Chapter 6 - Tannen

My wolf howled, a surge of need running through me the instant I bit down. My cock twitched, and I had a sudden urge to fuck her right then and there. Her scent and the beginning of the claim clicking into place was a high I didn't want to come down from. I wanted her and her alone as we became linked for life.

When the rush was over, I took a step back. My eyes caught on the mark on her collarbone. The claiming mark. Over the next couple of weeks, it would heal over. But instead of becoming less visible, it would grow more prominent, the same way our attachment to one another would.

I'd never wanted a claiming bond. I'd never been that interested in attachment. I was happy with my one-night stands. Claiming had always felt uncomfortable to me. Too permanent. If something happened and we ended up regretting it, it wouldn't matter. We'd be stuck with one another until one of us died. Until death do us part.

I tried reading Thea's expression, but she wouldn't look at me. Her cheeks were flushed, but I couldn't decide if that was out of embarrassment or anger. Her hand twitched, as if she wanted to raise it to cover or touch the mark. The handcuffs rattled, and her fingers stilled at the sound.

Damien clapped me on the back. "See? Was that so bad?"

"Are you going to let me take the girl and get out of here, or are there more hoops I have to jump through?" I growled.

Viktor handed me the chain.

"Here are the keys to the locks." Damien plopped a set of keys in my hand. "Pleasure doing business with you," he added. "And congratulations."

I gave him a curt nod, then tugged at the chain, leading Thea off the stage and into the woods.

Neither of us spoke as we walked through the forest, heading toward Brixton. I kept looking over my shoulder, ears pricked and alert for any signs of someone following us.

When no crunching branches or rustling bushes followed us, and the only smells were those of prey and earth—along with Thea's honey and lemon scent that seemed to continually interest my wolf—I came to a halt, dropping the chain. I paused for another moment, double-checking to ensure we hadn't been followed before finally relaxing.

"Let's get these off you," I said, gesturing at the collar and cuffs.

I looked at the padlock, and a growl erupted from my throat. Something about seeing Thea chained like this made me bristle with anger. She didn't deserve this. I wanted to march back and rip out Damien's throat.

My wolf growled, flexing his claws. He wanted to protect Thea, to make sure she was always safe. Damien had gone too far. But from now on, I'd never let anything like this happen to her again, even if I had to stay by her side at all times. I wasn't going to let anyone hurt her ever again.

I blinked, clearing my head. God, was the claiming bond already kicking in? It was supposed to take a couple of weeks. But it was the only reason I could think of that would explain this protectiveness.

I unlocked the padlock and threw it to the ground. Thea fumbled with the collar, throwing it to the ground in disgust.

"Could you get my wrists next?" she asked. It was the first thing she had said since "I do."

I unlocked the handcuffs, and she threw them at the collar. They collided with a loud clatter. She shivered, rubbing her wrists as she stared down at the chains.

"Thanks," she muttered.

"Are you all right?" I asked, looking her up and down. I tried not to think about what had just happened. The more I thought about it, the more real it would seem, and it was a problem for another time.

I tried not to think about how she looked startlingly good in white. And how relieved my wolf was to have her within arm's reach.

I'll be fine," Thea said, though her eyes were wide and she looked as shaken as I felt.

"What happened?"

"They grabbed me when I was out in the woods, not long after you and I spoke," she said. "Then I told them I was from Brixton and knew the Silver Wolves. They figured I was too hot of an item, so they decided to sell me quick."

"Assholes," I growled. I took her wrist. "Come on. We'll get back to Brixton, and we'll figure out the whole claiming thing. We can annul the marriage easy enough. I'm hoping Malcolm or someone will know something about breaking claiming bonds that doesn't involve one of us dying. And I can do some research."

"No—" She stepped back, jerking her hand out of my grasp. She looked up at me, glaring up.

"Thea, we've got to get you out of here before something else happens," I said.

"I don't care," she said. She looked in the trees, back toward the hideout. "Tannen, there are more of them. More girls. At least a dozen in cages in the basement. I can't just leave them."

"I'll call Jameson," I said. "I'll tell him what happened, and he'll send people to come check it out."

