Read Online Wounded (Dogs of War MC Book One) by Monica Rossi - Free Book Online Page A

tried to hold back the growing rage inside his chest.
    “We can’t pin it on the Hellhounds even if Red says he recognized their scent. That’s not a lot to go on. Anyone could have taken her. Do we even know if she’s got any enemies?”
    “She’s a vet for Christ’s sake, who could be her enemy. Did she accidentally neuter someone’s cat the wrong way?”
    “Why did they decide to take her and not one of our wives or daughters?”
    “That’s easy dumbass, she’s not a shifter nor one of the Dogs, it’s a lot easier to take a female who can’t defend herself than it is fight a woman who can either shoot you with the sawed off she’s got by the door or turn into a raging she-bitch that will take a chunk out of your ass,” Donny- O seemed to be getting fed up with the questions on Red’s behalf.
    “That’s right, she’s not family.”
    “Yeah, why do we even care if the Hellhounds have this bitch? It’s not like she’s one of ours or nothing anyway.”
    “She’s mine,” Red said from the corner of the room. 
    The simple statement caused the table to fall silent. Red had claimed her. It had been years since an outsider had been claimed by anyone in their community, much less a member of the Dogs. It was irreversible even if the relationship didn’t work out, from that point on Sidney was one of them. Claiming normally happened at engagement parties, or adoptions, or more rarely in the case of someone who didn’t have anyone else to depend on.  It was a joyous occasion, parties were planned months in advance, and everyone knew what was involved. No one at the table could remember any time in history when someone had been claimed without their prior knowledge, or having known them for less than a week. It was a huge commitment, on both sides. The person claimed was a part of the family whether the group agreed with it or not, but most, no one had any complaints because there was a relationship, a history to build on. It meant they owed Sidney the same loyalty that they had to every other member of the group, but it also meant that Sidney had to return that same loyalty. But more than anything, and most importantly to Red, it meant no one could touch her without retribution.
    Big Dog looked around the table, everyone knew the serious nature of the claim Red and just made, and each face held a level of shock, but they all knew what they had to do. “Ok, well then it’s settled, we go find her.” Big Dog said. “Now we just have to start looking.”
    They had split up, each group hitting known places that the Hellhounds had been spotted, but none of them had found anything. If it hadn’t been for a tip off from the local sheriff about some bikers causing a disturbance out at the old Turner hunting lodge they might have never found her. That thought sent a shiver down Red’s spine. He hadn’t even had a chance to be with her as a human for more than a few minutes and already he’d almost lost her.
    “Hey man,” Donny-O stopped him in the hall, “Ya girl alright?”
    “Yeah, mom is taking care of her.”
    “Good,” he patted Red on the shoulder, “Listen, shit seems to be getting real around here and we’ve got to figure out what to do about it soon.”
    “Yeah, I know,” and Red did, he just hadn’t had time to come up with a plan yet that wouldn’t get him killed.
    “No, I mean it’s getting really real. During the fight tonight I saw Trainz let two of the Hellhounds go without even fighting. He just looked them in the eye and watched them go.”
    Red nodded, he’d figured as much. The fighting had been chaotic and it was hard to keep track of what everyone was doing but he’d kept his eyes on BillCo and Trainz in particular and noticed that neither one had gotten hurt at all, or seemed to be fighting too hard to hurt the other guys.
    He then filled in Donny-O about all the shit that had gone down at the shop while he’d been gone. A little nookie with the staff was