You Wouldn't Dare (Khaos Trilogy Book 1), page 7
I rolled my eyes, “get a grip. Anyone would think I had run away and left you to chase me. I was exactly where you left me, locked away in your packhouse. Or have you forgotten that?”
“I don’t have time for this, Violet. Get your shit together, we need to leave.”
“And I need to eat, Khaos. Or do you expect me to starve on top of everything else?”
He gave a harsh bark of laughter, “starve? You missed breakfast of your own accord. Had you opened the door when I asked you to, you’d have realised I was inviting you down for your first meal with the pack. Not only did you embarrass the pair of us with your stupid games, but you also disrespected everyone here by refusing to meet them, to share the meal they had spent ages preparing for you. Everyone was excited, Violet, and you threw it in their faces. I doubt they want to see you right now. We’ll grab something on the way. Now move before I lose what little patience I have left.”
Tears pooled into my eyes as the penny dropped and I realise what a fool I had been. Obviously the pack had wanted to meet their new Luna. And what did I do? Lock myself in the bedroom like a child, created drama and stress on my first morning here. I felt like an idiot.
I kept my head low, refusing to let Khaos see me crying, and crossed my arms over my chest. Without another word, I walked out the door and fell in line behind him, obeying his command for the first time with no argument.
As it turned out, I did get to meet a few members of the pack today - although I can honestly say I would have happily gone the rest of my life never knowing these men existed. Khaos had taken me away from the packhouse and the surrounding village, away from the happy smiling faces, where the sounds of children screaming in happiness had filled the air. Instead, we were now on the outskirts of the pack lands where only the warriors and the guards lived.
They were nasty, rude, bad-tempered, vile individuals. They were the roughest warriors Khaos had in his army, and I just knew that today would involve a lot of bloodshed, and a lot of death.
The air was thick with expectation. Everyone we passed seemed on edge, anxiously awaiting their orders.
As soon as we entered their quarters, the warriors all turned to look at me, shooting me nasty, patronising glances as they noticed I was standing meekly by Khaos’ side. Others eyed me up with lust written all over their faces. I guess news of my punishment had reached their ears, their thoughts were written in their eyes for all to see. Khaos gave them a warning glare, ordered me to stay still by the door, to not move a muscle, and went to speak to the largest of the men, whispering in hushed, quiet voices that meant to keep me out.
Well, what was new there? My whole life I had been kept out of anything that was important.
“You needn’t concern yourself with this, Violet, darling. It’s men’s stuff. Why don’t you see if your mother needs help with her hair?”
“Oh, Violet, you wouldn’t possibly be able to keep up with what we’re saying. Let your brother handle this. Why don’t you read one of those romance novels I’m always buying you? Beautiful women like you need protecting, that’s what we’re here for.”
My nails dug into the palms of my hands as my dad’s voice vibrated round my head. Moving packs was supposed to be my new start, my chance to prove myself, and I’d be damned if I were going to stay here and allow Khaos to treat me the same. Trying not to draw attention to myself, I shuffled closer to the two men.
I was straining so hard to listen that I didn’t see the wolf approach me, didn’t even register his presence until he laid a clammy hand on my arm.
“Well hello, beautiful. To what do we owe this pleasure?” I looked down at his hand that was stroking down my arm and shot him an icy glare.
“Take your hand off me. Please.” I muttered through clenched teeth, refusing to look in his direction and instead focusing back on Khaos.
“Now come on, sugar. That’s not very friendly. I’m only trying to be polite.”
“Then be polite and do as I ask.”
“You’d think the future Luna,” he spat the word with disgust, “would be interested in getting to know her pack mates. I’d be thrilled to show you a thing or two...” his voice trailed off huskily as he moved closer to me, his breath hot on my neck. For the first time, I looked at his face, connecting with his eyes as I gave him a fake, megawatt smile that would have done my mother proud.
“I would love that. I may have a lesson or two of my own to show off as well. May I go first?” I leant into him, running my finger down his chest as I spoke. His breath quickened, and he offered me what I can only assume he thought was a sexy wink.
