Claimed by Honor (Bestian Creek Pack Book 1) Read online

  They had already wasted enough time in the basement, and they needed to get the kids out as quickly as possible. Taking the steps three at a time, his men kept up with him without even a heavy breath. The men he’d chosen were strong fighters and he knew they would be able to finish this mission. He popped the Level 2 door open and just when the door hit the wall a rifle swung around from the opening and Honor ducked quickly to avoid it.

  He lifted his arm and caught the gun as the desperate security guard tried to hit him again. He looked the man in the eye. “You should have shot me instead.” And gave him a crooked smile as the man’s eyes went wide, and with one snap from behind, the guard was dead.

  “Thanks, Derek.” He huffed. Derek and Honor had grown up together, their families were close, and their mothers were like sisters. But they had never been able to share that bond. They’d both been too dominant to let go and allow a friendship to form and seeing him talk niceties to Anna a moment ago didn’t help the situation between them. She was his. He couldn’t understand it. He’d never attached himself to a female before, but the moment he saw her alone in the woods his animal reached out and grabbed her. She’s mine, the animal inside growled. A grunt came from Derek. They obviously felt the same about each other. A gunshot sounded and all the men ducked back into the stairwell.

  “It’s just one guard. We can rush him.” Honor looked at the men and they all agreed. “Let’s go, then.” A smile pressed against long fangs, and a loud roar came from the group of men as they left the safety of the stairwell and rushed the guard. Gunshots rang out in the small reception area and Honor jumped behind the desk. Derek and two others did the same while the rest went down the other side of the hall towards the nursery.

  “Get out here and fight like the fucking animals you are.” Honor could hear the security guard’s discontent for his kind from all the way down the hall. “Every single one of you deserves death and I’m gonna bring it to you.” A sick laugh came from him. “Then, after I put a bullet into each of your animal heads, I’m gonna shove my barrel in the mouths of every single half breed in here.”

  The rage began to crawl up Honor’s spine and his heart began to pound in his chest. He could sense the shift in the small space, and he looked around to see teeth begin to elongate and the male’s eyes begin to churn, so did his own. Honor smiled to himself. “You want us to fight you like the animals we are?” Honor yelled out.

  “Fuck you, you sick shits. You’re all going to die today.”

  Honor’s animal took him, and his bones began to break and pop. The noise of all four men shifting together would have turned the stomach of anyone around. Snapping, bending, burning pains trailed his body until his ink colored wolf was out and ready to hunt. Twice the size of a natural born wolf, shifters in this form were a force of nature on their own, but a pack would be ruthless and lethal. A light gray streak jumped over Honor and bounded down the hall, and Honor followed right behind. Gun shots sounded as the wolves enclosed, but the guard never had a chance. Honor dodged the bullets and once he was close enough, he grabbed the man by the neck and gnashed his neck wide open. In a moment, blood was pouring from his wound and pooling on the ground around his lifeless arm as he slid down until his head was on the floor. That was easy enough.

  As that thought filled his head, more bullets rained down on them. The pack hid behind the wall of the adjacent hall trying to find where it was coming from. He spotted the shooters and nudged Derek’s gray wolf to follow him. They bolted around the reception desk, as the other three created a distraction by howling and barking. One massive leap and they were on the shooters, mauling and pulling flesh, neither of them had the time or the capacity to get any sort of blows in before they were executed. There was no remorse with taking their lives. These assholes hated his kind and would never let his people live in peace. All they wanted to do was go to work, fuck their mates, and raise their young in peace. He took a calming breath and let his bones snap, joints pop and when skin covered his body again. One of the new men handed him his pants.

  “Thanks.” He said as he took them and slipped them on.

  “No problem, didn’t want to look at your tiny dick.” The guy said chuckling.

  Honor wiped the blood off his face with his forearm. “Are you kidding me??” Honor joked, framing his hands around his dick. “Look at this thing!” The group of men laughed uncontrollably, except Derek, always Derek. “What’s your problem? We fought well together, let it go man.” Honor tried to reason as he stepped back into his pants.

