Chapter 20 #3
He casually leaned forwards, propping himself up on one elbow as he twisted to face me.
I wanted to punch that easy smirk off his face.
Instead, I studied the people around me, picking out the ones I knew from my pack.
Some of them were being forced to serve the wine and beer, and others had been enlisted to cook under the intense supervision of three members of my pack who had clearly switched sides.
I skimmed the crowd and picked out the other members of my pack who had turned traitor.
Who had betrayed us.
It still stung.
I had given some of them everything, remaining at my pack to take care of their needs and ensure they were happy, denying myself the things I had truly wanted in order to give them what they wanted.
This was how they repaid me and my parents.
By betraying us. The sight of them sickened me as they enjoyed the things Lucas had offered them, pawing at the females who fawned over them, drinking wine from fine crystal goblets and dressed in clothing that definitely hadn’t come from the local general store.
The promise of females and a fortune had been enough to tempt their shallow hearts.
Lucas tracked the path of my gaze and drawled, “It honestly surprised me how willing some of your pack were to help me capture the rest… your parents included.”
I scowled at him as those words sliced deep into my heart, making my wolf side howl in rage and agony. They had turned their own alpha over to another. Disloyal bastards.
They would pay for what they had done.
“The… male who bought me. He sent a messenger who never returned. What happened to him?” I chose my words carefully, trying to make it sound as if the messenger had been deployed to Lucas rather than my own pack.
Lucas shrugged, his black shirt tightening across his chest and shoulders, and casually leaned back in his seat, taking his wine with him. “I think Braxton killed him once he got what I wanted out of him.”
“My location,” I murmured and twisted on my seat to look at him. “And just why was it so important to retrieve me that you tortured someone and then forced one of my friends to betray me?”
I could practically feel Morden tense as I said that, even though there were several empty seats between me and him where he sat at the far end of the table, an untouched drink in front of him. His focus shifted to me, heavy and demanding, but I ignored him and kept my gaze locked on Lucas.
Lucas swirled his wine and then gently tipped it towards me, almost saluting me with it. “That’s for you to find out.”
“Where’s Everlee and Chase?” I made a show of looking around me, including over my shoulder at the barn.
I could sense people in there. Not everyone had been invited to this celebration. I couldn’t scent Everlee or Chase though.
Or Danica.
I glanced at Morden and the cold rage in his stormy eyes told me he was aware his sister wasn’t here.
“Chase is… somewhere more secure. Somewhere familiar to you.” Lucas slowly smiled and my stomach dropped as I thought of my cousin locked in that infernal cage.
“And Everlee?” I swallowed to wet my suddenly dry throat as some deep-rooted instinct whispered that I wouldn’t find her here.
“She’s in the same place as Danica.” Lucas turned his wretched smile on Morden as he sat up and looked down the length of the table at him. “I wasn’t sure you had the balls to come through with the goods, so measures had to be taken. I made promises, and I always deliver.”
I snorted. “You always deliver? Strange… I remember you promising me forever once.”
Morden’s grip on his silverware had tightened dangerously, his knuckles burning white as he glared at Lucas. “Where is she?”
“Had you not taken so long, she would’ve been here.
” Lucas barely concealed his flinch as Morden slammed his fist down on the table as he shoved to his feet.
“Now she’s en route to another location with Everlee, where her new owners will pick her up just as soon as we’ve finished negotiating a suitable price for two such pretty young wolves.
They don’t seem inclined to pay quite as much as the one who bought you, but I’ll convince them they’re worth the cost.”
“You son of a bitch! Give me my fucking sister!” Morden launched at Lucas, dark fur rippling over his skin.
And slammed into Braxton as he leaped between Morden and me.
Morden snarled and wrestled with him, slamming his fist into Braxton’s gut.
Braxton fought him, managing to hook his arm around Morden’s throat.
As soon as Braxton put him in a chokehold, Morden shifted, his clothes tearing as his body morphed.
Braxton struggled to keep hold of Morden in his wolf form as he wriggled and kicked.
The big black wolf dropped to all fours as Braxton lost his hold and pivoted towards the beta, fangs flashing as his hackles rose and he lowered his head.
Braxton growled right back at him—the growl of a beta—a vain attempt to put Morden in his place.
Rather than backing down as ordered, Morden launched at him, a blur of black that slammed into Braxton and knocked him back into the bench table.
Braxton grappled with him, seizing handfuls of fur, muscles straining against his dark shirt as he fought to get the upper hand and stop Morden from seizing his throat in his fangs.
Lucas pushed to his feet and snarled low, but the command in it didn’t stop Morden, who turned bright eyes on him and bared his fangs.
A gasp wrenched from my lips as Lucas gripped the back of my neck, short claws pressing in hard as he hauled me onto my feet.
