Her Billionaire Werewolf Stepbrother (20 page)

“You’re wrong.” I tell him. I would
know.

“I’m not, go buy a kit and let her
pee on the stick.” He crosses his arms across his broad chest. I see myself in
him in that second.

“Did you tell her that?” If he did,
she isn’t excited about it or she would be up here telling me instead of him.

“No, she’s oblivious. She would’ve
said if she knew. Jane can’t keep a secret.” He grins at me.

“You’d be surprised at what Jane
can do.” I counter.

“Doubt it. I’ve known Jane very
well a lot longer than you have. She is her mother in a different package.” I
make a face again. He’s delusional. They are nothing alike. He’s only thinking
this way because he misses Sandy.

“She’s not pregnant, I would know.”
I decide he’s wrong. I’ve been with her a week. I am not that lucky.

“Have a lot of experience with
pregnant she-wolves do you son?” No.

“Fine. I’ll go buy a kit.” He
winks. His way of saying ‘you’ll see.’  He leaves me to my thoughts. She wasn’t
in heat. She would’ve said so because she isn’t ready for pups yet. She would
know if she was in heat, wouldn’t she? Now my mind is moving so fast it’s
blurring.

I grab the keys and make my way
downstairs. Dad is helping her find things that he’s put away. It looks like
she’s already started on pies. I go over and kiss her. Hard. I want him to know
in no uncertain terms that she is my mate. She growls quietly. “I’m going to
the drug store. Do you need anything?” She shakes her head. “I’ll be back
soon.”

“I’m going to tag along Jake.” Dad
says. “I still don’t have a vehicle and I need a few things.”

“Do you need one?” He stays quiet.
“Truck or SUV?” I say more forcefully. He shakes his head. “Dad, I can afford
it, think nothing of it. Just tell me what you need. Call it a Christmas
present if it makes you feel better. Borrow one from my garage for as long as
you like if that makes you feel better but don’t sit here stuck because you
don’t have a vehicle.”

“I can drive Sandy’s if it’s
important.” He says it so quietly that I almost don’t hear over the birds when
I step outside.

“You don’t want to though do you?”
He shakes his head. I understand. Too many memories. I’ll have one delivered
over the weekend. Let Sandy’s car sit until he’s ready. It was the last place
that she was alive. We get in and buckle up. I back out of the driveway and
head down the gravel road toward the drug store.

Dad and I putter around the store
and I finally go to the pharmacy and ask for a pregnancy test, then I ask for a
second. The woman working behind the counter smiles at me and her eyes twinkle.

“You’ll make a fine Daddy.” She
assures me. I pay her then wait for Dad. I read the box. Two pink lines means
pregnant. I know she isn’t but I secretly hope for two lines. Jane won’t be
happy though. I’m torn between my happiness and hers. I know she will want pups
eventually, just not yet. She isn’t ready for that. It’s too much too soon.
Jane needs to ease into things. We drive back in silence.

I sent a text while I waited for
him at the store. Mack is arranging for a vehicle to be delivered on Saturday
morning. Dad is getting a new pickup with an extended cab and a long bed. It
should last him awhile. His last truck was nearly thirty years old. I pull up
in the driveway and park it.

We go inside and I holler for Jane.
No answer. The kitchen is empty and the oven buzzer is chiming. Dad turns it
off and opens the door. The kitchen is filled with the scent of pumpkin pie.
“Jane!” I shout again. Something is wrong. All the hair on my body is standing
at attention and Dad has a similar look about him. I’m scenting the air.
Something is unfamiliar. I sprint upstairs and she’s nowhere. Dad is coming
from the back of the house when I come down. I go out the back door and he goes
out the front. The backyard is empty but I scent that unfamiliar thing again.
It’s wolf and it’s wild but there’s also Janie. I struggle to hold my shift.
Dad is suddenly in front of me with his hands on my shoulders.

“Jake!” He screams in my face and
my gaze snaps up. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say it was Tommy.” He says
quietly. That’s what I scented too. Tommy. Tommy isn’t dead and Tommy has taken
my mate.

The ground is cold under me when I
try to move. My hands and feet bound with rope that is very scratchy, are
asleep. I have pins and needles pricking through them. I can’t get free. Why am
I tied up like this? My eyes don’t want to open. They’re gritty and burn but I
force them open. I’m in a cabin. There is a fireplace with an old-fashioned
cast iron Dutch oven pot hanging over it against one wall. The whole wall is
gray stones that look ancient. This whole structure looks as though it was
built hundreds of years ago. It is dilapidated and I wonder about its
structural integrity.

There is no
furniture except a table that has been put together from some tree limbs and
some old planks. On it sits a duffle bag. I don’t know whose it is, but it
looks fairly new. The windows are dirty but I can see dust floating on the air
in the beam of sunshine coming through. The sun is low in the sky. I squirm
around and see that this place is very small. There are no other room’s just
three log walls. Someone has stuffed newspaper into a hole on one of the walls.

