A Wolf's Pride (5 page)

She moved to
sit back on the bed, her eyes trained on him once more.
“Ryan…”

He cut her
off. “Don’t worry, I have a plan.” He reached into his pocket and
pulled out his phone and instantly called his brother. Sebastian
answered the phone quickly and Ryan immediately got down to the
crux of the matter. “Sebastian, do you remember a while ago when I
helped you with Erica, I said you’d owe me a favour? I’m calling to
collect.”

“
What is
it?”

“
This a no
questions asked favour remember and I have two of them.”

“
Right, no
questions.”

“
There’s a
woman in San Francisco called Chloe…Chloe…” He looked at her
expectantly but she remained silent. In the face of her defiance he
moved into the living room and brought her bag back to the bedroom.
Searching inside its depths, he found her purse and a driver’s
license with all the necessary details to complete his plan. “Her
name is Chloe Evans. Have you got that?”

“
Yes.”

“
Find her
address and her place of work. I want you to pay up the rent on her
apartment and tell the landlord that she has moved on to bigger and
better pastures. I want you to move all the things in the apartment
back to the clan and finally I want you to hand in a letter of
resignation for her work. Don’t worry about her family, I’ll tell
you all about them later ok?”

“
Yes, I
understand.”

“
I want it done
as soon as possible Sebastian.”

“
I’ll get right
on it.”

“
You can’t do
that,” Chloe spluttered. “No one will believe that. They don’t even
know you, how can you expect anyone to just believe what you’re
planning to do? They won’t, I know they won’t. They’ll come looking
for me.”

Ryan smiled
at her, confident in his plan. “I’ll do whatever I have to to keep
you with me Chloe, it’s best you understand that right now. And I
have the power to get people to do whatever I want them to.
Sebastian, I’m leaving her driver’s license on the table in her
living room, have someone forge her signature as and when
necessary.”

“
Right.”

“
It’ll take me
a little longer to get home than it normally would I have to drive
back,” he remarked casually.

“
I
understand.”

Chloe stood
from the bed, rushed to his side and pulled the phone from his
grip. “This is aiding and abetting a crime. You can’t do this,” she
screamed at Ryan’s unknown assistant.

The man’s
voice was calm, tranquil as he spoke. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t
do to help my brother, just as there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for
me as he has proved time and time again. Judging from the
instructions I’ve been given I’m going to assume that you’re Chloe,
his mate.”

“
I’m not his
anything!”

“
Don’t worry my
little sister in law, we’ll take good care of you when you get
here. Would you mind giving the phone back to Ryan
please?”

Ryan’s
brother’s tone had been calm, polite even as he had told her that
he was willingly participating in a crime and it only served to
anger her further. “Aargh!” she screamed thrusting the phone back
in his direction. “You’re all crazy. I’m not going to just go along
with this.”

“
You don’t have
to do anything love, all you need to do is let me take care of you.
Thanks for doing this for me Sebastian.”

“
After all you
did helping me claim Erica, it’s the least I can do.”

Ryan ended
the call and turned his attention back to his angry mate. “I’m
doing this for both of us Chloe, we’ll be happy
together.”

“
You don’t even
know me.”

“
The instinct
is never wrong,” he answered simply. “Get dressed Chloe, it’s cold
outside, I don’t want you getting sick. You’re a gift that has been
given to me and I intend to make sure you’re well looked
after.”

“
No,” her tone
was stubborn and Ryan scowled in disapproval.

“
Chloe, I told
you to get dressed.”

“
I have no
reason to listen to you!” she screamed.
Someone has got to hear me, please anybody help
me.

“
I’m your mate,
there is no better reason.”

“
I don’t know
what the hell you’re talking about! I’m not your mate whatever that
is, please just leave.”

“
Never,” the
intensity of that single word frightened her and her heart began to
race as she looked into his once again amber eyes. He moved towards
her and she instinctively took a step back, self preservation
instincts coming to life. She wasn’t sure what exactly she was
trying to preserve herself against, he hadn’t once been violent
towards her even though she had given him reason several times but
he was definitely a threat to her in some way. “Will you get
dressed Chloe?”

“
No,” she
whispered.

A smile crept
onto his face. “Fine.” He reached for a simple thin strapped dress
that was lying on top of the haphazard pile of clothes in her
suitcase. He moved so fast that she couldn’t keep track of him. One
second she was wearing her chemise and the next she was naked. She
gasped, struggling to hide her nudity with her hands. His amber
eyes seemed to glow but he didn’t move again.

Beautiful,
his mind whispered,
struggling to suppress the surge of animalistic lust that
threatened to overwhelm him and have him pin her to the bed and
claim her as his own.

She’s ours,
what does it matter if we claim her now or later?

We can’t do
that, she wouldn’t be willing to accept us. We can’t force her and
besides, you know it’s impossible for us to do that. She’s human,
the instinct wouldn’t allow it. There are certain things that need
to be done properly and this is one of them.

The wolf
grumbled but said no more on the subject.

“
Raise your
arms Chloe.”

“
When did you
undress me?” she demanded, her voice trembling.

“
Raise your
arms Chloe,” he repeated calmly.

She continued
to ask him questions rather than acquiesce to his demand and he
moved once again, raising her arms from her chest and lifting them
into the air. Her weak struggles barely registered as he pulled the
dress over her head and slipped her arms through the straps.
Remembering the cool air that had kissed his skin as he had walked
to her school, Ryan began to rummage through her suitcase in search
of a jumper. Quickly finding one he repeated the procedure. Her
legs were blissfully exposed and though he enjoyed the sight of
them he was worried that it would become too cold for her.
She’ll be fine, we’ll be in the car most of the
way and I’ll make sure it’s warm enough in there.

