Pack Poisoned, page 6
part #2 of Thrown to the Wolves Series
Sabrina awkwardly clears her throat while Cin and I wait to see how she wants to handle the situation. “A bit of both. Long story.” Glancing up at Cin, she timidly offers, “If you don’t have anywhere you need to be, you’re welcome to stay. You brought the food, so it’s only fair you get some of it.”
Only because I know him like the back of my hand do I see the relief her words bring him. He plays it off flawlessly with a smirk as he grabs Jonathan’s chair to drag him away and make room for himself beside her, but it’s like an aura around him I watch release a pent-up breath. Sliding into his seat, he latches onto the fact that he’s getting some sort of positive reaction out of her, leaning into trying to make her smile and forget about the fact that she completely incapacitated him like it was nothing this morning.
The next half hour is spent eating and joking around, even Jonathan loosening up after a bit. It’s cathartic in the best of ways, even if three of us are well aware that we’re simply pretending that our problems don’t exist for a short while.
“I mean, can you blame me?” Cin scoffs, shaking his head at Jonathan. “Girl sucked the soul straight from my body and I was a goner.”
There’s a sharp smack as Sabrina swats his arm before going crimson. “He’s going to get the wrong idea, shut up.”
I smother a smile, already knowing how my twin will respond before he ever opens his mouth. Grabbing her wrist, he dramatically shoves it under the table onto his lap. “Oh, right, then just to be clear, I was talking about my penis.”
Laughter bounces off of the walls as Sabrina yanks her hand back and opens her computer, adamantly refusing to make any more eye contact with anyone, cheeks heated. It’s not like talking about sex or public displays of affection make her uncomfortable, but it’s different depending on who you’re talking to. Hard to keep things professional when your coworker is picturing you choking on a cock.
Fuck, now I’m imagining it.
She sets off a domino effect, and soon, Jonathan and I are following her lead, getting back to it. I’m vaguely aware of my twin pulling out his phone to play on, but he quickly fades into the background as I develop tunnel vision with my work.
An ache begins building in my chest and I rub the heel of my hand across it, pushing it back down so that I can focus. A few minutes later another pang lances through me and I sigh, annoyed. Glancing at the time, I bite the inside of my cheek, getting up to stretch and go grab something to drink.
“Be right back.”
Kissing the top of her head on the way past without thinking, I miss a step when Jonathan slowly says, “I feel like there’s a very interesting story I’m missing out on here.”
Cringing at my careless mistake, I turn back to Sabrina who’s currently squirming in her seat. Bolstering her nerves, she goes for humor as she tosses out, “So, Cinjin and I pulled a Vegas.”
Jonathan cocks his head. “What are you talking about?”
Licking her lips, she rushes out, “Too many drinks, accidentally got married, but it turns out it was a BOGO deal. Paperwork got messed up so it’s his name on the certificate, but tied to Reid’s social security number. So, I’m... sort of married to them both until we get it straightened out. While I’m dating their brother.”
His eyes practically bug out of his head as he whips his gaze my way, fiery hair slinging into his face that he hastily shoves out of the way. “Yeah, no, fuck me, I guess. Why tell me anything interesting?”
Cringing, I shrug. “Wasn’t relevant to the job?”
The glower he aims my way speaks for itself as I excuse myself to the bathroom. The hallways are relatively quiet, most people in the building calling it quits around five. Finishing up and washing my hands, I head back to the conference room, a sinking feeling settling deeper in the pit of my stomach with every step. Pushing the door open, I find Hunter in the room, and Cin on the defensive.
Glancing over at Jonathan, I calmly state, “Time to call it a night.”
I’m not sure if it’s my tone or the fact that he’s had more than enough of my family drama for the day, but he slides his laptop into his bag and leaves without protesting, sending me a few nervous glances on his way out. The foreign alpha is leaning against the wall, sending Sabrina back into her quiet, withdrawn state.
