“Logan, your offense was the worst. You deliberately betrayed your mate and tipped off the Hunters we were coming. You almost got Ian and the rest of us killed. What do you have to say for yourself?”
“It’s a lie.”
The heads of all four wolves at the table snapped toward him. “What did you say?” Marco asked quietly.
“I said, it’s a lie. I never tipped anyone off. I have no idea how they knew. My father didn’t exactly share any confidences with me, but I never tried to get Ian killed. I did everything I could to keep him alive. I told them I had to have his blood to survive. I made them treat his wounds. I tried to get him decent food. I tried to make them stop torturing him. Like I say, I did everything I could.”
Ian leaned across the table at him. “You did all of it to protect yourself and keep me alive to feed you. You never once offered me a kind word or gave me any kind of sign, and I watched for one, Logan. You made it plain you hated my guts every time I saw you in there.”
“I had to pretend I hated you. My father was furious. If I had given any sign I cared for you, he would have had you killed immediately.”
Ian scoffed in disbelief, but Marco and Casey glanced at each other. “If you didn’t tip them off, who did?”
“I have no idea. I only know it wasn’t me.”
“He’s lying,” Ian said, giving Logan a cold look.
“I’m not lying! Why won’t you believe me?”
Marco interrupted Ian’s response. “We’ll take it under advisement, Logan, and let you know what we decide. In the meantime, you can go home with Ian.”
“I’d rather stay with Nicky in the jail. I don’t want to be where I’m not wanted.”
Marco and Ian’s faces both went crimson, and Ian called out angrily for the gammas again. “Take this one too! To the jail cells!”
A gamma walked toward him, but Logan jumped to his feet and walked with dignity out the door. Only after it closed behind him did he sag in exhaustion and plod wearily down to the basement. Two cells were built there against the wall, side by side. He had stayed in one of them when he first came and had come full circle.
Nicky lounged on a bunk in one of the cells as he entered the one next to it. He glanced over at Logan with interest.“Good. At least I’ll have someone to talk to until Marco gets down here.”
Logan smiled sadly. “You’re so sure he’ll come?”
“Of course he’ll come. That’s one reason he was so angry up there. He knows he can no more stay away from me for a month than he can try to stop breathing. He just can’t do it. He’ll try for a few days, just to save face, but he’ll come. Ian too.”
“No, I don’t think so. Ian hates me.”
Nicky made a scoffing noise. “He doesn’t hate you. He’s a wolf! They have the worst tempers on the planet, though they’d never admit it. When they get angry they always say stupid things they regret later. Wolves mate for life. They can’t help it. They have to be with their mates. Mad as he is at you, where did he take you when you got back?”
“To his apartment.”
“I rest my case. Stubborn mules, all of them, especially Marco, and I suspect Ian is just as bad. They like to order us around, bitch and bark and bluster, but when all is said and done, they always cave.”
“Cave?”
“Cave in…give up…you just have to stick to your guns and don’t let them bully you.”
“We’re not like you and Marco.I’m not Ian’s blood mate, and we’ve only been together a short time. He doesn’t care for me the way Marco cares for you. With what he believes, all I’d be to Ian now is a sex partner.” The way things lookedthere wouldn’t even be sex anymore.“He’ll probably keep you in lock down for a while, but he’s a wolf,” Nicky said again patiently. “They’re all the same, Logan. Handsome, sexy, brave, and full of themselves! If I know Marco like I think I do, he’ll be down in a little while. He won’t say anything. He’ll just stare at me, trying to make me break. It’ll be the dirtiest look he can muster. You just wait and see. Ian will probably be with him.”
Logan shook his head. Nicky might be right about Marco, but not Ian. Ian hated him. He fell back on the bunk, wishing he’d stayed behind. To live he’d have to have another wolf feed him, and he didn’t want anyone but Ian. Tossing and turning on his hard bunk, he finally fell asleep out of sheer exhaustion. He woke up about an hour later when a door slammed.
Both Marco and Ian stood in front of the cells, arms folded across their chests, staring in at Nicky and Logan. Nicky turned his head toward Logan and winked. He sat up on the side of his bunk and stared back into Marco’s eyes. Marco’s eyebrows lowered, and a low growl came from his throat. In response, Nicky unsnapped his leather pants and slipped them down his hips to expose his cock. He lay back on the bunk and slowly stroked himself.
Marco was livid. “Nicky!” he yelled. “Cover yourself!”
