Page 33 of Stolen By the Alpha Hunter (Moonbound Mates #3)

PEACHES

J avi stays unresponsive and fully shifted in our room for a whole day, despite my requests for medical help.

I even try to open the door, willing to risk going out into the hallway and potential punishment, but they’ve locked us in.

No one comes to get me, no one brings something to eat.

I spend most of the morning curled up with him, my head on his chest as he continues to gasp for air.

He can’t keep going like this, can he?

He has to get better or worse.

…he doesn’t.

We’re trapped in limbo, between life and death.

Morning turns to afternoon, then the sun sets outside the grimy old window.

I don’t move from his side, drifting in and out of sleep after a totally sleepless night, breathing him in.

The ugly thought that I should appreciate this time—that he could be gone any second —keeps intruding on me, and I keep crying.

The hard part is waiting. Now knowing if anyone is coming for us.

Looking at Javi and seeing him right beside me, but unable to feel our bond.

I’m starting to think they’ll leave us here to rot until I hear the door unlock after sunset. I cover Javi with my body, holding onto his fur and meeting the intruder’s eyes straight-on.

Abel.

“What do you want?” I ask, staying close to Javi.

“Wow,” he smirks. “Awfully mouthy for a girl without a big scary alpha to protect her.”

I glare at him. “He needs medicine,” I say. “If you want him to live?—”

“Gideon wants him to live,” he interrupts. “I don’t give a damn. As far as I’m concerned, you’ll adapt better to being mine if he’s dead.”

I move between Abel and Javi, as much as it scares me to get close to the other man. My claws come out when I face him, and I bare my teeth to show my sharp canines.

“I’m not gonna do anything,” Abel snorts. “Why would I bother when he’s clearly on his way out?”

I want to cut him—to make him bleed. It’s a strange, foreign thought, but it nearly overrides my survival instinct. I hang onto my composure by a thread, staying completely still.

Have to protect Javi.

Have to protect myself.

“You’re wanted in the kitchens,” Abel says. “You need to come with me.”

“I don’t want to leave him,” I say, my voice low and shaking. “He’s sick.”

“He’s not sick,” Abel scoffs. “He’s a junkie. Big difference. He did it to himself.”

I can feel my claws breaking through the skin of my palms, every instinct screaming protect him, stay . “You did this,” I seethe, each word trembling. “I won’t come with you?—”

“You will,” Abel says, “or I’ll execute him right now.”

My blood goes cold.

For one terrible second, I believe him.

I try to square my shoulders, to rise to my full height—but the truth is, I’m not a fighter. Not like this. Not without him. I don’t know how to fight monsters who would kill my mate and smile while they do it.

“You wouldn’t,” I whisper. “Gideon would be angry.”

Abel smiles. It’s not a kind one. “Gideon’s the one who injected him,” he says. “Wanna guess who he’d side with? His loyal second…or the omega traitor who stole his women?”

I whip my head around to look at Javi, wanting— needing —one more moment, one more heartbeat to remind me that he’s still breathing.

But Abel grabs me before I can move, yanking my arm so hard it makes my shoulder wrench.

He jerks me through the door, dragging me away, and I hear the latch click into place behind us like a death sentence.

The bond cuts out again, sudden and sharp.

I stumble as he pulls me through the hallway, my legs barely keeping up. The ache in my joints, in my belly, in my heart —it’s all overshadowed by the knowledge that I can’t feel him anymore.

It’s like a part of me’s been torn out.

He hauls me into the dining hall before I have a chance to gather myself. I veer toward the kitchen, thinking maybe I can disappear, maybe I can just breathe ?—

But Abel catches me by the collar.

He yanks me back and suddenly I’m face to face with my father.

Gideon doesn’t hit me. He doesn’t have to.

He just looks at me with that sneering, twisted expression like I’m a bug he’s about to squash.

“Eyes down, girl,” he says.

I keep my chin high.

I meet his eyes for the first time in my life, trembling and furious and unbroken . My claws won’t retract, and I hope to God they never do. I want him to see them. I want him to know .

He stares at me like he doesn’t recognize the girl he raised.

And maybe he doesn’t.

Because I’m not her anymore.

“You think you’ve won?” I ask. “You think you’ve broken us?”

Gideon just stares, blank and cold.

“Why did you do it?” I ask, voice low. “Why him?”

He snorts. “I’ve been honest with you. I told you what happens when people break the rules.”

“He could die, ” I say, the words strangled. “He didn’t even betray you—we just wanted to leave. That’s not a crime. That’s not betrayal.”

“You stole from me.”

“You stole us first! ” I shout. “You took me away. You took mom. You took June and all the other omegas and you locked us in cages! And now you’re shocked we don’t love you for it?”

“Know your place!” he bellows, the roar making the windows rattle.

I flinch, heart thudding, and stumble backward—right into Abel.

