Slave No More: The Alpha's Broken Luna

Nerya's POV:

"Where the hell did she go?"

The Beta's shout rang through the house. I knew at once that he was talking about me. After all, I was the only servant on the estate. Everyone called for me whenever they needed something, and they blamed me whenever anything went wrong. I swallowed a weary sigh and picked up my cleaning caddy.

As soon as Kyron saw me, he stormed across the room in a few quick strides. His palm struck my cheek with such force that my vision blurred. I made no sound. Years of suffering through this treatment had taught me one rule. I had to remain silent and speak only when someone addressed me. I followed that rule even as my cheek burned.

"Alpha Toren and I are expecting guests," he spat. "You were told to clean the office, but you still haven't done it."

I bowed my head obediently and gripped the handle of my basket until my fingers turned white. If I had possessed enough courage to smash it against his skull, my day might have been somewhat pleasant. However, I restrained myself. He was much stronger than I was, and I couldn't endure another week in the cellar without food. My stomach already felt painfully empty.

"We have to make a good impression on Alpha Darek. Do you even understand how important an alliance with his pack would be?"

I remained silent. I recognized a trap when I heard one. He only wanted to force an answer from me so he could use it as an excuse to punish me. I kept my gaze fixed on the floor and refused to look at him.

Alpha Darek... I had only heard his name in the rumors whispered by pack members who believed I was too insignificant to pay attention. From what I had gathered, he was ruthless and feared by every wolf. He never smiled or backed down, and he ruled the most powerful pack in existence.

"He commands Black Shadow, the largest pack in the world," Kyron continued. "We need him."

He didn't explain why. No one had ever attacked our pack, and we had never provoked a war. I couldn't understand why we suddenly needed an alliance.

Without warning, his hands closed around my shoulders. His nails sank painfully into my thin skin. He spun me around and kicked me hard, sending me stumbling toward the hallway.

"Useless she-wolf," he muttered before walking away.

I slipped into the office and quietly closed the door behind me. For several seconds, I rested against the heavy wood. The room was already spotless. Every pen remained in its proper place, and everything had been prepared perfectly for a meeting with a famously powerful Alpha.

I closed my eyes and slid down the door until I reached the floor. I hated that house. I had once believed I would finally escape as soon as I turned eighteen. Four years had passed since then, yet I remained there as a slave in my own home. I handled the hardest and most thankless chores for my brother, Alpha Toren, the entire pack, and my former mate, Beta Kyron. He spent every day reminding me of how worthless he thought I was.

Someone cleared his throat, and my blood turned cold.

For a moment, I wondered whether I had imagined the sound. I had been certain that I was alone. I leaned forward and noticed a man sitting in a wingback chair in the corner of the room. One ankle rested casually across his knee, and he held a glass of amber liquor between his fingers. His dark hair had been cut short, but his deep crimson eyes seemed almost unreal.

His gaze met mine without warning. I scrambled backward until my spine struck the door, and my heart began pounding violently.

"Is that how you greet every Alpha?" he asked. Dark amusement colored his deep voice.

"I'm sorry," I murmured as I hurried to my feet. "I... I thought I was alone."

I didn't know who he was, but I felt the suffocating power rolling off him even without my wolf. He didn't introduce himself. I couldn't imagine why he would bother.

"Come here."

The sharp command left no room for refusal. A hard lump formed in my throat. Alpha Toren was going to kill me because of this.

I moved away from the door and obeyed, stopping where the man could see me clearly. Instinct took over, and I squeezed my eyes shut as I prepared for the worst.

"You have an unusual scent. You're a she-wolf, aren't you?"

I nodded because I couldn't predict how he would react. Most people laughed as soon as they discovered what I was.

"Use your words," he growled. "I'm not in the mood for games."

"Yes," I whispered.

Images of my next punishment immediately filled my mind. It might be the whip, or they might leave me to starve in the darkness for another week.

"Why does your scent seem different? How did you fail to sense me? You should have smelled me."

"I..."

I hated that question.

"Speak. I don't have all day."

He raised his glass and slowly took a sip.

I knew exactly why I hadn't detected his scent or noticed his presence. However, explaining it brought a kind of humiliation I dreaded every time. No one had ever cared enough to listen to my side of the story. They only laughed at me, mocked me, and reduced me to the flaw that had defined my miserable existence.

