Page 44 of Red's Beast

As I sniff my surroundings, I pick up another scent mingled in with mine and the beast’s. Corbin.

"He will pay for this."

Nigel's voice booms behind me, causing me to jump. "There you are, girl."

I turn quickly to face him, a snarl on my lips. "Here I am. Now, what are you going to do with me?"

I’m shocked at my words because they sound nothing like me. Before this incident, I would have never taken a tone like this with him. But things are different now. He doesn’t scare me anymore and part of me knows I don’t have to listen to him if I don’t want to. My wolf slowly rises to the surface, just waiting for another opportunity to come out and play.

“Where have you been?” He asks with a smirk. “You should be planning your ceremony in a week instead of disappearing for an entire week.”

"It's none of your business where I've been." Not that I can tell him, anyway. It’s not like I can say I was running through the woods with the one they call a monster.

Suddenly, his eyes land on my neck, and my hand flies to cover the marks.

“You wench. You have been cheating on my son. Is this how you are going to repay us and our kindness?”

I scoff. "Kindness? You have never been kind to me, and you know it. I didn't cheat on him because there is no us. So, save it for someone who cares."

His hand reaches out toward my throat, and I drop my hand from my throat to catch it, but miss. He wraps his fingers around my neck, picking me up to slam me against the side of my house. "This will not stand. I have called the council and we will deal with you."

I'm flung through the air and land on the dirt a few feet away from my house before I can do anything about it.

As I rise from the ground, I dust myself off. A new rage fills me and I’m ready to beat this idiot to a pulp. "I'm not scared of you."

"You should be."

He crosses the space and then snatches me off the ground in one fluid motion by the throat again. I hang in the air as he chokes me. “We will see what they want to do with you.”

I burst into laughter as I claw at his hand with both of mine. "Like they will let you get away with this. I didn’t cheat on Corbin and I haven’t done anything wrong.”

The corners of his mouth turn up in a smirk. “They let me treat you like nothing all these years, so what makes you think they won’t allow it to continue? Your ceremony will go on as planned and you will bear his heirs.Between both blood lines, those pups will be the most powerful we've ever had. But this is just for fun because I can do what I want with you and you’re just going to take it.”

"I'm not a breeding machine, nor will I be used as one." I try to get free, but I'm stuck in his grasp. The power that I hold has vanished and only appears when it wants to, apparently. It won’t surface no matter how hard I try to make it appear.

"It's cute that you think you have a choice." He sets me on my feet, only to drag me by my neck behind him. I fight him every step of the way, but eventually, he just throws me to the ground again.

"Here she is. As you know, she disappeared from our home seven days ago and hasn't been seen since. She is supposed to mate with my son in about a week’s time and needs to learn her place. What do you say?"

The response I hear from all of them is unanimous, with each of them responding. I'm appalled as I take in their faces, noting some were friends with my parents when I was little before their untimely deaths. "Why are you doing this to me?”

There is no remorse shown in their expressions. Tears roll down my cheeks as I look at each of them again. He’s right. They are going to allow him to continue treating me like this.

Nigel takes a step closer and nudges me with his boot. "Get up."

Standing up, I am immediately met with a forceful punch to my stomach, causing me to double over in agony. They laugh, but that isn't what has my attention.

The roar coming from the woods fills my mind. I lift my gaze upwards and allow a smirk to play across my lips. "Wrong move, Alpha."

"Why you little piece of trash!" Nigel roars and smacks me across the face.

Blood dribbles down my chin as my wolf rises to the surface, just underneath the skin.Run.

I take off without another thought and head straight for the path to my Grandmother’s, my wolf in full control and allowing me to move quicker than I ever have before in my human form.

"Get back here!" Nigel yells, but I don't stop running. His alpha command has no effect on me.

Just as I step foot onto the path between the trees, he catches me and pins me to the ground. With ease, he flips me over onto my back, holding my hands above my head firmly.

---