Running in Fear: Abandoned

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

Remi hid behind the trees and watched Jaycee weeping over his brother's grave. Her tearful words broke his heart. He'd screwed up big time right from the beginning. He'd promised himself he would treat his mate with love and patience, and instead their first time together had happened due to deception. If any man had done what he had to his younger sister, he would have killed him.

I'll make it up to her, Pierre, I swear.

You'd better. She's been through enough to be treated like a common slut.

Remi flinched as if he'd been struck. His brother's ghostly words sent a chill down his spine.

“You heard him too?” Dane walked up to him and stared out at their mate.

“Yeah, and he's right. We have a lot to make up for.” Remi nodded at Jaycee. “She deserves better than what we gave her.”

Dane stepped forward, but Remi grabbed his arm. “I'll get her. Let her say her goodbyes. I've got men stationed all around her. No one will get even close. I'm going to take her for a run and try to make up for some of the damage we've caused.”

Remi let go of Dane's arm and watched Jaycee rise. She stared right at the place they stood. Her eyes were swollen and red, her hands balled up at her side. Remi could have sworn she was staring at him. Her gaze moved back up to the house and she rubbed her arms. He could see the rise and fall of her chest.

His bones cracked and his fur replaced hair as he shifted to his wolf state. “
I thought I would take her to my home. Let her get to know me. I've instructed the guards to follow at a distance.”

Dane nodded and shifted. He ran in the opposite direction of their mate.

Remi jumped out of the woods. With his full attention on his mate, Remi was determined to make everything up to her.

She shifted to her small wolf form. Her head hung low, waiting.

“I thought maybe we could go for a run. I'd like to show you something, if you have time.”
He licked the side of her neck and nudged her towards the east.

“You don't have to do this, Remi. You've already staked your claim. I'm yours.”
Her voice held tears and regret, but no condemnation for what he had done. She stood next to his larger frame, but her eyes were on the ground, not on him.

Barry, one of the guards, stepped out in front of them. “I've brought you the clothes you requested.” He laid the backpack down on the ground and disappeared into the woods.

“I didn't know if you wanted to run or maybe take a walk.”
He sat down and watched her shift back into her human form. Her small body shook from the cold air. She grabbed the bag and searched for her clothes.

Remi shifted again. Then he covered her body with his and blocked the wind. “You have such a beautiful body.” He skimmed his hand down her back to cup her ass cheek. “When I see you walk into a room, it takes my breath away, my heart rate increases, and I want to lock you away in our room. So no one will ever hurt you again,” he whispered into her ear after she pulled on her sweater.

Jaycee turned and gazed up at him while she slid on her jeans. “Thank you, but I'm nothing special. I'm just a woman who wants the love of her men, and wants to belong somewhere.” She reached down and slid on her thermal socks. She slipped her small feet into her boots.

Remi grabbed his clothes and dressed quickly. He stared at her. “You have our love, Jaycee, and a home.” He slipped his hand behind her neck and pulled her to him. He needed to comfort her.

“Do I? Look behind you, Remi. What do you see?” She nodded at the huge cabin behind them. “You know what I see? I see a pack house, Dane's house. I don't see a home—one created out of love. Sure, it's beautiful, a showcase really, but where in that house is there any part of me or of us?” She moved out of his arms and started walking.

“Out of all the places and people I've met over the last six years, I've only come across two real homes, where I can actually say I wish it was me in that home. Look at that home there, Remi. What do you see?” She pointed to the cabin through the woods on their left.

He wrapped his hand in hers and studied the home. “I see a woman shoveling snow, children playing out in the snow, Christmas lights strung up crooked…” He laughed and shook his head. “It kind of reminds me of my dad, when he was trying to hang the lights on our house. Mom just laughed the whole time. Every time he'd get one row of lights on, one of the lights would go out. Boy, did he cuss.” He smiled and stared down at her.

Her eyes filled with tears, and there was a small smile on her lips. “That's what I'm talking about. In all my life, I've never had that. Parents who took the time to do something as simple as hanging Christmas lights. Even now, at night, before you three come to our bed. I hear you out in the woods with the pack, running and playing. But have you asked me to join? Have you introduced me to any of your friends? Sure we have sex, but do we love? You tell me I take your breath away when I walk into a room, but do you show it to me? A hug here, a knowing smile, you know, little things.” She glanced down at their joined hands and raised them. “This is what I mean, but in public. Not when we're alone only.”

“This way, baby.” Remi pulled her to a worn path further in the woods. “You have to give us time, Jaycee. It's only been one week since I've claimed you. I'm new to this, and right now I don't want to share you with anyone. I don't know if I could control the beast inside me if some man even glanced at you the wrong way.”

