Stolen by the Alpha Book 3
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Midika Crane
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105K
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30
No Escape
Mara
Iâm his captive.
Thereâs no escape.
Everything Iâve done has been in vain.
Was it all for nothing?
What was the point of it all?
Iâve failed family.
Iâve failed my pack.
I failed you.
Iâm back where it all startedâŠVengeance Castle.
How could this happen?
Kace has me chained to a wall inside his personal chambers, along with Lexia. I look to her for comfort, but sheâs just as frightened as I am.
This canât be happening.
This canât be happening.
This canât be happeningâŠbut it is. It did happen.
Weâre trapped.
Kaceâs men came up on us as soon as we escaped the mines.
They rounded up the other pack members, but I donât know where theyâve been taken.
The only consolation is knowing that we brought down the mines.
We accomplished what we set out to do. Whatever Kace was planning has been thwartedâ at least for now.
And now weâre here.
I am his prisoner, as is Kaden.
I can feel him near⊠his pain, his sufferingâŠ
I reach out to him with my mind, but I get no response.
Where are you, my love?
Please⊠say somethingâanything!
Nothing.
We were so closeâŠ
Iâm startled by the sound of the door opening. Thereâs only one person it can possibly be⊠I can smell him.
âMara,â the false Alpha says, entering the room. âYou have no idea how much it means to see you again.â Several guards file in behind him.
He steps in close.
âLogic tells me I should thrash and beat you for what you and your friends have done,â Kace goes on, âbut I canât help respecting you even more. Your boldness and bravery simply confirm what I already knewâŠthat you should be Lunaâmy Luna. As it was intended from the start.â
I cringe at the thought of it.
âIâm compelled to take you into my arms and feel your body next to mineâŠand kiss you.â He takes another step forward and leans in close. I can feel his breath on my lips. I thrash my head forward to bash in his skull, but he easily steps aside.
He laughs.
âBut I know you all too well. Youâre not ready for itânot yet at leastâbut you will be.â
âYouâre out of your mind if you think Iâd ever willingly be with you,â I reply.
I donât care how much power he wields. I refuse to put up with his bullshit.
He pompously paces back and forth.
âI think youâre forgetting the last time we were together. If I remember correctly, you couldnât keep your hands off me.â
âIs that the only way you can get off? Forcing yourself upon others?â Lexia snidely remarks.
âShut up, bitch!â Kace roars, backhanding her in the face.
A trickle of blood drips from her mouth, but she doesnât back down.
She smirks.
âReally? Is that all youâve got, little man?â she says, waving her pinky finger.
Kace hits her twice more, but Lexia doesnât give in.
Why is she provoking him?
Stop saying anything, you idiot! Youâre only making it worse!
At least, thatâs what I want to tell her, but I know she wonât listen to a word I say. Sheâs too stubborn, like me.
Lexia starts laughing uncontrollably.
âDo you enjoy beating women?â she says between chuckles. âDoes it turn you on? Get you hard? I bet you canât even get it up by yourself! You need one of these fluffers to do it for you!â she says, referring to the guards.
He balls his fist and pulls back for another strike.
âKace, stop!â I yell.
But he does it anyway, punching her this time. He continues to hit her until sheâs coughing up blood and stumbles to the floorâno longer laughing.
âSee? Not so funny now, is itâŠâAlphaâ? Youâre an abomination. Thatâs the joke!â
âSheâs more Alpha than youâll ever be!â I exclaim. âA wild dog would be better suited than you!â
He steps forward and glares into my eyes, but I donât relent.
âYouâre not even half the Alpha that Kaden is, nor could you ever be,â I say coldly.
His eyes widen, and his nostrils flare. His wolf is trying to emerge. Heâs desperately trying to control it.
âYou mean the beast who once kidnapped you from your home, locked you in a cell, blackmailed you into trying to kill an unborn babyâŠâ he says, stepping in even closer, âRemind meâŠhow many times did his wolf try to kill you?â
âThat wasnât his fault, and you know it! He was made to do those things!â
âReally? Are you sure about that?â
I rush toward him, but my chains hold me back.
âIâd choke you with these if I had the chance!â I say, holding up my chains.
