Page 5 of Beyond the Grasslands

Dr. Palmer offered me a scathing look and turned to walk away. I couldn’t blame him. I had done everything wrong where my mate was concerned.

“Nika,” I called out as I stepped into the space before her cell. “I have someone coming to deliver supplies to you, so that you can clean up, put on some fresh clothing, and get some food in your system.”

“How gracious of my captor,” She snapped. I couldn’t blame her. It wasn’t like I expected gratitude.

“I could release you,” I offered. She said nothing, just continued to stare at me from behind the chunky, greasy lengths of her unkempt hair. “You only have to agree to be my mate.”

My words were met by silence. When several moments ticked by and Nika turned her back on me, I lost my patience. “I offered you the chance to be free.”

“The only freedom I will welcome, when the choice is to mate you or waste away in this cell, is to die where I stand. I will find freedom one day in death. That isn’t something you can deny me.” She laughed then. “I can, however, deny you by refusing to mate. I will never accept your claim, your bite, or you.”

“I will check back tomorrow. My brother’s mate will be there soon with supplies for you.”

“Avery has a mate?” She asked, curiosity having gotten the best of her.

I nodded my head. “He found her on Mirage Island when we went in search of you.”

“Tessa,” she whispered.

“Yes, Tessa.” I wondered how she was able to guess, but didn’t bother to ask because there was no way Nika would humor me with the answer.

“She will be along shortly.”

Nika said nothing, so I left. I would ask her the same question the next day, and the one after that, until she finally relented and accepted my proposal to mate with me. Eventually, she would wear down. I just hoped that it was before my brother lost his patience with me.

Unfortunately, I forgot about the other looming threat. Thorin Greywolf would not forget that I stole a mate from him, even if she was mine first. He would come for her eventually.

Chapter 3

Breaking Out

NIKA

“Tessa!”I called out the minute I saw her round the corner. It was good to see a friendly face, even if I knew it was impossible for her to help me escape. She wouldn’t risk going against her mate and I didn’t think Avery had changed his stance on letting his brother make horrible decisions.

“I want to get you out of there.” My friend called to me as she moved closer. “I can’t do that right now, but don’t worry. Avery is trying to come up with a plan to avoid war, get you free, and lock his brother up instead.”

“Avery is plotting against Aiden?”

Tessa bobbed her head and then started to push different things between the bars for me to grab. “Dr. Palmer said you need to clean your hair, especially the parts that fall over the wound you have. Otherwise, it will stay open and seeping, and may even fester before long. He said your body is under too much strain trying to keep infection at bay to help heal and close the wound, since you can’t shift in here.”

“Thank you,” I said to Tessa as I took the shampoo and conditioner she offered.

“Aiden told Avery to have me come deliver these things to you.”

“I don’t care. He has held me prisoner for days and hasn’t so much as offered me a glass of water. As far as I am concerned, he can rot in a hellscape of his own making soon enough. Thorin will come for me.”

“I know he will. He knew how fortunate he was to find you on Mirage Island. Anyone could see that for themselves. Has he treated you right since you left with him?”

I wanted to say yes, because he had been wonderful to me personally, but then there were the issues with his pack that remained unaddressed. That wasn’t something I could simply brush aside, especially since it landed me in a magical jail cell and at the mercy of my former potential mate.

“He was kind and wonderful to me, for the most part. Some of his pack weren’t as welcoming, and they’re part of the reason I’m in this mess.” I raised my hands to indicate the cell I was stuck in.

“Do you blame him for that?”

“Honestly, I blame Aiden for everything. Thorin only wanted to see the best in his pack. I can understand that. His inactions are nothing compared to what Aiden is responsible for putting me through.”

“I understand.” Tessa got as close to the bars as she dared and then she whispered to me. “Avery gave his brother twelve hours to set things right. If he fails to stop the war that is headed for our doorstep before then, Avery will take over the pack.”

---