Snow White and the Wolves: A Naughty Fairy Tale Read online

  She couldn’t take that chance.

  Rayna hurried through the woods, stopping very rarely to eat or drink. She didn’t have time for such frivolities. If Rayna was unsuccessful at convincing her people of Snow’s ugly heart, she knew they would revolt before the week was over.

  Perhaps more daunting than the revolt was the knowledge that Rayna would be the first to die. There was no doubt of that.

  While her sister radiated goodness and mercy, Rayna brought only destruction and famine. She had not been a good queen to the people and they were not about to forgive her for it. Rayna had never suspected she would be good at ruling. No, she had simply wanted Snow gone.

  Rayna thought about Snow as she stomped through the dense shrubbery of the forest. Someone really should clean the place up. There were bushes and twigs, sticks and branches everywhere. She kept walking, feeling more and more miserable as she went.

  How was any of this fair?

  How was any of it her fault?

  Rayna had never been good enough for their parents. She had never been smart enough or pretty enough or funny enough. Snow had gotten all of the attention, even when they were little.

  “It’s not fair,” Rayna muttered aloud as she marched on. She knew the cabin had to be around here somewhere. She had been walking for hours – at least three, she estimated – and still, there was nothing in sight.

  Snow had contacted Rayna a few times – always discreetly, of course – to let her sister know she was alive and well. How absolutely lovely of her. Rayna rolled her eyes as she thought about Snow and her five handsome lovers. Seriously, how slutty could a girl get? It was bad enough that Snow was shacking up with one guy, but five?

  Even Rayna wouldn’t stoop so low as to get her paws on five guys at once.

  How did that even work, anyway?

  She tried not to let a visual reminder of her sister with the guys ruin her journey, instead choosing to focus on her plan: revenge.

  Yes, Rayna would get her sweet revenge sooner, rather than later. Snow had made many mistakes in her life, but none were quite as bad as what she had done to Rayna. Not only had Snow made the people of Everworth fall in love with her, but she had made it impossible for them to ever trust, love, or respect anyone else as queen.

  And as much as Rayna wanted to see her sister dead, she wanted to be a queen worth loving even more. The idea of redemption was far too lost on her, though. Rayna knew there was no hope of her ever becoming the leader her people wanted or needed.

  So she would do the next best thing.

  If she couldn’t convince the people to love her, she would convince them to hate her sister.

  And Rayna knew just how she’d do it.

  4

  The men were on their way home from work when Ethan held up his hand, signaling his wolf brothers to stop.

  Andrew rubbed a hand over his head: a sign that he was anxious as he looked around the forest. Alex, Michael, and Jacob followed suit, peeking around the darkness. Because they were shifters, their eyesight was better than most humans’, but they weren’t infallible.

  “What is it?” Jacob asked, sneaking up to stand beside Ethan.

  “An intruder in the forest,” he said quietly. Without another word, the men slipped their clothes off and all shifted into wolf form, ready to stalk their prey. It wasn’t often that people came into this part of the woods. Most of Everworth’s inhabitants believed the forest was haunted, so they stayed far away. It took someone incredibly stupid or incredibly brave to wander this far into the forest.

  Or, Ethan thought grimly as he caught a scent of the intruder, someone hell-bent on revenge. The other wolves growled, and he knew they had detected the same hint of jealousy and anguish that he had. Wolves were excellent hunters, but few people understood just how deep their ability to scent actually went. Not all creatures could smell emotion, but they could, and they didn’t plan on letting anyone radiating that much aggression to get anywhere near their home.

  Or anywhere near their bride.

  The wolves hurried, moving as quickly as they could while scenting their target. If there was any chance at all that the creature in the woods could hurt Snow, Ethan knew he and his brothers wouldn’t hesitate to rip the animal or person to shreds.

  But something told him this wasn’t just an angry human who was lost in the woods.

  No, Ethan suspected there was something darker and more sinister at play.

  “It’s her sister,” Ethan said. “She’s come back.”

  He always suspected Rayna would one day return to actually kill Snow. It was the only reason, after all these years, Rayna would dare show her face in the forest.

  5

  Rayna reached the cabin before nightfall, which was good because she was exhausted. More importantly, her night vision was awful. Certifiably, irreparably awful. She pushed her hair back from her face and ran her hands down her dress, careful to free her clothes of any loose dirt or twigs.

  She couldn’t show up to see her sister looking like, well, like she’d just been waltzing through the woods all day. No, after all this time had passed, Rayna still needed the approval of her twin. She needed her sister to know that she, Rayna, could do something on her own without being coddled or pushed.

  Snow needed to know that Rayna could handle her own.

  That’s why she was here, wasn’t it?

  To get her “proof” that Snow was bad? To try to prove to everyone that Snow wasn’t some virginal princess? Rayna scoffed at the thought. She was the virgin. She was the one who had been pure, who had waited for some Prince Charming to come who never materialized.

  All this time, and Snow had been off in the wood doing who-knows-what with a group of men. No, not just one man. That wouldn’t have been enough for dear ol’ sis, now would it? Snow needed an entire gang of men waiting around to please her.

