Page 17

“Go. I’ll be fine,” my mate whispers, nudging the girl forward despite the trembling in her own hands. Reluctantly, the girl takes a tentative step forward, but refrains from accepting Dustin’s hand. Desperate to escape the room, she is suddenly intercepted by Liam, who drapes his arm around her shoulders, ensuring she doesn’t flee. Together, they exit the room, swiftly closing the door behind them.

Turning away from the closed door, I focus my attention on my mate. Her body language betrays her vulnerability as she hurriedly covers herself with a blue silk robe. I observe her silently as she slips it on, deftly tying the silk belt around her waist.

“What’s your name?” I inquire, vaguely recalling that it begins with a T. Advancing towards her, I reach out to grab her, but she leaps onto the bed, eluding my grasp. She scurries across it, attempting to create distance between us. My growl freezes her in place, her eyes darting towards the door.

“Run, and you will regret it,” I warn her, noticing her gaze lingering on the door. “I asked for your name. Answer me,” I snap impatiently.

“Tandi. It’s fucking Tandi,” she retorts defiantly, surprising me with the fire in her eyes as she glares back at me.

It irks me because it isn’t like she caught me fucking whoring myself out.

Some logical part of me knows I should ask questions, but my Lycan side is pissed that she is a prostitute, which only overshadows any common sense.

“Just reject me and be done with it,” she snaps, her tone laced with bitterness. Arched brows betray my surprise at her words. Ignoring her harshness, I sigh heavily.

“I’m Damian,” I inform her, to which she simply nods without offering any further response. Pressing my lips together tightly, I issue a command.

“Retrieve your belongings. We are leaving,” I tell her, but she shakes her head in defiance. My jaw clenches, and a snarl escapes me. “It’s not up for discussion,” I grit out.

“I can’t leave, so either reject me or I will reject you,” she declares, and I laugh incredulously. Would she truly reject her own mate? Someone willing to rescue her from this wretched place?

“If you do that, I will mark you on the spot. I am a Lycan. I cannot reject my mate, no matter how much I may want to,” I inform her, regretting my words instantly as I witness the hurt in her eyes. I know that my anger has clouded my judgment, leading me to speak recklessly in the face of discovering her circumstances.

She swallows, looking at the wall and nodding her head. Despite her wanting me to reject her, I notice the way her eyes turn glassy, as if my words hurt her more than she was willing to admit.

‘Done, Beta. We can leave when you’re ready,’Dustin mindlinks.

‘Meet me at the car,’I instruct them, moving towards my mate. Her eyes widen, and she bolts towards the door. My arm snakes around her waist as she grips the door handle.

“Believe me, you don’t want me. Just let me go,” she growls defiantly.

“It’s not my choice. We are leaving,” I snap back, and she tosses her head back in frustration. In her haste, her head collides with my nose, causing me to release her as pain shoots through me. Blood spurts from my nose, and I groan while she flings the door open, attempting to escape.

I give chase. My fingers tear at the back of her robe, pulling her back as she swiftly pivots. The fabric rips as my claws emerge, and she strikes my face with her palm, causing my head to snap back with the force of the blow. Then, she delivers a knee to my groin. Despite her petite stature, she defends herself admirably. I suppose one would learn a thing or two working in such an establishment.

My breathing hitches and my nuts feel like they are suddenly lodged in my damn throat as I try to breathe around the pain.

She races out the door, and I clutch onto a nearby dresser, hauling myself upright before sprinting after her. Looking up the stairs, I see her making her way towards the third floor.

I lunge for her grabbing hold of her ankle on the stairs. She swiftly pivots, delivering a powerful kick to my shoulder that propels me backward, granting her the opportunity to continue her escape.

“Stop!” I order, and she freezes as my command rolls over. Yet I can tell she is trying her darndest to fight against.

Sweat drips down her forehead as she grits her teeth, clenching her fists by her sides and gasping for breath.

Ascending the stairs, I release my command and grasp her wrist firmly, forcefully pulling her back down the steps. “I can’t go with you. You don’t understand. I have a...” Her sentence is cut short by a noise emanating from the corridor below, causing her to gasp. Security personnel begin to stroll down the red hallway.

Their eyes lock onto me, dragging my mate into their line of sight before they launch an attack before I can issue any commands. Reacting swiftly, I dodge an incoming blow, but in doing so, I am forced to release my hold on my mate to prevent any harm to her.

Yet, she can be heard racing up the stairs behind me while I find myself locked in combat with the two guards who dare challenge a Lycan. I shrug off my frustration. Perhaps this is an opportunity to release some of the anger coursing through my veins.

Chapter

Eleven

DAMIAN

Unfortunately for my anger, the guards were not much of a challenge. With one swift kick to the head, the first man went down, collapsing in a heap. A throat punch and a quick jab has the second man sprawled over his buddy. I can’t help but scoff at their lack of skill. These supposed security guards are nothing more than amateurs. Even a child would put up a better fight and withstand hits better than these men with their glass jaws.