“I waited a while before coming back to Montana because I wanted you to be able to shift before I came and collected you.” Nicolai runs a finger down Pru’s face, and she tries to move her head out of the way, but her hair is too tightly wound around his hand for her to move. “But like I’ve said, I’ve become pretty impatient with age, and now that we have this all settled, we should be leaving now.”
Still holding Pru by her hair, Nicolai begins to walk them back toward the waiting helicopter. When Avery makes a move to join them, Nicolai laughs at her. “Now, where exactly do you think you’re going?”
“Back with you. I figure Ryker could use some time to calm down before he’s ready to be with me,” she says.
“You’re stupider than I thought,” Nicolai huffs. “You aren’t going anywhere with me. Your services are no longer needed.”
“But...”
“Best of luck, Avery.” Nicolai gestures at all of us. “Based on those angry faces, you’re going to need it.”
Ransom and Ranger lunge forward in unison and seize her. They drag her back to our group and force her to her knees, similar to how I’m being held up by my father and Sawyer.
Prue keeps her eyes on me as long as she can. I hear her faint voice whisper, “It’s okay,” before she’s forced to turn around and walk forward. As Nicolai pushes her to move faster and she spins around to growl something at him, his fist rears back, and he punches her as hard as he can. Pru falls to the ground, and Nicolai reaches down and hoists her over his shoulder. She hangs limply down his back.
“Pru!” I yell as loud as I can through the link, but she doesn’t answer.
I watch, unable to move or fight as Nicolai loads her into the cabin of the helicopter. He salutes us before sliding the door closed behind him, and I feel my soul and heart shatter into a thousand pieces as the helicopter begins to rise off the ground, taking my mate with it.
This wasn’t how this was supposed to go. If anything it should be me leaving her this time, but instead, it’s her who leaves me again, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to survive it this time because the darkness I’ve been fighting off for months is creeping back inside and with it, an anger I’ve never known.
“What do we do now?” Ranger asks as we watch the helicopter rise higher and higher. Even though I could answer him though the pack link, I don’t. I don’t have anything to say to anyone right now. I feel betrayed and incredibly pissed, but most of all, I feel the loss of my mate. That empty, hollow feeling in my chest has returned. “Do we follow them?”
“Of course, we do.” Ransom nods, still holding onto Avery. “We’ll be faster in wolf form.”
“Pru made us promise we wouldn’t go after her,” Sawyer interjects. “Nicolai will kill anyone if they try.”
“I don’t give a fuck,” Remington snaps at him. “I saw what Nicolai does to the women he takes, and we need to get Pru the hell away from him.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t recommend the Nicolai day spa to anyone,” Avery says with a chuckle, “it’s more torture than massage.”
“I’m so sick of your goddamn mouth.” Remington charges toward her. “You’re the reason we’re all in this mess to begin with!”
“She took what was mine!” Avery screams back. A crazy look flashes in her amber eyes.
“He was never yours,” Remi snarls before her hand swipes out, and a splatter of hot, sticky blood sprays across my face.
I hear Avery gurgle a couple of times before she falls to the ground on her chest. Ranger and Ransom both stare down as the grass below her starts to turn red. If I could smile, I would. If Remington hadn’t done it now, I would have the second I could move.
“Remington Everett Weylyn!” I hear Mom screech. I can’t see Mom, but I know she has her hands over her mouth in shock. It’s what she always does. “What did you do?”
“I eliminated a threat to the pack.” Her eyes are cold as she looks down at Avery’s still form. “I’m going after that helicopter. At least to see what direction it’s headed in.” She announces as she tears off her clothes.
“I’ll go with you,” Ransom tells her as he removes his own shirt.
“Me too.” Ranger steps over Avery’s body and stands next to Remington.
As I watch my siblings shift, a chorus of cracking bones comes from behind me. The enforcers and other pack members have decided to go with them. I don’t know how long this paralytic will last, but the second I’m able, I’m going to try to find my mate.
And I will kill anyone who tries to stop me.
34
Pruitt
I remember regaining consciousness on the helicopter, but the second Nicolai saw my eyes open, he stuck me with a needle and injected me with something that made the world go dark again.
This time, when I wake up, I’m lying on a metal table, staring up at bright fluorescent lights. The room is cold and sterile. The walls are white with nothing on them, not even a window. I wish there was a window I could look out so could tell what time it is.
I blink rapidity to fight the leftover fogginess of the sedative Nicolai gave me. I pull my hands up so I can touch the sore spot on my face where his fist made contact, but I find my hands are chained to the table, and when I shift my feet, I discover they’re also chained down. With all my strength, I fight against the restraints. I kick and pull against the chains, but it’s no use, they won’t budge.
I throw my head back and shout in frustration. I knew whatever Nicolai had planned for me wasn’t going to