"You should keep your eyes open when you speak to someone," he continued. "Avoiding someone's gaze is rude. Has your Alpha taught you nothing?"

The low rumble in his voice sent a shiver down my spine.

I slowly opened my eyes but kept them focused on the floor. I would never have dared to look an Alpha directly in the face.

"My wolf was sealed," I murmured.

Twice, I wanted to add. They had sealed her twice. However, a man like him wouldn't have cared about the details.

He leaned forward and carefully placed his glass on the side table. The weight of his stare settled heavily over me.

"Why would anyone do that to you?"

If he truly was the Alpha my brother wanted to impress, I could destroy the entire alliance by saying too much. I chose the safest answer.

"It was a punishment."

My answer didn't reveal the entire truth, but it wasn't a lie.

A muscle moved along his jaw. I couldn't tell whether anger had seized him or whether my punishment amused him as much as it amused everyone else.

The office door flew open with a bang.

"Nerya, what the hell are you doing in my office?" my brother shouted.

Then he noticed the man with the crimson eyes.

"I'm sorry my sister disturbed you, Alpha Darek."

A chill ran through my blood. The man before me truly was Alpha Darek.

Toren spun toward me and lifted his hand to hit me. I shut my eyes tight and prepared for the blow.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

A deadly growl lowered Alpha Darek's voice as it carried through the room.

Cautiously, I opened my eyes. Darek had risen from his chair and locked his large hand firmly around my brother's wrist.

Beside him, Toren looked smaller and far less intimidating. A calm but frightening power showed in every part of Darek's broad body.

"Nerya was kind enough to show me to your office, Alpha Toren," he remarked. Hearing him speak my name sent an odd jolt through me. "You weren't waiting at the door to welcome me as requested, but luckily, she was there. At least one person in this pack understands how important our meeting is."

Not a single part of me moved.

Nothing about his actions made sense to me. He had no reason to protect me with a lie.

Murder filled Toren's glare as his jaw tightened. I knew he would punish me for this later. Before that happened, I would have to sneak into the kitchen and steal a few scraps of food.

"Go and get Beta Kyron," Toren instructed through his tightly controlled anger. "Tell him our guest is here."

I lowered my head and rushed out of the room. I wanted nothing to do with a conflict between two Alphas.

"Beta Kyron," I called out softly when I entered the dining room.

His dark and menacing eyes snapped toward me at once. I had dared to speak before he gave me permission.

"Alpha Toren is waiting with Alpha Darek in the office," I said in a hurry. "He sent me to inform you."

Kyron struck the newspaper against the table and stormed past me with a vicious look.

"You're fortunate the Alpha ordered you to fetch me. If he hadn't, I would've kept you away from daylight for days."

Stopping right behind me, he seized a handful of my hair and pulled my head back. A sharp pain spread across my scalp while his fingers tightened around the strands. His heated breath touched my ear. Not a single word left his mouth. He didn't need to say anything. This was another cruel way for him to remind me that he owned me and could do whatever he pleased whenever he wished.

Once he was gone, I kept myself occupied by cleaning the floors as far away from the office as I could manage. However, that short break soon ended. Before long, Toren's voice thundered along the hallway as he called my name.

Quietly, I headed back and forced my face to look empty and obedient before I opened the door.

"Nerya, bring us champagne and some glasses. We have a reason to celebrate."

With my gaze lowered, I rushed over to the liquor cabinet. I quickly collected a vintage bottle of champagne and the crystal flutes. As soon as I returned to the office, Alpha Darek's steady gaze followed everything I did. The tiny hairs along the back of my neck rose. Never before had anyone watched me with that much focus.

Moving toward the side table beside his chair, I reached for the bottle to fill the glasses. Before I managed to pour anything, his large hand closed around it and easily took it from me.

"I can serve myself."

Heat rushed into my cheeks because of pure fear, not embarrassment. This mistake would earn me another beating. I should have moved more quickly. I should have filled the glasses before entering the room. I should have...

My panicked thoughts stopped the moment I saw Toren staring at me with open rage.

"Is Nerya truly your sister?" Alpha Darek asked.

"She is," Toren answered, making little effort to hide his disgust.

At last, he dragged his attention away from me and turned toward his guest.

"Why do you treat her as if she's worthless, then?"

