Sealed Mates

Chapter 6

Stares lingered on me from every wolf in the pack house as Alpha Black dragged me through the hallway wearing nothing but one of his tunics and my red curls a tangled mess. I would feel more embarrassed, but all I could think about was what was going to happen when we got to the hall where my brother and his Luna liked to hold court.

I wanted to beg the Alpha to stop, to explain there was no chance that I was pregnant with his pup, but even if I could talk, which was impossible with him walking too fast for me to keep up, leaving me trying to run to keep from being literally dragged, I doubted he would believe me anyway. The way he had looked at me…

It took everything to swallow back the lump in my throat at the thought of that look. I didn’t know why it affected me so much. He was nothing to me. I should have been upset that he didn’t believe me. And yet.

We were at the doors to the hall, and Alpha Black kicked the doors open, then practically threw me into the room, making me sprawl across the hard floor. I barely caught myself before I hit my head again. I already still felt dizzy from the beating it had taken the day before. The last thing I needed was to hurt it again.

The room went silent as Alpha Black prowled in behind me, his anger filling the room as if it was an actual presence.

“What is going on?” Kai asked, hesitantly.

I saw him glance at his wife out of the corner of his eye before focusing on me, and there was no denying the way Tina’s mouth tightened and her eyes narrowed. I closed my eyes, praying with everything I had to the moon goddess that this would go better than I was imagining.

“Imagine my surprise, Alpha, when I found one of your wolves in my bed this morning.” Alpha Black’s eyes boomed through the room, and I could feel the eyes of every wolf in there on me. I tried to curl in on myself, attempting to hide my exposed legs, but nothing I did stopped that feeling of exposure. “And I was unable to remember anything from last night. I’m sure you’re going to make a comment of drinking, but I assure you, I didn’t drink that much. And my companions can confirm that.”

Alpha Black gestured to two wolves I hadn’t seen before, who glanced at each other before looking at me. One was blond and huge. The muscles on him made me think he was an enforcer, but the look on his face was full of compassion and worry when he looked in my direction. The other had short brown hair, a lean body, and dark eyes that held secret everything he was thinking.

They both gave a nod when Kai looked at them, and I could see his anger building in his face. Though, I doubted the other Alpha saw it. I had gotten quite good at knowing his moods. Normally, I would be trying to find somewhere to hide right then. Then, there was nowhere I could hide.

“Brennan….”

“Alpha Black!” The Alpha snarled out.

Kai gazed at him, his jaw tightening. “Alpha Black,” he said after a moment. “She is not one of my wolves. She is wolfless. I’m not surprised she would try and better her position in life by going to your bed. But she isn’t someone accomplished in seduction. I assure you…”

“You think she’s deceiving me? You think I don’t know enough to know when I have bedded a woman?”

My brother went quiet as I stared at him in horror. I hadn’t thought he would own up to what his Luna had commanded me to do, but this?

He was making it seem like I had climbed into the Alpha’s bed for all the nefarious reasons he already believed me capable of. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat that was threatening to choke me, but it didn’t go away, and I dropped my eyes to the ground, doing everything in my power to keep from crying.

“What can I do in compensation,” Kai finally asked on a sigh.

“I am bringing her with me. Until such a time that I can assure myself that she is not with child. And then I will punish her as I see fit.”

I shrunk even further in on myself. His words promised my life wouldn’t be any better with him. Even freedom from this place wasn’t enough to make up for it.

“I can’t let you do that,” Kai said after a moment.

I didn’t bother to look up as these two men decided my fate. When would I ever have control over my own fate? When would life ever be just mine to live?

“A wolfless girl? You would fight me over her? Is this really a hill you will die on?”

Kai cleared his throat. I kept my eyes closed, trying to pretend I was anywhere but there. “Wolfless or not, she is my sister. It would be an injustice to our parents for me to allow it. If you are worried she is with child, you will wed her.”

Silence filled the room, broken only by Tina’s hiss of anger. That lifted my gaze to her, only to see her glaring at my brother. My brows pulled together. She didn’t like me. Why would she want me to stay here?

Alpha Black’s anger only grew. “Wed her?” He spat out.

“She would produce a valid heir, if she is with child. Born outside of wedlock, would your pack accept them? Wed her, let her have her child, and then send her back home. Disgraced, but nothing more.”

Alpha Black’s companions had moved over to him, and the smaller one was whispering in his ear. He didn’t look at all happy with this turn of events, but eventually he nodded.

“Fine,” he said, his words a growl. “Clean her up. We will wed in an hour and then we are leaving. Whatever you asked me here for, I hope this was worth it.”

He turned and marched out of the room. The room was quiet for a moment, then my brother said, “Get out.”

Every wolf left the room except Tina and him, leaving me alone again with my enraged brother and his wife.