TristanBeth stood before me naked, waiting for me to let her in. I couldn't remember the last time I'd slept with her—maybe before Jane arrived. I had been so busy with pack duties and thinking that Marius would soon come after her, preparing to deny him the one thing he wanted, that I hadn't noticed I was neglecting my own needs.I dropped my gaze to her breasts and raised my hand to touch one.Beth closed her eyes, and I liked the sound she made when I touched her—like a soft purr."Possess her... now," my wolf Ethan growled."Yes, maybe I should do that," I told him.Behind me, I heard Jane clear her throat uncomfortably and cough insistently."I think I'll leave you two alone," her voice sounded, and I removed my hand from Beth's breast as she opened her eyes.I scratched my head and opened the door wider so Jane could leave."Get out," I said.Jane hurried out of the room without looking back. As she disappeared down the hall, I pulled Beth inside and closed the door.Beth had a
When I heard my own voice saying no to what he suggested, I realized just how insane this place—this pack—really was.I was refusing to remove a detestable collar with Tristan’s name on it, Tristan, who happened to be my half-brother and cared about me as much as he would about a stray dog.And yet, I clung to that ridiculous collar, because I knew it was the only thing standing between me and the rest of the males in the pack. When I thought of that, Sebastian’s face flashed in my mind—his wicked, lustful eyes.Tristan still had his hand outstretched, waiting for me to hand the collar back. His chin was lifted, his nostrils slightly flared. It was impressive how easily he lost his temper.“No.” I repeated, as if that would somehow make things clearer.But as I expected, he insisted.“No? I don’t understand. Weren’t you just complaining about how much you hate being my slave? How much you hate doing chores for me? Fine then—take off that collar, and let’s see what kind of chores the o
“Jane?”Lena’s voice at the door pulled me out of the dark thoughts I was having about Marius after Tristan’s hateful words.I turned toward the she-wolf standing at the doorway. She was carrying a basket of clothes and looking at me with reproach.“What are you doing? I was waiting for you in the kitchen…” She suddenly stopped speaking and studied me more carefully.In an instant, Lena crossed the room like lightning and gently placed a hand on my neck.“Oh, did Tristan do this to you?”I could see the worry in her eyes, the way she looked at me.And it brought me a strange sense of comfort. When had an older wolf ever looked at me with such a maternal instinct as Lena had since I arrived? I don’t think anyone ever had.I hugged her tightly and whispered in her ear,“It’s all right now, Lena. I’ve already settled things with him, so don’t worry.”Lena looked at me and nodded. Then, as if suddenly remembering why she had come, she grabbed my hand and hurried me out of the room.“Jane,
Kilian still had Tristan pinned against the wall. The difference in strength between them was undeniable—Kilian held him with just one hand clamped around his throat, while Tristan used both of his hands desperately trying to loosen the grip.Kilian’s gaze was filled with disdain.“I’ll tell you what I care about, Tristan. I care about the future of this pack, about making it stronger. I don’t care what you think, or what you feel. If you try in any way to stop Marius from staying here, I’ll kill you. Do you understand?”When Tristan didn’t answer, Kilian slapped him across the face with a resounding crack, splitting his nose and drawing blood.The sudden violence made me let out a sharp gasp, and Kilian’s cold eyes darted toward me. I shrank back immediately, trembling.“Do you understand?” he repeated.Tristan gave the faintest nod his restricted airway allowed.A second later, Kilian released him, and Tristan collapsed to his knees, coughing violently.Without another word, Kilian
Jane“It’s time to get out of bed, Jane. We all have chores here you can’t just stay locked in this room.” Lena opened the windows, letting the sunlight pour in.It had been a week since I’d been trapped in this pack, and with each passing day my hope that Marius would come to rescue me was fading.Had he really left me behind?Lena crossed the room, opened the wardrobe, and pulled out some clothes. She tossed them onto the bed for me.“Even with Tristan’s collar around your neck, you still need to get up and do your part in this house. Every female contributes here, and since you’re Tristan’s exclusive—”“Don’t say that.” My voice cracked, a knot tightening in my throat.Lena blinked, confused.“Don’t ever say I’m his exclusive anything. In fact, don’t say that about anyone around me. It’s wrong. It’s disgusting.”Lena sighed softly, patient, and came to sit on the bed beside me. She took my hands gently in hers, her touch warm and kind, her gaze steady.“I know it’s hard for you to
Marius… find me…“Jane! Jane!” I screamed, my voice echoing through the cursed cave.My heart was racing as Jane’s words and voice reverberated in my mind, repeating louder and louder.I got up, ignoring the pain in my wounded leg, and ran toward the cave’s entrance.A storm raged around me, full of thunder. I had no idea what hour it was in the dead of night, and I didn’t care that they were still searching for me in the forest. All I could think about was that Jane was calling me.Oh, goddess, let me reach her. Let me protect her, let nothing bad have happened, and I swear to you, I will set her free.I kept running toward the entrance. I had hidden in the back of that cave after being struck by arrows from the wolves of Delister’s Alpha.She’s not out there. Turn back, or we’ll be caught…Gaius’s voice startled me. He had been silent in my mind for three days.Three days hidden in that cursed cave while Gaius had locked himself away deep in my mind, mourning Jane’s absence.“So you