Page 93 of To Hunt A Wolf
Levi isn’t here.
That realization leaves a hollow fear coating my insides.
I scramble up, tossing the cover aside. Nudity isn’t a new concept. And I have far worse problems than lack of clothing right now.
The door’s locked, but I’m not deterred.
Stepping back, I call on my wolf.
She stirs slowly. I breathe a sigh of relief that they haven’t bothered to mute her like Thiago did to me the last time he had me drugged. But before I can call my beast to the surface and shift, the lock clicks, and the door swings open.
I back away as Thiago walks in.
He looks me over, his gaze lingering on my breasts until I’m more uncomfortable than I am angry. He plants himself between me and the door. Behind him, a trio of guards waits just outside.
“Move,” I say, my voice hard.
“Sure,” he says breezily. “But first, maybe you’d like to explain to me where my brother is hiding. My men have searched high and low on those slopes and turned up nothing besides you and your lovesick little runaway.”
“What have you done with Levi?”
Just the mere mention of him has me twisting in knots. My wolf surges, ready to show herself and rip Thiago to shreds if he’s done something to harm our mate.
But just like I am singly focused on Levi, Thiago’s clearly not ready to let the subject of Jadick go.
“You tell me where Jadick’s hiding, and I’ll take you to Levi,” he says. When I don’t answer, his grin broadens as if he’s telling some sort of inside joke as he adds, “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”
“If you’ve hurt Levi at all—”
“I haven’t yet,” he snaps, smile vanishing. His expression strains as he snarls, “But refuse to answer me and that can change. Now, where is Jadick hiding, and what is his plan of attack?”
I stare back at him.
“He’s not here,” I say, and Thiago laughs harshly.
“Stop lying,” he hisses.
“I’m not.”
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
“Jadick isn’t here,” I repeat, louder this time.
Frustration heats my skin until the chilled room doesn’t even register anymore. Thiago looks just as angry, if not more. He isn’t convinced.
“He didn’t come with us,” I say. “We did this on our own.”
It’s a hard truth to admit, mostly because it means we’re idiots. A failed plan with no backup and no rescue in sight. Thiago has us now, and he can do what he wants.
Except he never wanted Levi. Or me.
That much is clear from the disappointment clinging to him now.
“All right,” he says, straightening and squaring his shoulders as if accepting something unsavory. “The hard way it is.”
He turns to the guards. “Bring her in.”
I back away, returning to the bed and grabbing the sheet. Wolves are used to nudity, but only when it means we’re shifting. I don’t exactly want to negotiate for my life—or Kari’s—with every bargaining chip I own on full display.
