TAKEN BY THE ALPHA

CHAPTER 16

"Get out" Hanna shouted covering her breasts with her hands, pressing her thighs against each other. But the man just ignored her and continued watching her, a pissed expression painted over his face. The bite mark on her chest burned again, she rubbed over the spot with her thumb, but it only seemed to intensify the burn on her skin, she rubbed harder to soothe the pain. Her captor gasped and groaned loudly both hands shooting to the doorframe, holding him steady, his breath labored. Hanna saw the hunger and lust burning in his eyes, 'Shit' his very red glowing eyes.

"STOP THAT," he bellowed, before walking into the bathroom and grabbing her hand that rubbed at her mark. "GET OUT, WE NEED TO TALK" he growled through clenched teeth pulling her up and out of the bath, shoving a towel at her naked frame. Turning around, she toweled her body, sweeping over the mark again, and jolted as his hand connected with her ass, leaving a burn in its wake "I said to STOP doing that" He murmured from right behind her, standing so close, she could feel his warm breath on her skin the warmth of his body leaking into hers. Looking over her shoulder she looked at his red eyes, even though she did want to irritate him a little more, those glowing eyes explained wordlessly that she was out of her depth.

He grabbed her hand and walked over to the cupboard, looking inside he dragged another white shirt out and pulled it over her head, then handed her a pair of his boxer briefs, holding them open for her to step into. Hanna hesitated for a minute, the act seeming too intimate, but lifted her leg slowly and stepped into the briefs, he quickly pulled them up her legs, careful not to touch her, as if her skin burned him.

The briefs hung loosely around her waist but after a few tugs on the cotton he rolled them, securing them and leaving the shirt to fall over her hips. Taking a step back, he retook her hand and without another word dragged her out of the room into the living room just as an old woman entered through the front door. Hanna broke free of his hand and ran towards the lady.

"Please, Please you have to help me... he kidnapped me, please help me" Hanna rushed out panicked.

The old lady took a step towards her, taking her hands in hers, and softly answered "Honey please calm down, you are safe with Max, he won't hurt you" Hanna took a step away from her, surprised and disappointed crashing into her, this lady was just another one of her captors, she backed away defeated and sat down on the sofa.

"Max, would you please give us a minute? I brought some of Lidia's clothes, it's in my trunk..." The lady ordered the man, the man whose name was ... Max... It weirdly suited him, he looked like a Max, he was rugged and a giant of a man, not at all like her Father or James, tears shot to her eyes at the thought of her Father, but she quickly wiped at them not wanting to show any weakness.

Smiling, the greyed lady took a seat next to Hanna "My name is Mary Kahli child, you don't have to be scared of us. Max is my nephew, his mother was my sister, older by a few, I apologize for the situation. And also if my nephew in any way forgot his manners...this is just such an unexpected situation... how about I make us some tea?" Mary said to Hanna walking to the kitchen.

Hanna didn't know what to say, she was confused. Why would they tell her their names? Or didn't they care, because she wouldn't live long enough to tell anybody? Hanna swallowed hard at that thought and moved to get off the sofa and followed Mary.

"Why...why are you telling me this...why was I taken ... why can't I go home? ....That MAN ... was a wolf...then changed, his eyes were red... is he a demon or something?... I just want to go home...please..." Hanna asked, rambling with a broken tear-filled voice.

Mary took two cups, from the cupboard, and filled them with tea, the air encapsulated with the aroma of chamomile, placing the cup in front of Hanna she took the other seat at the island, and took a deep breath, sighing as she answered. "Drink this sweety, and well tackle one question at a time, but first I need to know your name child".

Sipping from her cup, she waited for Hanna to take her sip and answer, before continuing. Hanna swallowed the lump in her throat "Hanna ... my name is Hanna" Mary smiled sweetly "Thank you, Hanna, let us start, with who we are and why you were taken. As I explained earlier, I am Mary and that grumpy man outside is Max. Our family, the Kahli's, have lived on these lands for many generations. One of our own made a mistake, a terrible mistake that led to Max bringing you here to be our guest." Mary took a sip of her tea and waited again for Hanna to do the same before she took a steady breath and continued, "I'm not at liberty to explain all the details, but what I can say is that Max was asked to collect you and keep you here, until further instruction...He had no choice in the matter and did it to save our land, our home..."

Hanna listened, her heart started pounding in her ears, and she swallowed down the lump in her throat, her muscles constricting as her mind rushed to the possibility that someone had arranged her kidnapping, someone she knew, someone close to her. Her stomach twisted with nausea.

Mary sat silently waiting for two sips before continuing, "As for what Max is, is not a Demon, child. We are what humans call Shape Shifters. We are born in human form and can change into our given ancestral animal form, which is a Wolf, anytime needed" Mary said calmly and slowly. Hanna's chest tightened "Like Werewolves...but that's just in the movies?" Hanna asked. "When did stuff like Werewolves become a real thing? Oh yeah, when a man freaking changed from a massive wolf into a human in front of you" she inwardly chastised herself for the idiotic question. Mary just laughed and answered patting Hanna's hand "No, Dear Child, not like that, those are just made fiction, we are human for most of our lives, we just can phase from one form to another to protect and serve our Pack. We prefer the term Wolf Shifters."

Mary took Hanna's hand, squeezing it "As for going home, we will unfortunately have to insist on you being our guest for the time being. You will be here with Max, and if you need me, I will be here in a heartbeat. I live over at the Den, it's our little village, Im sure Max will show you around, once you're more settled" Mary patted Hanna's hand standing taking the empty cups and placing them in the basin.

"The most important thing to know child is that Max would and could never hurt you. None of us can, full or half-shifter." Mary said, a frown, working between Hanna's eyes. "Your kind? What is a Half-Shifter?" Hanna asked knowing that them giving her this type of information would only worsen any chance of her going home, but hoping that it didn't.

Mary took a few deep breaths as if the explanation she was going to give would be painful to voice. "Max's Uncle was a full shifter by birth, as Max's Father and Mother, making Max one as well. Half-Shifters are humans, that have been imprinted on by a Full Shifter. When my husband imprinted on me, this mark appeared, and I became a half-shifter." Mary showed Hanna a faded light brown mark on her wrist. "I have all their abilities, speed, smell, senses, and also their weaknesses, but I can unfortunately not shift form, only full shifters have that ability. And I am fully a part of the pact, just as all mates are"

Hanna sat there staring at the mark "So, you were human?" she asked Mary who nodded and took the seat next to her again. Hanna was shaking, the mark looked so similar to hers "Imprint...what do you mean... by imprint" Mary took one of Hanna's hands again, trying to soothe away the trembling. "The males of our Pack, can't choose with whom it will happen..., but every male has a mate, someone they are intended to be with for the rest of their living lives." Mary took another deep breath "When this happens the males can't stop themselves, their Wolf takes over, and they start the Blood Exchange, taking blood from their mates, binding them together." Hanna's hand automatically went to the mark over her breast where Max had bit her earlier and looked at Mary.

Hanna heard Mary's words play over and over in her head "Binding them together" Panic flared through her body, her throat closing, her limbs numb as she looked at Mary who sat forward, "You are ... Max's mate Hanna, he imprinted on you". Those were the last words Hanna heard before darkness consumed her.