Page 46 of The Reluctant Mate (Shifters of the Three Rivers #5)

Chapter forty-six

Sofia

H arris chuckled, his grip tight in my hair as he dragged me away from Derek’s unmoving form. He yanked me upright.

“You see, sweetheart? Even the strongest of you can be put down.”

Then he threw me toward the far side of the room. The impact sent pain lancing up my spine. I didn’t care. I needed to get to Derek; that was all I could think about.

I pushed myself up just as I heard the pfff of a gun going off. A sharp prick stung my arm.

A tranquilizer dart. I jerked it out.

“Don’t worry, it’s not enough to send you under. I want you awake for the next part. It’s just a little something to keep you docile.”

My legs wobbled. The room tilted and swayed, the edges of my vision growing fuzzy. I staggered, trying to stay upright, but my muscles felt like lead and I hit the ground hard.

“You…” The word came out slurred.

I looked up as Harris stalked toward me, his belt undone, his hands moving for the zipper.

A small, detached part of my brain cataloged every detail—the acrid bite of compressed CO2 from the tranquilizer guns mixed with the sharp, chemical smell of the sedative itself. The concrete floor reeked of industrial cleaners and soil, layered with the metallic scent of fresh blood from the fight. Harris’s men, even in victory, carried the bitter edge of fear—the unmistakable stink of someone who’d faced down an apex predator and barely survived. The scents filled my nostrils, warring with Harris’s sickly sweet stink of excitement and arousal—a nauseating cocktail of testosterone and anticipation that made me want to retch.

My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic drumbeat. My breath came in short, uncontrolled gasps. My wolf clawed desperately inside me, demanding I Shift. I bit my cheek hard, the taste and smell of my own blood cutting through the fog, clearing my mind a bit. But even my thoughts were slow, sluggish. They seemed to take forever to form. The tranquilizer made everything feel distant, dreamlike.

No Shifting; they’d put more tranquilizers in me. When I woke, I’d be in a cage. Three Rivers gone.

Needed to be smart. Needed to survive. Needed to protect Derek.

Harris thought I was weak. Had to use that.

I could do this. I could get us out of this.

Harris yanked down his pants, and I knew—I knew —he was going to rape me.

A new wave of panic crashed over me, but I forced it down, locked it away. My limbs were heavy, my thoughts getting more and more scattered.

No! I couldn’t be scared. Had to think!

Fingers curled into the concrete, nails scraping against the rough texture as I fought to hold on to any sensation that might help me focus.

Boots scuffed against the floor as Harris crouched by me, the sound echoing strangely in my drugged state.

“Look at you,” he murmured, almost like he was admiring a piece of art. His fingers traced a slow, taunting line down my arm before tightening around my wrist. His grip was bruising, the pain cutting through the fog in my head.

Dickhead.

I snapped my hand out, the movement clumsy and delayed. He jerked back, easily missing my swing.

“You put up a good fight, I’ll give you that.” His grin widened as his face swam in and out of focus. “But we both know how this ends. Don’t fight it, Sofia. This is what you were made for. Be content that you are finally fulfilling your true potential.”

“Fuck you!” The words came out slurred, my tongue feeling thick and uncooperative.

I yanked against him, but his fingers clamped down harder. Pain shot up my arm.

“Ow!”

“You might think you should fight, but deep down? You’re just another little bitch wanting to be broken. Trust me, Sofia, you’ll be happy when you break. Because you’ll finally be who you are supposed to be. A pet who’ll do anything to please her master.”

I spat blood at him. It splattered across his cheek, dark against his skin.

His expression darkened. And then the punch came.

It was like being hit with a sledgehammer. My head snapped to the side, vision fragmenting into kaleidoscope patterns before the pain finally registered. My cheekbone flared with agony, the impact ringing through my skull and making the room spin even more.

Another blow landed—this time, a jab to my ribs. I gasped, my breath whooshing out of me as fire shot through my torso. He was deliberately targeting my injuries. I lashed out blindly, aiming a kick at his knee, but it went wide, my depth perception shot. His hand caught my ankle in a vise grip. With a sharp yank, he flipped me onto my stomach, my chest slamming against the cold concrete.

His knee pressed down between my shoulder blades, keeping me pinned, the pressure sending new waves of nausea crashing through me.

“Stay down.”

I bucked against his hold, my wolf howling inside me, frantic and desperate.

