Page 103 of The Pack

“You scared me, Zara. You scared all of us,” he said firmly. “We’re your pack now, and you don’t get to put yourself at risk like that without consequences.”

“What does that mean?” I asked hesitantly, my breath catching in my throat.

“It means,” Tobias said, his hands still resting firmly on my sides, “that you’re going to be one very sorry and very sore little mate by the time we’re through with you.”

CHAPTER 22

Zara

The tension in the air was almost palpable it was so thick, the silence broken only by the crackling fire and the soft sounds of my own breathing.

Tobias pulled back, his expression unreadable. The others stood nearby, their burning gazes fixed on me.

My cheeks burned, my skin tingling under their scrutiny. I shifted, watching as Tobias walked around me, lifting my chin and trying to be brave for whatever was coming next. When he flicked open the switchblade in his hand, I stiffened, my eyes widening as he continued to circle me.

“We need to talk about what happened today,” he said, his voice low and calm. “About the danger you put yourself in. And the fact that you tried to do it all alone.”

“Tobias—”

“Don’t,” he interrupted.

I flushed as I watched him, the flames dancing in his dark eyes.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, apologizing for a second time as nerves danced in the pit of my belly.

“You will be,” he said simply.

Before I could say anything more, he pressed the edge of the blade against my throat and then down. My heart pounded, a wave of fear rushing through me as he dragged the knife along my collarbone.

The blade was sharp, but he didn’t cut me. Instead, he was just dragging it across my skin, which in a way was strangely compelling at the same time it was terrifying.

“You’re mine, Zara,” he said, his voice deep and raspy. “Just as much as you’re theirs.”

“Yes, sir,” I mumbled.

My breath hitched, a shiver of anticipation racing through me as the cool metal glided down to the swell of my breasts.

The knife slipped under the top of my tank top, the edge dragging across the fabric as it sliced through the material. The torn shirt fell to the side, revealing my naked torso beneath it.

Tobias’s gaze darkened, his free hand reaching out and cupping my breast. I gasped as his thumb brushed over the sensitive peak, the sensation sending a jolt of heat through my core.

“I would do anything to protect you,” he murmured, his hand sliding down to the waistband of my pants. “Anything.”

“I know,” I said, my voice trembling as his fingers skimmed across the bare skin of my stomach.

“And that includes punishing you when you’ve earned it,” he added firmly.

Using the blade, he made quick work of the rest of my tank top and then my shirt, stripping them away in pieces. He unbuttoned my jeans and pushed them down past my hips to my ankles, effectively binding my legs together. With my wrists still tied up, there was no escaping what was coming.

I swallowed hard.

Dragging the blade across my skin, he slid the tip under the edge of my panties. With nothing more than a flick of his wrist, the knife cut through the thin fabric, parting it like the Red Sea.

The cool air whispered across my exposed flesh, causing goosebumps to rise on my skin. My nipples hardened, the buds straining for attention.

Tobias’s dark eyes flashed with heat as he took in the sight before him. I blushed, realizing for the first time that I was wet, and not just a little bit.

I was soaked.

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