Page 18

CHAPTER 18

L ia

I crouched low behind the cover of a fallen tree, my breath coming out in steamy puffs in the cool morning air. The forest around me was quiet, save for the distant crack of a branch somewhere ahead—too far ahead for me to see, but close enough that I knew I was still on the right track.

It had been three days since I’d slipped away from Jax.

Three days of tracking, hunting, and camping alone in the wilderness, keeping just far enough behind Silas and the others to avoid detection. It wasn’t easy, but I had spent much of my childhood learning how to move unseen and survive alone.

And right now?

I was hunting them.

I had waited the first night after escaping Jax, careful not to move too soon, giving them a head start so I wouldn’t be discovered. The first day, I found their trail easily. Silas was being careful, that much was obvious, but they weren’t hiding yet. They were moving fast and covering as much ground as possible to get to the caves quickly.

I had followed, keeping low, moving only when I was sure no one was doubling back to check their rear.

The second day had been harder. The ground had turned rocky, making it damn near impossible to track them by footprints alone. I had to rely on everything else—the subtle signs of disturbed foliage, snapped twigs, the faint scent of their presence in the air, the ash of a dead campfire.

By the third day, I had fallen into a rhythm.

Hunt. Track. Move. Repeat.

I fully understood how dangerous this was. I had spent two nights sleeping in makeshift shelters, curled up under thick brush, my knife always within reach. I had taken down a rabbit the night before, roasting it over a small fire that I had smothered as soon as I was done eating.

Silas would lose his mind if he knew I was out here alone. And when he found out? Shit. I shook my head just thinking about it. My ass was probably going to be really fucking sore, but I could take it. This was too important.

In hindsight, I should have been more worried about that. I should have cared. Instead, I just smirked to myself, full of my own confidence, shouldered my pack, and kept moving.

The moment I caught sight of them, I dropped into a crouch, my heart hammering with a mix of relief and triumph.

I had found them.

Ahead, just beyond the tree line, the men were gathered around a fire in a small clearing, their voices quiet and serious. They had set up camp near a rocky ridge, the kind that provided natural protection on one side, leaving only the forest side to watch. Smart.

I crept closer, keeping to the shadows, my breathing slow and controlled. A cluster of boulders provided the perfect cover, and I slipped behind them, settling in to listen and watch.

Silas was sitting near the fire, arms crossed over his broad chest, his golden eyes flickering in the glow. Rowan was next to him, sharpening a knife, apparently deep in thought. Varek was off to the side, his usual cocky smirk absent as he studied the maps spread out on the ground. The three wolves from Silas’s pack—Ryan, Caleb, and Hale—sat nearby, all of them focused, alert.

“We’re getting close,” Varek muttered, pointing to something on his map. “The cave system starts about one hundred miles south of here. If the Nyktos are nesting anywhere, it’s there.”

“You sure they’re still in the area? No one’s seen them—just the bodies they leave behind, right?” Rowan asked, his eyes moving between Silas and Varek.

Varek’s lips twitched up, but there was no humor in his expression. “You want to test the theory? Go take a midnight stroll.”

Caleb grunted. “Pass.”

Hale shifted uncomfortably. “And we’re planning to catch one of these things?”

“That’s the idea,” Varek said smoothly.

Hale muttered a curse under his breath.

Rowan exhaled slowly, his fingers tapping against his knee. “And if we can’t kill it?”

Silas’s response was bleak. “Then we don’t make it out of those caves.”

* * *

The further I traveled, the worse everything felt.

The trees grew denser, the mostly bare branches arching overhead like skeletal fingers, blocking out more and more of the sunlight. A thick mist clung low to the forest floor, curling around my boots as I moved. The silence wasn’t natural—it wasn’t the stillness of the mountains or the quiet hush of night. This was different.

This was absence.

No birds. No wind. No distant rustling of small animals in the brush.

Just nothing.

I swallowed hard, adjusting the strap on my pack. I could smell damp earth and decay, something off in the air, like the rot of a carcass that had been left too long in the sun. It made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. My instincts screamed at me to turn back and run.

But I wouldn’t be doing that.

I hadn’t come this far just to slink back to camp and wait for my man like some poor defenseless little girl.

I pressed forward, keeping my steps light, my breathing slow. I could just barely make out their figures in the distance, moving cautiously through the trees.

A fucking branch snapped beneath my boot.

Loud. Too loud. Fuck.

Instantly, every wolf in the group stilled.

Silas turned first, his gaze locking onto me immediately. For a moment, we just stared at each other.

Then he stood up straight and my stomach dropped into my boots.

Silas’s jaw clenched as he stalked toward me, his movements predatory and carrying the kind of quiet rage that was somehow more terrifying than him just yelling at me.

The others stayed where they were, watching, waiting.

He grabbed my wrist—not rough, but firm, his fingers wrapping around me like a shackle. “You’ve got about three seconds to explain what the fuck you’re doing here.”

I lifted my chin, meeting his glare head-on. “You know why I’m here.”

His grip tightened. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done? How dangerous it is for you to be out here?”

I forced myself to hold his gaze, even as my pulse hammered. “You left me behind.”

“For a reason, Lia,” he snarled, his frustration radiating off him in waves. “I told you to stay. Put.”

I exhaled, standing my ground. “I know and I don’t care. You may punish me—and I’m sure you will—but I’m still coming with you.”

A muscle ticked under his eye, his golden eyes flashing with something hotter than just anger.

For a second, I thought he might actually throw me over his shoulder and haul me back himself, but then his grip loosened and his furious breathing slowed, as if he was working very hard to keep himself in check.

Rowan and Varek approached. Varek looked somewhere between amused and irritated, while Rowan just sighed heavily, shaking his head.

“Well,” Varek drawled, crossing his arms, “this just got interesting.”

Silas let out a slow, controlled breath, trying not to snap. “We can’t send her back now.”

Rowan nodded, rubbing his jaw. “It’s too far for her to go on her own without one of us to protect her.”

Apparently, he missed the part where I’d gotten this far without them. Still, I kept quiet, waiting to see what came next.

Silas’s eyes burned into mine. “Fine. You stay.” His nostrils flared. “But I promise you, Lia, when this is over?—”

I sneered, cutting him off. “I know: I’m in so much trouble.”