The ceiling is wood as well with
exposed beams. I see a nest up where two of them meet and I listen for a
moment. I think it’s empty. There is no second floor that I can see. Where the
hell am I? I try to sit up but pain lances through my arm because it’s asleep
too. How long have I been here? I fall back down and try to squirm around for a
better angle. The floor is getting me more and more dirty. The earth floor
isn’t packed down as hard as I think it should be inside a cabin.

I think back to the last thing I
remember. I filled the pie shells and put them in the oven. The cranberries
were loaded into the grinder and…then what? I let my eyes slide closed and
think. Dad and Jake went to the store, I made pies…I gasp. I saw Tommy. Tommy
is alive. He popped up at my back window like he used to when we were younger.
I screamed and let him inside the kitchen laughing, and then I hugged him.
Nothing after that. Did Tommy bring me here? The door swings open and I’m
blinded by the intense afternoon sunlight. The silhouette is big and black
until the door swings shut.

“Janie, you’re awake.” He comes
over to me and he’s excited I think. He smiles and pats my shoulder.

“Tommy? Why am I tied up? Why did
you leave me on the floor?” He looks confused, a look he often wears.

“I didn’t want you to leave and
there’s no couch.” He unties the ropes at my ankles then glances up at me. “You
won’t leave will you Janie?” I shake my head no. It’s a lie and he can smell
it, the subterfuge. He ties the rope at my feet again while I try to kick but
he’s too strong. “Tsk, tsk, tsk.” He clucks his tongue. “No lies Janie. You
told me that.”

“I didn’t tie you up either.” I
hiss at him. “Jake is going to rip your throat out Tommy.” I say quietly. “I’m
sorry you have to die after all.”

“Why would Jake hurt me?” He asks
sitting back on his haunches and tipping his head to one side.

“Because you’ve stolen his mate.”
Tommy laughs.

“You’re his sister Janie, you can’t
be his mate. You told me that. You’re lying again. Tsk, tsk, tsk.” I’m going to
rip his throat out myself. Jake will be the least of his problems and that will
be after I rip out his tongue if he makes that damned noise once more. I must
be hungry because I’m actually crankier than even I would expect to be in this
situation.

“Untie me Tommy.” I use the voice
that Jake so often uses when he wants me to comply. He shakes his head after a
second of thought. His brown eyes go full amber.

“I have to go find us some dinner,
then my mate can cook it. I’ll get you a nice fat rabbit.” Tommy grins then strolls
outside and swats the door closed behind him.

 I swallow. His mate? God I hope he
doesn’t mean me even though I know deep down that he does. If he tries to…I
won’t be able to fight him off with my hands untied let alone tied. He is a big
powerful wolf and for what he lacks in mental ability, his size definitely
makes up for it.

Where is Jake? He’s always known
exactly where to find me and he’s always come for me before anything bad
happens. Jake protects so why am I still on this floor. I hear a buzzing then.
A phone vibrating but I don’t see it. It has to be mine. I roll to my front and
struggle to my knees. I can see the phone on the table. How will I ever unlock
it and call him. Even if I could, I don’t know where I am. I only see woods
outside, and field. Tommy streaks across the field, his big grey wolf at full
speed. I’ll never out run him. I’m just not that fast. My heart cries out for
Jake. The phone buzzes again.

I spend the next hour struggling
against the ropes. I’ve chafed my wrists raw and I’ve torn my ankle open. The
door swings open and Tommy comes in with two fat rabbits. “See Janie. I can
provide. I’m a good mate.” I shudder.

“Jake is a good mate Tommy. He
doesn’t tie me up. He treats me like a princess.”

“You’re not a princess Janie.
You’re a warrior. You don’t let anyone pick on me.” He skins the rabbit like
he’s done it a thousand times. He’s very proficient with the knife. I turn my
head when its guts spill out onto the table. Tommy pays it no mind. I don’t
think he’ll clean that up either. “And I told you silly goose, Jake is your
brother. That’s what you told me and you’re always right because you’re smart
Janie. He is your brother.” I shake my head. “Yes he is Janie. We saw him with
all of those girls. If he was your mate he would be with you not them.”

“Can you untie me Tommy? I want to
help with dinner.” I’m not defending or explaining Jake’s actions to Tommy. I
am Jake’s mate whether Tommy can understand that or not.

“You won’t leave?” He cocks his
eyebrow at me and sniffs the air. He shakes his head before I answer.

“Tommy, it hurts. A good mate
wouldn’t hurt me.” His brows crease over his nose. He finally speaks after
considering it for a few minutes.

“A good mate wouldn’t run away.” He
looks at me with a challenge in his eyes. I blow out a breath.

“I haven’t run away.” I argue.

“But you will.” He says softly.
“You are mine Janie. He calls you pudgy. I never called you that. I think
you’re beautiful.” Tommy has both rabbits skinned and ready. He dumps them both
into the pot over the fire. He comes over and squats in front of me looking at
my wrists. “Tsk, tsk, tsk.” It’s more than I can take. My body hurts, I’m cold,
my skin is on fire where the rope touches and I have to pee. Bad. He’s close
enough and I head butt him. Tommy falls backward and laughs.

