Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 87502 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87502 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
“Didn’t do nothing he didn’t deserve, you little slut,” Harris spat into my ear, his breath reeking of cheap whiskey and malice. “You’re s’posed to be a Moon Widow and look at you—letting that pup knot you and breaking the Unbreakable Laws. Disgusting.”
“Leave me alone! I don’t care about your stupid laws. Just let us go,” I cried. “We were going to leave together—let us go and you can have the town and the Pack. We don’t care!”
“Let you go without punishing you? I don’t think so. We saw what you two was up to, girly,” Harris sneered.
He held up the digital camera, the small screen glowing in the dark room. On it, frozen in the blinding flash, was a crystal-clear, horrifying image—me straddling Kor, my face contorted in pleasure, his hands on my hips, our bodies joined in the most private of acts.
“And pretty soon, everyone in the Pack and everyone in the town, is gonna see. You’re finished. Both of you,” he told me.
Terror, cold and absolute, washed through me, drowning the last embers of heat and pleasure. This wasn’t just a home invasion—this was humiliation—utter ruination. A permanent stain on my name and Kor’s forever that would follow us to any other Pack we might want to join.
Harris shoved me toward the shattered door.
“Come on, let’s get this trash out of here,” he snarled at the other Alphas.
As I was forced to move, stumbling and naked, my bare feet scraping on the splintered wood of the doorframe, I twisted my head for one last look.
Two of the Alphas had Kor by his arms, dragging his limp, unconscious body. His head lolled sickeningly, his feet trailing behind him like a ragdoll’s. They turned, hauling him toward the dark maw of the back stairs.
Harris shoved me again, a hard hand between my shoulder blades, propelling me forward, toward the front of the house, the opposite direction.
“Stop!” I begged. “What are you going to do to him?”
“Oh, you’ll see,” Harris told me. “Don’t you worry, Lady Jamison—both of you are gonna get what’s coming to you.”
The last thing I saw before I was pushed out into the dark, cold night was the sight of the man I loved, helpless and being dragged away into the darkness.
And I had no idea in the world if I would ever see him again.
FORTY-SIX
VIVIENNE
The day seemed to stretch on forever.
I had no idea what time it was because there were no windows in the shed where they had put me—only narrow cracks between the weathered wooden slats that let in thin strips of sunlight. The floor was dirty and smelled faintly of mildew and old motor oil. Rusted tools hung from nails driven into the walls and broken equipment was piled in one corner beneath a layer of dust.
It was cold too. Not freezing, but cold enough that I couldn't stop shivering, especially considering that I was still naked.
Eventually I found what looked like an old canvas drop cloth tossed beneath a workbench. It was stained with splotches of paint and smelled musty, but I wrapped it around myself anyway. At least it covered me and trapped some of my body heat.
I sat with my knees pulled to my chest and tried not to think about the way Harris had dragged me from Wolverton Manor the night before or the sight of Kor collapsing after being hit with the tranquilizer dart.
Every time I thought about it, my stomach twisted.
Where had they put him? Was he hurt? Was he frightened? Did he know where I was?
I had no answers for any of my questions, and I thought the worst part of this terrible situation I found myself in was not knowing.
Around noon, the lock rattled, and the door opened just enough for someone to slip inside. I scrambled to my feet immediately, my heart pounding with hope. For one foolish second I thought it might be Kor.
Instead, it was Jimmy Turner.
I recognized him instantly. He worked as a bagboy at the grocery store in town and had carried my groceries to my car more than once over the years. He couldn't have been more than nineteen or twenty and he looked profoundly uncomfortable standing there holding a bottle of water and a protein bar.
"Jimmy?" I said. "What are you doing here?"
He shrugged awkwardly and held out the food.
"Harris told me to bring you this. Said you need to keep your strength up."
I took the water gratefully because my throat felt dry and scratchy. I took the protein bar too, though I had no appetite.
"Thank you." I hesitated, then decided I had nothing to lose. "Jimmy, please…you have to help me."
His expression tightened immediately.
"Lady Jamison—"
"Please." I stepped closer. "Just unlock the door and let me go. I won't tell anyone it was you. I'll leave town immediately—you won’t get in trouble."