Page 94 of Resisted

“Have Rig do it.”

Though I couldn’t see him, the slight rustle of movement let me know he was shaking his head. “No, Rig won’t be fast enough. I know Bella will come out first, and then Rig will be forced to be the last line of defense, if it comes to that, but it won’t.”

“You would put Bella in danger before Rig?”

“You and I both know neither of us could stop her,” he stated. I knew it was true, but I refused to believe the situation would come to that.

“I would rather get myself blown up then see her hurt,” I argued.

“Well, if you don’t let it play out as it should, you might just have that happen, now won’t you? Vince, I’m begging you. No, I dare you to not interfere with Bella. If you do, it will get us all killed.”

“If I don’t, it could get her killed.” God, just mumbling the statement felt like a stab to my heart. I couldn’t do it again. I didn’t want to. I'd been gifted another chance at fate, and I would not survive losing a mate again.

“Never pick dare if you aren’t willing to suffer, Vince. You know that. She will know what needs to be done, you have to trust that.”

I was chains, there wasn’t much I could do, but I didn’t think I’d ever suffered more.

Chapter 41

BELLA

Was I dying?I had to be. My heart couldn’t take much more, and my soul was already battered and bruised. Not once had it been touched, but as I watched from afar, stored tight and compact in the hiding place I’d been instructed to leave under no circumstances, I couldn’t help but feel the pain. The despair of watching as beating hearts, good or bad, seized in front of my eyes was a feeling I could never get used to, never wanted to. They had to have some sort of humanity in them, didn’t they?

But as my eyes snagged on Silas, I knew for a fact that their humanity had long since gone, because if they had an ounce of it left, they could never had done what they had. Silas would not be chained to a chair, bloodied and broken and… Shit, I could hardly look at him. Everything inside of me screamed that I needed to go out there, save my alpha, and then baby him back to health, only there was a solid arm baring my exit, preventing me from moving.

“Rig.” I pushed against his thick bicep one more time, knowing it wouldn’t do much to get him to move. I’d already tried multiple times. “I can help them.”

“The fuck you will, little lady. It’s a bloodbath out there, and they’ve got it handled.”

He wasn’t wrong—there was blood everywhere, mainly the humans’, a fact that had my animal proud and approving. But as far as having it handled? I wasn’t so sure. It was chaos out there, and—

Suddenly, the room stilled, and from where I stood, I saw Vince release his hold on a man’s throat, letting him fall limply to the floor. Words were exchanged, and though I had excellent hearing, the low voices combined with the human’s overworked and pounding heartbeats made it impossible to make out the words. It didn’t stop me from leaning over Rig’s forearm as far as my body could stretch, trying to get closer to the location.

“Getting closer that extra inch or two isn’t going to make you hearing better, cub.”

“Cub? I have a knife on my person. You do realize that, right?”

The corner of the sober man’s lip tilted just the slightest. “I could think of worse ways to go. “

I punched his arm, only getting me his silent laughter as he held on tighter, then I drew my attention back to them. “What are they doing?”

“If I had to guess, negotiating.”

“You can’t negotiate with a poacher,” I spat, and it was true. If negotiating with a poacher was that simple, my mother would be alive and Silas wouldn’t be a beaten, bloody pile of shifter strapped to a chair.

“Yeah, well, I’m not disagreeing with you, but—”

His words were cut off by pain and panic radiating through me as Silas’ body began to shake and both Boyce and Vincent internally freaked out. It was intense, all-consuming, as every part of my body hurt, every part of me felt Silas’ pain. Then, as quick as the electricity shot through Silas, the pain he was unable to control was pulled back in his body, while Boyce and Vincent relaxed. But I didn’t. I was determined more than ever to protect what was mine at any cost. Because they were mine, after all. Even if I’d just now realized to what extent, my wolf had always known.

“I’m not letting you go.”

“Rig, I swear to the fates, if I have to dislocate your man parts to get to them, I’ll do it without an ounce of guilt,” I said with a growl.

He raised a brow and tightened his hold. “It’s not like I’m using them. I doubt I’ll ever getting a mate.”

I struggled against his hold. “That’s not the point.”

The shimmer of playfulness dissipated as I watched both Boyce and Vincent get shackled with chains. No. No. No, no, no, no. This couldn’t happen. He couldn’t have them all. He couldn’t have any of them. They were mine. They were infuriating, childish, controlling, and possessive, but damnit, they were all mine.

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