Page 65 of Secrets and S'mores
“Fine,” he says with a shrug, like it’s nothing.
I should be relieved, but instead I can barely breathe. She can’t possibly be considering him. The only upside is that I’ll now live long enough to make good on the silent promises of pain and death running through my thoughts.
“Wonderful. He’s been taught a lesson, and we can send him back to his pack with a warning,” Sienna says as she saunters closer. With a cruel smile, she grabs my chin. Her spiked nails dig into skin, but I hardly feel it with all my other injuries. “Our alliance isbroken, and any other interference from your pack will be considered an act of aggression.”
Her pack cheers and howls around us, and I look into her eyes, like darker versions of Ember’s. Instead of worry and warmth, I see ice and death.
I’m cut free and escorted to my truck by a handful of guards. Ember doesn’t follow. Numbly, I allow them to push me into my truck and fumble with the keys. It takes all of my willpower to pull the vehicle onto the road.
Driving with one eye swollen shut is a bitch. The world swims around me and the truck keeps slowing as I lose focus. But somehow, I manage to get home.
The parking lot buzzes with activity. Hazel and Slate talk with packmates while Cedar and Jasper load equipment into a truck. At the sound of the engine, the group turns.
A dull sense of relief fills me, loosening my grip. Throwing the truck into park, I shove the door open and tumble out. Slate catches me, hoisting me up with help from my twin.
Hazel appears in my dimming vision, her eyebrows pinched and lips parted as she surveys my injuries. Everything sounds muffled, like I’m under a heavy blanket.
The rough hands grasping my body cause me to flinch, making me think I’m back at Granite Ridge enduring their punishments. My mumbled words do nothing to stop the blurring chaos around me.
“You idiot!” Hazel’s voice breaks through, her words thick as if she is crying.
Cool wood presses into my back. The change triggers nausea, and I jerk sideways in time to throw up on the floor. It’s darker in here, giving some relief to my pounding head.
An older voice speaks nearby, along with Hazel’s worried tone. The words “Concussion,” and “Broken Ribs,” are repeated.
I must be in Sable’s cottage. Good, the healer can patch me up so I can get back to Ember.
“Alright, you can sleep now. I’ll keep an eye on you,” Sable says, brushing my hair back and pressing something to my head. Instantly, the nausea subsides and the pain lessens. Relief soaks through me and my body finally relaxes. Sable fusses over me as I fade into a shallow sleep.
15 Imprisonment and Unlikely Allies
Ember
The next couple of days go by quietly, and I spend most of my time resting in my room and letting my injuries heal. Dark thoughts overtake me, stripping away the hope and joy I had found in Onyx’s pack.
My heartbreak seems trivial after Onyx almost lost his life. We are lucky Orion agreed to spare him, even if it was some kind of sick proposal to me. Joke’s on him. I will never accept him as my mate.
After I tire of cold cereal and my ribs have healed enough I can breathe without pain, I walk to the cafeteria to get some hot food.
“Hey Ember, I’ll sneak into your room if that’s what you like,” a man jeers at me. I ignore him and load my tray with meatloaf and powdery mashed potatoes.
A strangled yell startles me and a body thumps to the ground.
“Apologize,” a deep voice commands. I spin to see Orion pressing his boot to the man’s throat.
“S-s-s-sorry!” he says, choking on the word. Orion steps off his airway and raises an eyebrow at me before stalking off. He’s waiting for his answer.
Feeling sick, I turn back to my food.
No one else bothers me while I eat the swill our pack serves. I would give anything for Clove’s fresh bread right now. Although I’d give up bread for the rest of my life if it meant I could go back to Onyx.
There’s no use in wishing.
I force myself to focus on the discussions at the tables around me. Orion’s name comes up often and it seems he has the support of most of the pack, if the dozen wolves around me are an accurate sample.
He’s the biggest threat to my mother, and he’s asked me, the Heir, to be his mate. That is a clear path to becoming Alpha.
What will he do when I reject him?
