Page 41 of Fractured Mates
He did still kiss me after I ripped out another wolf shifter’s heart, but that’s different. Killing my fated mate was personal.
And it saved your life in more ways than one, my wolf reminds me.
That it had. I would have been treated as a possession, forced to do things I wouldn’t want to, be someone I wasn’t. All that and probably more if I hadn’t defended myself against Thane.
As I keep my gaze averted out the window, my fingers lightly rub over my ribs where the most prominent scar on my body remains. I try to stop the onslaught of memories, but with my emotions all twisted, there’s no avoiding the nightmare.
I’m sitting by the river, alone as usual, thanks to my friends not standing up for me against the shit Thane’s been saying. Running away didn’t work the first time, but as the days continue to pass and that creep of a mate stares at me with his dark, menacing eyes, I know I won’t last here.
Even my wolf is anxious to run. We’re not safe in our pack any longer.
Worse, I’ll be packless at only sixteen.
I throw a stone across the water, watching as it skips along the surface before disappearing into the current.
My stomach grumbles. I should have brought snacks, but I wasn’t thinking about food when I escaped out my bedroom window. No, all my mind could focus on were my mother’s words.
“Just be a good mate and everything will be fine, Sophie. I promise, it’s easier this way.”
She wants me to bend to Thane’s will. At sixteen. Sure, most of my friends have already had sex, but I’ve gotten off more from having a slice of cake than eyeballing the “men” around here.
The thought of letting my fated mate force me to do something I don’t feel ready for makes me want to vomit. Even more so because my mother believes obeying the fucker is the right choice.
The sun has already set, and it’s getting darker by the minute. Between that and my aching belly, I decide it’s time to go, but the moment I start to stand, the hair on the back of my neck begins to rise.
He’s here.
Run, my wolf says, but it’s too late.
Thane’s wolf is breathing hard from behind me, and I wouldn’t be fast enough. I force a smile to my face and turn around. Dark, narrowed eyes glare at me, and I try not to panic so he can’t sense my fear.
“Hi, Thane,” I say, strengthening my smile.
I expect him to shift back to his human form, but he doesn’t. Instead, his voice echoes inside my head thanks to our pack bond.
It’s time, Sophie, he says gruffly.
“Time for what?” I ask out loud. The thought of even being inside his head repulses me, something that isn’t normal between fated mates. Then again, most shifters don’t feel like pieces of meat for their mates to devour.
I’m going to mark you and you’re going to be mine as of today, he announces, making my chest tighten with the terror I can no longer hold back. No more running, Mate. You are mine, and you will obey me.
My head starts to shake on instinct and the action has his wolf growling deeply. I take a step back, but the intensity in his stare only becomes more intrigued.
He wants to hunt me. He wants to destroy me in every way possible.
Even though I know I shouldn’t, I turn and run. If I can get to the water, maybe I can swim faster than his wolf. Except before my feet can reach the shore, his wolf’s teeth latch on to my boot, halting my movements and forcing me to fall to the ground.
I try to scramble up, a scream ready to rip from my lungs, and then he pounces on top of me. The front paws of his wolf press down onto my shoulders, and saliva drips from his snarling jowls. You will do as I command, Sophie. The sooner you understand that, the easier this can be for everyone. Don’t you realize the discontent you’re causing within the pack by refusing me?
I blink, trying to tell myself that I’m not the problem here, but his words still penetrate right to my heart, causing me to believe otherwise.
We need to shift, my wolf says. You’ll never beat him like this.
There is no beating him, I reply, already feeling defeated. The only way out of this is death.
Exactly. His death.
Her words make my stomach churn violently. The thought of killing my fated mate makes me want to vomit, but…I also know she’s right. Thane has left us no choice. Still, accepting my limited options and taking a life are two different things.