“Sorry about the clothes, too. We have no women here, and even the smallest of my guys is a behemoth. It’s just a pair of my sweats, a sweater, an undershirt, and some socks that’ll be way too big, but they’re dry.” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “We’ve got a washer and dryer in the hallway. I’ll give you a minute to change out of your clothes, and then I’ll come back and wash and dry your clothes.” Hurriedly, he tacked on, “If you want.You don’t have to change out of your clothes if you don’t want to.” He pointed to the corners of the room. “There are no cameras in here. You’ll just have to take my word for that. Again, I’m not forcing you.”
And that last sentence endeared him to her just a little. Bragga and the Biters were always about forcing. It was all she knew, so seeing Koe—an Alpha—being so unsure and generous right now felt…noble. She didn’t know that Alphas even had it in them to give an enemy options. It never would have happened back home.
Nodding quickly, Jury admitted, “I’d like to change.” She struggled to stand, and when she couldn’t quite make it, Koe stepped forward and shoved the dry clothes into her hands.
“Here.” After handing her the clothes, he turned and walked toward the door. “I’ll wait in the hall for five minutes and then come back for your wet clothes.”
Alone, Jury felt her heart squeeze at the prospect of dry clothes and food. She glanced at the tray and her mouth watered. On the plate in the middle of the tray was a heaping pile of breadedfish beside a mountain of seasoned rice. A can of Coke sat on the tray as well next to a package of Grandma’s chocolate brownie cookies and a small bowl of what she could scent was tartar sauce. Another bowl held a small salad with cherry tomatoes, crackers for croutons, and what looked like ranch dressing. With her stomach growling, she opted for comfort first. Turning her back to the door, she changed as quickly as she could before rolling her own clothes into a wet ball and setting them beside the door. It took the strength of seven suns to ignore the tray of food while she waited for Koe to come back, and when it didn’t happen fast enough, she yelled, “I’m done changing.”
Koe came back in, his gaze gliding quickly up and down her body before shooting to the tray of food. Bending, he picked up her clothes. “You'd better eat. It’s lights out in ten.” He pointed to the folded blankets sitting on top of the pillow. “The blankets are warm and should be good enough, but I’ll kick up the heat in here a little. It’ll be cold tonight.”Moved by his consideration and how generous he was being, Jury nodded, afraid to talk for fear of crying.Clearing his throat, Koe’s voice went stern as his brows speared down. “We’ll talk more tomorrow.”
***
Koe almost made it out of the cell before Jury cried out, “Wait!”
When he turned to frown at her, she asked, “Should I be worried?” She glanced toward the door, then back to Koe. “About your pack, I mean. You said there are no females here.”
He watched as she swallowed hard, her meaning understood. Just the thought of her even worrying about that had his gut clenching hard.
“Absolutely, fucking not,” he bit out tersely. “My pack follows my orders, without question. And they’re all good men, to the last. I don’t even have to warn them away from you. As a courtesy, I will, but know that I don’t need to. We don’t attack women here, and we sure as shit don’t take without permission.” Frown slipping a fraction, he heaved a weary sigh. “You’re safe among my men, Jury, and again, you’ll just have to take my word for that.”
Hurriedly, she asked, “Idohave your word on that?”
Something about her valuing his word had his chest puffing a little as his chin raised, eyes intent on hers. “You have my word.”
“Thank you, Alpha Koe. Not just for that, but for not sending me back to Bragga. Thank you for not sending me to my death or killing me yourself. I have no ill intentions here.” She held out her hands. She looked so damn tiny and vulnerable in his baggy clothes. “I have nothing to offer as proof other than my word as well, and I swear to you, I’m not here to do harm. I’m only trying to escape.”
