The evening of her 18th birthday Liberty's wolf comes forward and frees the young slave from the abusive Alpha Kendrick. He should have known he was playing with fire, waiting for the girl to come of age before he claimed her. He knew if he didnt, she would most likely die. The pain and suffering she had already endured at his hands would be the tip of the iceburg if her wolf, Justice, didnt help her break free. LIberty wakes up in the home of The Alpha twins from a near by pack, everyone knows the Blacks are even more depraved than Alpha Kendrick. Liberty's life seems to be one cruel joke after another. How has she managed to escape one abuser and land right in the bed of two monsters?

freedom

Liberty POV

The deep booming thunder rumbles overhead and a static charge lingers in the air around me. Rain punishingly beats down on my raw exposed skin, stinging my torn flesh, every droplet sending ripples of pain through me. At least the pain will end soon. Another ominous rumble fills the sky. I lift my heavy eyes open to take one last look at the world before death sweeps me away. Two of the same face, blurred by the heavy rain, illuminated by the light of an electric blue lightning bolt, float in front of me. He has come back, come back to make sure I’m dead, to make sure nobody will find out the powerful Alpha Kendrick was refused by an insignificant orphaned she wolf.

“I’ve got you little one, I've got you.” The ground falls from beneath me and two thick, warm arms lift my aching body from the dirt. Just let me die here, please, let the pain end. Darkness engulfs me before the words can escape and I wait for the only freedom I’ll ever know.

Christian POV

“My best guess is her first shift was only hours before you found her. Her bones had just started healing but she took a severe beating before losing consciousness. She has lacerations covering eighty percent of her body, most likely from a silver whip, they aren’t healing as quickly as we might expect.” Dr Wood’s words fill the room, but all I can hear are the slow, steady breaths of the little she wolf in the bed. I probably should have left Zand to speak to the doctor, he is far better at reining in his wolf than I.

“When will she wake up?” I demand, my eyes watching her chest rise and fall. I can see him out of the corner of my eye, nervously looking from me to the floor.

“I don’t... know that she... will, Alpha. The damage is extensive and there is still a high concentration of silver in her blood.” He holds his breath and braces himself. My wolf howls inside my head. When we get our hands on whoever did this they will pay with their life. His anger almost bubbles to the surface, threatening to take control, to tear the place apart with grief. It should have definitely been Zander here instead of me.

“Leave now, all of you.” I growl at the doctor and his staff whilst pushing my wolf down, fighting to keep control. The door clicks shut after everyone exists in a flurry of white coats.

I sit back in the chair my brother and I have occupied for the last 4 days, and watch, it’s all I’ve been able to do. Watch her chest move with every breath, waiting for her to open her eyes. She doesn’t have the scent of a rogue. No rogue would be stupid enough to stray so far into our territory. They know the guards would kill them without question, our zero tolerance policy is non negotiable.

When we found her laying in the mud out in the forest we thought she was dead. I caught the sweet scent of jasmine and honey and Zand and I split from the rest of the patrol to investigate. Her naked body was bloody and beaten, claw marks and bruises littered her thighs, long slices whipped into her back and chest. Her lip was split, both eyes swollen and bruised and her fragile little body was limp and lifeless when I held her to me. The memory makes my blood run cold. You see, as soon as Zander and I looked into her eyes, for just that brief moment, we knew. She is our mate. We had only just found her and she was about to be taken from us. Little mate is strong my wolf, Max, tells me, I don’t know if he is trying to convince me, or himself.

“Zand, you need to come and sit with her, I need to go for a run.” I reach out to my twin over the mind link.

“I’ll be right there.” Whenever one of us sits with her, the other is never far. We have spent the days since finding her out there, trying to find out who she is, where she is from, but we don’t have a single lead.

Zander

Liberty POV

Everything aches, my whole body feels like it’s being crushed, like he is laying back on top of me, forcing the air out of my lungs. This isn’t what I expected freedom to feel like. I can feel my legs throbbing, and pain shoots through my ribs as I breathe. I’m breathing, I’m not dead. They found me and brought me back to Kendrick. He will surely try again, he will never stop as long as I’m alive. Nobody refuses Alpha Nick Kendrick.

