1
My wrists were rubbed raw from the ropes. No matter how much I turned and moved, it only made the restraints cut into my flesh more. Grunting with frustration, I tried again. Wincing against the pain, I blew out a breath to keep myself from crying out.
Time didn’t matter in this dark room. I’d been in and out of consciousness several times. Whatever they’d given me took a while to leave my bloodstream. Or my body was making me sleep to avoid the discomfort.
This waking was a little different. My mind was less foggy and I was more aware of my surroundings. Squinting into the dim room, I looked for anything that might help me identify where I was or how I could get out. Aside from the bed I was tied to, there was a dresser and a window. Little flutters of hope filled my chest and I tugged on the restraints again. If I could break these, that window was my ticket to freedom. Unfortunately, they held fast. Whoever had tied me up had done a good job.Fuck.I had to get out of here.
As far as I knew, Tyler had only visited me once but I remembered his threats clearly. A chill rippled through me at the thought that he could have been in here while I was asleep. Anyone could have been. How much of the drug had they given me and what exactly was it?
It was likely I’d been dosed with the anti-shifting drug. The very thing I’d given the recipe for to Alec. The thought of him made me grit my teeth. I was never going to forgive him. I wasn’t going to forgive any of them. Alec, Tyler, Ace, Kyle, Julian… their names circled my mind on repeat. A list of people I needed to punish. I was done being the victim.
Another thought struck me as I considered the others at the feral camp. Had anyone else known what Alec was planning? Malcom had tried to warn me and I ignored him. Then there was Sheila. She was Alec’s right hand woman, but she’d been at the camp with me while he was out brokering deals for my return to hell.
Sheila was probably in on this too. Which meant I couldn’t trust anyone. I should have fled from the camp right away and stuck to my initial plan. Trying to find a place to belong was a distraction. Friends weren’t real. They were just people waiting to betray me. I was fully and truly alone. I always had been. Maybe that was my true curse in life.
The door creaked and I turned toward the sound. “What do you want?” My voice came out gravely and dry.
“Is that any way to greet your alpha?” Ace asked.
My whole body tensed. Tyler was bad, but all the damage he’d done to me over the years was a product of his upbringing. Where had he learned to be so savage? Aside from that, there was the fact that Tyler had made it clear that his dad’s intentions were to end my life.
“What do you want?” I repeated. I was done being afraid. Done worrying about the consequences of my actions. They were going to kill me or not. Whatever I said or did wasn’t going to change a fucking thing.
“That’s an intriguing question.” He sat on the chair next to the bed.
I resisted the urge to pull on the restraints. He’d get pleasure from seeing me struggle and I knew damn well they weren’t going anywhere. They’d done it right when they’d tied me up. Made you wonder how much practice they had at this. The thought sent a shiver down my spine.
“What I want seems to be irrelevant at the moment,” Ace said.
“Just spit it out,” I said.
“You are a firecracker, you know that?” he asked.
“I want to live my life in peace,” I replied.
“And you can, if you submit to your mate as is your place,” he hissed.
“I will never be with Tyler, and you don’t want me to be with him. Why not let us break the bond?”
“Because his wolf has chosen you. It’s the only reason you’re alive. I would have killed you while you slept in that tent.” He leaned closer. “If you were my mate, I’d have killed you myself and dealt with the pain of the loss. You might be an attractive woman, but you ruined yourself when you fucked that feral shifter.”
I tensed. How did he know that? Were they watching me the whole time I was there or was Alec going around bragging about it? And why the hell would he tell people he hooked up with me and then turn me over to them? My head was spinning and my heart ached all over again. Just when I thought I’d gotten over the pain of losing Alec and focused on the anger, it all came flooding back. I hated myself for having any desire for him. I hated that I missed him despite what he’d done. It wasn’t fair. My stupid heart needed to get her alliance straight. Alec was an asshole and I hated him. I just couldn’t get all of me on board with it yet.
“You’re lucky I kept that information from Tyler,” Ace added.
“That’s all I have to say to get him to stop this bonding nonsense?” I asked. “Bring him in, I’ll tell him now.”
Ace stood and lifted his hand. I barely had time to tense before his open palm hit my cheek. I gritted my teeth and my eyes watered as the sting on my face lingered.
“You keep your whore mouth shut. Once that bond is in place, you’ll be faithful and if you’re not, I will kill you myself,” he said.
“Why go through all this trouble?” I asked. “You have no interest in having me in your pack. I know you don’t want me with Tyler.”
Ace growled.
“He really can’t shift, can he?” Tyler had told me as much, but it hadn’t sunk in before. “You think us bonding is the only way?”
“You will complete the mating bond.”