Chapter 12
“You can’t talk your way out of a problem you behaved yourself into!”
Stephen R. Covey
A threat like that should’ve scared me, but to my surprise, it only did the opposite. Heat flooded my cheeks, and my lower belly curled into a warm knot.
And Alpha Enzo didn’t take his eyes off me as he said, “Are we clear?”
With his tight grip on my jaw, it was hard to talk, but I managed to mumble out something that resembled an agreement.
That was all he needed. In a flash, the anger in his face cleared and his grip on my chin loosened. The relief was immediate – although I was sure there’d be some sort of bruise or soreness tomorrow.
Fucking werewolves and their stupid supernatural strength.
And he must’ve known it stung because his fingers – the same fingers that had been digging into my skin just moments ago – began to rub circles on the soon-to-be-bruised skin.
“Good,” he said, and there was a softness in his eyes now. That look of awe returned, like he’d just stumbled upon a winning lottery ticket. His gaze turned to the dingy, stone wall behind me, and he said, “This is no place for my mate to be. How about I get you and your friend out of here, and we can get you cleaned up upstairs?”
Since I certainly didn’t want a repeat of what just happened (and spending more time in the dungeon wasn’t going to get me anymore), I gave him a small nod.
And from the way his face lit up at my cooperation, you would’ve thought I’d just agreed to a marriage proposal.
*This is not good.*
*None of this is good.*
*My situation has gotten dramatically worse since Scarlett and I stepped in this dungeon.*
I was nowhere near ready to throw in the towel, but still, I allowed Alpha Enzo to grab my hand – which definitely didn’t send sparks zinging all the way up my arm – and lead me out of the dungeon. I could hear Scarlett following behind us, but the space was too dark for me to get a good look at her.
It also didn’t escape my notice that, as we ascended the stairs, not one of the prisoners said a word to us. There was a new heaviness in the air, and no doubt the rest of my “dungeon mates” had heard every minute of the interaction with Alpha Enzo.
*I’ll say it again – this is terrible.*
*I just don’t understand how it could’ve happened.*
*Mates are supposed to be your perfect match, but there’s no way I can be a perfect match for Alpha Enzo…or even a match at all.*
*Is it possible the system is flawed? I mean, Asher and Scarlett never made much sense to me…maybe my mate bond with Enzo is also defective.*
*I just need to convince him of that.*
As it turned out, the dingy, cold dungeon that probably hadn’t been renovated in centuries was not an accurate reflection of the rest of this…house? Building?
It looked like a mansion, so maybe that’s what I should be calling it.
The heavy door at the top of the stairs opened up into a larg, empty living space with high, vaulted ceilings with wooden beams and hardwood floors. Large glass windows with a view of the forest covered an entire wall, and if I looked up, I could see the balcony of the second floor, which seemed to contain more rooms.
There was furniture too. Large, plush recliners and modern coffee tables that looked like they’d picked right off the page of *Architectural Digest.*
I’d thought Scarlett’s pack house had been huge, but this place was a whole new level.
“Do you like it?” Alpha Enzo suddenly asked, looking at me with that awed look on his face again. I had no idea why he was in awe – I was the one who should’ve been in awe.
“It’s, uh, nice,” I said. Regardless of how impressed I was, I wasn’t going to just come out and say it.
“Nice enough to be your new home?” He said, gesturing to the living space. “I can give you a tour later, but for now, I think –”
“Alpha, I’ve been looking all over for you.”
Fortunately, a new voice interrupted whatever offer Alpha Enzo was about to make, and all three of us turned to see who’d walked in the front door.
My relief faded almost immediately as it came when I spotted the newcomer – it was the blonde man who’d thrown Scarlett and I in the dungeon, and taunted us sadistically.
There was nothing haughty or sadistic about him now though.
He approached Alpha Enzo with all the grace of a loyal servant, his eyes cast down and his hands strung together behind his back.
What a prick.
Of course, his nose wrinkled up when he caught sight of us Scarlett and I, so the dislike must’ve been mutual.
“What is it?” Alpha Enzo asked, sounding bored.
The blonde went on a tangent about some border patrol issue, and as much as I wanted to pay attention in case it was important later on, my brain was still running circles around today’s current events.
*Until I can find a way out of here, and with Scarlett, I’ll probably need to lay low. In the meantime, maybe I’ll be able to convince Alpha Enzo not to pursue our mate bond once some of the dust settles.*
When the blonde man had finally stopped talking – someone should tell him he’d be terrible at giving speeches – Alpha Enzo
“Tell everyone on patrol I want double-shifts around the east border,” he said, and the blonde man inclined his head in agreement.
“Of course, Alpha,” he said, and he was already on his way out the door.
“Thank you, Cain.”
A bell rang in my brain.
No way.
Could it be…
If there was one detail I remembered from the plot of this book, it was the name of the man who betrayed Alpha Enzo.
Beta Cain.
And unless there was an excess of men named Cain running around, I was willing to bet my entire student loan debt that the blonde man and the Beta Cain from the book were one in the same.