“You’re putting her at risk by being out this late,” he declares with the utmost condemnation, but Cin has absolutely no problem matching his energy.
“And you’re painting yourself in a poor light by playing warden. I’d think our other halves have enough jailors to contend with already, don’t you?”
“You act like if she shifts here it isn’t a big deal,” Hunter spits, growing more incensed by the minute.
There’s an almost audible pulse in the air, making my heart miss a beat, my gaze being pulled towards Sabrina as if compelled. It physically hurts, like I can’t draw enough air into my lungs.
“And you act as if I can’t hear you,” she quietly declares, still working away, fingers flying across the keys. “Yet here we are, in the midst of one bad decision after another, and pretending we have any of the answers to fix them.”
Both of them turn to look at her, picking up on the same vibe that I am. Cin tosses a glance in my direction, communicating everything we’d rather not say aloud in the moment. When I flit my attention to Hunter, though? He’s completely fixated on her, his body strung tight and ready to intervene at a moment’s notice.
He’s scared, I realize with a horrified sort of satisfaction.
Even though he pulled her back from the brink this morning, whatever he saw while he was rooting around inside of her must have been bad enough that it made him nervous, and that’s not an easy task. It could be simply that a female alpha is an unknown entity, but I don’t think so.
I think he saw something to warrant him barging in here before sunset in preparation that he isn’t sharing with the rest of us.
“Where’s Slade?”
Hunter doesn’t tear his eyes off of Sabrina as he responds, “I’m not your brother’s keeper. But it’s a good thing that I decided to swing by since someone should be with her, especially with it getting late.”
Tongue in cheek, Cin retorts, “What are we, invisible?”
Crossing his arms over his chest, Hunter leans against the wall, raising an eyebrow. “Fuel for the fire.”
As the two of them bicker, I return to my seat beside Sabrina, not pressuring her to move. She’s fully aware of what’s going on, so if she hasn’t budged, there has to be a reason. It may be that she’s simply being petty, her dominant tendencies riding her hard and wanting to toy with Hunter, but I don’t think so.
“We should be getting back,” the foreign alpha repeats, and I level him with a challenging glare above my computer.
“Are you going to drag her out of here? I’m sure she’ll take that really well.” When he simply returns my venom, I glance back at my screen. “Maybe you should try asking for once. After all, weren’t you the one advocating for her choices when you arrived?”
Sabrina reaches out, trailing her fingers down my arm and eliciting a shiver that runs down my spine. “Thank you.” I can only nod, and she chooses that moment to close her laptop, resting her elbow on the table and her chin in her hand as she looks over Hunter, not an ounce of trepidation to be found on her face anymore. “So what do you say? Shall we try that again, a bit nicer this time?”
The muscle beneath his eye ticks as he stares her down before finally relenting, his voice monotonous. “Would you be so kind as to call it a day so we can make it back to the house before night falls?”
A small smirk forms on her face as she winks. “Much better. Though if you’d held out another ten seconds, you’d have had the backup to call my bluff.”
By the time she’s sliding her laptop into her bag, the door opens. Slade, Kaige, Damian, and Boden stride into the room, instantly seeking out Sabrina. While she hasn’t said a word to them yet, they pause, feeling the change in the atmosphere. While I typically condemn the instincts our other halves press onto us, it serves us well in this moment, allowing them to become instantly aware that this isn’t our sweet mate, but our first encounter with her wolf calling the shots.
“How was work, gorgeous?” Bo asks, breaking the tension and heading straight for her without an ounce of fear.
Seeing as he wasn’t privy to the incident this morning, all he has to go on are stories, and I can’t deny that I’d be quick to dismiss them as nonsense if I were in his position. Sabrina nearly killing three fully grown men with her bare hands sounds absolutely ludicrous.
Rising from her chair, she sinks into his embrace easily, beaming up at him. “Much easier to concentrate now that my leg’s not bugging me, and I got more accomplished than anticipated with all of the interruptions.” He slings an arm around her shoulders as she pivots, leaning into his side and running her fingers over the back of his hand as she sets her attention on Damian. “Thank you. I know there were a few bumps in the road, but I honestly appreciate the effort you put into speeding up the healing process.”
