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Outside The Pack (Mated To The Night Book 1) 22
I thought the concept of being claimed was a really romantic one, but it was just one more difference between myself and my peers. The closest thing humans had to claiming was something called marriage, but they could separate after marriage. Wolves couldn’t do that.Mom and I headed inside the dining hall. Tonight’s food would be the most plentiful and the most succulent because it was the final day of mourning. I took a deep breath, and my eyes began to slip closed at the savory scents that filled the air. I didn’t need to have a shifter’s sense of smell to tell that there was deliciousness in my future.I loaded my plate high with vegetables that had been either simmered with salted meats or roasted over low flame. Main courses included braised beef, roasted poultry, and steamed fish. Mashed potatoes and rich, buttery gravy rounded out the meal. I intended to eat myself into a food coma. After Mom and I finished assembling our dinners, we looked around the packed dining hall for a
Outside The Pack (Mated To The Night Book 1) 23
When Taren got tired and went to sit down, I made eye contact with Mom and gestured for her to come outside. When she arrived, she immediately fell into the rhythm of the song, moving gracefully to the pulse-pounding beat. As I shifted from silly dances to the way my body naturally wanted to move, Mom’s dark eyes glimmered with amusement.“It’s so good to see you smile like this, honey,” she said, raising her voice to be heard over the music. “And you dance so well! We should do this more often!”I laughed. “Maybe, but nothing tops working in the garden with you!”Mom beamed at the compliment and broke rhythm so she could pull me in for a hug. “I love you, sweetheart.”I hugged her back. I took in her lovely, earthy scent and felt tears in the back of my eyes. I would miss my mom so much, but hopefully, we would meet again someday. Before the tears could flow, I pulled away so I could take her hand and twirl her around. “Love you too, Mom.”I danced for hours, but I kept a close eye o
Outside The Pack (Mated To The Night Book 1) 24
He laughed at me and reached for his crotch to adjust himself. I immediately stopped screaming and pressed my back against the wall. I knew my fear turned him on, but I couldn’t stop the tears that slipped down my cheeks. Troy’s expression was full of malice, but his gaze was that of a famished man. I couldn’t tell if he was after my blood or my body. Either way, it couldn’t be good for me.“What’s happening?” I asked, my voice the trembling squeak of a frightened mouse. “How did I get here?”“How do you think?”I tried to search my memory, and for a second, it was frightfully blank. But then flashes of the night’s festivities returned to me. I remembered the little boy and the drink, and…“D-did you slip me something?”He slammed his hand against the wall beside my head, and I flinched in spite of myself. “That’s right. I told that pup to bring you a drink. I knew you’d never drink it if I gave it to you.”I shuddered. I could hardly wrap my mind around the sickness that allowed Troy
Outside The Pack (Mated To The Night Book 1) 25
As if he knew the dark path my thoughts had taken, he laughed at me again and reached between my legs. He gripped my sex in his hand and squeezed hard enough for me to cry out. And then, just when I thought the pain would be too much, he pulled back and slapped me across the face. Pain sparked across my cheek as I blinked stars out of my vision.“Don’t worry, Bryn, there will be plenty more where that came from.” He started to walk toward the door. “I’ve got a challenge ceremony to prepare for, but I’ll see you tonight.” He sent one more awful smile at me before walking through the door.My head fell, and tears poured and poured out of me. I knew it was over. Troy had won. If only a dashing knight would appear to whisk me away to safety. But no, that was just a desperate attempt to escape into fantasy and away from the awful reality that I faced now.8NIGHTI bounced on the balls of my feet and flexed my muscles in anticipation of what was to come. The winter air was crisp and clear,
Outside The Pack (Mated To The Night Book 1) 26
It wasn’t hard to find Troy’s home. He lived in the Alpha’s cabin, a property that was much larger than not only my own cabin but also the other cabins of the Kings’ pack. It had likely started out more humbly, and as the territory passed hands, each Alpha added more to it. Given the lumber that was piled near the western side of the cabin, Troy was probably in the process of expanding it even further now that our father was dead.On the second story, there was a window large enough for me to fit through. With one leap, I grabbed hold of the sill and tested the window. It was unlocked, so I pushed it the rest of the way open and slipped quietly inside.I landed in a crouch and surveyed the room. It was dark here, but my wolf senses allowed me to see what was around me. I seemed to be in a den filled with shelves and shelves of books. I scoffed at the idea that any of the Redwolfs would ever crack open a book or that they were even capable of reading. If they cared at all about books,
Outside The Pack (Mated To The Night Book 1) 27
My gaze roamed to the back wall, and my heart just about stopped. There was a woman stripped down to her underwear and tied to the wall. Ropes had left her skin raw and red, and she was silently crying tears that dripped onto the wood floors. I stared at her, a slew of questions forming in my brain before I finally settled on one. What kinky bullshit is this?I should have known that a man like Troy would leave a woman so vulnerable while he partied it up with the other Kings. I could judge him, but for all I knew, this might have been consensual. The woman’s head was down, and she was whimpering quietly to herself. She hadn’t heard me, which meant I could still salvage this.If I was quick and quiet, I might be able to leave the room without her noticing me. I took a careful step back. I never once made any sort of noise, but just then, the woman looked up. My reflexes kicked in, and I crossed the room in a blink. Worried she’d scream, I went to cover her mouth, but I stopped when I
Outside The Pack (Mated To The Night Book 1) 28
Fuck me. Why do I care about this random woman? The question echoed in my mind with no answer. I knew there was no logic behind it. Even stranger, I found that I didn’t need logic. She needed me, and that was all that mattered. Now, if I could just come up with my next move, I could stop acting like a sitting duck.“Hey.” Though her voice was soft and hoarse from all the crying and yelling she must have done, it stopped everything for me. I turned my attention to her, ready and willing to do whatever she needed me to do. But her next words left me speechless.“Who the hell are you?”9BRYNI knew that this stranger had asked who I was, but given my current situation and the fact that this man had clearly broken in, I figured I was owed an answer first. As he considered how to answer, I tried to figure out what to do next.I had never seen this man on the compound before, but those eyes were the same emerald green of the man who haunted my dreams. More than that, I knew exactly who he
Outside The Pack (Mated To The Night Book 1) 29
“Listen, that doesn’t matter now,” I said. “We need to get out of here.”His lips slowly covered his teeth, and one of his eyebrows rose as if to say, we?Panic began to prickle up and down my spine. There was a possibility that this guy would abandon me here. The thought reawakened the hopelessness I had felt when I was alone in the room with Troy.“Please,” I whispered. “I need your help. At least—at least let me out of these restraints. I-I’m sure I can handle things on my own from there.”But I wasn’t sure of that at all. My legs had started to go numb before Night showed up, and now I could hardly feel them. My arms weren’t much better; I could move them and clench my hands, but even my upper body had started to lose feeling from lack of blood flow. However, Night didn’t need to know that right now. I could figure it out once I wasn’t in restraints any longer.Night’s gaze shifted to the door. No, no, no, no!“Please,” I said again, more forcefully. Tears stung in my eyes, but I
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