A Were Story Ch. 03

She stopped mid-stretch as that thought brought her crashing down to reality. Where the hell was she? She sat up swiftly, the movement causing a sharp pain to shoot through her head, she grimaced, but was no less alert. Sharp eyes studied her surroundings, noting it looked like a compartment in a plane, albeit a very fancy one. She had never entered an airplane in her life, but she had seen enough ads on them to know what the interior of one ought to look like, and none of those adverts had a compartment this luxurious. The bed she had only just been enjoying wasn't the only furniture in the room, there was a small chair across it attached to a table as well as a mini-fridge in front of the bed. This was no ordinary plane, so, how had she gotten in it?

She tried to remember the last thing that happened before she blacked out. That stranger, the one who set off all the alarms in her head, had been trying to convince her to go with him somewhere, then there was a scream. Kylie. Wolves.

Kennedy shot up from the bed. She needed to find her sister, she walked briskly towards the only exit in the room and pulled back the curtain, only to stop mid-stride when she found Kylie, the one she had been worried about seemed to be having a great conversation with someone on the phone, her head was tossed back in laughter, her legs stretched out on a small stool. Had she not been attacked by wolves? Or was it her imagination playing tricks on her? She wasn't one to hallucinate, it had never happened to her, she clearly remembered Kylie being attacked by some wolves and then other wolves coming to her defense.

Kylie's gaze finally fell on her while she was laughing at some other joke made by whoever she was conversing with and her face brightened up, "Kenny!" she beamed, "Caleb, I have to go, my sister just woke up." She said to the person she had on the other line, "It's fine, she'll get your message." She replied before she cut the line.

Kennedy continued to stare at her sister in confusion. It felt like she had started a movie only to sleep off in the middle and wake up to the end credits.

Kylie hopped off the chair, "Welcome back sis, how do you feel?" she asked as she approached her.

Tired. Confused. Curious. Those words were just a few of the many feelings swirling within her right now, the rest were lost in a fog in her head, "Kylie, what's going on?" she asked softly.

"Well, I can't tell you much, but we're in Connecticut. Rinaldi says it would be better if we slowly eased you into everything." Kylie replied.

Rinaldi.

Just as his name rang through her head, the subject of her thoughts made his presence known. He rose from the chair he had been sitting in that she hadn't taken note of because his back was turned to her and all she had seen was her laughing sister, he looked so much larger in the small space that the plane provided, "Come here Kylie." Kennedy ordered, this man was one of them. He had come with those wolves, he was their boss, for all she knew he was a wolf as well and Kylie had agreed to follow him to a state they had never been to? She knew her sister was buried in all of those supernatural jargons, but she had greatly underestimated how deep she had been buried in it.

"Kenny, he's...."

"I said come!" Kennedy ordered as she pulled her sister and shoved her behind her. She had no certain plan on how this would go down, but somehow, she planned to get past this giant of a man and leave this plane with her sister unharmed.

"Kennedy...."

"Shut up Kylie! Why would you agree to get on a plane with someone you don't know?" she asked, her tone harsh and accusing, Kylie ought o be smarter than this, these people were dangerous. They had turned into wolves in front of her, how did any sane person agree to get on a plane with people who could rip their throat out?

"Kennedy...."

"Shut up!" she barked at the giant who dared to speak, he had some nerve putting her on a plane without her permission. There had to be a law against moving an unconscious person without their permission, this was an abduction, "Just shut the fuck up, you..you..whatever it is you are! How dare you put me on a plane and fly me to some foreign place without my permission?"

"Actually Kylie said....."

"Kylie's a fucking teenager, I'm the one in charge. Take us back." She ordered as she fixed him a glare

"I'm afraid that won't be possible."

"Why the hell not?"

"Kennedy, Cassie...."

"Shut up Kylie! It's your fault we're in this mess. He's been throwing Cassie in my face all this time, while you were laughing with whoever the hell you were speaking to, did you get the chance to speak to Cassie?" she asked, Kylie was silent at her question, "Answer me goddammit, did you speak to Cassie?"

Kylie could only mutter a feeble, "No." at her sister's question.

