Chapter 5 - Beth

Beth could pretend she was out for a regular walk if she didn"t look behind her. The grounds surrounding the pack's house were manicured to look wild, dotted with native shrubs and plants, cut through with meandering, stone paths. It reminded her of the sort of wealthy people who spent thousands to look sloppy.

In the shadow of the house's rounded veranda, Beth paused. Her jailers stopped a few feet away. One of them was Jonah. The other, hawk-faced, scowling, hadn't introduced himself. Fine by her. She didn't need to know their names. She only needed to know how many there were.

Her leg still throbbed if she moved too quickly, but she was able to limp about the grounds at a pace the hawkish man had called, "slower than his grandmother." Once she knew how much it irritated him, she walked even slower.

"The garden is right through there." Jonah pointed down the pathway, where a dense wall of shrub curled into a natural archway. "There's a pond and some flowers. I don't know what they're called, though. Do you know, Jamie?"

The man grunted. "Do I look like the gardener?"

Beth put her finger to her lip and pretended to consider the question, looking the White Winter up and down. "No, just a neanderthal."

He rounded on her, hands clenching into fists. Jonah stepped between them and slapped one hand against the man's chest to stop him.

"Touch her, and Dev will have your hide. She's important."

"Then tell her to keep her mouth shut, or she'll be a very important corpse."

"She has ears," Beth called, a safe distance away. "She can hear you just fine. Unfortunately, she does not speak Neanderthal. Jonah, can you translate?"

"She's got a death wish." Jamie pushed Jonah to one side.

Jonah caught Jamie by the throat in a movement too fast for Beth to track and yanked him backward. His arm tightened around the other man's neck.

"Look here, big man, Dev needs her. That means we need her. That means don't touch a hair on her head even if she spits in your mother's face, got it? Yes?"

He kept squeezing until Jamie's hands clawed at his forearms, leaving long red scratches on his brown skin. Jo let him go.

"Got it." Jamie rubbed his neck, glaring past Jonah at Beth.

"And here I was hoping you'd choke him out." Beth jeered. She started hobbling toward the archway, taking her time.

It was foolish, maybe, to push her captors to that point. But it was useful, too. The more she pushed, the more she could see the divides in the pack, where the loyalties lay, and how deep they ran. Her life was already in danger. It might be worth the risk if she could gather information on the White Winters while she was here.

She wandered under the shade of the archway. A bubbling stream cut through the garden, tumbles of rocks at its edges, dotted through with wildflowers. Following it, she made her way to the pond. As promised, a turtle sat sunning itself on the water's edge.

Jonah followed, three paces away, Jamie two behind that.

"Is it really necessary? Both of you following little old me around?" She pointed at her leg. "I can hardly run off in this condition."

"Nice try." Jonah crossed his arms over his chest. "I was there for the hunt. You're fast, injured or not. Think of it as an honor guard. You're just too important to be walking around on your own. Like the queen."

Beth sighed and lowered herself gingerly down onto the bench beside the pond. She missed home. Missed her pack. Were they looking for her? Were they worried about her?

It was hard not to dream of a daring rescue, the Rosewood wolves pouring into the White Winter house, freeing her. But it would be a fool's battle. Spencer knew better. Engaging the White Winters in their territory would be devastating for the Rosewoods. It would give the Winters too much of an advantage. There would be too many casualties. She had to get out of this one on her own.

"Taking the broodmare for a walk?"

Beth's head snapped up. Emma sauntered into the garden. Jonah and Jamie stood a little straighter in her presence, puffed out their chests a little more. Interesting.

"Excuse me?" Beth stood, trying to hide the way her injured leg still impeded her movement. Showing that woman a weakness was asking for it to be exploited. "What did you call me?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Emma said, enunciating each word, slow and loud. "Brood. Mare. You know, a female that's only good for breeding? Pumping out babies? The sort that couldn't serve any other purpose? Broodmare."

Beth's pulse beat a frantic rhythm. She looked at the exits. One the way she'd come, back under the archway, and another there behind Emma. Both guarded. Broodmare? Is that really what they wanted her for? Devon's attempts from the night before suddenly made sense. He was trying to win her over.

"Easy, Em." Jonah's tone was soothing, as if he were calming an animal.

Jamie looked eager, excited, like he was gearing up for a fight. Or to watch one.

Emma shot Jonah a look. "Oh, spare me. You're such a softie, Jo. Some girl flashes her big bug eyes at you and you're putty in her hands, is that it? Well, newsflash, she's Devon's. He's going to be bending her over and you're going to be all alone with just your hand for company, so why are you defending her?"

