Ignoring my act, his eyes drift to his lids, nodding to himself. “Yeah... Yeah, that was definitely you. Now tell me this.” Having confirmed what he knows, he looks to the floor, licking his lips. He pauses to find the words. Once he has them, he peers at me. Quizzically smug, he asks, “Do good girls roll their eyes at their master?”
“The way you ask questions you already know the answer to is annoying, you know that? I didn’t think so.” Dodging my deflection, he grabs my hips, halting me completely.
Like the bastard he is, he mocks me. “Aw... No, please, don’t! I’ll be good.” He laughs wickedly. A hand wraps around my throat again, and he whispers menacingly in my ear, “Being a wolf may make you a predator, but don’t be stupid. You are every bit my prey, and I could devour you anytime. Anywhere. And you’ll take it every single time, like the bitch you are.”
I swallow hard.
He tugs upward once on my panties, and my clit is so sensitive that I hiss. “You’ll wear these to remind you of just that. Now get off of me,” he says coldly.
His instant mood swing confuses me. Stripped and embarrassingly vulnerable, my soaked panties are a perfectsymbol of how I feel right now, like a cheap whore laced with shame.
I bend forward and grab hold of my pants, bundled around my ankles, and somehow, that makes me feel even worse.
I’m getting ready to step into them when Caleb says, “Look at that. I made you fold.”
I hate him. I hate him. Ihatehim.
I’ve lost more than just this bet but my dignity. Once dressed, we both head back inside. Crawling back to my position on my hands and knees. My anxiety tells me that everyone is looking at us. A thought occurs to me,What if everyone heard us?
And even though no one asked her, my wolf answers anyway,Probably.
So not helpful, I say to her.
Caleb bends to eye level with me. “Ready to meet my pack?”
***
“We have a guest among us today.” Caleb jerks on the leash, and I stumble forward on my hands and knees like a dog until I’m directly beside him. “This is my new slave.” He tugs on the leash again, choking me. “Say hello, slave.”
“Bite me, Caleb.” I match his pleasant sound and raise him a smile.
“She’s not quite trained yet.” He winks at the crowd.
I’ve embarrassed him in front of his people. And I immediately regret it.
Think about Casey.
He grips the collar, tugging me, so I’m face to face with him. He leans in and whispers in my ear, “Do you want to find out what happens when I get to three? I can promise this lesson won’t be as enjoyable as the last.”
I swallow hard at his threat.Do it for Casey, I remind myself. I sigh.
Would punching him square in his jaw have counted as one strike or would it have been an automatic strikeout? I should’ve been more strategic with my strikes. I really wasted them.
I close my eyes, burying my pride as deep as I can. When I open them, I shake my head no.
“No... I didn’t think so.” Caleb grins at my resignation. “You’re a guest here. Don’t be rude. Say hello.”
His suggestion that I am a guest when I am indeed a prisoner is laughable. Nonetheless, I face the crowd and croak, “Hello.”
Silence. Each pack member wears a scowl, a look of disgust or fear. Their preconceived notions make them scared of what they don’t understand.
I think that’s what hurts the most: I’m misunderstood but not a monster. I’m not any happier to see them either, but I am relieved when Caleb doesn’t expose me as the murderer of their alpha. I don’t know why he doesn’t, but I’m not one to question a good thing. I’ll take any luck I can get at this point.
“Now, let’s get started. Shall we?” Caleb takes his seat on his prominent chair and folds his hands in his lap. “Who’s first?”
Members of the pack line up to speak with Caleb. All share their condolences, but some throw a few passive aggressive comments my way. They had a ton to complain about, especially for a pack that seems to have everything. Every single grievance was more pathetic and insulting than the last.
“Thank you, everyone, for bringing my attention to things that need to be addressed. I will take all suggestions under advisement and see that your luna receives them.”
