Page 73 of Banished Mates
Yeah, be shocked, bitch.
I licked my lips and nodded tightly.
How could he have done this? It shouldn’t have shocked me, he was the tough-love sort, which wasn’t necessarily the worst thing, but he took it too far. That was how I ended up mute. Even so, I never thought him capable of selling me just because he didn’t think I was fit for Camden.
“Where have you been?”
Was he really asking me that as if he didn’t know? I hadn’t realized what good of an actor he was until now. I couldn’t deny it kind of stung that he would go to these lengths. As dismissive as he’d been to me, he was still Camden’s fatherandthe pack Alpha. It was also eerie how similar Camden and him looked. Torrin was just a pale-haired older version.
Wood screeched against wood as Britt shoved to her feet. Her red mass of hair swishing over her shoulders at her quick move.
“Is Camden with you?” Britt’s voice rasped with anxiety. She rushed toward me and gripped my arms, her expression beseeching. Her fingernails dug into me, even through the sweater. “Please, Willow, you’re the reason he left. Did he find you?”
I frowned, brows furrowing as I stared down at her.
“Luna, Torrin told him to leave, it’s unfair of you to blame my daughter.” This was the first time I’d heard Hector speak like that to her. He was always painfully respectful of the Alpha and his Luna. But then again, there’d never been cause for him to not be respectful. He’d never wanted or needed to challenge anyone.
Torrin bristled, stepping forward with a scowl.
Omegas are to be loved, taken care of, and cherished... but that didn’t mean I was a fucking push over.
I gently pulled my arm away from Britt, making sure not to hurt her. She didn’t release for a beat, forcing her nails in deeper to where it burned. The scent of blood filled my nose, but I didn’t check for scratches I was sure were there.
I turned away from Britt and faced Torrin. Everything I experienced, the gut-wrenching fear, the unknown, the uncertainty, all rushed to the forefront. Being stuck in that small space for so long and not knowing what that werewolf would do to me. Every possible scenario had crossed my mind of how bad it could have gone.
I had a small chance of escaping if I moved forward with this, but that’s why I was here, that was why I left my mates. They didn’t deserve to be dragged into my crap, but I needed to face it.
I needed justice.
I signed slowly,“Why did you sell me?”
My heart thundered in my chest, raging to get out as much as my wolf did. She bristled to escape.
Hector frowned and looked from Torrin to me.
“Sell?” His lips thinned. “What do you mean, Willow?”
Torrin’s eyebrows remained furrowed, the only response was increasing anger. He didn’t understand me, butIneeded to ask the question.
“I have no idea what you mean. But there is a time and place, Hector. Take her out and we will discuss this at another time.” My dad stiffened beside me. The pompous words, the sneer to his lips, it ground on my gears.
My wolf raged forward, and I let her. Fur burst from my skin and my bones popped as they extended. Scents filled my nose. Sweat, butter, woods... My ears flicked as a rush of noise filtered through them, everything becoming enhanced. Red filled my vision. Bunching my thighs, I lunged at him.
He was much larger than me, but in my wolf form, I had a smidge of a chance. My paws smacked into his chest, claws sinking into his pale shirt. With my momentum, he went flying backward. The dinner table buckled underneath him. I lost my balance and fell to the side.
Chaos ensued. There was a scream, shattering glass and then the Alpha shifted.
He swiped out and I avoided the hefty paw in time for it not to slice across my face. In a quick dash forward, I sank my teeth into his hindquarters. Blood burst onto my tongue and he roared. My heart pounded in my chest.
“Kill her, Torrin,” Britt shouted, her pupils shrunk into pinpricks. Hearing that come from her lips made me freeze. I went limp, looking up at her as my side lifted and dropped in rough inhales and exhales. It was both of them? My heartbeat pounded in my ears.
The thinned lips and the sweat dotting her forehead... She’d never shown me she hated me.And she loathed me.
Teeth sank into my throat. Torrin jerked down and my legs buckled as he pinned me to the ground. My paws scratched against the floor helplessly, eyes flicking around.
Two pack mates attacked my dad and dragged him to the ground.
No! This was my fault. It had nothing to do with Hector! I wanted to scream. I struggled harder, but it only forced Torrin’s teeth deeper into my throat.
