Page 39 of Bullied Wolf Mate

“You’re right. It isn’t.” Inara gave a dramatic sigh. Her eyes swept across the group, her smile growing wider as she made sure she had everyone’s attention. My skin crawled as I watched her, wondering what bomb she was about to drop on us.

“If you must know, I learned after having a very informative chat with a lovely woman… what was her name?” She tapped her chin with one long nail in mock contemplation as her eyes glittered with malice. “Oh, that’s right. Georgia.”

Silence. All heads whipped toward Jameson, whose entire body had gone as rigid as a board. I could sense the rage and panic radiating off him. Suddenly, I realized that the “she” Inara had mentioned admiring Jameson hadn’t been Lorelei at all.

It had been Georgia, Jameson’s mate.

“What did you say?” he growled.

“You heard me,” replied Inara. “She’s a lovely woman, by the way. I can see why you like her so much. I didn’t have the pleasure of meeting your daughter, but I’m sure I can change that.”

“What have you done?” Jameson snarled. His fingers curled into fists as he stalked toward the witch.

“I’d be careful,” Inara warned, not batting an eye. “You wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to her. Or any of the others.”

Jameson stopped dead in his tracks, and I knew it wasn’t because of the threat. Everyone else had honed in on that final word.

Others.

“What did you do?” Luke demanded.

Inara shrugged. “I got myself some leveraging power,” she said. “My coven took several of the women from town. I forget all their names, but I can promise you that if you called home right now, I don’t think any of your mates would pick up.”

The resounding silence was deafening. Every Silver Wolf in the room glowered at Inara, rage and hatred and disbelief radiating off them. Even Declan and his crew looked stunned. How the hell had she managed something like that?

I glanced over at Lorelei. She looked sick. She glanced at me, then away, clearly shell-shocked.

“You’ve got to have a death wish, bitch,” Rand growled at Inara.

“On the contrary,” she said arrogantly. “I have a very strong sense of self-preservation. Hence the leverage. If anything happens to me or my men, then you’ll never see them again.”

“What is it you want?” Jameson asked.

“Her, of course.” Inara turned to Lorelei. “She comes with me, and all your mates and the other ladies of your little pack come home safe and sound.”

“No deal,” I snarled.

“It’s not your deal to make, wolf,” Inara snapped. She walked over to Lorelei, reaching out and drawing one finger down her cheek. “What do you say, Lorelei?”

“Don’t touch me,” Lorelei said, but the words came out hollow, weakened by the shock of Inara’s announcement.

Inara tutted, her hand falling to her side like a disappointed school teacher. “Now, really, think about it. You’re willing to risk all those women? And for what? Yourself? That’s a little selfish of you, don’t you think? I know you’re a bit of a loner, but that’s just extreme.”

“She’s pregnant,” I snarled. “Do you think she’s going to hand her baby over to you to die? Do you think we’re going to let you?”

“Again, that’s not your decision to make,” Inara said. She gave Lorelei another warm smile. “And if the baby is really the point of concern here, I can promise all of you that no harm will come to it. That type of hybrid is such a rarity. I wouldn’t dream of letting anything happen to it.”

“So, what?” I asked. “Lorelei and the baby become your prisoners, she opens The Trove for you, and you let the women go? What happens to Lorelei after?”

“I’ll make sure she’s more than comfortable,” Lorelei said. “She’s going to need her strength, after all.”

Fear radiated off Lorelei, and I could sense the turmoil in her body. She glanced around the room, eyes lingering on Jameson, Rand, and the other Silver Wolves in the room whose mates had been taken. I knew Lorelei well enough to know the type of guilt that must be torturing her.

This time, when Inara patted Lorelei’s shoulder, Lorelei didn’t move a muscle. “I know this is a lot, and you probably need time to think about it. Don’t worry. I’m happy to be more than accommodating on that front. You have twelve hours.”

“Twelve?” Declan stared at the witch. “You can’t be serious. We need more time than that to make a decision.”

“You need more time to come up with a way to stop me, more like,” Inara retorted dryly. “No, you get twelve hours. If Lorelei doesn’t come to the agreed-upon meeting spot by then, the women die.”

---