“You’re Bryan Dinac’s mate. That’s what they said when they carried you in. ‘The Black Ops wolf’s woman,’ one of them called you. They seemed excited about it.”
I nod because there’s no point in denying it. If they brought me here because of Bryan, they already know exactly who I am and what I mean to him. Lying about it would only make me look weak.
“Then you’re the reason I’m still alive. They were going to kill me last week. Said I wasn’t useful anymore since my pack couldn’t pay a ransom, and nobody was coming to rescueme. But then they found out Bryan was back in Silvercreek, and suddenly they needed a backup plan in case grabbing you didn’t work out. My father was Black Ops. He worked with Bryan for years before he retired to Ridgewood. I guess Rafe figures he’ll want to avenge my father’s death or something.”
My stomach turns at the casual way she describes it, like she’s had weeks to make peace with being carved up for parts.
“That’s horrible, Dina.”
“Two hostages, two different targets.” Dina shrugs, though the movement makes her wince.
That’s what this woman has been reduced to. A bargaining chip. A piece of meat to be threatened, traded, and disposed of when she’s no longer needed.
“How many guards?” I ask because I need to focus on something practical before the horror of this situation gets the better of me.
Dina glances toward the metal door and drops her voice even lower. “There are four on rotation during the day and two at night. They change every six hours. I’ve been counting the footsteps and the voices to keep track. The one with the scar across his nose is the meanest. He likes to kick the bars when he walks past and try to make you flinch. If you don’t react, he gets bored faster.”
“What about the leader? Rafe?”
Dina’s eyes dart toward the door again as if saying his name might summon him. “He comes and goes. Mostly goes. I think he has other things to deal with. He’s planning something big, from what I’ve overheard. The guards talk sometimes when they think I’m asleep or too weak to pay attention.”
Before I can ask what she’s overheard, footsteps sound in the corridor outside. Heavy boots on concrete, getting closer with every step. Dina scrambles backward until she’s flat against the far wall of her cell, and I understand immediately that whoever is coming is someone to be afraid of.
The metal door swings open with a screech of rusted hinges, and a man steps through.
He’s younger than I expected. Mid-twenties, maybe, with dark hair and eyes that remind me of someone I can’t quite place. He’s handsome in a menacing way, but there’s something off beneath the surface. His smile doesn’t warm his face. It just sits there like a mask he’s learned to wear, and behind it, there’s nothing but emptiness.
“Skylar.” He says my name like he’s tasting it, rolling it around on his tongue. “Bryan’s mate. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”
I keep my face blank and my body still, though my heart pounds so hard I’m sure he can hear it.
“No questions?” He crouches in front of my cell and brings himself to eye level with me. Up close, I can see the resemblance I couldn’t place before. Something in the energy around him. He looks like the corrupted wolves I treated after the purification, the ones who still carried traces of Matthias in their features. “No demands to know who I am or what I want? I’m almost disappointed. Bryan always did like the quiet ones.”
“I know who you are,” I reply. “You’re Rafe. Matthias’s son.”
“You’ve done your homework.”
“I’m a healer. I treated wolves who survived your father’s corruption. I know what the Cheslem pack was. I know what it did to its own members.”
“What itwas. Past tense. Because your precious Silvercreek destroyed everything my father built. Luna and her pet witches tore the corruption out of our wolves as if it were a disease to be cured, and they called it mercy. And Bryan—your mate—killed my brother.”
“Your brother was dangerous. He was trying to restart the corruption. Bryan stopped him before he could hurt more people.”
Rafe’s hand shoots through the bars so fast I don’t have time to react. His fingers close around my jaw, and he squeezes hard enough to make my eyes water.
“My brother was trying to save our people. He was trying to rebuild what your pack destroyed. And Bryan murdered him for it.”
I can’t speak with his hand crushing my jaw, so I just glare at him. I refuse to show fear. I refuse to give him what he wants.
After a long moment, Rafe releases me and stands. I suck in a breath and resist the urge to roll my jaw, to show any sign that he hurt me.
“Bryan took my brother.” Rafe’s smile returns, empty and cold. “So I’m taking his mate. Fair is fair, don’t you think?”
“What do you want?” I manage to ask, though my jaw aches where his fingers dug in.
“I want Bryan to suffer.” Rafe straightens his jacket like we’ve been having a pleasant conversation over tea. “I want him to know you’re here, in pain, because of the choices he made. Iwant him to come for you—because he will, we both know he will—and I want to watch his face when he realizes he’s too late.”
“He’ll kill you. Whatever you’re planning, he’ll find a way to stop it.”
