Page 76 of The Librarian and Her Alphas

“I know all about the pup you’re carrying,” Zorin states coldly, and my eyes snap to his face. “And I’m here because of what your pack did to mine. They killed Thomas.”

“How do you know about the baby?” I whisper, horrified, my blood running cold at the smug expression on his face. There’s no way he could know about the baby.

“Oh yes,” he whispers. “I can smell it on you. Why did you have to be so useless when you were my omega? Giving me and my pack a baby would have made you much more valuable.”

“Why is this any of your business now?”

He taps his chin in thought, then smiles cruelly. “I might have finally found a use for you.”

I swallow hard, trying to muster the strength to block him out. I can’t go back to who I was before. It’s not just me that I have to think about anymore. I have to protect the baby now, too.

“I’m not interested in playing your games, Zorin,” I say sharply, straightening my shoulders. “I’ve got a new pack now. They’ll kill you if you try to take me away from them.”

“Where are they now?” he asks coldly. “They’re clearly not interested in marking you. I’ll accept you and the baby as a peace offering, even though your pack deserves to be obliterated for killing Thomas.”

“Never. I’m not their omega anymore anyway,” I say, trying to infuse as much bravado as possible into my voice. The more he believes that Damon, Max, and Gunnar are coming after him, the more he’ll make my life miserable.

“Have you said anything to them about me, Aleks, and Raul? Did you tell them about us?” he asks suddenly.

Oh, he’s worried.

I’m taken aback by his question, noticing the deep concern in his eyes. Is he worried that I might spill his secrets to another pack? Expose the abuse he inflicted on me? Judging by the look in his eyes, I realize it would be unwise to tell the truth, so I shake my head.

“No way. You’re not worth my time,” I say weakly, the strength I had mustered a moment ago slowly fading.

“Good,” he replies, facing forward. I let out a tiny sigh of relief, but it’s short-lived when I feel his hand on my thigh.

He squeezes my thigh, and it hurts as I hold back a cry. I wince in pain as he continues to squeeze harder, leaving what will undoubtedly be bruises behind.

The memory of Gunnar touching my thigh at the restaurant last night crosses my mind, and I can’t help but think how different Zorin’s touch is compared to Gunnar’s. Gunnar’s touch was gentle, while Zorin’s is hard and aggressive, hurting me just for the pleasure of it.

There is no love, kindness, or care in him. Zorin is pure evil.

“Stop,” I gasp out loud, and the stewardess glances at me.

“Am I hurting you, little omega?” he mocks, digging his fingers into my skin. The fabric of my leggings is thin, and I can feel his nails scratching my thigh.

“You are. You need to stop before I call someone.”

“Now that you’re pregnant, Lena, you’re finally of some use to me. I want to make you my omega,” he says, a maniacal look in his eye.

My heart races at the words coming from Zorin’s mouth.His omega?After everything he’s done to me?

I glance around frantically, but there’s nowhere to go. I’m right at the back of the plane, with Zorin sitting next to me, blocking any escape I might have had. I’m trapped, and the realization sends me into hyperventilation.

My mind flashes back to the last night I saw Zorin and his pack, the way they beat me and left me for dead in the middle of the night. I can’t allow myself to end up in that situation again, but I don’t see another way out. He laughs softly at my reaction, that evil smirk returning to his face.

“Water or orange juice?” asks the flight attendant, and he releases me instantly.

“Water,” Zorin replies smoothly, adopting his charming business tone as if he hadn’t just been squeezing my thigh. “Much appreciated.”

“And you, ma’am?” the attendant asks.

“I’ll take the same,” I say, striving to keep my voice even and calm.

I sink further into my seat, trying to create as much distance as possible between myself and this deranged wolf in the cramped space. Eventually, he shifts his focus, trying to catch the flight attendant’s attention, and I seize the opportunity to really look at him.

Once a handsome alpha, he now appears disheveled and unkempt. His hair is long and untidy, and his suit hangs loosely on him. A dark shadow of stubble marks his jaw, where he is usually clean-shaven. I briefly wonder what caused him to spiral like this. Was it finally seeing me happy without him and his cronies? Did he even have any mercy left in him?

---