Page 65 of Dawn of the Pack

Erica doesn’t miss a thing. “Not such a big fan of all the tools, huh? Or perhaps it’s that magical leash? Don’t like the idea of being tied up?”

All I do is swallow; it’s enough.

“Hm.” She taps her lips with a glossy red nail. “You know, I’ve never tried S&M, but I have wondered what it’d be like. I’m no expert at knots, but I’m sure I could get your guards to help me out. What do you think would be more fun: If you act like a gentleman and treat me nicely? Or if you force me to tie you up and take what I want, anyway?”

My heart races faster; this threat is so different, so much more sinister than cattle prods and clubs. Would he really do that? Would she really do that? It only takes one long stare at her expression to realize, yeah, she definitely would.

My stomach twists, my undigested breakfast sloshing inside. After I determined she was a decent human, it’s jarring to realize there’s nothing some people won’t do. It could be alpha compulsion, but I know what that feels like and she doesn’t appear to be fighting it.

There’s no way I can be a willing participant in this, even if it was tempting. It’s too violating; I can’t.

Sighing, I write out my response and hand her the pad.

I’m sorry, I can’t give you what you want. Do what you must.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Milo

It’s a long, silent ride, but we eventually make it home.

We’re all too exhausted for a debrief, so once Jared’s given a clean bill of health by Mrs. Dowling, we trudge upstairs and pass out in a pile on the bed.

When I wake up late in the morning, I realize that I’m the only one left. Which is shocking in its own right, since we can usually count on Jared to be that guy.

Ignoring my rumbling stomach, I opt for a shower first.

Albeit, a quick one.

I make my way downstairs only to find everyone else deep in conversation at the breakfast table. Richardson and Levi are even there, along with Dom and Roxanne, Landon, Jared, and Lily.

“Thanks for letting me sleep in,” I mutter, swinging by to drop a kiss on Lily’s damp hair on my way to the coffee station.

“Don’t worry, you haven’t missed anything. We’ve just been filling Dom and Roxanne in on what happened,” Landon explains. Jared’s too busy shoving food into his mouth to say a word.

“You were out cold.” Lily pats the empty seat next to her. “We actually tried to wake you. You must have needed the sleep.” She doesn’t look like she got much sleep herself.

“Oh,” I reply, embarrassed. “Sorry.”

“No worries.” She takes a long sip of coffee, ignoring her full plate of breakfast.

I prepare my coffee and take that first glorious sip before I ask her, “So what’s the plan now?”

“Dom heard from Billy this morning. He’s going to call when he’s sure it’s safe; I guess he keeps a burner phone at a fishing cabin his dad left him, so he’s going there to get it.”

“If that’s the case, how did he call Dom to tell him this?”

“Smoke signals,” Jared jokes around a mouthful of bacon.

“Ha ha.” I don’t feel that joke merits more of a response.

Landon clarifies. “I guess they have some chat room that they both log into where you open a new room and then when you both leave it closes, like it was never there.”

Sarcasm is my favorite form of communication. “I don’t care what Azalea says, that sounds just like Mission: Impossible.”

Lily cracks a small smile. “I’m dying to find out what happened, but I’m also terrified to find out what happened, too. Does that make any sense at all?”

“It makes sense to me,” I reassure her, pulling her hand up to my lips. “You really should eat, Lily. I know you’re stressed, but you need energy to keep going, and coffee doesn’t count.”

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