Surrendering to Her Mate Read online

  As soon as what was over? The half-formed thought had rattled around in her brain but didn’t resurface until later when she had to finally break down and find the bathroom. She was also hungry but one urge had to win out over the other and right then the bladder was winning that fight.

  “Going somewhere, sweetness?”

  Out of the darkness, Astrid observed the towering form of a man as he blocked her path. The reek of alcohol on his breath made her want to gag. Shadows ran deep and she could barely make out his features, but she knew those eyes anywhere and as he got closer my suspicions were confirmed.

  Mr. Lupin.

  The wolf was shining in his gaze and she had to force herself not to outright run.

  Her animal looped into a ball, her nose buried under her tail.

  Thanks for the help.

  He was not someone she really wanted to meet in a dark hallway or otherwise.

  Where was his spooky-eyed companion?

  “I’m looking for the bathroom,” Astrid managed to get out, searching for any escape route that didn’t include touching him.

  He reached for her and she stumbled backward into a wall, pinned like a fly in a spider’s web. Mr. Lupin placed his hands against the wall on either side of her head, trapping her in place. “Well now. What a coincidence. I am, too. Bathrooms are so convenient, don’t you agree?” His voice was gravely with his beast so close to the surface. He cupped himself and Astrid shivered.

  Gross.

  She was used to antics from boys at school. What girl wasn’t? But watching a grown man touch himself made her want to empty the remnants of her dinner on his shoes.

  Run, her fox screamed. Danger.

  “I need to go...” Astrid stuttered, shrinking low. Her bladder swelled, uncomfortably full and she cursed herself for holding it for so long. She hadn’t been able to find her father and the thought of wandering around a strange house hadn’t held much appeal.

  She was going to pee. Right on him if he didn’t get out of her way.

  “Your father told me where to find you. Said you might need a little help with your dress.” He removed his hand from his crotch and reached for her.

  What?

  Astrid's stomach lurched at the implication and she blinked, her brain struggling to absorb his words. Why would she need help with her dress?

  Perv.

  She was out of there, even if she had to pee on the living room rug and walk home. Her Dad could find her later.

  “Let go of me.” She pulled away, jerking her arm out of his reach, but he leaned in closer, his hot breath on her neck.

  “My dear, Astrid. I don’t think you understand the nature of our relationship. Your father needs to settle up for debts incurred. I need a new butterfly for my collection. Be a good girl, now, so I don’t have to pull off your wings.” His finger traced a line along the bare flesh of her shoulder and flicked the strap of her sundress down onto her upper arm.

  “How lovely it will be to tame you.”

  Astrid's flesh crawled where he touched her and she flinched, trying to get away.

  “We’ll leave as soon as it's over...”

  Horror slid through her. He knew. Her father knew exactly where she was. Her vision clouded and she sucked in a terrified breath.

  No. How could he do this? To his own daughter?

  A gambling problem.

  He sold her out for a gambling debt?

  Anger burst through the fear and Astrid pushed back, knocking him off balance long enough to take a few steps back.

  Her fox snarled, nails biting through to turn her pink and polished nails into tiny claws.

  “Don’t fucking touch me.”

  The low rumble of his wolf set her teeth on edge, and she released a small growl of her own.

  She was no one’s toy. Least of all the pack master of a bunch of criminals. Her father may work for them, but she didn’t and she wasn’t going to be pushed around.

  The slap came from nowhere, sharp and copper tasting as the sting spread across her face and her head whipped back. Teeth clattering, she fought the tears that sprang into her eyes as he reclaimed the space between them and groped her breasts over the bodice of the dress.

  “So sweet and yet so foolish,” he rasped. “Your services are being offered to cover your father’s debt. Don’t disgrace yourself by being uncooperative.”

  Hot bile crept up her throat and she sucked in air to keep it down.

  Oh God.

  Whiskers prickled and she had to fight to keep her human self intact. God knew what he would do if she shifted. Her fox form was small and if he shifted, he could tear her to pieces in seconds.

  She never understood how a man like her father could be an enforcer for a pack of wolves. Until tonight. The cold light of truth was hardly a comfort as Astrid tried to move away from his seeking fingers.

  His hand crept lower, fighting with the fabric of the dress to find a way beneath the flowered print. The tears she had been fighting slid down her face, leaving a hot trail of betrayal in their wake. Her father had brought her here knowing what would happen. He’d arranged it to cover whatever asinine debts he owed to his mobster boss.

  How many bedrooms were in this place? And being this far from the crowded din of the party, no one would hear if she cried out. No one. Mr. Lupin was going to rape her and there wasn’t a thing she could do to stop him.

  Astrid stood there shaking, frozen in fear while he pawed her, his face victorious as his fingertips brushed the elastic of her cotton panties.

  This wasn’t the way she wanted her first time. It was supposed to be with someone she cared about. Loved. Not...this.

  She wanted to meet her mate. To have him hold her and love her and...and...not what was happening now. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

  Ever.

  An image of Marcus flashed through her mind and she quickly shoved it away. He would never touch her like this.

