Page 33 of Their Defiant Mate

She sat up and stretched out her back. “Where are Claire and Dawn? Can I go talk to them?”

A sigh escaped Kyle, and he glanced at Isaac and Jon. “The women were not in the lupine village. We don’t know where the wolves took them.”

Tara shook her head, refusing to believe what she’d just heard. “I don’t understand. They have to be in the village.”

“We were part of the recon team,” Jon said, his voice tense and low. “We searched the village ourselves. They’re not there.”

Set in motion by disappointment and frustration, Tara came up off the couch. “You three know the planet better than anyone. Where else could they be?”

“We’ve sent for a raptor scout,” Isaac told her. “They can search from the air, so they can cover a lot more ground than we can.”

Tara nodded. “It’s a good idea.” She’d seen one of the raptor leaders transform into an oversized eagle. The surreal sight was still vivid within her mind. Maybe someday she’d get used to all the shapeshifting.

“Let’s go to bed,” Isaac suggested. “It’s not late, but we’re all tired.”

“I’m not in the mood to cuddle,” she muttered. “I’ll sleep on the couch.” She knew her resentment wasn’t fair, but that didn’t make the emotion any less real.

“You’re acting like a child,” Jon warned. “Isaac allowed your temper tantrum earlier. Adjust your attitude right now or we’ll revisit the way you behaved in the lodge.”

Tara felt her jaw drop as resentment flared into anger. “Fine. Let’s review the way I reacted.” She placed her hands on her hips and advanced. “The wolves attacked our camp, so Lexie and I came and asked Zion for help. He manipulated the situation and forced us to mate with coalitions or starve. We were starting to adjust to the idea of being mates when the fucking wolves attacked again. They slaughtered more than half of our camp, leaving us traumatized and helpless. The benevolent Zion in all his mercy grudgingly allowed us inside his precious village.”

“This is aboutyourbehavior, not Zion’s,” Jon stressed.

“I’m getting there,” she sneered. “We were allowed to stay here for a few short weeks when Zion gave us another ultimatum. Bend over and start getting fucked or move out to the shelter. A shelter with no electricity, no running water, and little food!” She was shouting, chest heaving with her anger. “Most of us gave in, but a few held out, and the wolves struckagain.”

“Listen to your own review. You should be angry at the wolves, not Zion,” Isaac said firmly.

“You should also be angry at your friends for needlessly putting themselves in danger,” Jon asserted. “All they had to do was?—”

Provoked beyond reason, Tara lunged for Jon and slapped him hard across the face. His head snapped to the side and a livid handprint formed on his cheek. “Don’t you dare blame thevictims for this!” She blindly hit and kicked as a red haze settled over her vision.

Jon grabbed her and pulled her to the couch, turning her around and bending her over his legs as he sat down. He held her arms and upper body while Isaac and Kyle stripped off her jeans. “Are you allowed to be disrespectful to your mates and the village leaders?”

“You don’t give a shit how I feel, so I’m not answering your stupid questions!” she yelled, kicking wildly.

Jon smacked her ass several times, then paused while someone removed her panties.

Tara continued to kick and twist, but Jon easily restrained her. “I don’t regret my outburst!”

His hand fell fast and hard, spreading the stinging slaps evenly across her squirming bottom.

“All the spanking in the universe won’t change my mind!” She bucked and twisted, but Jon held her firmly in place.

Heat blossomed within the sting, each slap adding to the intensity. Jon had spanked her before. So had Isaac, but this was different. Harsher, more punitive. She fought against the stimulation, refusing to give in to her body’s darkest needs.

Jon paused, stroking her burning cheeks. “Are you ready to admit your wrongdoing?”

“You can spank me until your arm falls off. It won’t do any good. The only thing I did wrong was agreeing to be courted by you.” She twisted her neck and glared up at him.

Another flurry of stinging spanks followed, but Tara was determined to resist them this time. Zion was an arrogant pig. If he hadn’t insisted that the unmated females move to the shelter, Clare and Dawn would be safe right now.

“I think she’s right, brothers,” Jon said after several minutes of rapid spanking. “This lesson is going to take something more impactful than my hand.”

“Belt?” Isaac suggested.

“Her hairbrush makes a nice paddle,” Kyle pointed out cheerfully.

They were enjoying this. The realization added fuel to Tara’s smoldering temper. “Fuck you! Fuck all three of you!”

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