"So, how the fuck are you sure this isn't some ruse to get us here and use us for some illegal transaction? How are you even sure Cassie is alive? Maybe they've killed her and just want to get rid of anyone with ties to her." Kylie had no reply to any of what Kennedy said. The more Kennedy spoke, the more scared she felt on the inside, it was much easier to put up a brave front, but within her, she was quaking in anger and trembling at thoughts of whatever tragic end awaited them, who would look for them? Who would get justice for them? They were all the family they had, this man and his friends would wipe them off the surface of the earth and no one would even give them any thought.

"I can assure you. Your cousin is alive and doing very well." Rinaldi spoke, he sounded very calm and assured, but she noticed he was barely keeping the control he seemed to have been the master of while they were in her home. She could just notice his flared nostrils and the flexing of his fingers like he was itching to grab something. This man was going to kill them; Kylie had led them to their end.

She gave a sarcastic laugh, "I suppose I should take the words of a kidnapper for shit." She spat at him angrily.

His eyes narrowed, "Maybe if you would calm down for a second, you would get a different perspective rather than thinking anyone is out for your head." There was a slight edge to his voice this time, his control was slipping, but Kennedy was too far off to care.

"Kennedy, trust me, they mean no harm, Caleb was just telling....."

"Shut up Kylie! Just shut up okay? You've done more than enough for the day." She snapped.

She didn't notice the tightening of his jaw, but Kennedy heard when Rinaldi began to approach them, she returned her gaze to him, just in time to find him in front of her, "Kylie, excuse me while I borrow your sister." He said tightly as he grabbed her by the arm.

Kennedy's eyes widened, she couldn't be alone with him, "I will go nowhere with you."

"I beg to differ." He replied with a teasing smile, "We'll be back Kylie." He said with finality before he dragged a struggling Kennedy with him to the next compartment as Kylie watched.

"Let go of me you brute!" Kennedy demanded as she struggled with her captor, his grip was strong she would give him that.

"Just calm the fuck down, will you?" He barked at her.

With a strength she never thought she could muster, Kennedy pulled back and let her palm hit his cheek in a slap she was sure could be heard miles away, she just barely heard Kylie's gasp outside the confines of this room, "Take your filthy hands off me." She growled in response.

He went still for an entire minute, he hadn't even flinched at the impact, but she could see the imprint of her hand on his reddened cheek. She matched his glare with hers, unwilling to back down from a challenge even if she was going toe to toe with a man almost a foot taller than her. She waited for his retaliation, she would fight him even to her last drop of blood that was for sure, but she wouldn't make this easy for him.

"You dare hit me?" he asked coldly.

"You want another one?" she retorted.

He suddenly pulled her flush against his body and cupped her jaw, she gasped at his touch, her heart rate quickening at their proximity, what was he doing?, "You have a smart mouth." He observed, his eyes left hers to rest upon her full lips, he let his thumb glide across her lower lip pulling a shiver from her stiff body, "I wonder what else they're good at." he mused. She didn't get the chance to decode his words, the last thing Kennedy registered was him lowering his face towards hers before soft lips covered hers.

An involuntary moan tore out of her throat as the most blissful feeling she had ever had washed over her, electricity zipped through her, quickening her pulse as his lips explored hers tentatively, it was nothing like she had ever felt. He pulled her tighter against his body as a roughness was introduced to his exploration, she whimpered softly. His tongue speared through the opening her whimper created, if it was possible to orgasm from a kiss, Kennedy was sure the warmth that pooled in her panties was surely one. She grabbed his shoulders as she became a willing participant in an age-old dance.

He growled low in his throat, an almost animalistic sound that she probably should have been wary of if she wasn't being carried by an unstoppable whirlwind of pleasure, he backed her into a wall with a speed she knew was definitely not human, but was too far gone to complain of, a strong hand grabbed her thighs and pulled her up to straddle him. Kennedy couldn't stop the sharp hiss that escaped her lips as her crotch brushed his very impressive bulge, the man was huge by any standard if that was all him. His lips took the opportunity to move lower, kissing and licking at her jaw and then her neck, she gave him all the access he needed, her anger long forgotten as her body hummed to the instrument of pleasure he strung. She was certain she had never felt this strong urge to rip another person's clothes off and make love to him in her life. She barely knew this guy, and the little she did know was nothing to suggest he was the kind of man to take home at all, yet her thoughts were filled with their naked bodies mingling and sweaty on any flat surface that could hold them.

