Page 102 of The Alpha's Fated Destiny

Her smile is a little unhinged and my heart flutters in panic.

“What did you do to him?” I demand.

“I had years to work on him,” Karina informs me. “I had years to develop a form of torture that can break his mind. Alex tries to be all tough and strong in front of you, but you don’t know his deepest, darkest fears. I do. Because I created those fears. I put them in his heart. I put him in a place that he considers his personal hell. Every minute there is worse than physical torture for him.”

She’s giggling now. The mere sight is enough to make my blood run cold.

“So, who will you choose, Sophia?” Karina studies me, delighted. “The humans and this war, or Alex?”

When I’m silent, she presses, “Let me explain your options to you. If you choose to prevent this war, not only will your mate resent you, but by the time you find him, if you ever do that is, he’ll be a shell of himself. Don’t think that just because you have faith in him, he’s going to survive. And even if you do prevent the war, I am the only one who knows where he is. Walking across the North Alliance will not help you find him. His location is rather unique. I will never tell you where he is, Sophia. And I made arrangements that even if something were to happen to me, he will not die. I want him to live like this, stuck in a place where all he knows is torment.”

I want to rip out her tongue, claw out her eyes.

“But, if you choose to surrender, I will allow you to see him occasionally. How does once a year sound?”

A cold, tight knot forms in my gut, and my pulse races as I stare at the woman before me. My heart is racing. My response is on the tip of my tongue, but I press my lips together.

The smugness in her eyes as she gazes back at me infuriates me. She knows she has me by the throat.

“Do you ever shut up?”

Karina’s eyes narrow into tiny slits. “Excuse me?”

I infuse my voice with every bit of irritation and disgust I can muster up in this moment. “You just keep yapping and yapping. Do you think I’m so stupid that I will believe anything you have to say? I’m not going to hand myself over to you just because threaten Alex’s life. For all I know, you’re lying through your teeth.”

“You…” Karina glowers at me, two spots of color on her otherwise pale cheeks.

I pick up the collar and leash and throw them at Karina's face. "Don't insult me by underestimating my mate. Alex is more resilient than you will ever understand."

Patrick and Jared grunt in approval at my words. Nathan is pale but he stands taller.

"You think you managed to break Alex, didn't you?" I sneer at her. "All you succeeded in doing was hardening his resolve. He can adapt to any situation. He has the patience of a fucking saint. I can guarantee that wherever you put him, no matter how hard it is for him, he’ll break free. And, let’s just say if he doesn’t, heknows I’ll be coming for him. I’m not going to be intimidated by your threats. You’re nothing more than a bully and a coward.”

Karina’s face turns red in anger. “You have no idea what you're talking about."

Anger thrums within my blood. "You will never control the three alliances. I won’t let you. The world you are trying to build is one of destruction and bloodshed. I have too many people I care about who live in this world. Your dream is never going to come true."

"Seize her!" Karina has had enough. "Kill the rest but capture the Silver Wolf!"

To my surprise, the soldiers don't move, but the cloaked witches do.

Logan instantly shields me, but he can't protect me from the magic-imbued attacks.

The others clutch their heads in pain, their knees buckling. Without hesitation. I form a barrier around myself, the magic sliding off. Logan is sliding to the ground near me, his expression strained.

I expand the barrier, inch by inch, all the while summoning magic from the earth. We can't escape by running through the soldiers surrounding us.

I begin building the portal.

I can, at best, get us a few feet away from Karina's people, but that is all the distance we need. But creating a portal takes time and I have to let Karina believe she is succeeding.

Logan is the closest to me and the first one the barrier covers. As soon as I see his body relax, I whisper, "Don't get up. Karina can't know."

Logan immediately understands what I mean, because he remains on the ground, his eyes on my left hand, which is gathering tendrils of magic from the forest ground.

As the barrier expands and the others begin to feel relief, I murmur the same instructions to them. The witches seem frustrated, because they double down on their attack.

"What's wrong?" Karina demands.

---