  “I will not. I scented Anna too, Honor. You haven’t claimed her, and I will not pretend to be your friend until this matter is settled. I Challenge you.”

  “A Challenge? Are you shitting me right now?” Honor pushed his hands through his messy hair and ran them down his face. Today couldn’t get more complicated. He looked back at Derek and snarled. “She’s going to pick me, man. Let it go. I was with her for hours before she let you out of that cell.” And I claimed her when I saw her naked in the woods. His animal fought silently.

  “Then why didn’t she smell like you claimed her?” Derek had obviously moved past discontentment and was pissed now. “You obvious slept with her last night since your scent was all over her, but no sex or claiming happened.”

  “I wasn’t just going to jump in bed with a scared woman, Derek. I thought she was there for the same reason the rest of the women are here. To breed. I wasn’t falling for that until I got her story. There wasn’t time to form that bond, but I plan on building that every second of every day I have with her.” Honor’s voice became deeper and his animal wanted to come out again. Needed too. He needed a distraction. “What’s your name, brother.” He looked over to the man who had handed him his pants. “Your animal is chocolate brown, right? Beautiful color, and pretty rare around here.”

  “Yeah, thanks man. My name is Samuel, Samuel Young. But my friends and family call me Sam.

  “Nice to meet you, Samuel.” Honor said calmly but couldn’t hold back the laughter that burst from his mouth and Sam punched him in the stomach before he burst with laughter, too. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry. Nice to meet you, SAM. Thanks for having our backs in there. Derek is grateful too. He’s just bitter.” Derek had turned his back and started toward the nursery and away from Honor. “Aren’t ya?” A finger shot up and he turned out of sight.

  After everything was said and done and the level was clear, there were five guards, four doctors, and one caregiver dead. They stacked the bodies behind the reception desk to get them out of the way of the babies and toddlers coming through. Three infants, twelve toddlers and six young kids in total. His men guarded the tiny, precious cargo in their arms, some carried two since the others were struggling with slippery toddlers. Honor laughed as he watched his friend Nick nearly drop one tyke on her head when she slipped off his shoulders as he attempted to wrangle another. He swooped down and snagged an ankle just in time

  “Stop laughing and help.” Nick begged. His brown eyes bore holes into Honor so he wouldn’t mistake his suggestion as a joke as he flipped his blond surfer hair out of his face. The guy may look like your average beach douche, but he was one badass fireman, and took his job to the next level.

  “What are you even doing here?” Honor questioned. Nick laughed and shrugged his shoulders.

  “I chased the wrong tail, dude.” He fumbled the toddler again. “It’s always the wrong tail, isn’t it?” Well, he had that right. “Here, take this one. She’s a hellion.” Nick tossed the fiery, red headed tot to Honor and her scent hit his nose like a ton of bricks.

  One sniff made his eyes go wide. “I’d know that scent anywhere.” He looked over to Nick and his face was confirmation enough. He’d scented her, too. “Well, I know who your daddy is,” he laughed, “and boy is he in for it. I can tell you’re about to turn his tiny world upside down.” He gave her a snuggle and held her tight to his body as she thrashed around trying to get out of his hold.

  Hi
s heart secretly sank for a moment as he looked at the tiny girl again and around the room. One of these could easily be his. He never willingly slept with any of the paid surrogates, but that didn’t stop them from forcing his seed from him the few times he’d been in here and refused to participate. All the children would have to be scented and returned to their families when they got home, and his heart soared as he thought about what this mission really meant. Mothers would hold their children for the first time. Fathers, most of them immature bachelors belonging to the smaller family units who lived outside of town, were caught the most being stupid or getting too close to the gate.

  After making sure all the children were accounted for and Barrett’s numbers were correct, they made their way downstairs to the lobby where Fire had been in charge of clearing. Fire gave Honor a whistle and he peeked his head out of the stairwell, signaling it was safe. He held the door open for the others and waited until the other four males were in the lobby before he stepped out from behind the metal door.