His question hit without warning. Toren's body went rigid. Being challenged always angered him, especially if he couldn't control what others believed.

Until that moment, no one had ever challenged the way he treated me. Every pack member seemed to enjoy insulting me, beating me, and drawing my blood. I had no idea what I was supposed to do. My body remained locked in place while every part of me begged to run and escape the room. If the alliance failed because of me, I would be the one who suffered for it.

"Nerya caused our parents' deaths," Toren spat.

My eyes fell shut while I struggled to hold back the burning tears.

"How was she responsible?" Darek asked. His low voice suddenly carried a dark edge.

"She gave them wolfsbane."

Nerya's POV:

Stay quiet, Nerya. Whatever happened, I could not make a sound.

Alpha Darek's stare weighed heavily on me. Like everyone else, he watched me with the same cold and grim interest reserved for someone accused of something horrible. Who would have thought a little girl could poison her own parents? I kept my body motionless and lowered my head while silently wishing the floor would split open and pull me beneath it.

The thud of heavy footsteps filled the room. A moment later, he stopped directly before me.

One of his rough fingers hooked beneath my chin and lifted my face until I had no choice but to look at him. His hand gradually moved around my throat. He applied no pressure. Still, the frightening touch alone left me unable to move.

"Did you poison your parents?"

"I was only six," I stammered. "All I did was make lemonade for them."

A tremor ran through my voice and made it rise until I barely recognized the sound. Although I tried to explain myself, every word seemed foolish and weak beside the terrible accusation that had followed me for years. Only a few memories of my parents remained, yet the blame had been driven into me from that day onward.

Then Alpha Darek turned his red eyes toward my brother.

"Accusing a six-year-old sounds rather hard to believe."

"She was six, so she should have known which plants were dangerous," Alpha Toren replied flatly.

With a small shrug, Alpha Darek removed his hand from my neck.

"This sounded more like someone framed her. Everyone knew ordinary aconite had stopped harming our kind long ago. We had developed immunity to it centuries earlier."

My body remained rigid.

What was he talking about? Was aconite truly harmless? From the time I had learned to walk, everyone had taught me otherwise. They had buried that lie so far inside me that I had never once thought to question it.

"That left only one answer," Alpha Darek murmured. "Aconite Blood."

"You weren't there when it happened, Alpha Darek," my brother growled between clenched teeth. "Aconite killed them."

Darek tilted his head slightly.

"That's true. I wasn't there."

Perfect. The last thing I needed was another man digging up a tragedy that had happened years earlier.

However, he still had more to say: "Then answer one question. How could a six-year-old child have gotten Aconite Blood?"

"I didn't bring you here to talk about my slave," Alpha Toren spat. "And my parents' deaths were none of your concern."

From the armchair, Alpha Darek grabbed his leather jacket. He dressed far more simply than the other Alphas I had met, though something about his clothes still drew attention. His tight black T-shirt stretched over his broad, muscular chest, while a pair of dark jeans completed the look. Yet both of his arms remained entirely uncovered. No tattoos or even the faintest mark of ink touched his skin.

"Fine," Darek responded. "You've given me plenty to consider."

"I thought we reached an agreement," my brother snapped.

"We never signed anything. I could find the way out myself."

As soon as the door shut behind him, my brother and Beta Kyron faced me with the hunger of predators ready to tear into their prey.

"What exactly did you tell him?" Alpha Toren demanded.

His fist slammed deep into my stomach. The impact forced every bit of air from my lungs at once.

"N-Nothing," I grumbled as I fought to breathe. "He only asked why my scent smelled unusual."

"What did you say to him?" Kyron snarled, moving so near that warm drops of his spit struck my cheek.

Every part of me hated him. My hatred ran so deep that it sometimes gave me the only strength I had left to remain standing. Long ago, I had promised myself that I would make him pay someday. When that day came, he would suffer from every bit of pain he had made me endure.

"Answer me!" my brother shouted after I hesitated for too long.

The side of my head exploded with pain when his palm struck it. Under the force of the hit, I stumbled away.

I managed a faint nod.

"Yes... but I never told him you were responsible."

Although I had meant to sound steady, strong, and certain, the answer slipped from my mouth in a shattered whisper. Without their wolves' sharp hearing, neither man would have understood a word.

