Her Wolf Mate

5

Perhaps.

What if I -?

I find myself stumbling to my feet, and I hurry toward the room.

I’ve put down plenty of animals who have been without any hope. I know the ingredients. For a Panther shifter like me, the dosage will have to be stronger. My hands shake as I start pulling medicines from their spots, mixing and measuring.

An out. Just for an ‘in-case.’ I’m not taking it right now. But if I can’t escape, at least I will be able to save myself from the torture.

It takes me a full half hour to ready three vials. I don’t know if it will work, but my heart feels lighter.

I stare at the light-looking vials before pocketing them all, along with a syringe.

I don’t want to die. I want to experience so many things in life. But I also need a fail-safe now. And this is going to be mine.

*** ****

The first thing I see when I reach home is meat.

Piles and piles of packaged meat.

I don’t have to ask to know who it is from.

Chris, who is on the phone, beckons to me, and I slowly make my way toward him.

I have to wait quietly till he is done with the call. Finally, when he ends it, he glances at me, “Where did you go this morning?”

“To work.”

“Not that early, you didn’t,” he says coldly.

“I-”

Before I can even finish what I was about to say, he grabs my braid and yanks at it in a painful grip, “Don’t lie to me. Where were you?!”

“I left early to clear my head!” I cry out in pain as he twists his hand. Fear and agony are a terrifying mixture. I’m sure he’s going to rip my scalp out.

“Chris!” Darius’s voice is cautious as he rushes toward us. “Stop it!”

He pulls me towards him, and for a moment, a flicker of a second, I feel relieved. My brother is back. He’s protecting me.

And then, “She belongs to Nolan now. We can’t touch her. I already told you.”

Chris looks annoyed, “Fine. Go clean your face and put something on it. You have to go see Nolan.”

“W-What?” My heart sinks.

“Didn’t you hear me?” He suddenly snarls. “He sent us all this meat. You’re going to go and thank him. In person.”

The last part is emphasized, and my blood runs cold as I realize what he means.

He can’t possibly be-

“Go!”

I scramble when he roars at me, his teeth shifting.

My mind is blank as I take a shower and put on clean clothes. I hesitate when I see my bag packed. It takes me a second to pick up a small cross-body satchel and hide the vials and the syringe in it, just in case.

Fortunately, it’s only Lee out there when I exit the house.

“Guess we shouldn’t wait up for you,” he laughs.

I give him a blank look, feeling numb.

What did I do to deserve this?

Nolan’s territory is not far from ours, but it still takes me over an hour to reach the edge. There’s someone already waiting for me there.

“Follow me,” the guard looks bored and guides me towards a desolate area. The deeper we go, the more tense I feel.

Finally, we reach a large tree. I can see a large tree house on it. It seems rather simple for somebody like Nolan.

“Well? What’re you waiting for? Climb!”

I jump at the guard’s harsh tone and start the trek up the tree.

He snickers at me, but I hold in my emotions.

Once I get to the top, however, it’s empty.

I look around warily, only to see a staircase going down. It’s narrow and a tight fit since it has been built inside the tree, but as I climb down, I begin to see bright lights. It’s an underground den, I realize.

The end of the staircase leads into a large hall with rooms.

I stand there frozen.

Nolan may be a horrible being, but he’s no fool.

This is the Alpha’s den. No wonder it’s built like this. I shouldn’t be here. This staircase is my only venue of escape.

With my heart in my throat, I turn around, desperate to get out, when I see movement to the side.

“Thea.”

Nolan’s voice is smug.

“I didn’t expect you to show up inside my home.”

My hands are damp with sweat.

“I was told to-”

“Come in,” he gestures towards another room. However, my feet are frozen in place. My instincts are screaming at me to get out.

Nolan is a predator; I have no hopes of escaping. I should never have entered his home like this.

I wet my lips, feeling my anxiety rear its head, “Chris – My brother said you wanted to see me. I mean, he wanted me to thank you, I guess.”

Nolan approaches me, gripping my jaw in one swoop. He studies my face, “You always were a pretty one. If you want to thank me, get on your knees.”

My mind goes blank for a moment.

“W-What?”

A part of me had expected something of this nature the way Chris had spoken to me, but expecting something and having it happen were two different things. I’m terrified right now.

“I – I have to get going-”

I try to pull away, but Nolan’s eyes narrow, “You’re not going anywhere. Your brother and I had an agreement.”

I stare at him, feeling my last bit of self-respect being torn from me. Years. I have let them rip me apart for years. My dignity, my pride, my confidence, what have my brothers not stripped me of? But this? To take my body from me, to turn me into some w***e?

As Nolan reaches for my shirt, his claws out, I feel a spark of anger light up within me. It’s this cold fury borne out of helplessness.

Am I really going to let him do this to me?

This is the only thing I have left that I have autonomy on. I have let them take everything from me!

I feel Nolan’s hand curl around my shirt, his claws digging into my skin. I’m frozen in place, and then I hear a tearing sound.

It’s as if a switch goes off inside of me. I move back in burning anger, and when he follows me, I lift my knee, bringing it crashing into his groin before my own claws s***h his already disfigured face.