My Personal Hell, D. Richardson [ebook reader browser txt] 📗

met my gaze and I couldn’t help myself. I leaned down, capturing her lips with my own. She lifted the same hand I had kissed, smoothing it up my chest to my neck.

I reached down, placing my hand over that tattoo. She moaned when I slid it up her side. Then rolled over, bringing me with her so that I was looking down on her.

Neither one of us was sure how much time had passed, though it was with a smile that she crawled out of bed. I let her take a shower first, taking the time to lay there and relax. I hadn’t realized that I had dozed off when a damp towel landed on my face. She laughed when I sat up to snatch it off.

She was already dressed in jeans, a loose shirt that hung off her shoulder, exposing her tank top underneath. I laughed with her before going to take my own shower. It took us a while to finally leave, as we took our time eating breakfast.

But regardless we made it to Drake’s just in time to catch them looking over the map again. We walked in together, like we usually did, and no one really paid us much attention. For a few minutes at least. Then Drake looked up at us.

“There you are, you’re late.”

“Sorry,” I mumbled, not meaning it in the least.

“It was my fault,” Ailith replied. “I was really tired last night and was slow getting around this morning.” It flowed so easily from her lips that Drake just nodded.

“So how did it go last night?” he asked. She shrugged.

“It was a success.”

“Are you kidding me!?” Dalton exclaimed from the other side of the island. “They were amazing!” Ailith blinked at him in surprise, though the other two girls just smiled.

“He agreed to watch the battle and then follow us back to the house. So he could witness both stages of the attack.”

“What did he want in return?” he asked, and Bastion started to chuckle earning a look of concern from his alpha. Ailith smiled up at him.

“He wanted me to train his females and the right to call on me anytime he has a stealth mission.” Drake stared at her, stunned. And then threw his head back laughing. It took him a few minutes to sober up but when he did he gestured her and the girls forward.

The other stood on either side of Ailith, but then started to give her a weird look. Then they were glancing at me regularly, before exchanging glances with each other. Drake leaned forward to talk to her but tensed for a moment, before continuing with what he was doing.

“A female from the Crudelus pack showed up last night.”

“What did she want?” Ailith asked, never noticing how everyone was starting to look at her.

“To talk to the female that used to be held captive by the alpha and his closest men. She refused to speak with anyone but you.”

“Where is she?”

“In the holding room, down in the basement.” She nodded.

“I guess I’ll go entertain our guest then.” After she left the room Drake nodded at the door, telling me that he wanted to talk to me.

When we made it into his office, him closing the door behind us for privacy, he moved behind his desk. I expected him to sit, like he always did, but instead he leaned his hands on the surface and looked up at me. The anger was more than evident in his expression.

“Why the hell is your scent all over her?” His voice came out as a growl. I guess the shower didn’t do much good after all. I sighed, leaning back against the wall. “Damn it, Sadler! I though I could trust you with her!”

“You can.”

“The hell I can! You took advantage of her!”

“No I didn’t.”

“Then tell me what happened, because this is not looking good for you.” I took a deep breath, and then another. I was stalling for time, trying to choose my words carefully.

“She went into heat last night after we got home.”

“Then you should have left!”

“I couldn’t. It hit too suddenly, I lost control.”

“And you’re sure that’s all it was? Just her heat?” I swallowed hard, the lie sticking in my throat. Then nodded.

“Yes, that’s all it was, I swear it meant nothing, it won’t happen again.”

“It better not.”

 

 

 

Ailith

 

 

 

 

‘That’s all it was, I swear it meant nothing, it won’t happen again,’ Sadler’s words hit me hard. I could feel my breathing quicken, and it felt like a lead weight had taken up residence in the middle of my chest.

They had left the door cracked open, just enough to hear what they were saying just on the other side. As soon as I walked down into the basement the redheaded woman made it perfectly clear that she wouldn’t say a word unless we gave her what she wanted first. Her request wasn’t that major so I came upstairs to tell Drake her demands. That’s when I heard them talking.

I felt tears well up in my eyes as I glanced away…right into Jaeger’s eyes. He looked at me with so much sympathy that I stood up straighter, not realizing how far I had curled into myself. I walked by, not bothering to look at him again.

“Tell them I talked to her,” I said as I passed. I didn’t bother to see if he would actually do it.

I was getting a drink of water when they walked into the kitchen. Both of them looking weary. Sadler didn’t look at me until I started to talk. Drake paid more attention than usual.

“I talked to her, she made two demands,” I started, Drake signaled for me to continue. I sat down at the table, next to him. “She wants her marriage annulled.” He blinked at me a few times.

