The wolf pack, p.10
The Wolf Pack, page 10
They had played their parts extremely well and I was their willing victim. I had a smile on my lips and my blood red nails were scratching lightly at what was left of the sheets. Nobody could save me when the damage had already been done. My heart was beating wildly when they finally finished.
Three tongues converged up my spine to make me squirm in response. They nipped lightly at my neck pulling at the skin with their teeth. My eyes were closed and I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face, until suddenly my whole body reacted to what it considered a threat.
I tried to move but I was paralyzed with what I thought was fear. It finally dawned on me how this was going to end. Their razor sharp teeth were buried on each side of my neck and the back of it. I couldn’t say anything with the words frozen in shock at this reversal of fortune. It was painful but there was something exhilarating about the intimate bond we were sharing.
“You are our shining star but that’s not all that you are. You are the salvation of this community and the start of a new era of prosperity,” Callan whispered and I felt connected to them in a way that I never suspected.
A smell like burnt toast touched my nostrils and I thought it was a side effect of the ritual, until I recognized the smoke coming from underneath the door. The sound of wood crackling confirmed my suspicion that the place was on fire with plenty of ammunition to feed the beast of the flames.
We were trapped in an inferno with no way out besides the way that we had come in. There were no windows in the room and it was completely cut off from the rest of the building. The euphoric moment was broken, with an overpowering panic welling up inside of me.
Chapter Fifteen
My skin was numb from the sensation of the needles and I was a little lightheaded from the bloodletting. It was the only way I could describe how I felt, energized and drained at the same time. My world had changed quite dramatically in the arms of these three men who had showed me the kind of tenderness and loving attention most women only dreamed of.
I wanted a chance to survey the landscape of their artwork and to admire the creative process of their genius. I really didn’t take them for the artistic types but I had barely scratched skin deep. There was a lot more to learn about them and I was willing to take the time, one on one, to delve deeper into an intimate relationship with each of them.
I turned expecting them to jump to my rescue but they shied away from the flames, shielding their faces with their hands. Expressions of horror and fright were stenciled on their faces. They backed away and I watched, concerned, as they changed into wolf form. It was instinctive, the fire had brought forth some underlying phobia of the flames.
The whimpers were a little surprising as I’d had no idea their Achilles’ heel was fire. The only person that was going to rescue me was the inner strength deep within. This was the first time I had encountered such a natural phenomenon. I was still flying high on the wings of pleasure. It made me feel like I was floating while standing firmly on the floor.
The smoke had progressed, filling the room, obscuring my vision and making the wolves cower away from the flames, under the bed. The flicker of the flames started to burn through and there was no time to waste. The present was in jeopardy and the relationship we had kindled was still in the infancy stage despite having their voices in my head for years.
They’d become my rock, so I wasn’t lonely growing up, knowing they were there to comfort me during the troubled times. It was nice to be needed now and I was determined to show them that I wasn’t some dainty little flower they had to protect every second of every day. There was no way I was going to leave them behind to become victims of the flames trying to burn us alive.
I had to think quickly or the room was going to become our living coffin. The very idea of burning alive sent a cold chill of apprehension down my spine. I shivered in place and broke from the shock, to stand with my eyes narrowed, daring the flames to get closer.
I took stock of the room to see if there was anything I could use to make a mad dash for it. It was doubtful this was an accident since they had warned me others would come to try to kill me. I had to wonder what faction was working against us, it seemed they were willing to go to extreme lengths to make sure I never saw the light of day again.
“The three of you have done more than enough for me and I think it’s time that I return the favor. Stay right behind me and I will find a way through for all of us. Just give me a second to think about it,” I proposed and waited patiently for fate to lend its hand, to give me some kind of sign which would help to guide us from the inferno.
I felt like I was a fake, pretending to be more than what I was. They were responsible for opening my eyes to the possibilities. Taking three lovers was easier than I had expected and it had left me with this feeling of a comforting warm blanket surrounding me. Deep down there was a reserve of strength just waiting for me to tap into it.
I pulled the sheets from the bed while taking a deep breath and holding it for three seconds. My thoughts became focused on the task at hand even though my body was still recovering from what they had done to me. It was almost thrilling but I knew the day could extinguish in a blaze of glory. There was not much time to act and procrastinating was only going to get us into hot water.
There was no bathroom and no way to douse the fires but suffocating them with the blanket would, hopefully, give us a small window of opportunity. We were survivors and this was a path that we had to take together.
I heard an unmistakable guttural growl coming from within. It echoed through my body, radiating through my limbs, until I acted with those animal urges bleeding through my human consciousness. The wild untamed spirit they had imbued in me with their bite had an unmistakable feeling of unspoken confidence.
I screamed at the top of my lungs, giving me the vocal courage to do what needed to be done. My feet slapped against the grain of the wood floor propelling me forward with the thick blanket outstretched, gripped in my fingertips. I turned slightly using my body weight and following through with my shoulder. The heat burned me but I didn’t feel it the same way that a child would touch the flames of a stove and then back away from it. The door splintered and exploded on impact, with the wall across from the hall stopping my momentum.
