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Both Gabriel and Christopher were staring at me. I could feel my cheeks going red with mortification. Now I understood why I had been forced to undergo the painful operation my mother had taken me for. But it was humiliating to have it explained in public like this—in front of everyone.
“You bitch!” My stepfather leaned across the table and struck my mother in the face—hard.
Her head rocked back and she gasped in pain. For a moment she hid her face with her hands and when she looked up, I saw blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.
“You bastard—leave her alone!” I shouted, forgetting my fear and springing to my mother’s defense. “She never asked for this—neither of us did! We don’t even want to be here—you kidnapped us and you killed my father!”
I expected to get belted across the face myself, but my asshole of a stepfather surprised me by laughing instead.
“You think that human was your real father, little bitch? Think again—you’re pure Were, through and through. A Royal Were at that. It doesn’t matter if you lost your maidenhead—lots of males will still pay a pretty penny to mate you.” He looked at Gabriel. “She’s never had a cock in her, has she? You told me you kept the Alphas off her while I was gone.”
“I did keep them off.” Gabriel spoke reluctantly, I thought. “As far as I know, she’s never been with a man.”
“Zoe’s innocent,” Christopher chimed in. “But I don’t think you should send her away—she’s part of the family now.”
“Just like your sister and Gabriel’s sisters were part of the family, you mean?” My stepfather raised an eyebrow at his younger son. “Stupid and soft-hearted—that’s a Beta for you,” he said dismissively. “Daughters can’t be bred by their fathers so they might as well be used to increase the size and wealth of the Pack.” He looked at Gabriel again. “Has she had her first Heat Cycle yet?”
Gabriel shook his head.
“Not as far as I could tell.”
“Good. I’ll have to make some enquiries and see who’ll give the most for her. In the meantime, I’m putting you in charge of her.” He pointed at his oldest son. “You guard her with your life and be damn sure no cocks go in her pussy. If she has her Heat Cycle, lock her in her fucking room and don’t let her out until it’s over. She might not be intact but I want her pure—untouched—you understand?”
“I understand, Pack Master.” Gabriel’s face was stony as he nodded.
I just sat there, watching as they made plans to sell me off—I felt like I’d lost my powers of speech. But my mother certainly hadn’t.
“She’s not yours, Esteban! You can’t have her!” she exclaimed. She gripped me by the arm so hard it hurt. “Zoe is my baby—my only baby! You can’t send her away!”
Esteban turned to glare at her again.
“You know, my dear, it occurs to me that maybe the reason you’re not getting pregnant is because you’re still too invested in ‘your baby,’” he snapped. “I’m thinking if I ever want to put my baby in your belly, your daughter needs to go. Once she’s out of the picture, you can concentrate on getting pregnant and bearing me an heir with Royal blood in his veins!”
I couldn’t listen to another word of this. Rising from my chair and shaking my mother’s hand off my arm, I ran from the dining room. Even when my stepfather roared at me to come back, I ignored him. He wanted to send me away—to sell me like I was a piece of property.
And there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to stop him.
NINE
Later—much later—I went to find my mother in her bedroom.
She shared the master suite of the mansion with my stepfather, so I was careful to wait until I saw him leave before knocking on the thick wooden door.
“Who is it?” She sounded tired and sad. It hurt my heart to hear her like that when she’d been so happy only six months ago, before our abduction.
I opened the door a few inches and put my head in.
“Can we talk?” I asked in a low voice. “I mean, is it safe?”
“For now.” She sighed and made a motion for me to come in. “Your stepfather has gone to make a phone call in his study.”
I could guess what the phone call was about—Esteban had said he needed to make enquiries and see who would pay the most for me. The thought made me sick but it wasn’t what I wanted to talk about—not right away, anyway.
I walked into the vast master suite. With its vaulted ceilings and a fireplace big enough to roast a pig, it looked more like something that belonged in a Medieval castle than a mansion in the middle of the Arizona desert.
