My Female Alpha

THIRTY SIX

lenora

"I'm giving you an ultimatum," Arabella says. Her mouth forms that smug smirk I remember all too well. "She's going to bleed out. You know I can stop that from happening."

My heart squeezes. I can't do anything but stare at my unconscious mate, watching the blood ooze from the wound on her neck.

I don't recognize the hoarseness in my voice when I speak. "I'll do whatever you want. Just heal her."

"You don't want to hear your ultimatum?" She frowns, pouting out her lips.

"Now!" I roar, lunging after her again. The arms maintain their strength on me, though. "Heal her now!"

"Very well." Arabella arches her neck to lick gingerly at Emery's wound.

The action wilts my renewed anger. I slump back. Arabella can make me do anything now. She knows the strength she has over me. I hope Denver escaped to take care of the pack. Now that I'm in the clutches of these rogues, my fate is inevitable.

"Dani," Ara calls. The small brunette woman draws closer expectantly. "Take her and wrap her up. My new mate is going to need some rest."

As they trade Emery between their arms, I grit my teeth. "She's not your mate."

"You're right." Ara walks up to me, touching her index finger to my chin. "She's our mate, isn't she?"

I jerk my chin out from her finger. "Your problem is clearly with me. Why did you do that to her?"

The only relief I have—if any—from her marking Emery is that Ara will now be much less inclined to hurt her. While the marking wasn't driven by fate, any marking of any kind provokes feelings in a wolf that can't be helped. I just hope it's enough to work on this heartless bitch.

"To tie you to me," Ara says. Her hands take ropes of my hair and knead them. "I could kill you, but I would much rather enslave you. You know, get my money's worth."

"Enslave me for what?" I growl. "You and these rogues are living out here like wild animals. There's not much to make me do that you have to do yourself."

She leans in close, eyes flicking between mine and my lips. "We are wild animals. Besides, I have a tenacious sexual appetite. One person has never been enough—as you already know."

The pain from her deception no longer stings me like it used to. I don't care anymore that I caught her fucking a rogue on my territory. None of that matters to me anymore. It matters to her still.

"And what about Emery?" I say. "What are you going to do with her?"

"Well . . ." She exhaled and let her warm breath roll over my face. "I'm going to make her watch. Then, when she's proven herself, she'll be joining you. I'll have quite the harem for myself." She laughs and pulls away. "This is going to be quite fun!"

Once she's turned away from me, I crumple. The exhaustion and desperation win out. As I fade into sleep, I say one more prayer for Denver and the pack.

—(—)—

Hunger wakes me. I sit up from where I'd been curled on my side and stretch. I'm stiff from sleeping on the ground, but I know I'll be better after being up for a moment. I move to stand but am yanked back by my ankle. Glaring down, I see a silver shackle clamped around my lower leg. It's thin and has some kind of design on it. A chain I can easily break connects my binding to a tree.

"Finally," someone says, sounding annoyed.

I lift my head, feeling the irate expression morph on my face. The small, dark-haired woman from earlier—Dani—scowls at me. She puts her hands on her naked hips.