Shift back. Someone’s coming.
Wait. What’s your name?
Charles. Hurry!
Growling, I ran over to my pile of clothes and closed my eyes, focused on shifting back. Pops and cracks sounded. Once the pain receded, I opened my eyes. I was human again and I heard conversation. Scrambling, I pulled my clothes on just before Wilson and some other guy sauntered over. The other one was bigger than Wilson but had a baby face. I covered the cuffs of my hoodie which had torn during my shift because of the ties—I was lucky that was the only thing I’d ruined.
“Sleep well?” Wilson hit the side of my cage.
I glared at him, refusing to reply.
“Managed to get out of the rope, huh? That saves me the time of undoing the knot. Stand up, we’re going on a walk.”
Every muscle in my body seized up. His tone indicated I wouldn’t like the walk one bit.
“Stand!” he shouted, spit flying from his mouth.
I scurried to my feet, but didn’t move any closer to the door.
The other werewolf snickered.
Wilson glared at me and unlocked the door. “Get over here.”
Charles whined and pawed the cement.
Glowering at Wilson, I made my way over to the door. He and the other werewolf grabbed my arms. Wilson whipped me around and pinned me against him. “You’ll do what I say without a fuss. Got it?”
I refused to answer.
He tightened his grip, putting pressure on my sore shoulders. “Answer me.”
“Okay.”
“Good.” He flicked his head toward his friend. “Get the collar on her, Benjamin.”
I squirmed to get away.
Wilson applied more pressure. “I said you’ll obey me.”
Benjamin pulled out a metal collar with little spikes all around the outside. He gave me an apologetic glance as he slid it around my neck and locked it into place.
“Now the leash.” Wilson tightened his grip even more. It took all my strength not to cry out in pain.
This time, Benjamin averted his gaze as he slid the long metal chain into the collar.
Wilson shoved me away. “On all fours.”
I gave him a double-take.
“Am I being unclear?”
“You’re serious?”
He slapped me across the face. “All fours.”
Rage tore through me, but I complied.
“Come on,” Wilson snapped. “It’s time for some obedience training.”
My stomach twisted in knots. What did they have planned for me?
“I said get going!” Wilson’s face grew red. He turned to Benjamin. “Yank that blasted leash as hard as you have to.”
I crawled forward before my neck ended up sore, too. My knees sunk into the soft dirt and pointed pebbles dug into my palms.
Wilson rushed on ahead. Benjamin kept up with my pace. Wilson spun around and glared at me. “Faster!”
I picked up my pace, ignoring the pain in my shoulders and back.
“Don’t be afraid to hit her with that chain.” Wilson huffed and walked even faster.
Benjamin nodded but made no move to hurt me. Wilson picked up his pace all the more. I did my best to keep up while digging rocks into my hands and knees. By the time we reached a dilapidated barn, the knees of my jeans were shredded.
Wilson yanked open the door and waved us in. The building was full of hay and dust. It looked like it would all collapse if anyone so much as sneezed. Sunlight shone in through some cracks in the beams, and billows of dust danced in the light. Wilson slammed the door and the building shook.
He gestured to a hook on a low beam. Benjamin walked over, and I crawled behind him. He slid the end chain link of the leash onto the hook. I gagged as it pulled on my neck.
“You can stand.” Disgust covered Wilson’s face.
I rose and tugged on the collar.
“Did I say you could touch that?” Wilson yelled.
I dropped my hands to my sides.
“Tighten the chain.” Wilson glared at Benjamin.
The younger werewolf gave me another sorrowful glance before removing the leash from the hook and attaching it about ten links in from the end.
“I said tighten it, you fool!” Wilson rushed over and pushed Benjamin out of his way. He yanked the leash, making me gag as he attached the middle of it it to the hook, the chain so taut I had to stretch so I didn’t choke. “Like that, you stupid wimp.”
I grabbed the collar to pull it from my neck.
Wilson turned around and kicked me in the ribs. “I said to leave that alone!”
Tears stung my eyes, but I determined never to let him see them. I released the collar and gagged again, struggling to breathe. Dust filled my nose and mouth. I coughed uncontrollably.
Wilson threw his hands in the air. “I’m working with amateurs.” He walked over to me, standing only inches away. “Stay here, you understand? I’m going to let you think about what you’ve done for a while.” He punched me in the stomach before spinning around.
I stumbled backward, the collar choking me until I regained my balance.
Benjamin followed him to the door. I grabbed the collar and pulled it away from the front of my neck and gasped in big breaths.
Wilson spun around. “Don’t touch the collar.” He pointed up toward another beam, where a small camera sat pointed toward me. “We’ll know if you do, and you’ll pay. The only thing you’re allowed to do is think about what you’ve done wrong.”
They went outside and he slammed the door, making the barn shake again.
Shaking, I stared at the camera, trying to figure out if it was actually working or not. It was big and old, and covered in dust. I’d have expected a flashing red light or something, but saw none. The lens was the only part not caked in dust, leading me to believe Wilson might be telling the truth.