My brother grabbed a fistful of my dark hair. With a brutal jerk, he pulled my head backward and sent a fierce, burning pain across my scalp.

"If you cost me this alliance, I'll lock you away where you'll never see daylight again."

Still gripping my hair, he pulled me from the office and dragged me along the hallway toward the cellar entrance.

"Please..." I begged while stumbling after him. "He was an Alpha... I... I couldn't refuse to answer him."

Hot tears streamed over my cheeks when he pulled the heavy door open.

Alpha Darek stood on the other side.

With his arms folded, he rested comfortably against the wall and observed us without saying a word.

My brother immediately let go of my hair, and I dropped as the terrible strain disappeared from my scalp.

"Alpha Darek," Toren muttered while struggling to control his fury. "I thought you had already left."

"I told you I could find my own way out," Darek replied in a voice that was frighteningly calm. "I must've chosen the wrong door because I found a cellar soaked in your sister's unusual scent. Do you always treat your own family this way?"

"I've already told you why," my brother retorted without showing any fear. "She caused our parents' deaths. Yes, I treat her exactly as she deserves."

"What happens within another pack doesn't concern you," Beta Kyron sneered.

A brief laugh escaped Alpha Darek, but there was no trace of humor in it.

"Once I sign this treaty, every matter involving your pack concerns me. Now answer the question. What punishment did you have planned for her? Were you going to deny her food? Leave her alone in the darkness for a week? Beat her until she bled?"

"We had no intention of doing that."

"Is that so?" Darek interrupted as one dark eyebrow rose. "Did you seriously think I'd believe you were taking her upstairs and putting her to bed? Earlier today, I already had to step in before you struck her."

Then his sharp, careful gaze traveled over me as though he noticed far more than I wanted him to see.

"She's malnourished. Deep shadows have formed beneath her eyes. Despite being an Alpha's sister, she lives like she's worth nothing. Whatever she's accused of doing as a child doesn't matter to me."

"She killed them!" Alpha Toren hissed. "Besides, her punishment had nothing to do with the treaty."

"That decision belonged to me."

Slowly, Darek's red eyes scanned the entire hallway.

"Where was your mate? I wanted to know what she thought about the way you treated your sister."

My eyes pressed tightly closed as I silently pleaded for my brother not to call his Luna. Cerya was more vicious than Kyron and Toren put together.

"Actually, there was no need to bring her here," Alpha Darek continued, and disgust coated every word. "She was probably every bit as vile as both of you."

Carefully, I opened my eyes again. His attention had already settled back on me.

Nothing gave him a reason to protect me. I meant nothing to anyone because I was only the girl they had all condemned as a traitor. My brother had spared me from execution, but only because he preferred to make each day of my life feel like a long and painful death sentence.

"I wanted to offer you a new arrangement, Alpha Toren," Darek remarked as a hard, icy smile appeared on his lips.

"The conditions were already settled."

"I was adding another one. If you rejected it, you wouldn't receive my support. More importantly, you would gain me as an enemy. Both of us knew your pack couldn't survive that."

A muscle moved sharply in my brother's jaw.

"I assumed this condition had something to do with her."

"Your assumption was correct. She would return to my pack with me. In exchange for Nerya, Toren, I would give you the alliance."

Was he talking about me?

What reason could he have for taking me?

My brother and his Beta quietly discussed my future as if I were nothing but an object they could exchange. Throughout it all, Alpha Darek never looked away from me. His intense stare filled my stomach with a nervous flutter. What use could a powerful man like him possibly have for someone as damaged as me?

"Fine," Alpha Toren finally answered through clenched teeth.

My brother extended a hand to confirm the agreement, but Darek made no effort to accept it. Instead, his red gaze slowly moved from my face to Toren.

"I'll arrange the documents and return tomorrow."

Afterward, he stretched out his hand and gently rested his palm against my cheek. Such unexpected tenderness caught me off guard, and my breath lodged in my throat.

"Make sure she has everything packed before I arrive."

His thumb softly passed over my lower lip before he withdrew his hand. With complete confidence, he walked along the corridor and went directly toward the front entrance without taking even one incorrect turn.

That meant he had known where the exit was all along. Why had he acted as if he had lost his way?

At the doorway, he stopped and looked back over his shoulder.

"If I learned that either of you touched her tonight, losing the treaty would become the smallest problem you'd face."

