Four

REMI’S P.O.V.

For a moment, I couldn’t move or breathe.

He slowly pulled back, almost reluctantly, yet his eyes were alight with anger and hatred. My heart dropped as I realized very quickly that, despite knowing I was his mate, he still looked ready to kill me.

My eyes squeezed shut tightly, and I cringed away from him when he leaned down and released a deafening roar.

His hot breath hit my face, yet my entire body went cold with fear.

I was foolish to forget that he was a monster, even for only a second.

Even after he stopped, I couldn’t move. The low, threatening rumble that was still coming from deep in his chest made a small whimper escape me.

That seemed to break the spell, and as he fell silent. I slowly cracked one eye open to see him glaring down at me.

My chest deflated as I let out a long, slow breath as the giant beast began to pull back, putting some space between us.

Then his giant claw wrapped around my ankle, and my eyes shot wide open as he turned and walked away, dragging me through the dirt behind him.

“No!” I cried, kicking with my other foot, but it was like kicking a boulder. He didn’t react at all, no matter how hard I twisted or kicked.

My hands reached out for anything I could get a hold of, my nails digging into the dirt, trying to slow him.

“Let me go!” I screamed as I heard the other beasts getting closer again.

Was he taking me to them to feast?

Picking up a rock, I threw it up at him without thinking. “This is NOT how you treat your…”

My shout was cut off when the rock hit the back of his head, and he turned and snarled down at me.

Before I could speak again, the air was knocked from my lungs, and I was suddenly lifted into the air by my ankle as he glared at me, more beast than man. Yet, the look in his eye was almost as if he expected me to understand his warning… and I did.

Message received loud and clear: ‘Keep this up, and I will eat you.’

I didn’t get a chance to respond, not that I could with the blood rushing to my already throbbing head.

With a wide swing, my body was flung around like I weighed no more than a rag doll.

I cried out as my stomach connected roughly with his shoulder, my head hanging limply over his back.

A wave of guilt rushed through me, one so faint that I realized it wasn’t mine. It had to have come from him, but he didn’t stop moving still.

“Bad wolfie,” I grumbled as black spots danced in my vision, and the world began to fade in and out around me.

A snort of irritation was all that I was greeted with as I fought to keep my eyes open.

I fought it for as long as I could, not ready to die just yet, but as the first of many lycans came into view behind us, the pain became too much, and my eyes fluttered closed.

I could still hear them all snarling, huffing, and grumbling, as if they were speaking to each other, and the thought almost disturbed me. Wolves couldn’t do that, and I hated not knowing what was being said.

I fought to remain conscious but failed as the sounds lulled me into the darkness.

The distinct sound of other captives whimpering, crying, or outright screaming made me begin to stir, and I squinted as I tried to lift my head to see the darkness of night had come and passed.

I felt the muscles beneath me tense as I placed my hands on the monster’s back and pushed myself up to see I had been right. We had been joined by dozens of lycans, and I wasn’t the only one being forced away from their pack.

For a moment, I wondered if they were all mates, too, before I spotted the distinct crescent marks on one of the women being carried. She was unconscious, but still alive.

Alive, and already mated.

At least six other women and men were being carried or dragged by the giant blood-covered lycans.

An all-you-can-eat buffet…

I sighed in relief when I didn’t see Thesta among them.

“Where are you taking me?” I muttered and felt him tense at the sound of my voice. “I would like to have told my family goodbye.”

Yet, he didn’t respond. Not even a growl in argument this time.

The further up the mountain we went, the colder it became, and had I not been about to be murdered by my mate, I would have been grateful for the heat coming from his body.

My arms gave out as my mate suddenly turned, and we were surrounded by darkness.

Glancing around, the cave walls made my heart drop.

I hadn’t seen any caves near our pack, so I must have been unconscious for hours.

Doing my best to memorize the path and turns we took in case I needed a quick escape, I was distracted when I felt the beast’s body start to tremble beneath me.

Yet as he continued walking, the tunnel grew brighter until he stepped out of the end of it and into the morning light, revealing a large city center hidden deep within the mountains.

My heart slammed into my ribs as I glanced around to find hundreds of glowing yellow eyes on us.