Page 16 of Never Tamed
He steps up beside me, listing hard to one side, off balance on his bad leg. “It’s going to be fine.”
“None of this is fine,” Mathis interrupts, his eyes hot, his breathing heavy. “Let’s be honest. This is nothing but fucking crap and we’re out here on the run like we’re the criminals.”
Torin scoffs, walks Red inside and lays her gently on the floor. Then, he takes off to find clothes. Thank god because I’m really tired of looking at the blond asshole.
Stress bubbles up and nips at my nerves. This dingy container, Noble hurt, Red dying. Helplessness. Pain.
Whining, I say nothing when Mathis slams his fist into the side of the storage container. A dull ringing echoes back.
“Why should we always be the ones to pay? They’ve taken our omegas, they've run us from our homes, and still it’s notenough.” He growls, his wolf nearer to the surface than he usually allows.
“Keep your shit together, Captain America.” Noble sags against the opposite wall, bringing his knees up to his chest. His tone is light but the meaning inescapable. “You’re losing it.”
As much as I fucking hate to admit it, Noble is right. Mathis is always the sensible one. The optimist with a plan. The man’s got a rigid foundation of the stuff and everything in his life runs smoother because he’s a freak who hates mistakes.
Torin rounds the corner dragging a shirt over his head. “Am I missing some assault and battery?”
Mathis is flushed, grinding his teeth. “How can you be so calm?”
“Do I look calm to you?” Torin adjusts the stolen sweatpants on his hips. “You have no clue.”
The look isn’t good for him. He’s a dude built for suits, not casual. The joke is right there, but one look from Mathis has me swallowing it.
“You own the city. This is your turf now. So what do we do?” Mathis asks.
“These aren’t normal circumstances. Cat got away and there was no sign of Andras at the wedding,” Torin argues with his arms wide at his side.
Mathis bares his teeth. “Yeah, because he’s probably at our camp right now, kidnapping our people and forcing them into whatever kind of messed up shit he’s got planned for us. We’ve left our pack unprotected to save you.”
“I never asked to be saved,” Torin replies with a sneer. “I had it handled.”
Handled is a gross overstatement.
“This is when a simplethanksgoes a long way.” Mathis puffs up his chest.
I’m normally all for this macho bullshit but today, we’ve got more important necks to crack.
“Shove your thanks right up your ass. I’ll give you what you want when we’re out of this but not a second before.” Torin growls and the sound lifts my hackles. “Handleyourself, Mathis, and let’s plan.”
I slink closer to the exit. Every part of me wants to cut and run. To feel something real beneath my feet. Noble scoots to snuggle closer to Red, and I’m, what?
Useless.
“I’m sick of planning,” I grunt.
“Planning is the only way we’re going to have a shot in hell of making it out of here,” Noble says with a sigh. “You’re right, Mathis. The pack is left defenseless. Without us. The deltas and gammas are there to keep everyone in line but if Andras decides to target them, if he somehow figures out our location—”
He breaks off like he’s spent the last bit of his energy for one final word..
A small cry interrupts the budding argument and my focus centers on Red. She’s curled up into a ball at Noble’s side with her head in his lap.
I crouch in front of her, pressing my palm to her head. Her skin is clammy and burning up at the same time. Sweat plasters her hair to her face. “Red?” I snap my fingers but her eyes remain closed. “She’s not healing fast enough.”
“How long will it take her to heal? At this point, since she’s a werewolf, too, she shouldn’t be having an issue.” Torin shifts from foot to foot, his hands clenching at his sides.
Useless. Just another useless yuppie who thinks he’s an alpha. But I’m not moving any closer. I’m not ripping her out of Noble’s arms to fix her myself.
Because the truth of this shit is, I have no clue what to do. I’m not equipped for this kind of thing. You want violence? I’m your guy.
