Chapter 2

Chapter

Two

BEN

Ben stabbed at the man's eye with the bloodied keys and somehow missed. Before he could make a second attempt, the man grabbed Ben's wrist and squeezed until his bones ground together. Ben held onto the keys and punched the man's side, only to be yanked forward until he was off-balance and his chin smacked against the man's broad chest.

Ow…

Momentarily dazed, Ben met his enemy's gaze.

Over six foot tall and heavily muscled under his black shirt, the man had dark blonde hair and icy blue eyes narrowed in irritation. He was stupidly handsome with golden skin and a square jaw, aged somewhere over thirty years old, and was one of the most recognizable and feared faces known to the non-human community.

Connor Stone, alpha of the Oakford Pack, the fiercest, most feared shifter pack on the continent.

Holy fucking stars…

What was Stone doing here? A little backwater motel like this one was far outside Oakford Pack territory. Stone was supposed to have a mountain range and glorious forests to roam in, not this dry backcountry.

Knowing he was fucked, Ben punched Stone in the ribs before he was lifted off the floor and twisted about, the alpha's free hand clamping over Ben's throat, tightening with an unspoken threat. Ben kicked backwards, striking Stone's shins before the alpha dragged him back inside and kicked the door shut.

"Calm down, sweetheart," Stone growled in his ear.

Ben braced himself, having learned from hard experience that fighting once a wolf got a solid hold on him only made things worse. He glanced at the bathroom door, knowing there was little time left before the asshole inside regained consciousness. He needed a little luck to get out of this.

"What happened here?" the alpha asked, keeping Ben's back firmly pressed against his chest.

"None of your business," Ben gritted out. He tested the grip around his chest. "This isn't your territory, Stone."

Stone stilled for a few heartbeats. "You know me?"

Ben let out a dark laugh. "Everyone recognizes who you are, wolf. Didn't think you were the kidnapping type, though."

The arm around his chest briefly tightened. "I heard Vaughn's pack is hunting for a sprite," Stone said, his voice a low rumble. "I'm here to get them first."

Well, Ben sort of appreciated the honesty, but bitter disappointment lodged in his throat. Stone and the Oakford Pack were supposed to be the best of non-human folk. They were the enemy of packs like Westplains and hunted down wolves who caused harm.

It hurt to learn Stone was like everyone else, willing to hunt down sprites and force their luck.

Ben sagged. An ache flared within him. Suddenly, he wanted to go home. He wanted to sink into the watery depths of his clan's grotto, sleep for a century and forget about greedy alphas. Just become like water and drift.

But the clear, deep pond was poisoned and gone like everything else Ben cared about.

Stone must have sensed the despair within him, his grip loosening.

Luck at last!

Ben snapped his head back, connecting hard with Stone's chin. The man stumbled, and Ben jabbed him in the forearm with the keys. The grip around him fell away as Stone swore.

Free, Ben bolted past the alpha and wrenched open the door. He shoved himself out into the crisp night, tripping over himself in his haste. His shoes crunched on the gravel as he sprinted.

He spotted the shitty car that brought him here and veered sharply towards it, only for his feet to slip out from under him in the loose gravel. "Damn it, stupid?—!"

Ben's ankle gave way, and a sharp stab of pain shot up his leg. Swearing loudly, he hopped and limped toward the car. Wrenching the door open, he slid into the driver's seat and jammed the key in the ignition.

The engine made a surly whine.

"Come on, buddy," Ben muttered, turning the key again. He saw the open door to the motel room through the dusty windscreen. Stone was nowhere to be seen.

Ben dropped his gaze to the dashboard as the engine light flickered and sputtered. "Don't do this to me," he pleaded. He just needed a little luck to go his way.

He turned the key a third time and got a momentary blip of light before the car died. Ben smacked his hand against the steering wheel. "You've got to be kidding me!"

The car door wrenched open before a large hand fisted the front of Ben's shirt. Before he could flinch, Ben found himself out of the car and lifted half off his feet while in the grip of the stupidly attractive alpha.

Ben yanked hard enough to tear his shirt and promptly stumbled on his twisted ankle. "Fuck!"

Stone easily grabbed him again and dropped Ben on the hood. His large hand pressed on Ben's chest, his unfair strength effortlessly holding him down.

Every instinct told Ben to kick and punch and bite. But he'd long learned to bide his time with wolves, using his smallness and the assumed meekness of sprites to his advantage.

Forcing his muscles to relax, Ben blinked up at Stone, giving his best doe eyes. "Um, hello," he said, blinking. "Sorry about… all that."

Stone's icy blue eyes narrowed, not believing it for a second. "You're a menace."

