Page 29 of Targeted By Temptation
When I found out what my father had done, he was no longer family. Family didn’t do that to each other.
The Greys were, and all the extended family that came with them. I needed to get this Calloway guy all taken care of for them. Because if I didn’t, and he did the unspeakable… I didn’t want to live in a world my mate didn’t exist in. I refused to.
I don’t know what I envisioned for pack lands. Probably something very formal and daunting, or maybe completely rustic. But Viktor’s, it just seemed like a random place. Nothing had it standing out as “packish.” But then again, that probably had to do with blending in with the human world, I supposed.
We were led inside and shown our room. We were not staying at the Ritz. There was a tiny room with a bed. It would do. This wasn’t a vacation destiny. I was here to train and rid the world of Calloway. Once those were accomplished, I was out of there.
As they left us that night, instead of a sweet bedtime story, they said, “You will be guarded all night. Don’t make the mistake of trying to leave. It won’t end well.”
We gave our word we weren’t leaving. Victor didn’t know that, though, and he didn’t trust us, which was probably fair, because he did try to trade for me, and then he kept the other Greys out.That alone would be enough to have anyone go back on their word.
“We’re gonna get through this, right?” It was the first time I’d spoken since we climbed into the van.
Ezra pulled me into a hug, holding me tightly. “We are one thousand percent getting through this.”
“What if I’m not able to do it?”
“Mate, listen to me. When you are faced with life or death, you’re able to do things you never thought you would be able to do. This is going to be one of those situations. And trust me, everyone’s doing what they can to make sure it doesn’t get to the scenario where you are the one who does have to deal with him.”
He kissed my cheek. “I don’t want you to have to live with that. I like your gentle spirit. But if you need to, I know you can.”
“We need to get some rest,” I said, needing to not go down the path of what my success would look like.
He kissed the top of my head, then stepped back. “When they say they’re going to come get us, that means at any time. And my guess is it’ll be earlier rather than later.”
“How can I sleep with all that’s gone on?” Rest was one thing. Sleep was another.
“In my arms, of course.”
And I wouldn’t say sleep came easily, but it would have been impossible if I weren’t wrapped in his arms.
At first I snuggled in close and asked him to tell me about his childhood, thinking a story would put me to sleep. I vastly underestimated my mate’s storytelling skills. Then, once herealized he was keeping me awake with his speaking, he sang a sweet lullaby about pups. I remembered hearing it all the way through and asking him to sing it again, but after that… nothing. Sleep had finally come.
15
EZRA
I wasn’t asleep as light filtered into the small room where Reign and I had been installed. Imprisoned was the correct term, but I hadn’t used that with Reign. He was under enough stress without thinking about how we were Stravon captives.
I’d been awake most of the night because not only were we on Stravon pack land, Reign and I were alone without my brothers as backup. My wolf repeated the same warning throughout the night:This is wrong. But unless I intended to start a skirmish that could develop into a battle and from that to a war, we’d had little choice but to agree to Viktor’s demands.
I kept telling myself we had a mutual enemy in Calloway and he had to be defeated.
We were sleeping in a single bed, and Reign was tucked under my arm, still asleep, when a loud hammering had him awake and leaping out of bed. He crouched low, and I hauled him into my arms, whispering that it was just someone at the door.
“It’s okay. Someone doesn’t want us sleeping in.”
“Alpha wants to see you in ten minutes.” It was the Beta from the bar, one of the ones who’d stood with Viktor yesterday. “Make sure you’ve brushed your teeth. He loathes bad breath.”
That was oddly specific. We had access to a basic bathroom where water dribbled out of the showerhead. We’d both run back and forth under it last night, so parts of us were clean.
“He has coffee,” the Beta announced before stomping off.
Reign and I stared at one another, and a giggle escaped his lips. I joined in because it was a laugh or cry situation, and my mate had done enough of the latter last night.
He saluted. “Brush teeth. Drink coffee. But need to brush teeth again to get rid of coffee breath.”
“I think the idea of coffee was meant to entice us.” I was far from a coffee snob, but I hoped Viktor wasn’t going to offer us instant coffee swill. My brothers would definitely label me a snob for calling it that, but I’d grown accustomed to the proper stuff.
