{MIRA}
The regint was always the sa. After my shift ended, I had three hours to relax, shower, and prepare for dinner. As always, there was a dress laid out on the chair. Not the bed, as if that was sohow supposed to make feel better.
I wasn’t an idiot. I knew the suite was searched every day while I was gone. There were little things I would note before I left and saw that they’d been moved. Sotis it was a lampshade turned just a little.
Once, I’d tucked the edge of so thread under the rug and found it in the corner when I got ho. My bedsheet was tucked differently. Irving told that he would have the maid co in every day, but I’d asked to keep my own suite clean. He’d relented, but it hadn’t stopped him from searching the rooms.
Tonight’s dress was red. Most of the dresses were red. That seed to be Irving ’s favorite color. The dresses were never the sa. Either the pack’s seamstress was very busy or Irving was spending an enormous amount of money clothing for the two hours he required my attendance at dinner.
They were always the worst part of the day. Otherwise, Irving left alone, but I had to have dinner with him. Forced pleasantries. He’d tell about his plans. He’d ask about my day.
Every night, I asked if he would let leave yet. Every night, he would tell that I made a choice, and I needed to honor it.
Without touching the dress, I headed to the shower and turned the water on. So far, I only had one mapped out route. My best chance of getting out of here was getting to the human settlent at the bottom of the mountain. They traded freely with Irving ’s pack, not realizing that it was a shifter settlent, and it was an enormous town. It ant going down to go up, but once I was in the human settlent, Irving couldn’t touch . He wouldn’t dare expose the wolves by taking by brute force.
Getting back up to Shiloh was a different story. I didn’t have a plan for that. I didn’t even know if Shiloh wanted back.
Hell, I wasn’t even sure why I wanted to go back.
There was only one weak spot I could easily identify from my limited knowledge of the layout, and that spot wasn’t as weak as I would like. To get that close to the boundary, I’d have to get to the infirmary. Unfortunately, every accident that I’d had (slicing my finger open at the bar, slipping on one of the longer dresses and falling down the stairs, the horrid cramps I’d fabricated on my last period) had only resulted in the healer visiting and not the other way around.
If I was going to get to the infirmary, I was going to have to seriously hurt myself, and I feared I would have to do it twice. Once to take stock of the area and figure out how to escape from the infirmary. And once to actually make the escape.
The question wasn’t how badly I needed to hurt myself but when would I ever get the opportunity to do it. I’d happily throw myself out the window and plumt the four stories below if there weren’t bars on them.
Grabbing the dress, I gathered the rest of the things I needed and headed to the shower. I locked the door behind and turned on the shower. As steam rose up, I stared in the mirror at my reflection.
In captivity, I’d turned into the healthiest version of myself. Ironic. I ate better. I exercised when I could. I got plenty of sleep. As much as I wanted to do a hunger strike, I knew Irving would just call my bluff, and I’d waste away until I was too weak to fight.
And one day, I would need to fight. I needed to be ready for when that happened.
Stripping, I stepped into the shower and let the hot water run over . As always, I thought about the last ti Shiloh touched . I closed my eyes and tried to rember what it had been like when his arms were around . When his lips were on . When my body lted against his.
Pathetic? Maybe. Especially knowing that Shiloh had probably moved on. Now that I wasn’t there fucking with his head and his mating bond, he believed what I’d been telling him all along.
That he was better off without . Wasn’t that a bitch to live with?
After my shower, I toweled off, dressed, and wound my wet hair up into a pin. Irving had once made a comnt about how he loved my hair down. I hadn’t worn it down for him since. When he asked, I told him that I didn’t want to ruin the pretty dresses with my wet hair, and I wasn’t the kind of woman to do a whole blow out. He offered to send soone up to help get ready.
I hadn’t bothered to respond.
Stepping out of the bathroom, I pulled myself up short with a gasp.
There was a dining cart in my living room and a disgusting excuse for an alpha on my sofa.
What the fuck?
Belatedly, I realized I said those words out loud. Irving looked up and down with a strange manic light in his eyes. "Forgive . I thought we might have dinner in your suite tonight, where you might be more comfortable."
"Dinner is still an hour away."
