Page 41 of Vicious Wolf Mate

“Married license, dissolution of marriage certificate, none of that matters. You will always be mine.”

“Loading up a sentence with adverbs like ‘always’ tells me you are overselling,” I tell him. “Overselling yourself, or trying to convince yourself.”

“Nah. Rovas agrees,” Dave answers. “You will always be mine, McKenna. Even your father knows this is true.”

“Please elaborate?” I ask. My voice is shaking when I say this.

“Rovas has come up with a mating system for humans,” Dave explains. He has this tone like everything he is saying is doing himself and the world a favor. “What happens is this, a participant will have their blood exchanged with blood that has been infused with high amounts of oxytocin. You know, the attachment chemical in human brains. Rovas found a way to do this where the high amounts of oxytocin never leave your system.”

“And all of this sounds copacetic to you?” I ask. “Everything you just said sounds healthy and normal to your mind?”

“McKenna, you are not listening,” Dave tells me. “This is a way for humans to cement their bonds the way shifters do. Mate for life.”

The vehicle makes a sharp left and we are driving up the long driveway at the Wilder building. Dave parks us out of sight in the covered parking.

“You kidnapped me so you could bring me here?” I ask.

“No. I rescued you, so you can be corrected and treated here,” Dave replies. His voice is so soft. He is clearly pleased with himself. “You will be properly corrected here, and then everything will be better.”

“Are you happy?” I ask him. “Bringing me here really floats your boat, huh?”

“I am happy I get to show you exactly the kind of treatment we have been discussing. You will get to experience firsthand how it feels for humans to cement their bonds the way shifters do.”

This is terrifying. I can’t wrap words around my thoughts enough to say anything at this point.

We enter a section of the Wilder building with a long hall, various rooms up and down each side. I see Mace, Jax, and Drario.

“Mace!” I scream. He doesn’t look my way. Mace doesn’t show one iota of acknowledging my voice or presence. “Hey! Mace, look at me!”

Dave drags me down a second hallway. This hallway is a level deeper and has holding cells in it, the main holding cell area.

I am placed in a cell. The door is locked and it’s just me.

I am fuming and terrified. What Dave was telling me is absolutely crackers.

I know Dave is damaged enough to actually follow through with that stuff. I also know my dear father Rovas is more than enough of a disturbed mind to do exactly as Dave explained.

My reverie of terror is broken by noise. The sound of fellow prisoners being placed in an adjoining holding cell.

Sweet heaven! Mace, Jax, and Drario are placed in an adjoining room. We are all in trouble, absolutely, but just the thought of Mace being one wall away brings me so much hope.

29

MACE

“She didn’t tell you?”

I shake my head ‘no’ as I pace back and forth in our cell. Jax is laying on a cot, staring blankly at the wall. Drario leans against the bars, trying to catch up on the situation between me and Mckenna.

“Like, not even a hint? A hint that she’s married?” Drario is as confused as I am.

“Nope. She completely hid it from me.”

“And how many times did you two have sex?”

“Three. Twice at Natalie's house-” Jax’s body shifts at the mention of her name. “And then again at your place.”

“Damn, that’s fucked up… Also, someone remind me to change those sheets.”

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