Jaycee stopped and looked up at him. “I can promise you one thing. I would never, and I mean never, be with another man. You three are enough for me. I just wish…” She turned to walk away, but he turned her and held her face in his hands.

“What do you wish? If I can give it to you, I will.” He kissed her lips softly and pulled back.

“It's nothing. So, where are you taking me?” She reached up and traced her finger down his face.

“I'm not going to forget, but I'll wait. I thought maybe you could help me go through my house. We can pick anything you want and bring it to our home.” Remi turned and nipped her finger.

“Hey.” She laughed and started walking again. “You mean, the big bad wolf is going to let little old me into his den?” she teased, but then stopped dead in her tracks. They had broken through the woods and his house stood before them.

“My God, Remi, it's beautiful. Did you build this?” She walked around the house to the front.

“Over the years, I've needed time away from the pack. I'd come up here and work on it. Even Dane would come here and help me. Mark installed the porch and the swing.” He nodded at the huge wooden swing, which swung from the cedar rafters. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and set his head on hers.

“This is a home …” she whispered.

A single tear dropped down on his hand and he turned to see tears in her eyes. “Why are you crying?” He wiped the tears that fell. “You're killing me here.”

“Have you had any woman here?” She glanced down at her feet, her body quivering, while she waited.

He lifted her chin with his finger. “No,
mon amour
, there has never been any woman here. Only us men. It's a place for us to get away, and my haven.”

“Do you think we could make this our home? I mean, I love Dane's place, but it's also part of the pack's home. This could be our home together.” Her gaze filled with hope, daring to ask.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up. He hugged her hard. “You haven't even seen the inside. You might hate it.” He kissed her nose and carried her up the stairs, across the threshold.

“Umm, sorry about the mess. I haven't had much time to clean it up.” He smiled and grabbed the dirty dishes on the coffee table.

Jaycee laughed and grabbed the dishes from his hands. “I love it! You bring in the dishes and I'll wash them, and Remi…” She looked back at him. “It's perfect for our home.” She smiled and made her way to the huge open kitchen off of the dining room.

The inside of the home matched the outside. Cedar walls lined the living room and dining room. A huge fireplace took the place of one wall. Above the fireplace hung pictures of his and Dane's family throughout the years.

“Tell me something. Has your family and Dane's always been so close?” she yelled from the kitchen.

“Yeah, we used to have football games between our families every fall. You should have seen us.” He laughed and dumped some more dishes into the sink. “I'll never forget the time Dane tackled Ralph so hard they both fell back into this big mud hole. They were covered in mud.”

“Hey, I'd like to forget that, please.” Dane slugged Remi in the arm and wrapped his arms around Jaycee's waist. He kissed her cheek. “So you like the old place?” He smiled and swatted her ass when he pulled away.

“She wants this to be our home,” Remi yelled as he went back into the living room.

Jaycee's heart jumped and she turned to look at Dane's face. “It's not that I don't love your home Dane. It's just that it's—”

“Too busy.” He finished her sentence. “I know what you mean. I've been thinking about that lately. I think this would be a perfect place for us to live. Have you seen the master bedroom yet?” He wiggled his eyebrows.

Jaycee laughed and grabbed the kitchen sink spray hose, soaking him with water. “You're always thinking about sex. No, I haven't seen it yet.” She yelped as he attacked her. He swung her up in his wet arms.

“Well, then, what are we waiting for? Remi, Mark, let's break in that nice new bed upstairs.” He ran up the stairs. Both Remi and Mark laughed.

“I have dishes to finish, you crazy man.” Jaycee hit his back, but he kept moving.

Remi opened the door to the master bedroom and Jaycee just stared. The room was done in dark green and black. A hot tub filled one corner of the room. If one could call it a hot tub; it was the size of a small pool. Next to it on the other wall was another fireplace, small but cozy. A huge bay window drew the light in, shadowing the bed. Two overstuffed rocker recliners faced each other next to the fireplace.

Black satin sheets covered the bed. Dane laid her down in the middle and gazed down at her. “You're beautiful, Jaycee,” he whispered and kissed her forehead. He stepped back and stripped his shirt off.

Mark crawled up on the bed, naked. His muscular arms rippled as he grabbed her sweater and ripped it in half.

“Hey, that was a new sweater.” She slapped him on the head, but he grinned and took her breast into his mouth.

“We'll buy you a new one.” Remi crawled behind Mark and squeezed the lube in his ass.

Jaycee turned her head towards the window and frowned. “Remi, did you start a fire down stairs?” She pushed at Mark's head. “Get up, Mark, something's wrong.”

Remi jumped off the bed and sniffed the air. “Damn it. Dane, get her out of here now. Mark, gather the guards and search the grounds,” he yelled, and ran out of the room.

