"Seriously: Rosette, you better behave. I know you like to push his buttons, but he will lose his mind if something bad happens to you," Katrina said as she unlocked the cuff on Rosette's ankle.
Joy overcame Rosette, and she hugged Katrina, promising to be good and stay put just before sleep took her.
The next several days took on a weird pattern of waking very late in the afternoon, eating, and sleeping. Rosette's schedule was like a teenager's again, going to bed just before dawn and waking in the afternoon.
Her sexual appetite had also changed. If it wasn't for Katrina, she would have completely lost her mind. Katrina did everything she could to keep the tension from overwhelming her. It was exhausting for both of them.
As Rosette lay partially sated on the bed, Katrina crawled beside her, panting, "The other Betas would be happy to serve you, Rosette. Alpha Luther doesn't mind if you take other women to your bed."
"I know," Rosette told her sad
Rosette moved quietly through the brush, her senses heightened. She spotted Emily, the sweet young kitchen girl, tied and motionless on the ground. Emily was naked, her body marred by multiple cuts, her face bruised and battered. Two wolf men stalked around her, circling like predators sizing up their prey.Rosette screamed for Kyle in her mind, focusing intently on the scene before her. She prayed he could hear her in this wolf form, hoping their bond still held. A single word echoed back to her, as if whispered from a distance, "Run."She assessed the carnage before her, recognizing the wolves. They were the last of the renegades, the ones who had captured her twice, likely responsible for her near poisoning. Now they were harming a member of her pack. She wouldn't run.She wouldn't be foolish either. She would use stealth, but then the wind shifted. Two heads popped up, turning to stare at her. Her white fur offered little camouflage without snow.She
To appease Kyle, Rosette tried to stay as the wolf, but the frustration of working knots with her teeth was immense. Quite suddenly, her human hands reached forward to undo the knots, and she found herself kneeling beside Emily. She hadn't really meant to shift, but it had happened.Emily was soon unbound and rolled over, leaving a bloody mess on the ground where she had been lying. Rosette was horrified by the look of her front, bitten and bruised.Her hands grew claws, and she felt herself shift back to the wolf woman. It was based on pure anger and adrenaline. She rose up on her legs and howled her frustration over the hills. She was mine to protect. A female in her pack, the evil doers had gotten off too easy.As she knelt back down, she saw two terrified brown eyes staring up at her. She didn't know if she could talk in this form. It seemed it would be difficult with the muzzle, but she had seen Kyle do it. At first, she tried to speak, but she couldn't quite manage it; the words
Rosette wasn't entirely wolf, though. Her human side had witnessed abused women do things to appease their abusers. Emily had made a mistake and tried to atone for it. Forgiveness was still an option.The wolf didn't understand forgiveness. Rosette felt her melt into her mind, trying to wrap her brain around the concept. It was human logic, based on the complicated inner workings of a human society. The wolf sifted through Rosette's understanding of the werewolf pack. Forgiveness wouldn't be an alien concept to them; it might even be acceptable.Emily was weak, allowances could be made for her frailty. The wild side of Rosette relented. This girl was no threat, and killing her wouldn't be satisfying.Rosette rubbed her hands on her face. Now she just had to convince Kyle. Emily had made a foolish choice, but she tried to pay for it. That should carry some weight."Get up, we're going back to the den."She motioned for Emily to get up and walk."Madam Alpha, my punishment...""I forgiv
"Don't you ever get tired of having to say that, love?" he asked, his voice laced with anger."Don't you ever get tired of bossing me around?" Rosette retorted, the words escaping her lips before she could stop them."We will talk when I get back," he answered curtly, ending the conversation.Rosette chose to ignore him and focus on her leisurely run. She could sense the pack running behind her, but the forest felt like her own. The stars and moon shone above, and the woods were alive around her. It felt wonderful. Too soon, she saw the looming structure of the den come into view.Concentrating hard, Rosette fell gracelessly back into human form as she saw her friends standing outside the den. She wanted to tell them she was alright and apologize for ditching them."Rosette," Katrina cried, approaching her. She looked a wreck. Shana was right behind her and didn't look much better. As Rosette threw her arms around them, she realized they were both sobbing."What's wrong? Did something
"There were extenuating circumstances," Rosette said, watching him warily. "I forgave her.""Was it your place to offer that?" he asked, crossing his arms across his broad chest. Rosette lost her train of thought watching him."Well?" he asked."Yes," she answered confidently. "I am the female Alpha. It was my place to offer her forgiveness."He slowly came at her and wrapped her in his arms. There was no protest she could offer that would sound sincere. She needed him. Shaking her head, she tried to clear it. This conversation wasn't over yet."It was my place to decide her fate. Do you agree or not?" she asked him, trying to sound firm.He nuzzled into her hair and ran his hands down her back to knead her buttocks."Maybe," he answered. "Convince me.""How do you want to be convinced?" she asked, running her hands over his skin. He was steel covered in silk. She growled her appreciation at the texture of him."You, my little love, will submit to my mastery until I say otherwise," he
"You haven't learned to filter your thoughts yet. When she told you in the forest she had been the one to put the poison in our rooms, you opened a connection to me. I heard it all, your internal argument and her admission. I didn't tell you I knew because I was curious to see how you would handle me.""Dishonesty is not a very alluring trait, mate," Rosette retorted, poking him in the chest."Neither is not trusting me," he said, reaching for an exposed pink nipple. Rosette jumped out of his way. There was no way she would be talking to him if he started to touch her."Why is she coming to talk to me?" she asked instead as he stalked her toward their bedroom."You said yourself you've seen abused humans, and Emily struck you as the same. We don't really have that problem here. No one else is going to know what to do with her."He continued to speak and follow her as she coyly avoided him. "You don't have to worry about how the rest of the pack will treat her. Our forgiveness is absol
Compared to Kyle, Rosette was weaker and less experienced. He was powerful, of course, but that wasn't his primary weapon. He plotted, exploited, and anticipated. He had seen every move she had, in any combination she tried to use them, and his energy for this game was boundless.'I'm not as good at this as you are,' she finally called out to him, standing still for what seemed the first time in hours.'If the renegade wolves,' he said, walking in front of her as the large black wolf, 'were more in number or had paid attention to the training I offered, you could have been hurt. I teach the smaller, weaker wolves to fight together and to fight dirty. Your instincts are good, you are fast, and you have good stamina; however, your moves lack sophistication. You haven't learned to anticipate your opponent's tactics or developed any sense of strategy.'It was a harsh statement, but it was the truth. This reminded her of all the rigorous attending physicians she'd co
Rosette directed Roel across from her in front of the crackling fire, inviting him to speak. To make him feel welcome, she had the kitchen bring up a tray laden with snacks. Roel spotted the tray immediately and pulled the entire thing onto his lap. Rosette sat across from him, amused by his behavior."Kyle," she called to him mentally, "Roel is eating the snacks, all of them!" She laughed inwardly and showed Kyle the image."Do not move," Kyle ordered. "Roel is still more feral than I realized. If he thinks you are trying to take his food, it may inflame his beast."Rosette felt Kyle come to stand beside her as she heard his voice in her head. He stood casually by her chair and didn't move a muscle. She followed his lead and just sat quietly until all the food was gone.Roel let out a little burp and placed the tray back on the table. He seemed to notice them suddenly and remember where he was."Pardon me, my Alphas, I apologize for my behavior. H