  “Hey! Think fast!” Honor threw the girl up high in the air and let Fire catch her before he could think about what was happening.

  “What the fuck man! You could have killed her! I could have dropped h—” His eyes widened when her scent finally hit his nose. He held the tiny girl out and looked at her eyes, light blue like his, and her hair the same fire red. He held her far enough out that she couldn’t playfully claw his face, which is what she was trying to do to Honor when he had her. He had to keep her near his waist like a satchel.

  “It’s faint, but it’s there.” Nick said, coming up on them. “Congratulations, it’s a girl.” They both laughed at Fire’s expense and gave his stunned friend a slap on the back. “And I’ll be damned if she ain’t a hellion just like you were. Your momma is gonna roll when she gets her eyes on that pretty little thing.” No one could miss Nick’s thick Texas drawl.

  Honor let Fire struggle inwardly with what just happened and searched the crowd for Anna. He found her checking out all the little young around the room, smiling at the babies, laughing at the squirmy toddlers with their handlers, and ducking at the tiny claws coming out every so often. She had a wonder about her, taking all this in so bravely. Knowing there were little animals inside each one of those tiny, seemingly harmless eyes and she didn’t even bat an eye to it. They were just perfect little things in her view, and that was all he needed to set his animal off again and his dick twitched. Seriously? You don’t even want kids right now. But you didn’t want a mate either and now look at you. She headed toward them now, getting her fill of babies.

  “Look at all of them,” she said amazed. “It’s been so long since I have been around so many little kids, and those babies! I just want to eat them up!” He looked at her, amused and she ran her eyes around. “They’re all so adventurous, aren’t they? And…. WHOA.” Her eyes went wide. “That’s a tiny little miniature you, you’ve got there, Fire.” He met her shocked gaze with his own and she laughed. The tiny toddler began crawling up Fire’s body without any help from him.

  “Yeah, I think she might be mine.” He looked down at her with pride as she struggled to get past his waist to his shoulders but didn’t give up until she was all the way on his shoulders and higher than all of them.

  Pointing at the little girl, now standing on Fire’s shoulders as if there was possibly a way to get even higher than she was, Anna’s curious gaze fell around the room. “I understand toddlers are a bit adventurous at times but what is going on here? Are you all usually like this as children?” Honor looked around the room knowing exactly what she meant. They were restless, energized.

  “It’s because they aren’t bonded with a blood relative. They need family and their animals are restless. They were more than likely always like this with their caregivers, unless they kept them drugged to tame them.” He looked at Fire and the little girl he was now wearing as a hat. “Take her into your arms, Fire. Hold her close. Her spirit will calm to yours.” He watched as his friend did what he suggested and took the wiggly girl down from his head and held her tight against his chest.

  She scratched and pushed and hit but Fire lowered his face down to the top of her head and let out a low rumble from his chest. The little girl slowly began to come around. She stopped hitting, stopped clawing, and as she settled into his arms and became comfortable there, she pressed her tiny ear to her father’s chest and began to make the same tiny rubble come from her own. Their animals began bonding immediately.

  “Ember.” Fire whispered out. “I want to name her Ember.”

  Honor put his hand on his friend’s shoulder and gripped the back of Fire’s neck holding him with the little girl between them. “You’re a natural.” Honor whispered in his ear. “But Janna is seriously going to kick your ass.” He boomed with a laugh and Fire punched him in the chest.

  “You’re an ass.” Fire laughed out. “Damn it. She really is gonna kick my ass, though.”

  Anna poke Fire’s side, as if they’d been friends for years, and teased him. “Whose Janna? Is she your girl? Is she going to leave you when you bring home a whole entire child?”

  Honor laughed with the light that came from Anna’s eyes. She was too happy in a stressful situation and he made a mental note to watch her closely. It was obvious she was running on adrenaline and when that failed her, she was going to have to come to terms with what was truly going on here.

