“No, no, no,” she whispered, eyes glued to the door. She imagined making it through the small opening, into the dark of the room beyond, and then going farther and farther until she was beyond the boundary of the camp. And even farther until she found the Ravendales. She’d betrayed their alpha. He’d want revenge. He might send her away. He might even kill her. Either way, he’d never be as cruel as Jax.
Her hand reached for the door just so a part of her was still resisting. Her hand, and her eyes with their tears, and her mouth repeating no, no, no.
She imagined she found Cael. Imagined what he looked like all these years later. Harder eyes, a touch of a beard, bigger, sturdier than she recalled. The expression on his face when recognition hit him. Like, relief. Like he’d been looking for her too. And then rage. So much rage.
“No,” she moaned, this time because she needed him to not be angry with her. Not in this moment, in her imagination. She needed him to take her away from this horror. Just get her through the worst of it so she could recover enough to kill her mate.
The apparition of Cael reared back, kicking the door so hard it loosened from its hinges. For a moment everything seemed to stop. Like the action had frozen time. Even the beat of her heart failed. And then like water rushing from an opened dam, everything spilled forward.
Cael lunged at her, but she wasn’t his intended target. Suddenly, the weight of the alpha was gone and she could move. She scrambled to the door but before she could get through it, her brother appeared, and Avan.
“What the hell?” Vesh roared.
Besh blinked over and over trying to make sense of what was happening. Cael and Jax were trading blows. The footboard of the bed cracked as Cael threw the alpha into it. The room filled with snarls as wolves threatened to surface.
“She’s in heat,” Avan called to Vesh over the noise. “They won’t stop until one of them is dead.”
Vesh dropped to his knees next to Besh. “Fine by me.”
“Vesh!” Avan yelled. “What if the wrong one dies?”
He ignored her, gently brushing Besh’s hair aside to examine the damage to her face.
“Shit,” Avan muttered, jumping up and down like a boxer in a ring. “I can’t let him kill my mate.”
And like that, things became clear for Besh. This was real. Vesh and Avan and… Cael. They were here, and they were helping her.
Vesh’s gaze landed on her ripped gown, and his face turned hard as stone. “Did he…? Against your will?”
Her mouth opened to reply but the answer got stuck in her throat.
“Motherfucker,” Vesh spat, rising so fast it made her feel dizzy.
In a flurry, there were suddenly four bodies trading blows instead of three.
“He’s mine.” She heard Cael’s roar above all else, the dominance of his alpha wolf thundering through the room.
Vesh had Jax by the throat. He slammed him against the wall, but Cael fought to get to Jax, his gaze murderous.
Besh wanted out of the room. Out of the house. Out of the camp. She wanted to run, to be free. She wanted to go. She wanted to get away.
Avan stepped between the two, shoving Cael hard in the chest. “What are you doing?” she hissed.
“I need to kill him.” Cael’s voice warbled with rage. “Get out of my way.”
“Let us do it. Take Besh and go. Get her out of here.”
“No fucking way,” he bellowed. “Not after what he’s done. I’m going to tear him to fucking pieces.” He lunged forward again, and Vesh snarled a warning.
“My sister, my vengeance.”
“I am your alpha, wolf.”
The air in the room snapped and cracked, and Besh let out a whimper. She needed help. Her arm was pure agony, twisted at a wrong angle.
Cael’s head snapped in her direction, his face a furious mask.
“Please.” Besh struggled to her feet. “Take me out of here. Please.”
So many emotions passed over his face in a matter of two seconds ending in something miserable and sad. The way the weight of the world looks if it’s wrapped up in a single expression.
He stumbled over to her, and she was vaguely aware of Jax struggling in the background. Gingerly, Cael wrapped an arm around her waist, supporting her weight. She tried not to lean on him much but she shook from the warmth of his touch. Never thought she’d feel it again. The lump in her throat was too big, too hard.
Besh winced when he brushed against her injured arm. Cael went rigid, then he looked at Vesh and Avan. “He dies for this. You hear me? That’s an order.”
“My fucking pleasure,” Vesh growled, fingers digging into Jax’s throat.
“You,” he pointed a finger at Vesh. “You’ll pay for this later.”