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  “She what? When was the last time anyone laid eyes on her?”

  “I’m not sure. Why?” asked Nick, picking up on Dylan’s unspoken concern.

  “Not sure. I’m going down there. Do me a favor, check to make sure Roz, Lacey, and Skylar are all fast asleep in their beds. I’ll check Anna and Darby. Have Josh check the other couples’ house. Have everyone report to me.”

  Nick turned into the house as Dylan strode toward the residence in which Darby and Anna were to have been placed. He let himself in the door and was greeted by Simon, the house leader.

  “Alpha? Is something amiss?”

  “Not sure, Simon. Nick said he wasn’t sure anyone had actually seen Anna since late this afternoon. I want to check to make sure she and Darby are both here. And Darby will be moved up to the main house tomorrow and we’ll bring up the other girls so that they’re all settled in the main house and this one.”

  “Yes, Alpha. Do you want me to check on the girls?”

  “Yes. And make sure you actually see them, not just a shape under the covers.”

  Dylan watched as Simon turned and ran up the stairs. He went down the hall to check on Darby first. His phone squawked and Dylan answered.

  “Alpha, it’s Josh. Gina, Megan, and Summer are here, snug as bugs in a rug.”

  The phone alerted. “Dylan, Nick. Roz, Lacey, and Skylar are all here.”

  Simon came running down the stairs. The look on his face was ashen.

  “One or both of them?” Dylan asked.

  “Both. I don’t know how this could have happened.”

  “Nor do I, but once we have them, we’ll find out and ensure it doesn’t happen again. Let’s get a search party out. Simon, wake the members of your household. Josh? Do the same. I want a man stationed outside each door and one on each side of the residences.”

  Nick asked, “Should I wake their leaders?”

  “No, but do the same up at the main house. Make sure you take Oliver aside and let him know what’s going on. I don’t think the leaders would tell us anything without a lot of physical persuasion and I’m not ready to do that. I don’t think they had time to make a plan once we were after them this afternoon, but my guess is Skylar planned for contingencies.”

  Several of the stronger members of his pack had joined him. Josh spoke up. “Do you think they’d abandon their leader and the others?”

  “No, and that’s the good news. Who’s up for a midnight run? I want them retaken before they ever leave the estate.”

  The men started shifting and heading to the back of the house to try to pick up their trail.

  “Simon?”

  “Yes, Alpha.”

  “Search the house thoroughly.”

  Josh had held back. “A word, Alpha?”

  Knowing it had to be important, Dylan motioned for him to join him a bit away from the others.

  “What is it, Josh?”

  “I’d like to go back to the dormitory and send John up.”

  “Worried what you might do if you catch her in wolf form?”

  Josh looked at Dylan in shock. “You knew?”

  “I suspected. Called to you, has she?” he asked, smiling.

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “Why do you look so forlorn? You’ve found your mate. She seemed quite taken with you as well. She’s lovely… sneaky, but lovely.”

  “I’ve been so happy here with all of you. I don’t want to leave,” Josh said.

  “Why would you leave… oh, wait, you’re thinking because the Council doesn’t want more than one of them in any pack? Fuck the Council. You are a valued member of my pack. If Anna is your mate, she will remain here with you. But first we have to catch them.”

  Josh grinned. “Is it wrong to be kind of proud of her?”

  Dylan leaned into him. “Not at all. I don’t know that I’ve ever been as proud of anyone as I was of Skylar today.”

  “I still think it would be best if John went.”

  Dylan laughed. “No, you shift and run your mate down.”

  “I’m not sure I can stop myself from claiming her.”

  “And I can’t think of a better place to keep her from getting into any more mischief than sleeping next to a member of my pack exhausted from his lovemaking. Go find your mate and stake your claim. We’ll move your things up here tomorrow.”

  “Yes, Alpha.”

  “Josh? I’m afraid I’m going to demand that you punish your mate as soon as we get her back. We’ll also need to know how they did it.”

