“They know who took you. And they know where to come if they want you back.” His Hand stopped rubbing and gripped her hand, squeezing it gently. “And when they come to take you. I get to finish them. All of them.”
“We!” Thrall corrected from the driver’s seat. “You need to learn to share, Daemon. Some of us enjoy battle too. Besides, Koe’s gonna want his own retribution, which means Bragga belongs to him.”
Behind her, she felt Daemon shrug. “Not now. Now, it’s whichever one of us gets to him first, and technically, I’d get first rights.”
Silence hung heavy in the truck as Narae processed what Daemon just said. He was telling Thrall that because he’d marked her, he got first crack at any male who threatened her or hadmistreated her. It’s how packs work, howmatingsworked. And while she and Daemon weren’t fully mated, she was marked as his, which meant pack law dictated he had every right to protect and avenge her. It had her wondering at Jury’s status. Was she a prisoner of the Allegiance pack? A guest? She was pondering whether to ask and whether she’d get a straight answer, but something odd was happening. The second she’d turned thirteen and had started her menstrual cycle, her wolf had gone on high alert. She’d had to. The avalanche of unwanted male attention she’d received was topped only by the gross amount of inappropriate sexual advances. No. Sexual advances was putting it too mildly. They were sexual assaults. There were unwanted touches, inappropriate gropings, and even some full-on attacks. The males in the Biters pack thrived on hierarchy. The weaker you were, the more you suffered, which meant the females and young suffered the most. Honestly, Narae couldn’t recall the last time her wolf had been able to genuinely, fully rest comfortably. Even while they slept, her wolf stayed on alert. It had been an agonizing existence for them both, but right now, tucked into the back seat ofThrall’s truck with Daemon, her body wrapped in the warmth and strength of his, Narae’s wolf did something she hadn’t done in decades. She lowered her guard and rested, dragging Narae into sleep with her.
***
Daemon had successfully slowed his breathing, but he was unable to control the erratic hammering of his heart. It’d been beating like crazy since they’d engaged the Biters. He’d assumed it was from battle, but now, he knew it wasn’t because his arms were wrapped around Narae, and they were well on their way back to his pack’s territory, but he couldn’t seem to calm himself. Focusing on Narae, Daemon felt the instant she gave in and accepted that she was safe. It took only a few minutes after that for her body to go lax and for her breathing to even out. Her slight weight settled more fully against him as she drifted off. She rested, and he concentrated. What was it about her that had him on high alert? Too much was going on in his head. He was smugly satisfied with getting to eliminate a few of Bragga’s Biters. He was shocked at Narae’s admission that Bragga would kill a few ofhis own just to test one of his pack. He was pissed that Narae was worried Bragga would punish her. And he was fucking livid when she’d whispered that she still hadn’t healed from the last time he’d hurt her. That little admission had just about pushed him over the edge, and then Thrall had winked at her, and he’d lost it. He had to have his arms around her. It’d been imperative. And he didn’t know why. He just needed to touch her so his wolf knew she was safe. Because yeah, her being in his arms was the safest place in the world for her right now.
His eyes sliced to where his fingers were softly tracing against Narae’s forearm. Instantly, he fisted his hand. Touching her like this felt intimate, so doing it while she was unconscious felt wrong.
Heaving a weighty sigh, he tried to come to terms with the gravity of what he’d done. He wasn’t worried about Bragga or his Biters. Not in the least. In fact, he was looking forward to them coming to Allegiance territory. A reckoning was required for how both Narae and Jury had been treated. His only concern was convincing Koe to let him have Bragga. He doubted it’d happen.He’d seen the way Koe looked at Jury when he didn’t think anyone was watching. His Alpha had a thing for the little Biter. Glancing down at Narae, he understood it. Wondering how he already felt so protective of Narae, he was pulled from his thoughts by Thrall’s hissed, “What the fuck were you thinking, man?”