Shit that hurt. “Jane you can’t
hurt my head, it’s empty.” He gets up grinning then laughs while he looks down
at me. It’s starting to get dark outside and I dread what happens when it does.
At least if I’m tied up he can’t…oh God I think I’ll be sick. Vomit rises in my
mouth.

“Tommy, I have to pee.” He shakes
his head. “I have to Tommy.”

“Nope, I’m not letting you go
Janie. You’ll have to wet your pants.” I deflate and hang my head. I am going
to wet my pants if he doesn’t let me go. The phone buzzes again and I don’t
bother to look at it. There is nothing I can do. I’m helpless. “How do you turn
it off Janie? It’s been doing that since yesterday. You have a good battery.

“Yesterday? How long have I been
here?” The door crashes in then and everything moves in slow motion. Jake’s
wolf is through the door and Tommy shifts into the giant grey wolf. He lunges
at Jake and I panic trying to free myself. A big black panther leaps through
the door next and swats Jake out of the path of Tommy’s fangs. I’m helpless to
aid them and I’m stuck prone on the floor. Jake rolls growling and snarling
past me. He gives me an appraising glance then lunges back into the mass of
rolling black and grey fur. The cat hisses and growls. Tommy growls louder as
they square off. The table gets shoved and hops across the dirt toward me. I
roll out of the way and toward the wall behind me. I can’t protect myself if it
turns over. The cat hisses again and swings a massive clawed paw at Tommy’s
wolf. Jake is trying to get back at him but the cat keeps itself between them.
I realize then that the cat is Mikey.

Tommy lunges again as more wolves
crowd in the door. I don’t know them. There is another panther. This one even
bigger than Mikey, is huge. Mikey’s panther circles Tommy and Tommy circles
her. She lunges again and he backs into the fireplace. He yelps when he steps
on hot coals. Mikey is on him. Her giant paws grabbing both of his big
shoulders and her fangs sinking into his neck. She is still keeping herself
between Jake and Tommy. He whimpers as she tears his throat out in one mouthful
of bloody sinew. I turn my head. I can’t watch.

Dad’s red wolf is next through the
door and the alpha is behind them. There are at least a dozen wolves outside.
Dad comes to me and sniffs. He shifts back into Dad and starts untying me. I
look at Tommy’s limp body. His limp human body lying by the fireplace, it’s a
bloody mess. There’s no coming back from that. I’m glad. I’ve spent years
protecting Tommy from predators beginning with the smaller children the first
day. They knew then what I didn’t, that he didn’t belong. They knew that he
shouldn’t be part of the pack.

I always thought that he had worth
and that with a little patience he could be a valuable member. I was over
thinking it. Jake says that I over think everything. Jake never cared for Tommy
but he tolerated him because I cared. Even he knew. I’m beginning to question
my own instincts.  

I get up and push past Dad when I’m
free, then outside. I explode through the door and push past the wolves. I tear
my clothes off as I shift and run for the woods. I’d love to stick around and
thank everyone but my bladder is going to explode. I squat. Oh thank the
mercifully God. I sniff the air and stop midway. I scent another wolf. I sprint
away from it and go deeper into the woods. I squat again and finish.

“Jane.” I look up at Jake and shift
into myself. I fall into his arms. He lifts me and carries me out of the woods.
He keeps kissing my head as he walks back toward the cabin. It doesn’t feel
brotherly at all now. The Alpha approaches. “She’s fine, had to pee.” Jake
tells him. The Alpha chuckles. “Burn the fucker to the ground.” Jake tells him
and keeps walking. I see the SUV sitting in the field but far from the house.
“If Derek had been with us, this wouldn’t have happened.” He murmurs against my
head and kisses me again. “From now on security is not negotiable.” I don’t
argue. I don’t really have the strength or a valid point right now. I just want
to be away from here and safe in his arms.

I see a few wolves run past us. I
don’t know where we are and I don’t know if they have vehicles. I don’t care. I
just want Jake’s arms around me. His skin feels so good against mine until he
puts me in the passenger seat. He buckles my seat belt and closes the door. When
he gets in the other side, he reaches across and touches my face with the back
of his hand. “Where are we?” I ask. I’m still not sure. “Are they really going
burn the cabin?” I crane my neck around to look back and see it go up in
flames. “We’re going to get in trouble Jake.” He smirks.

“I own it Jane. This land is ours.
It was the first thing I bought.” I think about that.

“Why? You don’t want to live here
anymore.”

“You like it here and it was for
our old age.” I shake my head. “I’m considering a resell right now though.
We’ll speak about it later. It’s not important. I just want you at home. He
starts the truck and takes me home. When we get there, Jake bathes me then
tends to my wounds. I fall asleep while he’s working on my ankles.