Nodding, she said, “It’s true, but if it was using Stephanie to kill me then it would have done it then. We were alone after all.”

He closed his eyes. “I’m not taking that chance. You’re my mate now.”

“Then I wish I never did it.”

Pain flashed across his face. He shook his head slowly and went back up the stairs with heavy steps.

At the top the stairs, she called out to him. “Are you even sorry?”

He didn’t look back at her. “Not at all.”

“If I tell you about David will you let me out of here?” She couldn’t believe she’d just said that. But she was desperate.

Without a word, he shook his head and went into the bedroom.

Willow stared after him, stunned and heartbroken.

She didn’t go to bed with him that night, and he didn’t make her. Huddled on the couch, she made her plans.

Lyonis left the next morning without a word. She wanted to pretend it didn’t hurt, that she didn’t care, but it was big fat lie. She cared way too much. Watching his silent back retreat, he just cemented her decision.

With only one thing left to do, she grabbed her backpack and tossed a few of her things into it. She still had no idea how she was going to leave, but she’d find a way. She always did. Grabbing the few meager belongings she’d come here with, she shoved them in her bag and tossed it under the bed in case he came back early.

Heading downstairs, she walked outside to the guard posted on her porch. “Where’s Draven?”

“He left a few days ago.”

Her face paled. “What?”

The guard shrugged. “He had a fight with his lady friend, then took off after her when she left him. Said he wouldn’t be coming back.”

Willow thanked him and closed the door. So much for her only plan. If he wouldn’t do his little dissolve thing and get her out of here, then she’d have to figure something else out.

By late evening, she still didn’t have a plan. Genuine worry started to creep in that she may never think of a way to get past the guards. But luck was on her side, when, at six o’clock that evening there was a knock at the door.

Willow opened the door and her eyes widened in surprise. “Rachel, what are you doing here?”

The shapeshifter smiled gaily and wiggled her fingers at her. “John’s watching the baby tonight, so I have the night off. Unfortunately I couldn’t find anything to do so I thought I’d stop in and check on you.”

Willow let her in and they took a seat on the sofa. It felt strange seeing another face that wasn’t through a window as someone walked by. Of course now she had something more interesting to stare at as the streets were littered with tall, battle-ready Atal Warriors. It wasn’t until now that she realized how much she felt like a prisoner.

“It’s so good to see you.” Willow meant it from the bottom of her heart.

Rachel smiled kindly. “I heard that you’re being kept under lock and key. I’m so sorry, Willow. It’s really unfair.”

Willow laughed bitterly. “Tell me about it. Is this normal or something?”

Rachel looked contrite as she shook her head. “Not really. I mean I’ve heard of some Alphas who went off the deep end when their mates’ lives were in danger. But this is different. Danny went missing today, Sara’s boy.”

Willow nodded, unsure what to say to ease Rachel’s worry.

“I’d just seen him too, you know? I saw him at the festival with his friends. Now he’s gone and we all know it’s because of that demon. God I’m so scared for him.”

Not knowing what else to do, Willow hugged her.

“Do you smell that?” said Willow, pulling away with a frown.

Rachel’s brows shot up. “What?”

The bitter, almost sulfuric smell dissipated and Willow shrugged. “Guess it was nothing. So how’s the baby?”

Willow knew she had the perfect opportunity to escape now with Rachel and she wasn’t going to let it go to waste. But first, she’d woo her into the craziness with pleasantries. After all, it wasn’t polite to ask someone to assist you in escaping and betraying their Alpha without asking about the kids first.

They chatted for a while. Ever since she met Rachel, the woman had the ability to make her feel like she was back with her sisters again. She was happy for her visit. If Rachel hadn’t come then she might not have had the chance to escape, ever. Lyonis had placed even more guards at all hours of the day along the cabin and the perimeter of the pack.

According to Rachel, the pack was even more tense than normal. It could be cut with a chainsaw. What with Danny gone and the Atal Warriors everywhere, and to Willow’s surprise, her being locked up here were all signs of bad times. Willow snorted at that. True dat.

“Oh damn, I didn’t even think about it. Can I get you something to drink? Sorry I don’t eat anymore, I didn’t even think about it.”

Rachel nodded. “Got any tea?”

Willow laughed because honestly she had no idea what was in the kitchen. “I’ll go check, one sec.”

Willow rifled through the cabinets and cupboards before finding a small box of black tea.

“Got some!”

She was bending down and making a ruckus of noise to find a pot to boil water in, so she never heard the floor creek behind her. If she had, she might have whirled around in surprise. Instead, she cursed as she grabbed hold of a small pot and came to a stand, the blood rushing out of her head made her rock on her feet as she straightened.

She’d just set the pot on the stove when a hard pressure burst inside her skin. The sharp stabbing sensation felt as though someone was trying to tear her skin from the inside out. She opened her mouth in agony to scream but no sound came. Suddenly she was immobilized. Tears rolled down her unblinking face as the hot pressure along her skin reached an excruciating point, then it burst inside her like a balloon popping.

Fiery knives stabbed inside her. She would have fallen to the floor, screaming, tearing at her own stomach to get it out, to get it to stop, but she could only stand there, frozen in place.

The pain grew like her limbs were being filled with hot air and needed a place to burst. Once it was inside her it was unstoppable. It spread to her brain and all the way down to her toes. Her baby jerked at the intrusion and more tears fell down her face.

Lyonis, where are you!?

Her thundering heart slammed against her ribs as if working hard to keep up with the pain, and then everything went black in an instant. Consciousness vanished in a single heartbeat, and she was no more.

The air was thick with a nasty, pungent odor that left Willow gagging.

Rolling onto her stomach in the cramped space, she crawled along the ground. The ground looked soft like dirt but was actually hard like sharp rocks. Biting her lip to keep from crying out, she kept crawling as the shards stabbed her knees and hands, piercing the skin. She didn’t even think to stand. Something had happened to her leg; whether it was broken or badly sprained, she didn’t know. All she knew was that she couldn’t put pressure on it.

Darkness surrounded her. She couldn’t find any source of light yet something casted the room in a dim, gray glow. Shaking, more scared than she’d been in her whole life, she pushed aside the worries of her baby, of where she was. None of that could help her now. She had to find a way out. Had to get away. Besides she had a feeling she knew where she was.

A particularly sharp rock on the ground stabbed her palm and Willow cried out. She inspected her hand and found a small rock sticking like a large splinter from her hand. Biting her lip, she pulled it out and immediately blood pooled. There was no time for this.

She crawled and crawled. Eventually her body grew tired, limbs heavy with exhaustion and still she had not even touched a wall. How long had she been moving, hours...minutes? Panic kept her going, fear kept her eyes darting about her. She tried to use her senses but what she was seeing and hearing and smelling were so foreign to her that her senses were useless.