Page 31 of Grace of a Wolf 1
Fenris growls, and the sound vibrates through my bones.
"Quiet," the man snaps without looking away from my face. "Answer me truthfully. Are you mated to one of them?" The anger in his voice leaves me terrified. If he hates the Blue Mountain Pack this much, he must not be the Lycan King—my bet isdefinitelyon deranged serial killer, even if I can't quite figure out why the wolf would help him out.
I shake my head again, even as his fingers dig tighter into my jaw.Please believe me. Please.
His nostrils flare as he scents the air around me. "Then why do you carry their stench? Are you one of those human whores who like to fuck wolves?"
Oh, hell no. I've heard of pack bunnies; Rafe's told me about them.
This time, I jerk my head out of his grip to shake my head in vigorous denial. No, definitely not one of those, either.
His narrowed eyes roam over my face. "I guess I won't get answers out of someone like you. It's better to go straight to the source."
The stranger rises to his feet in one fluid motion, his height towering over my bound form. My protests turn into muffled nonsense behind the gag, but he acts like I don't exist.
Just take out the gag and let me explain!
His complete dismissal of my presence burns worse than the ropes cutting into my wrists. Here I am, tied up and gagged, andhe won't even give me a chance to explain? Even worse, it sounds like he's going to go straight to the pack—which means they're going to know exactly where I am.
Fuck me.
Chapter fourteen
Grace: Sent Back
By evening, I'm still alive—but now I don't want to be.
The man's an absolute psychopath.
Psycho. Path.
Since when does "go straight to the source" meanwaltz into the middle of the grand event welcoming the fucking Lycan King?
And, even if thatiswhat it meant—whichit isn't—what madman throws a bound and gagged woman to the floor in the middle of the room?
Him. That's who.
My skin burns with everyone's eyes on me, and I know my face is redder than a tomato.Everyonecan see the state I'm in, and there isn't a single friendly gaze in the bunch.
The meticulously decorated event hall is gorgeous, filled with random, expensive-looking floral arrangements. Everyone in the pack is here, from Alpha and Beta down to the lowliest omega; the main lodge is the only building on pack lands large enough to handle a crowd this size.
There's a long table at the front of the room to seat the guest of honor and his party on one side, and Alpha and other high-ranking wolves of the Blue Mountain Pack on the other; it's a standard seating arrangement.
Several Lycans already sit there, leaning forward with interest, but the Lycan King's seat—next to Alpha—is empty.
And Alpha…
My heart sinks at the look on his face.
Alpha's knuckles blanch white against the dark wood of the table. His jaw clenches so tight, a muscle twitches beneath his skin. A vein in his forehead pulses steadily.
"What is the meaning of this?" His voice comes out low, controlled—the kind of control that precedes an explosion.
The stranger yanks me up by my bound arms, forcing me onto my feet. Pins and needles attack my legs, leaving me swaying against his grip. A whimper escapes through the gag, and I find myself missing my betrayer wolf friend. He might be disloyal, but at least he cares about keeping me warm and alive.
"Found this thing in the woods." The man's grip tightens on my arm, and I can already tell they're leaving bruises. Though that's the least of my problems right now. "I thought you might want to explain why a human smells so much like your pack, Brax."
The color drains from Alpha's face at the challenge, and he bows his head in a show of submission I've never seen from him before.
