Marked Northern Shifters 1 by Joely Skye

prepared him for this.
He listened intently to the night sounds, birds and breeze mostly. It was too late in autumn for insects to survive the cold nights. Eventually, he lay down on the cement floor. He was in some kind of shed and they’d kept the doors open. His head hurt, the drugs were still in him and he slept.
Before they returned, he woke and pissed in the empty bucket in the corner. No fun limping with the chain. The shackle scraped his ankle every time he moved. Near dawn, Gabriel approached him and Alec wished it were Luke ready to beat the shit out of him.
The pup trotted at Gabriel’s heels. Was it wolf or werewolf? Probably the latter.
Gabriel carried two dog dishes, one with water, the other canned dog food. The word why? wailed through Alec, but he kept a tight grip on himself. He didn’t allow noise to escape.
Gabriel placed the dishes near Alec. “Go ahead. Eat up.”
Alec didn’t move and he didn’t look at them. He felt terribly thirsty, he hadn’t drunk since early yesterday, but he’d wait and drink after they left. If they left.
“Claire was a pet, too.”
At that, Alec shuddered.
“Yes, that’s right. Claire is a werewolf. A distant cousin of Luke’s who, by the way, was also kept as a pet. Their family has a strange idea that we werewolves should be chained and fed scraps. At least we feed you out of a can. Much more civilized.”
As if looking for a reaction, Gabriel prodded Alec with his foot, but Alec didn’t know how to take this in. In fact, he had the odd sensation his brain was shutting down.
“I thought it would be cathartic if Luke and Claire were pet owners for a while. Reverse the human-wolf roles, if you will.” Gabriel paused. Go away, get the fuck away. But he stood there, still talking. “Luke was so enamored of the idea he wanted to put a leash on you and take you for walks. But I vetoed the idea. That’s for dog pets. I’ve explained to Claire that you are our man pet. So we’ve shackled your leg instead. After all, humans shackle humans all the time, don’t they? At least their prisoners.”
His foot pressed against Alec’s thigh again.
“And in some countries in this world, you are a criminal, since you like fucking men, don’t you? Your cute little co-worker Sharon is a fount of information. She’s quite distressed you were fired.”
Alec blinked, trying to comprehend what Sharon had to do with any of this.
“Your breathing is a little noisy, but otherwise you’re remarkably self-possessed. I expected quivering, tears and such. If you remain this stoic, I’ll have to admire you.”
“Please, don’t,” said Alec, breaking his vow not to engage.
“Bill wasn’t self-possessed,” Gabriel continued. “He was a whiny brat. You know we killed him, eh? I suspect you’re glad.”
Alec wasn’t. The news, though not unexpected, made acid rise in his throat. Bill had been a silly little shit who’d brought him into this nightmare, but he hadn’t deserved death.
“No?” Gabriel sighed. “I’m tired or I’d indulge in another petting session with you. Maybe later. Claire?”
The pup whined.
“Do you want to sleep with your new pet or in the house? Up to you.”
The pup sat on its rump. Christ, it was going to stay.
“Fine. Give the man a chance to get used to you. Tame him. Pets are often skittish at first.” Gabriel bent down to pat the pup and its ears went way back. It rolled over, whining at full throttle. Gabriel rubbed its stomach vigorously, almost aggressively, while it made whimpering begging noises that pleased Gabriel. “That’s a good girl.”
As Gabriel rose, Claire watched him carefully, only rolling onto its stomach once his back was turned. It cringed until the man was out of sight, then its ears went up and its gaze moved to Alec.
Brown eyes, and Alec could imagine them in a human. He shivered.
Claire barked and if Alec interpreted the bark correctly, it was encouragement. Very carefully, the pup approached Alec’s bowl, as if she