I gasped and could feel my lungs burning, with the smoke inhaled through my nostrils burning the hairs. That was only the beginning and whatever was feeding the flames was making it hard to see where I was going.
My finger motioned for them to follow and they crawled from under the bed to slowly make their way across the floor. Once proud animals, kings of the jungle, they had turned into these vulnerable creatures begging for help.
It was going to take slow and methodical movements with no wasted motion. The flames licked at my face trying to restrain my survival instinct from kicking in. There was this feeling in the air, crackling with electricity, and I chalked it up to the new and wonderful sensations taking me by surprise. My vision acutely peered through the flames, concentrating on the stone stairs leading to safety.
The clothing on my body was burning and my skin blistered, in response to the heat beginning to close in around me. This was the moment where I most likely should have panicked but something of a calming influence came over me. It was their essence coursing through my veins to give me that extra bit of something. It festered inside of me like this all-encompassing cancer.
There was this superstitious feeling and I heard their words echoing in my ears about the symbols being complete nonsense. Fingertips traced the tribal drawings on my arms and I became quite aware of what my body was capable of. Evil could be around the bend waiting to pounce on me and I was ready for it.
I don’t know why, but I felt like I was going out of my head, sitting back and watching this amazing woman do the impossible. She was self-confident, completely independent, without any need for a strong capable man to complete her. She was unrecognizable and I could feel the corners of my mouth lifting into a sneer of derision for the flames.
Staying low, bent over at an angle was necessary, when the smoke settled above me. The pocket of air toward the floor was the only thing keeping me from succumbing to smoke inhalation. It still burned but I welcomed it. It was making me feel alive and ready to face the insurmountable task in front of me. It excited me almost as much as ascending a mountain with my bare hands. I was making it happen and nothing was going to stand in my way.
The stairs were finally revealed charred from the flames. The heat did nothing to destroy the basic foundation of the stairway that, hopefully, wasn’t going to lead to heaven. I was the architect of my destiny building a new reality with information which most likely would have made others run in the opposite direction.
“I don’t have to look behind me to know that the three of you are there. I don’t know what it is but this is where we separate the men from the boys. Stay strong and vigilant always on your guard. There’s no telling where the next threat is going to come from. I have grown accustomed to having all of you in my life. Don’t you dare give up,” I implored and my tone was filled with authority to get my point across.
One step after the other was almost too much to take. The flames danced above me destroying everything in their path. The bones of the building would survive but the insides would be burned beyond recognition. Nobody in their right mind would dare come close to the flames at the risk of getting burned. At least, that was what I thought, until I saw this shadow of a hand reaching out from seemingly nowhere.
I felt the flesh of a bony specter of a man wearing a black cloak. His face was shielded from my scrutiny. The only thing missing was a cackle of laughter and the sickle clutched in his fist. I feared the reaper in the past but this was a new dawn.
A doorway opened halfway up the stairs with a moldy odor assaulting me. The dampness and dripping of water gave me a reason to sigh with relief. The darkness and the brief glimpse of the man were followed by his hand pulling me within the safety of the cave-like dwelling. The scratching of the wolves was behind me, tentatively using me as an example. They followed and I could sense they weren’t happy being made to look like fools when they were considered alphas.
“I don’t know who you are but anybody willing to come in here on a suicide mission is my friend.” He didn’t acknowledge my existence, continuing to move forward with the flames forgotten behind us.
The damp stone sizzled on contact with the flames, becoming its enemy in the face of overwhelming odds. It was a winding path and there were moments when I had to squeeze through an opening by holding my breath. My clothes were singed and I could feel them sticking to my flesh. I was concerned by what it was going to feel like when I peeled them away from my delicate skin. I actually cringed, with my teeth clenched, holding my breath and testing the resiliency of my clothing, only to feel the pain being washed away by the adrenaline rush.
The fire had a life of its own and it tried to follow us but to no avail. We had made it out alive by the skin of our teeth. I never truly understood the sentiment before. Glancing over my shoulder revealed the glow of the flames a few yards away. There was a moment where I felt totally at peace.
The hand separated from me as we emerged outside of a cliff face. We were on the edge, looking down at the rocks below. It seemed we had exchanged one catastrophe for another. The wind was strong at this altitude and I had lost sight of our benefactor, who had mysteriously vanished without a trace. I wanted to believe it was my guardian angel sent down from above.
My vision wavered but I had to remind myself of who I really was deep down where it mattered. It’s not like I didn’t know how the fire had almost killed us with impunity. I wasn’t like other people and my story had several different twists to keep the pages turning, with me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next.
