“Put your feet up.” She didn’t move until he made a motion to get the remote. Then she quickly drew her knees up and put her feet on the bed. Cole settled in the chair at the bottom of the bed and looked at her.“You need to stay like that for ten minutes. I’m going to make sure so you’ve got me for another nine and a half minutes.” He smirked. “I’ll play a game with you. You can ask me a question and then I get to ask you a question. We’ll do it for nine minutes. You go first.”Addie groaned. She hurt all over. She was scared, but mostly pissed. She asked the question first and foremost in her mind. “Why?”Cole settled back. “Why what? Why am I trying to get you pregnant? Or why are you here?” Addie looked at him with defiance. “Yeah. All of the above.”Cole chuckled. “A two-fer. I’ll allow it.”“You gift follows your bloodline and it bestowed on the oldest living person in that bloodline. I know who you are and I know your entire family was wiped out. I know t
Addie stood up and followed Cole out of the clinic, back into the car. She looked out the window, taking in details and memorizing locations and distances, storing them for later. She tried to look bored in case Cole got suspicious but he was too busy mindlinking while driving. There should be a law against that, Addie thought, when Cole slammed on the brakes, yet again, to miss someone he almost hit while not paying attention. Cole pulled into the circle in front of the packhouse. There was a warrior standing, waiting for the car to park. He opened Addie’s door and reached inside, easily pulling the girl out. Too late, Addie realized what was going to happen and started to fight. She managed to break free and she turned to run when the pain hit her, knocking her down to her knees. She screamed, grabbing at the collar. She had forgotten Cole was there with his remote. The warrior grabbed her hands and pulled her to her feet, half carrying and half dragging her behind the pac
JESS POV I slipped back into the room, horrified over what I just heard. Addie was a strong, stubborn woman and she had been screaming like she was being ripped apart. She didn’t even scream when she was being whipped so I was scared to go in there and see what had been done to make her scream like that. It was horrible. She was laying half on and half off the bed, blood everywhere. The comforter was covered in it. Her eyes were swollen shut and there were long scratches all over her body, probably from Bane. I knew her wolf wouldn’t be able to heal her because of the silver. I sighed and mindlinked Angus, asking him to come over and bring some things to help. I approached her and tugged on her legs, trying to get them up on the bed like my Alpha commanded. She groaned and kicked out at me. “Shhh, it’s me, Jess. I’m gonna get you cleaned up, okay?” She didn’t respond but she also quit kicking at me so I took it as an affirmative. There was a light knock at the door and
ADDIE’S POVI’m pregnant. I don’t have to fake my numbness. Dr. Angus gave Cole the results and he stood up and howled and then mind linked his Luna. This baby is my death sentence. I am going to carry this baby until its birth, then I will be killed and my child will be given my gift, to be manipulated and exploited by Alpha Cole and his pack. There will be no one to protect my child and no one to protect me. Dr. Angus tried talking to Cole about my silver collar, telling him that my pregnancy would be easier if I wasn’t wearing it. Cole told him that I could wear the collar or loose my tongue. Dr. Angus shut up and I was glad. I was kind of partial to my tongue.Five months. That’s how long I have left to live.++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ALPHA COLE’S POVI watched the Omega remove an untouched plate of food from Addie’s room. I marched over and grabbed it from the shaking girl’s hand. “She ate none of it?” I roared.The girl shook like a leaf. “No, Alpha.” She b
ADDIE’S POVI wasn’t sure if it was night or day in this cell. I didn’t have much of a plan when I started my hunger strike other than to be removed from my room. Being put into a cell in the dungeon was not something I considered. I thought I’d be given a cushy bed in the infirmary with an IV. Misjudged that.It was also cold and damp in here and I’ve started coughing. I’m not really sick but hoping the guards get nervous and suggest that the dungeon isn’t good for the Alpha’s baby. I just have to remember to keep coughing. When the plate of food comes, I barely look at it. I’ve lived on little to no food before so it’s easy for me to ignore the hunger pains. Unfortunately, I seemed to underestimate the Alpha’s stubbornness. It surpasses mine, that’s for sure.++++++++++++++++++COLE POVI got word that Addie was still not eating and now she was coughing. Damn that girl. Damn her. I need her to be healthy and have a healthy baby. My mate heard the news and is bothering
JAMES POV“Alpha, we got her.” The message came over the mind link from Bruce. I had almost gone with the patrol this morning but had gotten sidelined with another vision so the boys went without me. I regretted not being there to meet my mate.“How is she?” I asked, hoping for good news. “Not great. She banged herself up pretty good and she’s unconscious right now. She vomited up a lot of blood. And, Alpha? You’re not going to like this. Someone’s been beating on her. She has half healed whip marks all over her body and broken bones. She was definitely someone’s prisoner. They put a silver collar on her. I think the collar stopped her wolf from healing her.” Bruce paused, letting me get control over my wolf who was howling in agony. “Alpha, I’m taking her straight to our hospital. You need to get all the doctors over there. I’m pretty sure she’s also having a miscarriage.”My breath caught in my throat. Miscarriage? Was my mate mated to someone else? I took anothe
ADDIE'S POV“I am going to leave right now and you are going to let me go. You are not going to tell anyone.” I spoke firmly, pulling my gift. I could tell it was weak but it should have enough power to work. James’ eyes widened as he looked at me. I grabbed at my head; the headache was intense and immediate and I took a few seconds to breathe through the pain before swinging my feet on to the floor. I pushed off the bed and my legs held, for about five seconds. Then I sank to the floor, weak as a kitten. James looked down at me with amusement.“Oh, Little Pup,” he shook his head. “You need to learn to trust me. We’re mates after all.”“Don’t call me that,” I growled. Why do people call me Little Pup? I’m damn near six feet tall. He looked confused. “Call you mate? But you are. Can’t you feel it or is your wolf still too weak?”Wait, what? I missed that. I was so irritated about being called my childhood nickname by a complete stranger that I missed the mate part.
JAMES POVI watched Addie fall asleep and then I mind linked my brother. “How’s she doing?” Toby asked. “Okay. She woke up today. Took the news of the baby hard at first but I think it’s okay now. She’s sleeping again.”“Sorry, bro.” He paused a second before asking “You still in scrubs?”I laughed. “Yeah. Just going to ask if you could send someone over with clothes for me.”“I’ll send a toothbrush and some deodorant, too. Guessing you smell like a wild animal at this point.” I laughed again. “Yeah. Scout tried to make a few appearances but I was able to control him. He’s head over heels in love and can’t wait to meet her wolf.”I could hear Toby’s smile over the mind link. “I’ve never heard you laugh as much as you’ve done the past few days. I can’t wait to see how much happier you are after you get her home and established as your Luna.”“Thanks, bro. I can’t wait.”Twenty minutes later one of the Omegas from the Packhouse knocked on the door to the room. I opened