Chapter 65

Fiona

I gasp for air as the kidnapper’s shoulder digs into my stomach.

After throwing me over his shoulder, he entered the run-down building. Outisde, it was quiet and dark, but inside, the further we walk into the building, the louder the noises become.

A man yelling, loud snarls, and shouting from a crowd filter down the hallway. I try to look toward the sound, but the movement causes my vision to tilt and me to slump against the man holding me.

How am I going to get out of this? With my hands tied and being unable to run, I can only hide. If I could get away from this man, then maybe I could hide and call for help. Except, I realize, I don’t have my phone. It’s still in the SUV.

Soon, we reach the room with all the noises. They become so loud, knocking around in my head and making the headache even worse.

“Do not make any sudden moves or any sound. If you do, I’ll kill you,” my kidnapper threatens, seizing the back of my neck in a painful grip. He drops me to my feet, not caring that I fall into the wall beside us and scrape against the concrete.

The glint of something silver shines in the darkness, and I notice a silver blade in the man’s hand. The threat hangs heavy over me, making me shake. Cold fear flushes my body as I cower against the wall.

What did I get myself into?

How am I going to get out of this situation?

Pushing my feet against the ground, I instinctively try to move away, but instantly freeze when he swings the knife closer. The blade comes within inches of my face. My heart slams against my ribs and my lungs constrict.

I can’t breathe.

“Ah, ah, ah,” he sings, pushing the blade against my neck. He moves it up, forcing me to move with him until I’m on my feet. So that I don’t get hurt even more, I move with the knife, my movements slow and cautious. The crowd blocks my view, shouting at whatever is happening in the middle of the room.

If I could just get my kidnapper to be distracted by what’s going on over there, I could try to sneak away.

Glancing at the crowd again, I try to silently trick the kidnapper into looking as well. When he doesn’t, I mentally curse and take some deep breaths though my nose. The cold metal of the knife still presses into my neck, so I turn my gaze to the man.

There must be some reason he brought me here.

“My Alpha ordered me to bring you here because your mate will not make it through the night.”

My what?

What the hell is he talking about?

“He didn’t tell you?” The man asks, his head tipping to the side a bit. The knife lowers just slightly, giving me a bit of room to move without fear of being cut open.

Then the man chuckles as if my silence gives him the exact answer he needed.

“Ethan is your mate, but I guess a pathetic little human like you wouldn’t have a way to know that.” He sighs and smirks, jerking a thumb at the crowd. I glance over, my stomach dropping when I can finally see through the people.

Where there were at least twenty people, now there is a much smaller group.

Then, my eyes land on Ethan who stands shirtless and pale in the middle of a circle of men. I go to step forward, but the blade at my throat stops me. The rag in my mouth keeps me quiet, and as much as I want to call out to him, I can’t.

He doesn’t look good.

There are blood stains on his chest, but I don’t see any injuries. His skin is much paler than his usual golden tan. I notice the sway of his body, like he’s growing weak.

“This is your only chance to walk away,” Ethan announces. The ten men that surround Ethan close in on him, ignoring the threat he’d just given them.

My nerves and confusion rachet up, and I want to yell at him, to scream for him to run. There’s no possible way he can fight all ten of those guys and win, especially looking like he’s going to fall over with a flick of a finger.

I try to ask the man what he’s talking about, but my words come out jumbled and soft.

“It’s pathetic, really. He didn’t tell you what he is and what you are to him,” the man states, rolling his eyes. “I’ll enlighten you. For certain people in the West, there are groups of people who believe in and can sense their mates.”

I shake my head, looking back in the direction where Ethan stands. This guy is crazy. There’s no such thing as soulmates.

My face is jerked back to his, and I whimper as pain pricks the skin he grabs.

“I wasn’t done. A Lycan’s soulmate is the most important person in their life. Mates are bestowed before birth by the Goddess herself, and the moment a Lycan sees, scents, or touches them, they know they’re mates,” he explains, brushing a thumb over my cheek.

Unlike Ethan’s touch, which makes me tingle with pleasure, this man’s touch makes my skin crawl.

“For Ethan, you are both his strength and his weakness which is why you’re here. If my Alpha can’t defeat yours, then you will be collateral damage,” he says and releases my face. I turn, searching for Ethan again. He’s on his knees, breathing heavily, but he hasn’t seen me yet.

What did that man say Ethan was?

A lycan?

Doesn’t that mean... werewolf?

Before I can do anything or even process the information this man threw at me, he grabs me by the shoulder, spins me around, and puts the knife to my neck again. His chest presses against my back and forces me to walk a few steps closer to Ethan.

If he is a werewolf, which is doubtful, wouldn’t he know I was here?

Like he can read my mind, the man leans in, his lips by my ear as he says, “That drug you took earlier will keep him from scenting or sensing you until I’m good and ready. Your soulmate will die tonight and so will you.” His whispered words send a shiver down my spine just as he grips my chin and turns my head again.

The man standing across from Ethan lunges, and suddenly, four cuts appear across Ethan’s chest. Blood pours from them, sliding down his torso.

The speed and athleticism I’d seen from Ethan during his soccer game was nowhere in sight. In fact, when another man from the circle lunges at Ethan and kicks him to the ground. Ethan rolls and gets back to his feet, but his movements are slow and sluggish. It’s as if something is pulling on him while he fights to move.

“You won’t get away with this,” Ethan growls. His voice even wobbles a bit, which makes my chest tighten.

What had they done to him to make him so weak?

“You will die tonight, and your land, your pack, and your power will be mine,” the man who had cut Ethan’s chest says loudly. With his command, the ten men around Ethan attack, converging on Ethan in a massive pile.

Shock, like the strongest tidal wave hits me, making my knees give out.

“NO!” I scream, my voice completely muffled by my bindings.