Bride to the Alpha (The Wolf's Pet Book Two) Read Free Page A

out of the bed of pelts.
    “What is it?”
    "I found a way for you to escape. Quick. You must come with me.”
    I resisted.
    “Wait,” I said.
    “There is no waiting. We only have a short while.”
    “Hold on!” I said. I grasped her forearms. "I can't.”
    “The prince has called his guards away to speak with them,” she said hurriedly. “If you were able to sneak into the camp, you should be able to sneak away from the camp. The scouts are not moving tonight.”
    For a moment, I considered her plan. Her eyes were frightened. For me? I felt a thrill of fear rise in my chest. I took a deep breath to calm myself down.
    “I have important work to do here,” I said carefully. “I must stay here."
    "You'll be tortured. Stupid human, don’t you realize?"
    She slapped her hand on my blisters. Pain shot through my shoulders and I cried out in pain.
    "Do you think this is bad?” She leaned forward and stared into my eyes, grasping the sides of my arms. “This is only the first sip of pain. They'll drown you in it."
    “I can’t leave him,” I said, swallowing hard. I had to stay. There was more to this than I knew. I had to stay here and talk with Alekk again. If I had to suffer to get that information, then I would have to suffer. I was determined to figure out Alex's secret. What I’d felt between us…
    “You think he loves you?”
    My eyes snapped to Leah. Her braids dangled in the dim light, framing her face like dark curtains.
    “He doesn’t. He’s using you.” She explained it to me condescendingly. Slowly. Like she might talk to a child.
    “I can’t leave him,” I said.
    “You’re nothing to him. You’re a human .” She spat the word out like it was dog shit.
    I stared up and spoke slowly, trying not to shift in my anger.
    “I. Can’t. Leave. Him.”
    “Did you plan to kill him? By walking into his camp naked?” Leah scoffed. “You’d have had a better time if you’d killed yourself at the edge of our army.”
    “Why are you trying to help me?” I stared at her baldly. There was no reason an escort to the prince would be helping a human to sneak out. I wanted to know why she would risk her life by helping me.
    “What? You don’t trust me?” Leah squinted at me.
    “I didn’t say that,” I said. “I only want to know why you’re so willing to help a human prisoner escape.”
    Leah leaned so far forward that I could smell her breath, the undeniable alcoholic scent mixed with juniper. In the chill of the air, it was white like mist. Her eyes gleamed with darkness.
    “They do bad things in this pack,” she said. “The sisters, they’re the worst. You don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into.”
    I swallowed hard.
    “So you just feel bad for me? That’s why you want to help me escape?”
    “Yes! If you don’t want to leave, then don’t!” She stared at me like I was insane for staying.
    “Why don’t you leave?” I asked.
    She looked at me for a moment, then pulled her skirts up. I gasped.
    Her right leg looked normal. But her left leg was scarred so deeply that the flesh was puckered inward. It was a long scar that ran from her ankle up past her knee. The white skin shone even in the dim light.
    “I tried once,” she said. “This is how they made sure I didn’t try again.”
    My chest muscles tightened, and for a moment I didn’t breathe. Then I let out a shaky breath.
    “You’re saying it yourself—they’ll hurt me if they find me. You want me to risk that to escape?” I shook my head, feeling the bandage over the brand irritate the edges. It hurt, but not nearly as much as what Leah had gone through.
    “This is what they do to their females,” she said. “Have you seen what they do to their humans?”
    “No,” I said. “I haven’t seen any humans in this camp.”
    “And you won’t, either,” Leah said. “There isn’t a human that’s lasted more than a week in our pack without being destroyed. And I mean destroyed. Torn to pieces—”
    She