Chapter 23 Casey
Casey
I watch out of the corner of my eye, waiting to see if any of his wolves are loitering around. Jonas is much crueler when he has an audience.
He bites his bottom lip and looks me up and down in a way that leaves me feeling dirty.
Jonas’ face is weird–he’s had it broken in so many fights that even the rapid healing of the wolves can’t keep up–so his nose is wider and askew slightly to the right.
His brows are thick over his eyes, which are a murky blue.
He’s missing a front tooth and has thick dark hair that starts on his chest and back and covers every revolting inch of him.
I know because I’ve seen it way too many times.
You could shave him and create a wig for several people.
“Hi.” My voice is weak, breathless. He will probably think I’m impressed or intimidated. No, not at all, I’m terrified.
He approaches, and I take a step back. He pauses, a wide and evil smile spreading across his lips.
“Gave yourself away again, Cassidy.”
“My name is not Cassidy.”
He ignores me, reaching out like he might brush my hair, but, at the last second, his fingers clench. My scalp burns, but I’m dragged step by step until I can smell his fetid breath.
He’s wearing a shirt that smells of sweat and musk and jeans that are dirty and covered in dried blood.
“Where have you been?”
“Home.”
“I heard you’ve been going on dates? Did you ignore my warning?”
“I’m just meeting people.”
“You know you belong to me, and I don’t share.” He leans in close, pressing his forehead to my temple and growling a deep, violent warning.
I lower my eyes and tuck my shoulders, but he stays right there, pushing at me, refusing to let me go.
“I don’t like you going on dates, my dearest.”
I cringe. “Cindel is your mate-”
Jonas growls even deeper, his fingers tightening in my hair until I let out a whimper. It feels like he might tear my scalp off.
“That’s my girl,” he growls with deep satisfaction. “Whimper for me, whine for me, show me that you missed me.”
Fear has me paralyzed. I’m a hot mess, and the world is shaking, but I can’t move, not even an inch.
I remember my dad throwing my mum across the room.
I remember the realisation that I was helpless physically against the wolves.
A month later, I watched my dad’s current alpha kill my mother, and that’s when I realised how helpless I was over every aspect of my life.
And that knowledge makes everything a thousand times more terrifying.
I’ve learned that fighting makes it worse. Talking back makes it worse. My father wants me to be obedient. Cindel wants to see me humiliated. But Jonas, he loves to see me hurting; my pain excites him, and he will go to extremes to get it.
He won’t be happy until he has succeeded.
So, I don’t pull away from him. I don’t close my eyes or do anything but stand there completely submitting to him.
“Now, tell me all about these dates of yours.”
He grips my nape and drags me towards the alley, his hand going to his jeans and flicking the button open.
I struggle, forgetting myself, and he laughs and picks me up under the arms and slams me against the wall so hard that I’m instantly dizzy.
“If you can put out for them, you can put out for me.”
“No, please.”
“Pweeeze,” he mocks. “Can you talk without a stutter and just be normal for once?”
I squeeze my eyes closed, trying to control my breathing. I might die, like I might just have a heart attack from sheer fear. My heart is beating so hard in my chest. No, I will endure this.
One thing I do have is an uncanny ability to heal incredibly fast.
“I-I didn’t do anything with them.”
He scowls darkly, violence almost dripping off him.
“I don’t believe you, whore.”
“Jonas, please.”
“You just keep begging, and it’s music to my ears.”
He drops me. I land hard, my knees buckling and sending me into his arms. He throws his head back and laughs as he leans down and kisses me. I manage to turn my head at the last minute so he kisses my cheek.
“You’re going to keep resisting?”
“It’s only a few more weeks, and then it will be official. I’ll be your ma-”
“Breeder,” Jonas whispers. “Everyone is going to call you my mate, but we all know I’m only using you for a breeder and a cum-dumpster.”
“I know,” I say quietly.
“My mate is the strongest female, the alpha who can rule by my side.”
I look up, meeting his eyes for the first time. “I know what I am, and I know what my future is.”
My words seem to enrage him even more. He leans down, his lips almost on mine. I tense, trying to work out what I said wrong.
“You’ll breed the next generation, your father and your mother’s strength paired with mine. You’ll make me a stronger alpha, and with Cindel by my side, we’ll put my children everywhere.”
“You want to destroy the neighbouring packs?” I ask in captivated horror. Just imagining him ruling more than this pack is a nightmare.