We aren’t free, we mustn’t let him see, Liberty. He mustn’t see we want to be free or he will never end it. Justice reasons as she whines inside my head. I’m not used to hearing her voice. I’ve felt her presence since I was a child but the first time she spoke to me was the night I turned 18. The night she came forward for the first time and I shifted into my wolf form. Justice is strong. So much stronger than me, she is the one who fled Kendrick’s territory, who helped take my mind away from the pain when his warrior’s hunted me down and tore at my flesh.

Zander POV

Her breathing changes and her eyes move beneath her eyelids. She is awake. I think about calling Dr Wood in but decide against it. I need a few minutes alone with her, I need to see that she is OK. Most of all I need to find out who did this to her. Christian almost lost his shit with half the staff earlier and they have been keeping their distance ever since.

“Good morning little one.” I look down at her as I stand beside her bed, she stops breathing and the scent of her fear fills the room. Why won’t she open her eyes? She has such beautiful deep, emerald green eyes.

“You are safe here, there is no need to fear me.” I wait for a moment. I desperately want to scoop her into my arms and shelter her from the world, let her know she is safe with us. Even now I’m still jealous that Christian has held her. It’s stupid I know. My fingers brush her long auburn hair away from her face. Her skin is so soft, she finally has some colour in her cheeks.

“Christian, she is waking up.” I tell my brother over the link. He would never forgive me if he missed the chance to talk to her.

“Please, don’t tell Alpha Kendrick I’m awake yet.” A tear rolls down her cheek, from her still closed eyes. Her voice is so soft I barely heard her. Kendrick, she is from Kendrick’s pack. He will pay for letting someone harm our little mate, if he doesn’t find the wolves responsible and kill them, we will. Caleb paces in my head, growling with rage. She thinks she is still in Shadow Ridge.

“You aren’t in Shadow Ridge little one. We found you when we were on patrol.” She finally starts breathing again and her eyes flicker open. “I’m Alpha Zander Black.”

Her eyes widen and she takes me in and the look of pure terror sucks the life right out of me. That look is one I relish on the face of my enemies, not her, not out little mate.

“You should have left me.” Fresh tears roll down to her hair and she winces as she rolls away to face the window and pulls her legs up to her chest.

Christian

Liberty POV

Another Alpha. How does this keep happening to us Justice? We get so close and have it snatched away. What’s worse is the Black’s have a worse reputation than Kendrick. Everyone at home knows they are ruthless, their father fought the previous Alpha and tore his still beating heart clean from his chest. When he claimed the pack and added it to his own he trained his warriors to be nothing more than blood thirsty barbarians. Even rogues dare not step foot on Pine Lake territory. Now his twin sons have taken their place as joint Alpha’s, twins sharing a pack has never been heard of, Kendrick was always howling about how unnatural it is. How did I find myself here? Of all the places in the world, it had to be here.

“Left you? What the fuck?” He growls behind me but I’m too tired to worry about what he will do. Hopefully his anger will pay off and he will finish what the others started. His warm hand sends sparks down my arm as it comes to rest on my shoulder. He pulls gently, until I’m looking back up at him, his deep blue eyes capture mine. Something small tugs inside me, but it’s soon pushed down by the pain throbbing in my head.

“Is she OK?” A deep, panting voice fills the room. Another looming figure approaches and my breath catches in my throat as another pair of piercing blue eyes stares down at me. I feel like I’m seeing double. Another hand grazes my cheek as it sweeps hair away from my face. More sparks tingle beneath my skin and my breath catches in my throat.

“How are you feeling little one?” He smiles down at me and his thumb brushes over my bottom lip.

Christian POV

“She said we should have left her. She is from Shadow Ridge.” Zander fills me in over the link.

“Kendrick, that colossal prick. You don’t think he is at it again?” I ask him. I can barely get the thought out.

