Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 61468 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 307(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61468 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 307(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
My stomach drops.
Poppy stares at him, stricken.
“Surely you can’t be serious! Logan took me in when I had nowhere to go. Dirk stole everything from me—my money, my trust—he would have taken my life if Logan hadn’t taken pity on me. He flushed my birth control pills and got me pregnant on purpose before he left me with nothing. Logan has protected me, provided for me. And one of the babies I’m carrying is his. You can’t just hand me back to Dirk like I’m a wallet he dropped and you’re returning it!”
Townsend puffs out his chest—clearly the asshole is drunk on his own power.
“That’s exactly what we can and will do. You are a female—a pregnant female—and you have no standing here in this court. My decision is final. You’ll return to your husband,” he declares, looking down his nose at her. “And you should count yourself lucky he’ll still have you, after the shameless way you’ve acted.”
The world tilts. My Wolf thrashes inside me, howling. I fight the chains with everything I have, silver be damned.
“No! He can’t have her! Poppy is mine! Dirk doesn’t give a shit about anyone but himself—he won’t guard her, he won’t protect her!” I shout.
“Enough!” Townsend slams his hand on the podium in front of him. “Guards, take him away.”
The Alphas yank hard on the chains, dragging me back. I fight them, straining, teeth bared, but the silver eats my strength faster than I can call it up. My Wolf rages impotently.
And then I see it—Dirk stepping toward Poppy, his hand closing tight around her arm.
“No—leave me alone!” she cries, trying to wrench free.
But Dirk only tightens his grip, his eyes flashing with ugly satisfaction.
“Come on, wife,” he snarls. “Let’s go home.”
I bellow her name, my Wolf howling with me, but the chains bite deep, and I can’t reach her.
All I can do is watch as he drags her away.
52
LOGAN
Dirk’s fingers bite into my arm, hard enough to leave a bruise. I glance desperately around the courtroom. Dr. Elizabeth is watching me, her expression stricken, but I can tell there’s nothing she can do. None of them will help me. Not in this place where women don’t even have a voice—where the Pack is ruled by men and their twisted laws.
Dirk yanks me out of the building and into the cold morning air. Parked at the curb is a monstrous black truck—lifted so high off the ground it looks more like a tank than a vehicle. I realize with a sick drop in my stomach that it’s the kind of stupid, oversized toy Dirk would waste money on. Money he stole from me.
“Let me go!” I demand, trying to wrench free.
“I don’t think so, pretty little Poppy,” Dirk drawls, his grip tightening. “You’re far too valuable for me to let slip through my fingers again.”
“What are you talking about?” I demand.
Instead of answering, he shoves me at the truck. The door towers over my head and I can’t reach the step. He grabs me by the waist and boosts me up roughly, like I’m luggage. I scramble into the seat, shaken, as he climbs in behind the wheel. The second his hands grip the steering wheel, the engine roars, and with a squeal of tires we peel away from the building where Logan’s sham of a trial was held.
My heart is pounding.
“Why are you doing this? You already stole everything from me—Grandma’s house, the money… If you think I have more, you’re wrong. I’ve barely got a few hundred dollars in my account from working at Dollar Tree.”
Dirk grins at me, wide and evil, his eyes glowing faintly in the dashboard lights.
“Oh, babe. It’s not your bank account I’m interested in this time.”
A cold shiver runs through me.
“Then what?”
He flicks his gaze deliberately to my belly.
“You think I tossed your birth control just because I’ve got some kind of pregnancy kink? Please.” He makes a face like the very idea disgusts him. “But babies—Were babies—those are rare. Our race is dying out. And there are plenty of childless Were couples out there desperate for a baby of their own. Desperate enough to pay top dollar—especially for an Alpha pup.”
I freeze, my stomach twisting violently.
Dirk smirks wider.
“Leaving you with Logan was the best move I ever made. Letting him feed you, shelter you, keep you alive through your little ‘Second Heat.’ And now look at you.” His eyes glitter as he stares at my belly. “Carrying a perfect Alpha pup. That one alone will bring me ten times more than his little sister. And I’ve already got a buyer lined up.”
Bile rises in my throat. I clutch my middle protectively, feeling the babies kick inside me.
“You’re a monster,” I whisper, my voice shaking. “You’re talking about selling your own child! What’s wrong with you?”