retrieve something she dropped on the floor. But then, he couldn’t blame the wolf as her shapely behind was a thing of beauty, even if he preferred a nicely tight male ass.

  He had waited patiently until he saw the camera move slightly up and down. It was the signal for him to move. Sammy had told him she would keep the alpha busy so that he could make his escape.

  Charlie just wished there had been a way to take her with him, but she’d refused, stating it was the only way. He had quickly removed the hated collar that not only prevented his shifting but also was used to ensure he did what the crazy alpha wanted. Luckily, the new guard had not yet been assigned, so he was able to escape from his cell without any interference.

  The shifter followed Sammy’s directions and managed to sneak out through a rear doorway that was guarded by a young pup. Even in his weakened state, he was able to take the inexperienced nineteen- year- old down. Part of him felt guilty about having to kill the youngster, but then he also remembered the boy’s mind. It had been dark for one so young and would only get darker as he grew older.

  He’d taken the time to circle the compound, leaving false trails before he headed straight up into the mountains. Once there, he used a number of the many streams to hide his scent while he put as much distance as he could between the Seattle facility and himself. He had no doubt that as soon as his absence was discovered, a hunt would be called. His only hope was that they would follow one of the false leads and assume he would head towards a town to get to a phone.

  After running for over twelve hours, his body was starting to reach its limit. His paws hurt from the rough snow-covered terrain he traveled through. Charlie thought about stopping to rest for a few minutes when suddenly his legs stumbled, and he fell down a slight ravine.