Page 77 of Mated By the Pack
“Too late for that,” Caleb says, folding a length of leather in his hand. “I’m going to make sure you don’t leave anything out.”
I swallow hard and tug at my restraints. They’re so tight they make my wrists burn when I do.
There won’t be any secrets left when he gets done with me.
CHAPTER 22
Calla
I’m strapped to a chair.
Wrists and ankles bound. Legs spread so wide I’m aware of every shudder that makes my pussy clench. Anticipation. Nervousness. A little fear. Most of them haven’t been gentle with me, especially when I was being punished, but they were still somewhat playful about it. Caleb just seems angry.
“My brothers got your scent and turned into animals,” Caleb growls. “Apparently, I have better control than they do. Even Gideon. Or maybe I just don’t want a mate that constantly drags us into danger for no reason. A mate that keeps secrets. That’s unacceptable, Calla.”
The leather whistles through the air and cracks against my skin. I let out a groan, but don’t cry, even though it leaves a trail of fire where it landed on my skin.
“I’ve buried so many fucking brothers,” Caleb continues, whipping me again. “Watched others turn feral. Watched my sisters lose their minds because of the cruelty they experienced. But Silas… that was the breaking point.”
The leather whistles again, slicing through the air with a sting that sears across my ass. I clench my teeth, groan, and instinctively pull against the restraints. The pain is sharp, but clean. Measured. Caleb’s not out of control. He’s not swinging with the malice in his heart. It’s punishment, even if it makes my body ache with more than just pain.
“I’m sorry, Caleb,” I whisper.
“You didn’t even tell Gideon,” he mutters behind me, his voice low and bitter. “I didn’t really talk to you, so I get you not telling me. But Gideon? Jace? Knox? Even Vance—they’ve all talked to you. All been fascinated by you, for different reasons.”
Before I can respond, another strike lands, lower this time, across the tops of my thighs where the skin is thinner and more sensitive. My entire body tenses. I whimper and jerk, but another lash comes hard, making me squeal.
“You talk to our dead brother in your dreams, and you just… keep that to yourself?” His tone isn’t a question. It’s an accusation, and that accusation comes with another swing of the heavy leather he’s holding.
“Ow!” I whimper. “I didn’t know how, Caleb. I didn’t want to confuse things more than they already were, and I was confused too! I didn’t understand it!”
“But you do now?” he asks, bringing the leather down across my ass.
“Ah! Not really, no!” I admit. “But I’ll tell you… I was planning to tell everyone, once the time was right.”
“You don’t wait until the time is right,” he growls, whipping me with the leather several times in a row. “Especially when it concerns the pack!”
I shudder, jerk, and let out an anguished whine, but hold back my tears. A part of me knows I deserve this. That I shouldn’t have waited so long. Silas didn’t tell me I could or couldn’t share it, but I didn’t ask. I was too busy asking questions about everything I was seeing. And admittedly, Caleb wasn’t the first onyx wolf to make my pussy ache like it is doing now. Maybe Iwasbeing selfish.
“It wasn’t long after I woke up with the key,” I whimper, gritting my teeth when another blow lands. “It seemed like a dream, but… not a dream. I just faded into it. It’s called The Aether. It’s where all souls go when they die.”
“Now we’re getting somewhere,” Caleb says, squeezing my punished flesh and rubbing his finger across my bottom hole. “The leather isn’t the only punishment you’re getting tonight.”
He pushes his finger past the tight ring and I gasp. “No, no, I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”
“You’re ours, Calla. Our mate, even if you do keep secrets from us,” he rasps. “Every part of you belongs to us. Even this.”
I gasp louder as he pushes deeper, but he pulls his finger away, and the leather whistles before it strikes. It’s getting difficult to hold back my tears.
“Keep talking,” he demands, whipping across the back of my thighs again. “Otherwise, this is going to really start to hurt.”
“It’s already hurting!” I squeal, yanking against the restraints on my legs as the pain settles.
“It could hurt a lot more,” he threatens, and this time, the leather curls along the edge of my ass, landing across my folds with an eruption of fire that makes me cry out. “Ow! No! Not there!”
“Then keep talking,” he says, landing the next strike directly on my pussy. It’s enough to force the tears.
“Ah! Okay!” I scream.