âI bet you would,â he says, looking me up and down lustfully.
Heâs beginning to release pheromones. They permeate throughout the room.
âOh, Mara, the more you resist, the more I want you. I think itâs time you were marked.â
I throw my back against the wall.
âDonât be afraid of me,â he says, unable to turn away from Kadenâs mark.
Itâs driving him wild.
His desire to mate is stronger than Iâve ever seen it. I can see the pathetic excuse between his legs start to grow.
I gasp when his eyes shift from human to wolfâyellow and piercing.
He takes a step toward me.
âDonât come any closer!â
He stops.
âMaybe youâre right⊠You come to me,â he says, commanding me with his eyes.
My body feels the pull to do so. I begin moving forward.
This is it.
Itâs all over.
I close my eyes and think of Kaden.
Please forgive me, my love.
But then something happens I didnât expect. The draw toward him stops, as do my feet. I donât feel anything at all. Itâs as if the control he had over me suddenly vanishes.
I open my eyes and see that Kaceâs scarred face is just as confused as mine. The veins in his neck begin to bulge as he struggles to keep me under his will, but it has no effect.
Iâm resisting!
Heâs lost his dominance over me.
I turn to Lexia, and she looks just as shocked as I am.
Is Kaden right? Am I more powerful than either of us realized?
How am I doing this?
âThis is impossible,â he shouts, panting heavily from his struggle.
My confidence is growing. I can feel my strength from within begin to grow.
He wants me to come to him against my will, so instead, I step forward all on my ownâmy choice.
Heâs taken aback.
âI am Mara, rightful Luna of the Vengeance Pack,â I say, looking him directly in the eye. âAnd you have no power over meâŠnot anymore!â
Kace looks around like a crazed animal, not knowing what to do.
He then grabs me by the throat and knocks me against the wall. He pulls down the neckline of my bodice and looks at my bite marks ravenously.
âLet her go!â Lexia yells, but he ignores her.
I push against him, but heâs too strong.
I try to shift but am still unable.
He opens his mouth as his canines begin to grow. I can feel his throbbing hard-on against my leg. His wolf is taking control.
He grabs me by my blonde locks and pulls my head back, exposing my marks even more.
âIâm going to enjoy this,â he whispers into my ear. âAnd so will you.â
His lips lightly brush down my cheek and neck until heâs right over my marks, but I refuse to go down without a fight.
I twist and squirm, but I canât break free of his hold. I spit in his face, but that only excites him even more. He yelps in pain from a kick to the groin, so he turns me around and shoves me against the wall. I call to the Goddess when I feel his canines pressing down against my skin. I canât move.
This is it!
But then he suddenly stops and pulls back. Something outside the window catches his attention. I strain to listen, and then I hear it tooâŠa low rumbling followed by many voices shouting.
âNoâŠâ Kace says under his breath.
I step forward to get a better view, and to my surprise, I see hundreds of wolves rushing toward us with a familiar sand-colored wolf leading the way.
âEvan!â I shout.
âItâs the Freedom and Power Packs!â Lexia exclaims, her eyes looking through the glass too. âThey were able to rally their support!â
Kace shakes his head in disbelief as he watches the combined forces of both packs charge toward the castle.
âThis canât be happening. This is impossible,â Kace says, backing away from the window as the army effortlessly scales the walls and begins engaging his masked warriors. He looks to his guards. âDistribute the weapons! Now!â
But before the guards make it to the door, a rush of air blasts into the room as the door bursts open. Standing in the doorway is a wolf.
His pitch-black fur matches his eyes.
His scentâintoxicating.
He lets out a piercing howl, sending chills down everyoneâs spine. Heâs magnificent.
âKaden!â I call to him.
He sees me too.
He flexes his ripped muscles and talon-like claws as he stares Kace down, tearing him apart in his mindâtaunting him.
âI should have killed you when I had the chance!â Kace cries. âI wonât make that same mistake again!
Kaceâs body begins to twitch and spasm as his bones begin to break. Tufts of fur begin ripping through his skin as his nose protrudes and fangs extend.
Kaden lets out one final roar before launching himself in Kaceâs direction.
One of these brothers isnât walking out of here alive.
