Page 65 of Wild Wolf
“Why should I tellyou?”
No emotion. Dull, flat voice. Nolan pressed on. Had to coax her back, his Jordan who had suffered a trauma and ran away instead of sharing it withhim.
“Because I’m your mate. For life, Jordan. I made a promise as well, to honor you. I can’t do that unless you talk tome.”
Jordan twisted her hands in her lap. “I don’t know. This is hard. I haven’t talked about it…since it happened. Never told asoul.”
“Take yourtime.”
After a few minutes, she spoke in a faltering tone. “The night you and I made love, I went to the lodge, but didn’t follow the path up to the lodge. I heard them in the woods. Bryce, and twoothers.”
Nolan’s stomach tightened. “Males?”
Jordan shook her head. “Females. I scented them. I knew their scents, knew their voices, but couldn’t be certain… One smelled like jasmineflowers.”
After that night, she’d hatedjasmine.
“I ran, but he was faster. Stronger. He taunted me, called me outsider and bitch. Bryce caught me on the path, dragged me into the woods. I wasn’t quick enough.” Jordan pushed a hand through her hair. “I wanted to shift, but couldn’t remember, it was as if everything inside me shutdown.”
Nolan waited, not daring to breathe, though inside, he wasfurious.
“They dragged me into the woods, and blindfolded me. Couldn’t see…their faces. They ripped off my clothing, turned me on my stomach and held me down laughing whileBryce…”
Jordan gulped down a breath as his stomach gave a sickening jolt. “B-bryce said he knew you took my virginity. H-he watched us in the hayloft. S-said he would mark me so you’d never forget it. He took the knife, heated it with his lighter… I screamed and screamed, but no one heardme.”
Nails cut into his palms as he squeezed his fists. The things he wanted to do to his brother for hurtingJordan…
Good thing you’re dead you son of abitch.
“When he finished, they started arguing. They wanted him to carve me up more, make me ugly to the world. Bryce said no, he only wanted this one mark. The ones holding me loosened their gripand…”
She gave a shaky laugh as fat tears dripped down her pale cheeks. “They let go. That’s when I rolled, broke free andran.
“By then someone was on the path. Your father, coming down to check on you as I thought.” Jordan’s laughter held a note of hysteria. “He saw me, naked. I told him what happened with Bryce. Craig told me to ‘go on now, git to your room and wash up.” He would deal with it and punishBryce….”
The sickening nausea intensified. Bryce was dead, he kept repeating to himself.Focus on her. She’s moreimportant.
“I was too ashamed to ask for help with the wound, so I treated it myself. Waited at breakfast the next day to s-see if the alpha would condemn Bryce. You were out riding with the Skin group. And Bryce sat there, looked at me. He mouthed the words, ‘Tonight, I’ll finish carving youup.’”
Nolan’s heart twisted at the woefulness in her weteyes.
“I kept hoping all day the alpha would punish him, say something. I finally went to your father. He said, hesaid…”
Tears spilled down her cheeks. “Your father, my alpha, told me he questioned Bryce. Bryce said it wasn’t him, but I paid another guy to put that on my back and accusehim.”
How could his father believe such crap? Then again, Craig had always been blind when it came to his youngerson.
“Bryce warned him I was an upstart female who wanted to get rid of him so she could gain power through the alpha’s heir. I had no roots, no family and needed to firm up my position in the pack. To do that, I needed to kick Bryce out of theway.”
Fury filled him, but he managed to control his emotions. “Did my father ask to see the wound in thedaylight?”
Another characteristic shrug. “I showed him. Told him I wasn’t that desperate that I’d deliberately carve myself up like a Thanksgiving turkey. But Craig didn’t believe me. Because I wasn’t blood, Nolan. I was an outsider, just like Bryce hadsaid.”
“My brother hurt you and my father didnothing.”
Jordan’s mouth wobbled precariously. She gave a customary shrug that hid much, but he knew how deeply his father’s betrayal hurt. “I couldn’t wait, knowing Bryce might try again, knowing others hated me enough to aid him. So I ran. I said those terrible things to you so you would never know what happened, would never come after me. I was the outsider, the one who didn’tbelong.”
Rage filled him. He couldn’t imagine how she survived. Nolan wiped away a single tear. “How, how the hell did you get throughit?”
