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  Marked by the Wolf

  By

  Sassa Daniels

  Copyright © 2020 by Stormy Night Publications and Sassa Daniels

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Published by Stormy Night Publications and Design, LLC.

  www.StormyNightPublications.com

  Daniels, Sassa

  Marked by the Wolf

  Cover Design by Korey Mae Johnson

  Images by Shutterstock/S Buwert, Shutterstock/Fernando Cortes, and Shutterstock/welcomia

  This book is intended for adults only. Spanking and other sexual activities represented in this book are fantasies only, intended for adults.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  More Stormy Night Books by Sassa Daniels

  Sassa Daniels Links

  Chapter One

  An ear-splitting crack echoed through the still of the night.

  A gunshot? Heart pounding, Lisa jumped into her car and waited until Maddie, the woman she’d come here to rescue, got into the passenger seat. Then Lisa slammed the car into gear and took off along the narrow road, away from Glenlogie Lodge.

  “You’ll be safe now,” Lisa said, trying to reassure herself as much as Maddie. “I promise. I’ll get you somewhere safe. Nobody will hurt you. I won’t let them.”

  “I don’t understand,” Maddie looked confused, still half-asleep after Lisa had woken her and dragged her from the house.

  “You will.”

  Lisa wasn’t sure how to explain it all. For months now, she’d been working for a secretive organization, the Knights of St. Francis. She’d done some research on the MacDonald family, who they suspected of being the last pack of wolf-shifters in Scotland. Everything Lisa had discovered pointed to them being correct. She’d spied on the family for months, gathering information about their home their habits, the history of the family...

  When she discovered her colleague, Maddie, was a potential shifter’s mate, Lisa had inadvertently landed her in danger. The Knights had tried to kill Maddie but Finn MacDonald, the pack alpha, had swooped in and taken her for himself. Lisa had no idea what would happen to Maddie but she was sure it wouldn’t be good. So she’d come out here, to the MacDonalds’ estate in the middle of nowhere, without backup to try to rescue her. If they could make it to the main road, she might succeed.

  As they sped along the road, neither woman spoke. Lisa gripped the steering wheel to keep her hands from shaking. Suddenly a large canine form appeared from the shadows in front of them. Lisa slammed on the brakes. Her heart pounded as she looked into the gleaming eyes of the wolf that stood on the road ahead, blocking their escape.

  “Go around it!” Maddie shrieked.

  Lisa shook her head.

  “I can’t.”

  She was utterly transfixed. She stared straight ahead, into the darkness, as the wolf moved toward the car. Before she could so much as blink, her door was ripped open and she was pulled from her seat. A tall, broad-shouldered man she recognized as Ross MacDonald picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. Fear held her so tightly in its grip, she barely registered he was completely naked. He’d transformed from wolf to man. She’d always believed it and now she had proof—shifters did exist.

  Ross carried her toward the house and she suddenly realized how much danger she was in. Wriggling furiously, she tried to escape his grasp. She kicked out, hoping he would drop her. It was useless. He was far too strong. As he opened a door and began a long descent into darkness, the thought crossed her mind she might never see the light of day again. Terror took hold and tears began to fall. Nobody was coming to her rescue. She was completely at this man’s mercy.

  A high-pitched electronic bleep that signaled the unlocking of the door brought Lisa back to the here and now. Although she could see nothing with a thick blindfold pressing against her eyes, a quiet hum told Lisa a light had been switched on. She lifted her head to listen as someone came into the room. The footsteps told her it was a man and the sudden lurch of her stomach told her it was Ross MacDonald. A cool breeze wafted in from the corridor behind him to caress her bare flesh and she couldn’t suppress a shiver. Damn it! She didn’t want him to think she was afraid, even if fear was the predominant emotion swirling inside her right now.

  As her captor drew nearer to the bed she sat on, Lisa caught a whiff of his manly musk on the air. The masculine energy he exuded was intense, overwhelming, and despite her intention to remain stoic, panic surged through her. Tugging sharply, she fought to free her wrists from the metal shackles that pinned her to the rough stone wall.

  “Stop that!” a stern voice commanded. “You’ll hurt yourself.”

  She doubted he’d care if she did. The man who’d stripped her bare, bound her with arms stretched painfully overhead, and left her without so much as a blanket to ward off the cold wasn’t likely to worry about her chafing her skin. Binding her like this had been completely unnecessary but every move he made was clearly designed to reinforce the power he held over her. There’d been no reason to take her clothes other than to humiliate her and chaining her up so securely when the door was locked anyway was just one more reminder she was his prisoner.

  It had also been pointless to blindfold her when she already knew who he was, but it was yet another means of stripping away her defenses. Making her so acutely aware of her vulnerability was his way of ensuring her compliance and, for the most part, the tactic was working. The last thing she wanted was to fight the man who held her captive. She’d done extensive research on Ross MacDonald and his family, or should that be his pack? They were, after all, the last wolf-shifters in Scotland.