Logan was astonished butfascinated by Nicky’s bravado. He laughed out loud and turned to find Ian staring straight at him with a frown on his handsome face. Despite the fact Nicky’s gorgeous cock was on full display, Ian only had eyes for Logan.He’d have some hope in believing Nicky if only Ian’s eyes weren’t so full of hate.
Following Nicky’s lead, Logan unbuttoned his pants for spite. Ian’s eyebrows shot to his hairline.
“Logan!” he said warningly.
Logan pushed down his own pants, freed his cock, lifted his shirt, and looked deep into Ian’s eyes. He began to stroke himself, disobeying Ian’s first order to him, the one about not playing with himself, and he never tookhis eyes away from Ian’s face.
Both wolves huffed furiously and turned their backs to retreat, banging the door behind them. Nicky’s loud, raucous laughter followed them. “Oh, Logan, that was perfect! Did you see their faces?” He fell on his back laughing, holding his sides. Logan couldn’t help laughing along with him.
“We’ll pay for that, of course. When they givein and take us home, we’ll have a lot of ass kissing to do to avoid some serious discipline. But God, it was worth it!”
“You were right about Ian, too, but for the wrong reason. He wants to see me punished. This is probably going to become my permanent home.”
“Honey, please! He’s so crazy about you he doesn’t know if he’s coming or going. Everybody knows it. He does too, and he’s mad because he’s so whipped. He wants to hate you, but can’t do it. Drives him crazy. Remember, no matter how much he blusters and tries to hurt your feelings, it means nothing, really. He’s wrapped around your little finger, and he knows it.”
Logan shook his head. “It’s hard to believe.”
“I predict by lunchtime, dinner at the latest, Marco will be back down here.”
Chapter Six
They pulled their pants back up, and Nicky suggested a card game after h e’d talked one of the guards into giving him a pack. Sitting on the floor next to the bars between them, they played poker for about thirty minutes when the door opened and a couple of gammas came in. They opened their cells and told them to follow.
Nicky shrugged and winked at Logan. “So soon?” Logan whispered.
They both trooped along behind their escorts back up the stairs and were shown into a private meeting room. Marco and Ian sat at a table, both with stern, implacable faces. Marco stood and went to Nicky, standing very close to him. Nicky leaned in toward Marco, as they stood close to each other, as if he couldn’t help himself. Logan knew the feeling, but Ian made no move toward him.
“Nicky, I’m tired of this silly, disobedient behavior. I had planned to let you stay down there for few days longer to teach you a lesson, but your foolish display has forced my hand. I’m revoking your right to stay in jail rather than take the punishment of doing chores. Ian is taking both of you now to put you on a work crew. This matter is finished.”
Nicky narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms on his chest. He backed away from Marco and met his eyes defiantly. “It’s not finished for me. You can take me anywhere you want, but Iwon’t lift a hand. I won’t work on any crew you force me on, no matter what you say.” He raised a hand at Marco’s furious look. “You can beat me if you choose to. I can’t stop you, but I refuse to work. I just won’t do it. I did nothing wrong to warrant this ridiculous, humiliating punishment. Rory and I saved Ian and Logan and brought them home without the pack being endangered in a raid, but instead of praise, we’re receiving punishment. It’s unfair.You’ll have to beat me to death if you choose to take that route.”
Logan crossed his arms on his chest and stared straight at Ian. “That goes for me too. I also refuse to work. I did nothing wrong at all, but try to keep myself and Ian alive until we could escape or be rescued. I did not warn the Hunters we were coming, no matter what you say.”
Ian’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Logan, not unbending an inch.
“Is that right?” Marco said with a dangerous sounding tone in his voice. “Then you leave me no choice.” He turned his back on the two younger men and walked back to the table. He glanced at Ian, who nodded once. He looked back up at Nicky and squared his shoulders. “If you refuse to obey the orders of your alpha, you’ll be banished for thirty days. Of course, if you come to your senses in the meantime and choose to apologize and accept your punishment, you’ll be allowed to come home.”
“Banished?” Nicky said quietly. “You’re serious?”
Marco’s face was tense. He must know he was playing a dangerous game with Nicky, who was always so unpredictable. “That’s right. I can’t allow anyone, even my mate— especially my mate—to challenge my authority. Either you accept your punishment or you will leave. Naturally, before you leave, you’ll be fed, and once during the banishment period, you’ll be allowed to come back long enough for another feeding. We don’t wish to make you ill.”