He exchanges a look with Hunter and Kaige before shrugging awkwardly. “No big deal. Couldn’t really leave you hobbling around when it was within my power to help, could I?”
Her cool declaration makes me forget how to breathe. “You never had to say a word about your abilities, and Kaige could have drained them all before we knew what hit us. Dragged me back with you when I couldn’t fight back, let alone attempt running away.” With Bo walking beside her, she closes the distance between them, grabbing Damian’s wrist and exposing his forearm to the room. Delicately, she traces her fingertips down the length of the icy blue, pearlescent claw marks. “A different kind of mark for a different kind of alpha,” she murmurs, before patting him on the chest and simply walking away.
Grabbing both of our bags, I meet my twins’ eyes, sharing in his nerves. Turning back in time to see her passing by Slade as he holds the door open, I watch him become rigid, unsure of what to expect from her and her new split personality.
To her credit, she doesn’t act as if he’s of no consequence. She slips out from beneath Bo’s arm to palm both sides of his face, pulling him down into a searing kiss that has me wondering if we’re actually going to make it out of here, or if we should pull back and lock the door for the night.
“We should get you home,” she declares, flipping the script.
Her palm settles above his heart and she closes her eyes, a soft, contented hum keeping us from falling into awkward silence as it becomes abundantly clear that not only is this the first night for her since her wolf’s been freed, but Slade and Damian’s since they were marked. Cin’s puncture marks healed without any trace of blue scarring, so if I had to wager, tonight is only going to be hell on the three alphas, since he and Bo were claimed before her wolf was strong enough to bust theirs out of their cages.
Turning to walk backward through the doorway, her gaze bounces between the rest of us, and for once, I can’t guess where her mind’s at. This version of Sabrina is a wild card, and I rapidly pull together every fact that I know about alphas, female wolves, and the woman herself, attempting to construct a hybrid model in my mind that will help me identify what we might be dealing with. To figure out how we can help her regain control of her wolf without pissing it off and all winding up dead, plus anticipate her thoughts and reasoning so that we might be able to coax her in the right direction.
Missing an integral piece of my puzzle, as we follow her towards the parking garage, I ask, “Sabrina?” Instantly, she gives me her full attention, gaze flitting over me as if confirming that there are no visible signs of distress before settling on my face, waiting patiently with an eyebrow quirked.
Her protective instincts are on par with Slade’s.
“Do you want us with you when you shift tonight, or just your mates?”
She comes to a dead halt, canting her head as she watches me curiously. Her tone is matter-of-fact as she easily announces, “Oh, I’m not shifting.”
Kaige speaks for the first time. “Can’t or won’t?”
She never takes her eyes off of me, and I have to restrain a smile since I have no doubt it was a conscious decision meant to annoy the alpha she considered unworthy of her notice. “Too busy.”
“Busy doing what?”
By this time we’re in the garage, and she waits for Slade to unlock the car. Pointedly staring at Cinjin expectantly, she waits to speak until he offers her a hand to help her into the back seat, much to his delight as he gets a huge kick out of this entire fucked up ordeal. Sitting on the edge of her seat, she coaxes me forward with a finger, and I find my feet moving of their own accord.
Hooking her finger in the collar of my shirt, she draws me closer. “There’s a reason you don’t want me to claim you.” An ominous shiver snakes down my spine as she runs the back of her knuckles lightly over my chest. Bringing her lips to the shell of my ear, she whispers too low for the others to hear, “You feel it too, don’t you? They’re going to eat you all alive if we’re not careful.”
Chapter 5
Sabrina
The bodies are gone now, but blood still stains the grass of the back yard, and the further the sun sinks beyond the horizon, the more potent the smell. It’s a combination of copper, fear, and loathing; so much so that it nearly overshadows the stench, and I make a mental note to send Maddox a gift basket. Better their deaths than ours.
