8

I came back to consciousness in a squalid bedroom. My wrists and feet were tied to the wooden headboard and footboard of a twin bed with duct tape. There was duct tape over my mouth as well. The sheets smelled pungent, like old sweat. My head was pounding like the worst hangover of my life. I was aching all over, too.

I could hear voices beyond the closed door of the bedroom. Male voices. Lowell and Mingan, I thought. They came for me. They got me.

Tristan's going out for groceries had been literally the first time since we had met that I had been out of his sight. Had the two weres been watching us the whole time, just waiting for him to let his guard down? I glanced nervously around the room: clothes piled on chairs, crap on the floor, clutter everywhere. There was a digital alarm clock on the dresser: 4:58 p.m., it read. If the clock was accurate, they had had me for about four hours. My mind flew immediately to Tristan: he would have come back to the house long ago, to find me gone. He must be worried sick. I willed him to somehow hear my silent plea for help, as though we could communicate telepathically.

I wondered where I was. Surely Lowell and Mingan were too smart to bring me to one of their houses. I wondered if there were other weres here as well. My mind went to Tristan's sister, Randi. I thought of what the pack had done to her. I shivered, and I felt my heart start to race. This was not good.

Suddenly, the door opened, and the darker-haired man I scarcely recognized from that first night appeared. Mingan. I willed myself not to panic and not to show my fear. I knew showing them how afraid I was would lessen my chances of survival.

"Hey," he called out into the hall. "She's awake."

I heard footsteps, and then the other were, the blond one -- Lowell -- appeared in the doorway. A slow, mean smile spread across his face as he walked into the room.

"Well, now, we're up, are we? Thought you was gonna sleep forever." He sat down on the bed, and in a falsely companionable voice, said: "How ya doin'?"

I said nothing. His smile faded and his eyes narrowed.

"You're not gonna give me any attitude, you hear me? You ain't in much of a position to waste my time. I said, how ya doin'?"

I honestly had no idea how I was supposed to answer that, but I realized that not speaking wasn't an option. "Fine," I said, as neutrally as possible. That elicited a howl of laughter from Lowell.

"Are you, now? Fine, she says!" he cackled, looking back at Mingan. "Yeah," he said, turning back to me, "You are fine." His hand reached up to stroke my cheek. "You're mighty fine. I'm lookin' forward to this. I been waiting more than a month for you, you know that? I don't much like waiting. I'm gonna have to make you pay for that a little bit." Before I knew what was happening, Lowell had cracked me across the face with the back of his hand. I tasted blood. A wave of nausea hit me, and I let my head fall back on the bed. I had broken out in a cold sweat. So much for me not showing him my fear.

"It's your choice whether I gotta do that again. Don't piss me off, I won't have to make you pay no more. You got that?"

Fuck you, I thought, but I didn't dare say it out loud. My will to defy him was fast escaping me. My head was pounding even harder now, and I had started to shiver, despite my attempts to control it.

Lowell stood up and continued. "I was gonna have all my pack buddies come over and watch me fuck you, but lookin' at you just layin' there, I think I'll just have a taste a' that right now. They can always watch me fuck you later tonight." He looked back at Mingan, who laughed and leaned against the door jamb. He was clearly supposed to remain as an audience. Lowell unbuckled his belt and let it fall to the floor, then undid the button on his jeans and unzipped his fly. "NO!" I cried, struggling against the duct tape that held me.

"Oh, well, there she is!” Lowell cackled. “There's a little bit a' fight in you left, is there? Well, that's okay, that just makes it more fun for me! He smiled cruelly, his teeth unaccountably white and straight for someone who was so repulsive. He has a wolf smile, I thought crazily, and for a second I thought I had seen his head turn into a wolf head. My head was spinning and I was getting hot all over. Suddenly it occurred to me what was happening. It's the change, I realized. I'm beginning to shift. I looked over at the clock. Five thirty-four. Too much time until dark. Too long before I change. He'll have had me by then. Maybe he'll have killed me by then.

"No, no, no..." I began muttering, shaking my head back and forth in desperation.

"No, no, no!!!" Lowell repeated in a singsong voice, mocking me. "Shut up! Ain't nothin' you can do about it. Your boyfriend ain't here to save you this time,” he spat.

Mingan watched impassively as Lowell knelt on the bed, towering above me. Taking hold of the bottom of my tank top with both hands, he ripped it in half easily, and then pulled the remnant out from under me. I hadn't bothered to put on a bra that morning, and my breasts were now on display for him. Making a noise deep in his throat, he reached out with his left hand to cup my right breast, with his right hand taking out his stiffening shaft and beginning to caress himself. His fingers moved to my nipple and he stroked it a little first before pinching it. I gasped at the pain of his pinch, and he began to moan softly, stroking himself a little faster and thrusting his hips a little. "Look at those big tits," he murmured, half to himself. "Big, soft titties..." Leaning down, he began to lick my nipples as he stroked himself. As much as I fought to keep myself from reacting in any way, my body began to betray me as my nipples got hard and I could feel my panties getting moist. I clenched my teeth, determined not to get aroused, not to make any sound he could mistake for pleasure. My wrists strained against the duct tape.

He straightened back up, still stroking, and used his left hand to pull my shorts and panties down to my knees. His right hand momentarily leaving his bulging cock, he ripped my shorts off in the same way he had rid me of my shirt. Now I lay naked and defenseless before him, my legs spread and anchored to the footboard. He was going to take me, right now, and there was nothing I could do about it. I writhed helplessly, trying desperately free myself. This seemed only to please him. He got onto his knees between my legs and with two fingers reached inside me. "Ooohhh, you are wet, girl! I knew you wanted me." He finger-fucked me violently with one hand while his other went back to his cock. I found myself responding to his touch, as disgusted as I was with myself. I felt my knees spreading apart to welcome his shaft. No! I cried out inside. I couldn’t understand what was happening. As repulsive as I found him, it was as though I was inhabited by two distinct beings, one trying to get away and one succumbing.

I noticed that my aching flu-like symptoms seemed to be receding, and in their place was something else I couldn't quite define. I was hyper-aware of my body; I could feel the air on my skin, almost caressing me sensually. My sex was becoming super-sensitive. I could feel the fullness of my breasts. I could feel the stale fabric of the sheets against my back and legs. Everything seemed intensified, even my vision.

In the distance, I could hear a car door slam. An outside door to the house opened, and a man hollered "Hey, Lowell!"

"Yeah!" Lowell responded, not taking his eyes off me.

The strange man's head appeared in the doorway. Glancing briefly at me with no expression on his face, he then looked at Lowell and Mingan and said "Derek says he wants to see us all over at his place. Now."

"Dammit!" Lowell swore. He let go of his cock, then looked down at me and said, "Now, don't you go anywhere, ya hear?" Cackling at his own joke, he picked up his jeans and put them back on, found his belt, then followed the man and Mingan out of the room. I heard the front door slam behind them.

I waited a couple of minutes to make sure they weren't coming back. I heard the sounds of car doors slamming, a motor starting and then driving away. I tried to cry for help a couple of times, but my voice was weak, and the effort exhausted me. My breath was coming in shallow gasps. Lying back on the bed, I decided I needed to rest for a bit before I could try to do anything else.

I slept.