"Mine." She heard him growl as he licked the area between her neck and shoulder where her pulse beat at a fast pace.

Her eyes flew open as she felt a sharp sting at that juncture, what should have been a yelp came out in a soft moan of his name.

"Kennedy?"

Kylie's voice brought her crashing down from her world of ecstasy and stopped his movement as well.

"Sir, the car is ready." Another voice; a deep, male one she recognized as the black man...or was it wolf? From earlier

Embarrassment and reality washed over her. Christ! How much of her wanton moaning had Kylie heard? She was supposed to be the logical one of them, yet here she was, shamelessly riding a man and thinking of having sex with him while her sister was in the next room, and even worse, one she had been kicking and fighting only minutes earlier. How would she face her sister now?

Soft lips pressing against her jaw and then her temple as he lowered her to her feet pulled her away from her thoughts. Shame wouldn't let her look at him, but Rinaldi wasn't having that, he placed his hand under her chin and lifted her face to look at him, his eyes were so beautiful up close and weren't as dark as she had thought, they were much lighter especially as the sun hit it from this angle. The feelings she had for him confused her, usually, she was more cautious with men, wanting to get to know them a little more before they even earned a small kiss, even less this make-out session she had just given Rinaldi. How had she let her mind leave her?

"I'll take you to your cousin now. Please, don't fight me, we have a lot to talk about when we get home." he spoke evenly. If she couldn't see the desire in his eyes, she would think he wasn't as shaken as she was after such an earth-shattering kiss. The first thing she had learned of this man so far was that he was level-headed even in intense situations. It was an admirable trait.

She could only nod her understanding, but her brain was filled with thoughts of what he meant by them having a lot to talk about, what was there to talk of between two people who knew nothing of each other? One mind-numbing kiss didn't automatically translate to having anything to say to each other, they could just dismiss it as a mistake. She hadn't gotten any in years and he was probably just as starved even if he looked like he would only have to snap his fingers to get any woman crawling all over him, wasn't that what had just happened with her?

He stepped away from her reluctantly and her body reacted immediately to the loss of his heat, Kennedy remained in her position, staring at him like he was some kind of god. He gave a cocky smirk at her expression and she dropped her eyes quickly, no need to give him something to be smug about.

"Sir, are you ready?" Joel's voice filtered into the small room once again.

"Yes Joel, we'll be right out." Rinaldi replied, his eyes never leaving her, "Ladies first." He said to her.

Kennedy finally got her breathing under control and steadied herself enough to put one foot in front of the other without her weak legs giving away. She spared Rinaldi one last glance before she left the room, she had to focus on the task at hand. If Cassandra was really here, she would ensure all three of them left this place no later than the end of the week. Toe-curling kisses or not, these people were dangerous and they didn't need to be dealing with them, she made a promise to herself that this incident would never repeat itself, discipline and self-control, two things she thought herself an expert in, would certainly come into play and she was determined to not lose herself for a quick whiff of pleasure. By the end of the week, she, Kylie and Cassandra would be back in Michigan, that was for sure.

****

"How many casualties?" The voice was dark and ominous, causing a shiver to run down the spine of the big man occupying the center of a large hall. This wasn't the sort of situation anyone in their right mind would envision himself in, it wasn't a situation anyone would ever look forward to, but Gianni found himself in it nevertheless. Pain ripped through his bloodied body, the wounds he had gotten failing to heal as fast as he usually would, but he couldn't get treatment at his return, no, this wasn't a successful mission; there would be no drinking of wine or making toasts, there would be no feasts or willing women to sate his desires, he wouldn't get such treatment, hell he would be lucky if he walked out of this hall with his head on his neck.

"Alpha, I..."

"How many?" the thunderous voice demanded.

"Four."

The large black cloak that had become a signature outfit for the dark Alpha of their land moved swiftly as the man who struck fear in the hearts of all of his followers turned to finally rest dark gray eyes upon his beta, "Four? So, you mean to tell me those dogs killed four of my men?" he growled

Gianni lowered his eyes to the floor, "Yes my Alpha."

