Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 39650 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 198(@200wpm)___ 159(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39650 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 198(@200wpm)___ 159(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
A whimper escaped without Simon’s permission, the weight on him registering as warmth and safety in his mind instead of the danger it actually posed. Clearly, he was more injured than a surface examination had revealed.
“Are you done?” the Alpha asked.
Never. Simon would never give up. Death was the inevitable outcome of any interaction with shifters, especially an Alpha. No way would he give them the pleasure of torturing him first. With that reminder at the forefront of his brain, he twisted his head and snapped his jaws, hoping to catch skin.
“Damn it!” the Alpha yelled. He snaked his meaty palm around Simon’s neck and grabbed his muzzle, holding his mouth shut. “Quit fighting me.”
Simon shifted into his human form, dragged in air, and said, “Never.”
“Why?” The Alpha sounded genuinely confused. “You’re an Omega. I can smell you. You need to submit.”
“I already told you,” Simon said breathlessly. “Not weak.” The heavy pressure on his back made it difficult for him to breathe. His voice strained, he said, “Won’t submit. You’re going to have to kill me.”
Roaring loudly, the Alpha wrapped his arm around Simon’s throat but instead of snapping his neck or choking him, he lifted Simon off the floor and tossed him over his shoulder.
“What’s wrong with you?” the huge man grumbled as he marched out of the room. “Don’t you have instincts?”
He did have instincts, and the Alpha was right, they were pushing at him to roll over, submit, and curl into the warmth and protection offered by a stronger wolf. But he knew those were lies. Stronger wolves hurt weaker ones and nobody except his mother had ever protected him. So he wouldn’t trust those faulty instincts. He’d die with dignity.
“Fuck you,” he said.
Without responding, the Alpha stomped through the kitchen and into a laundry room.
Simon didn’t remember that room, and he wondered if it had been added or if he wasn’t in the house he remembered.
After digging through drawers and slamming cabinet doors, seemingly looking for something, the Alpha marched back into the kitchen and dropped Simon onto a chair. “You want to make this hard, it’ll be hard,” the man said, speaking under his breath. “But I’m not letting you go.” He twisted Simon’s arms behind his back and twined rope around his wrists, securing them to the chair, and then he did the same with each of Simon’s ankles.
At least Simon knew what the Alpha had retrieved from the laundry room—rope. What he didn’t know was why he was still alive.
As if reading his mind, the Alpha said, “And I’m not letting you die either.” He stood and glared at Simon. “When’s the last time you ate, pup?”
Blinking in surprise, Simon tried to process the question.
“Never mind.” The Alpha shook his head in disgust. “You’re all skin and bones, you’re pale, and you’re shaking. You need to eat.” He took two long strides to the counter, picked a plate up from the open shelves on the wall, and then headed for the pots and pans on the stove.
It wasn’t until a plate overflowing with steak, eggs, and potatoes was placed in front of him that Simon realized what was happening. “You’re feeding me?” he asked incredulously.
The Alpha grunted and yanked open a silverware drawer before returning with a knife and fork and sitting on a chair next to Simon.
“What the fuck?” Simon said. “Are you doing a Hansel and Gretel recreation here? Going to fatten me up before you eat me?”
Looking away from the plate where he was cutting off a hunk of steak, the Alpha fixed coal eyes on him. “You need to put on some weight.” He licked his lips and dragged his gaze over Simon’s body. “But I’m going to enjoy eating you just as you are.”
Simon recognized that expression. It was lust, but not the blood variety he’d thought he was dealing with. This was something else, something far more frightening. He froze, realizing he was naked and tied up. Shifting back and forth between human and wolf meant being accustomed to nudity in front of others so Simon hadn’t given his lack of clothing any thought. Pain was frequent enough in his life that he didn’t worry about it. Death he didn’t fear. But this…this he couldn’t take. Not again.
“Hey.” The Alpha cupped his cheeks.
Unable to stop himself, Simon flinched and whimpered.
The Alpha removed his hands as if he’d been burned and leaned back, putting room between them.
“What’s the matter?”
Trying to rein in potential panic, Simon grunted, “Clothes.”
“Oh. I would have put something on you after your bath, but you were sleeping and I know I hate being constricted when I’m—”
“Bath?”
“You were filthy so I washed you.”
Simon’s heart slammed against his ribs and his lungs seized. “When I was unconscious?”
The Alpha stared at Simon, his brow furrowed and his lips pursed. “Breathe,” he said. “Slow and easy now.”