“She is scared of something, she was crying, asking not to let Kendrick know she is awake.” The tension in Zanders voice let’s me know his suspicion. Kendrick is known among the Alphas to be a sadistic bastard. He rejected his mate over a decade ago and there had been rumours of a steady stream of young she-wolves going missing from his pack. Some people suspected he was taking them, abusing them, and casting them out or executing them when he was done. A few years ago he was confronted by our father and some of our allies and no girls have been reported missing from his pack since. We assumed he took the warning seriously.

“You don’t need to go back to Shadow Ridge, if you don’t want to.” I can clearly see suspicion in her eyes as she takes in what I’m saying. There is no way on Earth Zand and I will be letting her out of our sight. Little mate is staying here, why are you giving her a choice to leave us? Max growls in my head. Take it easy Max, we can’t make her feel backed into a corner. She obviously doesn’t know what she is to us.

“You can stay here as long as you like, you are safe with us little one.” Zand tells her as he walks around the bed. He sits in the chair next to her on the far side and I pull the other chair closer to where I’m stood.

“What’s your name?” Zander asks. She won’t look at either of us, just stares blankly at the ceiling. It’s killing me inside, I know Zand feels the same. Our parents have always suspected we might share a mate. I never really believed it. Twins don’t often survive infancy among our kind so there isn’t much information about twins and the mate bond. We are used to sharing everything in life, even sharing responsibility for our pack, so a mate wasn’t really much of a stretch.

sparks

Liberty POV

Why do they keep calling us little one, it’s infuriating. Justice growls. It’s nice having someone to talk to. Justice is fierce, she tells me I’m strong, like her. She wants us to be free. Not kind of free I dream of, the kind that has the earth beneath our feet, nobody chasing us, living our life, far far away from here. Without justice I would never have gotten away from that place.

The two Alphas have been sat beside me for hours. I daren’t look at them. Every time I do something inside me makes me want to make them happy, to answer their questions. I can’t give in, it will only make me weak, the more they know, the higher the chance of them sending me back. Kendrick doesn’t take kindly to people keeping his things from him. I accepted my fate when I refused him. Then Justice came forward and almost tore his arm off before he could finish his disgusting assault. Hearing his blood curdling scream was the best thing that had ever happened to me. I hope he is left disfigured and dysfunctional for the rest of his life. Perhaps it will give the next girl a better chance of escaping. We would be free, one way or another.

“What’s your name?” the Alpha on my right asks. I try to distract myself by counting the beeps from the machine beside me. Anything to take my mind off them. They keep asking my name, telling me I don’t have to go back. I wish I could believe them. All Alphas are the same, if they don’t send me back to Kendrick, it’s because they want something from me. Why else would they keep me here?

“Kendrick is going to pay for this, I swear I will tear him limb from limb.” One of the twins growls beside me.

“You are going to wake her.” The other twin whispers.

“Zand, we can’t lose her.” The first twin takes my hand in his and sparks fizz up my arm. The second twin takes my other hand and a wave of warmth ripples down my spine. Justice whines in my head. I don’t think they are like him. They feel different, they feel safe. Maybe we could see what they want. She tries to reason with me. She has a point. They haven’t tried to hurt us yet, if anything they have watched over us. Probably making sure their new toy doesn’t try to escape.

“My name..” my throat is raspy and dry, I’ve not spoken out loud for days, “is Liberty.” I finish. Both sets of eyes fall on me, stunned. When I open my eyes their faces are gazing down at me as they lean over my bed. The light above casts strong shadows on their square jaws. Their cropped black hair is identical, except one of them has a thin, shiny silver scar that runs from his eyebrow, across the side of his head.

illusion of safety?

