Page 116 of A Wolf's Heart

“Go easy on me, old man. I wasn’t exactly raised by shifters.”

He fell quiet once more. Time ticked away slowly. I tried to reach out to Weylin a few times, but there was no response, no inkling of a connection to any of them. Then again, after seeing the aftermath of the pain and destruction Cridhe caused, did I want a connection to them in the first place?

“You come from Port Renderson,” Malcolm said.

I hesitated, thinking it through before answering, trying to figure out how he knew and whether telling him would harm me. “Yes,” I finally replied. In the end, it was clear Malcolm wasn’t a threat. Not here, not like this, not right now.

“Fated mate to Kage Cridhe?”

“And Weylin and Rainor,” I whispered.

“Fated mate to the three of them.” Malcolm gave a short laugh. “That old wolf would be celebrating in his grave right now,” he said to himself.

I raised my eyebrow, about to ask who, when the sound of a door opening in another room echoed along the cement walls. I stood up quickly, but Malcolm was there, stepping in front of me, shielding me.

“Stand tall and stay strong, pup. Don’t give in to any demands. Keep your chin up. Their objective isn’t to kill you, we’ve established that. They will likely use you to get to Kage.”

Three men holding short poles and four wolves strode into the room, led by Markus.

“Malcom,” Markus said, his grin sending chills down my back. “I see you’ve picked yourself up off the ground. Go away.” He hissed the last part.

Malcolm didn’t move from in front of me.

“Ah, got yourself a little playmate? Well, this one is mine. She’s too good for a disgusting omega such as yourself.”

A growl vibrated through Malcom’s chest, and Markus fell back half a step. It was a small movement, barely noticeable, but it caught my eye all the same. I held back a smile. Omega? Yeah,no matter what Markus called him, it was clear Malcolm was stronger than him. If it wasn’t for the collar, he wouldn’t be here.

Markus snapped his fingers, and one of them opened the cell door. Malcolm put his arm to guide me behind him, backing up until my back hit the wall. I heard the unforgettable crackling of Tasers, and Malcom sprang into action. He fought the three men, throwing punches, elbowing one in the face, smashing his forehead into their skull, all as they jabbed their Taser poles into his body.

I could see they were hurting him, leaving burn marks, his muscles spasming under the touch, but he pushed through.

“Stop!” I cried out. “I’ll go.”

But it didn’t stop. One guy grabbed my arm, yanking me out of the cell and throwing me into Markus’s waiting arms. The assault on Malcom continued as I was being dragged out of the room.

I could still hear the sounds of the fight as I was pulled through the doorway into another cement room. This one was narrow and damp, drains along the center of the floor, chains and shackles lining the walls.

Markus yanked me by my hair, holding my wrists with one of his hands while he manhandled me to the chains. “Make them stop!” I shouted, trying to strain and stare at the doorway, as if I could catch a glimpse of Malcom. Instead, a few guards with their poles walked through. “I’ll do whatever you want, just please make sure he’s okay!”

“Now, why would I dothat?” God, his voice was awful, causing my stomach to flip. “You will do whatever I want, regardless of whether he’s bleeding out right now.”

He pushed me up against the wall. Multiple sets of hands were on me at this point, some of them beaten and bloody from the fight they were just in. I prayed Malcolm was okay.

A body pressed against my back, shoving me into the wall, while the others chained and shackled my wrists and ankles. The chains were pulled tight until my limbs were extended out. I tried to fight against them, but every movement had the metal cutting into my skin.

I cried out against the pain as blood dripped down my arms.

The body against my back was replaced with another. Markus’s hot breath brushed my ear as he hissed, “Let’s see if Kage enjoys his meat beaten and burned.”

He backed away, gripping my clothes as he did and ripping them off my body, the pull of the fabric burning against my skin. Tasers crackled to life, and I closed my eyes, trying to slow my breathing. Calming my whimpers, knowing exactly what was about to happen.

Each blow to my body with a fist, every searing prod with the Taser, reminded me of them. How romantic it would be, in my dying moments, that I thought of them. Of the time we’d spent during my heat. Of the places on my body Weylin had worshiped and kissed. Of Kage holding me in his arms, keeping me safe from whatever harm he believed lurked outside. Of Rainor, bearing not only himself to me, but also the beast.

How utterly beautiful it was…

Only, it wasn’t.

Acid brewed within my heart with every blow. Hatred grew within my mind, tainting my thoughts with every jab of the Taser.They did this to me.After a crack of my ribs, and a smack against my bare ass, I wished I had never touched them. I wished we had never been mates. I wished they had never cornered me in that alley. This…was their fault. Their lies shaped my reality. There was no romance found within my heart, only pain and malice created bythem.

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