Series: Werewolves of Wall Street Series by Renee Rose
Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 78974 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78974 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 395(@200wpm)___ 316(@250wpm)___ 263(@300wpm)
I gasp.
What if they brought us together so that Noah–the true alpha born of the Alpha Rites–would be the one to breed me?
That thought brings tears to my eyes.
Could there be life growing inside me already? I put a hand to my belly, but of course I don’t feel anything there. It’s too early. And I might not be pregnant at all.
A bittersweet pain spears me. Part of me hopes beyond all hope that I am already pregnant with Noah’s pup. But raising a child without him, raising a future alpha of this twisted pack, pitches me into an ocean of hopelessness.
Really, Grandmothers? Am I just to be bred and denied my mate’s companionship like Catherine Adalwulf endured with Bruce Blackthroat? Destined to murder her own mate to ensure the safety of the pack?
Disgust stirs in an oily lump in my gut.
I step out of the cell and into the hall, and I get a whiff of a familiar scent. Shock ripples through my body.
No.
Please, Grandmothers, no, I pray because I have no one else to turn to.
Why is my mate here?
Hugh presses against me, and I’m grateful for his ghostly reassurance even though it feels like a cold hand pressing against my leg, chilling me. I fight to keep my voice even. “Is someone else here?”
The Warden gives me a cruel smile. “Yes. A new prisoner. One you know. Rather intimately, I believe.”
Trembling starts in my legs, traveling up through my trunk, straight to my teeth. I bite down to keep them from chattering.
“Tonight, your punishment for defiling your body will be to watch the male who took your virginity bleed out at your feet.”
My heart stops. I can’t breathe. Can’t suck air into my vibrating lungs.
Noah.
No!
He was supposed to be safe, with his family. Why is he here?
I school my face, so I don’t look horrified. The Warden is watching my face closely, gloating a little. I need to remain calm, so I can figure out how to get Noah out of this.
My heart pounds in my chest. I want to be sick. He wasn’t supposed to be here!
He'll never leave us, my wolf whispers. Mate.
I let her calm surround me, even as my brain scrambles to search for a solution. At least I know he’s still alive.
“You proved yourself to be unworthy of your calling,” the Warden is saying. He’s like a buzzing mosquito, and with all his war paint on, he looks like a clown.
“The Grandmothers have orchestrated it all,” I say and stare him down. My eyes burn, but I am the Seeress. Guided by the Grandmothers. The Warden is nothing but a pale poser clawing for scraps of the magic I wield.
Finally, he looks away. He snarls, but I don’t flinch. I just won that dominance game, and now I’m going to win the war.
When we arrive at the Celestial Cradle, the red moon has risen. I feel the power along the ley lines running through the Cradle, and also the sense of hollowed ground. But I also feel the taint of what Oma, Odin, and the Warden have wrought in this land, the violence and bloodshed. The Earth is unconcerned with death because death is part of life. Even the Grandmothers agree on that.
If death is what’s in store for me, I am willing to die tonight.
But there’s no way I will allow them to kill my mate.
Noah
I stayed in wolf form the entire time they tortured me. I had hoped to be taken to the dungeon where I would escape, find Aster, and get the fuck out of here.
Unfortunately, I’ve had at least six wolves on me at all times, including Aiden and the Warden.
Aiden used all the Alpha Command he could wield, but I refused to shift. Even when they nearly choked the life out of me with the silver choke collar. I do pretend to be hurt worse than I am, making a show of hanging my head and staggering on my paws.
I had Esme use real silver because I knew they would never buy that I was her prisoner unless they saw real suffering.
I don’t give a fuck about the pain. It’s nothing compared to the anguish of losing my mate. I was an idiot to let her sacrifice herself for me, but it won’t happen again.
This time, I’m doing the sacrificing.
One of the links of the choke collar has a catch. All I have to do is shift to human form and unlatch it to get myself free, but when I read the Warden’s lips about sacrificing me in front of Aster, I decide to bide my time and wait until then. As soon as I have eyes on my mate, I trust I will know what to do.
It’s a weak plan, but it’s all I’ve got. Getting myself battered isn’t ideal, but I’m trusting my wolf will pull out all the reserves of energy and power for Aster.