“Let us help you little one.” One of them says, as his arm slides behind my shoulders and lifts me to sit. The other holds a glass of water with a straw for me to have a drink. The cold liquid quenches a thirst I didn’t even know I had. When it hits my empty stomach it feels like icicles being plunged into me. I wince before I can think to hide my discomfort. I’m not a stranger to hunger pains, but this was sharp and unexpected. I can’t show weakness, weakness is not acceptable, Alphas beat the weakness out of the pack. Kendrick would tie pack members to the pole outside the pack house and have their family and friends deliver the punishment. It was brutal to hear. He never took me to the pole. If people knew I was there he might have to share me, “Do you want me to share you.” He would leer in my face, his putrid breath making my stomach turn. No, my punishments were private and sadistic. No whip for me, no cane, hell I would have rather been dipped in wolfsbane and had had my skin peeled than what he did.

“Thank you.” I whisper. My legs ache and throb as I shuffle back so that I can lean against the head board. For the first time I take a look around. I had assumed I was in hospital but I have never seen a hospital like this. The huge floor to ceiling windows flood the room with natural light, framed by deep grey heavy silk curtains which are bordered with intricate silver embroidery. The bed I’m in is much larger than I realised too. I could easily roll over three times from the middle and still not fall off the edge. Along one of the light grey walls is a beautifully carved, antique wooden dressing table, the mirror casts light from the window up at the ceiling. Chests of drawers beside it have little piles of books, candles, vases full of flowers and most curiously, two wolf teddies. One of them is silver, the other pitch black.

“Am I in someone’s bedroom?” I ask, panic rising in my throat.

“What, no little one. You are in a guest room in our home. The doctor and some nurses have been coming to check on you, but …” one of the twins starts

“We thought you might be more comfortable here and it is easier for us to keep you safe at home than it would be at the hospital.” The other twin finishes.

“After we found you in the state you were in, we thought it best to take all the precautions we could.” The first twin adds. I really should probably try to remember their names.

I really think we can trust them Liberty, look at how well they would look after a complete stranger. Maybe the things Kendrick said weren’t true. He is the one we can’t trust. Justice calmly reasons. She is so keen to just let them in. She could be right, or maybe they want something from Kendrick in exchange for returning me to him.

“Did you mean it when you said I don’t have to go back?” I hug my knees to my chest and look from one striking face to the other. The bed dips either side of me as the twins sit looking down at me. Even with them sitting I have to crane my neck back to look up at them properly, they must both be almost seven feet tall. I never considered myself short, but these two are built like trees, and just as sturdy looking. There is no way I’ll be able to escape the two of them, even with Justice.

“Yes, little one, we mean it.” the first twin smiles and his warm hand gently cups my chin. I flinch and close my eyes tight, waiting for the burn when his other fist connects with my face. It doesn’t come.

“Shit, this is fucked up. I’m not going to hurt you.” He starts with a growl but his voice softens at the end.

“You are welcome here for as long as you like.” The second twin strokes a finger down my cheek. Both of their eyes sparkle and for a fleeting moment I forget about wanting to be free. I feel safe for the first time since I was dragged from my Mother’s cold arms. Safe is an illusion though, the only real safety is in death.

silver marble

Zander’s POV

“Why don’t you get some more rest, then when you feel up to it you could join us downstairs for dinner.” I let go of her chin and hope I’m not pushing our luck.

“We can get some clothes brought here for you but for now, there is a T-shirt and sweatshirt here for you.” Christian hands her an item of clothing from each of us. It will be easier for her to realise she is ours if she gets used to our scent. She holds up my T-shirt as if checking the length and chuckles for the fist time. The sound is like honey balm for the soul, I want to hear her chuckle more often. My brother and I both look at her, wondering what’s funny.

“Thank you, these will probably come down to my knees.” Her smile gives me hope. Whatever the asshole put her through might not have entirely broken her spirit.

“Bathroom is through that door. Take your time.” I point at the door then Christian and I both stand to leave. I desperately want to kiss her, to smell her hair, scoop her off the bed and take her in the bathroom to look after her myself.

“Quit fantasising and leave already, or she will never come down.” Christian hisses over the mind link.

