Page 29 of Bond & Protect

‘Ah, Amos. I almost forgot you there,’ the monster tells me, his voice a whole lot louder now. I can tell he’s turning his attention all to me. It’s my time. ‘But then that’s normal, isn’t it? For people to forget you, because you’re so young and more just in the way than anything else.’

I want to fight back. I really want to fight back. This has been my plan all along. But now I’m weak. The monster has physically harmed me and weakened my body, which means I can’t fight against the binds anymore. I can’t move at all.

‘Just the pup. The one that everyone sees as nothing more than a child. I don’t think you will ever grow up in the minds of your wolf pack. You will always be a baby.’

Fuck, I can’t even shake my head anymore. The monster has me pinned down; the sadder I become, the weaker I feel. It’s a vicious cycle that I can’t climb out of.

‘Why don’t you just give up?’ the monster demands. ‘Stop fighting. You’re the weakest member of the pack, aren’t you? The guys know that they can’t rely on you.’

I don’t want to believe these words, I told myself that I wouldn’t listen to a word that this monster said to me, but the beast has tapped into my biggest insecurity I didn’t even really know was there until this very moment.

But now I really do feel young and silly, like I’m useless, no good to the pack at all. No wonder they don’t rely on me. I wouldn’t if I were them. I mean, I betrayed Elias, didn’t I? Before we became a mating round, I kissed Mila, knowing that Elias had a thing with her. I’m an asshole. I’m a really bad person. I don’t deserve to be here at all.

‘That’s right, sink into the sadness,’ the monster mocks. ‘This is what I want, your emotions. I need all of your emotions. Give them over to me…’

Huh? I thought he wanted to feed on flesh. I thought that was his whole thing, that he feeds on flesh. I want to ask him because I’m confused now, but again I’m far too weak. This asshole has stolen the breath from my body. He’s taken absolutely everything, and I’m nothing more than a shell. A husk of what I was before. I don’t stand a chance of survival now. I don’t even have the strength to fight any longer. I don’t know if I even want to…

“Amos?” Wait, who is that? That’s a new voice. It seems to be coming from outside of whatever this is. But it’s so powerful, that I can’t ignore it. “Amos, where are you? I need you.”

That voice… it’s giving me something to fight for, reminding me of all the positive memories inside of me, and giving me strength when I really don’t have anything left to give…

12

MILA

“Amos, where are you?” I cry out as I race toward Faraway Lane. “Elias, Sydney, Liam?”

I thought that I would find them right away. I didn’t know I would be struggling like this. Did I get it wrong? Thinking that they would be here, by The Rift.

My God, if they aren’t here or in the forbidden forest, then I don’t know if I will be able to find them on time. I don’t know what chance I have.

Wait. I suck in a sharp breath as coldness overcomes me. It’s here. The monster is here, it’s coming for me. It’s hard to keep hold of my emotions, but I know that’s the most important thing I need to do right now. I have to keep myself under control, I can’t let him have me.

I put my head down and keep on walking with sheer determination surging through my veins.

“Amos, Elias,” I continue to call out, because I need someone to answer me soon. “Liam, Sydney, where are you guys? I’m coming for you. I’m coming to provide unity.”

I’m hoping that magic word ‘unity’ will get at least Elias’s attention, but no one responds to me. All I can do is keep walking into the coldness. I have no choice…

Oh fuck. And there they are. All of them. The monster and the men as well. Only, my wolves aren’t up and fighting like I thought they might be. They’re down on the ground, looking very weak and really hurt. This is exactly what I didn’t want to walk into.

“Elias, no!” I scream, the sound ricocheting in my chest. “Get up. We have to fight this.”

‘Don’t bother.’ Urgh, there he is again. The monster is back in my head, right where I don’t want him. ‘None of them are going to stand up. I’ve defeated them all. They were so easy to fight as well. Pathetic. All I had to do was zero in on their insecurities. Easy. I don’t know what you think you’re doing with them, but they can’t protect you. They don’t stand a chance.’

“I don’t need to be protected,” I growl out through gritted teeth. “I don’t need anyone to be protected. I don’t think you know who you’re messing with here.”

‘Oh dear, you think you can tackle me alone… but you ran away from the mere mortal who was stalking you. You didn’t stand tall and fight that creature.’

I don’t quite know what to say to that. I open and close my mouth a couple of times, but no sound comes out. This is an argument that I can’t defend. I did run away.

‘Your family is known for running away, Mila. You don’t know why you didn’t grow up here, do you? You don’t know that your family left when I was here the last time around. Your grandparents simply ran because they were way too scared to talk to me. To face me. I’m not worried about you, because you’re a runner too. You will panic and leave as well.’

I shake my head hard. There’s no way in hell that I’m going to run off. Not now, not this time. I didn’t have anything to fight for in the city. I didn’t have anything to keep me there. Now I have the wolves to fight for. My men are lying there on the ground, hurt and in a mess.

I won’t run away and leave them. There’s not a chance in hell.

“I don’t know why my grandparents left this town,” I shoot back. “But I’m not the same as them. I’m never going to run away. I won’t give up, I refuse…”

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