His fingers twitched, like he was holding himself back from dealing with me right here, right now.

“You stay close. You do exactly what I say. You don’t wander. You don’t argue. You don’t run off on your own.”

I gave him my most innocent smile. “Of course, Alpha .”

His grip on my wrist tightened painfully.

I was so dead.

But at least now, I was exactly where I wanted to be.

* * *

The rest of the day was a brutal march south.

The men barely spoke as we moved, their attention fully focused on the path ahead, their eyes constantly sweeping the terrain. Even Varek, who had spent the first few days of the journey needling Rowan and Silas for entertainment, was quiet, his silver eyes scanning the trees like he expected something to crawl out at any second.

I stuck close to Silas, my pack bouncing lightly against my back as we walked. I could feel the heat of his penetrating gaze on me every so often, like he was still processing the fact that I was here.

Fine. Let him stew.

I wasn’t stupid. I knew what I had coming. I heard the same things he did.

I shook the thought off as the group finally stopped for a short break. Caleb and Ryan knelt near the fire pit they had started digging out, while Hale took inventory of our supplies. Varek leaned against a tree, tossing a knife between his hands, while Rowan crouched nearby, sharpening his blade again. Silas approached me, his face a mask of weary anger.

“You’re going to slow us down,” Silas said softly.

I turned toward him, arching a brow. “Is that supposed to be a welcome or what? I kept up with you all the way so far.”

He grunted, crossed his arms. “It’s just a fact.”

“Enough. If she’s here, she might as well be useful. Can you track?” Rowan asked, his words cool and collected.

I rolled my eyes. “I found you, didn’t I?”

That earned me a slow, assessing look from Rowan. “Fair enough.”

Silas didn’t say anything, but I could feel the weight of his frustration.

I sighed, adjusting the strap of my pack. “So, are you just going to brood all night, or are we going to talk?”

Silas huffed a quiet laugh, shaking his head. “You really don’t know when to stop, do you?”

“Evidently not.”

Without a word, he grabbed his pack and started walking away from the group.

I followed.

We walked in silence at first, weaving through the trees, the quiet settling between us like something tangible.

He glanced down at me, his expression softer than I expected. “You did well tracking us,” he admitted.

I blinked. “That almost sounded like a compliment.”

“It was.” His lips twitched. He exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair. “Look, you’re here now. I don’t like it, but I’m not sending you back. It’s too treacherous for you to be out there on your own.”

“I’m not a little girl anymore. I can fight,” I countered.

His expression grew serious. “It’s not that I don’t think you can handle yourself, Lia. You wouldn’t have made it this far if you couldn’t. But this isn’t like running through the city. This isn’t dodging patrols or stealing supplies. This is so much worse.”

Then he turned fully toward me, his fingers clamping gently around my wrists. His touch was warm, firm, grounding me.

“I’ll protect you,” he said, his voice low, raw with something deeper than I’d heard from him before. “With my life, if I must. But if I’m worried about you every second—if I’m watching you instead of the fight—I’m no good to anyone.”

His words hit me like a punch to the chest. Not because I hadn’t known he cared, but because I hadn’t realized how much I meant to him. How much he was willing to risk.

I blinked, my throat tightening. “Silas…”

He didn’t let go. “I can’t lose you, Wildcat. Not after everything. Not now.”

“I’m sorry,” I said quietly. “But I couldn’t stay behind. I need to be where you are. I want to help. However I can. Use me, use my skills. Just… don’t try to protect me by pushing me away.”

His jaw worked like he was holding something back, and then, finally, he reached up and cupped the side of my face, brushing his thumb over my cheekbone.

“I don’t want to push you away,” he murmured. “I want you by my side. You drive me crazy, you fight me at every turn, and you’re reckless as hell, but I love that about you. You scare me, Lia, and that’s what makes me hold on so tight.”

My breath caught.

I leaned into his palm, my fingers curling lightly around his wrist. “Then hold on,” I whispered, “because I’m not going anywhere.”

A long silence stretched between us—heavy, meaningful .

Then he squeezed my wrists a little tighter, his voice dropping lower. “When we stop for the night, Lia?”

My breath caught. “Yeah?”

He leaned in, his mouth near my ear. “You and I are going to have a long discussion about what happens to defiant little mates who disobey their Alpha.”

A slow shiver ran down my spine, my core sparking at the dreadful promise in his voice.

I knew what that meant.

“Yes, Alpha,” I whispered.

“Good. Now come on, let’s get back to the group,” he said. When we returned to the rest of the men, they were ready and waiting to get back on the trail.

The trek that day was long.

The deeper we went, the worse the air smelled. It settled in the back of my throat, sour and pungent, clinging to my skin like it was trying to sink into me. At first, it was just little things that started to get to me. A few ravaged deer carcasses, their ribs gaping open, the meat torn away in strips. Then it got worse.

A moose, its body sprawled across the forest floor, half of it missing. The exposed muscle was gnawed down to the bone, its thick hide shredded, entrails spilling onto the dirt in rancid, clotted ropes. The eyes had been ripped out.

Then a bear.

A really big one.

Something that should have been too strong to be brought down by anything in these woods. Yet, there it was in the underbrush, its thick fur matted with drying blood, its massive body split open like something had tunneled inside of it and burrowed its way out.

I gulped back a surge of bile, pressing my sleeve over my nose, but it didn’t help. It was everywhere: the smell, the decay, the unnaturalness of it all.

Silas stepped ahead of me, stopping for a second to survey the carnage with a calculating stare. “They’re messy,” he muttered.

Varek crouched near the bear, poking at its exposed ribcage with the tip of his knife. “They rip into everything, then stop.” He frowned. “Like they don’t just kill for food. They enjoy it.”

Hale muttered a curse under his breath. “This is—fuck. This is worse than I thought.”

Then Silas turned, his mouth a hard line. “You still think you should’ve come, Lia?”

My chin jutted out instantly. “I’m fine.”

His gaze shifted, like he wanted to say something else, but he didn’t. Instead, he turned back to the others. “Let’s move. We’ll stop when we find a safer place to camp.”