“Be my guest, Luna.” I continued to run my finger down his stomach, fiddling with the waistband of his jeans. I raised my face to his, as though expecting his kiss, and the minute he bent down to seal the connection with our mouths I lowered my hand, extended my claws from my fingers, and grabbed him between the legs.
“I’ll only say this once so learn it quick,” I muttered as he gasped for breath and small beads of perspiration sprouted on his forehead, “I will not be disrespected by you, by Khaos, or anyone else in this pack. The Moon Goddess picked me to become your Luna and you will recognise and respect that.” He squirmed and so I tightened my grip, feeling his flaccid dick jerk in my palm as I sliced into the sensitive skin around his balls. “Do I make myself clear?” I released him and watched as he stumbled away from me.
I turned away once more, looking for Khaos, who was no longer speaking to the large stranger. From the corner of my eye, I saw the warrior quickly recover from my minor attack and pull himself up to his full height. His snout extended as he partially shifted in rage, shooting forward in a flash, his arm extended into claws aiming directly at my face.
I winced, shrinking back away from him, and threw my hands up protectively. Just as he would have made contact, someone grabbed his arm, stopping him with ease.
Khaos stood unmoving, shielding my body with his, keeping the warrior from completing his hit. The warrior strained against him; his eyes still trained on my face. Khaos gave him a small shove, discreetly pulling me behind him, keeping his hand wrapped around the warrior’s wrist, holding him in place.
“You do not touch her. Not now, not ever,” he ordered, venom dripping from every cold, menacing word he spoke. “She is off-limits to everyone in this pack. Understood Beta?”
Beta?! This disgusting, foul creature was his Beta?! Wow. Off to a fantastic start here, Violet. The Beta snatched his wrist from Khaos’ grip and glared at me over his shoulder.
“Run it off, Morgan. That’s an order.” Morgan growled one last time in my direction before he spun around on the balls of his feet and ran in the forest's direction.
Khaos turned my way, and I shrank back, expecting him to blow up, to accuse me of antagonising the situation and disrespecting his Beta.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered so quietly I wasn’t sure I heard him correctly, “the wolves here... They’re... well, let’s just say they don’t have the greatest attitude. There’s a reason there are few females around this area. Those that are here are women of a very particular nature, and do not belong to one particular wolf. Do you understand what I’m saying? You would do well to stay away from the warriors’ grounds - you’ll find plenty of friends in the village.”
I was so astounded I could do nothing but nod, making a mental note to never, ever return here without Khaos.
The shock of what happened finally kicked in, and I hugged my arms around my chest as I shivered. Khaos raised his arm as though he would put it around me, and my heart skipped a beat.
He dropped his arm to his side, tightened his lips and walked away.
I should have known better.
He noticed my discomfort but still couldn’t find it in him to comfort me. I knew it was his own issues, but I couldn’t help but wonder what’s wrong with me? Was I the only wolf in the world whose mate could not stand to touch them outside the bedroom?
Just when I thought he would leave me to find my own way back, he marched back to me and held out his hand, “coming?” I didn’t hesitate. I grasped his hand in mine and let him lead the way.
“Why have you brought me here?” I demanded. After a two-hour drive of pretty much silence, Khaos had brought me to the Olympus pack. They were one of the closest allies of my mother’s pack, often extending their hospitality to our wolves, hoping they would find mates amongst each other. I had taken many trips here with my mother, who had been treated as though she was royalty whenever she visited, often whisked away for high tea with delicate snacks and treats. It had all been a ploy, of course. Their Alpha had ensured that whilst they distracted her, I got to train. It was light training, the kind that would leave no marks or bruising, but it was enough to stop me growing lazy and predictable should I ever find myself in danger.
“They have some information for me, little one. You need not know anything else.”
“I think I do. I have a lot of friends here, Khaos. The Olympus pack has always treated me with respect and dignity, and I won’t see them harmed. What are you planning?”
“Don’t ask questions when you don’t want the answer. Come. We’re being rude.”