The collar continued gagging me, and as much as I hated to leave it alone, I did. I stepped on my tiptoes, managing to make myself a little more comfortable until my toes couldn’t take the weight any longer.
Tears stung my eyes again, but I refused to give in. If I did break down and cry, the werewolves would never see it. I fought against the collar and leash for what felt like forever. I tried to use my emotions to shift, but my body wouldn’t give me the privilege. The muscles in my legs burned as I went back and forth between standing on my toes and not. A few times, a large ball of dust got into my mouth or nose, making me cough and struggle even more.
Finally, the door opened again. Wilson came in with James and Benjamin. The two older men glared at me as they came closer, but the younger refused to look at me. He kept his gaze on the floor.
James came up to me and squeezed my chin between his thumb and first finger, forcing me to stare into his eyes. He looked so much like an older version of Toby, it sent chills down my back because of the cruelty his expression held.
“Have you thought about your wrongdoings?”
I swallowed and gave a little nod.
“When an alpha speaks to you, you answer.”
“Y-yes.” Speaking made me gag again.
He squeezed my face harder. “And what is your conclusion?”
That he and Wilson were both alpha-holes. I clenched my jaw.
He pushed my head back and dug his fingertips against my flesh. “Answer your alpha.”
“You’re not my alpha.”
“Try that again.”
I shook my head.
He shoved me backward. The chain tightened, gagging me. “Tell me what you did wrong, little girl.”
“I followed my heart.”
“That’s right.” He narrowed his Toby-like eyes. “You disobeyed the ages-old rules of our kind by walking away from your pack to tempt my eldest son with your whoreish ways.”
I gasped.
“Oh, don’t act like you didn’t. If your father wasn’t as angry as me, I’d have thought he’d put you up to it. He should’ve loved the fact that my pack�
��s next alpha was lured away.” His brows came together and he made a throaty noise before spitting in my eyes.
I closed my eyes and wiped the phlegm away.
“Don’t ask me why Wilson didn’t have the foresight to keep your hands tied.” He paused and then ordered one of them to find another rope.
Shaking, I lowered my arms and opened my eyes. Benjamin was digging through a rusty chest next to a pile of hay. The two alpha-holes stared each other down.
“Use your head from now on.”
Wilson gave a slight nod. “Yes, sir.”
“Did you find that rope yet?”
Benjamin rose and pulled a blood-spattered noose from the rusty chest.
My breath hitched.
“Undo that and tie her hands together.”
The younger werewolf undid the noose as he walked toward me. It unraveled and he went behind me, tying my wrists loosely. The knot was tight, but my arms weren’t pinned against me painfully like they had been before.
Toby’s father walked toward me and then around me in circles. He didn’t say anything. None of them did. Benjamin stood off to the side in the farthest corner away from me. Wilson had a giddy look in his eyes.
After several times around me, James finally stopped just in front of me. He stared at me, seething, hate etched on the planes of his face. “You do realize you have to pay for your wrongdoing. Not only did you destroy my family, but you disrupted all of werewolf kind. Do you take responsibility for that?”
I didn’t answer.
He punched me across the face, a spiked ring slicing my skin as it went. “Let’s try that again. Do you take responsibility for destroying life as we know it?”
Chapter 20
Victoria
I stared at James, trying not to shake or make the collar hurt any more than it already did. He hit me across the face with his other hand, which at least didn’t have a spiked ring.
“Answer me!”
“Will you stop?” I held his gaze, trying to ignore the fact that his eyes were so similar to my love’s.
His brows came together. “I’ll ask the questions around here, and you will answer them.”
“Okay.”
“Okay, what?” he shouted. Spittle flew to my face.
“I’ll take the blame.”
His nostrils flared. “Not the blame—the responsibility. There’s a difference. You’re guilty, not a martyr.”
I struggled to take a deep breath. “Okay.”
“No, it’s not okay. Take responsibility. Say it.” He kicked me in the kneecap.
My leg buckled and I started to fall. The collar choked me until I managed to regain my balance. It was no easy task with the pain shooting through my knee and my wrists tied behind me.
“Say the words, little girl.”
I glared at him. “You keep calling me that, but how can I be responsible for something so enormous if I’m just a helpless child?”
From the periphery, Benjamin shook his head vigorously.
Toby’s father reached behind his back and brought forward a leather whip. “Want to say that again?”
“Gladly.” I gathered as much saliva as I could and spit it on his face, not quite reaching his eyes as I’d hoped.
“Now you’ve done it.”
“Are you going to kill me again?” If I was going to die anyway, I would go out on my own terms without giving him the satisfaction of taking fault for the traditional werewolf ways growing outdated.
The whip stung my right arm and then my left.
“You can make this easier on yourself or harder. It’s your choice.”
I clenched my jaw, refusing to respond.
“Does my son put up with your insolence?”
It took all my concentration not to cry in pain. The whip burns stung far more than they should have. Then I realized he’d put something on the whip to make it hurt more.
James paced and then faced me. “I’m almost tempted to send you back to him. Putting up with you would be a fantastic punishment.”
Hope surged through me. Would he really let me go back to Toby that easily?