  “That won’t be a problem. I’ve been talking to Nick for a while. She won’t sit down comfortably for a couple of days.”

  “You’d better shift. She’s a lovely girl. I wouldn’t want one of your buddies deciding to stake a claim and to have to break up a fight.”

  Dylan watched the young wolf shift smoothly into his canine form and bound through the door. He smiled as he heard the young wolf howl, calling to his mate.

  Nick had now joined him. “Young love, ain’t it grand?”

  Dylan laughed. “Says he’s been getting pointers from you.”

  “That he has. I don’t think we’ll need to worry about Anna after tonight. Will there be trouble with the Council?”

  “Oh, they’ll fuss and fume. But I keep and protect what’s mine. I won’t deny a member of our pack his mate. Besides having a talented hacker in the pack might not be a bad thing.”

  Nick laughed. “Not bad at all. The main house is secure. I have a man stationed in front of Lacey’s and Skylar’s doors. Oliver is in with Roz. I have a man under each balcony, two more roaming, and two up on the roof. Let’s hope they make a play to get to their leaders.”

  * * *

  Anna had managed to conceal a smart phone among the things that had been delivered to her this afternoon. With it she had been able to tap into the estate’s security feed. By manipulating the shadowing and lighting on a small segment of captured feed, Anna had been able to make a continuous loop that made it appear the watcher was seeing live footage, when in fact they were seeing playback from hours before. When the time was right, she’d loaded the loop into the security system. Then all she and Darby had to do was wait until there were no guards on their side of the house and slip off the balcony and make a run for it.

  They’d been almost giddy when they had escaped and made the relative security of the forested area. Once the party at the main house had come to an end and the residents of the house seemed to be settling down, Anna and Darby made ready to make their next move.

  Everything seemed to be going according to plan, until a cry went up from the residence in which they’d been placed. Their escape had been discovered.

  “Shit!” whispered Darby. “We’re going to need…” She stopped mid-sentence when they heard Josh’s howl. Darby wasn’t sure what it meant, until she saw Anna shudder. “Are you kidding me?”

  “It’s not my fault, Darby. I’ve done my best to avoid him. It feels like somebody just grabbed my lungs and squeezed. I can barely breathe.”

  “It’s all right, Anna. He’s your mate and he’s calling for you. You need to decide if you want to stay or run. But from the sound of it and the way your body is responding, he won’t stop until he’s found you.”

  “I don’t know what I want. But you need to run and get away from me and from this place. I’ll shift and see if I can’t lead them away from you. Maybe with me as a distraction you can get to Roz or Skylar.”

  “No, Dylan will have already planned for that. I’ll try to get away from here, but let the others know I won’t be far. I’ll come back for you… all of you who want to go.”

  Darby watched as Anna shifted into her wolf form. She had a rare true black coat, one that gave off an almost blue cast in the moonlight. The young male wolf called for her again. Anna shuddered in response but kept herself from returning the call. She looked over her shoulder at Darby, wagged her tail sadly, and sprinted away from her.

  Deciding she could
make better time as a wolf, Darby shifted as well. Her tawny brown coat with silver tips would help her stay well-hidden if she kept to the shadows of the trees.

  * * *

  Josh stopped to scent the wind. The other wolves had picked up the girls’ trail away from the house and were systematically tracking them. Dylan had returned to the main house to be close to his mate to ensure she too didn’t slip off into the night. Josh turned his head slowly, trying to either feel or smell Anna. He let out another mournful howl.

  * * *

  Dylan smiled as he walked up the stairs and heard Josh call to his mate again. If his howl was an indication of his feelings, the young wolf had truly found his life mate. Dylan had returned to the main house. He wanted to be close to his mate for several reasons, one of which was to ensure she didn’t slip through his grasp.

  Opening the door to their room, he saw that she was not asleep in their bed. He looked to the balcony and saw the doors open. He sprinted across the room and then breathed a sigh of relief when she was standing in one of his shirts leaning against the railing.

