Page 6 of Rival Love

“And if you think, for one moment, that whoever assumes the Alpha role will give you a different answer than my father and I have given you about turning over our territory,” I said, “you’re a Grade A dumbass.”

A whip cracked behind me, and suddenly pain exploded across my back. I was only wearing a Moon Valley Fire Department T-shirt, and the sting of the hit reverberated through my already weakened body. Another crack, and I let out a howl, my body warring with itself to shift and not being able to. Under normal circumstances, a physical assault like this would trigger a shift, and I’d deal with the threat as a werewolf. That would protect me and make mincemeat out of my attacker.

The silver at my wrists, however, forced me to stay human and take the whip hits, pulling sounds from me I’d never made.

“Silver in the whip too,” the voice said. “I ran into a great Buy One, Get One sale. Buy the silver bindings, get the silver whip free. Excellent deal.” A raspy chuckle sounded. “I’m going to guess if those tattoos on your arms continue onto your back, they ain’t gonna look right after a whipping with silver.”

I roared through clenched teeth, a failed attempt to keep the pain from affecting me, but fuck, it hurt.

And, yeah, I did have tattoos on my back that were going to be destroyed.

“You have the power to make it stop, Alpha,” the voice taunted. “All you have to do is agree to our terms. Quit now and those tattoos might be salvageable.”

“Fuck. You.” Why didn’t he just kill me? Did he need me alive for some reason?

A rapid fire series of whip strikes rained down on my back, shredding my T-shirt and my flesh. Still chained, I hunched on all fours, my kneecaps and hands grinding into the hard, cement floor below me. In one respect, I was glad my father was dead. I wouldn’t want him to see me cower like this. To see me bleed like this. To see me disgrace the Sinclaire name like this.

Blood dripped from my back along my sides. It soaked what remained of my MVFD shirt and stained the cement around me. The sharp, metallic tang of my own blood made my stomach heave, but I refused to puke. Not in front of this asshole. No fucking way.

“Change your mind yet?” the voice asked.

“Not even a little,” I bit out, bracing for the next whip hit.

But it didn’t come. A woman’s voice echoed in the room instead.

“That’s enough, Geo.” Her voice stirred something in my chest.

And my pants.

“What are you doing here?” the male who had been in charge asked.

“The Alpha sent me,” she said, authority in her tone. “There’s been a change in plans. You are to go to him now. All of you.”

How many douchebags were here anyway? It would have taken at least a few guys to get my father and me here.

“Yes, at once.” Reverence now laced the male’s words. “What shall we do with them?”

“Leave them to me.”

A shuffling of feet sounded, and thank fuck the whipping stopped. I crumpled to my stomach, letting the cement cool my sweaty cheek. I could hardly keep my eyes open, but I got glimpses of sneakers heading toward me. With each step those sneakers took, the more the stirring in my chest . . . stirred. I was surprised I could feel anything besides the inferno happening on my back, but by the time long, black hair and a gorgeous face came into my field of view, I only felt one thing.

Mine.

But that couldn’t be because . . .

“Aren’t you—?”

“Selena, Vince Morelli’s wife,” the woman interrupted. “I am.” She frowned. “Or I was. Until a few hours ago when I caught his dick shoved up into my twin sister’s pussy.”

I recoiled as if she’d slapped me. “You rejected your mate bond to him?”

“Hell, yeah. I might be physically weaker as an Omega wolf, but no one treats me as if I’m second best.” Her words came out firm, but the slight slump of her shoulders told me maybe she didn’t exactly believe she was worth first place.

She walked away for a moment, and I instantly wanted her back in my vicinity. Why was that? She was my rival’s wife, for shit’s sake. Her affiliation with the Morelli pack should have made her undesirable to me.

But the exact opposite was happening.

Furthermore, I was in no condition for anything my dick was currently planning. My body was battered, silver poisoned my bloodstream, and I’d just lost my father.