“But don’t worry.” He moved the whip from one hand to the other. “I’m not even close to done with you. This is just to warm you up for what’s to come.”
A small cry escaped my throat.
The corners of his mouth turned up. “Don’t like that? Good.” He struck me again over and over, this time hitting me from all sides. Each time the leather made contact it stung worse than the last. “Ready to take responsibility yet?”
My body slunk, making me gag on the collar. I fought to remain standing and refused to answer him. Deep inside, my wolf whimpered. We were too beaten down to attempt a shift.
“How does that feel?” he taunted.
I narrowed my eyes—one of the few places that didn’t hurt. Burns now stung me from my ankles to my neck.
“Remember those vampires you were fighting?” he asked.
I didn’t give any indication that I recalled anything.
“We collected their venom before killing them, so thanks for that. It won’t kill you, but oh how it’ll hurt. Might even make you wish you were dead.” He laughed and the snapped his attention back to me. “You ruined my life, leading to my eventual death. Trust me, I’ll make sure you pay in full. But first, you need to admit that it was all your fault.”
Tears stung my eyes, and I struggled to breathe enough air.
He stuck the whip in a back pocket. “You can make this a lot easier on yourself. Admit your responsibility, and I’ll have one of my guys loosen your leash.”
I shook my head.
“So insolent. We’ll see how long that lasts.” He stepped to the side, brought his knee to his waist, and side-kicked me in the ribs.
Pain shot out in all directions. I gasped and cried out, struggling against the collar.
“Last chance,” he taunted. “For now, anyway. There’s so much more to come.” A slow smile spread across his face until all of his too-white teeth showed. “What do you say?”
“Bite me.”
In one swift motion, he side-kicked me again, this time sending me farther back. I swung on the chain, choking against the collar until I managed to get my footing.
He got right in my face so that our noses touched. “I’ll give you some time to think this over. Next time, make the wise decision.” He turned to Benjamin. “You stay here with her. If she gives you trouble, tighten the leash.” He and Wilson left without a word, slamming the door. The building shook and more dust danced around.
Every bone in my body hurt. The vampire venom made the whip burns sting worse with each passing moment. It felt like at least one rib had cracked.
After a few minutes, Benjamin went to the door and opened it a crack. He peeked outside and then closed it gingerly.
I watched him, struggling to stay standing. Without a word, he came over to me and reached up for the hook.
“Don’t tighten it,” I begged.
He unhooked it and let the chain fall to the floor. I stumbled, having to adjust to the lack of pressure on my neck.
“May as well rest,” he said. “They’ll be back soon enough.”
I stared at him.
“Or you can just stand there.”
As much as I wanted to run out the door, I knew it would never work. Not with as much pain as I was in. I decided to take his advice. Each step hurt, but I made it to the nearest wall and slumped to the ground. He sat a few feet from me.
After a few minutes, I realized how parched my mouth and throat were. “Can I have some water?”
He flinched. “I’m not supposed to.”
“You’re not supposed to let me off the hook, either, but you did.”
Benjamin frowned. “You can’t tell anyone.”
“Why would I?”
He studied me and then rose. “Stay there.”
“Where would I go?” I moaned and wiped some blood from the gash in my face. I
t was already starting to heal.
“Just stay put.” Benjamin went over to the rusty chest and rounded a wall. Rustling noises came from his direction and a minute later, he reappeared with a water bottle.
My throat cried out for the drink. I sat up, eager for just a little relief. He twisted the cap off and put it to my mouth. Water filled my mouth and dripped down my chin. I drank as quickly as I could, and before I knew it, the bottle was empty.
“Can I have more?”
He sighed. “You trying to get me into trouble?”
“No. I can’t remember the last thing I drank, and I’ve been whipped with vampire venom. I’m pretty sure your alpha cracked some ribs. I’m tied up like a dog.”
Remorse covered his face. “I had nothing to do with any of that.”
“Yet you won’t give me more water.”
“James won’t hesitate to beat me up, either.”
I leaned my head against the wall and closed my eyes. “Then don’t help me,” I whispered, hoping to appeal to his conscious.
After a few moments of silence, his footsteps sounded. I opened an eye and watched him head back around the corner. He returned and helped me drink another full bottle. Finally, I felt a little better. Hydrated, at least. That would help my body to repair itself faster.
“I don’t suppose you’d untie the rope?”
“Sorry.” He sounded genuine. “At least it’s looser than before.”
“Thanks.” I looked around the barn as we sat in silence. My cut and burns felt like they were healing, but the venom still stung with a fierceness that nearly brought tears to my eyes. I stretched my legs out in front of me and noticed my knee felt better.
Time dragged on, and all the water caught up to my bladder.
“Is there a toilet around here?”
Benjamin snickered. “Seriously? I’m pretty sure this building is older than indoor plumbing.”
“I have to go.”
“You’re the one who wanted all that water.”
“Are you saying I should soil myself? You’re the one who has to sit with me.”
“And you’re lucky I’m the one guarding you.”
Didn’t I know it? My bladder screamed at me. “Really, though. I can’t hold it much longer.”
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