A Twisted Anthology: A Twisted Design Book

Forever Home Part 6

When I came to, my hands and legs were bound and I was being cradled in Brendan’s arms. He was running fast. I struggled and he growled at me.

“I’ll drop you if you don’t stop that.”

“Brendan, where are we? I want to go home.” I pled.

“We’re almost home, sweetness. It’s not the cleanest and can use a woman’s touch, but it’s comfortable.” He said as he ran.

I realized that I didn’t have my phone, I wasn’t linked to any pack, and I had no clue where I was or how long he’d been running. I was lost. My sister and brothers wouldn’t even know what happened to me.

After a while, he slowed down. I looked around. We were in a part of the city I didn’t recognize. Rundown houses with overgrown yards sat dark on the dimly lit street. Cars in various states of disrepair were parked out front of houses or in the yards.

Brendan opened a gate to a house with cracked and peeling paint. He went up to the porch and tucked me under his arm while he grabbed a hidden key and unlocked the door. Once inside, he locked the door again and headed through a doorway on the left.

He turned on a lamp and set me on an old, tattered, couch. Brendon crouched in front of me. The look in his eye was a little wild. He caressed my cheek.

“That bruise will be all healed up by morning. I’m sorry, I didn’t have a better way to knock you out. As long as you’re a good girl, I won’t have to hit you again. Can you be a good girl for me, Kaysie?” He asked.

“My family. I need to get back to my family, Brendan.” I sniffled.

“I’m your family! Forget about them. I’m all you need.” Brendan snarled, gripping my chin hard.

“The twins are just little. They need me.” I whimpered.

“If you want pups to take care of, I’ll give you all your heart desires. You have no idea how long I’ve been looking for you, Kaysie. I’m never letting you go. We can wait until you’re seventeen and you’ll know what I already do, or you can just accept that I’m your mate and I’ll mark you now.” He said softly as he stroked over the skin he’d just abused.

“I’m not ready for a mate yet.” I told him.

“I broke into the office and looked at your file. In four months, you’ll turn seventeen and your wolf will tell you what I’m telling you. This isn’t like the last few times. I finally found my true mate. You’ll feel it soon. When you do, I’ll mark you. Until then, we’ll get to know each other.” Brendan smiled.

“The last few times? I thought you were seventeen. How many times have you done this?” I asked.

“I may have lied about my age. You have to understand. All of the girls before you were human. I wanted a wolf mate this time. Someone who would understand. Someone who wasn’t fragile like a human is. I’ve been looking for my mate for five years. Sneaky goddess, making her this much younger than me.” He chuckled. “I have you now, though. I’m never letting you go. I can be so patient. You’ll see.”

Tears flowed down my cheeks. I’d trusted that I was safe. I let my guard down and an obsessed ex-pack had gotten me. I was always so careful on the streets. I didn’t know one could get to me in the orphanage.

“Shush, sweetness. I’ll take care of you. You never have to worry about anything ever again. I’ll mark you when you’re ready and we can start a family. Soon, you won’t even think about your old family anymore. I’ll never leave you, like your parents did. You’re my precious mate.” Brendan said and stood, picking me up and putting me in his lap.

His hand caressed my knee as he nibbled on my neck. I didn’t know what to do. It was obvious that he was violent and had no qualms about hitting me. I felt him grow firm beneath my bottom as his nibbling became more aggressive.

“Damn, sweetness. I can’t get enough of you. You smell good enough to eat.” He purred in my ear.

I shuddered, but he seemed to take it as arousal and ground himself against me. I was all alone with a werewolf who was bigger and stronger than me. There was nothing I could do if he decided to force himself on me. I needed a plan.

Then I remembered one of the stories Dillon told me. Cara had told Caleb that she wanted to remain a virgin until they were married and wouldn’t let him mark her until the wedding. I doubted I was going to get a wedding offer from Brendan.

“Brendan. I want to stay a virgin until I’m marked and have my marked mate. Can you do that? Please?” I asked.

He pulled back and turned my head to look into his eyes. I thought he would be angry, but he looked excited.

“You stayed pure for me. Of course I can do that, sweetness. I’ll give you the best seventeenth birthday ever. I’ll make you breakfast in bed, shower you with gifts, then make love to you after I mark you. My sweet mate. I’m going to cherish you.” Brendan whispered and kissed me softly.