  Ross was the beta, the family enforcer who carried out whatever dirty work his powerful cousin, Finn, needed him to do. He was capable of committing acts most men would flinch from and Lisa was painfully aware Ross would hurt her without a second thought to protect his alpha’s interests. She wasn’t sure how she was going to play this yet, but she planned to avoid aggravating him at all costs.

  As his hand brushed her cheek, Lisa stiffened. His touch was almost tender, and that threw her off balance. His fingertips trailed lightly over her skin, mapping the contours of her face. He cupped her cheek as a lover would, then slid his hand behind her head. He curved his fingers around the back of her neck and his breath whispered over her lips as though he was about to kiss her. Lisa froze, waiting for his mouth to press against hers. Instead, he took off the blindfold and moved away. Assaulted by sudden brightness, Lisa blinked furiously. Her eyes watered as they adjusted to the harsh fluorescent lights.

  Eventually, Ross came into focus. He was sitting on a wooden chair, drawn up close to the bed. His pose was relaxed but his eyes were sharp, alert to danger. He was stunning; no other word would do him justice. She’d seen him many times before, but only at a distance. She’d photographed him, documenting his movements, and then put his picture up on the wall in her home office. Like some love-struck teenager, s
he’d spend hours admiring every inch of his impressive physique. The man filled a Savile Row suit better than any runway model.

  She’d allowed herself to imagine being taken by him. She’d fantasized about him barging into her office and fucking her over the desk. In the dead of night, she’d used her fingers to make herself come as she pictured him stripping off her panties and sliding his cock into her. Nothing had prepared her for the fierce jolt of arousal she experienced seeing him up close for the first time, though. When he’d dragged her from the car last night and brought her to this room, it had been dark, and she’d caught only glimpses of him. Now, though, she took her time to note every detail.

  It was the luminescence of his skin that surprised her the most. The man practically glowed. Between that and the boyish mop of hair that said he didn’t give a shit about appearances, he looked younger than his thirty-five years. The apparently casual style was no doubt the result of careful grooming. Lisa doubted there was anything haphazard about the man. His shirt and pants fitted perfectly, confirming her suspicion they were tailored especially for him, and he wore a beautiful gold watch on his left wrist. His perfect bow mouth was twisted into an arrogant smirk, but his dark eyes were so soulful it would be easy to forget what a dangerous creature he was.

  While she examined him closely, his eyes raked over her in turn. She wished she could cover herself. She wasn’t exactly the stuff of male fantasy with her small breasts and skinny hips. More than one boyfriend had complained about her lack of curves in the past. It was hardly her fault she was so thin. She ate like a horse and rarely exercised but nature had built her this way.

  A frown formed on Ross’s face as he stared at her woefully small breasts. Imagining the cruel thoughts going through his head, Lisa scowled until he finally raised his eyes to meet hers.

  “Are you ready to talk to me now?” he asked.

  Lisa nodded. She had nothing to hide and, in all honesty, if he’d given her the chance to talk when he first dragged her down here, she’d have been happy to answer his questions. Although it was likely to be an uncomfortable conversation it would have been preferable to sitting down here alone and in darkness wondering if he was ever coming back.

  “If you promise to be a good girl, I’ll untie you.”

  Good girl? That made her want to tell him where to shove his offer, but her arms were aching, and she desperately needed to be freed from these restraints. She nodded again, not yet ready to test out her voice. With such a dry throat, she doubted she’d manage more than an embarrassing growl.

  She sucked in a breath as Ross got up and leaned over her to unfasten the metal shackles. Her nose filled with his masculine scent and a shudder of desire rippled through her. If the self-satisfied chuckle he gave was any indication, he knew she was affected by his presence. Her cheeks reddened. He was unlikely to reciprocate the attraction she felt for him. She was no match for the glamorous women she’d seen him with.

  The thoughts she shouldn’t be having about a man who was holding her prisoner were pushed to one side as Ross freed her wrists and she was able to move again. The muscles in her arms had seized and as she lowered them she grimaced in pain. To her surprise, Ross perched on the edge of the bed and rubbed her shoulders until she felt less stiff. The considerate gesture confused her, and she suspected that was his intention. He would try to confound her expectations until he got what he wanted from her.

  “Is that better?” he asked.

  Lisa nodded and cleared her throat.

  “You need a drink?” Ross reached over to a low table by the bed. Picking up a small carton of apple juice he must have brought in with him, he poked a straw into it. He held it to her lips, and she took a long sip. It was just what she needed. “Okay?” he asked solicitously as he took the juice box away.

  “Yes, thank you.”

  He flashed her an indulgent smile and handed her a granola bar with raisins. It wasn’t her food of choice, but grateful for any sustenance, she took a bite.

  “So, what’s your story, then?” Ross asked conversationally as though holding a naked woman captive was nothing out of the ordinary. He settled back on his chair and tilted his head as though trying to work her out. “A werewolf killed your family and you’re out for revenge, is that it?”