“No.” He glared down at me, eyes blazing, “I told you, I won’t have my friends hurt, and I can tell that’s what you’re planning. Leave them alone Khaos, this pack does not border yours, you can’t use it for expansion, so what possible reason could you have for being here?” As I expected, he didn’t answer me. He clicked his fingers, signalling over two warriors. Before I could react, he flung me over his shoulder and deposited me down in the huge van that the other wolves had travelled in, and slammed the doors behind him.
“See that she doesn’t get out. Do not open these doors, do not talk to her, do not even so much as think about her. If I find she has moved a muscle out of this van, I will personally slice you open and bathe in your entrails. Do I make myself clear?” I heard my guard mutter a response and then the sound of a dozen wolves howling, their paws thundering across the dirt.
I raged against the van doors, slamming my fists against them repeatedly, screaming at the warriors that they would regret it if they didn’t let me out.
“Settle down, princess. I like my head where it is, there’s not a chance you’re getting out of there,” one laughed. I howled my frustrations, cursing them with every kick and punch I gave but, as I had expected, they didn’t budge an inch and neither did the doors. I threw myself to the floor and listened, waiting for the sounds of destruction that followed wherever Khaos went.
It didn’t take long. I could soon hear the screams kicking in, hundreds of wolves either howling in pain, begging for help, or screaming at Khaos and his pack. Even inside the van, I could hear teeth ripping into flesh, of bodies crashing to the ground. I covered my ears with my hands, pressing them tightly against my head to drown out the noise, but still, I heard the shouts, the begs for mercy. I sobbed, thinking of all the damage Khaos was doing, the lives that had been lost because he had something to prove to the world.
I had no idea how much time passed, but the sounds soon quietened before stopping altogether. I brought my knees up to my chest and prayed to the Moon Goddess. I had seen the devastation Khaos had caused to my pack, and that had been a mission to pick up his mate. Whatever he had planned for the Olympus pack was motivated by pure evil. Khaos wouldn’t have allowed anyone to survive, and so praying for their souls seemed the only thing I could do. The sounds of footprints crunching along the gravel had me tensing, a terrified scream escaping my throat as someone pulled open the doors to my prison.
Khaos
She looked broken, sitting there with her knees brought up to her chest, her face streaked with tears. She didn’t wait to find out what had happened; she believed the worst because she thought the worst of me.
I knew I had done nothing to ease her fears, and I knew it shouldn’t have hurt me as much as it did, but I couldn’t ignore the tightness in my chest as she looked at me with venom in her eyes.
My plan had been to kill all the warriors in the Olympus pack, to take their alpha and bring him back to my pack. We set the dungeons up for our captives, complete with various tools that would soon help us gain all the information we were after. All that had changed the moment Violet had looked at me, trying her hardest not to show her fear. From the moment I met her, she had been so genuine and open with her emotions, her feelings so easily read on her face. When she had told me that these people were her friends, I couldn’t bring myself to harm them. My growing love for her had saved them all. Most of the blood covering me was that of my own warriors as they raged against me, accusing me of being weak. Before we had even reached the Olympus pack, they had forced me to prove my strength as challenge after challenge from my own men came my way.
Why couldn’t she give me a chance? Why couldn’t she understand that all was not as it seemed?
She wasn’t the only one who had heard rumours and tales. I had heard all about her - she was a doll. A beautiful, perfect doll with no substance behind her pretty face. She had nothing to offer, no thoughts and opinions of her own. She spent her days partaking in frivolous activities and shopping sprees. The Violet in front of me was nothing like I had heard. I had given her the opportunity to show me the real her, why could she not offer me the same courtesy?
This is your destiny, Khaos. This is what you wanted; the entire world fearing you.
I hardened my gaze. I had to listen to my inner voice. If I gave Violet the chance, she would destroy me, just the way so many had done before her.
Violet
Khaos stood there looking like a fierce soldier, his torso covered in blood. I jumped up and threw myself at him, my fist connecting with his jaw with a loud crack. The pain that jolted up my arm proved it was my own knuckles I had broken as Khaos remained unharmed. He grabbed my wrist to inspect the damage, and I wrenched it from his grasp, glaring at him.
