Page 43 of In the Mouth of the Wolf

Panic burst in my chest and I pulled on the restraints. No, this couldn’t be happening, I had to convince the others to stop him.

“But I’m not in heat…” I whimpered desperately.

Paul laughed, pulling his pants down next. “Don’t matter, we can just consider it practice.”

I looked at the rest of the pack for help. Greg was touching himself through his pants, his eyes burning with desire.

He was Team Paul, then.

But John looked appropriately ashamed. I needed to fully bring him over to my side.

“John, please…”

Paul grabbed my chin. “Don’t look at him. He can fuck you later. I found you, so I get to go first.”

He lowered himself on top of me, and I burst into full sobs, my wolf still maddeningly quiet. “John! I don’t want this, I’m not ready! Please do something!”

He gulped. “Paul, maybe…”

“Shut up!” Paul barked back. His weight was heavy on top of me, and I struggled uselessly beneath him. “Just gotta get you warmed up, I guess.” His mouth crushed into mine and I gagged from his rancid scent, whipping my head back and forth, trying to catch John’s eye.

He finally stepped in, grabbing Paul’s bicep. “I only agreed to this if you wouldn’t hurt her.”

Wow, what a gentleman. It was only rape if he was rough, apparently.

Paul fought back, trying to wrench his arm away. “She needs to learn her place. I make the rules – not her.” He grabbed my hair in a tight fist, causing me to cry out in pain.

The sound drove John into further action. He snarled and ripped Paul off me. “I told you to be gentle!”

Paul caught his footing and stood beside the bed, shoving John back towards the door. “Knock it off, she’s mine!”

They started grappling with each other, their fight spilling into the hallway. I tried in vain to pull myself free. If I yanked hard enough, could I break or dislocate my wrists?

Meanwhile Greg sighed, his vision clearing while he sat down next to me on the bed. “Why can’t you just be nice to Paul?” he asked. “It’d make everything so much easier.”

Paul had to be the ringleader, there was no other explanation as to why the other two kowtowed to him so much. It was time to really kick this mutiny into overdrive.

My lips trembled and I batted my eyelashes, speaking in a hushed voice. “He scares me. That’s why I shifted and ran away from my other pack. I need to feel safe. The way I do around you.”

His hand flexed by his side as his alpha instincts fought for control – I just needed to push him over the edge.

“You’ll protect me, won’t you?”

John and Paul’s fight had moved onto the first floor, the sound of their bodies crashing into furniture echoing up the stairs. The room shook as one of them slammed into a wall below us.

“Won’t you, Greg?”

His pupils dilated and he shuddered, a raspy purr crawling its way out of his throat. “Of course, Marlowe. I’d do anything for you.”

I was about to ask him to free my hands when the tumbling and cursing went eerily silent. Greg’s eyes didn’t move from mine as he called out, “You guys good now?”

Footsteps thundered up the stairs, and a familiar figure rushed into the room, tackling Greg into the wall. I cried out at the sight of Camden, covered in blood and pummeling the old, dirty alpha with his bare fists. The violence would normally have made me sick, but today it was my salvation, and tears of joy sprang from my eyes with each sickening crunch and squelch.

Archer entered in next, his shoulders slumping as he approached my side. “Marlowe, are you okay?”

His eyes scanned my body and I nodded, my voice cracked with relief as I wiggled my arms. “Yes, can you help me with these?”

He carefully removed the restraints, massaging my hands to get the blood recirculating.

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