Wanted: Undead or Alive

means power to them. They want power, prestige, big herds of cattle, horses, and sheep. A mate is just the bitch that gives them cubs.”

“That’s sick.” Phineas paced across the small clearing. “Why do the women put up with it?”

“They’re all hoping for the prestige of mating with an Alpha. Only a chosen few can do it. The other women —they’re not any different than the non-Alpha males. They’re all pack members and have to submit to their master.”

“It sounds archaic.”

She shrugged. “It’s how the pack works. There can be only one Alpha, and the others must submit. Or be banished. It’s drummed into us from birth that we must be in a pack. We can’t survive otherwise.”

“You’re brainwashed.”

“Most werewolves are very happy in the Lycan world. Everyone knows the rules and knows their place. There’s a strong sense of community and security.”

“Tell that to the Lost Boys.”

She winced. “Obviously, it didn’t work for them.”

“Or for you. You’re surviving without the pack. I bet you never wanted to submit.”

It was true. Even as a child, she’d never wanted to obey. Her father had deemed it Phil’s fault, that he’d influenced his twin sister with his rebellious Alpha tendencies. But it was more than Phil. It was years of watching her mother suffer and seeing how totally oblivious her father was to the pain he caused.

Deep inside her gut, she’d known it was all wrong. She’d read about love in books, seen it portrayed in movies, and knew it had been twisted into something ugly in the Lycan world. There was no love there. Only manipulation and deceit. Users.

“I was alone with my mother when she died. She regretted that she’d always submitted. She said I should have a choice, that I could choose freedom if I was strong enough.”

Brynley sighed. “She wanted me to be strong, but after she died and Phil left, I became depressed. I felt lonely and weak. So I fell for the first guy to come along.”

“Seth,” Phineas muttered. “Please tell me you didn’t stay with him.”

“No, I broke off the engagement. His family already had a big ranch in Idaho, but he didn’t want to give up the ranches that were promised to him, so he pestered me until I managed to chase him away.” She tilted her head, remembering. “In hindsight, it was actually a good thing. It pulled me out of my slump. His betrayal made me angry, and the struggle to get rid of him gave me a purpose. It made me a stronger person.”

“How did you get rid of him?”

She shrugged. “Male werewolves like to think they’re especially gifted in the sack. It just took a few rumors flying around campus that I’d dumped him because he couldn’t perform. Then of course he had to prove the rumors wrong with as many girls as possible. He got one of them pregnant, the daughter of a local Pack Master, and he was ordered to marry her.”

Brynley smirked. “Over the years, I’ve gotten really good at chasing guys away.”

Phineas gave her a stern look. “It won’t work on me.”

She matched his look. “That remains to be seen.”

He prowled from one end of the clearing to the other. “So what happened then? Did your dad keep picking out suitors for you?”

“I really don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

“Why not? Are we getting to the bad part?”

She made a face at him.

“When did you join the rodeo?”

She crossed her arms. “After I graduated. Dad just sent the suitors there. I kept chasing them off. It was really frustrating.”

“I guess your father was pissed off.”

She swallowed hard and nodded.

“What did he do?”

Brynley turned to rest her brow against the tree. This was the part she didn’t want to talk about. She’d never told anyone. Not her sister. Not even Phil. If only her brother had been there. He would have protected her.

“Brynley.”

Right behind her. She whirled around. “I told you not to do that.”

“I told you I’d never hurt you.” He rested a hand against the trunk and leaned toward her. “I’m not leaving till you tell me.”

“Why are you so pushy?” She shoved him away and paced across the clearing.

Chicken, her inner wolf chided her. Tell him. Are you going to live in fear for the rest of our life? Will you keep on jumping in terror whenever someone comes up behind us?

No, she couldn’t talk about it. It was too painful.

A surge of power swept through her suddenly, taking her by surprise. It was the wolf, pushing at her restraints, urging her to rebel. Where is your anger? We’re a noble wolf! A fierce hunter! And they turned us into prey.

A shudder skittered through her body as if the wolf was shaking her. Tell him! Let the world know what your father did to us!

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Trust the wolf. The wolf knows best. It was right. Why was she hiding the truth?

She clenched her fists. This wasn’t going to be easy. This was five years of nightmares.

“Brynley?” Phineas asked softly. “Are you all right?”

She squared her shoulders. “My father requested I come home for the Hunt. All the local Pack Masters hold hunts the first night of the full moon, but my father’s hunt is the most prestigious in three states. It’s invitation only, so it’s a big honor to attend.”

Her skin chilled and she crossed her arms. “It started off like every other monthly hunt. We all shifted and took off into the woods. I caught the scent of a pair of elk and gave chase. I heard wolves behind me. They’d caught the scent, too. That was normal. Wolves usually kill in groups. I didn’t think anything of it. Until I realized . . .”

Tears gathered in her eyes, and bile rose in her throat. She swallowed hard and pressed the back of her hand against her mouth. “They were hunting me!”

“What?” Phineas stepped toward her. “Why?”

“I didn’t know. I was so afraid, and I couldn’t understand why I was the prey. I ran and ran. I tried going upstream, swimming in icy cold lakes, anything to lose them. But they kept coming. And then they . . .”

She strode to a tree and rested a trembling hand on it. “They were young males. They surrounded me. Tightened the circle. Snarling and snapping. And then he attacked.”

“From behind,” Phineas whispered.

She nodded, and tears ran down her cheeks. “He bit me in the neck and used his weight to hold me down and . . . take me.”

There was a tense pause.

When Phineas finally spoke, his voice sounded choked. “He raped you.”

“No.” She shook her head. “A male wolf always takes his mate that way. It’s an animal thing.”

“Bullshit. Did you want him to? Did you invite him?” Phineas’s voice grew louder, and when she didn’t reply, he slammed a fist into the tree.

She jumped back, looking at him for the first time.

“It was rape!” He crashed another fist into the tree.

She stepped back, shocked by the rage on his face.

“Did you turn the bastard in?” he demanded.

“I—I tried to. I ran back to the house and stormed into my father’s office. I told him what they’d done, and he just looked at me and said I’d defied him for too long, refusing all the men he’d chosen for me. I needed to learn how to submit.”

Phineas’s eyes grew wide. “He—?”

She nodded as more tears rolled down her face. “He arranged it. He’d chosen a new mate for me, and he’d