Free Pack Justice (Nature of the Beast Book 1) by RJ Blain

lack of escape routes did. Without hands or the benefit of light, I had no idea where the release catch was or if I could manipulate it with paws and teeth. I huffed, sat down, pinned my ears back, and waited for Idette to return.
    I spent the time in a three-way argument on the best way to deal with my wife once and for all. My cheetah’s desire for violence alarmed my wolf, who preferred a strategic retreat.
    They bickered in my head, their conversation conducted in hisses and growls.
    If I had my way, I’d get my revenge by living a long and happy life without her in it. My wolf’s attention focused on me at the thought, and I got the feeling he fully intended to find us a mate.
    My cheetah’s approval warmed me, and something passed between the two spirit beasts, leaving me wondering what they were talking about. Whatever it was, it absorbed their attention, and I took advantage of their disinterest in me to explore the trunk.
    I found the catch near the top of the back seat. With the silk binding my muzzle mostly shut, I couldn’t grasp the knob to yank on it. Until my left paw healed and supported my weight better, I couldn’t dig at the seat or pull off the silk around my muzzle.
    All I could do was wait.
    When Idette returned, she was carrying a pair of bags. One held a collar, a harness, and a leash, all made from black leather. An acrid stench filled my nose, and the smell alarmed my wolf. From the second bag, Idette pulled out a jewelry box and a pair of thick gloves, which she put on.
    My wife had never been fond of silver, claiming she had an allergy to it. Once upon a time, she had owned some pieces from our engagement, but those had vanished years ago. Had she kept them, or had she discarded my gifts along with her humanity? Werewolf legends were plentiful, but the timid way she handled the silver chains within the jewelry box warned me some legends were founded on truth.
    “This will protect you from the others,” she hissed through clenched teeth as she attached the silver chains to the harness and collar. Supergluing silver to leather seemed like a good way to ruin them both to me. Once she was satisfied with her work, she grabbed me by my tail and yanked me to her. I yipped and clawed at the trunk’s carpeting.
    The silk binding my muzzle shut made my attempted attack harmless but earned me a backhanded slap across my nose. My neck throbbed. Using me, my wolf whined.
    Idette buckled the collar around my throat first, clipping the leash to it and looping the leather around her wrist. While it didn’t hurt, the stench of the silver dulled my sense of smell. When she buckled me into the harness, the straps bit into the skin beneath my fur, so tight it pinched me when I moved.
    The last addition to her efforts to contain me was a black leather muzzle, which replaced the silk tying my mouth shut and buckled around my head. Within its confines, I could pant, but I had no chance of being able to bite anyone. I flattened my ears back. My wolf hesitated at the thought of touching the silver.
    “There, all done. In a couple of weeks, you won’t have any worries at all. I’ll take good care of you until then.” Idette smiled, and her eyes blazed a fire-bright amber. After dumping her gloves, she picked me up, careful to avoid the silver chains glued to the collar and harness. She set me on the front seat. The leash had a loop for a seat belt, which she used to keep me in place.
    What was going to happen in a couple of weeks? Thanks to the Roberts case, my schedule wasn’t quite as fixed as I liked, and I couldn’t think of any possibilities; our anniversary wasn’t for half a year, though if I had anything to do with it, it wouldn’t happen at all. Neither one of us had upcoming birthdays, nor did any of our closer friends and family.
    Unless I got my act together and escaped, I’d find out, like it or not.

Chapter Seven

    The days slipped by, and my hope Idette would make a mistake waned. She left