I blew out a breath, forcing my pulse to steady, and kept walking.

* * *

We made camp near the edge of a ridge, close enough to hear the faint trickle of a stream down below.

The fire burned low, casting dancing shadows across the clearing, the light barely reaching the edges of the trees. Everyone sat in a loose circle, their voices quiet, their movements stiff. Everyone was a little scared, but there was an understanding between them—between all of us. What we saw today had shaken every member of this group, myself included.

Even Varek was quiet, leaning against a fallen log, his expression distant. Rowan sat across from me, methodically sharpening his blade as always, while Ryan, Caleb, and Hale muttered among themselves in low voices, their hands going to their sides to touch their weapons every few minutes.

I sat next to Silas. I could feel the reassuring weight of his presence beside me, the slow, steady heat radiating from his body. Everyone had given us space, like they felt the tension between us, poised and waiting for something.

I wasn’t sure if I was more afraid of what I had seen today or of what was waiting for us in the caves… I tried to be still, tried to look like I wasn’t waiting for the inevitable, but Silas knew.

He leaned back against the log, stretching his long legs out in front of him. “That was scary, huh?”

I swallowed hard. “Yeah.”

A beat of silence.

“Maybe you were right,” I whispered, my voice hesitant with rare uncertainty.

Silas turned his head slightly, his eyes gleaming in the firelight. “Oh?”

I shifted, pressing my palms against my knees.

I knew what he thought I was thinking. He was waiting for me to ask to hold off my punishment until we were back at camp, where things were safe, where I wouldn’t have to spend the rest of this trip nursing a sore ass. I almost did.

It would have been the easier thing to do.

Silas wasn’t cruel. He would have let me wait, let me believe I had time before he followed through on his promise. Maybe he would have even softened just a little, let the punishment go entirely if I played my cards right, but that wasn’t what I wanted.

Deep down, there was something bigger I needed more than his forgiveness. I needed his strength.

I clenched my hands into fists, my pulse sounding in my ears.

I was human .

The only human in this group, the only one without heightened senses, without the ability to heal quickly, without the strength and speed that the others had. It didn’t matter how well I could track or how sharp my instincts were, I would always be the weakest.

If I wanted to survive, if I wanted to truly stand beside them, I needed to be their equal. I needed to be one of them.

I needed to be a wolf too.

So instead of asking him to wait, instead of asking him to spare me, I lifted my chin, steadied my breath, and said, “I was going to ask if, after you punish me, if you’re going to mark me?”

The air stilled.

The fire popped, embers swirling up into the dark, but everything else was silent.

Silas didn’t move, didn’t breathe.

Then—slowly—his hand curled into a fist against his thigh.

I watched him carefully, my heart hammering, but I didn’t back down, because this wasn’t just about us anymore. This wasn’t about what had happened between us before, about the irresistible, inevitable pull of our bond. This was about me making a choice, a conscious choice to fully accept my fate as Silas’s mate.

His golden eyes burned into mine, and I could see the moment the realization clicked into place in his mind. Marking me would change everything. It would bind me to him. It would change me.

I wouldn’t just be his mate; I would be one of them. I could shift.

I could survive .

And if the worst happened—if he died, if Rowan and Varek and the others didn’t make it out of those caves alive—I wouldn’t be left behind, weak and alone. I’d have a shot of making it out with my life.

Silas’s jaw clenched. “I shouldn’t do this because you’re scared.”

I exhaled shakily, gripping my knees. “I’m not scared.”

He was quiet for a long moment, still studying me like he was testing me, waiting for me to back down.

I wouldn’t. I couldn’t .

Then, finally, he reached out, tracing a hand along my jaw. His touch alone made me stronger.

“If I do this,” he warned, “it’s because you are mine. Because you will always be mine.”

My heart hammered.

“Yes. I know.”

His breath caught, then he nodded.

“Okay,” he murmured, his voice dark and heavy. “It’s a good idea given the current circumstances, but let’s get one thing straight: you’re going to know what it means to belong to me,” he added, his voice rich with authority, “and you’re going to learn to obey me.” His fingers shackled my wrist, his touch radiating heat. “You don’t get to disobey me if you’re my mate.”

I gulped as Silas stood, his grip still firm on my wrist as he pulled me to my feet. He didn’t say another word, didn’t need to. The look in his eyes said everything.

It was time for my reckoning.

The others were still gathered around the fire, engaged in quiet conversation. I caught the way Varek smirked knowingly and Rowan glanced up briefly, but didn’t say anything. Hale shifted uncomfortably, like he knew what was about to happen, but also knew better than to acknowledge it.

Silas led me toward the tree line, his pace purposeful.

Not too far, just far enough. Far enough that the others wouldn’t see, but they’d most certainly hear what was about to happen.

My cheeks burned at the thought, but I didn’t resist.

I didn’t fight him, because some part of me—the part I didn’t want to admit existed—wanted this.

The second we were concealed in the trees, Silas turned, pushing me gently but firmly against the rough bark of an old pine. He bracketed me with his arms, his body so close to mine, his heat sinking into me like a second skin.

I could barely breathe.

“You knew I was going to punish you when you left camp, didn’t you?” he asked, thrumming with control.

I nodded, trying to swallow the lump in my throat. “Yes.”

“And you still followed me.”

I exhaled shakily. “Yes. I need to be with you.”

His thumb skimmed along my jaw, tilting my chin up so I had no choice but to meet his gaze.

“What am I going to do with you, Wildcat?” he murmured.

I bit my lip and felt my core clench.

Silas huffed a quiet laugh. “You don’t even regret it, do you?”

I hesitated, but only for a second.

Then I grinned, lifting my chin defiantly. “Not even a little.”

I expected him to push me up against the tree, maybe kiss me and tear off my clothes, but then he grabbed my arm and pulled me toward something half-buried in the underbrush—a freshly fallen log, thick and sturdy, the bark rough.

My ass muscles contracted as I realized what he intended.

My heart pounded as he positioned me over it, pressing down lightly on my back until I had no choice but to drape myself over the log. The position left me completely vulnerable: my hips resting against the rough bark, my hands gripping the other side for balance, my body perfectly presented for whatever he was about to do.

Silas took his time.