After delivering the warning, he left, and the heavy entrance door crashed shut behind him.

"Disappear from my sight!" my brother yelled.

There was no need for him to repeat the order. I hurried away from him, raced up the stairs, and escaped into my cramped bedroom.

Almost nothing filled the small space. Other than several worn pieces of clothing, I owned no belongings at all. Packing everything I had would take less than a minute.

By the time daylight arrived, I had not slept at all.

Every word Alpha Darek had spoken continued to circle through my mind. What had made him notice me? Why would an Alpha with his position spare me a glance? He commanded the biggest pack in the region, and he had earned that power. The fighting ability of his wolves had become legendary, which explained why my brother wanted an alliance between his pack and Moonshine so badly.

Still, what part did I have in any of it?

More importantly... what was Aconite Blood?

Darek's POV:

"Perhaps the tenth promised mate would finally bring you some luck," Jarek mocked when the car stopped outside the Moonshine pack house.

"Keep your mouth shut," Eryon snapped.

"You both needed to be quiet," I growled. "Otherwise, you might say something you'd regret."

"That one would always be hopeless," Arovan, my wolf, muttered with tired amusement.

Our driver climbed out and moved to open my door, but I lifted one hand and stopped him.

"Wait a moment. I need to speak with my men."

Once the door closed again, the cabin fell completely silent. Neither Eryon nor Jarek risked saying anything else.

"Nerya isn't the same as those other women," I said in a quiet but firm voice. "Neither of you will speak to her or watch her. Jarek, control your hands because I may actually tear them off this time."

More tension sat inside me than I wanted to admit. Unlike the mates who had been brought before me before, Nerya possessed none of their practiced confidence. Perhaps her quiet manner or fragile appearance had drawn me in. Maybe I had simply grown too familiar with bold women who had been trained to charm men and bargain with them. Whatever the reason, I couldn't stop thinking about her. Arovan shared the same interest. Better yet, my wolf favored her more than every other woman we had met.

All I wanted was to keep her close.

"Take my warning seriously," I added when I noticed Jarek's disrespectful grin. "Being my brother won't protect you when you cross the line."

Jarek slid his fingers across his mouth and pretended to seal it with a zipper. At least he understood what I meant.

After leaving the car, we faced the old pack house that towered over us with its huge, worn, and gloomy structure. All three of us studied the front of the building. Only a month earlier, I hadn't known this pack even existed. My first visit had taught me one clear fact. Their Alpha was a proud idiot.

I knocked on the door. As soon as it opened a crack, I pushed through and made their Beta stagger out of my path.

Right away, I found her.

Half concealed by a corner of the hallway, Nerya stood as though she wanted the wall to swallow her.

"Have you finished getting ready?" I asked her directly.

"If you'd allow me to..."

Beta Kyron tried to answer, but my cold interruption silenced him.

"My question wasn't for you. I asked Nerya."

The look on his face almost made me laugh. His mouth fell open while his eyes widened in disbelief. Apparently, nobody interrupted him, including the Alpha he served.

With slow steps, Nerya emerged from her hiding place. A nearly empty plastic bag remained pressed against her chest. She nervously bit her lower lip before dipping her head in a slight nod.

"What happened to the rest of your belongings?" I asked. "You were supposed to pack all of them."

"You're looking at everything she has," Toren sneered as he came into sight.

My attention immediately shifted to him.

"Was that really it? Everything she owned fit inside one bag? She's twenty years old, yet she has nothing else?"

"Why would she require anything more?" his Beta scoffed.

"Kill him. Let me tear his throat open so he learns what happens when he stands against us," Arovan snarled inside my head.

"Why was everyone standing around?" A harsh voice suddenly rang out, and its piercing tone nearly shook the floor beneath us.

Turning away from Kyron, I noticed a woman waiting near the bottom of the stairs. One hand rested on a statue made in her image, which revealed plenty about the kind of person she was. Loose blonde curls framed her face, and her green eyes openly traveled over my body. As she strolled toward Toren, her hips moved with every step, and she carried herself like a woman who believed no man could resist her.

My thoughts returned to Nerya's response when I had asked about her brother's mate the previous day. Fear had locked every part of her body in place. This woman clearly terrified her, and I intended to discover the reason.

