hand.
Her arms were guided behind her back and restrained again. She had no strength left.
“There’s too much hunter in this one. She might be a hard sell.”
Strong arms lifted her body from the ground and she was dragged back to her packmates, most of whom had awakened and stared in heavy silence at her return.
Nahuel crouched among the Yaundeeshaw shifters. He offered her no words of comfort or support. Instead, he jumped the closest vampire with two other packmates in a foolish attack.
Chained and collared, the shifters were left poorly prepared to fight properly. Any hunter should have known the attack would fail, yet these idiots fell to the vampire’s feet easily and were beaten soundly for it.
Peder squirmed next to her until his upper body supported hers. “Save your strength,” he whispered in her ear. “If you love him, I’ll do my best to save him as well.” He licked behind her ear as omegas did as a comfort. Such a simple gesture, but it lent her the courage to keep her eyes open and watch the vampires drag Nahuel to the fire.
She hated them all. What made vampires so special they thought they could own the world? She cringed at Nahuel’s cries of pain, which reflected her own. Her hand throbbed with her racing pulse and she buried her face against Peder’s chest.
He seemed bigger than she remembered. Peder had always been beautiful but in a delicate, fine-muscled way. His chest pillowed her head better than she’d thought possible, and the sound of his steady heartbeat muffled Nahuel’s screams.
Peder had held his tongue while being branded. He’d stood strong and made it seem a minor discomfort. She knew the truth. So did everyone who had watched her and Nahuel.
One by one, the vampires dragged, beat, and fought each shifter to the fire, branding all with the leader’s mark. Owned like livestock. It didn’t translate in their culture. Strays? It was the best description but somehow with the vampires, their position seemed worse. Screams filled the night air and no rescue arrived.
Peder continued to shower her with comforting licks and nuzzles.
She closed her eyes and prayed to a goddess not many believed in anymore. How could they when the Goddess let vampires destroy their lives and culture? Did prayers fall on deaf ears? Had Kele’s parents’ souls gone to the dark without the Goddess to welcome them to her bosom? Tears trickled from her eyes.
No one could see her weakness, but from the way Peder’s shoulder stiffened, she knew he sensed her tears. He sighed and rested his head upon hers. No false words of reassurance fell from his lips. He just cradled her as best he could and let her grieve in quiet.
Her chest felt hollow. Papa …she hadn’t called him that since she’d been a pup. In her heart, she’d always thought of them as her mama and papa. Who would be her anchor now? She sobbed as silently as she could manage and her throat paid the price with the strain. What of her pack? Their alphas were gone. She’d been on her way to the top of the hierarchy and disrupted all the dominance statuses of the female hunters. The challenges would be deadly. Packs could be destroyed if a couple didn’t gain control fast. She’d broken Tegrathe’s leg. She wouldn’t be able to compete. Or if she did, she’d die.
Kele took a shuddering breath. She had to get back.
And she had to take Nahuel with her. She couldn’t fight as an alpha without a mate strong enough to win. He was a hunter and knew how to win challenges. She listened to him whimpering not far from where she lay against Peder. At least, she assumed he could fight. Those noises made her less confident.
“No,” Peder whispered.
She jerked from his chest. Had she spoken aloud? But his gaze wasn’t on her but in the direction of the fire. She twisted around and gasped.
A female had shifted to civil form. The manacles were large enough to fit a shifter-sized wrist so she had the room to shrink. She stood naked in
Her arms were guided behind her back and restrained again. She had no strength left.
“There’s too much hunter in this one. She might be a hard sell.”
Strong arms lifted her body from the ground and she was dragged back to her packmates, most of whom had awakened and stared in heavy silence at her return.
Nahuel crouched among the Yaundeeshaw shifters. He offered her no words of comfort or support. Instead, he jumped the closest vampire with two other packmates in a foolish attack.
Chained and collared, the shifters were left poorly prepared to fight properly. Any hunter should have known the attack would fail, yet these idiots fell to the vampire’s feet easily and were beaten soundly for it.
Peder squirmed next to her until his upper body supported hers. “Save your strength,” he whispered in her ear. “If you love him, I’ll do my best to save him as well.” He licked behind her ear as omegas did as a comfort. Such a simple gesture, but it lent her the courage to keep her eyes open and watch the vampires drag Nahuel to the fire.
She hated them all. What made vampires so special they thought they could own the world? She cringed at Nahuel’s cries of pain, which reflected her own. Her hand throbbed with her racing pulse and she buried her face against Peder’s chest.
He seemed bigger than she remembered. Peder had always been beautiful but in a delicate, fine-muscled way. His chest pillowed her head better than she’d thought possible, and the sound of his steady heartbeat muffled Nahuel’s screams.
Peder had held his tongue while being branded. He’d stood strong and made it seem a minor discomfort. She knew the truth. So did everyone who had watched her and Nahuel.
One by one, the vampires dragged, beat, and fought each shifter to the fire, branding all with the leader’s mark. Owned like livestock. It didn’t translate in their culture. Strays? It was the best description but somehow with the vampires, their position seemed worse. Screams filled the night air and no rescue arrived.
Peder continued to shower her with comforting licks and nuzzles.
She closed her eyes and prayed to a goddess not many believed in anymore. How could they when the Goddess let vampires destroy their lives and culture? Did prayers fall on deaf ears? Had Kele’s parents’ souls gone to the dark without the Goddess to welcome them to her bosom? Tears trickled from her eyes.
No one could see her weakness, but from the way Peder’s shoulder stiffened, she knew he sensed her tears. He sighed and rested his head upon hers. No false words of reassurance fell from his lips. He just cradled her as best he could and let her grieve in quiet.
Her chest felt hollow. Papa …she hadn’t called him that since she’d been a pup. In her heart, she’d always thought of them as her mama and papa. Who would be her anchor now? She sobbed as silently as she could manage and her throat paid the price with the strain. What of her pack? Their alphas were gone. She’d been on her way to the top of the hierarchy and disrupted all the dominance statuses of the female hunters. The challenges would be deadly. Packs could be destroyed if a couple didn’t gain control fast. She’d broken Tegrathe’s leg. She wouldn’t be able to compete. Or if she did, she’d die.
Kele took a shuddering breath. She had to get back.
And she had to take Nahuel with her. She couldn’t fight as an alpha without a mate strong enough to win. He was a hunter and knew how to win challenges. She listened to him whimpering not far from where she lay against Peder. At least, she assumed he could fight. Those noises made her less confident.
“No,” Peder whispered.
She jerked from his chest. Had she spoken aloud? But his gaze wasn’t on her but in the direction of the fire. She twisted around and gasped.
A female had shifted to civil form. The manacles were large enough to fit a shifter-sized wrist so she had the room to shrink. She stood naked in
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