North's wolf
Thank you @WonderNotLost for catching my mistake. I had a portion of this chapter written before I had chapter 12 completed. I did go back and change the part in chapter 12 where Sean checks her for a chip.
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Owen and Axel talked quietly to their packs. Everyone dispersed leaving me with just Axel and Owen. I couldn't help but laugh a little when I saw that Kota was the first one out the door. He fled like a little bunny rabbit. My amusement left me when I saw that the two Alphas were watching me.
"You're going to have to do something about him," Axel said.
Owen's sharp eyes narrowed on the other Alpha. "Mr. Toma, you don't know the half of it."
"Don't I?" He raised a brow. "North came by and filled me in. He told me that Kota shoved her and told her to stay away from your pack."
My eyes widened. Oh. So, he didn't tell them everything. If North wanted to kill him for pushing me; then how would he react when he found out that Kota threatened to end me if I didn't stay away. Even more worrisome, how was Owen going to react?
"Sang?" Owen was watching me. "Did something else happen with Mr. Lee?"
Uh, I plead the fifth? I shook my head. Oh, that wall looks interesting. Don't pay any attention to me. I'm just going to go crawl into a hole.
Owen unbuttoned his suit jacket and took a seat next to me. He pulled my hand from my lip and held it. I wanted to glare at the offending appendage. How dare my nervous habit give me away.
"Sang, I need you to tell me everything. Please." His voice was quiet and soft. It wasn't fair at all.
I looked at Axel. He brought his hand to his mouth to cover his smirk a second too late. I saw it. What a traitor. He was supposed to be on my side.
I focused back on the wall. "He came to my house demanding to know if my 'father' told me to get close to your pack. I had no idea what he was talking about. He told me to stay away from you and the others, then he shoved me away from him."
Owen gently gripped my chin, turning my head until I was looking at him. "Everything Sang."
I swallowed hard. "He said that you never wanted to see me again. And that if he ever saw me around you, he would end me. I assumed that meant he'd kill me."
"But you weren't scared of him? You're still around us." I could tell by the way he clenched his jaw that it was taking some effort for him to remain calm.
I shook my head. "No, I was scared of him. I didn't have much choice though. North and Luke wouldn't have let me stay away." I pulled my chin away from him. "After being in that lab, dying by Kota's hand seems like a more pleasant way to go."
Both Alphas growled. "You aren't going to die."
I put my hands up in surrender. "I'm sorry."
"Sang, there's something else that we need to do." Axel moved closer to us, his eyes moving between Owen and me. "We need to see if they put a tracking chip in you."
Owen pulled a small device from his pocket. "Is that okay?"
"Yes." I hadn't even thought about a tracking device. They would already know where we are if I had one in me.
Axel saw the concern on my face. "You're safe here. Corey created a program that scrambles any GPS data on our land. You were safe before you saw Corey and Raven."
"We should do this in Mr. Toma's room," Owen said. I frowned at him. "You have to undress down to your underwear, Sang."
Oh. Oh. My heart thudded in my chest. My cheeks heated as I shuffled towards Axel's bedroom. Both men followed me in. My fingers played with the hem of my shirt.
"I can step out if you're more comfortable with Mr. Toma." My eyes almost bugged out of my head.
"I'm not uncomfortable around you Owen. I- It's just that I've never undressed in front of anyone before."
"We can turn around if that'll help." Axel offered.
I nodded. They turned their backs, and I removed the shorts and t-shirt folding them as I went. My cheeks heated again when I realized that I'd been wearing the same bra and underwear for a few days. Perhaps Owen would be able to bring me some clean clothes.
Their superior hearing had them turning around as soon as I had placed the folded clothes on the bed. Axel's eyes started at my feet and moved up my body until he reached my face. Owen kept his eyes on my face. It was nice to see who the gentleman was.
Owen stepped behind me, pulling my hair into his hand to hold it out of the way. He ran the device over my neck and down my spine, with his warm skin brushing mine as he went. So much for being a gentleman. I wiggled a little as a chill went through me. Axel reached a hand out brushing my arm where the hairs had raised.
Owen finished with his portion of the scan and handed it off to Axel. His fingers brushed through my hair making my scalp tingle. Axel started with my throat and slowly scanned downwards. The device made a loud beeping sound when he got to my hip. His finger smoothed over my right hip before he continued to scan the rest of me, including my head.
When they were done, Axel tossed the device on the bed. I was very much aware that I was half-naked between two Alphas. My knees shook. Owen pressed in closer to my back. His warm breath brushed against my neck.
"There's a conversation that we need to have, Sang." I felt the rumble in his chest against my back. "Sean brought it up earlier."
"About you letting Axel have me?" I asked. That part of the conversation confused me.
Owen growled, "I am not letting him have you. My wolf had searched for you for weeks. When he found you, he bit you. He sees you as the only person that he wants to be with. As a mate. Usually, our wolves know their mates through scent, but you don't have one. My wolf knew though."
"So, your wolves control that part of you? What happens if the man doesn't agree?" I asked quietly.
"That's never been a problem," Axel stated.
Owen pressed his lips to the mark that he left on my shoulder. "Perhaps I wasn't clear. Yes, my wolf wants you, but so do I."