He leaned forward, putting his full weight on my back. “Submit.” Harris’s breath was hot against my ear. “Or I’ll have my men put a bullet in Derek’s head right now.”

I blinked over at Derek, trying to force my eyes to focus. Two, then three Dereks swam in my vision before merging back into one.

Bound, drugged, unconscious. Helpless. A soldier stood above him, a handgun pointing at Derek’s head.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!

Harris knew he had me. Knew I’d do anything for Derek.

I forced myself to go limp beneath him. Wanted to fight, to Shift, to rip him apart with my hands. But I couldn’t. Not while Derek was unconscious, vulnerable.

“That’s it,” he murmured, the sound distant, like it was coming from underwater. “Knew you’d come around.”

Rage burned through some more of the haze.

“Please,” I whispered. “Just… don’t hurt him.”

He rolled me onto my back. “See? Was that so hard?”

I forced myself to shake my head and drop my gaze, though the movement made the room spin sickeningly. My wolf snarled inside me, fighting against both the drugs and my forced submission.

“You’re gonna be surprised at how easy it is for you to be compliant, Sofia, at how much you’ll want to please me when I’m done with you. Now, take off your pants.”

“Sir?” One of the soldiers moved forward. “Convoy rolling out in two minutes.”

Harris snapped his head around to the soldier, frowning. “Let them wait. This first time won’t take long.”

I almost giggled. I’d done it; I’d stalled him.

By possibly getting raped.

The hysterical giggle in my head went silent.

This was not the plan. This was so not the fucking plan. My eyes flickered over to Derek. There was no movement except the small rise and fall of his chest. I felt along the mate bond. Nothing. He was completely out.

Fuck!

“I said, take off your pants.”

“What?” My tongue felt swollen, clumsy.

“I don’t know how you werewolves do it, but you’re about to get fucked by me and then by as many of my men who want a go. So, take off your pants. I want you to remember that you were actively involved in your own submission.”

“I…” My voice trembled, and I hated myself for it.

“Sergeant Hill!” Harris barked.

The soldier pointing the gun at Derek didn’t take his eyes off of him when he answered. “Yes, sir?”

“Shoot him.”

“No! Please, no! I’ll do what you say. Look…” I fumbled with the zipper on my jeans, then shoved them down my legs.

“Better. I like it when you say please, Sofia. After I’m done, you’re going to ask nicely to let each of my men fuck you. I might even wake Derek up so he can watch.”

Harris yanked his pants down and lay down on top of me, his hands bracketing my wrists against the cold concrete. The stench of him filled my nose, the sickening mix of excitement and sweat making the room spin faster. I could feel the head of his cock against my entrance, and bile rose in my throat. My wolf thrashed against the tranquilizer’s hold, each surge of adrenaline burning away tiny fragments of the fog in my mind.

“You know,” he mused, brushing hair roughly away from my face, “I’m really going to enjoy fucking Derek’s little bitch.”

Something inside me snapped as a tsunami of rage flooded along my mate bond, the sheer force of it cutting through the chemical haze like a blade. My wolf seized that moment of clarity, that flash of pure fury, and used it to tear through another layer of sedation.

Through numb lips, I forced out the words, “It’s like the Captain’s job.”

Harris froze. “What the fuck did you say?”

“You always come second to Derek, don’t you? That’s all you’re ever good for: his sloppy seconds.”

Anger twisted his features.

I lunged upward, sinking my teeth into his throat, tearing into flesh and muscle. Hot, coppery blood flooded my mouth. Harris roared in pain, his entire body seizing, his hands scrabbling to shove me off.

I held on, biting down harder, my jaw locking as I tore deeper.

He punched me, his fist slamming into my ribs with sickening force. Once. Twice. The third blow nearly made me black out as pain exploded through my torso.

But I didn’t let go.

Harris screamed, wrenching back, tearing himself free. Blood poured down his neck, soaking into his shirt. His hands clamped over the wound, his eyes wide with shock and fury.

I braced, waiting for the tranquilizer darts I was sure would come. His men didn’t shoot me, though. They were frozen in place, staring at something behind Harris.

And then the growl came.

Low. Deep. Dark.

A sound that rumbled through the walls, through the floor, through my very bones.

A sound I knew.

Slowly, Harris turned.

Derek in, wolf form, loomed behind him.

Massive. Snarling. Eyes glowing with pure, unfiltered rage.

I barely had time to roll out of the way before Derek lunged, his fangs cutting into what was left of Harris’s throat and ripping it out.