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Scoffing, Kahler shook his head. Lip curling as if he tasted something disgusting, he watched on as Rey helped Devin to her feet. His demand lingered in the air, though he made no move towards the pair. A crackling tension stifled Devin’s every breath as the unfeeling breadth of his gaze remained centered upon her.
“Unbutton your shirt, sweetheart.”
Devin’s gasp tried to choke her. Her shriek was thin and shrill as Rey’s fingers went for the front of her blouse. She slapped at his hands, twisting away as her heart froze. He was letting this stranger see. Allowing all of this. Making her feel small and helpless as he offered her up to someone else.
“You look at me,” Rey snapped. Pulling Devin around to face him, he cradled her jaw. Forcing the wild panic of her eyes to his, Rey gave her a little shake. “Just the claim. He just wants to see my claiming mark.”
“No,” Devin screamed in a whisper, clutching at her shirt as she wrenched away. Horror swelled within her breast, mangling the golden threads of the bond. He might be her only protection here with Beau standing wide eyed and silent on the sidelines, but she wouldn’t allow Rey to do this to her.
Not now.
She was three steps closer to the door, with every intention of clawing through the dark eyed man guarding it, when Devin sailed backwards with the grip in her loose curls. Arms pinwheeling as she crashed to the hard floor, her breath exploded from her lips as she landed. Knee crushing her chest, Kahler ripped away the collar of her shirt, baring far more than just her shoulder.
“Enough,” Rey bellowed, lunging between Devin and the other Alpha. Shoving Kahler back with a subterranean growl, he crouched over Devin’s body as she twisted onto her stomach to let her tears soak into the scratchy wool rug.
She heard the slide of shoes, dark murmurs of voices, but she was too lost in her fear to pay more attention. The longer it went on, Devin managed to quell her tears to shuddering breaths. In spite of everything, she curled around Rey’s leg when she opened her eyes to find him still standing over her.
“Sir, this proves nothing.”
“Quiet, Curtis,” Kahler said, distracted as he peered between Rey and Devin. The black arches of his brows lowered as his eyes narrowed. “Out.”
“Sir—”
“Do not make me repeat myself.”
Back stiff, Curtis went to the door and left, closing it behind him.
“You killed two of my guards. So what? He’s right, this proves nothing.” Kahler went to a desk twice the size of Rey’s, pouring a finger’s worth of whiskey into a cut crystal glass. He acted as if terrorizing a woman was nothing.
“You think I could have done all this last year,” Rey asked as he slowly rose, taking Devin with him with an arm tight around her waist. Palming the back of her head, he pushed her face into his chest. Letting her hide as much as keeping her hidden.
“Alphas grow stronger.” Kahler sniffed. “Nothing new there.”
“Fuck’s sake, don’t do this,” Beau hissed, finally coming forward.
“Devin, sweetheart, unbutton my shirt.”
Devin startled. He’d used her name in front of Kahler, a social offense even for a mate, but the order was just as bewildering. Beau had warned him against telling anyone, that they would kill him.
“Do it.”
There was no command, despite how forceful Rey’s words were. The bond writhed in her chest, a pleading tone humming through it. Asking for calm, delivering reassurance that all would be well.
Devin’s fingers fumbled at the buttons of Rey’s shirt, every breath catching as she bared more of his golden amber skin to her gaze. This could mean her death, no matter what Rey thought. With none of his confidence and a lifetime of fear building to a crescendo in her heart, Devin parted the sides of the shirt, shoving it back from his shoulder where her claiming mark marred the smoothness of his skin. There were other scars there, but none so beautiful to her. Fingertips teasing over the edge of it, Devin brought her palm flat against his heart.
Kahler hissed somewhere behind her, trying to ruin the perfection of the moment. The pride and delight Rey sent surging through the bond as Devin placed a gentle kiss against his chest.
“Fucking Gods,” Kahler snarled.
The rapid slap of his soles thundered across the floor. Thesnickof a lock followed by heavy silence. Not even their breaths seemed to disturb it as Kahler paced a wide circle around them. Devin pressed closer to Rey, the solid weight of his hand at her back more reassuring than anything.
“When?”
“Months ago. When you were still searching.”
Kahler grunted, his presence slamming into Devin’s back as he came closer. Refusing to make another sound, Devin couldn’t help her hands clenching in Rey’s shirt. She held on tight as even the spicy chili scent of Kahler tried to invade her senses.
“And yet you still allow Elijah to fuck her,” Kahler asked as he eased around Rey, voice dripping with disdain.
