Page 42 of Howling
“I’ll take you to the edge of the territory, but that’s where we part ways.” The words taste like ash on my tongue, but I refuse to be swayed by the irrational yearning to remain with them.
A growl rumbles from the three alphas in the back seat, each of them glaring at me, but I won’t be intimidated. I won’t compromise their safety. Part of me wishes I had never agreed to supper, but the thought of not being there when the wolves attacked sends a shiver down my spine.
I very much fear they wouldn’t have survived, not without severe injury.
The pack wants to make an example of them.
“You’re in danger,” Garth says, his blue eyes shimmering as his wolf pushes forward. “We’re not going anywhere.”
I roll my eyes at his macho attitude.
Just because he’s an alpha, he thinks he can fix anything.
That sentiment will get him killed.
I glance at him in the rearview mirror and raise a single brow. “If it were as simple as being an alpha, don’t you think I could’ve taken care of it myself?”
He narrows his eyes at the challenge, a stubborn glint entering his blue gaze. “Then tell us and let us decide our own future.”
Bossy asshole.
“Maybe start with who the fuck this guy is first?” Dante glares at the Orion seated next to me. I should be pleased to see the man draped in chains. Oddly enough, I both love and hate it, and an odd sensation squirms in my chest when an image of the manbound and kneeling at my feet flashes in my head. Heat stings my cheeks, and I know the naughty fantasy will live forever in the dark recesses of my mind.
While he might be the enemy, he’s sexy as fuck.
Unfortunately, he is an Orion.
Though neutralized, I don’t make the mistake of believing he’s not a threat.
For the first time since I shoved him into the car, my gaze flicks toward my captive, and I’m distracted by the silver devil. Something about the unwavering way he gazes at me has the hair lifting on the back of my neck, like he can see into my very soul.
He doesn’t speak, doesn’t fight the restraints.
He just stares.
It’s unnerving.
No doubt, he’s plotting my death.
Disliking the sensation of being so exposed, I glance away, then deflate against my seat. What the fuck was I thinking to bring him with us? The events of the day have me questioning my sanity. If I were smart, I would rip out his throat and toss him out of the car.
Yet I find the very thought abhorrent.
Givvens did his best to beat any compassion out of me, recognizing it’s a weakness that will get me killed. Humanizing my prisoner is a bad idea, but I can’t discount the stray thought that he was just doing his job. I’m left debating how much to tell the others. I should force them to forget me, it’s the most logical thing to do, but my conscience won’t allow it.
Just because I remove any memory of me doesn’t mean they still won’t be in danger.
No, I need to tell them enough that they are aware of the danger, but not so much that they get suspicious. It’s a fine line. Lying never crosses my mind.
“I’m—”
“A criminal,” the Orion interrupts, his silver eyes burning into the side of my face.
I snort so loudly that I nearly choke, a smirk dancing on my lips. “Depends on who you ask. Is just being alive now considered a crime? Why don’t you enlighten us and tell the group what egregious misdeeds I committed?”
The big man shrugs, the shift of chains clinking in the silence, not the least bit bothered by my objection. “That’s not my business. I’m charged with collecting and returning you to face trial.”
My eyebrows hike up at his complete apathy, and I shoot him a look of disgust. “Just another one of their minions. They say jump, and you don’t bother asking how high, not even checking whether it’s to your death.”
