Raze didn’t have a clue as to what could be worse than being tortured, starved, and beaten for a month, which is what any other lycan had gotten that had tried to leave the pack. To make matters worse, the collar would not be removed for the entire punishment, therefore making it impossible to shift. A lycan could only heal injuries sustained in human form by changing into wolf form. Mathew had been the last to try to escape. He’d been worked over so badly he’d nearly died, and had become a recluse who barely spoke a word since.
“Let me go now, Damon, and I swear I will never set foot back here again. So help me God, if you don’t, I will kill you.” Raze clenched his jaw, and itched to wrench the bastard’s head from his body.
Damon snarled. “Do not threaten me. You will do as I say. I am the alpha male.”
“It’s not a threat. It’s a promise.” Raze snarled back, and was pretty sure that, one day, he would carry his threat to kill Damon out because Damon had no intention of releasing him.
* * * *
3
Lycan It
S. K. Yule
Janine hummed softly as she slid a tray of cupcakes into the oven. Her love for cooking and baking had started years ago as a teenager. It had been her own personal therapy when the world around her had become too stressful. Now, that simple action that had brought her so much peace during those trying high school years had become her passion.
Five years ago, she’d started a small cupcake business out of her home quite by accident. After years of baking more cupcakes than she could ever eat on her own, or should eat on her own, she’d started taking all her overflow to the local businesses, friends, neighbors and co-workers at the office where she’d once worked at. The smiles she’d brought to so many faces gave her much contentment. One day, a simple statement from her sister set her on the idea of baking for a living.
Sherry had always been her number one cupcake fan even if Janine had been a little envious of how her younger sister could scarf down more sweets than a college football team and still stay slim. Janine apparently didn’t get the coveted stay-skinny-while-I-stuff-my-face gene that had unmistakably come from their father’s side. Nope. Janine got the look-at-a-grape-and-gain-five-pounds gene.
One day, while Sherry had sat munching on one of Janine’s latest creations, she’d said, “Janine, you could make a fortune selling these. These are the most heavenly cupcakes I’ve ever eaten.”
That one simple statement had given birth to an idea that had led her to her dream job. She’d made a small menu and began taking orders for cupcakes on the weekends. Within a year, Janine had retained so many loyal customers, she’d been able to quit her word processing job and work from home full time. She’d hired Sherry to help her out with orders and deliveries, and she’d never been so happy in her life. That was until two years ago when the accident had happened.
Janine, Sherry and their parents had been driving to a family dinner one evening when a tired trucker had fallen asleep behind the wheel and hit them head on. Her mother and father had been killed instantly. Sherry had been lucky and had only sustained a few cracked bones, cuts, and bruises. Janine hadn’t been as lucky as Sherry. Her leg had been crushed, and the doctors 4
Lycan It
S. K. Yule
had thought she might even lose it for a long time. It had taken her months of physical therapy to get back on her feet, and now she had a pronounced limp that, every day, served as a much hated reminder of that night.
She’d never be able to forget something like that even if she didn’t have a limp, but at least if she didn’t, at the very least, the memories could fade to the back of her mind. The damned limp was a nuisance, and she was certain it caused Sherry to think about that night more often than she might, as well.
She’d seen Sherry staring at her with that vacant, haunted look as she’d hobbled around the kitchen on more than one occasion.
“Hi, Janine!”
Janine jumped a little, so deep in her thoughts that Sherry startled her.
Janine greeted her sister with a smile. “Hi, squirt. We’ve got several deliveries today. You up for it?”
“Of course. When haven’t I been?” Sherry hopped up on a stool sitting at the long granite counter where most of the baking preparation took place.
“Hey, I need to talk to you.”
Sherry frowned. “Uh oh. That sounds serious.”
Sherry was always bubbly and full of energy, but she was also six years younger than Janine’s thirty-one. Janine had no delusions in thinking thirty-one was old by any means, but at times, thirty-one felt old in comparison to twenty-five.
“No. Nothing serious. I was just thinking of taking a vacation and closing up shop for a few weeks.” Janine held her breath waiting for Sherry’s reaction.
Sherry’s pretty brown eyes widened, and a huge grin broke over her lovely face. “Oh! That is wonderful!” Sherry jumped off the stool and tackled Janine with a huge hug. “You’ve been talking about going on a trip for years.
You deserve it.”
Janine hugged her sister back. She hadn’t actually thought Sherry would be upset about her decision to take a vacation, but Sherry had had
