Page 62 of Mated By the Pack
I glance back at Gideon and Jace. They have the same hunger, too. It’s been reignited inside them. When I reach for my shirt and pull it over my head, they begin undressing as well. Jace is already hard, just like last night. Gideon is semi-erect, poised and ready, but controlled.
“Very good,” Knox says, taking a step closer. “Maybe you do know how to be a good little girl. But you still need a spanking.”
“What?” I ask, hating the way my body reacts to the threat, hating the trickle that threatens to spill down my thigh. Even worse, I know they can smell it. “Why?”
“Because you put yourself in danger, little girl,” Knox rasps, reaching for the arm where my bracelet is pulsing—harder now, because of how fast my heart is beating. “You could have been killed, and it doesn’t sound like you know how to use this piece of The Tangle wrapped around your wrist. You don’t even know how it works.”
“It helped me before,” I protest, looking at the vine. “Not always, but it came back and did what I asked, even after I took it off.”
“And what if didn’t work earlier today?” Gideon asks, his breath heavy on my neck. “What was the plan? Were you just going to volunteer to get eaten first?”
“I’m fairly certain Brenna was going to get eaten first,” I whisper. “I’m sorry. There was no plan. You guys went down, and I had to help my friends. And you. I didn’t want you to get eaten, either.”
“That’s where you went wrong, little girl,” Knox says. “And why I have to spank you.”
“You’re our future, Calla,” Gideon rumbles against my skin. “Our mate. That future could already be growing inside you, and it must be protected. You have to prioritize it over everything. Over us. Over your friends.”
“I wouldn’t have gotten very far running through The Tangle,” I argue, feeling a twinge of anger over them punishing me when I was the one who stopped the last treant. “I would have been all alone!”
“You trust this bracelet to protect you against a tree that wants to eat you…” Jace muses. “Yet you don’t trust it to protect you if you’re alone in The Tangle? You sound confused. Even more reason for you to be spanked. It’ll bring some clarity.”
“Iamconfused,” I admit. “About a lot of things right now.”
“Like why you’re trembling wet, because you’re not dreading this spanking as much as you’re saying?” Gideon asks. “I can practically taste it in the air. The way it drips from your tight little pussy every time you breathe.”
“That’s not fair,” I mutter, squeezing my thighs shut. “I can’t control that.”
“Just like you can’t control this bracelet,” Knox says. “Usually, Vance is the one talking to plants, but why don’t you ask it if you deserve a spanking? Maybe it’ll answer. If it says no, you’re off the hook.”
“Not entirely,” Jace chuckles. “You’re still going to get fucked.”
“Obviously,” Knox says, platinum flickering in his eyes. “Go on. Be a good girl and ask your bracelet what it thinks.”
I look down at my bracelet. It isn’t even glowing right now. I guess there’s too much moonlight. Or it’s done with me. I’ve only asked it for help when I was desperate.
“Do you… think I should be spanked?” I whimper, feeling a little foolish.
The vine pulses green for a moment, like it’s considering my question. A second later, tendrils move along my arm. Tendrils that quickly reach for my other wrist, binding them together. Knox lets go of my arm and more tendrils flow out of the bracelet as it coils seamlessly around both wrists. The tendrils spiral away from me, like they did with the treant, except they wrap around a low branch and pull me forward.
“Ah!” I squeal, losing my balance for a moment before regaining it as I stumble toward the branch.
The branch is even with my knees. The vines wrap and tug, forcing me to bend over. I pull against it, but it’s no use. I can’t budge the vine. I start sinking to my knees, but more tendrils coil from the branch and wrap around my legs, keeping me away from the ground.
“Looks like the bracelet has spoken,” Jace chuckles, walking closer to me.
“You traitor!” I mutter, pulling at the vines. “I thought you were supposed to help me!”
Another tendril shoots out, this one straight and rigid. It hardens into a length of flexible wood and breaks off, falling to the ground at Knox’s feet.
“Looks like it thinks you need more than just a spanking,” Knox remarks, reaching down to retrieve the length of wood. He swings it in the air a few times. “This is going to sting.”
“No, no, please,” I whimper, realizing what Knox intends to do. I look over my shoulder and see him raise it. “Knox… come on… Jace? Gideon? I’m sorry! I was just trying to help!”
I’m bound and helpless. Unable to do anything but take my punishment. Knox doesn’t hesitate. I force my eyes closed and look away as the switch hisses through the air before it cracks across both cheeks, the sound a lot softer than I expect, but it still leaves a line of fire.
“Ow!” I squeal.
“Count,” Knox growls, his voice rough and commanding.