"Take her with you, Alpha Darek," the blonde instructed, and her voice scraped against my ears. "She'll probably make a decent slave for you, just as she did for us. Look at that fool. She can hardly stay on her feet."

A loud and cruel laugh burst from her mouth.

Cold anger settled into my stare.

"Don't ever refer to her that way again," I warned. "She doesn't belong to you, and she isn't anyone's slave. Alpha Toren, you should control your Luna. I won't tolerate much more from her."

"Control me?" the woman blurted out just as Nerya dropped to her knees. "How dare you accuse me of needing control? The only creature causing trouble was that filthy rat hiding near the corner."

"Who the hell was she calling a rat?" Arovan hissed.

My jaw tightened until my teeth hurt.

"You may want to look through our agreement," I replied without warmth. "Your mate clearly left out a few important details."

At my signal, Eryon approached us. From the folder beneath his arm, he removed the thick set of documents that contained the contract I had prepared.

Shock widened the Luna's eyes.

"You needed that many pages just to promise us your support?"

"My name never went on careless contracts."

I took the documents from Eryon and pressed them firmly against Toren's chest.

"We'll continue this in your office."

Toren moved ahead while his mate wrapped herself around his arm like a golden claw. Their Beta stayed close behind them because he clearly wanted to hear every word. My men followed the three of them. Instead of joining them right away, I remained behind to make sure my new mate was all right.

Nerya still sat on the floor with her bag held tightly in her arms, and her gaze moved anywhere that kept it away from mine.

"You may join us," I suggested to her. "This agreement involved you more than anyone else. If you preferred, you could take your belongings outside and wait inside my car."

"Did I have any other choice?" she murmured without lifting her eyes from the floor.

"Not at the moment. I believed you belonged in that discussion, though. Watching you upset your brother's mate would make it far more enjoyable for me."

Her vivid blue eyes stayed lowered. Both hands clung tightly to the miserable bag as if someone might still take her few belongings from her. Standing this close allowed me to see how badly they had treated her. No one should have been that thin, and looking at her almost hurt. Even the beat of her heart sounded weak and slow, as though it continued only because it had forgotten how to stop.

"Well?" I asked softly. "Which one will you choose?"

"I..."

Her attention moved between the front entrance and the hallway that led toward the office.

"I... thought I would go to the office."

"You made the better choice."

When I offered her my hand, she made no move to accept it. She rose without my help instead, though the effort left her shaking. Her body wavered for a moment before she steadied herself. I followed several steps behind her. The moment we entered the office, I noticed the vicious looks Toren, his Beta, and that hateful Luna directed at her.

"Take a seat," I murmured while walking past her.

My fingers grazed her lower back. At once, she recoiled as though even a gentle touch would lead to pain.

Instead of sitting, she froze in place. Her wide eyes darted around the room in panic before she faintly shook her head.

"Please sit," I said again, putting more force behind the words.

"She isn't allowed to do that in this house," the blonde sneered.

Slowly, I looked in her direction.

"No one needs permission to sit."

My thoughts turned to everything else they might have done to Nerya. Nothing visible marked her arms or legs. Part of me wanted to find comfort in that, but my instincts wouldn't accept it.

There had better be nothing else, Arovan growled as he stalked through my mind like a trapped animal. My wolf wanted to take her away from this house every bit as much as I did.

Shock made the blonde sink farther into her chair because she clearly hadn't expected me to answer her that way. Her lips remained parted.

"One more thing," I added as my stare fixed on Toren. "Teach your mate when to close her mouth. If you don't, I'll silence her myself."

"Alpha Darek, don't forget that you're standing in my home."

"You still needed my support, didn't you?"

Anger burned across all three of their faces. Being given orders inside their own home clearly infuriated them. Still, they had treated Nerya that exact way for years.

My finger indicated the vacant chair between Jarek and Eryon. Following a brief pause, she hesitantly lowered herself onto it.

"Let's finish this," Toren growled. "I'll be glad once she's gone."

"Reading the contract first would be wise," I insisted evenly.

"I already accepted that you could take her under the terms of our deal."

"What a fool," Eryon muttered.

Like me, he understood that signing a contract without checking every condition was a stupid mistake.

However, Toren and his followers quickly scrawled their names without reading even one sentence. Once they finished, they nearly pushed the documents into my hands.

"It's done," Toren replied.

"Excellent," his mate sneered. "Now remove her from my home."