“Reid, why don’t you head inside?”
Giving the open expanse of yard my back, I find him staring at me with rapt fascination; they all are. But where the rest stems from caution and uncertainty, Reid is merely trying to understand, and it’s what I adore most about him.
We both know that I’m fucked up, but he never makes me feel that way.
“You don’t want me here?” He shifts between his feet, suddenly uncomfortable.
Leaning back against Bo, I guide his arms to wrap around me, as if the simple action alone will be enough to hold me together. “No.” When a flash of hurt crosses his features, I’m able to push through enough to regain a small semblance of control, voice barely audible. “I want you a safe distance away when it happens so that I don’t accidentally mark you, too.”
Catching on the shift in tone, he takes a step forward. “Sabrina-”
I close my eyes as my tenuous control slips, but thankfully, she’s in complete agreement where Reid’s concerned. “Your choice, though I suspect you’ll appreciate the view that the balcony will offer more than the front row’s.”
Stricken, he takes a step back, and then another. Finally, he retreats inside of the house and I can breathe easier, not needing to fear the loss of control. The rest of them that are out here with me? They’re either already marked, or wholeheartedly on board with getting mauled if it means being claimed. Reid, though? It’d completely destroy him, and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.
“Sweet girl.” Cinjin hesitantly comes closer, but as soon as he cups my jaw, we both sigh in relief at the contact, my chest lurching in response to his touch. “Thank you for looking out for him.”
“At least one of us should get a choice in this mess,” I murmur cynically, taking a second to soak up the comforting feeling of being pressed between the two of them.
It lasts all of five seconds before the first pained grunt comes and I release a long breath, relinquishing the reins completely, accepting that I’m out of my element in this. Opening my eyes, I pat Bo’s arm to signal that it’s okay to let me go, and by the time Slade falls to his knees near Damian, I’m crouching in front of them.
“Easy now, you don’t want to break them,” I coax with a voice far smoother and confident than usual, looking beyond the men to the beasts within. “There we go.”
They’ve already shed their shirts, but as a ripple travels down their spines, they begin fumbling with the buttons on their pants, shucking off the rest of their clothes as it becomes clear that this is actually happening, like they weren’t fully convinced of it before now. Damian’s jaw clenches, closing his eyes and gritting his teeth, but Slade? He breathes through the pain, holding my stare and laying himself bare for me, trusting me implicitly to ensure he survives this.
He knows. He can feel the same thing that Reid did, that something’s wrong.
Reaching forward, I palm the back of his neck, lips brushing against his as I use the contact to reach deep within him. “I’ve got you.” Shattering the final piece of the lock, the door separating the two of them swings open as his other half finally breaks free of his prison. Slade cries out, clawing at his chest, and I quickly capture one of his wrists, resting my forehead against his.
“Slowly now. You haven’t been suffering alone all this time; he wants you free, too. If you tear him apart, you’re only dooming yourself. You need him, and I need both of you.”
With a scream of agony, Slade’s flesh begins to shred seemingly of its own volition, bones audibly cracking as his form contorts, falling away from me. Moving to Damian, I gently rake my nails over his collar, adding enough pressure that blood beads on the surface. I repeat a similar mantra, and it doesn’t take quite as long for him to follow suit, like he was listening the entire time that I was helping Slade, and his wolf spent the time throwing himself full throttle at the door of his cage while waiting for me.
A pained sound has me turning back to my other two mates and I shake my head. Rolling to my feet, I return to hover above them, clucking my tongue. “So impatient.”
Gritting his teeth, Bo manages to hiss, “This is hell.” His fingers gouge into the dirt, chest heaving. Placing my hand on his shoulder, I close my eyes to assess his internal state, only to find his wolf is still sealed away well enough that he should be able to regain control if we put some distance between the two of us. Shifting onto my knees, I palm both sides of his face, forcing him to look directly into my eyes.
