Page 8 of Cursed Wolfsbane

Malachi hums while smacking my ass again. While it hurts physically, it soothes all the jagged emotional edges. It no longer feels like all my organs have been replaced with shrapnel, so that’s a plus.

“Has a man ever made you come?” he asks calmly, like we’re just discussing the weather, instead of my lackluster sex life.

“No,” I whisper, cheeks bright red from embarrassment and a little shame. Fucking really isn’t all that books crack it up to be. All the guys I’ve slept with have been disappointing. Something tells me the Wyldharts might change my opinion of it. That is, if they don’t hate me after I got Xander shot.

Welp, there goes any relief I was feeling. Another point for running to get the pain I need. When I run, there aren’t any domineering men making me think about things I don’t want to. Although, when he delivers a couple more painful spanks, the pendulum swings back in the direction of Malachi’s method. It hurts so good that I don’t want it to stop.

“That’s good to know, baby girl. You’re being such a good girl for me, aren’t you?” Malachi practically purrs. A pathetic whimper comes out of my mouth instead of intelligible sound. I apparently like being a good girl for him.

“I’ll leave the rest of my questions for later. You say stop, and this stops. Understand?” he asks sharply. I nod to show I heard him, unable to find the words to say anything. “I need your words, Briar.”

“Yes,” I breathe, unsure if he can actually hear me.

“Good. Just make sure when you say stop that’s what you want. This all ends when you say stop, understood?” Malachi rumbles.

“Yes,” I croak again, incapable of speaking at a normal volume when I’m trying so hard not to splinter apart. I just want him to make all the thoughts stop or let me run until I’m too tired to think.

Malachi starts spanking me, and I sink into the pain. I let it wash over me and drown anything else I’m feeling.

CHAPTER 4

BRIAR

“Stop,” I gasp when the pain finally gets too much. My head feels clearer than it’s been in days, and I feel like I can finally breathe.

Although my voice was barely a whisper, Malachi instantly stops. His hand rubs tenderly over my abused ass. Even the light touch burns. “Had enough?” he asks gently, his harsh tone from earlier absent entirely.

His soft voice is enough to almost undo me. I was so sure he’d hate me for what happened to Xander, but he’s treating me like I’m precious to him. Even though I know it’ll break something in me if I’m wrong, I start to hope he doesn’t hate my guts. Tears prick my eyes as I whisper, “Yeah.”

Malachi tugs my shorts and undies back into place, smoothing his hand over my throbbing butt cheeks. “Stand up,” he orders softly.

I do as he says, too spent to do anything other than comply. He gathers me into his arms. With his hands right under my ass, he lifts me up. I hiss at the sting but don’t resist. Instead, I wrap my legs around his tapered waist and wind my arms around his neck.

When he’s sure I’m secure, he strides over to the sofa in his room and sits down with me still wrapped around him, so I’m straddling his lap. Malachi unhooks my legs from his waist, positioning me so I’m resting on his lap, right over his hard dick.

My eyes widen at his hard-on. He doesn’t say anything, so I decide just to ignore it for now. I lay my head on one of his broad shoulders, pressing my lips against his neck. Malachi rubs my back softly for a few minutes, content to sit in silence with me.

Finally, he’s the one to break our peaceful quiet. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” I whisper. A lump forms in my throat as I wonder if I should ask him if he’s angry at me over Xander. Deciding just to woman up and get it over with already, I rush out, “Do you hate me?”

“What? Of course not! Why would you think that?” Malachi leans back like he’s trying to get a look at my face.

I just shrug and keep my face buried in his shoulder. My lips are clamped tight, and I don’t really know the right words to answer his question. Hiding like an ostrich with my head in the sand instead of responding sounds like a stellar idea to me.

“Look at me, baby girl,” Malachi softly demands. When I don’t comply, he spears his hand through my hair. With his grip on the strands, he gently pulls my head back until I’m forced to look at him. “I’ve never hated you, Briar, not for a single moment. Is that what this has been about? Why you needed pain?”

With how he’s holding my head in place, there’s no avoiding his gaze now. I sigh. “Yes and no?” I respond helpfully before closing my eyes to gather myself. “It’s my fault Xander got shot. I just assumed you and Bastian blame me and never want to see me again.”

I peek my eyes open when Malachi doesn’t immediately answer me.

He was clearly waiting for me to look at him. As soon as our gazes connect, he rumbles, “Listen to me closely, Briar. None of this was your fault. Not a single goddamn thing. This isn’t our first run-in with the Knights, and it won’t be the last. One of us was bound to get hurt facing off with those bastards.”

“But Xander was only there today because of me. Plus, you heard what they said. They were looking for me. Without me, Xander wouldn’t have gotten hurt,” I point out. While what he said makes sense to some extent, it doesn’t alleviate the crushing guilt I feel.

Malachi sighs and leans his forehead on mine. “I know what they said. Yes, they were looking for you. No, it’s not your fault. You aren’t responsible for others’ actions. Even without you, there’s every chance Xander would’ve been hurt. The Knights have it out for our pack already.”

He cups my face with his other hand and strokes his thumb over my cheekbone as he talks. I lean into his touch, momentarily sinking into the utter safety I feel whenever he holds me. His words tumble around in my mind. I don’t know if I believe them, but I feel a little less on edge knowing he doesn’t despise me.

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