All Chapters of Outside The Pack (Mated To The Night Book 1): Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

I wanted to forget about Troy entirely and try to enjoy one last night before I ventured out on my own. At around midnight, the challenge ceremony would begin, and then those closest to Troy would have full run of the compound; but for now, everyone—the elderly, the mothers, the children—could sit down and enjoy each other’s company.I was looking forward to watching the young wolf pups enjoy the music and celebration. Other than Mom, the children were the best part about living in the pack. The little girls and boys were all so cute and so clumsy, and they weren’t nearly as put off by my humanity as their parents.Mom and I would get to dance carefree in the moonlight with the other women of the pack and eat delicious meals that neither of us had to prepare. The idea of being surrounded by such jovial, happy energy caused tears to push at the backs of my eyes. I tried to push them away, but a few wayward droplets escaped down my cheeks. I was going to run away from the only home I ha

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

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,

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

“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