Beth's stomach lurched at the image. Could she make a break for it with her leg? Emma was fast, and she knew the layout of the White Winter grounds far better than Beth did, but if she could get a head start maybe she could hide somewhere.

"Jesus, why are you like this?" Jonah's face scrunched. "I swear you were dropped as a child. Something is not right up there."

The two were locked onto each other. Beth started to slip sideways, toward the flower garden behind Emma. She moved slowly. Predators keyed into flashes of movement, to running prey. Move slow. Back away. Keep eyes on the danger.

"Don't even think about it." Emma pointed at Beth. "If I have to run you down, I'll break your other leg. Won't be getting anywhere. And when they heal, I'll come break them again. And again."

She'd do it, too. Beth didn't need to know any more about Emma to believe that, the look in her eyes was enough. Bloodthirsty. She swallowed, dropped her gaze to the ground.

"What are you doing here?" Jonah asked, sounding exhausted. She'd seen the circles under his eyes, apparent in the sunlight, and wondered if she wasn't the only one losing sleep in the Winter house. "Dev put me and Jamie on guard duty. For obvious reasons, you didn't get the job."

"I didn't want the job," Emma clarified. "I'm here to tell you guard dogs to bring her back. It's time for the ceremony."

"C-ceremony?" Beth looked from Jonah to Emma and back again. "What ceremony?"

Emma's smile grew larger. "The mating ceremony, honey. Do you know what that is?"

The world shifted under her feet. Beth caught the arm of the bench to steady herself.

"I see that's a yes." Emma clapped her hands together, like a little kid given the best surprise. "Come along then, your beloved mate is waiting. And he doesn't like to be kept waiting. Wouldn't want to get this relationship started on the wrong foot, would you?"

She looped her arm through Beth's, squeezing it tight against her side, and dragged her back toward the house. Pain shot up her leg as she stumbled.

Beth had never fainted before. She didn't recognize the ringing in her eyes for what it was, a warning sign, and couldn't have done anything about it even if she had. Blackness swam at the edges of her vision, closing in until it was everything.

***

She woke in a strange place. The air was cold and fresh, blowing in from a half-open window beside the bed she was lying in, her head propped on a soft pillow. Gauzy curtains fluttered in the breeze. Beth squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again. Nothing changed.

White Winter. The realization hit her like a gut punch. She was still a prisoner of the rogue pack. Her leg gave a sudden ache as if to remind her how desperate her situation was. Pushing back the blanket that covered her, she got unsteadily to her feet, testing her weight on her bad leg before setting that foot down. Still couldn't fully support her, never mind let her run.

Beth crossed to the window and looked down. It was a more than two-story drop with the way the house backed up to a hillside. She'd break her other leg if she tried jumping out there. Trapped. There was no way out except back through the house crawling with White Winter wolves eager to kill her. All that stood between them and her was Devon. The alpha.

The thought of him made her skin flush hot, then cold. How could anyone that looks that good be that awful? It seemed unusually cruel, the way her body reacted to him despite every bit of her brain screaming out in fear. He was dangerous. He was callous. He was her captor. The reason she was not running free with her pack then. She missed Adria. Spencer. She just wanted to go home.

Then she saw it. In the corner of the room, a white shift dress hung over the back of an armchair. It was delicate, airy, with a fabric that shimmered in the sunlight streaming in. She walked toward it with shaking legs. The mating ceremony. Emma's words punched through Beth's daze. She grabbed the dress and threw it across the room. It floated down mockingly.

"I won't." She said it out loud. "I won't!"

The door flew open as if kicked. Emma strolled in, wearing a minidress that left little to the imagination.

"If it isn't Sleeping Beauty. Just when I thought you couldn't get any more pathetic, you faint? Seriously? Are you a Victorian twat or a fucking wolf?"

Beth shrank back toward the wall. She looked at the open door; the freedom dangled invitingly behind her.

"That's my dress on the floor." Emma picked it up and whipped it at Beth, who made no effort to catch it. "And it's expensive. And I don't even want you to wear it, but Dec insisted, so put it on, and let's get this over with."

Beth looked down at the dress puddled at her feet. Like Emma's dress, it would cling to her body, revealing every curve under the silk.

"I'm not wearing that." She crossed her arms over her chest.

Emma rounded on her. "Put it on. I swear if you make this thing take one second longer than it needs to, I'll rip your throat out myself. Pick it up and put it on."

