Page 10 of Cruel Alpha Daddy

He’s so broken, so damaged… but so very strong.

“You can’t do this!” my voice comes out in a wail.

“I just did,” Rider answers, his voice rising. “Will you stop struggling? I swear to fucking God, if you don’t simmer down, I’ll tie you up.”

“You wouldn’t dare!”

“Yes, I damn well fucking would!” He shakes me, hard. “You don’t get it, do you? They were going to tear you apart!”

That makes me pause. I stop fighting against his grip and take a deep breath.

“I need you to understand,” he says urgently. “This was the only thing I could do to keep you safe. They wouldn’t have just killed you—they would have tortured you for hours, and—”

His voice falters, and he looks away. Even though he doesn’t let go of me, he loosens his grip. When his eyes come back to mine, his gaze is calm but stern.

“If you try to escape, and they find you, it will go very badly. I need you to trust me and stay here where I can keep you safe.”

I nod slowly, not trusting myself to speak. I know he’s right, but all I can think about is Caleb. He’ll be wide awake by now, and wondering where I am.

“Please, Fiona,” Rider whispers, his voice cracking. “Please don’t put yourself in danger. Stay here where I can protect you. That’s the only reason I did this.”

Suddenly, I notice how close our faces are. My lips are inches from his, and there is barely any space between our bodies. His hands on my arms loosen again, his fingers sliding gently against my skin.

No.

Denying it doesn’t help. Desire ignites within, making my stomach twist as heat creeps through me, making my nipples hard as lust throbs between my legs.

“Is that really the only reason you mated me?” I ask, my voice harsh. I shove him away, forcing him to let go of me as I put some space between us.

He frowns. “Of course it is. Do you think I planned any of this?”

“Maybe!” I shout, crossing my arms. “I’ve kept out of all the pack business—I had no idea you were close to Silver Meadows. But maybe you’ve been watching me and planning this the whole time!”

“Fiona,” he sighs, shaking his head. “It was always in the back of my mind that you were in Silver Meadows, but I assumed you were out of the line of fire and safe with your family, exactly as you should be.”

The word “family” hits me like a blow. The only real family I have is Caleb, and now I don’t know if I’ll ever see him again.

Rider can’t know. I will never let him hurt my son the way he hurt me.

“Look,” Rider says, taking a few steps towards me, “we should talk. Why don’t you come over here and sit down with me?”

He puts one hand on my shoulder and gestures to the bed. Even though my body screams in response, begging for his touch, fear and pain crash through me, and they are far stronger than lust.

He’s just like the others. All he cares about is fucking me. No one in this pack has any honor at all.

“Don’t touch me!” I scream, recoiling from him. “There is nothing to talk about! You fucking kidnapped me, forced me into marriage, and now I’m your prisoner. How dare you try and justify this! Leave me alone!”

I shuffle away so fast, I trip over and slump to the floor, putting my face in my hands and letting the tears come. The exhaustion of the day, as well as all the pain I’ve been trying to hide, catches up to me. The strength bleeds out of my body, and I can’t stop trembling.

I miss you, Caleb. Oh, my boy, I miss you so much! Mommy didn’t leave you, I promise!

My sobs increase as tears pour down my cheeks. I’m afraid Rider will come after me again, but to my astonishment, he simply turns and strides out of the room.

Chapter 5 - Rider

I stride out of the tent, trying to stay in control. For most of my life, I was fueled by anger and always acted out of instinct. It got me into trouble so many times.

When I left Fiona and found Sawpit Pack, I thought it was the perfect place for me. I deserve punishment for all the hurt I’ve done, and Jethro convinced all of us that living rough, staying wild, was the only existence we were worthy of. I let my dark side take me over and embraced a life of violence and crime.

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