"You don't hate me then?" My voice trembled a little.
Owen spun me around as his hands cupped my face. "Never. Why would you think that I do?"
"Because Marshall is a Hunter. I thought that maybe you'd hate me as Kota does."
"Sang, no. I could never hate you. Kota has some things in his past that he has to deal with. And he will explain himself." I rested my head on his chest in relief. If Owen had said that he hated me, I wasn't sure how I would have reacted.
Now that, that was cleared up, my mind refocused. "Is your wolf upset with me?"
Owen was quiet for a moment, "if you're asking because you bit Axel, then no he's not upset with you. He's just a tad territorial."
Axel put his hands on my hips. "And jealous. My wolf is a tad jealous of Owen's bond with you. It'll take some time, but we'll adjust."
"What happens if I bite someone else?" I asked, hesitantly.
Both men stiffened. "Do you feel like biting someone else?"
I nibbled on my lip, "Not at the moment. I feel drawn to North and Sean. Luke too."
"No one in my pack?" Axel asked, his voice tight.
I tipped my head back so that he could see me roll my eyes. He responded with a light smack on my butt. "I don't know any of the guys that well, but I feel connected to them. They feel like they're mine."
Owen ran his fingers down my neck drawing my attention back to him, "that's because you bit Mr. Toma. He's the Alpha, so you feel connected to his pack through him. You may develop deeper connections with them individually when you get to know them better."
"The same goes Owen's pack." I stiffened. Half of his pack didn't even like me because of Kota. "You may not realize it right now, because there is a lot of tension, but I was watching those boys. Silas didn't take his eyes off of you. Gabriel was also watching you, even if he felt guilty doing it."
"That will come later." Owen stepped back from me. "For now, we need to worry about removing the tracker and the Academy."
"You can also be assured that you won't be going back to school," Axel said.
My heart sank a little. I always liked going to school. It was my safe place away from home. No one ever noticed me. At least not until we moved here. Axel chuckled at my expression.
"Don't worry. You'll always be with one of the guys. You'll be our little shadow."
I didn't mind getting to spend so much time with them. Owen's brow dipped briefly before it smoothed out. "We also need to talk about the masked man. I don't like that he's following you around."
I paused. When I first saw the man in the mask, I had been worried about him. Now? After he'd rescued me? I couldn't see him as anything other than an ally. "Do you think that he's going to hurt me?"
Owen stared at me for a moment. "I don't pretend to know anyone's intentions, Sang. Too much about him is unknown though. He knew the location of the Hunters and he was able to get inside while working with the son of a notorious Hunter. It's all very suspicious."
"Jay helped me though."
"But why did he help you? You'd never spoken to him before. Why did he decide to suddenly help you? Why would he go against his father?" Owen questioned. "There's so much that we don't know, and I think that it is time that we get answers. Tomorrow, you'll go to the Academy hospital with Sean. They'll run some tests, and we'll have some answers."
Movement within the apartment drew our attention away from the conversation. I didn't like how we ended it though. It felt like I had no say in what was happening with me. I'd talk to Axel about it later. I quickly redressed and followed them out of the bedroom.
Standing in the living room, looking angry were both Nathan and Kota. Kota glared at the floor. I don't think I'd ever seen him smile. Nathan scowled at his friend before approaching me. He stopped in front of me and took a deep breath.
"Sang, I want you to know that I had no part in what Kota did." His deep voice rumbled. "He has his reasons for keeping his distance from you, but he had no right to put his hands on you. No man does."
Kota stared me down, "I'm sorry that I pushed you, Sang."
"Can I speak to Kota alone?" I turned to Owen and Axel. "Please?"
Owen pressed his lips together but nodded. Axel locked eyes with Kota before following Nathan and Owen out. I wasn't sure that I wanted to talk to Kota, but I knew that I needed to. And I was a little concerned that he would kill me since we were alone. We were going to have this conversation eventually and there's no time like the present.
"Did you mean that apology?"
He stared at me for a few silent moments. "I don't trust you."
So, that was a big no. "I'm aware of that. However, I haven't done anything to warrant your mistrust."
"What you are, deserves all of our mistrust," he glared at me.
Shaking my head said, "What I am? What exactly am I, Kota?" A sharp laugh escaped me. "You don't know that answer and neither do I. Stop projecting whatever issues you have with Hunters onto me. Up until Owen bit me, I was innocent in all of this."
Kota dropped his eyes to the floor. I was on a roll. I had things to say, and I was going to say all of it. "I don't care about your reasons for not trusting me. I don't even care if you're mistrust is founded. None of that gives you the right to come into my home and put your hands on me. You're no better than these Hunters." His eyes widened. Kota looked as if I had slapped him.
"You threatened to kill me!" I cried out.
The snarl that ripped through the room alerted me to North's presence. I glanced over just in time to see North shift into his black wolf. Kota braced himself for North's attack. Despite how Kota and I felt about each other, I wasn't going to let North kill him. I moved, crossing the room and shoving Kota out of North's path. I wasn't quick enough to get out of the way myself. North's claws raked over my skin. The burning sensation across my back caused me to gasp.
