“She’s not marked,” he confirms, holding my face still as if to convey the message that there’s no escape. Dread churns in my gut, and my breath hitches somewhere between my throat and lungs.
“Fucking lying bitch,” Brett snarls as he stands back from my legs. “All the fucking same.”
“I’m not marked, but I do have a fated mate. He’s an alpha wolf, and he would do anything to get me back. He’ll pay, or swap me for others, or—”
“Bullshit,” Brett snaps, cutting me off. The accusation hangs in the air, sharp and undeniable. “If you had a mate, he never would have let you meet me alone.”
The words slice through the flimsy glimmer of hope I’m desperate to hang onto. The idea that I might get out of this unscathed is so naïve. So unbelievably stupid.
And so was what landed me here. I let the connection to my tiger make me feel untouchable. Invincible. Like I didn’t need anyone. I acted so rashly. So damn foolishly. And for what? I have a family that loves me. I had a man who wanted to be with me and accepted me completely. But I pushed him away.
Now I’m all alone.
And I don’t think I’m going to get out of this.
“So, can I get started?” Phil pulls me to my feet with his hand around my throat. My mind races as I scramble to try to think of anything to delay the inevitable while he presses in, not to cut off my air supply but to make breathing harder. To show me how little control I have. How at their mercy I am.
“Maybe we should rule out the mate first?” Michael suggests without looking at me. “The last thing we need is another alpha sniffing around before we get things up and running again.”
“Fuck, I need to think this through,” Brett mutters before ripping me from the other man and forcefully flinging me back into the cage. Pain shoots through my shoulder, and I cry out whenI land awkwardly. My eyes water as I suck in shaky breaths and assess the damage that goes with the intense ache. My arm hangs limp behind me, and my shoulder is squared off, undoubtedly dislocated.
Brett stomps away, followed by the others as they climb the stairs and plunge me into darkness again. The cold chill settles back in, and the pain worsens when the adrenaline starts to fade. But somehow the worst part isn’t the pain; it's the uncertainty. It’s the wondering about what is going to happen.
Michael might not be pure evil like the others, but he’s still here. Still involved. Still willing to throw his biological sister to monsters for money. But maybe there’s an angle there. An opportunity to at least have a fighting chance. Maybe I can convince him to un-cuff me to reset my shoulder.
Anything to cling on to some hope.
Anything to counteract how idiotic I feel right now.
What was I thinking? I was so damn stupid. Shit, this isn’t helping. What would I tell a patient recounting this experience to me? I certainly wouldn’t encourage self-blame. Because the blame lies with the perpetrators, not the victims. And beating myself up isn’t going to help get me out of this.
Is anything going to get me out of this?
No, that thought isn’t helping either. Iwillget out of this. I don’t know how. But I need to believe.
I lean against the bars on my good side and close my eyes. Whatever happens next, I need to be ready for fight or flight.
Chapter Forty-Three
Ryan
“Drive faster,” I snarl as Maya’s fear and revulsion slam into me. “Take the next exit.”
“Got it,” Sofia responds, pressing her foot down harder on the gas pedal, but not as hard as I’d like.
We’ve been driving for hours, and we haven’t exchanged a word other than me giving directions and her responding to them. Under any other circumstances, Sofia would give me shit for the way I’m talking to her. But now isn’t the time.
I keep my eyes closed, focusing everything on the bond, so I can feel Maya’s emotions and sense where she is. It gives me a general location to move toward, but I can’t tell how far away she is. I just know which direction to go in. As if there’s a string tugging me toward my mate. And I know we’re getting closer.
The connection would be stronger if we were both marked and claimed. It was non-existent before I met her, as it is for all shifters who haven’t connected, but it’s there now. Fragile and easily breakable. But there.
Opening up this part of the bond also makes me feel everything Maya feels. Up to half an hour ago or so, I couldn’t sense anything,but then that changed. I don’t know what’s worse: the not knowing or the knowing and knowing how bad it is.
She’s so afraid. That’s the dominant emotion, but guilt, shame, and loss invade me too. They come and go, while the fear remains constant. I won’t allow myself to think about what that means. Instead, I focus on hope. Hope that I will find her. Hope that she will be alive. Hope that we won’t be too late.
“Straight on,” I say, and then gasp when pain slams into me. Sharp and visceral, but with no defined location. It’s not my pain. I wish it were. I would do anything to take this agony away from her. I gasp before barking out my next direction to Sofia.
She nods and follows my orders, but her eyes shoot to me every few seconds. She’s worried about me. Worried about what will happen to me if we don’t get to Maya in time. If she’s not okay. My wolf prowls under the surface, ready to tear apart anyone that comes between me and my mate.
