I was pulled through the ground toward the raised surface by two warriors who grabbed me by the arms. Whispers slithered through the crowd like snakes as it split.
"She is so pitiful."
"A slave? A partner? Surely the Moon Goddess is blind.
"He ought to simply murder her and move on."
I gritted my teeth and willed myself not to tremble. I wouldn't allow them to see how afraid I am.
Killian was taller and stronger than me, and his tunic's silver embroidery gleamed in the moonlight. His ice-blue eyes conveyed no warmth, only cruelty.
I should have loathed him.
But the mate link wrapped around my heart like a noose, tightening with every breath. I wanted him to see me-to acknowledge me as his.
He drew closer, his aroma of pine and frost overwhelming my senses. My wolf moaned.
Then he said something.
"This girl is worthless," he declared in a loud, authoritative voice. Feeble. Beneath me.
There was laughter. I tasted blood when I bit my lip hard.
I would not weep. Not in this place. Not in their presence.
Astrid looped her arm through Killian's and purred, "Say it." Her green gown shimmered as her lips curved in enjoyment. She was aware that she had already won.
Killian turned back to me, his countenance opaque.
The tie between us burned, a needy beast inside me, fighting for acknowledgment.
Instead, he raised his chin and delivered the words that devastated me.
"I, Alpha Killian of Silver Dawn, reject you as my mate."
A breath.
Then pain-blinding, searing pain. Not only was it physical, but my wolf was screaming in pain and my soul was being torn apart. My body jerked forward as my nails dug into the soil as I gasped.
The pack roared with laughter.
Killian didn't flinch at all.
With all of my last rebellion, I jerked my head up and looked him in the eye.
I snarled, "I don't accept your rejection."
The audience fell silent. For an instant, even Killian's grin wavered.
His eyes clouded then.
The initial strikes were delivered from behind.
I fell to the ground after a large boot struck my back. I felt a burst of pain.
One of the warriors grumbled, "Filthy rogue."
Another kick, to my ribs this time. My eyes blurred as I choked on a scream.
I could see Killian looking through the fog of sorrow. He folded his arms. Still.
Take action. My wolf let out a whine. He is our friend.
He didn't.
Astrid let out a mocking sigh of sympathy. "What a miserable slave. Always so stubborn.
My cheek was smashed by a fist. My mouth was filled with blood as my head wrenched to the side. The audience cheered.
I was having trouble breathing. I had the sensation that my body was falling apart, piece by piece.
I wanted to plead for forgiveness.
However, I wouldn't.
I raised my head and spat blood on the floor. I turned to face Killian, looking directly into his icy, ruthless gaze.
"This is something you'll regret," I muttered.
A sneer formed on his lips.
Go to the dungeon with her.
Darkness.
Chilly.
Pain.
My body was a battered wreck as I lay on the dungeon's stone floor. My wrists were chained, and the metal sank into my skin. I was breathing shallowly and raggedly. Each breath was a struggle.
Would I die like this? In the dark, alone?
My wolf let out a feeble whimper.
My cheeks began to well up with tears.
Not because I was scared.
But because I thought Killian would love me once.
I let the fatigue drag me under and closed my eyes. The Moon Goddess would take me right now if she had mercy.
However, something inside of me shifted.
Not my wolf.
Something else.
A coil of heat in my chest. A burst of vitality, a tingling sensation in my fingertips.
My body arched off the ground as I gasped. The chains shook. It was something fresh that burned my skin, not agony.
The walls shook. My hands and arms were bathed in a golden glow. My body.
I wasn't going to die.
I was waking up.
My bloodied lips formed a slow, piercing smile.
Killian had been wrong.
And he would pay for it.
Cliffhanger: The dungeon began to tremble around me as my body flashed brighter. Power surged through my veins, wild and terrifying.
"I'm returning," I muttered.