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Chapter Thirteen
Willow
Kelley clings to Bane’s wrist with both hands—probably to keep her hair from being ripped out at the root—but doesn’t cry out or offer a word of protest as he leans over, bringing her face within inches of the hot coals.
“Yesterday, you ordered Diana released from her cage and brought here without my permission, my queen,” he says, his calm, soothing voice at odds with the brutality of his actions. “Forget your place again, and I’ll have no choice but to punish you. A burn scar on your pretty face might help you remember who’s in charge, don’t you think? You’d be reminded every time you look in the mirror that I’m the one in control.”
“Willow wouldn’t listen to me about having the baby until she knew Diana was safe, and I couldn’t find you,” Kelley says in an equally calm voice. “I thought I was doing what was best. I know we both want this pregnancy as soon as possible.”
“You know very little, love,” he says, his grip tightening in my sister’s hair until she winces, and her neck goes stiff. “Which has been done on purpose, to ensure your protection. But if you continue to disobey me, I can’t protect you, which is unacceptable to me. This is your last chance to prove you understand how to behave yourself, Kelley. You don’t lead, you follow. From now on, if for some reason I’m not available to make decisions for you, you will wait to move forward until I am. Are we clear?”
“Clear, Alpha,” she says.
“Good.” He pulls her to her feet and away from the fire.
The tension is just beginning to seep from my body when he flexes his massive bicep and slams the top of Kelley’s head into the heavy wooden mantle over the fire.
Diana and I both cry out, cowering instinctively closer together as he releases Kelley and she crumples to the floor at his feet, moaning softly as she presses a hand to her no-doubt aching skull.
Eyes wide, I wrap my arm around Diana’s shoulders, wondering what the hell to do if he comes for her next.
Or for me.
I can be savage in my wolf form, but even as a wolf I’m so much smaller and weaker than this man, and he has no problem using his superior strength to make other people’s lives miserable.
Which is why you have to do this.
You have to go through with the ritual and become queen.
Then you’ll finally be strong enough to protect the people you love.
And yourself.
I bite the inside of my lip, praying my thoughts aren’t showing in my expression as Bane moves closer to the blanket and crouches down, bringing his face nearly level with mine. “There is room for freedom in the new world we’re building, Willow, but only if you remember your place. And until you bring our babies into the world, your place is wherever I want it to be, and your sole purpose is to protect and nurture those unborn lives. Are we understood?”
I nod quickly, casting my gaze down to my plate as I whisper. “Understood, Alpha.”
“Good,” he says, sounding pleased.
Thankfully, he took my lowered gaze for a sign of submission, not a desperate attempt to hide what I’m sure is a bad case of murder eyeballs.
I want to kill this man so much, more than Victor or Pax or even the man who brutalized me as a child.
“If you cooperate and give me your loyalty and respect,” he continues, “you’ll be rewarded. If you cross me, you will never regret anything more.” I nod again, and he shifts his focus to Diana. “The same goes for you, little sister. I won’t have you embarrassing me or making the others doubt that I have my house in order. Tonight, at the group dinner, you will sit beside me as your wolf and feed only on scraps from my plate. And every time you’re granted a morsel, you will lick my hand in gratitude. If you’re obedient and put on a good show for the troops, you’ll be allowed to come back here, sleep in that soft bed with Willow, and enjoy the comforts of being cared for by my mate. If not, you’ll go back to your cage until you can be matched to a man capable of keeping you under control.”
Diana stiffens beneath my arm, but thankfully doesn’t say a word, not even when Bane adds, “I have a few who are more than up for the job of keeping you in bed with your legs spread until you’re seeded and too big with child to cause any problems. And I won’t hesitate to make that happen. Understood?”
“Yes, Alpha,” she says in such a small voice I can scarcely believe it came out of the same bold, brave girl I know.
But playing along is the best thing right now. Open defiance won’t do any of us any good. We have to bide our time, keep our secrets, and be ready to strike when the window of opportunity opens.
Bane stands with a contented sigh. “Excellent. Make sure they both have something nice to wear for tomorrow night, Kelley. I want the entire family looking beautiful for the celebration of the full moon. The camera team will be here to film a few segments. Coordinate the script with Elsbeth, she has a knack for knowing what will appeal to the masses. This could be a major turning point for us. Seeing your sister here with me should help convince some of our hold outs that getting behind our rule really is their best and only choice.”
“Of course,” Kelley says softly, still on the floor where Bane left her.
He has to squat low to give her a goodbye kiss on the cheek before striding out the cabin door.
Afterward, we sit in the buzzing silence that always seems to follow a bad shock, listening to his footfalls fade as he returns to the main part of the camp.
