Free Rough Wolf by Alanis Knight

It was the scum who’d fought with Geo. Vince.
    “You can’t have her,” Greta said firmly. “She is part of our pack.”
    “All the more reason,” Vince said.
    “What do you want?” Greta asked again.
    “Your Alpha refuses to sign a peace treaty with me,” Vince said. “Big mistake.”
    “Your peace treaty wouldn’t be worth the paper it was written on,” Greta told him. “The paper I wipe my ass with would be more valuable. You’d only break any treaty after you get what you want.”
    “All I want is to join forces and expand both our territories,” Vince said. “What could be so wrong in that?”
    “What you mean is you want us to help you fight other packs,” she corrected him. “I’m not stupid, and neither is Giovanni.”
    “Hmm,” Vince said. “That remains to be seen. If he’s smart, he’ll join us. We could own six counties by this time next year.”
    “Giovanni is perfectly happy with the territory we have now,” Greta said. “It’s more than sufficient for our pack.”
    “Well, you tell him he has two choices,” Vince said. “He can either join us and get his new mate back, or he can turn us down and she dies. He has until sundown to choose. Boys.”
    I felt a searing pain shoot across my ribcage as I was hoisted from the ground, and I groaned miserably. Greta darted toward me, but she was quickly restrained by four men who were easily twice her size. She struggled against them, but she was simply too small and weak to manage.
    “Dora!” she shrieked as she watched helplessly while the men hauled me away. I could see the tears streaming down her face and feel her sorrow.
    Her hand reached toward me in a gesture of love. I tried to return the gesture, but I couldn’t move. I felt paralyzed by the pain. The pain was so great, in fact, that eventually it bore me away into a haze of darkness that shrouded my vision, eventually lulling me into complete nothingness.
     
     

CHAPTER EIGHT

     
     
     
     
     
    I awoke to the sound of muffled voices. I opened my eyes, but I could see only darkness. At first, my heart thudded. I thought I was blind. But then I realized I felt something resting against my face. I realized I must be blindfolded.
    I strained to hear the conversation. It seemed to be coming from my right, but had to be in another room because I couldn’t distinguish one voice from another or even tell what was being said.
    I fought to move, but I couldn’t. I realized that the pain I’d felt had greatly subsided. The blinding agony had been replaced by a dull ache.
    I felt something gripping me. It was rough, and it cut into my skin harshly. I was bound. That’s why I couldn’t move. At least I was no longer paralyzed by the pain.
    My fingers slid along the bindings behind me, trying to find a way to free myself. I thought if I could find a knot, perhaps I could loosen it and break free. I located one knot, but it was hopelessly strong, and I couldn’t find any way to undo it even a little.
    My thoughts drifted to Geo. Surely he must know by now that Vince and his cronies had taken me. They probably released Greta, knowing she would run back to tell him about Vince’s ultimatum.
    I shivered at the thought of Vince’s words. He can either join us and get his new mate back, or he can turn us down and she dies. He has until sundown to choose.
    I knew which choice he would make, but I couldn’t completely understand the consequences his action would have on the pack. Vince had mentioned taking other territories. Something about owning six counties. But what did he need with all that land? Geo’s territory alone must have been quite large, because I couldn’t see any other cabins from Geo’s, and I knew the other pack members must live in the same territory.
    Voices began to come into focus. I listened carefully, hearing only single words, and soon simple phrases. Before long, I could hear them almost as well as if they were in the room with me.
    “Oh, he’ll