Page 76 of Broken-Hearted

I thought I had succeeded in buying myself a week to escape Adrian. I should have known it wouldn’t be so easy. I dodged Adrian this morning and yesterday, saying I was tired from travel and needed to rest.

I put down my mascara before I stab myself in the eye with it.

When we arrived at his pack’s rural forest home, he showed me around the beautiful sage green and walnut wood room thatwould be mine. I’d forced a smile and thanked him when he’d revealed a walk-in closet full of brand new designer clothes. In reality, I’d been freaked out and disturbed by the extent of his preparations.

He clearly spent a long time planning to bring me here. Too long to bear thinking about.

I’ve been trying to buy time to escape, but Adrian is always watching me. Or his enforcers are.

Escape from a moving car on the long drive from Colorado to Minnesota had been impossible. He had enforcers get food for us on the way, and when we pulled up at a rest stop, one of them followed me into the ladies' bathroom. It didn’t matter how loudly the women using the bathroom complained. The enforcer parked himself outside of my bathroom stall and waited for me to leave it.

His enforcers had taken turns driving. It took all day and most of the night to reach Minnesota. There were no motel room breaks, so there’d been no hope of escaping out of a window in the middle of the night.

I was never left alone.

As if Adrian had known I would run at the first opportunity, he made running impossible.

“Wear white tonight,” Adrian says from my bedroom door. “Something easy to remove.”

Because that’s another thing I’ve been dreading. He wants a moon-blessing ceremony. A traditional one where I’m naked, he’s naked, and we have sex in front of his pack, followed by him biting me, bonding us together.

“Are we not having dinner first?” I remind him. Again, to buy time. I’m not the least bit hungry. Who could think of eating at a time like this?

“We do.” His eyes narrow, as if sensing my reluctance. “Why?”

I get up from the dressing table and walk over to my closet. Adrian has his own closet in the adjoining bedroom. I imagine after this ceremony, he will expect me to sleep in his bed. Not happening. “No reason. Just wanted to know if I should change now or wait until later. I don’t want to spill anything on my dress.”

“Later. We’ll eat first.”

I feel him staring as I pull out two white dresses at random, and turn to hold both up. Both are silk. One would hit me just below my knees and the other, mid-thigh. If I wore it. I donotintend to wear either of these dresses because this moon-blessing ceremony is not happening in this lifetime or the next. “Short or long?”

He meets my gaze for a beat, and his suspicion melts away. “Short.”

I hide my shudder as his eyes turn heated. “The more of my mate’s beautiful skin I can see, the better.”

Mate? Nope. I’d sooner break my neck throwing myself out of this fourth-floor window than be his mate.

Adrian leaves, looking pleased, and I immediately shove the dresses back on their rails and tiptoe to my closed bedroom door.

I listen to the sound of footsteps moving down the hallway. It’s all hardwood floors here, so it’s easy to tell when Adrian reaches the staircase at the end and jogs down them.

I slowly twist the doorknob and pull the door open.

An enforcer is standing just outside my room. As usual.

When he turns to look at me, I flash him an apologetic smile. “I, uh, tore my dress. Know anyone good at sewing?”

He stares at me. “Choose another dress.”

“Yes, I could do that,” I agree, “if Adrian hadn’t just told me that was the dress he wanted me to wear for the moon-blessingceremony. Oh well, I guess he’ll be the one alpha who won’t mind if he doesn’t get what he wants.”

I wait for him to realize who’ll be getting into trouble. The answer is not me.

The enforcer straightens. “Wait here. I’ll return with someone to mend your dress.”

I close the door, wait until I can no longer hear his footsteps, then I open the door again, confirm the coast is clear, and rush out of the room.

Not toward the main staircase. That’s just asking for trouble.

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