Bound to My Mate Ch. 08

"How many of these did I promise you, love?" he asked stroking my now fiery flesh.

"A week's worth," I moaned into the blankets on the bed. Now I knew what he meant by not sitting down for a week. I'd be hard pressed to what to lay my tender ass on anything.

"Hmm, I'm not sure you could take a week's worth," he said placing cool kisses across my hot flesh. "What do you think?"

"I think a naughty almost wolf would take whatever punishment her Alpha decrees," I said breathing heavy from exertion and excitement.

His tongue snaked out of his mouth and ran languidly across my burning flesh. I knew the tingle by now and smiled into the blankets. I looked back quickly and saw the wolf's golden eyes and long tongue. Joel continued holding my hips as he healed my backside. Eventually satisfied with the results he started to lick my weeping slit as I moaned into the bedding.

A sharp loud knocking at the main door got both of our attentions.

Joel cursed liberally and stalked into the main room with fire in his eyes. I adjusted my skirt and followed him.

"This had better be good," he muttered as he threw the door open.

I settled carefully into one of the chairs by the fire and drew my legs up to watch quietly from a distance. I was grateful for the wolf's care, otherwise I'd be standing the rest of the night. My attention quickly turned to the late night visitors at the door. In all the time I had been with Joel, he was rarely disturbed once he returned to his quarters.

Nate came in ushering two young kids. The boys looked about 15 years old each with ratty blonde hair and clothes that look like they had drug through the mud. Both were smiling triumphantly and looked ready to pop as they stood staring at the angry Alpha.

"Frank and Mike were in the woods today, where they should not have been, beyond our perimeter," Nate started to say.

"We wanted to watch the patrols," the one called Frank blurted out, interrupting Nate.

"We saw her!" said the second kid, Mike, excitedly.

"Saw who?" Joel asked crossing his arms in front of his bare chest.

"Alpha Latro, the one you are looking for, the witch," said Frank bouncing with excitement.

Joel must have been too stunned to speak because Mike broke in to finish the story, "We saw her watching where the patrol had just passed and she started to come toward the den. She was muttering something under her breath and she had a little pot with her that she kept dribbling on the ground. She got just to the edge of the forest about 50 yards from the den."

"You didn't call the patrol?" Joel asked very slowly.

I cringed at his tone; he had used it the night he found me after my second abduction. It did not bode well for these young wolves.

"We would have, but then she turned and ran back the way she'd come. We split up and followed her," Frank said triumphantly.

"Where did you follow her to?" Joel asked, still sounding too calm for this to end well.

"She has a makeshift camp about 2 miles from the edge of the perimeter," said Mike. "We didn't want to get too close, but it looked like she had witchcrafty stuff."

Joel looked at Nate and Nate nodded, "I've sent patrols out looking, nothing back from them yet." He looked pointedly at the two boys who were still staring at Joel with wide shining eyes.

"Thank you boys, you have done well by the pack. Go get something to eat and get cleaned up," Joel said acknowledging each child with a pat on the head. "No more wandering past the perimeter though. If I hear of this again, I will have to punish you both."

"Yes, sir," the boys said in unison then glanced at me.

"Would you chain us up, Alpha Latro?" Frank asked, eyeing my ankle.

"The punishment always fits the crime and the criminal Frank. If I thought it would help you be a better wolf, then yes," Joel answered him looking back at me. "Now go boys, your mother must be worried."

As the kids scampered out of the door way Nate closed it and looked at Joel with a gleam in his eye, "Are we going to chain up everyone now? I hear those anklets are going to be all the rage. Have you considered cages as an option?"

"You came here to disagree with me about my methods, old friend? I thought we had a witch to catch," Joel answered him turning back toward the bedroom. "Just let me drop my pants off."

"I have a question," I said to the two men as Joel undressed. "How come the patrol didn't smell Ryana, but the kids had no trouble finding her?"

"I don't know," Joel said. "We'll have to ask her after we catch her."

He had stripped naked and was shifting into the wolf man as I watched. Shaking my head at him, I stared into the fire. Something was wrong and I couldn't place it. I watched Joel's furry backside as it walked out the main doors.

"The guard will be outside your door as always," Nate said as they left, "just call out if you need anything."

I continued to look morosely into the fire and wonder what she was up to now. The wolf man was suddenly right in front of me and picked me up. He placed me on the bed and then locked the chain back to my ankle shackle. I groaned inwardly.

"Hurry home! I love you," I called as he walked out the door a second time.

I showered and changed into Joel's robe wandering back to the leather couch. I couldn't rest knowing my mate was out there somewhere looking for the crazy witch. I flipped on the TV and turned it onto some mindless sitcom. I couldn't concentrate on it, so I just turned it off. I stretched out on the couch watching the fire and wondering where Joel was.

I must have dozed at some point because I woke to the sound of the door opening. The fire in the hearth was burned way down and the apartment was mostly dark. The moon was coming in the windows in the bedroom, but the drapes in the main room were all closed.

A small figure was creeping toward Joel's study. In the dim light I saw metal glinting in its hand. I stayed very still on the couch and realized the chain on my ankle would give me away when I moved. I didn't know why my guards had let this creature in, unless they were in on it. I screamed for Joel in my mind.

Within a scant breath the creature was in front of me, dagger raised above my heart. I kicked out with my unchained leg and caught it in the gut, throwing it backwards. The creature grunted then came back at me with the knife.

I reached for the wrist of the hand holding the knife to disarm the creature. I succeeded but it pulled a second knife and lunged at me.

The creature came at me slicing blindly. Dodging and using a well timed jab I managed to catch the creature in it's midsection with my knife. As it doubled over in pain I used the end of my knife to undo the shackle on my ankle.

Free to move, I ran for the door but was stopped as cold liquid splashed on the back of my head. It burned fiercely and I turned around grabbing at my hair. A second time liquid splashed at me, this time over my face. I sputtered and ran for the door. I heard chanting coming from behind me.

My mind immediately recognized Ryana's voice. I couldn't believe she had gotten so far into the den. I opened the door to the apartments and saw my guards slumped at their posts. Terrified, I moved for the stairs and saw pack members lying on the ground everywhere. Most were women and older men, the warriors were all still out hunting. I knelt by one and checked a pulse; it was steady and strong against my fingers.

My ears were assaulted by Ryana's chanting once again and I ran for the stairs. I made the mistake of looking back and saw Ryana's triumphant face peering back at me. Knocked suddenly backwards I realized I had run into a naked Joel Latro coming up the stairs.

"There!" Ryana screamed, "You see the witch, she stabbed me!"

Ryana held up her bloody palm to Joel and he grabbed me, his claws biting into my arms, furious golden eyes looking down into mine.

"No, Joel, it's me, Elizabeth. She attacked me in our rooms," I pleaded realizing he didn't look relieved, just upset and confused.

He threw me to Nate ordering, "Hold her."

Approaching Ryana slowly he knelt in front of her and his head shifted to the wolf as he licked the knife wound, until only a small incision barely weeping blood remained.

"What are you doing?" I yelled at him. "Can't you tell that isn't me? What happened to you?" I struggled vainly against Nate's grasp.

Eyeing Ryana and then me up and down he ordered Nate, "Take her to the holding cells. Place a guard. Get the pack healer up here now."

Putting his arm around Ryana, Joel walked her back into his apartments. I was honestly too stunned to say anything meaningful as Nate pulled me away. My stuttering pleas were ignored as I was dragged through the main hall and down a series of dark steps. She had finally managed to do it, I realized. She had won.