Page 43 of Siren's Kiss & Feral Beasts
Within seconds, he’s prostrated with his head to the ground and his shoulders bunching up to his ears. Shaking. Dragging in ragged breaths.
“Good morning, Alpha,” a soft, feminine voice says at last, and I turn my head in the couple’s direction. She’s tiny for a she-wolf. Shy, too. Her mate, on the other hand, quickly drops his eyes, tension radiating from every pore. His fear isn’t for himself—not entirely—but for her.
And that much, I can respect. Admire even.
Because now that I’ve found what’s goddess-given mine, I understand. One’s mate comes before all else, including one's life. You breathe, live, and die for your fated mate. Their safety, their life, their place is at your side—it’s what defines a good wolf.
Moreover, to have her in harm’s way without a way to protect her is torture. A punishment I don’t wish on anyone. Even my enemies.
“What’s your name, young wolf?” I ask, voice softer yet tinged with anger. The way she flinches twists something in me, and the feeling further cements my plans with the couple.
“Brina,” she whispers, shaking and clutching the blanket in her hands so tight her knuckles turn white. The male, for his part, wraps an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer. His comfort helps settle Brina, and after a few deep breaths, her chin lifts a fraction of an inch before she meets my eyes. “My name is Brina Martin, and my mate is Jonathan Rolf.”
I catch the quick squeeze of his fingers on her shoulder, the way she further leans on him, and then my nostrils flare. Today, they smell less like rogues and more like pack wolves. No distinct scent, but the putrid stench of a feral beast is almost gone.They’re not lost causes.
Both Veris and Torren agree through our mindlink, their wolves giving low approving chuffs. They see what I do and approve of what’s to come.
I’ll allow them to live and thrive inside the royal pack.
Across the cell, the third rogue lets out a short, derisive laugh. It’s dry and venomous, the sound scraping like claws on glass as he pushes himself up to a sitting position. Sweat drips from his face onto his tattered shirt, and he uses the hem to wipe it away. Not that it helps much; he’s trying to hide his panic beneath an obnoxious false bravado.
“Something amusing, rogue?”
“It’s touching,” he replies, a sneer in his tone. He’s speaking to me, and yet it’s the defenseless woman he focuses on. “Little Brina is playing nicely with an unworthy alpha. Will you bow next or kneel at the feet of our king?”
Jonathan’s head snaps up; the sounds coming from his chest are low and warning. “Watch your tongue, Levi.”
“Or what? What the fuck can you do?” He stands on unsteady legs, almost crashing back down twice but manages to stumble to the cell’s gate. There, Levi presses his face between the slats—squeezing and protruding—yet only serves to scrape his skin with the rusted metal. That, and get stuck.Fucking idiot.
I step forward, slow and deliberate. My boots echo on the stone, each thud punctuating the weight of my intent. There’s violence on my face, the promise of pain, but he smiles at me. Lips curling back, his teeth flash a second before I reach him.
“Go on then, Alpha.” Spittle leaves his dirty mouth, barely missing me. “Show these ungrateful pieces of shit just how much of a monster you really are.”
My smile is slow. Dangerous. “With pleasure.”
One second, he’s standing with his face between the slats, and the next, there’s a horrified look on his face. My claws are buried in his throat, eyes wide with disbelief as I grip his vertebrae and yank my arm back. I tear, ripping through sinew and cartilage—bone—until his throat comes undone and a free spray of crimson splatters across my front. The wet sound echoes, a final gurgle before silence.
Only then do I let him drop.
There’s a heavy thud when I turn around, my wolf at the forefront watching them. “I wasn’t going to waste another second listening to his drivel, but you two will talk.” Jonathan has Brina pulled against him, shielding her as much as he can from the bloody scene, and their fear is heightened, as if I’ll turn on them next. I shake my head. “You two are safe. No harm will come to you here, but I will need every bit of information you have on Spiro and hisbacker.”
They don’t believe me, but they nod just the same.
“Understood, Alpha,” they say in unison, but it’s my mother I’m attuned to. She’s just outside the entrance, a little impatient huff in her. Last night I stopped by my parents’ home, and the moment she opened the door and looked at my face, she pulled me into a hug. No questions asked. No demands for me to forgive.
I know my father mindlinked her the moment I left the meeting. The man likes to gossip with her about everything, but right now she’s just a mom and her pup. My being thirty-three means nothing to her; I’ll always be the son she birthed, cared for, and helped become the man I am.
“I’ll see you in my office in one hour. Gamma Torren will escort you.” Looking at Torren, I give him a look he immediately understands without words. They don’t go anywhere without him, especially while around other pack members.
With that, I turn and exit without bothering to wipe my face clean. She notices, stepping past me with a wrinkled nose and a low,don’t even think about itwhen I try to give her a quick hug.
But then she stops and looks back over her shoulder at me, her face holding a mixture of pride and sadness. “Do what you must, my son.” It’s spoken softly, though the words carry the weight of command. The old luna of our pack is standing tall.“Talk, eat…do whatever you must, but come back to us. We’ll be here to welcome you back.”
“Thank you.”
“Good.” Mom winks at me. “Now go bring my pretty daughter-in-law home, Kai. Siren or not, she’s your mate, and that makes her pack.”
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