Horror and shame wash over me, clearing away the animalistic rage I was lost in—again—and pulling forward my scattered memories of what happened in the ring earlier.
More death. More blood on my teeth, on my claws, on myconscience.
I’d cry if I could. From regret. From relief.
It’s been years since they loaded me in the back of that truck, metal collar locked around my neck, and the first lingering jolts of electricity running through my limbs to keep me compliant. I gave up on the thought of rescue long ago, resigned myself to dying alone and forgotten in the depths of this hell.
The life I had was ripped away, my future stolen. But now…
I force my muscles to relax and lower my head so my mate’s ears brush the underside of my jaw. He rubs his face against my shoulder again, offering comfort as he leans into me, soothing my wolf and anchoring me in the here and now.
We don’t really know each other, the fated mate bond more biology than emotion at this point, but the fact that he’s willing to allow me this closeness means he’s not giving up on me. On us.
And I’m going to do everything I can to prove I deserve him.
Ten
Neil
I’mnotsurehowlong I stand there with my face pressed against the fur of the alpha’s chest, the sound of his heartbeat loud in my ears. His breathing has slowed to match mine, and that edge of anxious aggression seems to have dissipated—mostly. I can’t see his eyes from this position, but I imagine they’re no longer blank, the cornered animal part of him receding enough to allow some of his human logic and reasoning to come forward.
Which is good, great even. There’s no way I could get him out of here if he didn’t have some control over his wolf.
And I don’t think I could leave him behind.
I whimper at the thought and press closer, closing my eyes and letting the scent ofmateandminenearly hidden under thecoppery smell of blood surround me for a moment. As much as my wolf wants nothing more than to bask in the presence of my mate for a while, the human part of me knows there’s no time to waste. It’s only a matter of time before reinforcements arrive. We need to get the hell out of here.
I don’t know if I have another fight in me.
I don’t think my mate does either.
There’s no way of knowing how close to the edge he is, and every time he fights, every time he lets the wolf take control, slipping into that space where he’s driven only by his most primitive instincts, the odds of him being able to come back from it become slimmer.
As it is, I have to hope he can keep it together long enough for us to get out of here. And after that? I’ll just have to hope there’s enough of his human side left for us to find a way to make this work. I could walk away—fated doesn’t mean forced—but I already feel enough of a connection to him that I’d probably hate myself for it.
I nuzzle my face against his fur, a silent gesture of comfort and support, before pushing to my feet and heading toward Raquel. As I move away, a tremor moves through the alpha’s body and he curls in on himself, head hanging low as he stares at the floor in a way that practically radiates shame and guilt. Pity slices through me like a knife as I take in the defeated posture, and my wolf whines.I don’t know what his circumstances were before this, and I have no idea how long he’s been here, a prisoner to the worst parts of his animal side, but nobody deserves this kind of hell.
I want to tell him it’s okay, that I’m here now and I’ll take care of him, that we can take care of each other…
But, until we get out of here, I’m not so sure that’s a promise I can keep.
I quickly shift back, locating my clothes and pulling them on, my gaze locked on the unnaturally still alpha the entire time. There’s nothing but pain in the set of his shoulders and exhaustion in every line of his body. If his ears didn’t twitch every now and then, I’d think he was completely checked out of the world around him.
“Is he okay?” asks Raquel in a voice so low it’s almost a whisper.
“Honestly? I don’t know,” I say as I finish buttoning my rather ragged-looking shirt. “But there’s not much we can do about that right now.” I glance down at the remote in her hand. “Our biggest problem is going to be that collar. I don’t think he can shift with it on and a giant wolf isn’t exactly inconspicuous.”
“No kidding.” She turns the remote over in her hands and frowns. “But I don’t think this thing is going to be the answer. There’s only the one button and we already know that controls the shock function.”
I take the remote from her, examining the small plastic rectangle. She’s right. This thing is almost useless. “I guess we’ll have to work with what we have,” I say, glancing around. “Which… isn’t much.”
Raquel lets out a strained laugh. “I’m sure if anyone can figure something out, it’s you.”
“Yeah, no pressure, right?” I sigh, staring at the motionless alpha for a second before sliding my gaze back to my friend. “I have no idea how to get that collar off, but there might be a way to make sure he won’t try to attack you again.”
She shoots me a skeptical look. “Okay? And how do you plan to do that?”
“Do you trust me?” I hold out my hand and she raises her brows, hesitating for half a second before rolling her eyes and placing her hand in mine.