What choice did she have? She could put the dress on herself and submit to the mating ceremony willingly, or she could refuse and be dragged there, more humiliated than ever. It was no choice at all.

She bent and lifted the dress like it was a piece of garbage, letting it dangle from her fingertips.

"Do you mind?" Beth asked, nodding her chin at the door. "A little privacy."

Emma rolled her eyes and turned around. "Like I'm giving you a chance to fling yourself out the window. This is all you get. Now hurry up."

Even though Emma was facing away, Beth reluctantly peeled off her clothes. She felt vulnerable, and being naked only made it worse. Plus, the door was open. Edging her way slightly backward, out of view of the door, she tugged the dress on over her head and smoothed it down her body.

It hugged her curves, more generous than Emma's, and ended an almost obscenely short distance from the bottom of her panties. She pulled at the hem, but the dress bounced back to where it had been each time.

"Done?" Emma turned around before Beth could respond.

"Don't you have anything bigger? I look like a prostitute." Beth covered herself the best she could with her own arms.

"You're welcome. Let"s go." Emma grabbed Beth by the arm and dragged her out of the room before she could protest.

Beth stumbled to keep up. Getting dragged meant her broken leg was jostled every step of the way, and by the time they made it outside, she was sweating from the pain.

"There she is, the blushing bride!" Jonah greeted them at the door. He was dressed nicely in dark jeans and a button-up shirt, his boyish face split in a smile. "And no new scratches. Devon will be happy about that. Good job keeping your claws in, Em."

Something passed between the two of them. Something that Beth couldn't read. She filed it away for later. Every interaction was a chance to gather intel. She just had to remember that she could serve a purpose here. Could help her pack even now.

"Come on, Rosewood, your mate awaits." Jonah held out his arm to her.

Emma let her go, yanking her arm free before slinking off down the garden path. Beth took Jonah's. He was gentle, letting her lean on him as they made their way after Emma. But she didn't let him weaken her walls. Gentle or not, he was a White Winter wolf, and he was keeping her here against her will. If he'd been as nice as he acted, he would have helped her get free. He would have refused to kidnap her.

Steeling herself, she straightened her shoulders and let Jonah lead her to the garden. The White Winter pack was assembled there. Devon stood beside the pond. In another world, the scene would have been idyllic. Like Jonah, Devon was dressed in slim-fitting dark jeans and a button-up. Unlike Jonah, his face was somber, his eyes intent on her as she rounded the corner.

His wavy hair was tousled by the wind, a curl of it slipping forward on his forehead. He was stupidly handsome. Even now, she could feel a twist in her gut that had nothing to do with nerves and everything to do with hormones. He's your captor. Chalk it up to Stockholm syndrome.

"You can do it," Jonah whispered beside her. "He's a good guy. I know it doesn"t seem possible, but, deep down, he really is. Give him a chance."

Beth gave a little shake of her head, not trusting herself to respond. She knew too much about the White Winter pack to ever believe their alpha could be a good guy. Time seemed to stretch. She passed the other wolves lining the garden path and looked up to feel the sunshine on her face, focusing on the clouds instead of her fate drawing nearer and nearer.

As a child, she'd never dreamed of her wedding. She'd never been a romantic. Never doodled wedding dresses in the corner of her schoolwork. As a wolf, she'd never spared much thought for her mate. In a way, there were no dreams to dash. Just the death of her freedom to mourn.

"You've got this." Jonah gently squeezed her arm before depositing her in front of Devon and stepping off to the side.

Devon looked her up and down, his eyes catching on the swell of her breast and the dip of her waist meeting her hips. His eyes came back up and lingered on her lips before settling on her eyes. She wished she could read them. Wished she could understand why he was doing this to her. He reached out for her hand.

Beth was reluctant to drop her arms. They were all that covered her, but she was more afraid to refuse him. She took his hand. It was warm and large enough to envelop hers entirely. She could feel the strength in it.

"I still need your name." His voice was low, for her ears alone. "Don't make me call you Rosewood, not here, not for this."

The softness in his voice surprised her. There was a desperation to it. Was Jonah right? Was there a shred of something worth saving in Devon?

She'd fight back on some things, but she could give him this. Not her body. Just her name.

"Beth." She felt a release with the word, handing a part of herself to him. It was out there now. She was going to do this.

"Thank you, Beth." Again, a whisper. It was gruff, his eyes unreadable.

He turned to address the pack.

"The White Winter pack has been through hell and back. My band of rogues. We've scratched and clawed our way here, but it's time for the next step. It's time to become a pack on par with the Rosewoods, to surpass it even. We need stability. We need legitimacy. And for that, we need a luna."