He ran his palm slowly down my spine, a deliberate reminder of who was in control. His fingers traced just beneath the hem of my shirt before sliding lower, just above the waistline of my jeans and lingering just long enough to make my breath hitch.

“You’ve been waiting for this, haven’t you, Wildcat?” His voice was deep, smooth, almost mocking. “Ever since you stepped onto that trail, you knew this was coming.”

I clenched my teeth, refusing to answer.

He chuckled annoyingly. “I’ve been thinking about this all day,” he admitted, his hand ghosting over the back of my leg. “Thinking about you like this—bent over, bare, your ass red and hot from my hand. Or…” He trailed off, his fingers hooking under the hem of my shirt, slowly pushing it up. “Maybe from my belt, or even a switch.”

A switch .

I sucked in a gasp.

Silas knew what he was doing—taking his time, dragging out the moment until I was shaking under his hands, until I felt the anticipation swirling deep in the pit of my stomach, making my thighs press together, my fingers dig into the thick bark beneath me.

His hand slid over the curve of my ass, warm and possessive through the fabric of my jeans.

“You’re going to feel this,” he murmured. “You’re going to remember it every time you sit down for days.” He leaned in, his breath hot against my ear. “And the best part, Wildcat?” His fingers dug in slightly, making me gasp. “I’m going to love every second of it.”

Silas reached underneath my hips and unbuttoned my jeans before he pulled them down, baring me completely to the cool night air. My skin prickled with goosebumps, but it had nothing to do with the cold. My breath was already coming too fast, my heart pounding against my ribs as his hands traced over the backs of my thighs, over my tender cheeks. It was so humiliating.

I held onto the log, trying to come to terms with the reality of what was about to happen.

“I should make you cut the switch yourself,” he mused, his voice like a smooth caress. “Make you pick the branch that’s going to thoroughly welt this pretty little ass of yours.”

A shiver ran down my spine, but I stayed silent, my breathing shaky.

Silas hummed, his fingers trailing up my spine, then back down, soothing in a way that made me ache for him. “But you’d probably try to be clever,” he continued, “and find something too soft, too flimsy.” He leaned down, his lips tracing along my ear. “Wouldn’t you, Wildcat?”

I bit my tongue, refusing to answer.

His palm smacked down suddenly, a single sharp slap across my bare skin that made me jerk against the log.

I gasped, stretching out my fingers.

“I asked you a question, mate,” Silas said smoothly, his hand rubbing over the spot where he had just struck.

“Yes, Alpha,” I mumbled.

His fingers tightened briefly, squeezing my butt like he owned it. “Good girl.”

Then he straightened, stepping away. I exhaled, trying to steady myself, my body already too hot, already too aware of what was coming. A few seconds passed before I heard it.

The soft snap of a branch being plucked from a nearby sapling. The quiet rustle of leaves being stripped away. Shit. Silas returned, tapping the thin wooden switch lightly against his palm. I swallowed heavily, watching him over my shoulder as my nerves started to spiral out of control.

I could take his hand, but a switching ?

I was becoming less and less sure of myself by the second.

“You’ve got nowhere to run now, Wildcat,” he murmured. “You wanted to come with us so badly? Wanted to disobey me?” He traced the switch slowly over my bare skin, dragging it up and down his target. “You’re about to learn what it means to be punished like a bad girl.”

The switch traced along the curve of my ass, teasing, barely touching, but it was enough to make me hold my breath. Silas was in no rush, extending the torture of this. He took his time, letting the anticipation sink into me, letting the reality of what was about to happen settle deep in my bones.

I knew this was going to hurt.

That was the point.

He dragged the switch lower, over the backs of my thighs, just enough to remind me how exposed I was, how helpless. The rough bark of the log pressed into my stomach, my palms flattened against it for balance, my body fully open to whatever he had planned.

“You ready, Wildcat?” he asked.

I gritted my teeth, inhaling slowly. “Yes.”

The first strike landed without further warning.

A thin, biting line of fire licked across my skin, sharp and precise. I jolted, a startled gasp escaping me as the sting bloomed.

Fuck.

This was going to be far, far worse than I thought.

Silas purred, dragging the switch lightly over the welt he had just left behind. “That was one,” he murmured. “We have a very long way to go.”

I barely had time to process his words before the next strike landed.

And then another and another and another.

Each one perfectly placed, leaving hot, stinging stripes across my ass and the backs of my thighs. The pain was blazing hot, electric, building on itself until I was squirming, my hips shifting against the log, my body betraying me.

“Stay still,” Silas ordered, his free hand pressing against the small of my back, holding me down.

I tried. God, I tried, but every time the switch landed, my body jerked, a soft gasp slipping past my lips before I could stop it.

I clenched my jaw, refusing to make a sound, refusing to give him the satisfaction, trying to keep at least a shred of pride, but the longer this went on, the more sure I was that I wouldn’t be able to hold onto it for very long.

Crack.

The next stroke landed just below the others, right at the crease where my ass met my thighs, and I yelped, my back arching on instinct.

Silas chuckled. “There she is.”

I bit my lip, my skin burning, my breath ragged.

“You’re going to remember this,” he assured me, dragging the switch over my welted skin, his fingers following after it, soothing where he had just marked me. “Every step you take, every time you sit down, you’ll remember why you must never disobey me again.”

I shuddered, my body caught in that dangerous space between pain and hot arousal.

He felt it. I knew he did, because when he leaned down, his breath warm on my ear, his voice was softer, though no less commanding.

“Do you understand me, Wildcat?”

My stomach squirmed.

“Yes, Alpha,” I whispered, but my voice trembled, revealing just how anxious I was in that moment.

The switch whistled through the air before it landed again.

A loud crack echoed through the trees, followed immediately by a white-hot sting that licked across my already burning skin. My legs trembled from the effort to stay still and I started to sweat.

Another strike.

And another.

Each one was perfectly placed, layering fire on top of fire, the heat spreading, seeping into my skin, making every nerve scream.

I gritted my teeth, my breath coming in ragged, uneven gasps.

The switch wasn’t like his hand.

His palm had been heavy, solid, a force that left warmth and an ache that lingered deep in my muscles.

But the switch?

It bit into my skin, over and over again.