Dane picked her up and stormed through the smoke filled hallway. Below, the living room was ablaze. Furniture snapped and cracked as the fire attacked it.

“How did it start so soon?” she whispered.

Dane ran down the hallway to a spare room and threw open the door. Mark and Remi ran behind them. “Hold on, Jaycee. We're going to have to jump.” Dane opened the window and lowered her feet to the ground. “Go now. Shift. It will be easier for your wolf to take the height.” Dane pushed her through the window.

Jaycee shifted in mid-air, and her wolf turned to make sure all of her mates followed suit. Men ran out of the woods and gathered buckets from the shed.

“Barry, take Jaycee back to the house,” Dane ordered and pushed her towards him. He shifted back to human form. “Jaycee, go!”

Jaycee moved into woods and watched others come from all directions, to help with the fire. The house was a goner. There was no way they would be able to save it. She hung her head and took off. Another attack to add to her belt of shame.

* * * *

Jaycee rolled over and stretched. The bed was empty again. It was the second morning since the fire that she ‘d woken up and her mates had been gone. The house had been totally gutted by the fire. There had been no tracks or any clues as to who had set the fire, but she knew it had to be someone after her. Once again, her mates ignored her.

She glanced outside. The snow had stopped falling. Ten o'clock and the guests would be arriving in an hour. Jaycee grabbed her clothes and strolled into the bathroom. She turned on the shower and flicked on the waterproof radio by the tub.

The warm water covered her and slowly eased the tension in her shoulders and neck. She grabbed the shampoo and scrubbed the dirt from her body. Five minutes later, even with the blow dryer going, her sensitive ears picked up a noise in her bedroom. Someone had come into her room. She wrapped the towel around her and walked into the bedroom.

“Did someone fix the rooms down the—?” she said and stopped dead in her tracks. A tall, muscular man stood in her bedroom.

“Who the hell are you?” Jaycee snarled, the beast threatening to take over.

Remi strolled in. “Damn it, Drake. I told you the end of the hallway, not the first door.”

Jaycee released the breath she had been holding.

“Why would I want to go down there when there's a beauty standing right here in a towel? Hey, want to share her, like in the old days?” Drake said and raked his eyes up and down her body. Jaycee laughed and shook her head. She walked into her closet and pulled out a pair of dress pants and blouse.

Remi snarled. “She's my mate and you'll not touch her. Now get out of here before I kick that scrawny ass.”

Jaycee headed back into the bathroom and shut the door as they fought. She zipped her pants up and pulled her shirt together when Remi pushed the door open.

He grabbed her hands and halted her actions, then cupped her breasts and flicked her nipples.

“I love your tattoos. They're beautiful. Maybe I'll have Frank give me one while he's here. I think a picture of you in your wolf form. You're so beautiful,” he said and scraped his teeth back and forth across her neck.

“You have to stop. I'm already running late. We have guests arriving and I need to make sure everything is ready in the rooms.” Jaycee moaned.

One hand unfastened her pants and pushed her pants down her body. His body cornered hers against the counter. He placed her hands on the edge. “Don't let go.”

She stepped out of her pants and kicked them out of the way. He kneeled down and spread her legs. He probed her pussy with two fingers and his tongue licked the juices that dripped out of her.

“Remi, I don't have time for slow,” she moaned.

He rose. The sound of his zipper drew her attention to the mirror. He swung back and smacked her ass.

“I'll go as slow as I want,” he said and his cock sank into deep into her folds. “God, you're so tight.” He moaned. His strong grip on her hips would leave print marks on her white skin. Remi picked up speed and rammed into her harder. He lowered his body over her and grabbed her breast. He pulled and twisted her nipple rings.

His sweaty chest rubbed against Jaycee's back. Her knuckles turned white and little growl sounds emerged from him. He pulled out of her in one quick move and turned her around. His eyes took on a reddish tint and held her gaze before he picked her up and pushed her against the bathroom door. He rammed his cock back into place.

Jaycee wrapped her arms and legs around him and held on. Her wolf rose close to the surface. She bit his neck and claimed her mate.

His cock grew larger inside her. The barb in his cock attached itself to her vaginal walls. His muscles tightened, sweat dripped down his face, and he howled as warm seed poured into her.

The release triggered hers. Jaycee released his neck and leaned her head against the door, groaning.

Gently, he lowered her feet to the ground and kissed her nose.

Jaycee tried to smile at him, but she couldn't. It was the first time in two days that any of her mates had made love to her.

“Are you okay? I didn't get too rough, did I?” he asked, and stared to inspect her body.

“I'm fine. I loved it. Don't be afraid to be too rough, Remi. Sometimes I like it like that,” Jaycee said and reached down to grab her clothes.

“And just who gave it to you rough?” He snarled and cornered her against the bathroom counter.

