Bloodline and Kin (Gifted Werewolf Series: Book 2)

25: Simone

My mother came back at some point. I couldn't see the outside and there wasn't a clock anywhere, so I had no sense of time. It felt like days later, months even, but I knew it couldn't have been much more than a day or two because I hadn't died or two. Though I was starving, I able to focus and ignore it if I thought of something else. Only thing was there wasn't a drop of water to be found, so my mouth was parched dry.

She came in and to my surprise, unlocked my chains. I crumpled to the ground, my back screaming in pain and my wrists bleeding profusely. I lay on the floor in a heap, groaning and forcing away the tears, trying to ignore the laughter I heard. The hospital gown did little to protect me from the jagged rocks embedded in the earth, so my hands and knees got scraped, as well as my feet. I would be lying if I said this is the best day of my life.

"Come on, Simone. You can't stay sulking down here forever!" my mother said cheerfully. "Come dine with me!"

I tried getting to my feet to walk with her...I did, but I was too weak to all the silver my body accumulated and the loss of blood from my wrists making my hands ghostly white. I only made it to my knees before I dropped face first back down. I think I broke my nose, but between the pain and laughter from somewhere nearby, I didn't hear the crack.

"Be a gentleman and help my daughter," my mother said to someone.

There were footsteps before I was picked up and carried out of the cell. Rough hands were under my back and legs, and my head met with a large, hard chest covered in a dingy shirt. I didn't have the strength to cringe or move away.

I was carried up a flight of stairs and into a bright room. From the corner of my eye, I could see it was large and had metal walls. There were workstations with machinery all over the place and an odor of something fowl and rotten hit my nose. There were no windows still, but I thought I heard traffic outside which meant we weren't in the forest.

The person set me down on a chair that thankfully had armrests, then pushed me into a small table with dinnerware set out. My mother sat on one side of me while the person who carried me sat on the other. I blinked and saw York. My heart raced, but that's as much fear as I could muster now. It's not like I could run away or fight him.

"Simone, would you like venison?" my mother asked in a fake polite voice. I looked at the platter in her hands and shook my head. It was raw and bloody. If I had food left, I'd have upheaved it. "Are you sure? You need to eat something."

"Not hungry," I croaked.

She clicked her tongue but still put a slab on my plate. "You've become picky since you've grown up!" She picked up another platter and showed it to me: leaves with pine needles and something yellow and thick. "Salad? I know you love salad!"

I shook my head, but obviously it wasn't truly my choice because she put it on my plate anyways. After she finished serving herself and York, she began eating. I watched in disgust as she ripped the raw meat apart with her teeth savagely and chewing it with her mouth open. She's crazy!

"Why am I here?" I finally manage to ask.

"To keep you away from the horrors of the outside world," my mother replied, something hanging from the corner of her mouth. I think it was a vein...

York added, "And to get that mark off your neck so you can be free of his emotions."

My eyes snapped to him in horror. "No!"

He smirked and leaned towards me. "We can't have you feeling what he's feeling when you heal, do we? You don't want that burden!"

"How are you going to do it?"

"Simple," my mother replied. "York will mark you instead, right over that one to make sure it's finely cut. Once that happens, you'll be free of the Alpha boy and be able to live in peace."

I shook my head. I felt somewhere inside that having Reed's mark removed would be painful and devasting. It didn't matter if he didn't love me or not. I'd still feel the bond break apart and it would kill me. "You can't!"

"We must," she said. "It's for your safety, Simone. Now, finish your meal so we can start the process."

I did not eat. I couldn't. Not only because it was disgusting, but I was going to be sick with all that my mother planned to do to me. I didn't care anymore if Reed loved me or not, but the bond was something I cherished no matter what. It kept me going, even though it was dark and silent, even though the silver did everything to keep it unusable. It was one thing to be rejected by someone because then the bond never starts, but having the connection broken sounded like the worst thing that could happen to a wolf. I had no idea if I could get it back or how.

I slammed my hands on the table and gritted my teeth at the pain. "No!" I said in a much louder and stronger voice. "I won't let you!"

"Darling, you don't have a choice. You're too weak to fight against us and your mate is not going to find you. No matter how hard he searches, he will never think to look here."

I was about to retort something back but paused. "He's searching for me?"

She laughed. "Hardly. He has others doing it for him, not to mention my long-time enemies have now allied with him."

I felt my heart leap and my wolf, and I gained strength from that knowledge. If I could just get out of here, and into the city's main streets, I'd be able to ask someone for help. I'd even go back to the hospital to see if anyone there knew how to help me...

"York, I think it's time," my mother warned. I grabbed my plate and smashed it as hard as I could over the male's head, then took his plate and threw it at my mother. With that, I stumbled around the table and towards the far end of where I could see an exit sign.

"That little bitch!" I heard York growl. My leg hit a pipe and I didn't know a little bump could hurt so much. I struggled on, not looking back even though I knew they were after me.

"We tried doing this the straightforward way, Darling!" my mother said in a not-so-nice tone. "You just made it ten times harder on yourself!"

I screamed as my hair was pulled and I was yanked backwards and thrown into a box, skidding across the ground. "You'll pay for that," York said and grabbed my neck. I clawed at his wrist, but it did nothing. "You're more trouble than you're worth anyways!"

I saw a knife gleam in his hand and widened my eyes. He drew it down but before it could pierce my skin, my mother screamed. "NO! Don't. You. Dare!"

He growled at her. "You think I'm going to let her get away with disrespecting me?"

"I want her alive! She is brainwashed and doesn't know any better!" my mother yelled.

"She is stupid!"

"Just mark her!" my mother hissed and ripped the knife from his grip. "Do it before I slit your throat!"

Blue eyes turned to me and glared with hatred, then he grinned. "At least I'll get my needs met!"

His hand moved so it held my shoulder as his other one pulled my head to the side, extending my neck to him, showing the mark. "No!" I cried.

I felt a thumb brush against it, but unlike with Reed, it gave me a vulnerable scared-puppy dog feeling. With one last growl, he slammed his canines into my flesh and bit down hard. I screamed in agony and thrashed about, trying anything to get away. Inside, my stomach wrenched violently, and I felt the bond shake and try to hold together.

His hands slid down to my hips and pull my lower half against him as he pressed me against the wall that was behind me. I whimpered and tried to push him away, but he grinds into me hard, leaving me breathless. As he continued to try and break the bond, I felt my body weaken its defenses and react to him. Though the bond with Reed was there, it isn't strong enough to hold out much longer.

With one last whimper, I blacked out...