He stared at her for long minutes. There was no scent of deceit on her, but he knew better than to simply trust that. Bragga was a cunning and deceitful Alpha. Koe was certain Bragga could have found a way to use Jury without her even realizing she was being used as bait. It meant that Koe would have to keep his guard up. He’d double patrols, widen his perimeter, and wait for the other shoe to drop. It always dropped. Until then, Jury would stay with his pack as insurance. And if it turned out she was telling thetruth, then there was no harm in keeping her with him. She had nowhere else to go. And if she was lying, well… He’d cross that bridge when he came to it.
Unsure what else to say, he dipped his chin in a quick nod and offered a lame, “Good night.”Good night? She was a prisoner, locked in a cell. Hurriedly, he exited her cell. In the hall, he inwardly raged,“What in the fuck am I doing?”He snorted derisively at his earlier, “You don’t have to change out of your clothes if you don’t want to. I’m not forcing you.” Of course, she had to, and yeah, he would have forced her. He couldn’t tolerate her down here freezing to death. So, why was he acting like such a little bitch? “Because I’m trying to be a benevolent captor”, he defended himself. Then he threw his hands up and shook his head before muttering low, “Are you even hearing yourself right now?”
They’d had captives beneath the compound dozens of times, but never women. There was no precedent for this. They’d been taught to honor and defend females, so having Jury locked up—especially in her current state—felt wrong in a hundred ways.
Maybe that’s what Bragga’s banking on.
Jaw clenching, Koe stalked down the corridor, stopping at the thermostat on the wall to hike the heat in the cell. He had to force himself to leave the basement rather than go back to check if Jury needed anything else.
Chapter 4
Alone in the cell, Jury stared at the closed door for long minutes after Koe exited. She was trying to figure out whether he was really a good Alpha or faking it to get her to drop her defenses. She didn’t ponder it long; the scent of the food demanded her attention. She tore into the food, barely even registering the taste. She hadn’t eaten in days, opting not to stop or waste time in her mad dash away from Bragga. It had paid off. She’d reached the relative safety of Koe’s border and had prayed to God the entire time she’d raced deeper into Allegiance pack territory. Now, alternating bites of the crispy breaded halibut with tartar sauce and the seasoned rice, her throat burned in a good way when she swigged a large gulp of the cold Coke. It was probably because she was starving, but it was the best meal she’d ever eaten. When she finished the salad and polished off the fudge cookies, she struggled to her feet and used the clean bedding to make the bed. Lifting the thick blue comforter to her nose, she inhaled the scent of powder, fresh fabric softener. It was luxurious. Back at the Biter compound, she, Narae, and the other women were forcedto do all the chores, and while the pack did own a washer and dryer, Bragga didn’t believe in the expense of soap or fabric softener. They used bleach only, which was good, she supposed, since Bragga didn’t like high water bills either. Clothes were washed only once a month, and bedding was washed once or twice a year if they were lucky.
Slipping into the fresh bedding on the soft mattress, with a full belly and dry clothes smelling of Koe’s masculine, smoky scent, Jury felt oddly comfortable. Even after telling her wolf to stay on high alert. It was mere minutes before they were both out.
***
Arms crossed, gaze intent, Koe stared out at his Estate from the second-story window of his manor. The view from the library was one of his favorites. Even with the sky blacked out by inky rain clouds and the torrential downpour currently flooding the grounds, he still thought his land was breathtaking. Behind him, Oliver and Cyrus, two of his Enforcers, were giving him updates.
Cyrus’s voice was deep, matching his thick frame. “Honestly, aside from Jury’s tracks, we’ve found no sign of any Biters having trailed her.”
“Maybe she’s telling the truth,” Oliver ventured. The sandy-haired medic looked more like a cover model than a wolf-shifter.
A grin tweaked Koe’s lips. Oliver, the pack medic, was the pack optimist, while Daemon, Koe’s main Enforcer, was the pack pessimist. It was a good balance.
Koe turned to face Oliver and Cyrus. “Don’t get complacent. Assume the worst.”
Cyrus nodded and turned to get back to patrol, but stalled when Oliver cleared his throat. A typical sign that the medic had something he’d like to add.
“Say it,” Koe bit out.