The pack whooped and hollered.

"Beth." He turned back toward her and took both her hands this time, held them tight. His eyes were for her alone now. "This isn't what you wanted. It's nothing you could have ever imagined. I know we're nothing but bloodthirsty scoundrels to you. I don't expect you to forgive us. But I hope you will come to understand us."

Could she? It seemed impossible. There was no excuse for the way the pack behaved, and she did not believe they had any real intention of changing it, no matter what Devon said. But she kept her mouth shut. It wasn't the time to argue.

"Be my luna. Help me turn this pack into something better. Help us be better."

Chills crept up her forearms at his words. White Winter pack was beyond saving, but there was real hope in his face, a flash of the boy he must have been.

She nodded, swallowing down the lump in her throat. No going back now.

"I'll be your luna." But I'll never love you.

Around them, the pack cheered. Jonah slapped Devon on the back, a broad grin on his face, but Devon ignored him, still focused only on Beth.

He dropped her hand and caught her by the back of the neck, pulling her closer with a soft tug. Unconsciously, her chin lifted as his fingers tangled in the hair at the nape of her neck. His lips brushed against hers, the barest touch, and she felt herself lean into it. Her body acted of its own accord, betraying her as her lips parted and the kiss deepened.

"Gross. Get a room." Emma's voice broke into Beth's daze.

She pulled back, bringing her hand to her mouth, horrified at what she'd done. She'd kissed him, willingly. And she'd like it. Her body was all too eager to tell her just how much she'd enjoyed it. Her face heated.

"Blushing like a virgin," Emma drawled. "You can drop the innocent act, Bethy. You're one of us now. A bloody White Winter."

All of the emotions Beth had managed to stamp down flooded back. Her eyes brimmed with tears. Quickly, she turned away from Devon and the rest of the pack. Don't let them see you cry, she thought to herself, clenching her hands until her fingernails dug into her palms. The pain distracted her enough to stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks.

"Can I go now?" She bit the words out. She didn't want to be there, surrounded by those wolves and their joy for one more second. Their levity mocked her pain. Their good humor rubbed her raw.

"We'll go together." Devon held tight to her hand.

Beth didn't miss the look he gave Emma, one that wiped the smirk off Emma's face. There was something between them that ran deeper than sibling rivalry. Something she could exploit.

They made their way back up to the house, Devon's arm moving to hold her around the waist, taking most of the weight off of her leg. It wouldn't be long until she was healed and didn't need the help, but it couldn't come soon enough.

The silence between them was heavy. She felt the heat of his hand through the delicate dress and imagined his fingertips sinking into other parts of her. Get it together, she chastened herself.

At the bottom of the stairs, he swept her effortlessly into his arms. She gasped, caught by surprise, and flung her arms around his neck to secure herself.

"Don't hate that," Devon said with a laugh.

"Don"t get used to it." She held tight as they climbed the stairs.

If it taxed him at all to carry her up to the house's porch, it didn't show. He wasn't even out of breath by the time he reached the top. She breathed in the scent of him. The spice of his skin mingled with the fresh smell of his hair. It drove her to distraction.

"I'll just take you all the way," he said when she twisted to drop from his arms outside the door.

She shook her head. "I can walk."

"Not very well." He turned his head to look at her. It brought his face close to hers, his lips just inches from her own.

"Whose fault is that?" She turned away, scowling.

He freed one hand and opened the door. The house was silent with the rest of the pack outside, his footsteps echoing in the hallway. They were headed toward her bedroom.

"Well, I heard you were injured before the pack found you, so… yours, I guess."

She could see the curve of his smirk from the corner of her eye, and she let her nails dig into his back as he pushed open the door to the bedroom. The bed was still rumpled from where she'd been lying on it before the ceremony.

"I'm not—" She swallowed and tried again. The words seemed to catch in her mouth. "We're not… doing that."

Devon said nothing. He crossed the room and set her down on the bed. She tried to read his face, but as always, it was closed to her. Where had that hint gone, of the boy he'd been? She'd seen a flash of it at the ceremony, but he was all alpha now: taciturn, thoughtful, and cold.

His hair fell forward over his eyes as he looked down at her. "I won't force you."

But the truth hung in the air between them like a glaring neon sign, one Beth couldn't look away from. The mating ceremony wasn't just a declaration in front of the pack. It was not complete until they mated. Her hands shook. She laced them together to keep them still.

"Not yet, you mean."

She knew it would happen, it had to.