Page 4 of Runaway Mate
Two Years Ago
Her father grabbed her by the upper arm. “I don’t like it any better than you, but Campbell means to wed you and bed you.”
“How can you do this to me? I don’t want to be mated to him.”
“If I don’t, he’ll kill me. And if he kills me, he’ll claim you anyway.”
“I swear if you do this, I will never forgive you. I will find a way to rid myself of him, and if you die in the process so be it.” Her father raised his hand as if to slap her. “You lay a finger on me, and he’ll kill you.”
Both she and her father knew she spoke the truth. He lowered his hand. “I have no choice, Winter.”
“You are dead to me.”
Wrapping his hand around her wrist like an iron vice, he dragged her toward the man she knew to be her fated mate, but one she didn’t want. Sean Campbell was an arrogant bastard, and she’d hated him on sight.
That was the funny thing about fated mates. It seemed to her that destiny could dictate a person’s other half, but it couldn’t make you like them when they were just assholes. The fact that he’d made no secret he was sniffing around her had infuriated Winter no end.
Her father had been summoned to the castle. His family owed the alpha a blood debt. Several years ago, her father had been complicit in an uprising against Sean’s father which had resulted in his death. Sean had assumed the mantle of alpha and had begun to root out all the conspirators. One by one, the ruthless alpha had made them pay until at last only her father—arguably a dupe—was left.
When the alpha’s guard had come for him, her father had directed them to Winter. In retrospect, it could be believed her father had always meant to trade her for his own life. It had been a deal that the alpha had seemed willing to make. Sean had made it apparent, in no uncertain terms, that he expected her to be honored by the arrangement and to cheerfully spread her legs for him.
She shuddered at the memory of what he’d done to her the night before. What had started out as an assault had morphed into the most powerful sexual encounter of her life. That she’d succumbed to his sensual onslaught and display of dominance had unnerved her and her consent to it had been dubious at best. And now he stood at the end of the aisle, smiling—no doubt thinking of his claiming of her this night.
As she struggled against her father’s surprising strength, the distance between her and Campbell lessened footstep by footstep until at last her father placed her hand in Sean’s. Before she could snatch it away and make a run for it, Campbell’s hand closed around hers, and she knew there was no escape from the ceremony itself.
The officiant droned on, and Campbell spoke the ancient words of the alpha claiming his mate, placing a ring of solid gold on her finger and locking one of iron around her neck. Winter’s intent had been to repudiate them and to lash out at those who were gathered to bear witness to this atrocity.
But before she could do so, Campbell lowered his head, as he had the night before, his tongue tracing the seam of her lips and demanding her acquiescence. She couldn’t help remembering what had followed as his tongue swept into the depths of her mouth, sliding along hers and drinking her in. She tried to hold him off, but her body had ached for his all through the night before and was anxious to attain that pleasure again.
A kind of wildfire surged through her blood, heating it and lighting all the synapses as he inhaled her. She felt like a drowning creature gasping for air as she clutched at his strong, muscled arms. Winter wanted to fight, but her will to do so evaporated under his onslaught as his tongue danced and tangled with hers. The instant she sagged into him, he lifted his head, breaking the kiss and leaving her breathless.
“Take her to my chambers. See that she is given whatever food and drink she desires and allow her thoughts to dwell on the night and what will come,” he said as he put her away from him and strode back down the aisle, inviting his guests to join him in the banquet hall.
“Come along, lass,” said his second-in-command.
“Take your hands off me,” she hissed. “If I am to be forced to endure your alpha’s slobbery kisses and pawing hands, I will be given my due respect. I am first lady of the Curaidh Snow Leopards and will be addressed as Milady.”
“Well, now, aren’t we the uppity lass,” he said, emphasizing the last word. “I suggest you lose that attitude before your mate joins you. Sean can be an indulgent lover, but he won’t hesitate to take you in hand. This way, Milady.”
Gathering as much dignity as she could and ensuring that no tears slipped from her eyes and down her cheeks, she walked alongside her mate’s beta as he escorted her and then locked her in the alpha’s chambers.
Curaidh Castle was an ancient fortress built into the side of one of the craggy mountains that dominated the landscape of the Highlands of Scotland. Winter figured her new mate meant to eat and make merry, giving her at least several hours to figure out how to escape.
She looked out of each of the windows, but there were no ledges or handholds which she could use to make her way up or down to safety—only a balcony that seemed to be suspended in mid-air. Although the bed was enormous, there was no way she could tie the bedding together to make a long enough line to lower herself from the windows.
His chambers took up an inordinate amount of space. Knowing that two of the walls of the room were exterior walls and one of the other bordered the hallway, Winter began methodically searching the interior side wall for a hidden door or lever or anything that might lead her to an escape route. She knew that most Scottish castles had a way out in case they were breached, so the alpha could make his escape with his family, or at least see them to safety.
Winter steadied her nerves to keep from moving too fast. She feared she had to be slow and careful or else she might miss her only way to save herself. When she heard a click behind her, she whirled around to stare at the door, but the lock did not turn. She waited and the door did not move, but the rug to the side of the bed flipped back and a lovely woman she’d seen standing in the shadows as she was dragged down the aisle emerged from a staircase beneath the floor.
“Come quickly. I have no idea how long he’ll be, but if he catches us, it will not go well for either of us.”
Winter bolted across the room and started down the winding staircase. She had plenty of questions, but they would have to wait. Nothing was more important than making her escape. The woman followed her down, stopping to flip the rug back in place, straightening it before sliding the entrance to the stairs up and into the floor.
The woman slipped past her, and they descended the stairs until they came to rest at a broad tunnel. “This way,” she said.
Winter reached out and prevented her from leaving. “Who are you? And why are you helping me? You said nothing at that travesty of a bonding ceremony.”
“It is best you do not know my name, only that I work with others who long ago formed a network to help our sisters in need. Let’s get that collar off your neck in case we need to shift,” the woman said as she reached up with a pair of iron cutters to snip it off.