  The thought sent pangs of loneliness throughout Rayna. She had never been as pretty or as charming as her sister, and now she wasn’t even as wanted as her. Not only did Rayna’s people not want her for their queen, but her own sister didn’t even want her.

  Oh, as much as Rayna had tried to play off Snow’s leaving like it was her own idea, she always wondered, deep down, if Snow had been glad to leave. After all, who want to hang around Everworth when you could hang around with dicks down your throat?

  She sighed, wondering if she could actually face her sister. Could she really do this? Snow drove her crazy, but isn’t that just what sisters did?

  Rayna took a deep breath and then another. She had to do this for her kingdom. If she didn’t get her sister to confess in front of the mirror that she was exactly what Rayna thought she was – a whore – then how could her people ever give up on their dream of having Snow return?

  As long as the villagers of Everworth continued to view Snow’s memory as a symbol of hope, Rayna knew they would never be happy with her leadership. She had to stop their revolt before it happened and the only way to do so was to get Snow’s dirty deeds out in the open.

  Resolved to do what she must for the good of her kingdom, Rayna took a step forward. Before she could take her second step, she felt a hand clamp down over her mouth.

  Then everything went black.

  *

  Aidan didn’t much like trespassers in the woods. He particularly didn’t like frail-looking women who didn’t know when to go home. When he saw the little waif standing outside the cabin of the wolves, he knew she was up to something devious.

  Why else would a young woman dressed in a gold cloak be wandering around?

  Seriously.

  Did she expect that cloak to make it through the forest in one piece? Aidan wondered, as he carried her passed-out body to his own cave, what she had been thinking. Was she lost? Was she searching for something? Twigs and sticks covered her cloak and her legs and arms were streaked with dirt. She smelled like sweat and sadness, and Aidan had no doubt the woman had viewed herself to be on some sort of mission. br />
  Of course, he had felt it necessary to take her home instead of simply putting her out of her misery. Aidan sighed. He wasn’t really sure why he even bothered to try. It wasn’t often he came across strays in the forest, yet somehow, he always tried to help them. Only usually, he was saving an injured dog or helping a lost cub find its way home.

  He wasn’t exactly the damsel-in-distress kind of guy, especially not when it came to rescuing women from a pack of wild wolves.

  Oh yes, Aidan knew all about the wolf brothers and their princess mate. He had lived in the forest for many years and knew everything that happened in the darkness. Some people might try to hide, might believe there was nothing they couldn’t stash away in Everworth Forest, but Aidan knew better. Aidan knew all of their secrets.

  He also knew that the wolf brothers were very protective of their mate and that they wouldn’t take kindly to a stranger simply showing up. They took extreme precautions when it came to protecting their bride. Aidan knew they wouldn’t just let this stranger waltz in and talk to Snow, if, in fact, that’s what the woman’s intent had been.

  How long had Aidan watched her dainty figure before the woman finally plucked up the courage to step forward toward the cabin?

  How long had she fingered the mirror that now rested in his pocket?

  How long had she whispered to herself, mumbling about her village?

  Somehow, time had stood still as he watched her. The woman was like nothing he’d ever seen before. Unlike Snow White’s short, bleached-out hair, this woman had long, dark locks. Her raven hair flew over her shoulders in long, luxurious curls.

  Oh, what he wouldn’t do to twist them around his fingers and just tug.

  Preferably while she was nestled beneath him on his bed.

  Aidan growled involuntarily at the sobering thought: him with a human. Yeah, right. He hadn’t survived this long in the woods by taking in every young woman who had a death wish. He certainly couldn’t afford to start today.

  Still, something about the woman called to him, and he wanted to find out exactly why she was in the woods before he killed her.

  He owed her that much.

  6

  Snow was reading a book when the men barreled into the cabin.

  “Where is she?” Andrew asked quickly. He looked around the room and ran his hand over his bald scalp. He always did that when he was nervous, Snow knew. She hopped to her feet and went to him, taking his hands in hers.

  “Where is who?” She asked quizzically. “There’s no one here but us, love.”

  Alex began scouring the room, looking for signs of disturbance. “It’s okay, Snow. You can tell us where she is.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she insisted. Michael and Jacob growled as they smelled her fear and frustration rising. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself, but she was too confused. What were they going on about? “You’re going to have to help me out here.”

  Ethan studied her face for a few moments, then said simply, “We smelled your sister.”

  “What?” Snow’s mouth dropped open. “Where? How? How do you know it was her? Where is she?”

  The men exchanged silent looks with one another, which only annoyed Snow. She knew they wanted to protect her, but this was Rayna. Rayna, Snow’s perfect sister. Though it had been years since they had seen each other, Snow never doubted her sister’s love for her. Not for a minute.

  “I’m sorry, love, but we know she’s in the area.” Ethan told her. Andrew stroked her hair as she leaned against him. The motion calmed her, ever-so-slightly. She still wasn’t completely relaxed, but how could she be? She missed her sister all the time.

  Yes, Snow loved being mated to the wolves. She loved it. She loved being their submissive and their toy. She loved the way they cared for her and protected her, but sometimes she missed being around another woman. There were some things she just couldn’t talk to the men about. Sometimes, it would just be nice to talk to Rayna.

