Kneeling behind me, he tugs me closer and puts his chin on my shoulder to whisper against my neck.
“Even though it hurt me real bad that you ran away, it just made me hungrier. I’ve got a powerful need now, pretty thing, and I’m going to rip you up. I’m practically in a frenzy already.”
He licks my neck, making me squirm. I hear his soft chuckle as he runs his lips up and down my shoulder, biting me gently.
“This is just the preshow, babe. I can’t wait to sink my teeth in.”
“You can’t!” I gasp, struggling uselessly. “I’m married to an alpha! If you try to claim me, it will be an insult to the whole pack. He’ll kill you all.”
“I’m aware of the law,” Father says, looking down at me with a cruel smile. “I could argue a case that you ran from a previous commitment and have to face your punishment with us. That won’t be necessary, though.”
“Why?” I cry, still struggling against Vince as he licks my neck and nibbles on my earlobe.
“Because you’re fair game if you’re a widow,” he says with amusement. “Anyone can claim you.”
My body goes completely numb and still as I stare up at him, trying to process his words. The fear that rises in me then is a terrible thing, worse than any terror he’s ever visited on me before.
“Hmm, good, you’re going to stay still for a while,” Vince mutters. “I like it when you take it with grace. Don’t worry, though, I’ve got some moves that’ll make you fucking scream for me.”
I try as hard as I can to keep them down, but sobs burst out of me, making my chest heave. Vince and Father have a good laugh about it, and Vince yanks me back against him so he can wrap an arm around me to squeeze my breast.
“Don’t worry, darlin',” he mutters. “I’ll keep you occupied when your pretty boy is gone. You won’t have a spare second to think about him, I promise.”
Vince runs his hands down further, trying to get under my coat. His hands on my naked skin disgust me, and I don’t know if my stomach is lurching from the head injury or the thought of what he’s going to do to me.
Both.
“I can smell him all over you,” Vince says, taking a deep breath. “It’s going to be fun covering that scent with mine. I’m going to fuck you until our sweat blends, coating both our bodies, and my seed washes his right out of you.”
His words bring a new wave of terror, and I struggle against him, thrashing and kicking, desperate to get free. Father and his pack of wolves all laugh at me, forming a close ring around us.
I really can’t get away!
“So, what happens next?” I mutter, forcing the words through my tears. “Are you going to drag me through the woods back to Grace’s Fall?”
It’s a long way, and I’ll probably have to shift to make the distance. I might be able to get away.
“We’re just going to stand here a while and wait for your pretty boy to show up,” Father drawls. “Then we’re going to take him out and leave his body here for the pack to find. They’ll know we reclaimed our property, and there’s no sense in coming after us. I think they’ll be too busy choosing a new alpha to worry about us.”
An icy shard of fear pierces through me as I realize he’s absolutely right. The Cyan Lock pack doesn’t care about me; they want me gone. Without Kit, they can choose a new alpha and luna and forget about me.
And Kit, my love, you’re walking straight into a trap!
I know for certain that he will come after me. I don’t doubt it for a second, and the worst thing is, he’ll know it’s a trap, and he’ll still do it, not realizing that the odds are so stacked against him.
He’ll be expecting a few wolves, top henchmen only. Not twenty of the meanest damn wolves to ever walk the earth.
Tears trickle down my cheeks, and my body goes so numb, I can barely feel Vince touching me. Their laughter and bullying don’t even register as I think about Kit walking straight into this and getting torn apart right in front of me.
He’ll die without ever knowing how much I want him and that I’ll be his forever. Even if he dies and Vince takes me, I’ll never be his.
I’ll always belong to Kit.
A thin, echoing howl sounds from a nearby ridge. Father looks up towards the tree line and waves.
“That’s Earl,” Father says. “Do a perimeter check, boys.”
Three of his henchmen shift and run into the woods, and that’s when I realize Father has pack members scattered through the woods to make sure Kit comes alone.