Undeterred, Ben said, "I'm really not. You can let me up now. I won't do anything."

"I don't think so. You smell like a runner."

Ben worked harder on the doe eyes. Sprites were sweet, whimsical creatures, right? Delicate and happy to bring luck to everyone around them.

Stone ran his gaze over Ben's face and snorted.

Tires squealed as a dark van pulled off the road into the motel carpark. It stopped beside them, and Ben's heart sank as the side door slid open.

"Oh, look, your ride's here," Ben said chirpily, trying to smack Stone's hand away. "Don't let me keep you."

With an amused huff, Stone hefted Ben up and half-carried him towards the van.

Three shifters peeled out the side door, all huge and dressed in black like Stone. Members of his pack, Ben assumed. Most likely Stone's enforcers.

"What have you got there, boss?" asked a grinning wolf with black hair and bright green eyes. He was broader than Stone, muscles straining underneath his shirt. Definitely an enforcer.

"A successful hunt, Seamus. Get the wolf," Stone ordered them.

The enforcer made a lazy salute before he and his two companions trotted for the open motel room.

Stone carried Ben inside the van and shoved him onto a bench seat. "Don't move."

"My name's Ben," he muttered, bending to rub his ankle. It was rapidly swelling, damn it. What the actual hell? His luck had never betrayed him like that before.

The driver looked at him in the rearview mirror. Yet another tall wolf with pale hair and dark eyes, all lithe strength and caged violence. Ben wondered if Stone went out of his way to recruit these violent assholes.

"Ben."

He met Stone's gaze, resentful of how attractive the alpha was. In another life, Ben might have flirted and lured Stone into the private spaces in the clan grotto. They could have had fun in the cool water, and Ben might have rewarded him with a sprig of clover.

"Where was the wolf taking you?" Stone asked.

Ben purposely slouched on the bench seat. "He was sent by Vaughn, the alpha of the Westplains Pack."

"I know who Vaughn is," Stone said. He blocked the door and folded his muscled arms. "The Westplains territory is far from here. So where's the meet-up?"

Ben folded his arms, too, though he suspected he looked sulky rather than intimidating. "I wasn't exactly on speaking terms with the asshole who caught me."

"Craven, Vaughn's second."

Ben blinked. He hadn't expected Vaughn's second to be so handsy. Or disloyal. He should have killed Craven when he had the chance.

With an effort, Ben said, "You seem to know a lot. Is Vaughn paying you to hunt for him?"

A look of revulsion crossed Stone's face. "No, my intel team do good work. We know Vaughn sent Craven to catch his sprite."

Ben shifted uncomfortably, rubbing his arms against the sudden cold. "I'm not Vaughn's sprite."

Stone raised an eyebrow. "Your home is in his territory."

Not anymore…

Ben glared. "You don't know anything, either."

Stone raised his hands peaceably. "Probably not, Ben."

Glowering at the alpha, Ben resentfully took in the broad chest and light stubble covering Stone's jaw. Stone bore the easy confidence of a wolf capable of great and deadly work. He probably didn't know how it felt to be powerless or robbed of his loved ones and home.

Ben clenched his teeth and settled his gaze on the opposite van wall. He forced himself to slump his shoulders and curl in on himself, making himself appear small and defeated. He could lull this wolf into thinking he'd given up. Stone was no different to every other arrogant wolf who underestimated him.

Boots crunched on the gravel. Moments later, the three wolves returned with Craven naked and drooling between them. They tossed Craven onto the floor of the van and climbed in after him. One quickly slid the door closed.

"Look at the mess the sprite made!" the dark-haired wolf laughed.

The enforcers flopped Craven onto his back, both his wrists and ankles thankfully cuffed. Dark welts dotted the unconscious wolf's chest and belly from Ben's furious stabs with the keys, though in a few hours, the marks would be gone.

"Didn't know sprites had it in them," the wolf continued, gaze on Ben. "Look how small he is. Oof, and pretty!"

Ben's glare turned homicidal, but he jolted on the bench as the van took off. They hit the road and quickly accelerated into the darkness.

"Where are we going?" Ben asked, gripping one of the cargo rings to keep his balance.

Stone glanced at him and didn't respond. He clambered into the front passenger seat and pulled out his phone, rapidly messaging something. One of the enforcers sat beside Ben, shuffling him along until he was furthest from the door and Craven. The other two enforcers sat opposite, ignoring Ben and watching the unconscious wolf. All three of them seemed far too competent for Ben's liking.

Ben hunched over and chewed the side of his thumbnail. He could bide his time. He'd been in worse situations than this.

Maybe. Possibly.

Probably not.