She laughed and slapped his chest. “I'm not a virgin. There have been men in my life before James. How do you think I was taught to be a submissive?” Jaycee pushed at his chest and grabbed her blouse. The growl started low in his throat. She looked up at his reflection in the mirror.
Shit!

“Remi, calm down. It was before I even met any of you. You're my mates now. There can be no one else.” She turned and curled her body up to his.

He grabbed her hair and pulled her head back. His eyes burned red. “If any man touches you, I'll kill them. You're ours. No one else's. Is that understood?”

Jaycee knew he wasn't playing. She lowered her eyes and bared her neck to him.

He bit down hard and he marked her. This mark would be permanent. She was his and if any man even attempted to come near her, he would kill him.

Jaycee whimpered while he held her still. He let go and licked his mark. He stared at her for a minute before he turned and left.

She turned and gazed into the mirror. The mark was bright red and swollen. It was the first permanent mark any of her mates had given her.

Jaycee hummed to herself while she entered the living room, the list of things she had to do today memorized. Remi watched every move she made; his gaze never left her. Her father talked to him as Kate came up to her and hugged her. She touched the mark on her neck and smiled.

“So one of your mates has made his claim already? I bet I know which one is the jealous type to do that,” Kate teased.

Heat rose up in Jaycee's face and Kate burst out laughing. Her father and Remi joined them.

“What's so funny, Kate?” her father asked.

Kate nodded at the mark and Jaycee groaned.

Remi smiled at her, proud of what he had done. She elbowed him in the stomach, but she knew he didn't feel anything. He just kept grinning. Her father noticed his mark and burst out laughing.

“I see one of your mates doesn't mess around. Good! It's about time someone put you first,” her father said.

Jaycee shook her head. “Dad, they all do, just in different ways. Have you seen the family room and all the carvings Dane has done? There's a special one just about me. I thought I would burst out crying, it was so beautiful. It was written in our old tongue that you taught me when I was small.” Jaycee walked towards the buffet of food. She grabbed a cup of coffee and a muffin.

“I'll have to check it out before the others come. It's good that some of us still remember the old tongue. So much has changed over the years, I am afraid our past will be lost.” He shook his head.

“Well, then, you really have to see his work. From what I can see, he even carved in the important parts of our history into the walls.” Jaycee's father's eyes lit up and he guided Kate down the stairs towards the basement.

Dane and Mark moved into the room with Ralph and Drake, Remi's brothers. Dane walked up to her from behind and kissed her cheek, then noticed her neck. She felt his smile against her skin as he kissed the mark.

“I see our mate has been busy. Soon you'll carry mine and Mark's also.” She squirmed in his arms.

“Don't tease me, Dane. I have too much to do. Now, where is Shelly? She was going to help me get the rooms together.” Jaycee tried to change the subject. She didn't want to pressure Dane into doing anything.

“Do you really think I wouldn't mark what's mine? Mark and I will take care of you, baby, I promise.” He turned her to face him and grabbed her chin, claiming her mouth. When she heard the knock on the door, Dane broke the kiss and moved away from her. Jaycee stood there for a minute and tried to get her bearings, but Mark came up to her and pulled her body into his.

“So, Remi beat us to the punch, did he? Well, good, but don't think you're getting away from us, baby.” He kissed her quickly and released her.

Jaycee shook her head and took a big gulp of coffee, burning her tongue. “Shit!” she yelped. Remi stared at her from across the room. She stuck her tongue out at him and he snarled. She ignored him and turned to welcome their guests. Four males stood next to Dane and Mark, talking to them. Her father and Kate came up the stairs.

“Oh good, you're here,” he said and greeted the men.

Jaycee shoved a piece of muffin in her mouth before the men approached her.

“Gentlemen, I would like you to meet my daughter, Jaycee. She's the one who has been threatened.”

Jaycee rolled her eyes at her father. “Dad, could you possibly try to introduce me without mentioning that little fact? I would kind of like to forget while I can.” She shook hands with each of the men.

“Boy, she sure doesn't get her looks from you, Guy. It must have been from your mother, because she is a knockout.” One of the men looked up and down her body. Jaycee laughed.

“Thank you for the compliment, but you might want to watch the comments about my body,” Jaycee whispered and smiled. She heard the growls from across the room and so did everyone else.

All the men laughed and turned around to see her mates frowning at them. “If you'll excuse me, I'll get your rooms ready.”

Jaycee moved upstairs to check the guest rooms. She was going into one of the last rooms when Remi strolled down the hallway. She stood still. He circled, smelled, and touched her. Jaycee didn't know what was going on.

“Remi, what's wrong?” she asked, but he growled again and pushed her towards their room. He backed her into it and closed the door.