Chapter 9: Rip His Throat Out. Make Him Suffer For What He’s Done To Her
Dominic
Trevor besitated, clearly reluctant. After a moment, he reached under his desk and pressed a hidden switch Only someone standing directly behind his deck would have known it was there.
A section of the office wall slid open, revealing a dark passage beyond.
This secret door was very interesting. At first, you couldn’t see any trace of its frame. It seemed to be integrated with the wall. The whole thing became interesting…
Could a pack that lived in such a backward way really had this kind of magic?
I followed Trevor toward the hidden door, my heart racing. I was taking an enormous risk here, walking into an unknown passage with a man who had every reason to want me dead. If he had set a trap, if there were ambushes waiting in the darkness…
But my concern for my mate outweighed any sense of self–preservation.
The passage was pitch black. Trevor grabbed a torch mounted on the wall just inside the entrance and started descending a steep staircase. The flickering flame cast eerie shadows on the stone walls, but illuminated only a small area around us.
“Is it really necessary to keep this place so fucking dark?” I snapped, frustration and worry making me even more irritable. Ever heard of electric lights? Switches? You’re living like cavemen down here.”
The contempt in my voice was unmistakable, but it masked my real concern for my mate’s safety.
Trevor didn’t turn around as he replied, “If we want to keep our pack safe from outsiders, we need this level of isolation. Complete separation from the outside world.”
“Who exactly are you keeping down here?” I demanded. “What crime could possibly warrant this kind of punishment?”
Trevor still didn’t know this girl was my mate, and I could see confusion cross his face at my insistence on knowing about her.
“My worthless sister,” he said with false regret. “The bitch killed my parents seventeen years ago. This is her punishment.”
My heart clenched painfully. “Watch your fucking mouth when you talk about her,‘ I snarled. “And I thought your parents were killed by rogues?”
“That involves family secrets I cannot share, even with the Alpha King. I hope you understand.” His tone was formal, but I could hear the lie beneath it.
He’d better pray my mate is unharmed, or I won’t just scar his Beta–I’ll kill him where he stands.
We reached the bottom of the staircase, and Trevor fumbled along the wall, searching for something.
Oh, so you do know what electricity is,” I said sarcastically.
Trevor ignored my comment and flipped a switch.
What I saw made my blood run cold.
A thin, frail girl lay unconscious on the stone floor, shivering violently. Even in sleep, her brow was furrowed in pain. Was she having nightmares? Her nose was dotted with light freckles that somehow made her look even more vulnerable. Her breathing was shallow and uneven.
Her chestnut hair was tangled and matted from lack of care. Her body was so thin she looked like she might break at the slightest touch. Her skin was covered in whip marks and scars, and–were those needle marks? Had they been injecting her with something? Is that why she smelled so acrid and wrong?
Before I could process what I was seeing, Trevor strode forward and deliberately stepped on the girl’s hand.
The pain jolted her awake. She opened her eyes–startlingly green–and for a brief moment, our gazes locked. In that instant, something shifted inside me. Green eyes? They’re beautiful.
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Chapter 9: Rip His Throat Out. Make Him Suffer For What He’s Done To Her
But she quickly looked away and began screaming in terror: “No more! Please don’t hit me again! Please!”
The darkness of the dungeon pressed against my skin like a physical weight as I stared at the broken figure huddled on the floor. My chest tightened, a mixture of rage and something else–something protective–surging through me.
Kill him. Rip his throat out. Make him suffer for what he’s done to her.
Luca’s voice thundered through my mind, his fury matching my own. But unlike previous times when his rage had nearly overwhelmed me, I maintained control. This wasn’t the time to let my wolf take over. I needed a clear head.
Is this how you treat family?” I asked, my voice dangerously low.
Trevor’s head snapped up, his eyes narrowing. “I didn’t call you here to discuss my slave!” he snarled, his voice echoing off the stone walls. “Or my parents” business!”
For the first time since our meeting began, he wasn’t trying to play nice. The mask of civility had dropped, revealing the true nature of the man beneath- petty, cruel, and far weaker than he pretended to be.
I felt my eyes shift, the crimson bleeding through as Luca pushed closer to the surface. In the dim light of the dungeon, I knew they would be glowing reflecting the rage building inside me. The shadows around us deepened, and I became the predator lurking in the darkness, watching, waiting.
Trevor took an instinctive step back. Good. He should be afraid.
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