Page 108 of Campfires & Canines
I bare my teeth at Sienna. I haven't forgotten the pain of her claws in my arm.
"As it stands now, you'd have to drag me out of here and I'll fight you the rest of my life. I'll never accept Jasper." It's the truth. I could never live under this woman's control. "I'm proposing, if you wager Jasper, that I will come willingly to your pack."
It makes me sick to say, but I need to convince her.
"It doesn't matter. Jasper won't lose." Ferris crosses his arms.
"Or I could just break you," she hisses.
"You missed your chance for that," I say.
Ferris nods. "Fine, I'll accept those terms. When Jasper destroys your boyfriend, you come willingly and accept him as your mate. No need for violence." Sienna huffs, as if violence is exactly what she wants.
"Give us a moment," Heath says tersely.
Our Zetas and Thetas stay facing the enemy pack, but Heath leads us away.
He turns to us, his arms crossed.
"Sir, I saw the opportunity to end this without fighting," Slate says, his eyes on the ground.
"You can't sacrifice yourself like that," Heath cautions.
"Yes, Alpha. But I can beat him," Slate reassures us.
"He will lose on purpose. He wants to be free of them," I whisper.
Slate's eyes narrow.
"Believe me, Jasper is as much a prisoner there as I was."
Heath studies me for a long moment. "I understand, but I don't like any of this. If you're sure, I trust you. But if things go sideways,we can’t let them walk out of here. We outnumber them now, but we won’t if they get reinforcements."
He’s talking about destroying another pack’s leadership. Contingency plans. I admire the strategy even as fear lodges in my chest like ice.
Heath turns to deliver the news.
Slate stays rooted. I gingerly touch his arm. He doesn't respond.
"You said you were my mate minutes ago," he says roughly. "I don't like hearing Jasper laying claim to you."
"I'm sorry, I didn't see another way," I say, frustrated. He needs to see the bigger picture. "Slate, he is your brother, and that makes him my family too now."
He shakes his head.
"I know this is hard for you, but we have this chance to save him from Sienna. He's the one who had to grow up under her thumb."
He meets my gaze. I'm getting through to him.
"He needs to get out of there, or she will turn him into our enemy for sure," I push. "But it's not about me. I'm yours. Nothing will ever change that."
I wrap my arms around his waist. "It's only you. I need you to know that, especially before this fight."
Slate still doesn't answer, but he returns my embrace. His thumb runs over my throat, angling my mouth towards his. His searing kiss crackles through me down to my toes.
We break away. "Okay. I trust you," he finally says.
"I love you,” I murmur. “Don’t get hurt, and try to keep him in one piece.” I kiss him one more time as he grumbles.