"And yet you’re ready. How fortuitous."
My stomach rolled. Had he hoped to catch dressing? To sneak in while I was still showering?
To catch asleep?
"You promised that you would not enter my suite without my permission."
"I knocked. It’s just dinner, Mira. After all this ti, I thought we’d progressed past the fear." Moving to the small dining table, he pulled out a chair. "Mate."
"Just because you say it, just because you’ve lied to your pack or forced your pack to say it, does not make it true, and we both know it. I will never be your mate, Irving , and honestly, I would think you’d honor your wolf a little bit better."
He snarled, but only for a mont before he schooled his features. "You aren’t ready. I understand. It will take ti for you to mourn the loss of your previous mate. Or perhaps you are still hoping that he’ll co rescue you. I have ti."
"Ti for what?"
"Ti for you to understand your new reality. Co. Eat with . Tell about your day."
That Irving had ti bothered . Was there so sort of looming deadline I didn’t know about? Slowly, I took my seat and thanked him. "Dinner slls great."
"Shrimp Alfredo. One of your favorites, isn’t it?"
It was, sothing I had only discovered since living with Shiloh. It was definitely not sothing that Irving should know. "What a wonderful surprise."
The most incredible chef in the world couldn’t have made the al palatable for at that mont, but I’d forced myself to twirl my fork in the fettuccini while Irving poured more wine. It was another one of our rituals. He’d serve alcohol and I’d never touch it.
For half an hour, I forced myself to have polite conversation. I answered his questions, asked a few of my own, and tried to not vomit every ti he smiled at .
"Dessert?" He asked as he removed the silver cloche to reveal a decadent chocolate cake.
"No thank you."
"Then I have a surprise for you. Don’t move."
I was in no mood for surprises, and I tensed as he got up and walked around the small table behind . "I know you’re having trouble thinking of as your mate, but you must admit that I’ve giving you a good life here. You’re treated well. I hope you realize that we are not like Amber Wound. We welco you. You have a ho here, a position, and a voice."
I didn’t turn around. "And a lock on the door."
"That is for your safety, Mira. You know that."
"Why do I need to be locked in if your pack is so welcoming?"
"They are eager for you to pledge yourself to ." His knuckles brushed the bare column of my neck, and I struggled not to flinch. "Accept as your alpha. Accept Amber Wound Pass as your pack, and the rest will co."
Sothing heavy nestled between my cleavage ,and I looked down. On a delicate gold chain was a red ruby pendant in the shape of a crescent moon.
Then, I felt his power swirl around . It was unmistakable. Suffocating. He had to be pulling on all his pack bonds to make it happen. "Pledge yourself to , Mira. Give yourself to ."
His fingers traced down the chain and dipped between my breasts. Without hesitation, I grabbed the knife, sliced at his arm, and was imdiately on my feet.
"Bitch," he roared and backhanded . I fell against the table. Dishes crashed to the ground, and he pinned my arms down. "You will be mine!"
"Never of my choice, Irving . Never of my own freewill."
Swearing, he pulled back just a little and plowed his fist into my jaw. I hit the floor hard.
Spitting out blood, I looked up at him. "You’re right. The hospitality here is unmatched."
"You will be mine," he growled.
He took a step toward but stopped when there was a knock at the door. "Leave us," he ordered.
"It’s ."
A familiar voice. Elonso?
"What?" Irving snarled.
The door opened, and his second ca in. His eyes flitted over the scene, but they showed no sympathy. "Forgive the interruption, alpha, but it appears that our special guest has arrived earlier than expected. Would you like to welco them myself?"
To my surprise, Irving smiled coldly and cruelly. "No need. I’m done here. I’ll see to the guest myself. See if my mate needs dical care. She is so clumsy. Mira, forgive my brisk exit.
I’ll make it up to you tomorrow at dinner."
With that, he was gone. Warily, I rose to my feet and stared at Elonso while I gripped the knife. "No need to call the healer. I’m tougher than I look."
He just grunted. "Clean yourself up. I’ll send soone to clean up this ss."
"I’ll do it. I’ll alert my...guards when I’m done. Who’s the special guest?"
"Plan B."
Reviews
All reviews (0)