"For all you know, they could move or have sold off half the girls by the time someone gets here," she argued.

"What is it you want me to do, exactly?" I snarled. "I need to get you home safe and figure out how to break a claiming bond before it's too late."

She folded her arms. "I want us to go in and rescue the other girls."

I stared at her in disbelief. It took all my willpower not to laugh. Because she had to be joking.

"Thea. You were just kidnapped," I said. "And for the second time in your life. I'm not about to let you go waltzing in and risk it happening a third time."

"That's not your decision to make," she shot back.

I raised an eyebrow. "What? Buying you from an auction block and claiming you isn't enough of a reason for me to have a say in what you do?" I asked.

She just glowered at me.

"Think of it this way," I said. "If you get caught and I manage to get away, we have a whole new problem on our hands, which is that we won't be able to stop the claim before it's too late. Not to mention the fact that your sister will literally kill me if she finds out I let you wander off into danger again, and I happen to like living."

"I'm not going back to Brixton without helping those other girls," she said.

I gritted my teeth. "What are you going to do?" I snarled. "You can't even—" I cut myself off, realizing what I was about to say a second before I stopped myself.

Unfortunately, Thea guessed what I'd been about to say. "What? I can't even shift? So what? That doesn't mean I can't help. Despite what you or others might think, just because I'm absent doesn't mean I'm dead weight."

"Have you always been this reckless?" I demanded. "Or is this a new thing you're trying out purely to annoy me?"

I wanted to point out I had never called her dead weight, but this entire conversation felt riddled with landmines, and I didn't want to make things worse than they already were.

"I'm not going to sit by and let those girls just sit around in cages until they get sold," Thea said. "Not when I'm right here and can do something about it."

"I don't care," I growled.

She tossed her head, glaring defiantly up at me in a way that should have been infuriating but only excited me in a way I couldn't fully describe. Something about this gorgeous, curvy woman fighting back stirred my wolf, making him want to investigate more.

"I'm going back in there, whether you like it or not," she snapped. "The only way you're going to stop me is if you tie me up and carry me over your shoulder the entire way to Brixton."

"Don't give me ideas," I growled, taking a step forward. We were close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating off her. Her scent filled my nostrils. I thought about what it would be like to grab her, to press her up against a tree, and—

I pushed the image from my head. God, if the claiming bond was going to mess with me this much, we needed to get this taken care of immediately. It was like all my emotions about Thea were cranked up to eleven, and I couldn't turn them down no matter what I tried.

"I just want to make sure you're safe," I said. "That's my number-one priority."

"Great. That means you can help me."

She spun on her heels and marched back toward the house, head high. Growling, I reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her back toward me.

"Thea, think about this for more than a second," I said. "You're likely to get yourself killed the instant you walk back in there."

If the threat had any sort of impact on her, it didn't show. She just continued to glare up at me with stubborn defiance. "I'm going. The easiest way for you to make sure I stay safe is for you to come along with me and help."

I stared her down. Any other woman would have looked away and muttered an apology, or at least reluctantly conceded.

"You have to see the danger in all this, right?" I hissed.

Her eyes met mine. There was no hesitation in them at all. "Of course I do," she said. "But that isn't going to stop me from helping."

The sincerity there took me by surprise, something I wouldn't have imagined from her. Despite knowing her for months, I had never seen this caring side of her before, willing to risk herself for people she barely knew. And I knew she would go through with it regardless of what I said. The only thing I could do was make sure she stayed safe.

I released her, stepping back as I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. "I thought absents were supposed to be less stubborn," I grumbled.

"Common misconception." She grinned up at me, the smile both infuriating and absurdly attractive at the same time. "Now, are you coming or not?"

I let out a frustrated sigh. After I made a mental note to stay away from Astrid for at least a year, I nodded.

Thea swiveled back around and started heading back in the direction we came. I reached out and took her by the shoulder again, making her face me, holding her in place as her scent brushed against my nostrils, distracting me from what I needed to do.

"If we're doing this, we're doing it my way," I said. "I'm the one with special-ops experience."

