“I’m going first. You won’t be able to see which one of you is f**king you since you can’t turn your head but I wanted you to know that. Don’t worry though. I’m the biggest so I’ll hurt the most. The others will feel only slightly less painful. Strip her.”

“I’m under the protection of a werewolf,” she cried out when someone gripped the back of her shirt, jerked on her body painfully, and material tore open to bare her skin. “He will kill you for doing this to me.”

Mark brushed his fingertips over her cheek. She tried to jerk away but the collar choked her. It made him laugh but he pulled his hand away.

“No werewolf is going to come after a she-cat. A dog will f**k anything and I’m sure it was fun for him to screw the enemy in a literal sense. Now you’re home. This is your life from now on. You’ll breed us litters until you grow too old to have them anymore. You’ll be useless when you stop ovulating but if you help hike our numbers high enough we won’t turn killing you into a fun sport. I’ll make it painless.” He winked. “I’m a nice guy when motivated. Don’t forget that.”

She sobbed, the action making her more aware of the rough bark through the thin material of her shirt. They tore off the sweats completely. She screamed when her thighs were pulled apart, spread wide, and the ropes dug painfully into her legs just above her knees so she couldn’t close them.

“Don’t do that,” Mark crooned. “You don’t look so pretty with red eyes. Of course I won’t be looking at your face.” He stood and moved out of her sight.

She could hear them talking while she cried. Her body started to feel warm, then hot, as if she were running a fever. Painful cramps jolted through her belly and she sobbed when the agony increased. Wetness slipped down her thighs, coated them. She knew she hadn’t peed herself—the drugs were working.

“Fuck,” someone snarled. “Smell her. Let’s start.”

“Not yet,” the doctor ordered. “Soon. We want her in full ovulation. Let’s strip and change. What is the order? We don’t want us fighting to determine whose turn it is.”

“I go first.” Mark sounded as if he stood very close behind her. “Adam is next. The rest of you can decide the order. We’re all going to have her so don’t snipe. We have hours with her. Whatever order you chose, keep it going. I figure we’ll each get her three times at least.”

Shannon screamed. The raw sound tore through the woods but she knew no help would come. They were going to shift into animals to gang-rape her.

Chapter Thirteen

This can’t be happening. Shannon latched on to that thought with desperation. They can’t do this to me. It’s not real. I’m having a nightmare. Wake up! Oh god, wake up!

A high-pitched, animalistic scream distracted her from the prayer she had started to mentally chant. She had no idea what had caused the startling noise.

“What the hell?” Mark moved within her sight in front of the log, glowering at the woods. “Was that one of ours?”

“Shit,” Adam hissed. “I think word is out and we’re about to have more company. I told all of you not to share news of her with anyone. Who did you tell?”

“No one,” the whiner answered.

“I didn’t,” someone else protested.

Mark turned and rage twisted his features in an ugly expression. “Damn it, you were the only ones we could trust not to tear her apart. If half the pride shows up to take turns with her she won’t survive.”

Another strange scream tore through the woods. It seemed to come from a different direction…or maybe not. It was difficult for Shannon to distinguish.

“They seem to be fighting already.” Mark muttered a string of curses as he walked out of her sight. “I’m going to have to challenge some them now. I’ll tear out your throats if one of you mounts her while I’m dealing with the approaching males. Got me? I get her first. If some of them get around me, you make sure they don’t get to her. I’ll have all your asses if I’m not the first. I really want to make sure at least one in the litter she’ll carry is mine.”

The nightmare just grew worse for Shannon. Not only were seven of them planning to rape her but now more of their pride seemed to want to join her torture. A new hell set in as her body further betrayed her. She could feel her sex swelling and her cl*t started to throb as though it had a heartbeat. The sensation grew painful and a new noise came from her mouth that she couldn’t hold back. A throaty cry sounded.

“She’s in full heat,” the doctor informed the group. “Look at her vulva. Pink and puffy and soaked. She’s ready to conceive.”

“Damn it,” Mark roared, obviously in a full-blown rage now. “Who the hell told our males about this?”

He leapt over the log into Shannon’s view again. The sight of his na**d backside jolted terror through her. He’d been ready to shift and take her body. She struggled but she couldn’t break free. Her gaze remained on Mark since as long as he kept in front of her, she knew no one would touch her. He scanned the woods and then his body started to shift while he dropped to all fours.

“Fuck,” he roared. “Prepare to fight.” His voice transformed from human to the scream of his animal.

She gaped at the sight of his sleek animal body. He was terrifying. She’d been to zoos before but the large cats there didn’t seem as big to her as he did at that moment. Of course, they had been at a distance from her, not six feet away. She watched his ears pin back, his body tense, and he crouched. Something rustled in the bushes and her gaze jerked toward the noise. It wasn’t another puma who ran into the clearing. A big wolf barreled directly at Mark. More large wolves exploded into the clearing from different directions. The first wolf slammed into Mark.

All hell broke loose. The wolves attacked the shifting men. Adam jumped over the log to try to help his brother, tried to shift, but another big wolf tackled him, took his body down, and he screamed as sharp teeth tore at him. Blood flew, splattering the ground. Behind her, she heard more fighting and snarls. Something splattered her bare foot, a warm, wet sensation that she guessed was blood.