Every stroke landed with a swish and a wicked sting that didn’t fade, that only grew as each new stripe was laid down over the last. I could feel the thin welts rising beneath his touch, feel the way my skin throbbed, every inch of my ass burning, pulsing with heat.

Silas was methodical, slow, and deliberate.

I knew he was drawing this out, making me feel every second of my punishment as much as he could. I may have squealed a little bit as the switch kissed the backs of my thighs, my knees buckling slightly from the sharp, biting pain.

Swish! Crack!

A fresh line of fire.

I whimpered, my hands fisting, my body trembling before him.

“You could’ve been hurt, Lia.”

The next lash landed directly over an already tender stripe, sending a jolt of searing pain through my entire body. The irony was not lost on me.

I yelped, my hips jerking against the log.

Silas growled softly, dragging the tip of the switch over my welted skin, tracing the marks he had just left behind. I sucked in a breath, trying to brace myself, trying to keep still, but it was too much. The bite, the heat, the way his voice curled around me, claiming me…

Swish! Crack!

My vision blurred for a moment, my breath halting.

It hurt so fucking bad.

Silas exhaled slowly, his free hand soothing the fresh welts, rubbing slow circles into my skin, his touch comforting even though it was that same hand wielding that fucking tool of torture. I shivered, my body caught between pain and pleasure.

Silas leaned in, his breath brushing my ear.

“Tell me, Wildcat,” he murmured. “Does it hurt?”

I could barely speak, my throat tight, my body throbbing from both the sting of the switch and the ache expanding low in my belly.

“Yes, Alpha,” I whispered.

Silas chuckled, too pleased with himself, and I knew that he was nowhere near finished with me.

I could feel it in the way he stood behind me, the switch still warm in his hand, his presence looming over me like a storm.

I was panting, my breath staccato, my body on fire.

The sting of the switch had settled into a steady, throbbing heat across my ass and thighs, every welt pulsing in time with my heartbeat. With every arc of fire that bit across my bare vulnerable ass, I was getting closer to breaking.

Silas must have sensed that because suddenly, his fingers brushed the small of my back before he leaned over and grabbed both of my wrists, lifting them up just slightly and holding them securely in one of his big hands. Then I heard a metallic sound and the swish of his belt coming off.

Leather. The soft creak of it sent panic through me before I even realized what was happening. He looped the belt around my wrists, tightening it just enough to hold me still, then ran it under a thick, twisted root beneath me and back up, knotting it to secure me in place. I struggled, but there was no give.

My pulse shot up.

“Silas, wait!” I begged.

“You don’t get to move,” he said firmly. “You just get to take your punishment.” He tested the belt, making sure I was bound just enough, then leaned down, his breath hot on my ear. “Until I decide you’ve learned your lesson, and you’re a long way away from that, you stay still.”

I heard a whine crawl up my throat. I tugged at the restraint, but it held firm.

I was stuck.

Completely at his mercy.

Silas stepped back, running his palm over the curve of my ass, his touch soothing over the stripes of fire he had already left behind.

Swish! Crack !

The sting exploded through me, sharp and searing, making my fingers clench around nothing.

Another strike. Another. Another. Another. Rapid-fire shots across my ass cheeks and thighs.

Each one was brutal, perfectly placed, drawing a fresh whimper from my lips as my muscles strained against the belt, my body desperate to move, to escape, to block the fire licking across my skin.

But there was nowhere to go. I couldn’t stop it. I couldn’t fight it.

The moment I realized that I was bound and helpless, something inside me snapped. The switch landed again, and a broken, shaky sob tore from my throat. I blinked back tears, trying not to cry, but it was like trying to hold back a raging river.

He whipped me harder. Faster. Utterly without mercy.

And I deserved it.

“I’m sorry!” The words spilled out before I could stop them, before I even thought about what I was saying. “Silas, I-I’m sorry !”

The switch paused midair.

Silas exhaled slowly, stepping closer, his free hand tracing up my back, his fingers pressing lightly into my skin.

I shivered, my body wrecked.

Then, after a long, suspended moment, he spoke.

“Good girl,” he soothed. “Now I can finally begin the punishment I had planned for you. Ready, Wildcat?”

What? Begin? Now a real streak of fear surged through me. I’d underestimated Silas and I was paying a steep price.

“Yes, Alpha,” I managed, my voice trembling with emotion and pain.

The switch whistled through the air and struck my upper thighs. I kicked, and then it bit between my thighs, striking the lips of my pussy lightly, but more than enough to sting. I shrieked, trying to close my legs, but Silas kicked them apart and then my nervousness transformed to sheer terror.

This was what it felt like to be truly punished.

He switched between my thighs several more times, each strike causing me to jerk away and try to close my legs, but he had maneuvered himself in between them so I couldn’t, allowing him complete access to my body so he could punish me as he saw fit.

My pussy was burning and on fire by the time he was through with it.

The switch cracked down across my ass again, and another yell burst from my lips. Silas wasn’t stopping, and each strike was worse than the last, the cumulative effect defeating me.

My head dropped down, and I began to sob in earnest, but it didn’t matter. My tears didn’t change the outcome.

It felt like the world had fallen away, and all I knew was the searing sting of the switch and the harsh sound of my own ragged cries.

Silas was relentless.He struck between my thighs and then he used his free hand to spread my cheeks apart and I really started to struggle, fearing what was coming next. I yanked my hands, but with my wrists bound by his belt, I couldn’t reach back to stop him.

I was helpless.

He laid the switch between my cheeks and flicked it, striking directly over my asshole.

I screamed, my body shaking, my vision blurring.

It hurt.

God, it hurt.

He did it several more times, thoroughly punishing my bottom hole with the switch until I was begging and sobbing and pleading for mercy.

I hurt so bad. From the welts all over my bottom, to my stinging pussy and my burning asshole, I was in over my head, and I couldn’t see any way out.

I sobbed, big fat tears rolling down my cheeks and something inside me broke.

Finally, the switch paused.

Silas crouched down, his lips brushing the back of my neck, his fingers trailing along the edge of the leather binding my wrists.

“Now, bad girl, your switching is over, but your punishment is far from done,” he growled, and my pussy clenched tight as I heard the sound of his zipper descending. I looked over my shoulder, watching him as he freed his cock from the confines of his jeans.