"You're not sidelining me," she hissed, her eyes narrowing.

"No, but I am taking charge. And you're going to listen to everything I say. That includes if I order you to run. Are we clear?"

She frowned at me, suspicion flooding her features.

"I won't give that order unless it's necessary," I promised. "But I need to know you're going to listen to me. That's the only chance we've got."

She exhaled, her nostrils flaring, and nodded. "Fine." She plopped down on the ground, crossing her legs. "I guess we'll just wait here until then."

We waited until dusk. We spent most of the time in silence, both of us thinking about what had happened. Thea kept playing with the leaves on the ground, tearing them into little pieces as she stared into the trees, lost in thought.

Finally, I nudged her. "It's time."

She sprang to her feet, whatever idle thought she'd been contemplating scattered to the wind. I could hear her heart beating faster, could smell anxiety tinting the edges of her scent, but she showed no sign of backing down.

"There's still time to—" I began, but she shot me a glower. I held up my hands in resignation before she could argue further. "All right, all right."

"Thank you," she said, but her eyes were still narrowed at me.

Studying her, I shook my head in mild disbelief. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm actually surprised you want to do this," I said.

She frowned, turning to look at me. "Why wouldn't I? People are in trouble. I can do something. I can't just turn my back on them."

I stared at Thea, wondering if maybe I had misjudged her. "You'd be surprised how few people think that way."

"In case the fact that I'm an absent wasn't an indication, I'm not most people," she said.

I bit back a smirk, though I think she caught the edges of my mouth quirking upward. "That's a bit of an understatement," I admitted, and it earned me a small smile from her. Stuffing my hands in my pocket, I realized I'd forgotten something.

"Here." I pulled out the knife I'd found in the woods and handed it to her. "If we're going back in, I want you to have some modicum of protection."

She inhaled and took it gingerly from my hands, as if worried it would vanish like a mirage.

"I found it in the woods," I said, perhaps unnecessarily. "I recognized it as yours."

"You… recognized it?" she asked, almost in disbelief.

"Of course. I've seen it nearly a hundred times. It was always on your waistband whenever I came over," I explained. "The handle's pretty distinct. It's how I knew something was wrong. I knew you wouldn't have left it unless something bad had happened."

She ran her thumb along the handle. "I never thought I'd see it again," she muttered. "Granted, I didn't think I'd get out of there, at which point it wouldn't have mattered." She hefted the knife in her hand, refamiliarizing herself with it. She looked back up at me, a small smile on her lips. "Thanks. For everything."

"Thank me by getting out of here alive," I said, earning me an amused glance as she slipped through the trees, heading toward the large house.

It turned out to be surprisingly easy to pick the front door lock. The door opened with barely a creak. Before I could step inside and take the lead, Thea breezed past me, not even waiting for the all-clear. The only reason I didn't snap at her then and there was because I knew it would give us away. Based on the slight smirk playing across her face as she glanced over her shoulder at me, I was fairly certain she knew exactly what I was thinking and that had been her plan all along. Letting out another frustrated sigh, I stepped in after her.

I followed Thea through the dark hallway, both of us creeping silently. I would have expected Thea—or anyone, really—to be terrified of going back to the place they'd been held hostage, but she didn't seem frightened at all. Just… determined. Again, something I hadn't known about her a few hours ago.

I'd always admired bravery. Thea certainly qualified as a brave person, even if it was marred by the fact that I didn't like her putting herself in harm's way like this.

Still, there wasn't much I could do in enemy territory beyond following her, not to mention she was the one who knew the way here, not me. So I followed after her, staying on high alert, ready to attack anyone who dared get close to her. She wasn't going to get hurt, not on my watch.

After a moment, she slowed to a halt in front of a door, glancing from side to side as if trying to orient herself and make sure she had the right place. Looking satisfied, she jerked her head at the door. I nodded, pushing past her and unlocking the door in a couple of seconds with my lockpick. When I nudged it open, an ancient wooden staircase greeted me, descending down into the basement.

When we reached the base of the stairs, and I got a look at our surroundings, I knew exactly why Thea had been so determined to rescue the other girls.