"And only you made it alive?"

"Ye...yes."

"Which of his lackeys did he send?"

"It was Rinaldi."

"Rinaldi Soldado." He sneered. Caleb was not so much his problem as Rinaldi, he wanted him dead like yesterday, but somehow, he never could kill that dog. He had tried over thirty years ago, he thought he had succeeded in wiping out the Salvatore pack. It had been a successful raid, they had taken them unawares, Rinaldi's father had still been the Alpha, the younger Salvatore was second in line to be Alpha, his elder brother, Roberto, was being trained to take their father's place and had a couple of more years till he took his position. Back then Rinaldi had been young, adventurous and highly uninterested in the responsibilities that came with being even a beta. It was the perfect set-up.

There was a score to settle between the Salvatore pack and the Soldado family, Alejandro's father had been killed almost half a century earlier by the patriarch of the Soldado pack, he had spent many years planning their end and when the day came, he had struck at midnight. They made short work of the thetas and omegas, the betas were a little more difficult to put down, but they had the element of surprise on their side. Alejandro had made it to the West Wing of the Soldado house while the battle went on, by the time the Alpha realized what was going on, his eldest son was dead and he had a knife to his throat.

Rinaldi arrived the compound much later, just in time to see his dead family and pack members, Alejandro and two of his men were raiding the house for valuables when Rinaldi found them. The younger wolf had been slightly inebriated which explained why it was so easy to best him in the ensuing battle. Alejandro had left him barely alive with a gash on his neck, a wound fatal enough to kill any wolf.....how Rinaldi survived such an injury, Alejandro would never understand. It was only eight years ago he found that the second Soldado son was meeting up with other Alphas in a bid to revive what was left of his pack.

Further investigation identified the Duncan pack as being responsible for Rinaldi's renewed vigor, apparently, Caleb Duncan had been riling up the otherwise dormant wolf to believe he was supposed to be an Alpha to a lost pack.

Alejandro found something new to occupy himself with. Ending Rinaldi Soldado for good this time, and taking down the Duncan Pack with him....if only they weren't so elusive.

The time spent with Caleb Duncan had sharpened Rinaldi, made him more aware. He was different, formidable even. Alejandro wasn't used to formidable.

Three days ago, Trina, the witch with whom he had formed an alliance three decades ago had told him of the two sisters in Michigan who Caleb would need, she assured him if he had those girls, he would get Caleb's attention, he had dispatched some of his men to Michigan to retrieve them. He just hadn't figured his men would be a little too late.

He glared at the wolf who had brought him such terrible news. He was in no position to be losing men, he barely had enough as is having been declared an outcast by the council of North American Alphas, members of his pack were mostly fellow outcasts like himself, and they didn't come along very often. He needed to keep his men safe and together, losing members didn't bode well for him. His only hold over them was fear, they feared him, they wouldn't dare to go against him, he was anything but a merciful leader, anyone who overstepped their boundaries would have a brutal end. It kept his men in line.

He approached Gianni slowly, "So, tell me, why did they spare your life?" he asked the trembling man. He looked in terrible shape, it was obvious he was supposed to serve as some kind of warning. It annoyed him that the Duncan pack had gotten so gutsy.

"I...I don't know Alpha." He replied.

"You don't know?" he asked as he stopped in front of Gianni, he stared at the man, his mere presence reminding him of the men he had lost, he suddenly clasped his neck, "You don't know?" he repeated the question, increasing the pressure on Gianni's neck, he watched his eyes pop out as he struggled to get out of his grip

"P..please A...Alpha." he croaked, his hands scratching at the strong forearm

"How dare you return to me without your brothers? I should kill you." He growled.

"P...please." Gianni pleaded.

His grip tightened on his beta's neck as he watched the life slowly seep out of his body, just as his eyes begun to roll back into his head, he threw his frail body to the ground. Gianni coughed violently, spurts of blood stained the tiled floor as he rubbed at his reddened neck. Alejandro continued to glare at the man, as much as it would gladden him to kill Gianni, he didn't need more of his men dead. He needed as many of them alive as possible, and Gianni, despite this setback, was a valuable asset to him.