  Never.

  Lupin’s hands grew more insistent in their quest and her dress tore, the sound echoing in the silence.

  Astrid blinked away the tears gathering behind her eyes and grit her teeth. There had to be some way to get out. To get away. She searched the surrounding area for a weapon. Anything to use to her advantage.

  But there was nothing.

  His hands stroked the soft flesh of her inner thigh.

  No. No. No.

  “Oh, little butterfly, how I’m going to enjoy taking your virginity and making you into a being of my creation.” He gripped her chin tight in his hand and forced her to look at him, her shame at him knowing her secret sending a hot flush creeping up her body.

  How else would he know? Her father had to have told him she still had her virgin card.

  “Stop...” She fought his hands, not giving up despite his order to submit. “I need to go to the bathroom.”

  If she let her nails change all the way, she could rake him over the eyes and bolt. Fifty-fifty chance she made it out alive.

  But then what?

  Despair tugged her downward but she shook it off. No. She was not giving up. Fuck them all. If she had to run away, she would do it.

  Astrid would go down fighting and she would leave marks. There was nothing else. She would use her own hands. A few more minutes and her bladder would decide things for her. She had to get out of here.

  Wrenching her nails into full on claws, she scratched at his face, gouging deep.

  “You bitch!” He shoved her back and slapped her, this time splitting her lip.

  She tasted blood and spit it at him, baring her teeth. “Your father is dead.”

  “Don’t count on it.” She raised her chin and a burst of movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Marcus. His cold, blue eyes assessing her. Judging her. Just like he’d been doing since she met him.

  Astrid wanted to crawl under the rug and die.

  “There you are, Astrid. I’ve been looking for you everywhere. I promised to s
how you the boathouse, didn’t I?” Marcus approached, his features smoothing out into a carefree mask of indifference.

  His father turned away, hiding his expression.

  “Hey, Dad. They need you in the living room.”

  Pale eyes pierced her darkness, taking in her torn dress and the tears on her face.

  “Can’t you see I’m a little busy?” Mr. Lupin snapped, turning back toward his son with distinct irritation.

  Marcus swept his hair off his forehead with an easy grace. “That’s cool of you to help my date to the bathroom.” Placing his body between them, he met the older man’s gaze for a moment, and then turned his attention to her. “Sorry I couldn’t take you myself, but I had some things I needed to take care of. Looks like you got through some of your book, though.” He held up the book she’d left in her haste to find the bathroom.

  She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

  He had been watching her. It wasn’t just in her mind.

  “Your...date?”

  “Yes. Come on, Astrid. How’s about we get on with our night?” Marcus moved closer and held out his hand.

  Astrid took it like the lifeline it was and scuttled as far away from his father as quick as she could, her lips clenched tight.

  He led her from beneath his father’s poisonous stare and out some sort of side door into the crisp night air.

  “Follow me and don’t look back.” He let go of her hand and started following a manicured path into the darkness.

  “Where are we going?”

  Marcus paused, a strained smile tightening his lips. “You still need to go to the bathroom, right?”

  She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. But she didn’t miss the way his eyes traveled over her body and for the second time that night, she shivered. Only this time it wasn’t in fear.

  God. Why did he always make her feel like she was on display?

  “It’s this way.”

  He led her to the boathouse and she paused as he opened the door, momentarily unsure.

  Marcus wouldn’t bring her out here to hurt her. That much she knew. But the ugly thought was there and he caught her hesitation.

  Astrid's fox scampered underneath her skin, her nerves frayed.

  “It’s okay.” The hard lines of his face softened for the briefest moment and she found herself fidgeting beneath his scrutiny.

  So, this was how it felt to be humiliated beyond all rational thought. And in front of him.

  God. She wanted to die. If she waited much longer, her exploding bladder might just take care of it for her.

  “The bathroom...” Her voice wavered, the shock of the night battling for precedence over her physical needs.

  “Come on.”

  She'd never been in a boathouse before. Expecting it to be nothing more than an overblown shed, Astrid was surprised to find what appeared to be a contemporary styled living room decked out with comfortable looking couches and a television. A small kitchenette was tucked in the back of the space. She scented the air. No one else was here.

  “Here. It’s just off the main room.”

  Marcus moved ahead of her, guiding her down a short hallway. They passed an open doorway with a rumpled bed and a desk where it appeared as if someone had been studying.

  She wanted to pause but the urgency of her mission was becoming increasingly clear. When he pointed the way to a small bathroom, she hastily ducked inside.

  Her immediate task completed, she sidled over to the sink. A few adjustments of her dress and her gaze focused in on the girl reflected in the mirror.

  A pale face streaked with mascara and a bloody lip stared back. And then she saw the dress. The tear represented everything that had gone wrong with tonight.

  Or with her life.

  Her father had done this. Set her up with a monster to...

  A sob radiated out from the deepest parts of her and she sank down against the wall.

  “Astrid.”

  Marcus’s quiet voice on the other side of the door spoke volumes.

  “Yes?” Her voice was thick with tears but she didn’t care.

