AllFreeNovel
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“It’s time to wake up,” she calls, her arm waving me back to shore.
Wake up?
My lips part, the words leaving my lips, but no sound comes out.
“Wake up,” she yells again, waving her arms frantically. Her tawny brown braid bounces behind her, her face pinched in a look of pure terror.
Skylar.
I call to her, panic rising in me as I try to swim back to shore, but nothing happens. I can’t move, my body perpetually stuck in the middle of the ocean, close enough to see my mate, but I can’t get to her.
“Everett,” she screams, the sound piercing my heart like a blade.
I thrash in the water, trying to get to her, trying to make sure she knows I’m safe, but still nothing.
The waves are stronger now, increasing with the frantic pace of my heart as one crashes over my head. Water fills my mouth, and I sputter, trying to stop it from spewing down into my lungs. The water isn’t salty or fishy like I expect it to be …
My eyes flash open, expecting to see the ocean or the beach as I pull in ragged pants, desperately trying to fill my lungs, but that’s not the sight I’m met with.
“Finally,” a woman huffs out in derision. “I thought they may have smacked you a bit too hard back there, Alpha.”
She sneers at the title, hatred and resentment thick in her tone. I blink away the water still clinging to my lashes and try to make out the room around me. It’s dark, save for a single light bulb swinging in the center of the room, casting sinister shadows over the crude concrete and the woman’s face standing before me, bucket poised in her hands.
Elise.
“Bitch,” I growl, about to lunge forward when something tugs me back. The thick zip tie digs into my wrists, the space between my hands and the metal bars of the chair too small to break free without some time.
“Now, now.” She grins. “There’s no need for name calling.”
I glance around the room, frantically trying to find Arsenio. There. He’s sitting to my right, our metal chairs curved into a circle with two more on the other side.
“What the fuck did you do to him?” I grind out, my rage flaring beyond recollection as I stare at my friend. He was barely holding onto consciousness the last time I saw him, but now, with his head slumped forward, his skin pale, and lips parted, I’m not even sure he’s still alive.
“I didn’t do anything,” she drawls, throwing the bucket to the side. The metal clangs against the cement, and I can’t control the wince of pain as the sound rattles against my skull. “Oops.”
Judging by the maniacal laugh that peels from her lips, she’s not sorry in the least.
“You were in a car accident, don’t you remember?”
“Accident,” I huff out on a derisive snort. “That wasn’t a fucking accident.”
“Potato—potahto.” She shrugs. “You say premeditated attack, I say accident. He’s still breathing though, last time I checked.”
I tune out her mindless drivel as I watch my friend intently. His chest fills and deflates slowly, and his fingers twitch slightly. Good. As long as he’s alive, I can get us both out of here.
“Why did you do it, Elise?” I know the question is ridiculous the moment it leaves my tongue, but I can’t help it. She was our most trusted beta and seemingly had our back every step of the way. We grew up together, for fucksake, and she helped us rebuild the pack after I took over.
“Why did I do it?” she asks, tapping idly at my chin. “Hmm, let me think.”
“Answer or don’t,” I snap, already done with her bullshit, but the more she talks, the more time I have to figure out how to get out of here.
“Touchy, touchy.” She giggles. “Well, let’s see, first off, I was in love with you, you dipshit, and you never even bothered to look twice at me.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“Of course not,” she huffs in exasperation. “I loved all three of you, and not one of you ever looked my way, even though I helped you build the pack into what it is today, yet none of you gave me the power that should’ve come with it. Thenshewalks in, and you all trail after her like puppy dogs.”
“I’m glad I never fucking looked your way, Elise,” I growl, rage boiling in my veins as I look at the immature woman standing before me, her hands poised on her hips, lip pouting like a petulant child. “You’re too greedy and immature to ever be a leader of a pack. Being a leader—being Alpha is about putting the needs of your pack first, not your quest for power. You got our pack members killed, and for what?”
