Chapter 8 #2
“Fine,” I answered curtly, and his jawline tensed. He grasped the hair at the back of my head so roughly that a flash of agony radiated outward across my scalp. I whimpered and his snarl of warning made my blood run cold.
“If you disobey me in this, mate, you will be punished. I promise you that you will be a very sorry and very sore girl by the time I’m through with you. Do not push me. You will not enjoy it,” he growled.
I didn’t want to find out what he meant. My backside tensed as if it was anticipating the spanking I hadn’t yet earned.
“I understand,” I replied meekly. “I’ll stay put.”
“Good girl,” he replied. The seriousness in him disappeared, only to be replaced with a warm joy that was fully focused on me. “You’re very important to me. Seeing you hurt would tear me apart.”
His tender feelings for me shone with every syllable that left his mouth. His grip loosened on my hair and his lips closed in with a heart-stopping kiss. When he pulled away, his eyes searched mine.
“Don’t make me punish you tonight, little wolf. I would much rather take you to bed without having to make you sob over my knee first,” he said softly.
My pussy clenched tight.
“I won’t, alpha. I will stay with Theo,” I whispered.
He growled in appreciation before he hit a button on the ceiling. The divider between the driver and us opened, revealing Theo at the wheel.
“Keep her safe. If you need to restrain her, you have my permission. If she resists, I will deal with her when I return,” he ordered his second. Theo nodded in understanding.
“I will see to it that your mate does not come to harm, alpha,” Theo replied. Elijah lifted me off his lap and sat me down on the seat. He quickly climbed out of the car and closed the door behind him.
His absence hit me harder than I expected it to.
I sat back against the seat and watched him walk toward the rest of his waiting soldiers. All of them were lined up, looking to him with absolute respect. The kind of loyalty they offered him was something that had never happened back home. This was what my father had always dreamed of.
He’d never earned it though. It was clear that, to these men, Elijah had.
They gathered closely around him, listening intently as he laid out the plan. Since the sun was still up, it was in their interest to act soon while the vampires were still sleeping. I moved to the door and opened it, much to Theo’s chagrin.
“I just want to stretch my legs. I’m not going anywhere,” I said quickly, and he got out of the driver’s seat along with me. He walked around to me and leaned against the car. I glanced back at him, amused by his brooding silence.
Fighting against boredom, but maybe more at the fact that Elijah was running straight into a den of dangerous vampires, I decided to poke at him.
“Must suck to have to play guard duty to a she-wolf instead of running into the fight with your boss,” I smirked.
He glanced toward me and shook his head. “Nah, he gave me the most important job,” he grinned.
I wanted to come back with some smart retort, but the words died on my tongue before I said anything at all. I looked back at Elijah as he headed off down the road. They had shifted into their wolf forms, sprinting off to take on the rogue vampire clan with a contagious sense of excitement.
“Is there a place where it would be safe for me to watch?” I asked quickly.
“You’re worried about him, aren’t you?” he replied, smirking.
I glared back at him. I didn’t dignify him with an answer.
“You don’t have to tell me. There’s an overlook just up that trail. We can head up there and watch the devastation from above,” he said. “It would probably be an easier trek in our wolf forms, however,” he added.
I looked at the overgrown trail and had to agree with him.
“I’m going to go just behind the car,” I replied, and he nodded.
“Don’t do anything you’ll regret, Ashleigh. I have my orders and I mean to stay true to them,” he warned.
“I know. I just don’t want to ruin my dress,” I replied. I turned away, using the car as cover as I stripped. I folded my clothes into a small pile and shifted quickly, not wanting anyone nearby to see me naked.
My body folded toward the ground, my front paws reaching forward as my claws dug into the dirt.
Gray fur sprouted all over my skin. My coat was thick, shielding me from the cold breeze that was cutting through the mountains right now.
After shifting fully, I padded back to the other side of the car to the open door.
Using my mouth, I placed my clothes inside safely. I used my body to close the door.
Theo had already shifted and was sitting there patiently waiting for me. His ears were up. He’d likely been listening for any sign that I was going to run.
I didn’t plan on running. Home was a long distance away. Even at my fastest, it would take me several days on foot. Even considering that, if I ran off by myself there was a chance I could run into vampires, or my father’s long list of enemies that would use me against him.
My identity was no secret in a world ruled by monsters.
Theo’s yellow eyes appraised me. He was surprised, but he covered it up well.
“Follow me,” he murmured, and he turned to climb up the trail.
“Lead the way,” I offered, and I padded off behind him.