Page 44 of Tolerated By the Sigma (Mate Hunt 7)

Fucking.

Weeks.

I deserved to spend even more time there, but it was still hellish. Being locked in a room, while Ryder continued asking me if I was okay—which I wasn’t—only got harder by the day.

Add in the constant nightmares of watching myself literally murder someone, and the fucking misery of being locked in a jail cell with a window in the door while going through the climax, and I felt like I was literally burning in hell.

For two entire weeks.

When the doors finally opened for something other than the shitty food they gave us, I was wrapped in the threadbare blanket they allowed me to have, dressed in the baggy clothing they’d given me after we arrived. There was still dried blood all over my body, and I reeked.

The memories made me shudder, but I didn’t blame my wolf for what she’d done. She had protected her territory in the way that felt natural to her; I was just the one who would have to deal with the fallout.

Vi dropped to her knees beside me, hugging me fiercely. Sam was behind her, and they didn’t have their son with them—I hoped he was somewhere happier.

“I’m so sorry, Char,” Vi was shaking a bit, and her tears were stinging my skin.

Fuck, the climax was hellish.

“I should be the one apologizing,” I whispered, my own eyes stinging too. “But you’re going to have to let go of me, because my wolf bit Ryder after… what happened.”

Vi went still in my arms. “Shit.”

“Yeah.” The words were croaked.

“Get out of the room fast, Sam,” Vi barked, letting go of me and standing up, giving me space. Sam quickly stepped out, and I saw a cop standing outside, holding the door.

“Did you know they were in the climax?” Vi practically snarled at the policeman.

His eyes were a bit wary, but he admitted, “No.”

“Has anyone even talked to them?” she demanded. “They’re adults, for fuck’s sake.”

“They both seemed feral; we were ordered to stay out until the situation was looked into and they’ve proven they can control themselves again.”

“Clearly you haven’t looked hard enough,” Vi snarled.

“It’s fine, Vi,” I whispered, holding the blanket around myself and carefully making my way to my feet with the help of the wall beside me. I wobbled, and she caught me.

I was wearing a huge gray shirt and a pair of matching sweats that I’d rolled nearly a dozen times just to get them to stay up, but I was still cold, and there were blood stains on all of the clothing items.

“Where’s Ryder?“ I asked the guard, my voice still quiet and raspy from lack of use.

“He’ll be questioned and released after you,” the cop explained.

“He’s going to lose his mind if she walks away with other men while the two of them are in the climax,” Vi growled back. “I know the main alpha is in charge; bring him here. We’re not going anywhere until we’ve talked to him.”

“Vi,” I murmured.

She was mama-bear-ing me, and she had to know it. But for once, I was actually kind of relieved. I was too out of it to speak up for myself, and considering what my wolf had done, I doubted anyone would listen even if I wasn’t.

“Get him here,” Vi ordered the cop.

In most places, that would’ve probably gotten her thrown in jail, but Moon Ridge wasn’t most places. We were governed by human rules and wolf rules at the same time, and many of our rules contradicted each other, so it wasn’t exactly easy to determine right from wrong in situations like ours.

Lisa had known she was encroaching on my territory; she had rejected Ryder, and in doing so, forfeited any connection they had. She was a wolf too, even though she hadn’t shifted when she was threatened, so she knew how fiercely a wolf would protect what they felt was theirs. And whether I liked it or not, Ryder was mine.

I still didn’t trust him completely, and we still didn’t know each other very well, but that didn’t change the fact that fate had paired us. We would be in each other’s lives permanently now, for better or worse.

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