“I want to rule the world.”
Fire flares in me. “You aren’t fit to rule.”
He smashes his head into mine, leaving me with an agonizingly painful headache and hot blood running down my forehead. My cry is still ringing in my ears when I lift a hand to my head, but he’s not done; his large fingers wrap easily around my throat and squeeze.
I grab at his hand, but he lifts me off my feet, pinning me to the wall.
I can see the sweat stains on his clothes, smell the horrible stench of him; his eyes are slightly red-rimmed; he’s got long eyebrow hairs that curl over. All of it I see quickly, and I hate that these might be my final moments.
The pressure builds, and my lungs ache. I kick my feet, thrashing, but it does nothing. Everything starts going black, and then I hit something hard. The sound is so loud it couldn’t possibly be death.
I open my eyes and find myself lying in a pile of trash, with the metal trash bins scattered around me. Still rolling and screeching from where I sent them spinning.
“Remember who you are!” Jonas roars, spit spraying out of his mouth.
If there was ever a wolf that needed to be put down, it’s this one. He’s so unbelievably feral. I don’t know how my dad doesn’t see it. Or maybe he does, and he’s confused sociopathy with strength.
I claw my way up onto my hands and knees, struggling to breathe. I do a quick assessment, and I think I’ve got at least a broken rib, my trachea is bruised, and my wrist might be fractured.
I gingerly get to my feet, turning my back to the wall so I can face him as he stomps towards me.
“Look what you made me do!”
I don’t dare say anything, but when he reaches out, I flinch.
His expression darkens, and he shoves me in the chest, hard enough that I stumble over the trash and elbow the brick wall hard.
“Jonas,” I groan, trying to appeal to his intellect. Which is a futile effort because he seems even crazier than he used to be.
“I don’t think I’ll let you up to those mountains. I think I’ll just take you home now and collar you to the hole. Leave you there until you learn your place. Maybe I’ll let the other alphas have a run through you after I’ve broken you in.”
I cringe.
I shake my head, but he’s not listening. He lashes out, his hand closing around my throat again, but stops when he hears a fierce growl. I turn my head just slightly and spot Riot.
My relief and horror are equal. He looks so beautiful.
He stalks into the alley, his teeth exposed, his growl loud and threatening.
“Who the fuck are you?” Jonas miraculously puts two and two together and figures out that he’s with me. “Who is he? One of your dates?”
I edge back to the wall.
“He’s dead.”
“Jonas, please, just leave him-”
Jonas lashes out. The blow smashes into my face. I let out a pained yelp as I catch myself.
The aggressive alpha shifts, and, suddenly, there is a patchy grey wolf with nothing interesting about him but his size standing where the man vanished.
Riot snarls, and I have to admit, he looks savage. They charge and clash. I stumble towards them, but an arm wraps around me and drags me away. I fight, struggling against the hold, but it’s impossible to escape from.
“Easy, it’s me.”
“Wrath?” I sob in pure relief. “You have to help him.”
“He’ll be fine.”
“No, he won’t, help him. Jonas is the reigning champion alpha enforcer. He will break Riot. Please, please.”
“Fine, but you get in the car.”
“No, I have to-”
“That’s the deal. You get in the car and you go, and I go help Riot.”
I spin in his hold, meeting his eyes. One second, two.
“Okay.”
“Good girl, get in the car. Get home.”
He releases me, and I move swiftly towards where I left the car. I hear a wolf snarl in pain and whirl, tears blurring my eyes.
“Riot.”
I don’t know how I know it’s him, but I do.
I whirl back and see Wrath charge Jonas, but he’s wedged in, and Riot is growling, his neck between Jonas’ teeth.
No, this can’t be happening.
I need to do something.
“JONAS, STOP!”
He ignores me. I run back into the alley and throw myself on his back. My screams do nothing as he continues to shake Riot.
I see blood on the alley pavers.
Riot’s blood.
Our eyes lock, just for a second, a whole second.
He’s sorry.
He’s so sorry.
“No, I won’t let you do this!” I snarl.
A fury unlike anything I've ever felt rises in me. This unfit alpha is going to take one of mine.
He’s going to kill Riot and then me.
Wrath attacks, but it’s not enough.
If we had Khaos, we could stop him, but Khaos isn’t here.
They are going to die.
No.
I don’t think. I just act.