He grabs me.

I rip free.

I hit the wall behind me and breathe like I’m surfacing from drowning. Ephraim stands in the doorway, watching it all.

“My place,” I say quietly, “is off this Rig. That’s why I left. It’s why Mom left. It’s why we all left.”

I let the words hang there, final and ringing.

“If you want your grandbaby, you have to let us go.”

For a second—just a second—Gideon falters. I see the cracks in him, rage and fear and maybe some ghost of guilt. But then the cracks close, and he smiles again.

A cruel, wild smile.

“I didn’t do it to punish you,” he says. “I didn’t even do it because you betrayed me. I dosed up Javier because it was fun to watch. And it’s going to be even more fun watching you break.”

He takes a step closer, lowering his voice. “You’re going back to that room. And you’re going to watch him die. Slowly.”

I lift my chin.

Tears sting my eyes, but I don’t let them fall.

“That’s not my name anymore,” I whisper. “It’s Peaches. ”

He barks out a laugh. “Stupid name for a stupid girl.”

He waves his hand, already turning away. “Ephraim—get her out of here. Abel and I have things to discuss.”

Ephraim doesn’t hesitate.

“Come here, Esther,” he says, like a curse.

He grabs my arm and drags me down the hall, just like before. It’s a blur—the lights, the shadows, the screech of rusted metal. I barely feel the floor beneath my feet. I don’t resist. There’s no point.

We reach the door.

He flings it open.

I brace myself for the pain, for the emptiness?—

But Ephraim leans down.

Right into my ear.

“They’re coming tonight,” he breathes. “And I want you to take me with you.”

I stop cold. My eyes fly to his face, searching for the trick, the lie, the smirk.

But it’s not there.

Only grim determination.

“You’re serious? ” I whisper.

“If that Angel comes back, they’ll know I helped you,” he mutters. “Things are about to get a whole lot worse around here —and I don’t need to join your stupid little pack, I just want off the Rig.”

I narrow my eyes at him and pull my hand away. “If you get us out of here, you’re welcome to a ride. But after that, I don’t ever want to see you again.”

His jaw tightens.

“Same here.”

I slip inside the room and shut the door, but I don’t hear it lock again. Ephraim is leaving it open for me—for us—to escape. I face the door and breathe deeply, trying to collect myself before looking at Javi again, wondering if I’m about to find him dead.

I’m on the precipice…everything could change in the next few seconds.

I gather my strength.

But when I turn around, he’s gone.

I left him unresponsive right here, and now there’s just an empty space.

I look around the room, but I don’t see any sign of him. The light is dim, a single lamp by the door, but my vision is good enough to see into the darkness. I scan each of the shadows, my heart pounding, remembering one of the side effects of kraken overdose.

Violent outbursts.

“Javi?” I whisper.

A low growl comes a few seconds later, from the darkest corner of the room. I go still and look toward it, and I find a pair of glassy green eyes staring at me, then sharp teeth. That’s all I can see, Javi’s coat so black that it blends perfectly with the shadows.

He looks like he’s ready to strike.

I stay by the door, prepared to flee if necessary but knowing they’ll just lock me in here again if I’m caught. And this is Javi —my mate, the man who’s promised to protect me, the father of our child. I trust him.

Even if he’s out of his mind, I have to believe he wouldn’t turn his rage on me.

“You’re safe,” I tell him, raising my hands. “We are safe.”

I could shift…but I think that would set off warning bells in his mind. I try to stay calm, knowing if I get too scared that at least a partial shift will be inevitable.

Then he takes a big step toward me, hunkering down, and shifting stops being a choice.

I turn, my back hunching as I get on all fours, my claws coming out and my jaws elongating. It’s been so long since I fully shifted that it feels weird and wonky, the adrenaline the only thing keeping me sane.

But it seems to work on Javi, because he cocks his head at me and stops snarling.

I pad toward him, wishing I could still talk…but it’s worth it to do this, because the bond crackles to life. I feel his fear, his confusion, and I realize with a start that he has no idea who I am.

He just knows my scent—mate, protect, child.

I close the distance between us and rub my face against his coat, nosing at his ribs. His wounds are healing, but he still hurts, open wounds on his muzzl and chest. I lick them in some semblance of comfort, monitoring the bond.

The static grows and swells.

He collapses.

Convulses.

I guide him down to the floor and whine as he loses control of his body once again, struggling for life. He’s still in the thick of it—the kraken must still be in his system. His eyes are glazed and he’s trapped in this form, and it seems to be getting worse.

Then he’s back to it—panting, staring out into nowhere. I curl up beside him and try to comfort him, but he doesn’t respond at all.

So I go back to waiting—for Javi to recover, for the Austin Pack to come and find us, for Gideon to inflict some new, horrible punishment.

And I hope I won’t have to wait long.