“I think we should call Lottie over for dinner, maybe she can find out what happened. Caleb can’t handle seeing her look at us like we are going to hurt her.” Our little sister is around the same age, she has an annoying talent for getting people to open up and bare their soul without them knowing. Goddess knows she has gotten inside our heads often enough. In all honesty, I think she is quite enjoying our inner turmoil, she has never seen us have to practise self restraint, having our mat right under our noses is proving to be a challenge unlike any other.

Liberty’s POV

The twins leave the room and I take a moment to gather myself. My toes sink into the pile of the soft carpet, it’s a stark contrast to the rough, rusty metal grid they have become accustomed to. Everything is so different here. Even the fresh pine smell that fills my head with every breath is overwhelming. Nothing like the stale sweat and cigar smoke that clung to the walls in Kendrick's dingy room.

The bathroom is huge, sliver marbled tiles on the wall glitter and glint. A tub big enough for 4 normal people stands in front of more floor to ceiling windows, the twins would probably almost fill it on their own. Grey stone steps, the width of the room, lead down to what I assume is the shower. There is no screen or tap, only a honeycomb series of holes in the ceiling. I have no idea how to turn it on. I don’t belong here, I can’t even work something as simple as a shower. I’ll just go and thank them for everything and leave. It’s for the best. If they really aren’t planning on sending me back, Kendrick will come for me, he never gives up when he has his sights set one something. Someone has already cleaned the blood off me and put me in a t-shirt. They must have seen everything, all the punctures , the welts from the chains, its humiliating, being so weak.

The stairs groan quietly as I make my way down. We can’t run forever, we don’t even know where to go. I won’t let you kill us. I push Justice to the back of my mind. She doesn’t know how cruel the world is, she wasn’t there when that chain tore my flesh and sprayed the walls with my blood or when he pinned me to the floor by my throat until I was sure my head would explode whilst he sank his teeth into my thighs. She doesn’t get to choose for me.

“That was quick little one.” Two pairs of eyes look over at me from the stove. The one with the scar, Alpha Zander, I think, slowly closes the distance between us. He treads lightly, like he is approaching a baby deer, making me feel like prey.

“Did you not want a shower, we thought it might help with the aching?” Christian asks. He has stopped stirring whatever is in the pot, the smell is indescribable, my mouth waters and hunger briefly overrides my decision to leave. Zander is close enough for the heat of his body to warm my own. He doesn’t touch me, only waits. His chest expands under the tight fitting black t-shirt, muscles and tattoos spill from the collar and sleeves. I thought Kendrick was intimidating in stature but he doesn’t compare to these two.

“I... erm.. I didn’t know how... to work it.” I look to the floor, my hair swings over my face, helping to hide the flush rising in my cheeks.

“Come, I’ll help you.” Alpha Zander holds his hand out to me. This isn’t the plan.

“Thank you for helping me. But I should leave. He will come for me and I can’t be here. He will tear your pack apart to get me back.” Alpha Zander lifts my chin with his finger, sparks fizz beneath my skin and my breath gets stuck behind the lump in my throat.

“Even Alpha Kendrick isn’t foolish enough to trespass here, as long as you are here, you are safe little one.” Alpha Christian growls from the other side of the room. Now he is angry, his eyes flash with fury and his knuckles turn white as he balls his fists at his sides. I can’t tear my eyes away from them, if I look away I won’t know where to prepare for the blows to land. It’s always easier to cope if I can see what’s coming. I hate the unknown, it didn’t take Kendrick long to realise my weakness and start blindfolded me during his assaults.

tender

Zander’s POV

“You are fucking terrifying her Chris, go for a run and calm the fuck down.” My unspoken words seem to pull him back. We are both beyond livid about the abuse she has obviously suffered, but Max is the wilder of our wolves and he is out for blood. The only way to calm him is to let him free in the woods.

“I’ll be back soon.” He replies before almost ripping the door from the frame and shifting into his monstrous, pitch black wolf. He leaps from the back deck into the woods and disappears from sight in seconds.

Liberty wobbles on her feet and I catch her in my arms just before she hits the floor. My heart races when she buries her face against chest and her silent tears soak my t-shirt. Caleb is beside himself with joy, only because she isn’t fighting me to put her down.