She couldn’t see what happened behind her but she couldn’t miss the fights in front of her between Mark in puma form and the big black wolf that had rushed out of the woods first. Mark swiped at the wolf but missed when it spun out of reach with mere inches to spare. The wolf charged, head lowered, and slammed into the puma with enough force to knock it onto the grass. The black wolf clamped his big jaws into the equally large cat’s hind leg, shredding it. The cat screamed and tried to roll away.

One of them has to be Anton, she realized. At least I hope so. She wanted to yell his name as her gaze darted between two of the wolves attacking Mark and Adam. The other two wolves leapt over the log to join the loud battle going on behind her. The wolf with Adam on the ground won his bloody victory. Adam stopped fighting. A mat of thick hair coated his arms, and his ears extended longer than a human’s, but otherwise he appeared human. Bright red soaked his still form and she didn’t see his chest moving. The wolf who had killed him turned his head to stare at her with dark eyes.

“Anton?” Her voice shook.

He suddenly loped forward but didn’t stop in front of her. Instead he snarled and jumped the log. He missed her by inches as he launched through the air. In seconds something large, heavy, and hairy slammed against the back of her thighs. She opened her mouth to scream but a snarl stopped her cold. It sounded more like a dog than anything. A vicious, pissed-off wolf? It pushed away from her and she heard a loud shriek, and more wetness splashed her foot. Something hairy and thin slapped the back of her thigh. It did it again. She tried to turn her head but the collar prevented it. A few more swats and she realized it had to be a tail wagging against her.

What the hell? Is that Anton trying to comfort me with his tail? Trying to let me know he’s there protecting my back? She relaxed and watched the fight in front of her. The cat and wolf still fought but the cat bled a lot. It tried to run away but the wolf took it down from behind, landed on it, and lunged for the throat. The cat screamed and then thrashed under the powerful jaws gripping it, the wolf’s head shaking back and forth to cause more injury. Mark stilled under the wolf forever.

The wolf released the dead carcass and turned. He met Shannon’s gaze and slowly inched closer. His head tucked down a little, his jaws dripped blood but were closed now. He advanced until he stood mere feet from her. He collapsed and started to transform into skin.

His side had been mauled by the cat’s claws. Red, bloody marks marred tan skin. He had more cuts and a bite on his thigh. She gasped when she realized who it was when he lifted his head.

Anton’s brother, Rave, met her gaze and gave her a wink. “I’ll be okay. I’ll be healed from this in a matter of days.”

The sounds of fighting ceased behind her and the tail stopped tapping her thigh. She gasped when something cold and wet suddenly nudged against her swollen pu**y. She tried to fight when it pressed tighter until it slid along the folds of her sex and she heard sniffing. She hated the way her body responded. Pleasure rolled through her at just the brush of something against her cl*t and she fought the urge to come that fast.

Rave lifted his large body up and gripped the log to peer over the other side. He growled and then stopped. “Anton, what the hell are you doing?”

The cold, wet nose jerked away from her body and she relaxed, realizing it had been Anton touching her intimately. His brother lowered to face level with her and met her gaze when he crouched. She avoided glancing at his groin. The guy wasn’t wearing anything but blood on his skin. His fingers gripped the collar.

“Sorry. My brother just wanted to make sure none of those pride males raped you. I’ll assume they didn’t since he’s not going nuts.” He cocked his head to peer behind her. “He’s changing back now. Give him a minute to get back into skin. Let’s get this collar off you.”

His touch made her hurt worse. She squeezed her eyes closed and took shallow breaths. Desire shot through her to the point that she had to clench her teeth not to moan at just the brush of his fingers pressed between her throat and the leather to unfasten it. The heavy weight dropped away and new hands gripped her hips. She started, her eyes flying open.

“It’s Anton.” Rave frowned at her, sniffed, and paled. “Fuck.” He fell on his ass to get away from her.

“What did they do to you?” Anton’s voice scared her. He snarled when he spoke.

She turned her head now that she could. Rage gripped his features—his fangs still out, and deadly. Blood was smeared all over his body. The hold on her h*ps tightened.

“They turned you on?” He started to breathe faster—he panted—and his eyes shifted enough to wolf. “Are you sorry I showed up? Did I interrupt a party?”

Shock and hurt lanced through her. Her lips parted but nothing came out.

“Damn it, Anton,” a man snarled. “Does she look willing? They have her tied down. See the ropes? Move!”

A stranger grabbed Anton’s shoulder and pushed him aside. Shannon realized the guy had to be related to Anton with his black hair and similar features. His eyes were more of a light brown though. He hesitated.

“It’s okay. I’m Brand Harris. I’m their cousin. I’m going to get you free. He doesn’t understand what’s happened to you. I’ll try like hell to avoid touching your skin. I know you’ve got to be hurting pretty bad and touch makes it worse.” His nose flared and he softly groaned. “You’re in full heat.”

Anton suddenly lunged, almost stepped on Shannon’s leg to put his body between her and his cousin. “Don’t touch Shannon. Think I don’t see how you react to her? Jesus. That’s my woman you’re sporting wood over.”