He transformed and stood before me, naked and every bit as physically appealing as he had ever been. I stared into his dark blue eyes, and cursed Thedric as the fool who had gotten me back into this situation.
"Mate," he said, simply, his eyes flickering.
I stared at him coldly. If he thought I was going to pretend to care he was going to be very disappointed.
"Where were you?" he asked.
"I left." I was not going to tell him anything.
"You joined another pack."
"I did."
"You fucked someone else."
I hadn't thought about how he might have been able to feel it, but I didn't really care considering how little he had cared about how it hurt me.
"Yes, I did."
He growled.
"Did he force you?"
"No. You're the only one who did that."
His growl increased, and I rethought my attitude. I didn't want to die. I wanted to escape and run back to Vander, and then anywhere else we could escape this psychopath.
"I don't want to stay here."
"You're mine."
"No, I'm mine. I don't belong to you, I never did. You can probably force me to stay but that doesn't mean anything other than that you're the one in the wrong."
"Come with me."
I thought about running to the woods, but I knew I would only get a few feet before his wolf was upon me, especially with my own werewolf abilities repressed as they were. At least with Alpha Gavriel he probably wouldn't keep me drugged.
Whatever Thedric's real grievances, he had been willing to sink as low as my first mate to gain it. He hadn't deserved to rule any more than this monster did.
Because I had little choice, I found myself locked in the same room I had spent so much time in months previously. Although muted, it smelled like him, and I couldn't help but find it calming. I hoped it was a sign that my wolf was waking up again. Dealing with him had felt less lonely when my other half had been awake.
It would also be nice to have my wounds heal up at a normal rate rather than humanly slow. A few minutes after I had been left there, Marie came into the alpha's room and helped me shower and dress, before she cleaned and bandaged my injuries better that the rogues with the first aid kit had managed in the car, as well as putting a clean bandage around my neck. There was sympathy in her eyes and I understood that at least one member of Stonemason had wanted to see me escape and live freely somewhere else.
There were probably more sympathetic to my plight, but they were likely as powerless as Marie.
I looked at her. "What happened while I was gone?"
She smiled a bit wanly. "At first, Alpha Gavriel seemed mostly unconcerned. His wolf was a bit more on edge, but everything seemed to be running normally."
Her voice grew more hesitant. "Then, when you joined that new pack and snapped the pack bonds with us, he grew violent. A couple of people got caught in his rage at that time, and one of them died."
"I'm sorry that happened," I said, meaning it. How many more would die before he was stopped?
She shook her head. "He really went downhill after that. There were a couple of times when he was struck with pain that we thought might be..."
I didn't want to confirm what she clearly knew so I waited.
"His wolf's been pushing at the surface since then. But now that you're back, maybe things will be better?" She did not sound very hopeful.
I wasn't, either.
Shortly after our brief conversation, Marie left me alone, but I was not alone for long. The alpha came to his room and shut the door firmly behind him.
What was he here for? What did he want from me? Possibilities flew through my mind like ghosts, each bringing terror with it.
He loomed over me, and leaned in close, breathing in my scent.
"You smell of rogues," he said.
"I'm sure that will pass. It's not like I asked them to hold me hostage." It was one thing when I held myself hostage, another entirely when they had done it.
"I'm going to kill every rogue."
"They're not all bad, I'm sure."
He scoffed at me. "They're rats, not wolves. They'll team up with any scum to make a quick buck. The world will be better off without them."
I decided not to argue, since thinking of rogues was only getting his wolf worked up, if his flashing eyes were anything to judge by. I just waited to see what he would do. He was still close, and my body was reacting to him like it always had. I hated the mate-bond between us, because it forced things I did not want to give. I didn't want to find him attractive. I wanted to stay true to Vander, although the longer I was forced to stay here, the less likely that was.
Maybe Vander would understand, but it would break my heart.
He could clearly smell my arousal, and he looked into my eyes before bringing his lips to mine. I tried to shove him away but I was even weaker in comparison to him than I usually was. I wrenched my face away. "No, I don't want this."
"Yes, you do."
"No, I don't. I'm never giving in to you again."
"You're my mate."
"I don't care. Leave me alone."
He narrowed his eyes as he loomed over me, a threatening wall of muscle and power. "Why should I?"
"Because I hate you. More than rogues, or Thedric for kidnapping me, I hate you more than anyone."
"Mate, be reasonable."
I wanted to claw out his eyes for his ridiculous statement. I'd show him reasonable.
"I'll give you a couple of days to consider our situation, and then we'll talk again."