Page 8 of The Wolf

With dirty hands, Scarlet adjusted the haphazard ponytail she’d tied her hair back in to keep it out of the way, then got back to work. She repeated the tilling action, over and over and over again, until she had to admit that there was no delaying the inevitable. It was past time to move on from preparing the ground to actually feeding the plants blood.

A snarl cut through the air.

The hair rose at the back of her neck and she exhaled slowly.

Scarlet knew that snarl. Knew it and feared it.

Don’t let them scent your fear. Take a deep breath.

Fear excited the wolves and made them worse.

She clenched her jaw to keep her teeth from clattering and managed to slow her pulse. Scarlet tightly gripped the hoe and slowly straightened, making sure not to make any sudden movements to antagonize the Talagan male.

A sharp-clawed hand grabbed her by the hair, dragging her head painfully back. She swallowed the scream in her throat and stared up at the wolf.

Texel, Tarros’s father.

He shook her roughly, pulling out some of her hair.

Tears filled Scarlet’s eyes but she didn’t cry out, nor did she release the hoe in her hands, even though she was desperate to tear his hands from her hair. It was her only means of protection should Texel really want to hurt her. This was just intimidation. He hadn’t escalated to true danger.

Yet.

“What have you done to my son?” Texel demanded. His filthy nails scratched against Scarlet’s scalp, threatening to draw blood even though he hadn’t yet shifted.

She blinked slowly and stared up into his vicious amber eyes, so similar to his son’s. She managed not to flinch as he growled, baring his mouth full of sharp, yellowed teeth. He wasn’t far from shifting. That was the real danger.

The possibility of escape while he was in human form was low but possible. But if he shifted to his Talagan form?

He’ll kill me.

Scarlet dared to minutely shake her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, my lord,” she murmured, knowing the lie would not appease him. She winced when Texel’s grip on her hair grew even tighter, bowing her back farther. “I haven’t seen Tarros in days.”

A lie and a truth.

“He’s been found, useless wench,” he growled, snapping his teeth closer to her cheek. “This is all because of you.What have you done to him?”

She hissed when he shook her once again.

Out of the corner of her eye, Scarlet noticed several shifters stepping into the garden, gathering around them to watch the drama unfold. All of them were Texel’s men, loyal and fierce.

“You will tell me what I want to know.”

Texel let go of Scarlet’s hair and roughly spun her around to face him. She had no warning before he backhanded her across her left cheek.

Scarlet stumbled beneath the teeth-chattering blow but managed to avoid crying out, keeping her feet planted firmly on the ground. That was a lesson she learned early on. Never let the enemy knock you to the ground.

Her head spun. Her cheek throbbed and she swayed, leaning against the hoe. More shifters gathered but no one stepped forward to help. It used to disgust Scarlet, but after living under the thumb of her stepmother for so many years, she knew it for what it was.

A will to survive.

Showing mercy in Betraz was a death sentence. It was considered a weakness. She blinked hard to focus her gaze on the bristling wolf lord in front of her. Nobody was going to come to her rescue. There was only Scarlet here to defend herself.

Just as it had always been.

“I don’t know what you want from me. I am happy he is okay.” The lie tasted bitter on her tongue but she was proud that her voice didn’t waver.

“Liar.”

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