  She felt his approach. “It’s Anna, isn’t it?” she asked softly.

  “Yes. I take it you too picked up on the link between them?”

  She nodded and turned to face him. “What are you going to do? The Council won’t let her stay here. Will you send him away or make him give her up?”

  Dylan shook his head. “Neither. The Council does not rule my pack. I do. She is Josh’s mate. He will claim her and they will remain here.”

  “But the Council didn’t want…”

  He pulled her into his embrace and captured her mouth with his own. She offered no resistance as he gathered her close and his tongue entered her mouth to taste her once again. She responded in kind, molding her body into his and tasting him as well.

  “Shhh, cariad. No one tells me how to run my pack. Your Anna will be safe here at Calon Gwyllt with Josh.”

  Skylar moaned as she heard the young wolf call again. She could feel Dylan’s knot growing as well as his cock getting harder. She rubbed her groin against his. It had been years since she’d felt an alpha’s knot being pressed against her. She knew there would be pain, but also remembered all too well the exquisite pleasure there was to be had being knotted and tied to one’s mate. She hated to think of Dylan that way, but she had to admit it was true.

  * * *

  Just as Josh was about to give up picking up on her scent by sniffing the breeze, he caught a brief hint of it. He inhaled again in that direction and smiled. He had her. He howled once more and sprinted in her direction.

  There, up ahead, a lone black wolf ran toward the open beach. Josh ran to intercept her. She was fast, but Josh was bigger, stronger, and faster. He easily overtook her, grabbing her by the scruff of the neck and wrestling her down onto the sand.

  He stood over her, straddling her body. He shook her by her scruff again. If she didn’t shift back to human form, he was prepared to claim her in wolf form right here on the beach. She growled and he tightened his grip. He hadn’t wanted to claim her this way, but if she gave him no choice he would. Suddenly he felt her go soft and yielding beneath him. He released her neck but was ready to grab her again if need be. He could hear the other wolves approaching as he saw her revert to human form. His own transformation swiftly followed.

  Josh covered her nudity with his own and uttered a low rumble in warning to the other young males.

  John, with whom he’d been friends for years, chuckled. “Easy. I brought a blanket for your lady and a pair of jeans for you.”

  Josh grabbed the blanket and draped it over Anna. He pulled on the pair of jeans and grinned at his friend. “Thanks, John. Sorry about the growl.”

  “Understandable, you lucky bastard. She’s gorgeous and smart. Dylan won’t make you leave, will he?”

  “No. He said he’ll deal with the Council.” He stood up and helped Anna to her feet. He kissed her lightly. “You’ve been a very busy and very naughty little wolf.”

  “You couldn’t expect us just to give in so easily…” she said.

  He nuzzled her neck and pulled her into his body, cupping her bottom in his hands. “Perhaps not. But you, little wolf, have been claimed. Dylan has given me leave to take you as my mate and I do so now with these witnesses.”

  “What if I tell you I don’t want to be your mate?”

  “Then after I have spanked you for this little stunt, I will wash your mouth out with soap and spank you again for lying. And it would be a lie, wouldn’t it, Anna?”

  He kissed her again and she parted her lips and returned the kiss, moaning as she did so. “You felt it too, didn’t you?” he asked softly.

  She nodded.

  “Not good enough,” he said, nuzzling her neck. “Say it so they can hear you.” He cleared his throat and said more loudly, “I claim you as my mate.”

  She looked up into his deep brown eyes and saw her future stretched out before her. “As I claim you as mine,” she said.

  A cheer went up from the other young wolves.

  Josh turned to John. “Do they have Darby yet?”

  John shook his head.

  “Then you should all shift again. Track Anna’s scent back to where she was with Darby and see if you can’t track her. I need to take Anna up to the main house and deal with her punishment.”

  The three other wolves wished their pack mate well and left.

  “Josh, no. Can’t we go back to the house where Darby and I were?”

