Page 124 of Claimed

“Explain, Luke. Plainly.”

“The betas who train get their reward.” He gestures to the building and looks at me like he can’t understand why I don’t immediately get it. “Three rooms with beds in there. Bathroom. That’s all. He has the girls ready while we’re training and the best of us each session get time with a girl. Also if you do something he wants to reward you for, you also get time in there with a girl.”

Linc’s expression hardens even further, and our gazes connect.

My mate’s pose of defeat the night I identified her flashes in my mind. Braced, on all fours, waiting for my claiming to be over and done with.

The look of fear and resignation in her gaze as she bent over me licking the droplet of syrup from my shaft.

Ronnie’s voice rings in my ears.

“I’m sorry to tell you this, but she’s been very badly abused, Grey. Badly.”

“Fuck!” I roar.

“Grey,” Linc clips, probably because fiery red sparks burst from the atmosphere around me and my immediate urge is to shift and rip shit up. The urge is so overwhelming, I’m having trouble not shifting.

“Reel it in, Grey,” Linc says, “C’mon. One step at a time.”

Linc gets it.

I’m having trouble. I’m trembling with absolute fucking fury. I feel more pressure in my head and the warm trickle of blood coming from my eyes.

“Fuck!” I bark out again. Gutturally.

Linc squeezes my shoulder. I jerk and very nearly shift, a growl flying out of my mouth.

“Back off!”

“Yeah, man, got you, but c’mon and let’s go. We need to get to the people, assess, lock down any threats, then get Cat in here with medicine. You can lose it later when the fucknut responsible for your anger is within reach.”

He waits, then calls out my name.

Right.

We make eye contact and I nod, then push air out of my lungs and draw more air in. But the air I draw in is putrid. Foul. I don’t want to reel anything in. I want to unleash it all. On the fucker responsible for this shit.

Luke looks frightened and confused. Larry is looking away.

“All good in there?” Jase asks through my phone.

“We’re moving along,” Mitch says and gives me a look that shows he understands.

“First thing we do is round up every male in this place and keep them in one place,” I snap.

“Yup,” Linc agrees.

My eyes are on Mitch. He nods.

I swallow bile and my urges, pulling the map Stacy drew out of my pocket. “You guys, round everyone up, please, and get them in one place. The big building on this, will it work?” I ask Luke.

“Yeah. Our mess hall is the biggest building. It’ll hold the whole pack for sure.”

“Start knocking on doors, Luke. You too, Larry. Tell everyone to get to the mess hall immediately and in an orderly fashion.”

35

Stacy

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