“I want to go home. Please Khaos. If you have an ounce of decency, let me go. I can’t stand by your side and watch my friends get hurt! I don’t want to be known as the mate of a wolf that shows no mercy!” I sobbed, and he sighed heavily.
“Stop being so fucking dramatic. It looks worse than it is.”
“You’re a liar! I heard them screaming and begging!”
“They were begging for me to save their Alpha, which I did - when he had told me what I needed to know. He took a little persuasion, hence all of this,” he gestured to his torso, “but we got there in the end. The other screams you heard were from the damage my wolves caused and I assure you they received their punishment, I told them that no one was to get hurt. I won’t lie to you, Violet. We’ve destroyed their entire pack, everything is currently burning or ripped apart, but they lost no lives. I promise you.”
“Do you think that makes it any better? They’ve lost their homes, their livelihood! You’ve destroyed everything they ever had, and you think it’s okay because you spared a few lives? You should never have been there in the first place! You’re a monster! Why would the Moon Goddess pair me with you? I don’t live my life this way! What could he possibly have known that would have justified burning their pack to the ground?” I screamed in fright as he climbed completely in the van, closing the door behind him, and leaving us in darkness.
“Sit down, little one. I think it’s about time I told you the story of who I am. Maybe then, you might understand.”
Chapter 6
Ryssa
“My deepest condolences, Luna, the baby didn’t make it.” A silent tear rolled down my face as the pack doctor confirmed my worst fears.
Of course, Drake didn’t bother to wait for me to come around from surgery before he demanded answers from the doctor. My health and wellbeing had long since ceased to be important to him. Now was the time to secure an heir and perform my Luna duties, whatever the cost. This was our third pregnancy, and this time we had made it to the third trimester - the furthest we had ever gone. Werewolves were pregnant for six months in total and I had made it to a week off my due date. Almost six months of being unable to shift, of constant worry and fear. It had been a trying period for us all, but we had made it. Our pup had shown to be a healthy baby on every scan we had been for, and I had finally allowed myself to feel some hope. Everything happened for a reason, and though I would always grieve the babies I had lost; this was meant to be. There was a reason the Gods had permitted this baby to live, against all the odds. I knew that he was destined for great things. The closer my due date crept, the more I allowed myself to fall in love with this miracle I was growing.
The doctors had been amazing, keeping me under constant observation, and a scan the week before my due date had shown the baby was slightly behind on their growth, but nothing to be concerned about.
I had been right to be suspicious at the looks the doctors threw at each other when they thought I couldn’t see. I knew something was wrong and, as I hit twenty-three weeks, my fears were confirmed when my waters broke. Twenty-three weeks and three days, I delivered our baby via C-section. A team of professionals snatched him away, my mate following hot on their heels. They left me on the operating table, still unable to move from the anaesthetic as I heard them frantically trying to save my baby’s life. I barely registered the alarm on the young doctor’s face, I didn’t notice the blood that was pooling around me, leaking onto the floor. I felt nothing. All I could focus on was the shadows in the next room. They seemed so chaotic, so rushed. What were they doing? Why weren’t they remaining calm? This was their job! They had to save my baby; they had to!
The young doctor left in charge of sealing my wound sounded the alarm and before I could register what was happening, they injected me with a general anaesthetic, and I floated away into the darkness.
I had suffered a haemorrhage, so Drake told me. From this moment on, I would be unable to carry my own baby, the only way to save my life had been through a complete hysterectomy. Drake took pleasure in telling me the only reason they saved me was because of the mating bond. As strong as he was, if his wolf lost mine, there was no telling what he would do. At least our wolves had bonded properly, even if Drake and I could no longer stand to be in the same room. He showed me no mercy as he listed all the reasons he would have been happy to let me bleed out on the operating table, but ultimately the pack could not afford to lose their Alpha, their Luna, and the only heir to the pack all in the same day. I asked about my baby in a croaky whisper, my throat dry and hoarse from the breathing tube and dehydration.
