Page 110 of Awakened
“After this, I promise to never go into enemy territory.”
Using the bedpost as a support, I pulled myself into a hunched stance, wincing at the feel of blood rushing to my feet. Standing on two legs that had fallen asleep hurt like a motherfucker, but I persisted.
“When you get home, you can have all the taco dip and Coke you want. No more rules, not that you were particularly good at following them before. Okay, that’s not fair. Now’s not the time to badger yourself.”
Releasing a deep breath, I let go of the bedpost and took tentative steps toward the bathroom.
“Look at you, hot stuff! Twenty minutes, and you’ve made it across the room.”
I flipped the lock and threw my weight at the towel cabinet, wedging it against the door.
“Success, you now have a fortress. Let’s see them get through the weakest defense in the world.”
Slumping against the tub, my body throbbed from the exertion.
“Next time, let’s heal completely before we take on the enemy. Next time? What the hell am I saying? I probably need to stop talking to myself. It’ll tip off my location if the blood trail didn’t already. Maybe they’ll be so afraid of how clearly unhinged I am that they’ll run away! ‘Beta Spencer snapped! Run for your lives. Bitch is talking to herself.’”
I chuckled. Whatever drugs they had given me to speed up the healing process made it hard to stay alert. Lying on the floor, posed for action, the black closed in around theedges of my vision.
A sharp pain in my shoulder jarred me awake.
“Watch her head! She has enough injuries thanks to the alpha-to-be.”
I kept my eyes shut and my body relaxed. I didn’t want them to know I was awake. The ogre holding me under my arms huffed out a breath in my face. The dude needed a mint like yesterday.
“The bitch took him down like he was a pup. Nothing like Ellen.”
“Who’s Ellen?” a deep voice to my right asked.
“His most recent mate.”
“Ah. Nuff said.”
“You’d think his father would stop trying after the first three.”
I must have tensed because my captors stopped moving. Peeking one eye open, I looked up into the face of an absolute uggo. “Hello?”
A cruel smile twisted his lips as he stabbed a needle into my neck. “Sweet dreams, Amazon bitch.”
“You’re the biiiiiiiitch,” I slurred before once again passing out.
Inhaling cold water, I sputtered awake. The force of pushing the water out of my nose and mouth burned my lungs.
“Good morning, Celeste.”
Jerking left and right, I discovered I was tied to the chair I was sitting on, which was not ideal.
There were a few pluses though. My shoulder was about fifty percent better, and I didn’t feel like I had been run over by a car anymore.
The minuses? Alpha Stewart’s beady eyes staring me down.
“Morning, Captain Asshole,” I gritted out.
He swiftly kicked the leg of my chair, knocking me on my back and crushing my hands under the weight of my body. “Manners, Celeste. Manners. That’s no way for a future luna to speak.”
I started laughing. This whole situation was beyond bananas. “We cleared that up outside. I’m not Matthew’s mate. Even if I was, I won my freedom from the bond. Those are the rules, right?”
“Rules are meant to be bent, my dear. I thought you would have figured that out by now. No, you will be Matthew’s luna, especially now that I know you’re not as breakable as the others. I need a woman who can stand up to Matthew’s less savory predilections.”
