Page 68 of Red's Beast

Are you so sure the monster isn't standing right in front of you? The things I've been accused of can't be more untrue. I didn’t kill your parents. The only person I have ever killed is Nigel, and that was to protect you.

She sniffles.What?

Something snaps inside. I can't believe she'd call me a monster after all we shared.How could I be a monster when I was theone who was cursed, all because I refused to love that witch when I wanted my true mate? You ungrateful brat. Maybe I am wrong about you. I shouldn't have trusted you to be the one to break the curse.

Lily panics as the bond closes between us.Wait!

It snaps shut, and I can't feel her at all. A single tear rolls down the fur of my face as I mourn what could have been. My wolf can't handle being this close to her, knowing in a few short days she'll be mated to another.

I take off deeper into the woods, crossing miles of terrain before I realize where I am. As I come upon another pack, I stop at the edge of the woods and watch them. The Night Walkers are so different from where Lily is.

These people are actually a pack as they work together for everyone's wellbeing. I come here sometimes just to clear my head and escape the horror of Dark Moon. It’s at the edge of the territory and the boundary line I must remain within.

A couple catches my eyes and I smile. I remember when I helped them come here.

They were left for dead in the woods, and I did my best to put them on my back. I knew they could never return to their pack, so I brought them here. The Night Walker pack rushed forward and gathered their broken bodies up.

I'm glad to see them doing so well.

The woman's blonde hair moves from the wind, and I catch her scent. She stares at the woods as if she senses me here. I know each time I've visited, if she is out, she looks this way as if hoping someone will come walking through at any moment.

One day, I hope it comes true for her. I just wish Lily knew her parents were alive and I'm staring right at them.

Lillian

I wake the next morning, feeling as if I have been beaten with a large stick. Every bone in my body hurts as I stretch. I stare blankly out as I lie on the bed, still in a daze, as I try to make out my surroundings.

That’s right. When I agreed to being his, he brought me to a spare room.

“What time is it?” Grandmother asks from the couch beside the bed.

“I don’t know. All I can tell is it’s daylight and probably hasn’t been for long.”

Footsteps come quickly up the stairs and then two heavy boots thud against the floor, on the other side of the door.

"Remember, do what you need to do. You have to get out of here, so if you must, play the part and do it well,” she says quietly.

"Grandmother, are you insane? Why would I-" I'm cut off as he swings the door open wide. Rising from the bed, I stare at him and watch every move he makes toward me.

"There is my kitten. Did you sleep well?" He asks as he enters the room. There is an air of arrogance about him as he holds a tray full of food, making my mouth water at the mere sight.

"I slept fine." The words come out with a bite to them, but it goes unnoticed. My grandmother is shooting daggers in my direction in an attempt to tell me to play nice with the devil.

"That's great to hear. I thought you might like some treats." He brings the tray closer and stops at the edge of my bed. I reach up to grab the tray from him, but he pulls it away. "What do you say?"

I scoff. "You mutt.”

He leans down close to my face, his scent assaulting my senses. "I own you, kitten. You are mine to do as I please, and if you don't start showing some appreciation, then you will not have the life you hope for. I can easily throw you into the dungeon and only pull you out when it’s needed. If all else fails, we can move a bed down there as well and then you’ll never have to leave.”

"Is that a threat?" I growl low, but I hear my grandmother clear her throat. I know what she's trying to do, but my wolf is refusing to bow down to him. The alpha in me will not submit to him.

Corbin notices the change of my scent and smirks. He moves from my face to the side of my neck in one fluid motion and puts his nose in the crook of where my shoulder meets my throat, sending a shiver down my spine. The tray he was holding is suddenly crashing to the floor as he grips my arms and shoves me onto the bed. His head snaps to the side as he looks at my grandmother.

"Get out."

As I look at my grandmother, she still hasn’t recovered fully and can't fight him like this, nor will I allow her. For her safety and my sanity, I nod for her to go. She leaves, but she casts one glance when she reaches the door. With a solemn nod, she's out of the room, and I'm left to deal with him.

"Corbin, get off me!" I squirm in his grasp, but he uses his weight to pin me.

---