I pulled away. “How many others were there? What happened to them?”

He sighed and stood, picking me up with him and started toward a dark hallway. A few feet down the hall, he turned and opened a door. There was a battered bed with mussed sheets and blankets. The room was pitch dark, aside from the light coming from the hallway.

Brendan flipped a switch, turning on the light, and walked over to the bed. He put me down on it. I tried not to be afraid. Maybe that would make him trust me more.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t stay pure for you, sweetness. If I had realized…. But, I didn’t. Of course you want to know how many women I’ve been with. Five. One every year since I was banished. About fifteen if you count the ones before I was banished.” He replied.

“How old were you when you were banished?” I asked.

“I was twenty. I got the Alpha’s daughter pregnant. Her mate was an omega and she wanted a pup that was worth something. Of course, that wasn’t what she told her father. Her mate was too weak to fight me, so they kicked me out. Don’t worry. I have nothing to do with the pup and his mother now. Your pups are my only pups.” Brendan smiled.

“What happened to the other girls you took? I’m so worried.” I told him.

Though he seemed to take it that I was worried about his feelings about the girls or their feelings for him, the truth was that I was more worried about his answer. I was worried about my fate. I didn’t know what he was fully capable of.

“They’re dead, sweetness. Don’t hate me. They didn’t want me and my wolf lost control. I warned them over and over, Kaysie. They knew better, but they still made me angry. They still tried to run. They still refused me. I know you won’t do that. You’re my mate. My true mate. You would never hurt me.” He murmured as he pushed me down onto the bed.

Brendan wrapped himself around me and cuddled close, sniffing my hair. I shivered and he reached down, pulling the blankets over us. I might never see my family again, and, if I tried to escape or fight back, he would probably kill me.

His lack of remorse over killing those girls gave me a hopeless feeling. He didn’t see it as his fault. He wouldn’t see anything my way. Quietly, I cried until I fell asleep.

-

I woke to Brendan shaking me. He pulled me up to sit against the headboard. Once I was settled, he picked up a bowl from the nightstand.

He scooped up some oatmeal from inside the bowl and held the spoon in front of my mouth. I hated oatmeal, but I couldn’t refuse it. I needed to stay alive and I didn’t want to anger him. Especially when I wasn’t able to defend myself.

After I managed to choke down the contents of the bowl, Brendan picked me up and carried me to the bathroom. He untied me and grabbed me by the hair, forcing me to look into his eyes.

“I’m an adult werewolf. You can’t outrun me. You can’t outfight me. You are weak and need to be protected by me. I’m trusting you, because I know that if I pull those pants off, I’m going to f**k you. My wolf wants you. I want you, but I’m trying to respect your request. If I have to tie you up again, you’ll be tied to my bed and I’ll let my wolf do whatever he wants. He’s not nearly as gentle as I plan on being, so be good. Got it?” Brendan warned.

“Y-yes. I’ll be good, Brendan. I promise.” I whispered.

“That’s my girl. I’ll let you do your business. There’s some soap, a washcloth, and a towel over there on the shelf. I want you to wash the scent of those men off of you. I could still smell them all night. I never want to smell other men on you again.” He growled.

“Yes, Brendan.” I nodded.

He walked out of the bathroom and closed the door. I sat down and started shaking. He was right. I couldn’t escape him.

I was faster than a human, but nowhere near as fast as an adult werewolf. It was part of why teens under seventeen didn’t train with the ones who had their wolves. They were stronger and faster than us.

All I could do was do as he said and hope I had an opening sometime before my seventeenth birthday to escape him. If I could get a phone, I could call Katie. I had her number memorized. That was my goal. Finding out where he was keeping me and getting to a phone.

As I washed myself, I thought about Dillon and Jean-Claude. I hoped they would take my siblings. I wanted my sister and brothers to have a family. Someone who cared.

I wondered what people thought. Me and the new boy disappeared. They probably thought we were mates and ran away together instead of being separated by adoption.

No one would be looking for me. It wouldn’t matter how much I’d fought to keep us together in the past. Everyone would think I was some childish girl who just wanted a mate and was willing to give up everything else.

How long would I have to behave before he would give me an opening? Could I get my family back if I got free? Would anyone still want me after this?