LOGINI should kill him now. I have the chance, so I should take it. But my fingers are trapped around the picture frame. No matter how hard I try to release it, my hands don’t comply. “What is this?” I ask again, unable to hide the warble in my voice. Nester edges closer, the smell of death on him suddenly unbearable. “Maybe you should sit down-” I jerk away from him, toppling onto the bed. “Don’t tell me what to do.” Nester shakes his head. “That is the last thing I will ever do. You are the goddess herself to the people of Penbrook. If anything, you will soon tell them what to do.” His hand clasps my shoulder, “but first you have to listen to me.” The air thins. I struggle to gulp in the right amount of breaths to keep me standing and listening to this asshole. Me? A Goddess? How? And why to them? He gently pries the frame out of my shaky hands, his gaze hazy as he stares at the photo with a thin, reminiscing smile. “We were all so close then,” he starts wistfully, “all so young
It’s like I can feel the mark tattooed into my skin. Something that I haven't noticed in however long suddenly feels hot and heavy on my body. I run my hand over it painfully, as if doing that enough times will eventually rub it off my skin. Maybe by the time the door opens I'll look down at my ankle and see there was nothing there after all. “Ryker,” Hunter says soothingly, “Calm down.” How can I calm down? I'm in the dark. I'm chained to my brothers, and apparently I've been marked by Nester. “No no no no no.” I panic, rubbing harder, faster, trying to get this evil thing off my skin.Fingers snap around my moving hand, and from the slenderness of their touch, I know it's Talon. “Rye, it's okay,” he says gently, but he must think I'm stupid not to hear the tension in his voice. “It's okay for you.” I don't keep the panic out of my tone. “You're not the one with Nester Rist’s mark on your skin.” “Rubbing it isn't going to change anything,” he tries to keep his voice steady. F
The sack over my head comes off, and I stare up at Nester’s hulking frame.Every blood cell in my body freezes. “Miss Blackwood,” he says, “it’s such an honour to have you here.” He’s here. He’s actually in front of me. My brain falters as it tries to think of words to say, but Axel’s low growl beats me to it. Nester doesn't even acknowledge him. “You’ll have to forgive my… methods of getting you here.” Nester raises the sack. “I didn’t know how else to have a formal meeting with you. I’d insisted Everest try to convince you to come, but I guess that was an error on my end. He isn’t always… amicable.” A million responses come to mind, but I can’t get any of them past my lips. This is the man who murdered my mother. This is the reason all the humans other than me are dead. This is my greatest enemy. My biggest threat. And he’s so… polite? “Um,” I start, finally managing to put words together. “Hello.” Nester smiles at me, a full set of white teeth gleaming in the darkness.
As Alex drives down the barren road, one thought loops in my mind: I can’t get warm. It doesn’t matter how many times she turns off the air conditioner, or how thick my jacket is, I’ve been shivering for hours. No, scratch that. I’ve been shivering for days. Since John attacked me. I try hard not to think about that fact, because if those two are connected, then it’s clear that something is very wrong, too wrong for me to handle. “Here,” Alex announces, parking the car by that damn Penwood barrier. The intimidating rock juts out of the stones, practically warning us against entry. For a second, none of us moves. I look to my pack brothers and Liana, each sporting gleaming handcuffs that match mine. They bite. Hard. Digging into my skin in a way that’s sure to leave a mark. Liana lets out a shaky breath. “No turning back now, is there?” “Nope,” the boys and I chorus. Even if there were, I’m not leaving here without Axel and my girl. “Well,” Liana starts, puffing out her ches
“Where are they now?” Axel questions, the first thing he’s asked me in the single hour we’ve been locked up here. I turn to him, as if a sack isn’t covering my head and stopping me from seeing him, “Alex went to get them 45 minutes ago. They should be here any minute from now. Once they arrive, it’ll be easier for all of us to break out with Alex’s help.” At least, I hope that’s what’s going to happen. The longer I stay locked in here, the more I’m convinced Alex may not truly be on our side. What joined her to us? Was it really Axel, or could that just be a convenient excuse to kidnap us? I set my hands aflame just to make myself feel better. If her knife doesn’t work, I’ll light someone up and send them to hell. “These cuffs hurt like a bitch,” I bemoan, trying to take my mind off what Alex may or may not be up to. Axel just huffs in response. His chains rattle against whatever we’re tied to as he strains to set himself free. I know this isn’t the time to antagonize him, but
I hate this Alpha bond thrumming in me. Or… I should. It feels so foreign, but at the same time so right. Am I evil for thinking it suits me? In another time, in another life, I think I would make a pretty good Alpha. But even if I could begin to enjoy it, I can't help thinking about what I've stolen from my actual Alpha, and what that theft made him do. I pace my room, feet echoing against the wooden floorboards, and try hard to put myself together. Olivia is fine. Alex is on our side. Once this is all over, I can give Axel back what rightfully belongs to him. I run a hand through my hair, shocked by how knotted it is. I can't remember the last time I combed it out. Old Hunter would have died to know that, but old Hunter didn't really have any problems, did he? “What the fuck do I do?” I grumble, face-palming before flopping heavily onto my bed. I contemplate calling Dad, but talking to him will only make me feel worse. I must be such a disappointment to him right now. Alpha
We make our way out of the room and up the stairs. Talon puts on a shirt he says he hasn’t worn since he was 17, and even though he’s lost a ton of weight over the years, it clings to every ridge of his lean body. His veined arms are the only things left exposed. I watch his hair sway as he walks
“You’re alright,” a magnificent voice above me says. For a second, I let it make me feel safe. I smile, resting, or at least trying to. I haven't rested since it all went wrong “Talk to me again,” I beg croakily. I croon towards the voice, but I'm firmly pushed back into satin sheets, the sort of
I hate that I never know what to do without my packmates. As Ryker whirs away, speeding off into the sunset, I feel the panicked urge to follow him. What if he gets hurt? What if he has a run-in with Everest? What if, what if, what if… What if, for once, I took a fucking break? Axel’s and I’
I should have left you in that starving house. I knew that; I've always known that. Somewhere in the back of my mind, past all the partying and sex, I always feared when Axel would tell me that bringing me home was a mistake. But I thought he’d let it slip by accident—at least then I would have k







