Feral Bonds

Chapter 13

It only took a few days for Vincent to retract his order on the lighters. Once Ray had discovered the instruction, he had followed her around with one of his own lighters, and Vincent had put a stop to the punishment the next day, after seeing the twenty odd slowly healing burns.

"I'm sorry," Vincent said through gritted teeth. "I'll have a talk with him."

"It's whatever." Natania shrugged. She had had every bone in her body broken, she wouldn't cry over a few burns. Well, she couldn't even remember a time in the last few years that she had cried at all, it was like her body had forgotten it could.

Vincent wrapped a hand around her shoulder and used his thumb to push her head up. Natania raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"It's not whatever," he growled. "The order was to get you to stop playing games, not to force you to torture yourself."

Natania narrowed her eyes. "I've been tortured," she said stiffly. "Anything short of broken bones is little more than irritating."

"You're just a child," Vincent muttered, like he didn't believe her.

Fury flared in her chest, but she pushed it down. "I'd bet money this child has a better pain tolerance than you do." She hadn't seen him struck a single time, whether by her or Lily during their training sessions, Vincent had never taken a blow.

He gave a soft smile. "It has been a long time since I experienced pain, I will admit." Vincent released her and gave her a thoughtful look. "I'm sorry for what you've been through."

Natania shrugged again. "I'm stronger for it."

"Physically, maybe. But mentally, you're weaker for it."

Her chest rumbled in a growl. Just because she had a bit of anxiety, didn't mean she was weak.

Vincent gave her a look. "How little would it take for you to give up now? How much suffering before you wait to die? Do you even still want to live?"

Natania didn't have an answer for that and glanced at the floor.

He put a hand on top of her head. "Have you changed your mind about wanting him dead?"

Natania's mouth went dry. She glanced away from him. "Of course I want him dead," she grumbled, "but that leaves me stuck with leading his pack."

"Not if I kill him, they need not know about you."

Natania bristled. "Then my father gets more victims to torture. More wolves to leave to starve over winter, more people to beat down until they think they're nothing." She let out an angry breath. "At the very least, Rigaldo takes care of his people."

"If he can't take care of his mate, I doubt he does better for his people," Vincent commented.

Natania curled her lip, she despised being referred to as his mate. "I'm. Not. His. Mate," she snarled, then composed herself. "The pack doesn't reject him or disobey his orders. He has no reason to make them fear him."

"You're angry."

"Of course I'm angry," she shouted, moving out of the range of his hands. She clenched her fist, raising it like she was going to punch something, then remembered how much Vincent hated things in his house being damaged and lowered her hand. Vincent didn't say anything, just let her work out her emotions.

"I did everything wrong," she whispered. "There are endless times when one different choice would have saved us." She could have killed the cougar that had intruded on their territory instead of sparing her and her cub and incurring the wrath of her father. She could have picked Tyson, the soft hearted, cowardly little alpha, as soon as her father gave her the ultimatum, instead of forcing his hand and causing him to make the bargain with Rigaldo. She could have never gotten together with Leah in the first place.