I collapsed into a Lotus position, sitting there with my eyes closed, with the wolves coming up from behind. Their hot breath touched me and I became one with the nature of the wind blowing through my hair. This was how I centered myself, with the help of Wesley. The courage to stand within the flames came from Callan. The quick reflexes were courtesy of Crosby. They had no idea how much they had helped to mold me into the woman I was today.
Chapter Sixteen
The sun was peeking through the clouds. There was a tendril of smoke coming from the impromptu exit we had found, with some help, in the rock face. The descent was probably the easier way to go but I was never about taking the easy way out.
Climbing was no stranger to me and I had learned several different skills. One of them was scaling impossible summits and it reminded me of a lost soul. I was hoping Daniel was watching from wherever he was and I found myself depending on his lessons, which continued to repeat ad nauseam in the back of my mind.
The cracking of bones made me turn to see the men naked, on their hands and knees, looking slightly confused by their circumstances. Somebody had tried to use their vulnerability when it concerned fire to their advantage. Killing me could come from a variety of different ways but the fire had kept the strong Alpha inside of them from coming out. It was actually ingenious and I had to give credit where it was deserved.
“I don’t remember much other than your voice. Fire does something to us where we shrink into our shell. It’s not something we’re proud of but we have learned to accept our limitations. It’s an unfounded fear, born into our DNA from the moment we were conceived. Every wolf feels the same way about fire and I’m a little surprised by your reaction. It could be the effect of the three bites but I don’t have any reference to compare it to,” Callan said, looking sheepishly around in a circle, afraid to make eye contact with me.
“We will talk about that and don’t think I have forgotten. The next time you want to spring something on me by surprise I would seriously reconsider it. I think we all know what my answer would have been had you given me a heads up. I can forgive certain things like using needles on my body to make me into living art but biting me was going a step too far.” I was afraid of asking them what I was going to experience and if I was going to morph into something similar to what they were.
“It’s a good thing heights have never been a problem for us. They probably think we’re dead and rightfully so. It might be a good time to regroup and come at this from a different angle. This was an act of war and we have to treat it like that. Never underestimate your opponent and friends can become enemies in the blink of an eye. Those you think are loyal to you might have a knife behind their back ready to stab you with it. Nobody is above suspicion and we’re going to have to investigate further to find those responsible for this heinous act,” Crosby said, with his mind a steel trap of military maneuvers.
“It would be a good idea for us to find someplace to lay low for a few days. A friend of mine has an art studio and he’s out of town for a few months on sabbatical, traveling abroad. He’s a little eccentric but I can see through his eyes like open doors. He’s just misunderstood by his peers,” I woke up to my reality, I had saved us all from a fate worse than death.
Before I had become undone, I had reached into the deepest part of my soul to find the courage to weather the crippling fire. I had the burns to prove my bravery but one glance convinced me that I was seeing things. The blisters on my forearms were healing slowly but inexplicably. I began to hyperventilate, frozen in my tracks, finally able to register what had happened. Actions did speak louder than words.
They were calling my name but I was lost in a sea of confusion, until I blinked their faces back into focus. Dreaming them into life was my way of coping with my insecurities, never really knowing they were real until I met them face to face. They were my best friends and they had become my lovers.
“You have been set free and you’ll find the skills we taught you to be enhanced. Every person is different in how they respond to the bite. I want you to depend on me and to remember the breathing exercises. It might seem like a simple thing but it will mean so much in the long run. I can already see you relying on those teachings. I’m convinced you are the chosen one no matter how much you want to fight it,” Wesley declared, with his eyes closed, sitting in a similar position beside me.
The other two followed suit until we were in a circle. Breathing was the key to slowing things down without being overwhelmed. Touching hands reinforced the chain that linked us all together. We synchronized our breathing becoming a hostage of each other’s whims. I never promised to love them unconditionally but the words were on the tip of my tongue, threatening to expose my dirty little secret.
The meditation trance was broken simultaneously and we stood to tackle the next problem. Making an assessment of the climb up, revealed several different crevices for handholds. I stood vigil looking for any weaknesses like loose stones and flat surfaces where we wouldn’t be able to get traction.
“I know what you’re thinking but there’s no reason to worry. Being from the Black family has its advantages. We weren’t like normal boys growing up under the same roof. We were trained in various disciplines including meditation and tactical maneuvers before we were out of diapers. Each one of us had a certain gift and it took trial and error to find what made us special. The training we received came in many forms. Fighting was only one component and extreme sports like free climbing cliffs came naturally to us.” Callan was talking a good game but I wasn’t sure that he could back it up, with the way that his hands were visibly shaking.
They had the ability to make a young woman squeal and an old woman blush with just the graze of their fingertips. Bad to the bone was the way that I would describe Callan and his no-nonsense attitude. The man was steadfast and he was shaking off the fear created by the fire raging out of control in front of his eyes.
I was a woman completely satisfied, feeling satiated for the first time in my life. There were some residual sexual feelings flickering to life but they would have to be addressed at a later date.
