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I see her arms tighten around her body and frown. Rounding the cage, I crouch and try to peer through the mass of hair to see her face, but she’s hidden away. Tremors run through her every limb.
“She’s faking. It’s a trick to help her escape,” Jai snarls.
“I don’t think she’s faking it,” I murmur. “Quinn, when you healed Lucien, did it hurt you?”
Her head lifts slowly, sluggishly, and her deep eyes swallow my soul as they peer through her locks. “Like you would care. You got what you needed. If you don’t mind, at least give me a little time to recover before you start the torture.”
“Like fuck,” Jai snarls. “You bargained for your pack. You’re lucky we don’t hunt them and use them for ornaments. Now tell us everything or we will make whatever this is worse.”
I hold up my hand, stopping him. As I stare into her dark eyes, I realise that since I met this wolf, this is the first time she’s looked vulnerable.
“We will let you rest.” I should thank her for saving Lucien, but I know she did it for her own reasons. I understand wanting to save your family, and that scares me. I understand this monster when we are sworn enemies.
She drops her eyes again, and something in that action makes me carry on.
“Look at me,” I demand, and those haunting eyes rise and clash with mine, making my heart skip a beat. “We might be enemies, but I will not break my word. You can trust me in that. Rest now, we will speak tomorrow.” I stand and lock the cage then move to stand with Jai. He’s not going to like this one fucking bit.
His crazed eyes flash, and his nostrils flare as he stares at me. “Are you really letting that beast rest?”
“We have a deal?—”
“For the pack. I know you value your integrity, even with monsters, but we made no deals for her. We need the information,” he hisses.
“And we’ll get it, but not this way. I don’t feel right torturing an injured woman—beast,” I correct. “After she saved my brother, do you? We can allow her to recover so we’ll face a worthy opponent.”
“That is a weakness. It is an animal, not a person, no matter what it looks like. They are more deadly when injured. She is playing you. She wouldn’t hesitate to rip our jugulars out if we were injured,” he snarls, tilting his head to go toe to toe with me.
“And that’s what separates us from monsters,” I remind him, knowing how he feels about wolves.
“You’re weak,” he spits. “Maybe you shouldn’t be leading us.”
I step closer until our noses almost touch. “Are you challenging me, Jai?” I ask, speaking my words very carefully.
His eyes narrow as he debates his next course of action. A challenge amongst hunters is no quiet affair. If he challenges me to lead this team, one of us could very well end up dead, and despite what he thinks, we both know I’m not weak.
“Well?” I demand.
“Guys,” Lucien says, always trying to calm us down. He’s the most rational of us all, but right now, this doesn’t require rational thought. This requires action, so when Jai jerks his hand out, I’m ready. I won’t kill Jai, but I can remind him why I’m in charge.
Despite the madness inside him, he is no match for me.
Grabbing his hand, I spin us and kick his leg, wrapping my arm around his neck and squeezing. “Calm down,” I order as he snarls and kicks, hitting my side with his fist as I grunt from the impact.
A bitter, feminine laugh makes us all turn to see the wolf sitting at the bars of her cage. Her face is still pale, but some colour is coming back to her cheeks. “And you have the nerve to look down on us and call us monsters. We are not so different, challenging and fighting amongst yourselves for leadership. Does that remind you of anything?” She winks before lying down again as I thrust Jai away.
“You’re making a mistake,” Jai snarls, “and you know it. You’ve never hesitated before, and that’s the reason I’m here. You do what must be done. You’re the best. If that changes, if you start to help the monsters, I won’t hesitate to kill you.” He storms out of the warehouse.
Sighing, I look at Lucien who nods. “I’ll go after him and calm him down.” He claps his hand onto my shoulder. “You’re doing the right thing.” His eyes go to the cage for a moment before he shakes his head and follows Jai outside, leaving the wolf and me.
Grabbing a chair, I swing it around and drape my arms across the wooden back as I meet her curious brown eyes. She’s still shaking, but her quick healing is kicking in and fixing whatever the healing broke in her.
I envy wolves in some aspects.
“Your name is Quinn?” I don’t know why I’m speaking to her other than the fact that we clearly cannot just ignore her.
She cocks her head but remains silent, and I smile.
“Oh, now you’re quiet?” I taunt.