“Let me help you little one.” My pleas seem to fall on deaf ears as I take the stairs two at a time, back to her bathroom. Christian and I have had this room ready for years. Since we realised we would share a mate we agreed we couldn’t live with splitting her between us, we would both be with her all the time.

I plant her feet on the floor in the recess of the floor under the shower.

“Lift your arms.” I take the hem of the t-shirt and lift it up slowly.

“I won’t touch you until you want me to, I only want to look after you.” I reassure her gently. Her arms lift above her head. I have to fight to keep Caleb at bay as my eyes take in the vivid green and yellow bruises that litter her thighs, the fucker has left his teeth marks all over her soft, pale skin. As I peel the top higher I fight with my body not to show my natural reaction to having her so close, so exposed. Her ribs are clearly visible beneath her almost translucent skin, silver and pink marks wrap around her tiny body, scars from being beaten with a chain.

“Turn.” I tell her after discarding the top on the floor at the top of the steps. When she is finally facing away from me, the anger I’ve been holding down bubbles up onto my face. Her back is divided by the nodules of her spine, more silver and pink scars cut across from one side to the other. I carefully take hold of her hair, without touching her skin, and place it over her shoulder so I can see all of her. Her hands have moved to cover her breasts and most privet area, and her body trembles and rocks as I survey the damage. Sixty seven lashes across her back. I make a mental note, Kendrick will suffer a pain worse than death for every single injury I see on her body. I wave my hand in front of the sensor and warm water tumbles from the ceiling.

“It’s so warm and tickles.” A hint of a smile pushes past her embarrassment.

“Of course, haven’t you ever had a shower.” I ask, perplexed by her statement of the obvious.

“Not since I was very small. Kendrick would just chuck a bucket of cold water at me, scrub me with a rough brush, soak me again and leave me. I forgot how nice the warm water feels.” She moves to stand directly under the water and tips her head back. He did what! My fists clench by my sides, I bite back the rage I feel towards that sick son of a bitch. I can’t let her see the blistering infuriation threatening to erupt. Not when she is letting her guard down. Right now, the first priority needs to be her wellbeing, I’ll bottle my need for vengeance and save it for when I peel the flesh off his bones.

“Can I wash your back?” I let her see me take one of those net fluffy things women seem to like so much. I know she will appreciate the barrier between her skin and my touch. My body aches with the need to hold her, to feel her skin on mine. I’m soaked from head to toe, my T-shirt pulls against my skin as I move, my jeans heavy and stiff against my body.

She looks over her shoulder and examines my face with her wary doe eyes for a moment before nodding permission.

“Let me know if it hurts.” I lather some soap in the thing and start at her shoulders. Her body stiffens and she holds her breath as I work with a feather light touch across her shoulders. Soapy water runs down her back and converges before trickling between her cheeks. Goddess, help me. If she wasn’t so frail I was sure she would break, I would be having an even harder time keeping my instincts at bay. Her body relaxes as I make my way lower, trying to avoid the lashes that still look quite fresh. As werewolves our bodies usually heal so much quicker than this. The doc isn’t sure if the weapon was dipped in wolfsbane, made of silver, or her malnourished state is delaying her healing, possibly a combination of the three. I move to her arms then start making my way around her ribs. Her body tenses slightly but she makes no move to stop me.

“Is this ok?” I whisper into her ear as I take a step closer so I can reach around without touching her. She swallows deeply and nods her head. I pull her hair to her back and work the suds over her collar bone, a gentle sweep over and around each breast, then down to her tummy. I don’t know if she realises when she leans against me, but I’m not about to draw her attention to it. A hesitant hand covers my own as I draw closer to her intimate area. She holds over the top of my hand, and I relinquish all control to her as she works the lather between her legs and onto her inner thighs. Her intoxicating scent takes my breath away. Her head falls back against my chest, her eyes closed and the stress and anxiety that have been etched on her face since she first woke up, are no longer there.