Satisfied
that his mate would be sufficiently warm, he snapped the suitcase
closed. “Chloe, I think I should warn you, I won’t tolerate any one
who tries to separate us. I’ll do nothing to hurt you, but if
anyone tries to take you from me, I guarantee neither their safety
nor continued survival. Please keep that in mind if you think of
trying to attract attention to us.” Shackling her wrist with his
hand, he pulled her from the room, ignoring her attempts to dig her
heels in to prevent him moving. “Chloe,” he growled in warning. She
didn’t stop trying to prevent them leaving. Wrapping his arms
around her waist, he lifted her slightly from the ground and led
her from her house. “Don’t worry love, I’ll take care of you,” he
whispered in her ear and her body shivered in response as his warm
breath feathered across her skin.

Chapter
Five

I’ve been
kidnapped. I’ve been kidnapped. Oh my god, I’ve fucking been
kidnapped.
The thought ran round and round
in Chloe’s mind but who could blame her. It was true. She was
sitting in a car with the stranger who had forcibly abducted her
from her home and was driving to an unknown location that would
likely be her final resting place. When she had first been guided
into the car, and he had guided her; he hadn’t simply thrown her in
the car as she had expected; she had contemplated throwing herself
from the moving vehicle and taking her chances. The speed that they
were driving at however made her immediately dismiss such a plan;
she would die if she were to go through with it. Her kidnapper
seemed fixated on her, constantly looking at her as though she
could disappear at a moments notice. He went out of his way to
touch her, stroking the back of her neck, running his fingers
through her hair. If they weren’t in their current situation she
would have found his touch pleasurable but as it stood she had
spent the entire journey cursing her traitorous body for enjoying
his touch. Her eyelids were drooping with exhaustion, she hadn’t
managed to get much sleep with Ryan’s intrusion, but she was
determined not to put herself in a vulnerable situation.

“
You’re tired,”
Ryan commented, his eyes still trained on the long and empty
stretch of road ahead of them. They’d been driving for a while and
though he knew if he were alone he’d have been much closer to his
home, he couldn’t find it in himself to resent her for that fact.
His mate was perfect just as she was, if she were a wolf she
wouldn’t be who she was.
Besides,
he reasoned.
This just
means I get more one-on-one time alone with her. When we get back
to the estate, there will be so many people trying to get her
attention. I can use this time to make her comfortable around
me.

“
I’m fine,”
Chloe lied, determined not to show Ryan any weaknesses.

“
What did I
tell you about lying to me Chloe? I don’t like it, so don’t do it
anymore. Go to sleep, I’ll drive and before you know it we’ll be
home.”

“
Excuse me for
not trusting you,” she snorted. “If I go to sleep near you, I might
never wake up. You could come to your senses and realise what a bad
idea this kidnapping is and do away with me right here. It’s not
like anyone could see us.”

“
Chloe, I’m not
going to hurt you. You’re my mate. I want you to be happy, with
me.”

“
You could have
fooled me with the way you dragged me from my house.”

A frown came
over his features and he pulled the car to the side of the road,
bringing it to an abrupt halt. Her eyes widened in shock and fear
as he moved closer to her. She moved away from him, plastering her
back against the car door as she tried to increase the distance
between them. “What are you doing?” she squeaked, her voice
shaking.

“
Don’t be
afraid, I just want to check something.” He reached for her arms,
rolling the long sleeves of her jumper up her arms before bringing
the bared skin close to his face. He sighed in relief when he saw
that her skin was unmarred. “I’m sorry if I was a bit rough when we
left, I’ll try to be more gentle.” He released her arms and began
to drive again.

Pulling her
sleeves down her arms, Chloe regarded the stranger with curious
eyes. “What was all that about?”

“
I’m a lot
stronger than you are, I thought I might have unintentionally hurt
you. You’re my mate, but you’re also human and that means you’re
very fragile. I haven’t claimed you yet and that means the
possibility still exists that you might die. I have to make sure
that doesn’t happen.”

“
You’re human
too,” she reminded him, increasingly tired with his belief that he
was a creature from myth.

He turned to
her, his eyes that eerie solid amber that reminded her so much of
an animal. “No love, I’m not. I’d show you just how different I am
but I don’t want to scare you. Once we’re back in the clans and
there’s no possibility of you running and escaping me, then I’ll
let you see the other me. Now please, go to sleep. I want to be a
good mate to you and that means taking care of you is my top
priority.”

She grunted a
reply and turned away from him to look out of the window,
determined to oppose his command and stay awake. As the scenery
flew past and the skyline of the city receded from view, she became
increasingly resigned to her fate. No one had stopped them when
they had driven away from her apartment or when they had made their
way out of the city. She didn’t know exactly where she was going
but from what Ryan and his brother had said if they arrived, she
would find no one sympathetic to her plight.
I suppose it could be worse,
she
decided.
He hasn’t done anything to hurt
me yet even though I gave him motive. He could have tied me up and
thrown me in the trunk. As long as my legs are free, there’s always
the possibility of escape.
The thoughts
slid through her mind as her eyes slid shut and she succumbed to
the lure of sleep.

As he heard
Chloe’s breath level out, signalling she had fallen asleep, Ryan
breathed a sigh of relief. The fear his mate felt towards him had
him on edge. He’d done nothing to harm her; he couldn’t understand
why she was so scared of him. Pulling the car to a halt again, he
shrugged out of his jacket and draped it over her chest, trying his
best to keep her warm. She shifted slightly and he thought for a
second she might wake up, instead she gripped the coat tightly,
breathing in his scent as she wrapped it tightly around her.
Unconsciously his presence seemed to reassure her, it was only when
she was awake that things became difficult.