Hot hands gripped me. North hovered over me, his horror and guilt were obvious. His dark eyes were focused on me. The burn disappeared as I began healing. North cupped the back of my neck, burying his nose in my hair. My jaw ached as my teeth lengthened. I buried my teeth in his naked chest and the pressure in my jaw went away. North had stiffened above me as a low sound escaped his throat.
I pulled away, licking his blood from my teeth. His dark eyes were heated. North pulled me to my feet and used me to hide his naked body. Kota watched us with a frown. I wasn't sure if he saw me bite North. Then I looked behind him and saw a Kota-sized dent in the wall. Whoops.
Owen and Axel stormed back into the room. They didn't seem surprised to see North naked or me in his lap. Axel rolled his eyes at North's smirk. Owen stopped in front of Kota.
"You're lucky she pushed you out of the way. North would have killed you, and I would not have stopped him." Owen growled. "The only thing stopping him right now is her."
"You would have allowed him to try to kill me?" Kota sounded surprised and hurt.
"Try?" North muttered, quietly. He sounded like he took that as an insult.
Owen looked like he wanted to shake the Beta. "Just because you don't see what she is to us; doesn't mean that the rest of us are blind."
Axel moved behind me to see my back. North shuffled me over and Axel sighed heavily. The deep growl, that obviously came from Owen, was the only warning I had before strong arms wrapped around me and pulled me away from the smug-looking North. I turned my head to see Owen's golden eyes.
"Quit biting wolves." His lips were pressed against my ear.
The growl reverberated in his chest. All Owen ever seemed to do is growl. I turned my attention back to Kota whose cheeks were tinted red. My heart sank a little. I felt bad for him. I'd never seen someone look so lost or heartbroken.
"Are you okay?" I asked, softly. "I didn't mean to push you into the wall."
My cheeks were heated. I was embarrassed by my outburst earlier. I had only wanted to tell him that what he did wasn't okay. I hadn't meant to completely unload on him. I also made a note to talk to Axel and Owen about private conversations.
"I'm fine, Sang." He wouldn't look at me. "Thank you."
Sean strode into the apartment with a bag over his shoulder and a smile teasing his lips. "Oh good. No one is dead."
I think everyone rolled their eyes. North growled a quiet, "Yet."
Sean ignored everyone else as he pulled me from Owen. "I heard that you have a chip in your hip, sweetheart. Let's see if we can't get that out."
North snatched me away from Sean. He had a pair of drawstring shorts on. "Mine."
I twisted around, "I bit you. Doesn't that make you mine?"
He pressed his lips to the base of my neck, biting down gently with his blunt teeth. "Do you want to be mine, Sang Baby?"
I shudder ran down my spine. Owen glowered at North as he wrapped his arm around my waist. He planted his hand on North's shoulder and shoved. My protector fell backward and hit the floor with a loud thud. I couldn't stop the giggle that escaped my lips. I felt like we were playing an odd game of hot potato.
"Can I have my patient back, please?" Sean pressed his lips together as he fought a smile.
Owen set me on the floor. I went up on pointe and kissed him on his cheek before following Sean into the kitchen area. He was completely in doctor mode. He dragged my borrowed shorts down a few inches feeling around my hip with his fingertips. When he found the spot that he was looking for, he cleaned the area with an alcohol pad. He pulled a scalpel from his bag and also wiped that down with an alcohol pad. I broke out into a cold sweat. He lowered the scalpel towards my skin, and I shifted my hips away. Sean froze. He tilted his head to look up at me with his lips parted. My stomach fluttered.
"Sang, we need to get this out of you. I'm a doctor. I can do this quickly, but I need you to stay still." His voice was soothing.
"Need a hand?" Axel asked.
I turned to look at him. He was the only one left in the room. Hopefully, Owen took the other two elsewhere to talk, not kill each other. Axel lifted me onto the table and gently leaned me back until my head was resting on the hardwood. He grabbed both my wrists in one big hand and gently pinned them above my head.
Sean's eyes darkened as he watched me. His eyes never left me as he spoke to Axel. "Can we trade places? Your spot looks like more fun."
Axel chuckled. "Get it done quickly, Sean."
He gave me one last long look before he pressed the scalpel to my skin. Warm lips pressing to mine made it difficult to focus on what Sean was doing. Axel bit down on my bottom lip. The sharp pain forced a soft moan from my throat, followed by someone else groaning. I looked past Axel to see Marc leaning against the wall.
He held his hands up, "don't mind me. I'm just enjoying the show."
Axel pressed another kiss to my lips before releasing my hands. Sean was wiping at the blood that had gotten on my skin. He put a band-aid over the cut then leaned over me. His eyes were on my mouth.
"My turn," he said quietly. His mouth crashed into mine. Sean nibbled on the same spot that Axel had bitten before kissing me hard.
Marc wolf-whistled, "what a grand finale. I'm pretty sure I saw fireworks."
Sean rolled his eyes. "I have to go give this chip to Corey. I'll see you tomorrow when you go to meet the Elders."
Axel followed Sean out as Marc threw his arm around my shoulder. "Alright, Sang, let's see how you are at video games."