Page 38 of Forbidden Daddy Mate

“That would be fun,” Tyr said almost wistfully. “Let her think she’s finally out of trouble and release her, only to swoop back in when she least expects it? But that would take too long.”

“Always the impatient one, aren’t you?” Varin said tersely. “That’s half the reason they got away in the first place. If you hadn’t felt the need to take her that night—”

Tyr snarled. “Don’t blame that fuck-up on me. You’re the one who underestimated him. And I know you—you’ll want to kill her right in front of him just before he dies so he has to watch.”

“I’m not going to deny that the thought doesn’t appeal to me,” Varin admitted.

The footsteps stopped, and I finally realized they didn’t care if I heard or not. It didn’t make a difference to them. Which meant that they didn’t expect me to warn the rest of the pack about what was going on.

The implication made my blood run cold. They weren’t going to let me go. No matter what the note said, they were going to kill me. Them talking about it right in front of me was a disgusting form of torture. I could hear their plans and do absolutely nothing about it. I’d be dead before it mattered.

But the next part I heard made me realize that wasn’t their plan after all. No, they had a much, much worse fate in store for me.

“All of this is beside the point. Think of the information we could get from her when she’s on our side,” Tyr said.

Their side. My blood ran cold at the words. I knew what they meant, knew what he wanted. My stomach churned, and I nearly vomited. I probably would have, had there been anything in my stomach. But so far, they hadn’t fed me anything.

Varin snorted. “That’s a flimsy excuse at best.”

“I’ve already told you, I’m not letting her go. So the two options are to keep her locked in a closet for the rest of her life—”

“Or you decide to turn her into your thrall,” Varin finished. “I’m well-aware.” He sighed. “Shame, I really would have loved to rip her throat out in front of the wolf before killing him. But if you’re not going to budge…”

“I’m not.”

“I suppose forcing him to watch you turn her would be equally amusing,” Varin said. “Maybe more so. All right, but not before the meeting.”

Tyr grumbled but didn’t object.

My hand went to my throat, where I could already feel imaginary puncture wounds. Tyr wanted me as a thrall so he’d have complete control over me.

I backed into a corner, sliding to the floor and drawing my knees to my chest. They were going to kill Malcolm, and they were going to turn me into one of them. Would they even be able to? What would happen to my wolf?

The footsteps finally faded away, as did the voices. All the while, my head continued to spin.

Bizarrely, my first thought after I got over the initial shock of learning that my fate was either to die or become a vampire was Malcolm. I wished he were there. He would know what to do. He would find a way to protect me and make sure everything turned out okay. That was what he did. It was what he’d always done.

And now he was going to come sacrifice himself for me. For nothing. I didn’t question for a moment that was what he would do. That was the type of person he was. Always putting others first, making sure they were safe before worrying about himself. He was going to try to save me. And he was going to die for his troubles.

The thought gnawed at me, drilling a hole in my heart. The thought of him dying, of him not being there anymore, was more terrifying to me than being turned into a vampire. Hell, if given the chance, I would choose that fate over him dying any day.

He’d always been there for me, even if I hadn’t seen it. He’d made me feel welcomed when I moved in, had made sure I felt safe. He’d always been protective of me, looking out for my best interests. He’d taught me to shield my mind. Made sure I had the tools to survive if he wasn’t around.

I thought about the way it felt when he held me. I thought about the way we’d laughed together while baking. How natural it had felt when we were sitting on the couch together, drinking wine.

My fingers curled into fists. I didn’t give a fuck about what happened to me. Those psychos wanted to kill Malcolm. I couldn’t let that happen, not after everything. I had to do something. I would do something.

I got to my feet. I wasn’t going to sit here idly and let them kill Malcolm. He wouldn’t do that if the roles were reversed. And right now, I was the only one who could save him.

I just had to figure out how to get out of here first.

Chapter 19 - Malcolm

“You can’t seriously be thinking of listening to any of this,” Rand said. “There’s no way you’re going to follow their demands. It’s ridiculous. One of the stupidest things you could do.”

“I’m going.” I snarled. “And I’d like to see any of you try to stop me. I trained each and every one of you. I may be older, but I can take any of you down if you try me on this one.”

I paced back and forth in my living room, still fuming. I’d sent out word to all the Silver Wolves the instant I saw the note. They’d all come, as had Jenn, who’d apparently found out from Klyte and insisted on coming the instant she learned her best friend was in danger.

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