  “Afraid not. Dylan is none too pleased. You’ll find the female members of our pack are well treated and cared for, but piss off the alpha and you can bet you’re going to find yourself face down either over your mate’s knee or Nick’s. So instead of my claiming you and taking you to our bed to consummate our joining, I’ll have to see to your punishment first.”

  “Josh, please?”

  “No, Anna. Your behavior is unacceptable and you are going to get a spanking.” He hugged her. “But it’ll be all right, love. After I dry your tears, I’ll see to your pleasure.”

  With his arm wrapped around her shoulder, he started toward the main house. He looked toward the alpha’s balcony and saw Skylar and Dylan standing there. Skylar was facing them and lifted her hand in greeting. Anna saw and returned the greeting.

  * * *

  “Dylan, please don’t punish Anna or Darby. Darby didn’t know about the understanding you and I reached and Anna is young and impulsive.”

  “Then best her mate sees to curbing that impulsivity with his claiming.”

  “He hasn’t claimed her. He can’t. You need to approve and he needs witnesses.”

  “I already gave him my blessing and I suspect some of the others who were out tracking down your two precious pack members were his witnesses. He’s never disciplined a woman, but apparently has been talking to Nick and if Nick feels he’s up to the job, I’ll allow him to punish her in private. Otherwise, she’s going to find herself over Nick’s knee.”

  “Dylan, no. If he’s claimed her then let their first night be sweet and loving.”

  “She chose to make a run for it. Each of you was told that should you choose to do that, you would get a taste of the discipline given to the other girls of Calon Gwyllt when they disobey.” He shook his head. “No, mate. Your girls have run wild for too long. They’re going to start learning right here and now that they will submit to their mates and until they are mated to the ruling members of their pack.”

  “You won’t have him punish her publicly, will you?”

  He shook his head. “It would be rare for me to order a punishment before the pack and then for only the most serious of infractions or if I felt there was no other way to get through to the one being disciplined. I don’t believe that humiliation is effective in building harmony in a pack or in a relationship. She’ll be verbally reprimanded by me and then her mate will see to her spanking.”

  “You’re going to make me witness your reprimand, a
ren’t you?”

  He smiled. “Yes. And the other members of your Bae Diogel pack are being awakened and will bear witness as well.”

  “This is not the way to win us over to the idea that we will be happy in a male-dominated pack structure.”

  “My goal is not to win favor. My goal is to get through to the lot of you that all of you are members of this pack until I place them in other packs. As such you will be expected to obey the rules and when you don’t, you’re going to be disciplined. Frankly, in most packs, she would be publicly punished and by the alpha himself and then turned over to her mate for further discipline. Christ, Skylar, what did you expect—that she could hack our security system, make a run for it, and I’d just say tsk, tsk?”

  “Anna is young and has been with me for more than three years. She was barely of maturity when she realized she didn’t want to be some man’s chattel. She ran and found us. You can’t expect her to just submit without at least trying to regain her freedom.”

  “There is freedom to be found within the pack structure. You know that. You were happy with Micah. Why can’t you latch onto that and let the pain of his death go?”

  Suddenly all the fire went out of her. “I have let it go. That night at the bonfire. I felt your presence. I knew everything was about to change. I heard him say goodbye and I haven’t felt his presence since.”

  He watched as tears rolled down her face. He wiped them away with his thumbs. “I should tell you I’m sorry. And I am sorry for the pain you feel. But I’m not sorry he’s relinquished his hold on you. You are mine and I won’t share you with anyone.”

  She bristled. “So I’m never to think about him or speak his name or…”

  Dylan cut off her tirade with a kiss.

  “Nay. I never said that. I fear no man’s ghost… unless he’s trying to fuck my mate at night when she ought to be sleeping and dreaming of me. And then I don’t fear him, but I would do battle with him in the shadow world if I had to.” He chuckled as he saw the look of shock on her face. “I’d fight the devil himself to keep you as mine.”