Her Wolf Mate

3

“Aren’t you going to say hello to our guest?” Darius sneers.

Had they always been hiding this side of themselves?

Was this the same brother who had once carried me on his shoulders and helped me pick apples?

“Hi,” I say stiffly to Nolan, who smiles.

Chris straightens up, “I wanted you to come home because we had a surprise for you.”

“A surprise,” I echo, careful to keep my voice blank.

“Yes,” I can see Chris studying me. “Nolan has offered to help us set up a subsidiary construction business in town.”

I’m silent.

When I don’t react, he narrows his eyes, “Aren’t you going to ask what he wants in return?”

A sick feeling of dread is forming in the pit of my stomach.

“I – Yeah.”

My oldest brother’s smile is vicious and cruel, “You.”

I would have fallen to the ground if I didn’t grip the table next to me for support. My eyes instantly fly towards Nolan, my heart racing in sickening fear, “What?”

My voice is hoarse.

“He wants you as his mate.”

“Well,” Lee corrects, “his second mate. He already has a first mate.”

Nolan’s history with mates is notorious.

“I-” I can feel the panic setting in. My throat constricts, and I stare at them all in shock, my body numb.

Nolan gets to his feet, “I think she needs time to process all this. Send her to me tomorrow.”

He walks towards me before grabbing my jaw and forcing his mouth on mine. I let out a panicked cry, flailing, but he forces his tongue inside my mouth, tasting me before discarding me almost instantly.

I slump to the ground, my face wet with tears, as he walks out.

My brothers don’t even comment, all of them turning back to the game. All except Chris.

“Go and get dinner ready.”

I know that I can never act rebellious in front of my brothers. They take pleasure in hurting me. But if they hand me over to Nolan, the fate that awaits me is torture.

“You know,” I say hoarsely, grabbing the edge of the table to get to my feet. “You know what he and his mate will do to me, what they’ve done to other females he’s brought to his home! Why would you agree to this?!”

Chris’s eyes turn sharp, “Are you questioning me?”

I’m frightened out of my mind, but I know if I don’t try, I’m going to die a painful death.

“They torture the second mates together!” I cry out, my voice cracking. “You know that! You’ve seen their bodies! You’ve heard it directly from his tribe members! How can you send me to him?!”

Chris gets to his feet, his eyes flashing dangerously, and I see the violent panther behind his eyes, “Maybe if you contributed to this pack-”

“You take my entire salary!” I scream, snapping. “You take everything from me! You keep me around to maintain your homes! What more can you take from me?!”

He raises his hand, snarling, only to be stopped by Darius, “He won’t like it if you touch her.”

My heart is pounding, “You know that Nolan and Clarice are sadists, and they will torture me. You know they will break me. And yet you don’t care.”

Chris tightens his jaw, “We need the income. And I know you can survive. Just please Nolan, and get rid of Clarice. Easy.”

He grabs me by the chin, forcing me to look at him, his voice whisper soft, “Only the strong survive. The weak will get eaten. This is the law of the jungle and the law of our people. So, if you want to live, then survive.”

He drops my face as if disgusted and walks away.

I stare after him, my heart thudding unevenly in my chest.

And for the first time since my parent’s death, I feel a flicker of hatred in my heart.

CHAPTER 2

Thea

I head out early the next morning, skipping breakfast.

I decide to grab something at a local restaurant for breakfast. It’s a new place, and they have cheap breakfast options. It’s relatively empty when I walk in, and I grab the seat furthest from the window.

A moment later, I hear the kitchen door open, and a woman calls out, “Stop complaining, Lexi! It’s just one morning! God! You’ll cry over anything, won’t you?”

When I look up, I see a familiar woman approach me. I recognize the short hair and grey eyes.

Seline works here?!

I thought the Alpha Female just worked at the bar.

“Hey, what can I getcha?” She’s even prettier up close, and I can see the small bump on her stomach.

She’s pregnant.

“Ah,” I gape at her.

She studies me with a frown, “You okay?”

Swallowing, I snap my mouth shut and nod mutely.

“You need some more time?”

I give her a weak smile, “N-No. I’ll take the scrambled eggs.”

“Two scrambled eggs, Lexi!” She suddenly shouts over her shoulder, making me flinch.

She gives me an apologetic grin, “Sorry, the new cook is a little slow. You want some coffee with that?”

I mentally count the coins in my purse and then shake my head, “I – I can’t. I’ll just take the eggs.”

She gives me a strange look before heading back toward the counter.

I sighed, feeling silly over how nervous I acted around her. Lowering my head in my hands, I close my eyes, misery filling me. My eyes still hurt from crying through the night.

I’m suffocating.

My brothers have signed my death warrant for their greed.

I don’t even have enough money to escape.

I want to scream and cry, and yet I’m as helpless as can be. I have no one in the world except my family. Where would I even go?

My eyes are wet as frustration and helplessness build inside of me.

Even if I could go somewhere, they’d find me and drag me back. I have no access to my panther, which means I am as weak as a human.

I hear a soft clinking sound, and my head whips up, only to see Seline standing there, studying me, her brows knitted together, “You okay?”

Flustered, I wipe my eyes, “Y-Yeah.”

“Here,” she looks doubtful as she nudges a mug towards me. “A hot cup of cappuccino.”

I stare at the mug before looking back up at her, “I can’t – I don’t have the money for-”

“It’s on the house,” she smiles at me.

“Oh,” my eyes tear up at the simple kindness, and she looks alarmed.