His fingers dug into my hips, holding me still as he dragged the tip of his cock against my slick pussy, sliding between the lips, teasing my clit.

“S-Silas?—”

“You want it, don’t you, Wildcat? You want my cock deep in this needy little pussy. You need to come with this bare little ass covered with my welts, don’t you?”

I exhaled in a rush, my body burning, trembling, throbbing. I sniffed back my tears and nodded.

“Please,” I begged, the plea escaping against my will.

His cock teased against my entrance, so close, and yet not nearly enough.

“Beg,” he growled, his hands like vises on my hips. “Beg me to fuck you.”

I bit my tongue, but the word slipped out anyway.

“Please.”

His palm cracked across my already burning ass and I yelped.

“Say it,” he demanded.

I inhaled sharply. “Please fuck me, Alpha,” I whispered, my voice barely a breath, the words so soft and fragile.

It was the only invitation he needed, not that he needed one right now.

He slid inside, thick and formidable, burying himself to the hilt with one brutal thrust.

I screeched, my head falling forward, the sudden filling of my body overwhelming me. He adjusted his hold on me, his fingers pressing into my welted skin as he pulled out and drove back in, and then he began to fuck me like a wild animal.

The rough bark scraped my bare stomach and the belt bit into my wrists as his hips slammed against me, his fingers digging in hard enough to leave bruises.

It hurt. Everything hurt: the switch, the belt, his grip.

Yet, there was some deep, primitive part of me that forced me not to cry out, not to beg him to stop, not to moan, not to tell him to go harder , faster.

“Is this what you wanted, Wildcat?”

I shuddered as his cock pounded into me, his hips snapping against my ass, the wet, lewd sounds of him fucking me filling the quiet of the forest. I hoped the rest of the group couldn’t hear this, but even if they could, there was nothing I could do to stop the moans that finally escaped my lips or the savage sounds he was making as he fucked me.

There was nothing I could do to stop this at all. My purpose was to take it.

For a moment, just a fleeting moment, I let myself sink into it.

Silas leaned down over me, his body caging me in, pinning me against the rough log, his hips still battering against my ravaged body, fucking me deeper, harder, like he was trying to break me.

“You wanted me to punish you, to put you in your place, to make you come all over my cock. You wanted all this, and this soaking wet little pussy gives you up each and every time it clenches around my cock,” he whispered hoarsely.

“Oh, fuck, Silas, please…”

“You love it,” he growled. “This is what you needed, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” I whined.

Yes, goddamn it, he was right.

Every step I had taken since I slipped out of camp had been to bring me closer to him, even knowing his punishing hand awaited. I had disobeyed him, and I deserved everything I got and more. On some level, I craved this, and I was getting exactly what I wanted.

“Yes, Alpha,” I whimpered.

He groaned, his cock throbbing, his movements growing erratic.

His hand slid into my hair, pulling hard as he pounded into me, his entire body straining, his breath harsh against my ear.

I. Wanted. This.

My entire being shattered and I screamed, pleasure crashing over me in waves, sending sparks shooting across my vision. My pussy clamped down around him, my breath ragged.

His voice was a bass rumble that vibrated every atom of my body.

“That’s it, my little mate. You’re so fucking beautiful when you come for me.”

He fucked me through it, his thrusts never faltering, his grip on my hair tightening as he slammed into me one final time before he pulled his cock out and pressed it right against my sore asshole.

I froze.

No. He couldn’t mean to… could he?

Even as I thought it, even as the question crossed my mind, he began to push, his thick head forcing me open.

“Silas, no!” I screamed. “Please, not there!”

His free hand encompassed my waist, holding me still. “Don’t fight me, Lia. My big cock is going to fuck this naughty little asshole and you’re going to take it because you earned it. You were a very, very bad little mate and now you’re going to get fucked like one.”

“You’re too big!” I cried, panic making my voice shake.

“No,” he snarled. “You’ll take all of me. You’ll take it because I want you to, and you want to be my good girl again, don’t you?”

I gasped, the words sending a shudder through me.

“Yes,” I breathed. “Alpha, I want to be your good girl.”

“Then you’re going to take every last inch of my cock in this tight, tiny, naughty little hole,” he growled.

He pressed in, his cock stretching my poor punished bottom hole, and I keened with the burning pain, the feeling unlike anything I had ever felt before.

He was so thick and my body protested as he pushed the head of his cock past my reluctant ring of muscle. Then his fist in my hair clenched tighter against my scalp, forcing me to stay still.

Forcing me to take it.

I held my breath as he kept pushing his way deeper, the stretch overwhelming me, sending shivers through me, my muscles clenching, straining. I cried out, trying to take the burning pain surging up and down my spine as he pressed one slow inch after the next into my sore and very sorry little hole.

It hurt just as much as, if not more than, the switching itself.

“Relax,” he murmured, his voice deep thrumming against my ear.

“I can’t,” I yelled, the feeling too intense, too much.

“You can.” Like he could command me to do so.

His free hand slid around to trace the edges of the welts on my ass, soothing and steadying me. My asshole clamped down around him, the deep burning sting sending a jolt of pleasure and pain along my nerves.

“Oh, fuck,” I whimpered, tears sliding down my cheeks.

“That’s it, sweet girl.”

Another inch.

I shuddered, my body going rigid, my ass throbbing, my heart pounding. With every clench, pain blossomed and radiated deep in my core as I struggled to take him, but as the moments passed and he slid in deeper, I finally realized what was truly happening.

The switching had only been the first part of my punishment. Now he was fucking my bottom to finish it.

“Silas—”

“Take it, my naughty little mate. All of it.”

“I can’t?—”

“Yes,” he growled. “You can and you will.”

With one last, slow thrust, he bottomed out, his entire length buried in my aching, throbbing bottom hole.

I moaned, long and loud, and Silas let out a low, rumbling growl. I squirmed over the log, trying to reconcile with the fact that his cock was fully seated inside my asshole. My body fought against him, clenching and clutching around his rigid girth, but there was no pushing him out.