Following my instincts would have meant taking Nerya and leaving these idiots behind immediately. Still, the contract served an important purpose. Its terms ensured that none of them could ever harm her again. Their pleas wouldn't change that. Neither would any regret they felt later. An Alpha's contract carried more weight than an ordinary promise. Once signed, it controlled them whether they had read its conditions or not.

I rose from my chair before extending one hand toward Nerya.

"Come with me. We're getting out of this miserable place before my patience completely runs out."

Unlike before, she placed her warm hand in mine and rose to her feet. Her other arm held the bag securely against her chest. Without looking behind her once, she stayed beside me until we reached the front entrance. She offered no farewell. Not once did she pause.

Her silence gave me all the answers I needed.

The hatred she carried for them matched every bit of the hatred they showed her.

The moment we arrived at the open doorway, she stopped. Her fingers slid away from mine. When she noticed the limousine waiting outside, her blue eyes widened.

"Come with me," I insisted softly.

Behind her, Eryon and Jarek watched with guarded interest.

"Was she okay?" Eryon asked over the mind link.

"Nerya?"

Moving into her line of sight, I stood directly before her, but she showed no response. Her eyes looked beyond me as though she couldn't see anything at all.

"We needed to leave."

"All right."

Her answer barely passed her lips.

One careful foot moved forward as though the air had become too thick for her to cross. Both hands closed around the doorframe. Her knuckles lost all color while the beat of her heart suddenly raced out of control. Her lips parted. A second later, her fingers loosened and her eyes rolled upward.

"I had you," I murmured.

Before she struck the floor, I grabbed her. Her whole body stiffened against me when I lifted her into my arms and carried her toward the car. The fragile feel of her frightened me because she weighed far less than I had imagined. Holding her felt no different from carrying a child.

Eryon and Jarek entered ahead of us. Once I settled into the back seat with Nerya across my lap, Jarek raised one eyebrow and gave me a smug, knowing grin.

"Whatever you're thinking, Jarek, keep it to yourself."

Carefully, I held her closer and listened while her uneven breathing and racing pulse slowly returned to normal. My fingers gently passed through her dark hair as I gave her time to regain awareness.

Without warning, she jerked upright. Using what little strength she had, she hurried away from me and pressed herself into the opposite corner of the seat, where she tried to take up as little space as she could.

Rather than pressuring her, I looked toward my Beta and brother again. We talked about pack matters while I checked on her from time to time to make sure she remained stable.

Eventually, the limousine came to a halt. I climbed out before the driver could reach the door, then held my hand toward her.

"Come on."

"I could manage," she finally whispered.

After sneaking a nervous look at the others, she carefully moved along the seat and stepped through the open doorway.

Her head tilted back as she studied my home, and a quiet breath of amazement escaped her. Our pack house stood at least three times larger than the home she had left behind. Someday, I wanted her to feel protected within these walls. More than anything, I wanted to offer her a life better than the nightmare she had escaped.

"Let me show you around," I suggested.

Once again, she hugged the bag against her chest and quietly followed me inside. Whether she understood anything I told her remained impossible to judge.

"Our Omegas take turns working different shifts," I explained while leading her through the enormous dining room, where the main table had enough room for twenty people. "The younger members learned responsibility this way before receiving permanent positions in the pack."

Next, we entered the kitchen. My hand gestured toward the whiteboard attached to the wall.

"Whenever you need something, write it on this board, and we'll have it ordered."

A small crease appeared between her eyebrows. Even so, no words came from her.

Taking the marker beside the board, I smiled in what I hoped was a comforting way. Perhaps standing near me only made her more nervous.

"Tell me what you need. I won't let you stay in my home with nothing except the few items inside that plastic bag."

Her clear blue eyes moved anxiously around the kitchen, and confusion covered her face.

"What did you need?" I gently encouraged.

"Nothing," she whispered. "I didn't need anything."

After holding back a sigh, I began making the list for her. Underwear, jeans, training clothes, dresses, shoes, sleepwear, jackets, toiletries... I included every basic item that might keep her comfortable during the next several days.

With the marker cap caught between my teeth, I moved closer and placed both hands around her waist to estimate her measurements. My thumbs almost touched over her navel, and the tips of my fingers reached her spine.

Her body was much too thin.

How had she managed to remain on her feet?