“Try it and I break her neck.”
I stilled right down to my breathing, the urge to lash out at Lucas dissipating in an instant as he squeezed my neck, applying crushing pressure to my spine.
Morden froze too.
And then he eased back, stepping down off Braxton where he remained on his back on the table, breathing hard.
Lucas dipped his head to my ear and I shuddered as he whispered into it, “See the power you wield, princess? Even the strongest wolf in your pack is cowed by your presence.”
It wasn’t my presence that had stopped Morden. It was the threat to my life. I didn’t quite have the courage to voice that as I stared at him, silently apologising to him because I felt like a weakness as I stood there, a weapon Lucas was intent on employing to keep my pack in line.
I looked beyond him, to my parents.
My father watched me solemnly, wearing the same look I was, and I shook my head, because he didn’t need to apologise to me for what was happening. I had known the dangers of coming here and was willing to brave them if it meant saving everyone.
Braxton righted himself and kicked Morden in his side, the brutal blow making him yelp. Before Morden could recover, Braxton kicked him again, hard enough that I feared he might break Morden’s ribs.
“Stop!” I snapped, even when I knew it was pointless. Braxton would never listen to me. He had always despised me. So I looked at Lucas instead, sure he had no shred of compassion in his being but needing to do something. “Make him stop.”
Lucas stared at me for a moment, and I was sure he would laugh off my plea like the cold bastard he was, but then he shifted his icy gaze to Braxton and said, “Lay off him. Toss him in the barn with the others.”
Braxton grunted and grabbed Morden by his scruff, and dragged him towards the barn.
I was in a bit of trouble now.
This wasn’t the plan.
Morden was supposed to remain close so I would have immediate back up should I make a move or should I need to attack to protect myself.
I watched them go, my heart in my mouth as I forced myself not to move, denying the part of me that needed to check on Morden and make sure he would recover from his injuries. I needed to come up with another plan. Maybe if I caught the eye of some of the other members of my pack.
Lucas slowly turned me towards him, his gaze lowering to my chest. Not my chest, I realised, as the mark there hummed, warmth chasing around the circular design. Kaeleron. I pinned my hands to my sides, resisting the urge to touch it.
“Quite the slave mark. These fae don’t seem to do things by halves.
” Lucas stroked his fingers over the brand and I flinched, easing my body backwards as much as I could in an attempt to evade his touch.
He clucked his tongue and pulled me closer, his blue eyes lifting to lock onto my mouth and then my eyes. “I’m quite torn.”
“Torn?” I frowned.
He shoved me down onto my seat again and eased into his own beside me, his smile turning my insides. I would have found it charming once. I might have blushed and preened a little over his attention.
Now, I wanted to vomit.
He lifted his hand and twined a loose strand of my hair around his fingers, his gaze softening. “I can’t decide whether to hand you over to the guy who wants you or keep you for myself. You’ve grown more beautiful in our time apart.”
If I had grown more attractive, it was because of Kael.
He was the reason I was different now.
“I could mate you. I’ve had a little practice breaking females now.
I think I could break you. I think I might enjoy it.
” Those words made my skin crawl and dread pool in my veins.
My situation was a lot worse than being in a bit of trouble.
“And if I claim you, I’ll have the power of those who are looking for you to protect my pack instead.
I could get used to living in a castle.”
“A castle?” It sounded an awful lot like he was talking about a fae court. “Who is looking for me?”
Lucas picked up his glass of wine and sipped it, his gaze remaining locked on mine, a glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes and that smug smile that had my hackles rising and made me want to run far. Run fast. Before whatever he was thinking about could happen.
“Who is my new owner?” My voice trembled, those words coming out weak and timid rather than demanding as I stared at him, waiting to hear my sentence and dreading he would confirm the suspicions ringing alarm bells in my mind. “Why did you send Morden to bring me back?”
“Because a very persuasive male marched half an army into my territory looking for you.” Lucas set his wine down. “Turns out you’re worth more than a million gold coins. You’re worth a whole fucking kingdom, and this fae lord is willing to pay whatever it takes to get you to come to his lands.”
Everything went silent.
As if a void opened up around me.
I stared in the direction Kaeleron was hiding, unaware of Lucas as he raised a toast that had the wolves around me jeering as that silence rang in my ears, as my heart thundered and flooded me with a desperate need to warn him.
A fae was coming to take me from him, intending to strike a blow at him by capturing me and taking me to his kingdom.
Lucas palmed my nape. A shudder tumbled down my spine as awareness of him and his predatory gaze crashed over me again. That look in his eyes warned he was serious about claiming me, mating me to ensure he got more than just a great payday.
He wanted that castle he was imagining.
And he was willing to break me to have it.
This wasn’t good.
I was in a lot worse than a little trouble.
I was in deep shit.