The Exchange

Chapter Six

I wake up with a start when a banging noise echoes through the room. I look around and take in my surroundings, the pitch black night sky making me realize that I had fallen asleep. My encounter with Jared had been more exhausting than I realized, and the sum total of the day's events had left me depleted of energy.

The banging noise continues, and I freeze: the familiarity of the sound throws me into my past.

~Four Years Ago, one week after being kidnapped~

I was huddled in the tiny closet they had given me, hugging my knees to my chest and hiding my face. The sound of my sobbing only encouraged my attacker, Alpha Fletcher, as he pounded his fists on the door.

"Come out, you worthless wench!" He shouted. "You have shit to do. Do you want a repeat of yesterday?"

I trembled as I remembered my painful beating from yesterday. Even now, my face was swollen and bruised, an ugly reminder of what had occurred.

How was I supposed to know that he didn't like Swiss cheese? That's all that was in the fridge!

"Please." I begged. "Leave me alone."

I screamed as the door caved in, my last shred of hope destroyed along with it.

~End Flashback~

"Marlee!"

I'm pulled from my thoughts by Carter's voice. Wait, Carter?

I run to the door and open it, taking in the disheveled Beta in the doorway. His face fills with relief when he sees me, but he tenses again when a huge crash echoes through the house.

What's with all the racket? Can't a girl sleep?

"We need your help." He says with pleading eyes. "Jared's going crazy."

I have no time to agree-or shut the door-before Carter is dragging me down the hall and into the living room. People are pushing past us, running in the opposite direction, their movements only hastened when a roar shakes the house.

I tense and would have stopped moving if not for Carter's hand on my wrist. The sound was so angry. But there was an undercurrent of despair, one that left my heart clenching even in my terrified state. Did I make him like this?

The last of the werewolves had cleared out of the living room by the time Carter and I arrived. Furniture was overturned, claw marks sliced through the cushions and the wall, the tv had been smashed to bits, and... was that the dining room table?

"You have to calm him down!" Carter yells over the noise.

I glance over at the infuriated Alpha, his temper reminding me too much of my past. I start shaking and try to back away. "I...I can't."

Hearing my voice, Jared stops his frenzy and turns towards us. He growls once he sees how close Carter is to me, and immediately starts walking over. I shrink back in response, turning to ask Carter for help when I realize that he's left. Leaving me alone with my enraged mate.

Jared stares down at me intensely. The fear I have for him dissipates as he doesn't make a move to touch me. Several moments go by before I conclude that he is waiting for permission to, and the thought that he would sacrifice his wolf's comfort for my needs tears down the last bit of my resolve.

Cautiously, I reach out and run my fingers up his arm in what I hope to be a soothing motion. It seems to work at first, but as the time progressed, he tensed.

His arms fidget at his sides. "Marlee...can I just-"

I answer his unfinished question by wrapping my arms around his muscular waist, resting my head on his chest. His own arms immediately rise and envelop me in their vast embrace.

I haven't had a hug in a long time.

I'd forgotten how good it feels.