“What?” I shook my head, it wasn’t that far of a reach really.

“She came of age right after she found her mate. Her father didn’t care and forced her to marry anyway. She hates her husband, says he’s abusive. She won’t say another word until we have her mate safely in our hands.”

“What good will that do us?” Drake muttered. I raised a brow.

“She’s married to one of Van’s commanders. Says that she made copies of all of the written commands, and can tell us the rest. I say it’s worth it.” He sighed.

“Whose her mate?” I gave him the name she spoke with so much reverence.

“He’s not from their pack,” Drake muttered.

“No she said he’s from an allied pack.”

“That’ll make it easier,” he answered, picking up his phone. I just sat there and let him do his thing.

Two hours later Dalton and Alex walked in with a young man with light brown hair and wide confused eyes. Those eyes were darting all over the place, from one wolf to another. They were the eyes of a male wolf on enemy territory. I stood and he looked at me. When I approached slowly, smiling softly he relaxed slightly.

“You’re the rogue. The one Katherine told me about?” I nodded.

“I am. Come, there’s someone who wants to see you,” I said, lightly touching his arm, directing him into the hallway. And then down into the basement.

Their reunion was part crying, part laughing, and a whole lot of touching. After a minute when they still hadn’t stopped I went back up to the kitchen. Drake gave me an odd look and I told him I was giving them a minute. After collecting a few bottles of water and taking my time with it, I went back down. They had finally settled for holding each other on the military like cot that she had been given. After passing the water around we got down to business.

An hour later I was back in the kitchen with a handful of papers and a heavy heart. After sitting down I zoned out into thoughts unknown. They gave me a few minutes then asked me what the papers were.

“The placement of all of the men. Her husband is leading the attack on the females. They’re expecting you to scatter your females and children throughout the pack houses. Van is only going to have the five males that’ll be on the field with him at the actual battle. The rest are split up to take all five houses, including this one. If one of them is empty their orders are to move on to the next one. So that there will be wave after wave of attacks. He’s going to only show a quarter of the rogues he’ll have with him. The rest are to hide until the battle is over, then move on us.”

“What do you suggest?” he asked immediately following the lead. It made me wonder why he was deferring to me so much.

“I’d follow the rules.” He blinked at me a couple times before I decided to elaborate. “At least look like I am. We go to the battle with the standard number of wolves. Stephan will be there to witness with his small group. And then station the rest of the men behind his. As his will be behind ours.

“Pull every female and child into this house, putting the children in the cooler in the basement, after turning it off of course. Put a couple of the youngest trained females in there with them as a last line of defense. Then add on layers of older and older females. Several of them have gotten good with the bows. Put them on the balconies at the back, and then stationed around the windows.

“The first wave will hit the bows. Keep them at their positions to cut down oncoming wolves, any that get past will be initiated by the rest of them in hand to hand. It’ll give the females a better chance of defending themselves, a little more breathing room, Our fight will be more straight forward, probably over in time for us to show up as reinforcement just as the fourth wave reaches them.” He nodded.

“Agreed.” I gave him a curt nod and then stood to leave. He stopped me just as I reached the door. “You have your spot on the field.” I met his eyes. His were serious, determined even. I nodded again and then went to the compound.

Four days later I finally snapped out of my tunnel vision. Ironically it was Sadler who managed it. I had spent those days doing nothing but training. I’d get up, go to the compound, and come back after I was too exhausted to speak. Then I’d collapse, get up and do it all again.

I quickly found that Sadler was the only one that could get me in a stale mate anymore. The only one that matched me. So I would face off with him, over and over again. I needed to be as ready as possible when I walked onto that battle field. But Sadler got sick of it. Snapping at me occasionally, though I ignored it.

“Enough,” he muttered, walking off the mat.

“No, again.” He shook his head, using a towel to dry the sweat from his face.

“No.”

“Again,” I forced through clenched teeth. He spun on me.

“No!”

“Again,” I said and he threw the towel across the room.

“I’m not him, Ailith!” My eyes dropped to the floor as he walked away.

I didn’t have a choice but to leave. He was my ride, so I walked out to the car to wait for him. When he came out his jaw was still set and I found looking at him was difficult.

“I’m sorry,” I mumbled, acknowledging that I had been using him as a surrogate for Luke. He didn’t say anything, just nodded as an answer. Though his expression relaxed.

After that I didn’t stop training, but I pulled back. Trying not to become obsessive about it again. Instead I pushed my females…hard. Testing them in every possible way. Forcing them to fight until they collapsed. None of them complained, or even resisted. They knew what was at stake if they