Page 30 of Midnight Hunt (Wolves of Midnight #4)

29

VIOLET

Fire and ice burned in my veins.

It felt like I was being boiled alive from the inside.

At first, I thought the truck had caught on fire and was roasting me like a marshmallow. But when I managed to crack open my eyes, there was no fire and no truck.

Instead, all I saw was a small concrete room.

I tried to move, and debilitating weakness stole over me, one that had nothing to do with my heat.

When I realized what it was, my heart fluttered erratically.

Silver. I was being exposed to silver .

Panicking, I tried to move again, but my body wouldn’t budge. I glanced down and immediately understood why.

I was strapped to a freaking table. And I was naked . Several leather straps secured my arms and legs, while two wider straps kept my chest and pelvis from rising off the metal surface. At least my feminine bits were mostly hidden by them, providing me some dignity.

Sable. Sable, wake up , I urged my familiar, pulling at the restraints. They weren’t silver, but something was causing me pain.

Sable awoke with a startled yelp and immediately started to help me. We wiggled and twisted, but even our combined strength couldn’t break the straps.

Fear trickled through me, and I wondered where Griff was.

When my mind went straight to the worst case scenario, I quickly shoved the thought away. No way was he dead. I would know. I would know in my soul if he was.

After a few minutes of useless struggling, I fell back against the table, my strength all but depleted. They must have injected me with something, because I felt weaker than a newborn calf. After another few minutes, faint voices reached me, and I stopped breathing to listen.

“It must have just happened. We didn’t know.”

Dread shivered up my spine. I knew that voice.

“And you didn’t kill the male responsible?”

“We didn’t have time. There was traffic, and a few humans witnessed the collision.”

The unfamiliar-sounding male swore, but I clung to the words like a lifeline. If they were talking about Griff, then he was still alive . Despite my precarious position, just knowing that Griff was okay instantly made me feel better.

Seconds later, the door to my tiny room unlocked and opened with a loud metallic shriek, and two males entered. At the sight of Hitman, Sable growled, and I let the sound rumble from my throat.

His face was expressionless as he took me in from head to toe like I was a slab of meat; then he turned to his companion and said, “I still want her.”

Fresh panic fluttered in my chest, but I bared my teeth at him and spat, “I’m already taken .”

The other male clucked his tongue, but his expression was far from disapproving. In fact, his bright blue eyes sparkled in a way that immediately put me on edge. He was pleased .

Unlike Hitman’s pale complexion and short black hair, this male had deeply tanned skin, a neatly-trimmed beard, and longer dark hair that was graying at the temples. He was probably twice my age but still handsome, and he most definitely knew it.

“You’ve been quite the challenge to secure, Miss Rivers,” he said to me, sweeping his gaze over my body in a way that immediately made me want to claw his eyes out. “It’s unfortunate that a male has claimed you, but we’ve worked too hard to let you go now. I’m Atticus Bane, by the way, the head alpha of Rogue Pack. And this is Ivan, my second. He’s been wanting to claim you as his mate for months now, but that has yet to be decided.”

“I’ve earned her, Alpha,” Ivan said, still staring at me like I was a possession.

“Calm yourself, Ivan. I’m not challenging you for her. Yet,” Atticus responded with a sly wink at me. “Every male in the pack is given an equal opportunity to claim a female, as you know. If you still want her when it’s time for The Claiming, you can make your intentions known then.”

“I’ve already been claimed, old man,” I flatly said, gratified when the little grin on his face vanished. “One of your own told us that you only kidnap unclaimed females, right before we locked him in a cell and threw away the key. Oh, and Rogue Pack is a stupid name.”

Pompous dick , Sable muttered under her breath.

“Also, my wolf thinks you’re a pompous dick,” I added, willing a smirk onto my face despite my pain. “As do I.”

Not smiling now, Atticus replied, “I’m sorry you two feel that way. We only wanted to take unclaimed females because it would be easier for everyone involved.”

“Easier for who?” I demanded with a disgusted lip curl. “Easier for you and your pack of rejects to justify your deplorable actions? Do you actually think females want to be claimed and mated by complete strangers? To essentially be used as broodmares in order to grow your derelict pack? You violently snatched them away from their homes. You’re treating them like property .”

He didn’t say a word during my impassioned speech, his face unreadable. But when I paused to take a breath, he suddenly moved toward me. Sable growled again, and we strained against the straps once more. Atticus stopped beside me to watch my fruitless struggle, then leaned over me and planted his hands on either side of my head.

I ceased struggling to give him my best death glare and snarled, “Don’t. Touch. Me.”

A grin slowly curled his mouth, and he leaned closer to purr in my ear, “I see now why my second wants you so badly, even with another male’s scent all over you, polluting the deliciousness of your heat. Your fierce spirit is intoxicating, but I’m looking forward to breaking it. Once it’s molded to my will, you’ll do whatever I tell you to do. And if you don’t, you’ll find out just how derelict the males in my pack can be.”

With that, he pulled away, but not before stroking a finger down my cheek. I turned my head to bite him, but he snatched his hand out of reach with a quiet chuckle.

“Ivan, see to it that Miss Rivers receives another dose of silver. The longer she refuses to submit, the longer her suffering will be.”

With that, he turned and left the room, leaving me with Hitman—aka, Ivan. As the black-haired male pulled something from his pocket and approached me, I started to shake.

“No, don’t. Please, don’t,” I said, staring in horror at the syringe. The needle wickedly flashed as he removed the top and stopped by my side. I opened my mouth, but before I could say more, he grabbed my bicep and plunged the needle full of liquid silver into my flesh.

The pain was instant, streaking through my veins like lava. Unable to escape it, all I could do was release a bloodcurdling scream. Even when Ivan left and I was alone again, I continued to scream, lost in a sea of pain and misery.