  “Are you okay?”

  Was she? She didn’t know.

  “Astrid. I’m opening the door.” He knocked, and poked his head in, his relief at finding her presentable evident.

  “I’m sorry.” Her voice wobbled and she wiped angrily at the tears spilling down her cheeks.

  “You don’t have anything to be sorry for.”

  “I shouldn’t have come tonight. If I’d stayed home none of this would have happened.” The moment the words tumbled out, she knew they were a lie.

  Of course, it would still have happened at some point, only maybe Marcus wouldn’t have been there to save her.

  “Astrid.” He bent down, his serious eyes meeting hers. “It’s not your fault.”

  “I don’t know what to do.” Her voice was a wet sounding croak.

  “You go home.”

  “How?” She demanded. “How do I even look at my father again? How can you stand to be in the same room as yours?”

  Marcus gave a disgusted snort. “I’ve known for a long-time what kind of monster lives behind these walls.”

  “It’s taking me a minute to absorb.”

  “I expect it is.” He replied, a muscle in his jaw tightening. His eyes held the light of his wolf and, for a moment, she was mesmerized.

  Then reality hit and a shudder slid through her. She was going to have to go home and face her father and she didn’t know how she could.

  Another thought crashed through and she froze. Her brother. “What about my brother?”

  “He’s fine.”

  “If I didn’t pay off his debt...” She couldn’t bring herself to utter the words. She wasn’t the only one who had value to a disgruntled mafia boss.

  “Don’t worry.”

  “How can you say that?” Astrid struggled to climb to her feet and Marcus stepped back, giving her space. “He could have someone go after my brother next. How do I know he isn’t into boys, too?”

  Her animal made a hissing sound and cocked her ears.

  Marcus’s expression was grim. “Because now my father has a debt he has to pay. And I’m the one calling it in.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” Something that might have passed for a smile flitted across his lips. “Now, let’s get you home. Give me your phone.”

  “I... Okay.” She dug it out of her wristlet and handed it to him, wrapping her arms around the book in her hands like a lifeline.

  He paused long enough to key something in and handed it back to her.

  “What was that?”

  “My number.” Marcus replied, his wolf in his eyes.

  “Thanks.”

  “Don’t mention it.”

  Astrid followed him from the boathouse to the street. Her father’s car was gone. A hollow feeling sank in her gut as he opened the passenger door of his car and she slid inside.

  He shut the door and she watched him make his way around the back of the car, carefully assessing the street before he slipped behind the wheel.

  The car smelled of him.

  Her animal stilled, curling up in a ball and going to sleep. But she couldn’t relax quite so easily.

  “He left me. My God. He really did.”

  A thunderous expression moved over his features as he navigated the darkened streets. “Don’t think about it. Just go inside and lock your bedroom door.”

  “Will he try it again?”

  “If he does, call me.”

  She nodded, afraid to speak.

  “Your animal is a fox?”

  “Yes.” She replied, not sure where he was going with this.

  “If he comes for you, I want you to shift and run as fast as you can, through the smallest places you can, all the way back to the boathouse. Can you do that?”

  “Um. Okay.”

  “You have my number.”


  In front of her house, he paused, his fathomless eyes piercing her soul. “If you need me, I’ll always come for you.”

  Astrid hadn’t spoken to him since.

  Her father didn’t come home for a week and when he did, he wouldn’t meet her eyes. There was no responding to a question she already knew the answer to.

  He'd tried to sell her.

  She was expendable but for some reason she couldn’t make sense of, Marcus had saved her. But he couldn’t stop the nightmares and the feeling someone was still watching her. No one knew she’d pilfered one of her mother’s kitchen knives and hid it under her pillow at night.

  A lock wasn’t enough. Not anymore. But if they tried to take her, she would be ready for them and she was going to keep her brother safe, too. Even if it killed her.

  “Hello. Earth to Astrid? Where’s the orbit?”

  “Shut up...”

  “Are you going to stare into the crowd all night?”

  Jane glared at her and Astrid willed herself not to lose her temper. Jane knew what kind of asshole Astrid's father was and if she didn’t keep Charlie on track he was going to end up on the exact same path. She couldn’t stomach it if that happened. Having one mobster prick in the family was enough.

  Eyes watched her from across the room and a chill crept over her.

  Not safe.

  But just then she saw another familiar face. Marcus. And he was looking at her with angry eyes. Daring her to be here. But then they softened. Astrid's lips parted and she remembered what he'd told her.

  “Don’t come to the club. He’ll find you there. Please. Listen to me.”

  And, for once, she did what she was told and she ran, Jane cursing at her all the way home.

  Chapter One

  Present day

  “The other kid is outside, Marcus.”

  Marcus nodded. It was no surprise that the scared punk almost shitting himself in front of him hadn’t stolen from him of his own volition. The only question that remained unanswered was which of Marcus' enemies was fucking with him this week and who paid them to hack into his accounts.

  Someone who obviously didn’t care if the kid lived or died.

  Marcus' wolf licked his teeth at the thought.