Untamed Mate (Feral Shifters 2)

Amora

My former matesall react as Quinton’s booming voice cuts through the jail.

I may be beat to shit, bruised all over, and dizzy from a possible concussion, but even my dazed ass can sense the shift of tension in the room.

Quinton’s muscular shoulders are so wide he takes up nearly the entire doorway. I watch him through the bars of my cell as he steps into the cabin that functions as his pack’s jailhouse, his expression grim.

Malix unfolds from the floor and turns to fully face his alpha. I get a whiff of Malix’s sunshine and fresh air scent, and it pierces through me, reminding me of how comfortable and safe I felt in his arms only a moment before. Until reality set in.

The reality that I shouldn’t feel anything for him at all.

He takes a single step sideways, planting himself between me and the broken cell door. Outside in the narrow corridor, Kian and Frost turn to Quinton as well. For an interminable moment, nobody speaks.

Finally, Quinton’s glare lands on me behind the bars and he snaps, “Well? I asked you a question.”

I swallow, my mouth going dry. Not necessarily because I’m intimidated by him, but because I don’t want to answer the question. I don’t want to admit out loud that these men were my mates or that now they aren’t. Plus, my head is still ringing from hitting the bars, and my body is on fire from the beating it took. Forming intelligible thoughts out of that morass of pain doesn’t seem possible.

Before I can decide on a course of action, Kian speaks up. “You heard correctly, Alpha. Amora was once mated to us. All three of us.”

It stings to hear him use the past tense. Even knowing the words are coming, even knowing the truth because of the void inside me, it still hurts to hear it spoken. It feels final. Unredeemable. I sag against the bars, wrapping my fingers around them tightly so I won’t fall to the ground. My knees are weak, my head spinning, and I don’t know if it’s from my injuries or the blow to my emotions.

Quinton snarls, stalking forward two steps as his fists clench at his sides. “You mated, yet didn’t think this was information that I should know?”

Kian holds his ground, appearing unruffled by his alpha’s fury. “We didn’t think it was—”

“I own you,” Quinton cuts him off, his voice dangerously low. “You are not normal wolves, and as such, should not be capable of mating. You exist for a purpose, and you’re meant to serve that purpose alone.”

All three of the feral shifters react to that declaration like they’ve been slapped, although I’m not sure Quinton even notices. I do, though. I can see the pain on Malix’s face, the surprise in Kian’s eyes, and the wounded look beneath Frost’s enigmatic expression. I know these three men, maybe even more than I should.

Quinton hurt them.

And that pisses me off.

What an awful thing, to boil someone down to just one purpose. To remove their autonomy and free will, to not let them be a whole person. Quinton is even more of an asshole than I originally thought.

Kian speaks again, his voice tight and stiff. “It’s already taken care of. We broke the bond. It won’t be a distraction or a problem.”

But Quinton isn’t mollified. “Perhaps you think that’s a solution to this little… problem. However, it is not. This bitch is a distraction we cannot afford. So regardless of whatever you’ve done to rectify the situation, and regardless of the fact that she wasn’t sent by Felicity, she must die.”

Shock lances through me, and I tighten my grip on the bars as my legs wobble.

The tension already hanging heavy in the room spikes. All three men shift their weight to the balls of their feet, their bodies vibrating, ready for action. Almost like they’re going to step forward… and protect me?

No. That’s not possible. Saving me from the shadow was one thing, especially considering the shadow was probably sent by Felicity, the enemy of their pack. There’s not a chance in hell they’re going to stand up against their precious alpha. I’m not naïve enough to expect they will.

The only thing I can expect now is death.

Quinton eyes all three of the feral shifters, pinning each of them with his glare, one after another. “Remember your purpose, gentlemen.”

They deflate slightly, losing some of the tension in their bodies as they stand down.

Proving me right.

Jesus, I really am going to die.

Even my two nights locked away in this cell never seemed so final as this moment. I thought my number was up against that fucking shadow, and a last minute hail mary came in the form of the three imposing men who barged in to take the shadow out. But this time…

This time they’re not going to save me.

Quinton motions in my direction, his eyes filling with disgust as his gaze brushes over me. “Take her outside.”

For a split second, none of the men move.

“Now!” Quinton roars.