  CHAPTER SIX

  “The SUV’s are heading this way.” Barrett called out from the lobby doors. We have room for everyone but it’s gonna be tight.” His all black military style uniform stood out against the white scrub sets the inmates were wearing. He was tall for a late teenager, seventeen maybe, and had the facial hair to match the other full bloods in the room. Anna didn’t feel scared being in a building with so many shifters in it. Why should she? They hadn’t given her a reason to fear but she wondered how people like them could live this long without anyone knowing their true nature.

  Anna checked on the unconscious woman that had been her kidnap mate. She’d been slowing coming around but was still out of it for the most part. She made a mental note to check on her wellbeing again when they got to where they were going. The woman was going in the first SUV so she could go straight to the hospital in the town where most of the shifters lived, Bestian Creek. Honor told her it was like a haven for all different kinds of shifters.

  After checking on the woman, she made her way from the lobby doors back to Honor and Fire. There were the occasional men that passed her and gave her one big sniff, figured out she was human, acted disgusted and would make a horrible comment on her career choices and how there are better ways to make money than popping out some shifter kids. It hadn’t bothered, at the start, but now she was starting to get offended by it, and the longer she was in this crowd waiting to get out of the compound the more her head began to ache. Did they hate all humans or was it just her? It was impossible to tell every single one of them she was kidnapped, she’d tried. No one seemed to care, though. When she made it back to Honor, she’d almost begun to lose her composure.

  “Are you okay?” Honor lowered himself to stare into her eyes, he had been preoccupied with Ember the last few minutes and she hadn’t wanted to bother them over a few insults.

  “I’m fine, I promise,” she lied and blew out a sigh. “It’s just that everyone here thinks I’m a damn prostitute and that couldn’t be further from the truth.” She needed to sit and found a rolling chair behind the front desk they had been leaning on. The guards that had been working the area were all lifeless and piled up in the locked office, so she didn’t think they would mind if she took their seat. Why did I just think that, like it's normal or something? She finally looked up to see Honor’s eyes on her every movement. It was a predatory look, as if he were stalking prey, stalking her. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “Like what?” He said accusingly, as if he hadn’t the slightest idea what she was talking about, and turned his
body to lean his back against the welcome desk again.

  “Like you were stalking prey.” She nudged his arm to make him look at her again. “I’m not dumb, Honor. And I’m not your breakfast either.” She giggled, letting him know she wasn’t afraid of him or his looks. “You can’t eat me.” She clapped both hands over her mouth and prayed he didn’t hear that. But by the way his body slowly turned back around to her she knew he had.

  “Can’t eat you, huh? You sure?” His eyebrow shot up and he gave her a devilish smile that made her seam slick and if he kept it up, she would be soaked through her pajama shorts soon.

  He inhaled once and hopped over the tall desk in one leap. Picked her up from the chair, and before she knew It, her back was against the wall and she was riding his forearm like a bicycle seat, while his other hand slipped up her body and he gently caressed her face with his fingers. His thumb slowly swiping her lips and dragging it down flicking her bottom one. He looked in her eyes and down the full lips he had just tempted with his thumb. His chest began to make that sexy low rumble and he leaned in closer, his breath fanning over her mouth. “If I were a better man, I would stop this now and let you walk away.” He rested his forehead on hers.

  “Be a better man, then.” A deep husky voice growled from beside them. It was Derek. “You aren’t allowed to touch her, Honor. You know that.”

  “This male seems to think he loves you, Anna. After one sniff., he has laid claim to your body.” Honor was trying to embarrass him, she could tell that even with her human senses, but Derek wasn’t budging. “But it doesn’t matter.”

  “Why doesn’t that matter?” She questioned. Derek was attractive. He had a kind face and aside from the commotion of the day she could tell he liked to have fun and could hear his booming laugh halfway across the room full of people. Heat flooded her cheeks as she looked at the man she had released from his cell. He was obviously into her, she wasn’t a moron, but Honor didn’t have to make this a scene.