Page 358 of Claimed By the Rival Alpha

He rubbed his thumb over my lips, then forced it into my mouth. The rage that had been building up inside me flared to life. Every person he’d hurt, everyone my pack had lost, every child he’d tortured…it all coiled together in one large, unbearable ball. My teeth sharpened to points, and I bit down as hard as I could, slicing through the meat and between the joints of the digit. He screamed, yanking his hand back, but his thumb remained between my teeth. I spat it out on the ground.

“Bitch!” He punched me in the face, hard enough that I nearly lost consciousness again. I fell onto my back, and Troy came atme, still screaming and cursing, raising what remained of his hand.

Time seemed to slow to a trickle. From the corner of my eye, I saw him inch toward me and heard the snap as the last thread of the rope gave way. If Tavi did anything else, it would ruin her chances of escape?—

“You little rat!” Trish jumped in front of Troy. She crouched in front of me, gripping the front of my sweatshirt to yank me into a seated position. “You’re fucking lucky that this ritual has to be donetonight, or I’d kill you myself for what you’ve done.” And then she slapped me.

Was it just me, or was the slap not very powerful? It was nothing like the beatings she would give me before. Was she weak, or had I gotten stronger?

“Fuck it,” Troy groaned, blood still spurting from his thumb. He was still furious but no longer in a hurry to kill me. Trish’s words must’ve reminded him that his ritual was more important than losing a finger. “Emery, get my thumb,” he barked. “Trish, watch this bitch for me.”

“Of course, baby.” She kept her narrowed eyes on me, her hands still clenched on my dress as Troy stumbled out of the room. One of his men grabbed the thumb for him, and they all filed out after him.

When their footsteps faded away, Trish loosened her hold on my shirt. “You idiot,” she hissed at me. “You almost ruined everything.”

I paused. She dropped her glare, and her eyebrows knit together in desperation. Before I could say a word, Tavi had grabbed Trish by the back of the neck, her claws pressing into the sidesof Trish’s throat. She must have clawed through the rope at her ankles while Troy and the others left.

“I’d let Bryn go, bitch, before I end your life right here.”

Trish let go of me so quickly, I couldn’t stop myself from falling to my back again. “Wait, wait, wait,” she pleaded. “I wasn’t going to hurt her. I want to help!”

“Yeah, right,” Tavi scoffed.

“Hold on,” I grunted as I struggled into a sitting position again. All this movement was putting a strain on my muscles. “I think she’s telling the truth.”

Tavi gave me an incredulous look. “Bryn, you can’t be serious.”

“No, listen.” I looked at Trish. “She stopped Troy from killing me, and she didn’t hit me very hard. I think she’s being sincere.”

“Y-yeah!” Trish said. “I won’t tell Troy you’re escaping.”

“Uh-huh.” Tavi didn’t sound convinced. “Prove it.”

Trish was breathing hard, her skin slick with sweat. She didn’t look anything like the femme fatale she used to be. Her skin was paler, and she’d lost weight. Her eyes were sunken, and I was sure it was because she’d seen hell with Troy.

She suddenly burst into tears. “Please,” she cried. “I hate it here. I abandoned the Kings because I thought I’d finally be with him, but all I’ve known is hell. He hurts me, and he’s always yelling at me. He’s paranoid to the point of insanity.”

Tavi let go of her, more out of shock than compassion.

Trish took a long, tearful breath, then continued her confession. “I regret leaving my family and my friends behind, and Ihatethe person I had to be to go along with Troy’s plans.” She looked at me imploringly. “I’m sorry, Bryn. Every time I hurt you, every time I insulted you, I’m so, so, so sorry. For all of it. I wish every day that I’d stayed with the Kings after you became alpha. I wish things had been different.” Her words became incomprehensible as her crying turned into sobs. She covered her face with her hands, tears dripping between her fingers.

Tavi looked at me. “Fine, so she’s telling the truth.But I don’t want to leave you with her. She doesn’t seem stable.”

“I know. But what choice do we have? You getting out of this cave is the best shot we’ve got.”

She looked frustrated enough to punch the wall, but I knew she agreed. “Watch your back, Bryn.”

“I will. Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”

With Trish still weeping, Tavi took a few steps back. She took a deep breath, then darted at the wall. Leaping up, she kicked off the wall and reached for the hole. She grabbed it with her claws, grunting when the momentum caused her to hit one of the stalactites. It fell to the ground and broke with a thud. Trish jumped at the sound and stopped crying. She watched as Tavi wiggled herself through the small opening to freedom.

“She’s out,” Trish said. “I can’t believe it.”

“Tavi’s incredible,” I said. “She’ll get to my mate and the others, but I can’t stay here. Quick, help me out.”

Trish nodded. After a second, she moved closer to me so she could untie me. “Do…you think I could rejoin the Kings when we get out of here?”

I raised a brow at the word “we.”