Free The Captain's Challenge: Alpha Werewolf Erotica (Smut-Shorties Book 10) by Mina Carter
Authors: Mina Carter
Chapter One
“You fucking bitch”
Vanessa MaCauley flinched and tensed herself for the blow she knew was sure to come. Her life had become hell ever since her brother Jacob had caught her sneaking back into the house a week ago. She’d missed his party, but that wasn’t the worst of it… Oh no, not the worst of it at all. He’d also caught the scent of a Wolf on her. A male Wolf. A male Wolf who wasn’t Veyr, the Master of the City, and the man he’d decided she was to mate.
That Veyr had a woman already made no difference to Jacob. He was still convinced that he could somehow make their union happen, although neither Vanessa nor Veyr wanted it. She liked Veyr. From what she’d seen of him, he was a decent, upstanding and honorable man.
Jacob’s blow caught her at the side of her lips and pain flared through her face. She sucked a breath in, refusing to let him have the satisfaction of hearing her cry out. That her own brother could treat her like this, beating her and keeping her a prisoner, made her heart ache and bleed.
“You disgust me… After everything father and I have done for you,” he hissed, his hand hard on her arm as he hustled her through the dark passages of the palace. It was before dawn, so he wasn’t taking her to any of the court functions. Wolves partied late into the night and slept through the morning.
“Where are we going?” She asked, using a turn in the corridor to dab at her cut lip without Jacob seeing. If he did, she’d end up with another cut on the other side. Beneath the thin dress he’d had her dressed in, a nightgown rather than a dress, her body was covered with cuts and bruises. Given the accelerated healing her Wolf afforded her, some of her injuries would have killed a human outright. All because she defied him. All because she wanted love, not an arranged marriage.
“None of your fucking business,” he hissed back, his pace so quick she stumbled against him. He shoved her away with a sneer, grip so hard it bruised her arm. “But if you behave, and do as you’re told, I might just be able to rescue something from this mess.”
She kept silent, recognizing the maniacal little gleam in his eye. When Jacob got like this, there was no arguing with him. Even breathing the wrong way would bring another beating down on her. She focused her energy on her surroundings instead. Myriad scents enveloped her… The scent of servants who used these back corridors, the smell of wood polish and other scents, those of the guards who swore fealty to the Master. Her heart leaped as she searched them for one particular scent. One so familiar to her, it had wrapped itself around her heart and refused to let go.
Jace Trenton. The Captain of the Guard and Veyr’s right-hand man.
Her lover.
Her love.
“He’s not down here,” Jacob whispered in her ear, as though he could read her thoughts. “You’ll never be with him again. You’ll play your part like a good little wolf or he’ll bleed his last on the sharp blade of a silver knife. Die alone in the dark somewhere because of you. You want that?”
Fear almost stopped her heart. Although Lycan society was based on honor, Jacob was not an honorable man. She knew without a shadow of a doubt he would carry out his threat. He wouldn’t challenge Jace in a legal fight. No way, no how… the idea was laughable. If Jacob got in the ring with Jace, the bigger wolf would kill him, and her brother knew it. Instead, he would have his bully boys find Jace somewhere quiet and dark, corner him and kill him. Silver knives, or silver bullets would end his life… and it would be her fault.
No, that would not happen. No matter what unpleasantness Jacob had planned, she would have to roll with it until she figured a way out of the situation. He couldn’t keep her locked up, and watched, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. At some point, hopefully soon, her guards would slip up and she could escape.
Determination straightened
“You fucking bitch”
Vanessa MaCauley flinched and tensed herself for the blow she knew was sure to come. Her life had become hell ever since her brother Jacob had caught her sneaking back into the house a week ago. She’d missed his party, but that wasn’t the worst of it… Oh no, not the worst of it at all. He’d also caught the scent of a Wolf on her. A male Wolf. A male Wolf who wasn’t Veyr, the Master of the City, and the man he’d decided she was to mate.
That Veyr had a woman already made no difference to Jacob. He was still convinced that he could somehow make their union happen, although neither Vanessa nor Veyr wanted it. She liked Veyr. From what she’d seen of him, he was a decent, upstanding and honorable man.
Jacob’s blow caught her at the side of her lips and pain flared through her face. She sucked a breath in, refusing to let him have the satisfaction of hearing her cry out. That her own brother could treat her like this, beating her and keeping her a prisoner, made her heart ache and bleed.
“You disgust me… After everything father and I have done for you,” he hissed, his hand hard on her arm as he hustled her through the dark passages of the palace. It was before dawn, so he wasn’t taking her to any of the court functions. Wolves partied late into the night and slept through the morning.
“Where are we going?” She asked, using a turn in the corridor to dab at her cut lip without Jacob seeing. If he did, she’d end up with another cut on the other side. Beneath the thin dress he’d had her dressed in, a nightgown rather than a dress, her body was covered with cuts and bruises. Given the accelerated healing her Wolf afforded her, some of her injuries would have killed a human outright. All because she defied him. All because she wanted love, not an arranged marriage.
“None of your fucking business,” he hissed back, his pace so quick she stumbled against him. He shoved her away with a sneer, grip so hard it bruised her arm. “But if you behave, and do as you’re told, I might just be able to rescue something from this mess.”
She kept silent, recognizing the maniacal little gleam in his eye. When Jacob got like this, there was no arguing with him. Even breathing the wrong way would bring another beating down on her. She focused her energy on her surroundings instead. Myriad scents enveloped her… The scent of servants who used these back corridors, the smell of wood polish and other scents, those of the guards who swore fealty to the Master. Her heart leaped as she searched them for one particular scent. One so familiar to her, it had wrapped itself around her heart and refused to let go.
Jace Trenton. The Captain of the Guard and Veyr’s right-hand man.
Her lover.
Her love.
“He’s not down here,” Jacob whispered in her ear, as though he could read her thoughts. “You’ll never be with him again. You’ll play your part like a good little wolf or he’ll bleed his last on the sharp blade of a silver knife. Die alone in the dark somewhere because of you. You want that?”
Fear almost stopped her heart. Although Lycan society was based on honor, Jacob was not an honorable man. She knew without a shadow of a doubt he would carry out his threat. He wouldn’t challenge Jace in a legal fight. No way, no how… the idea was laughable. If Jacob got in the ring with Jace, the bigger wolf would kill him, and her brother knew it. Instead, he would have his bully boys find Jace somewhere quiet and dark, corner him and kill him. Silver knives, or silver bullets would end his life… and it would be her fault.
No, that would not happen. No matter what unpleasantness Jacob had planned, she would have to roll with it until she figured a way out of the situation. He couldn’t keep her locked up, and watched, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. At some point, hopefully soon, her guards would slip up and she could escape.
Determination straightened