He didn’t give me time to adjust, didn’t let me catch my breath. His hips began moving, pulling back and then thrusting deep. Every push sent a fresh wave of pain and pleasure through me, every retreat making my hole flutter and squeeze all around him.

“Look at you,” he murmured, his voice thick with power and something that sounded like pride.

I cried out, my body burning, trembling, his hand still fisted in my hair, holding me still. The bark scraped against my bare chest and the belt dug into my wrists, as his cock filled my bottom, every inch searing me from the inside out.

“Does that feel good, Wildcat?”

I moaned, my legs trembling, tears streaking down my face.

“Answer me,” he roared, shoving his cock up my ass hard.

“Yes,” I whispered, the word barely a breath.

“Do you like having your tight little ass fucked, Wildcat?”

My eyes rolled back, my mouth falling open, my breath coming too fast.

“Yes,” I hissed.

His free hand skimmed over my welted skin, his thumb grazing along the edges of the thin marks left behind by the switch. My muscles contracted, and I moaned, the sharp pain overwhelming me all at once.

“Your little hole is so sore, isn’t it, Wildcat?”

“Yes, Alpha,” I mewled, my voice shaking with nervous energy.

“It’s about to get a whole lot worse,” he warned, and my entire body seized around him, whether with pleasure or fear or maybe both, I didn’t know.

Then he pulled his cock almost all the way out of me, just the tip still inside. I sucked in a ragged breath, my body tensing, preparing for him to slam back inside, to feel his massive cock splitting me open, to take the full force of his thrust. He leaned down and licked across the back of my neck and I shivered.

“Now you’re going to get ass fucked until I decide you’ve learned your lesson,” he snarled.

When he slammed back in, the sound that slipped past my lips was high-pitched, breathless, and a little bit hysterical. When he bottomed out this time, the sensation was different. Deeper. Brutal.

Far more punishing.

It sent shivers through me, fire coiling in my core, pleasure mixing with pain.His hips snapped against mine, his cock filling me completely, his thrusts rough, demanding, ferocious.

My head fell forward, my eyes closing, and for a moment, the world drifted away, narrowing to his hands on my hips, the rough bark scraping my tender skin, the fire licking across my ass and thighs, the feel of his cock in my aching, burning bottom hole.

I was lost in it.

The sounds enveloped me: hard muscle against soft flesh, the slick, wet squelch of his cock pumping into my abused hole, the lewd noises slipping past my lips, the harsh breaths coming from his own mouth.

“Tell me you belong to me,” he yelled, his hips pistoning against me, his rhythm ruthless.

I obeyed his command instantly.

“I belong to you,” I moaned, the confession tearing itself from my throat, raw and unrestrained.

His grip tightened, his fingers pressing into the welts, the sharp sting sending a jolt through me.

“Whose pussy is this?”

“Yours,” I cried.

“And this sore little ass?”

“Yours, Silas. Yours,” I sobbed.

“And your body?”

“Yours.”

“Your heart?”

“Yours, oh God, yours,” I yelled.

“Your soul?”

“Fuuuuck,” I gasped, my whole body clenching around him, the question sending a shudder through me.

He barked out a laugh, and his teeth grazed the shell of my ear.

“That’s right, mine,” he murmured, his cock bottoming out on every stroke, his pace never slowing, his grip on my hip and in my hair unrelenting. “Good girl.”

His movements were wild, erratic, building the pleasure deep inside me, the pressure growing, waiting.

Without warning, his hand slipped between my thighs and his fingers found my clit, rubbing it in tight, hard circles.

I gasped, my hips jerking, a broken, desperate moan slipping past my lips.

“Come for me while I fuck this tight little ass,” he growled. “Scream for me. Take your punishment, Wildcat. Take it like my good girl.”

The orgasm crashed over me, the intensity overwhelming, my muscles clenching, pleasure bursting behind my eyelids. I screamed, his name a desperate cry on my lips, my body clamping down around him as a second climax hit me immediately, making my vision blacken and my pulse stutter.

He held onto me tightly, his rhythm faltering, his cock pulsing, throbbing inside me as he fucked me, but he didn’t stop. He didn’t even slow down.

He just fucked me harder.

Faster.

Deeper.

His movements were merciless, painful, his hands holding me steady, pulling me back onto his cock as he thrust into me, chasing his own release as he fucked me.

“Alphaaaa…” I keened my suffering to the mountains.

My whole body ached, and I didn’t know how much more I could take.

“Again,” he demanded.

Slowly, the realization that this wasn’t going to be over though I had already come twice dawned on me and a fresh wave of panic crashed over me.

“I can’t—” I tried.

Silas’s voice dropped lower, rough with sadistic heat.

“Oh, my little mate,” he murmured, his tone a deliberate caress that sent a shiver down my spine. “You think you can take your punishment and be done with it?” His thumb traced the curve of my waist, teasing, threatening. “You think you get to decide when it ends?”

I swallowed hard, my breath shaky.

He chuckled menacingly. “That’s not how this works, Wildcat.” His body loomed so close, his heat wrapped around me like a second skin. “You’re my mate. Mine. And I’m your Alpha.” He pressed a kiss just below my ear, his teeth catching the lobe and biting down, making my pulse jump. “And now? I’m going to teach you exactly what that means.”

“Please,” I begged.

“Come for me. Again,” he commanded. “Now.”

And somehow, impossibly, I did.

My body panicked and clenched, a broken moan filling the air around us as my mind spiraled, the pleasure overwhelming, the world falling away. I was weightless, floating, every nerve singing, every inch of me aching and sore and burning and yet, somehow, still wanting more.

Silas didn’t give me time to breathe, didn’t pause or falter. He just kept fucking me, his cock thrusting into me again and again, his rhythm never slowing, his fingers pressing into my welted skin, his touch searing my skin.

I moaned and yelled and cried and took every thrust in my tortured hole like he expected me to, and then I took some more, all he wanted me to. All he required me to.

Then the hand on my hip moved to press down on my lower back, making me arch further for him. I felt his lips tracing along the side of my neck, his tongue laving, teeth scraping over the delicate skin on the side of my neck. It was the same place that Kendra carried Rowan’s mark.

“Keep coming for me, Wildcat,” he ordered, as I came apart again for him. “Don’t you dare stop.”