  His mocking tone told Lisa not to expect any further kindness from him.

  “What?” she asked as a stalling tactic while she tried to work out what to tell him.

  “Come on, Dr. Hunter, let’s not mess about. You saw me shifting before I dragged you out of your car and you didn’t seem shocked. I’ve also known about you for some time. I’ve been in your home and I know all about your little surveillance operation. So, I’ll ask you again, what’s your story? Why are you looking to hurt us?”

  “I’m not,” she protested. “I’m just an academic. I have nothing against shifters.”

  Ross narrowed his eyes and she knew he didn’t believe her.

  “If that’s true, how did you get involved with the Knights of St. Francis?”

  Lisa looked up at him when he mentioned the organization she’d managed to get herself entangled with.

  If she’d had more sense, she’d have sent Simon and Mark packing the moment they first approached her. Ever since she was a child, she’d heard stories about the Knights and their mission to eradicate wolf-shifters. Some of their tactics seemed a bit extreme to her but she’d agreed that people like Ross had no place in the modern world. The men had made her uneasy—Mark, in particular—but she hadn’t thought they were dangerous, so she’d listened to what they had to say.

  “And?” Ross’s tone was impatient.

  “They approached me as an academic.”

  “Ah, yes, you’re a folklorist, right?”

  “Cultural historian,” she corrected, “but yes, most of my research is in folk belief.”

  “So you’re an expert on werewolves, are you?”

  “I know a bit.”

  Actually, Lisa knew a lot, but it wasn’t the main focus of her work. Her academic expertise was in ancient stories about faeries, but she decided not to tell Ross about that. He wouldn’t be the first person to mock her fascination with those otherworldly beings.

  “Go on.”

  “My grandfather wrote a book about wolf lore back in the seventies. They admired his work and thought I might share his interest.”

  “Your grandfather?”

  “Archibald Scott.”

  Ross snorted derisively and she knew immediately he’d heard of her grandfather, who’d written a lurid history of shapeshifters. Her grandfather had speculated about werewolves roaming the hills around Glenlogie and that they had been responsible for a terrible massacre here in the Middle Ages. His suppositions had been widely ridiculed.

  “So you grew up with tales of murderous wolf-shifters?”

  “Yes.” Lisa grimaced. “The book ruined my grandfather’s academic reputation and he tended to rant about it. I’ve always known people like you existed, but I’ve never condoned violence against your kind.”

  “Yet you still joined the Knights of St. Francis?”

  “I didn’t join them. I just agreed to do some work for them. I thought what they wanted me to do was interesting from an anthropological point of view and they were offering a lot of money...”

  “They paid you?”

  The disgust in his voice was clear and Lisa’s spine stiffened with indignation.

  “Not me personally. They paid for several research projects in my department. We’re a small university. We don’t get the big endowments other institutions do, and their money helped pay the wages for...”

  “Okay, I get it,” Ross interrupted, his impatience clear, “you did it for the good of academia. Now, what exactly did they pay you to do?”

  She took a deep breath. It felt so strange sitting here talking like this when she wasn’t wearing a stitch of clothing.

  “They wanted me to go over my grandfather’s notes and see i
f I could expand upon the stories he included in his book. They also wanted me to do some research into what’s been going on in your family in more recent years. I didn’t see the harm at first.”

  “And then?”

  “Well, I read something about signs that mark a woman as an ideal mate for a shifter and I realized my colleague...”

  “Maddie?” Ross interjected, as though there could be any doubt about who she was referring to.

  “Yes, I realized Maddie fit the description. I’d always thought her eyes were an unusually bright amber, but I didn’t know that was significant until I saw something scribbled in one of my grandfather’s notes. When I mentioned her eyes to the Knights, they wanted to know more about her, so I told them where she lived, her work habits, things like that.”

  It was after she’d told them about Maddie MacKinnon that she’d begun to have serious doubts about the men she’d got herself involved with. Their fanaticism had really begun to show. Lisa was horrified at the lengths they were prepared to go to. While she might support the idea of shifters becoming extinct naturally, she could never condone murder.

  “Did they tell you to come here to snatch Maddie? Were they meant to provide a distraction while you crept in?”

  Lisa had no idea what he was talking about. She’d come here alone to try to get Maddie to safety.

  “No, coming to Glenlogie was my idea. I thought Maddie was in danger and I wanted to get her as far away from them, and you, as possible.”

  “You thought we’d hurt her?”

  Ross sounded insulted by the very idea, but Lisa had feared what they might do. Everything they’d learned about the MacDonald pack told her they were ruthless.

  “Perhaps.”

  “She’s my alpha’s mate,” Ross said. “We’ll protect her to our last breaths if we have to.”

  The vehemence in his voice told Lisa he meant it and she felt a fool for coming to rescue Maddie from the place she was probably safest. In the process, she’d landed herself in danger.

  “I notice you haven’t asked about your friends,” Ross continued.