"Fuck," I muttered, scanning the room. She was right. There were over a dozen women in cages. Some were pressed against the backs of them. Others had approached their cage doors, trying to get a glimpse of the newcomer.

Thea made to step forward, but my arm shot out as I continued to check the basement, sniffing, ears pricked for any signs of any footsteps as I searched for traps. When I was satisfied we weren't in any immediate danger, I lowered my arm.

"Right," I said to Thea. "Let's work quickly. Get everyone out of their cages. When they're all out, we leave as a group, all right?"

Thea nodded.

I hesitated. "There's a chance these locks are shifter-proof."

"They are," she said. "I tried breaking out the second I had the chance."

I stared at her in disbelief. She frowned, folding her arms. "What?"

"Nothing," I said. "It's just surprising, that's all. Don't take this the wrong way, but I wouldn't have expected you to try and break out on your own."

"There's a lot you don't know about me," she shot back.

The corner of my lip tugged upward. "Clearly, I've been missing out."

A blush crept over her cheeks. She coughed and looked away. "Flatterer," she mumbled without any real contempt. She walked over to a table and began rummaging. "No keys," she muttered. She turned toward me. "I'm guessing you don't have a second set of lockpicks?"

"Never needed a second set for any reason, so no."

"Anything flat?" Her smile turned wry. "One of your girlfriends wouldn't have happened to have left a bobby pin in your bag by chance, would they?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Jealous?" I teased. She gave me an annoyed look that somehow only enhanced her features. "In any case, no. I don't let most women near this bag. You're one of the lucky ones."

She let out a frustrated but determined sigh. "All right. Guess we'll just have to share." She held out her hand. "Give me the rake pick. I'll start on this side, you take the other."

"You know how to pick locks, too?" I asked.

"I taught myself how to do it after the first time I was kidnapped," she said. "Again, I would have broken out earlier, except I couldn't find anything to pick a lock with. Granted, you're a lot better and a lot faster based on what I've seen the last few minutes, but two people will still go faster." Her brow furrowed at me again. "What?"

I realized a little too late I'd been staring at her in surprise and with something close to admiration. "You're right. There's a lot of things I don't know about you," I admitted.

She gave a smirk that stirred something inside me. For a wild moment, I wanted to clear the gap between us and press my mouth to hers. My wolf tugged at me, wanting to take her right then and there. Not for the first time, I thought about what it would be like to fuck her. Though, I was beginning to realize she wouldn't be nearly as submissive as I'd imagined in the past.

I shook my head to clear it. This was neither the time nor the place. Besides, it was probably the claiming bond talking.

I pulled out the pick she'd requested and handed it to her. "Let's move quickly," I said.

We started on opposite sides. I could hear the opening click of padlock after padlock on the opposite wall as Thea made short work of the cages on that end. I ran through as many as I could, ushering the girls out, removing their collars, and instructing them to wait by the steps. I could hear Thea giving similar instructions on her end. Just as I finished on my side, I turned to see her working on the lock of the final cage.

When she broke out the last person, the girl flung her arms around Thea.

"Thank you!" the girl said. "How did you get out?"

"I didn't, but that's a long story for another time. Come on, we're going to take you somewhere safe."

The woman went to join the cluster at the stairs while Thea hurried to me. "That's the last girl," she said.

I nodded, taking stock of the large group. It was going to be difficult getting out of here without getting noticed, and covering our trail was going to be nearly impossible. But if we hurried, we could probably make it.

"Everyone is going to need to shift so we can run," I told them. "The instant we're outside. Anyone who isn't up for it needs to ride someone else. Understand?"

All the girls nodded. I turned to Thea.

"I'm going to go upstairs first," I said. "Once I know the coast is clear, I want you to lead the way. I'll take the rear to make sure everyone gets out of the house. The instant we're in the woods, wait for me. Once we're all out, we'll head to Brixton. You can ride on my back, all right?"

Something in her eyes told me she wanted to argue, that she wanted to go up the stairs first, but she knew this wasn't the right time to have that conversation. She nodded, her face steely with determination.

"Right, then," I said. "Let's get going."