  “Why is that a bad thing?” Snow asked aloud. She had never felt like the wolves kept her hidden away. In fact, the only reason Snow stayed in the woods was because she didn’t want the villagers to know she was alive. A ruler could not give the throne away. A throne could only be transferred through marriage or death.

  Ethan exchanged nervous glances with the other wolves. They knew he was weird about her sister, but he had never confessed why. Was he really ready to do that now? Over the time he had gotten to know Snow, he had fallen for her. He had expected to enjoy her, sure. He had expected to fuck her and share her and care for her.

  He had not expected to love her.

  He hadn’t expected to need her.

  Now that he had gotten to know her, fallen for her, he didn’t want to be the one to tell her that her sister was evil. He didn’t want to tell her that Rayna had most likely come to the forest to kill her. He didn’t want to ruin all of her good childhood memories simply with his words.

  “Well?” Snow asked impatiently. “Why is it bad that my sister has come to see me? And where is she?” Suddenly, she gasped. “What if she’s in danger?” She rushed into Ethan’s arms and he wrapped them around her tightly. “We have to find her,” she whispered.

  “I know,” Ethan said. He held Snow, though his heart was weary. He knew his brother wolves could sense his discomfort and anxiety, though they were smart enough not to say anything in front of Snow. The last thing he wanted to do was worry her.

  “Let’s go to bed,” Andrew spoke up. He came up behind Snow and pressed himself against her, sandwiching her tightly between him and Ethan. “We can decide what to do in the morning.”

  “But-“

  “Darling,” Andrew pressed his lips against her soft blonde hair. “We’ll worry about it in the morning.” Ethan might have been the Master, but Andrew was the enforcer. Everyone considered him to be the tough guy, the harsh one, the protective one. He didn’t mind. He had been protecting people his entire life. He had watched out for his sisters when he was young, keeping them safe from their abusive father. Now he watched out for Snow.

  Protecting was in his blood.

  “Okay,” Snow said, giving in to her men. She relaxed her body against Andrew, leaning back on him. He took the opportunity to grind his hardness against her bottom, letting her know what he thought about her submission. She moaned softly and the scent of her arousal filled the air.

  Even when she was nervous, Snow was easy to get aroused. It was one of the things the wolves loved most about her, but also meant it was easy to distract her. Anytime she even felt like fussing at once of the men, they could easily have her turned around and bent over the counter, ready for anything they wanted to do to her.

  7

  “Are you ready to tell me why you’re here?”

  Rayna opened her eyes. She was laying flat on her stomach, her head turned to one side. Her hands were bound behind her. Rayna tried to look around the room, but it was difficult from her position. Her head was pounding and her stomach was twisting and turning. She thought she might puke, so she closed her eyes again.

  “None of that, girl. Open your eyes. Now.” She didn’t, and felt a sharp slap on her bottom.

  “Ouch!” She cried and opened her eyes again, glaring at whomever had delivered the slap. She didn’t see his face, not at first. Just his dark blue jeans and worn work boots.

  “Who are you?” She tried to peek up at the man, but he pressed his boot against her back, keeping her in place against the floor.

  Fuck. So she was his captive. That made sense, she supposed. Was he going to keep her there? Was he going to hurt her? She wondered what his face looked like. She wondered why he cared. Obviously, he was evil. Why else would he have stolen her away?

  “No questions. Not from you. I found you trespassing in the forest wearing a,” he sighed audibly, as if he couldn’t believe it, “gold fucking cape. A gold cape. In the middle of the forest. Now,” he pressed his foot harder into her
back, and Rayna felt her face push even deeper against the cold wood floor. “You will tell me what I want to know or there will be consequences. Do you understand?”

  “Fuck you,” Rayna spat.

  “So be it,” the man said. He removed his boot from her back and Rayna sighed with relief, but she shouldn’t have relaxed at all because the man simply moved down behind her and flipped her skirt up, revealing her lace panties.

  “Hey!” She screamed, suddenly overwhelmed with embarrassment. No one had ever seen her panties. “Stop!”

  The man simply squatted down and slapped her ass as hard as he could. Rayna opened her mouth to scream but nothing came out. Not at first. He kept slapping her, though, and soon she couldn’t even try to wiggle away. The tears fell and she realized she was screaming, begging. Finally, the man stopped.

  “You will not ask questions,” he repeated. “Do you understand?”

  “Yes,” she whimpered.

  “Very well,” said the man. He smoothed her skirt down and lifted her up effortlessly, setting Rayna on her feet. He waited for her to find her balance, then released her. It was a surprisingly kind gesture on his part. He moved around in front of her and for the first time, Rayna could see his face. He was hard and edged. He was glaring.

  She looked at her feet.

  “Who are you?” The man asked.

  She shook her head.

  “Who are you?” He repeated.

  Rayna bit her lip. She couldn’t tell him. Not now. Not ever. She was the queen of Everworth now. If anyone knew, if anyone found out, the consequences would be dire. He could kill her and take over the throne. He could sell her to one of the bordering countries. They’d love to torture her before they destroyed her people. He could do anything.