A broken, choked sound clawed up my throat, and for a moment, my entire world narrowed to his cock, his teeth, the heat of his body pinning me against the rough bark of the log.

Then he grabbed me fiercely, and I dimly heard his breath catch as his cock throbbed hard inside me.

And his teeth sank into my flesh.

Pleasure and pain crashed together in the depths of my being, exploding through my body. I shattered, white-hot heat licking through me, his teeth marking me irreversibly, his cock buried deep in my ass, the pressure so intense I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t form a single rational thought.

The entire world strobed in and out of existence.

I could feel his cock pulsing, his hips crashing against my welted ass, the sharp sting of his teeth in my neck.

Everything was pain.

Everything was ecstasy.

With a final, ferocious thrust and a muffled, feral yell against my neck, Silas came. His teeth still deep in my neck, his massive cock seemed to grow impossibly bigger as he spilled his cum inside me, pulse after pulse, filling me completely.

I moaned, his teeth still holding me in place beneath him, the bite stinging, the pleasure building, cresting, and then exploding, everything fading, falling, until all that was left was Silas and Lia and the way our bodies fit together so perfectly.

I heard him suck in a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Slowly, his grip on my hair and my hip loosened.

“Do we have an understanding now, mate?” he asked, his voice deep and gruff. A lightning bolt of pleasure surged through me and a wave of shameful arousal crashed over me.

Even after all of that, with just the sound of his voice, he still had the power to make me want , to make me ache for him.

“Yes, Alpha,” I rasped, my throat frayed from screaming.

“Good. Now come for me one last time, naughty girl,” he demanded.

“Oh, God,” I moaned.

He was still inside me, his cock still rock hard, and his hips began to move in slow, shallow circles. I whimpered, my legs shaking, my body trembling as he fucked me. His mouth was still pressed against my neck, his tongue teasing the edge of his mark.

His fingers trailed along the welts, soothing the harsh burn, his sandpaper palm skimming over the curve of my ass, rubbing light circles over the punished flesh. Then his other hand slipped beneath me, finding my clit and forcing my pleasure to a head in a fraction of a second.

I was too sensitive, too sore, too hurt, yet somehow, the rough pad of his finger on my swollen clit was enough to push me over the edge again.

I cried out, my muscles stretching, his powerful hands keeping me still as he fucked me through my orgasm. His cock pounded into me again, the crude sound of his hips slapping against my tender bottom filling the air, mixing with my pitiful moans.

My entire body seized up, the pleasure painful, the burn and the bliss and the ache consuming me. I cried out his name, my numb fingers clawing for purchase beneath me, the belt holding my wrists secure, not yielding to my struggles. My eyes rolled back in my head just as my toes curled and my inner walls clenched, over and over again as my orgasm blazed through me like fire to dry tinder.

He was ruthless.

His free hand slid into my hair, gripping the back of my head as he held me down, and my body went rigid as yet another orgasm tore through me, every overstimulated nerve alight with raw, merciless sensation.

Every second of that orgasm was agony.

Silas groaned, a bass, gravelly sound that made me shiver. His movements grew erratic, and he clamped his hand around the curve of my bruised hip, pulling me back onto him hard as his cock finally jerked, spilling his cum deep insideonce more.

He collapsed forward onto my back, pinning me against the log, panting, his teeth and tongue trailing over his mark, sending a fresh quake through me, the pleasure still simmering, my still breath coming too fast, too shaky.

Finally, he let go of me and rose, his palm smoothing down my spine. He leaned down and released the belt from around the roots.

“There,” he murmured, kissing my neck tenderly. “You did so well, Lia. You were such a good girl for me.”

His voice was soft, his touch soothing, gentle, and I sobbed.

“Shh, Lia,” he crooned quietly, as I lay helplessly over the log. His fingers traced over my welted skin, rubbing lightly, the acute, hot sting easing a little as the moments passed.

He didn’t rush, didn’t push. Just kept touching me, his palms soothing and warm, his lips pressing against his mark with soft kisses.

The world slowly came back into focus, the cool air wrapping around us, the soft rustling of the trees the only sound disturbing the otherwise silent forest. For a moment, I allowed myself to sink into the quiet, my muscles contracting and releasing, the throbbing, aching soreness seeping deep into my bones.

“You did well,” he murmured. “You were very brave, and you took your punishment beautifully, my good girl.”

A tremor ran down my spine.

He pressed another kiss to his mark, his breath hot on my neck.

“I’m so proud of you, Lia.”

The words, soft and gentle, sent a rush of emotion through me. My eyes burned, tears continuing to drip down my face. His lips ghosted over the edge of his mark, his free hand running through my hair, soothing, steadying, reassuring.

I sniffed back tears and worked to compose myself.

Slowly, he pulled his spent cock free from my well-punished hole and I let out a sigh of relief, right before my face flamed with embarrassment the moment his seed started to drip down the backs of my thighs.

Silas didn’t seem bothered by it. Instead, he carefullyreached overme, his hands gentle as he untied his belt from around my wrists, the rush of blood making my fingers tingle.Heexhaled deeply, as did I at the same moment. Wrapping one arm around my shoulders and the other behind my knees, he lifted me up against his chest, turned, and sat on the log in my place. I winced when he lowered me onto his lap.

“I’ve got you,” he murmured.

For a moment, I could do nothing but lean against him, letting him hold me, his strong arms protecting me. He was warm and safe, and I allowed myself to sink into him, letting the world fall away, if only for a few moments.

When I finally caught my breath and stopped crying, he helped me to my feet, his touch tender as he tuggedmy shirt and pants back into place.I hissed as the fabric scraped against my punished flesh.

“Sore?”

“So very much,” I said, my cheeks flushing.

“Good,” he smirked, with a touch of humor in his tone.

I bit my lip, the flush creeping down to my neck and chest, making me burn with shame, but Silas didn’t tease me. Instead, he took my hand and held it close against his chest, over his heart.

“I’ll take care of you, Lia. From now to forever,” he promised, his tone heavy with the weight of his intent.

I swallowed hard as a wild, fierce emotion twisted in my chest. The words, though simple, sent a shock through me. I believed him.

Because Silas was a man of his word.