Tearing his eyes from Narae, Daemon frowned at Thrall’s profile. He knew what Thrall was asking. And honestly, he had no idea what he’d been thinking when he’d marked Narae the way he had. There hadn’t been any thought to it at all, just action, just feeling. The instant he’d laid eyes on Narae, he’d felt connected to her. Like he’d known her his whole life. The fact that those Biter punks were abusing her had ripped Demon from hiding. In their estimation, the best way to protect her was to make her theirs, so they had. It was done. There was no taking back a mate mark, no unringing that bell. Gaze sliding back down to Narae, he wondered if he would undo it if he could. Inside, Demon snarled and snapped at him for the affront to Narae. And Demon was right. Daemon didn’t get to ponder his actions when Narae had gotten zero say. He’d simply taken without any regard for heropinion. It had been wrong. In his haste to do what he’d thought was right, he’d fucked up. As was his life. Daemon typically acted first and thought second. It’s why Thrall was a Beta. Koe knew it was damn near impossible for Daemon to be rational when emotion was involved. It was difficult to temper himself because Demon was constantly fighting for control. It was a ceaseless and exhausting battle, one that left little concern for the consequences of their actions. Demon gave zero fucks because, in his estimation, he was unbeatable and therefore answered to no one. He wasn’t wrong. Demon wasn’t a shifter like the others in the Allegiance pack. He wasn’t a shifter like any other shifter in existence, and he knew it. The knowledge made him unpredictable and unstable. Even Daemon had trouble controlling his inner beast, and what they’d done to Narae was proof of that.
Ripping his eyes from Narae, he frowned at the road as regret seared him. He shouldn’t have bitten her like that. He’d forced himself on her. He’d taken away her say. He was no better than those fucks in her pack, regardless of Demon’s belief that they’d done the right thing. Even now, the cab of the truck wasperfumed with the scent of Narae’s still-drying blood on her shirt. He’d done that. He’d given her another injury to add to the multitude her pack had already given her.
“She’s pretty,” Thrall muttered from the driver’s seat.
“Don’t!” Daemon snapped with far too much venom.
“Geez, calm down! I’m just trying to… I don’t know. Make you feel better?”
“I’m not regretting my choices, asshole. I’m regretting how I went about it.”
“Oh.” Thrall responded dumbly. “Well,… Ok.”
“And it’s a fucking insult to her for you to try and placate me with something so fucking shallow as her looks.”
“I didn’t… I wasn’t, man…”
“Yeah,” Daemon snarled, cutting him off. “You fucking were and don’t do it again.”
Thrall threw up one hand and hissed in response, “Well, if I do something right today, just fucking punch me in the face!”
“Keep your voice down,” Daemon growled. “You’ll wake up my…”
The truck fell silent a moment before Thrall whispered, “Mate.” His face split into a shit-eating grin as he continued with a reverent tone, “Holy shit, bro, you have a goddamn mate.”
The words had Daemon falling silent as understanding slowly dawned. He’d taken a mate. Right or wrong, he’d claimed Narae, which meant he was responsible for her now,forever. The stark realization had his gut twisting, and whether it was from fear, regret, or something else entirely, he wasn’t certain. What he did know was that inside of him, Demon wasn’t opposed to the idea. In fact, the damn wolf was preening himself in satisfaction like he’d done something remarkable. Hand settling on Narae’s thigh, he wondered if Demon had.
Chapter 19
Jury paced Koe’s office, waiting nervously. It had been two days since the incident at the river, and her guard, Daemon, had been suspiciously absent. She hadn’t seen Thrall either. She’d been left to roam the manor as she saw fit. The pack still avoided her, but no one tried to stop her if she stepped outside to walk through the garden, and no one seemed concerned if she left the yard. If she ventured too far out, several Enforcers would magically show up. They wouldn’t approach her, though. They’d simply stand guard, not looking at her, but watching the area like they were protecting her. It was nice to have the freedom, but Jury couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Where were Daemon and Thrall? Koe had said something to her in the cafeteria that she just couldn’t shake.“My wolf wants to hunt. No, he needs to hunt. And I’m doing everything I can to hold him back until...” Until what? Why hadn’t she asked then? What was Koe waiting for? What was happening?
Footsteps approached, and Jury turned to face the door.
Koe walked into his office. Looking down, he was distracted by several bags in his hands. Jury knew the moment her scent hit him because he stilled and slowly lifted his head.
“Jury? Is everything okay?” His eyes scanned her from head to toe.
“Yes,” she inhaled deeply and took a step toward him. “I just… I feel like something’s wrong.”
Koe turned, set his bags on the sofa nearest the door, then approached and grabbed her arms. “What? Are you sick?”
“No,” she shook her head. “Not wrong like that. I feel like…like something’s happening. Where is Daemon? Where’s Thrall?”
