Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 61468 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 307(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61468 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 307(@200wpm)___ 246(@250wpm)___ 205(@300wpm)
My battered old Chrysler looks like a rust-bucket compared to the shiny black SUV the Alphas shoved Logan into. Its taillights are already fading, a pair of red eyes glowing in the distance.
Not for long.
I fling myself into the driver’s seat and jam the key into the ignition. The engine coughs, sputters, then roars to life. I slam my foot on the gas and peel out of the driveway, gravel spitting under the tires.
I’m not thinking about where they’re going. I’m not thinking about how dangerous this is. All I can think about is Logan, shackled in silver, being driven away from me.
Not without me—they’ll have to kill me to keep me from him.
I tighten my grip on the steering wheel, my headlights slicing through the night as I follow those fading red taillights. My heart pounds, but I don’t slow down.
I’ll be damned if I let them take my man without so much as a whimper. I’m coming for you, Logan.
I’m coming.
50
POPPY
I don’t sleep a wink.
They locked Logan away in some abandoned building on the edge of town, and no one will tell me anything or let me see him. I spent the night curled in the front seat of my ancient Chrysler, shivering under an old blanket I’d left in the trunk. Every sound of the wind against the car made me flinch. Every minute that passed without him beside me left me feeling colder…emptier…and more scared.
At some point, I must have dozed off, because a brisk tapping on my window jerks me awake. I sit up fast, my neck stiff, my heart pounding. One of the Alphas from last night is standing there, his expression hard.
“You are being summoned,” he says flatly. “The trial of Logan Hayes, the male you broke the Unbreakable Laws with, is about to begin.”
My stomach twists. The blanket slips off my shoulders, and I force myself to straighten, fumbling the car door open. My legs feel like they’re made of glass, but I follow him inside.
The building looks deserted on the outside, but within it’s been transformed into something grimly ceremonial. Rows of mismatched chairs line the floor. At the far end, raised high above the rest of us, sits a middle-aged man with a round, smug face and a belly that strains against his leather vest. His piggy eyes scan the room like he owns it—and I realize with a sinking heart that he probably does.
“This trial will come to order,” one of the Alphas proclaims importantly. “All rise for our honorable Packmaster, Larry Townsend.”
Everyone stands. I do too, though my knees shake so badly I can barely hold myself up. Townsend waves a pudgy hand and smirks.
“Sit,” he says. “Let’s get this thing started—bring out the accused.”
They drag Logan in, bound in thick silver chains. The sight of him makes my throat close. The metal is already leeching the strength from his massive body. He looks pale, tired—but when his eyes find mine, they blaze with fierce light.
“Don’t be afraid, baby,” he says hoarsely.
“Shut up, you fucking lawbreaker!” one of the guards snarls, yanking hard on the chain.
Logan stumbles forward and is forced to his knees in front of the dais.
Townsend peers down at him with mock solemnity.
“You stand accused of breaking the Unbreakable Laws of our people by lying with and impregnating your own sister. How do you plead?”
Anger sparks in Logan’s eyes.
“The Unbreakable Laws shouldn’t apply in this case! And what makes you think I broke them?”
“Call the witnesses.”
Kyle and Leroy shuffle out, smirking like they’ve already won. I glare at them both—those bastards must have reported on Logan after they saw me pregnant! Sure enough, when the Packmaster asks them to present their evidence, they both turn to stare at me.
“We saw her,” Kyle says, pointing. “Before Christmas she was fine. You know—normal-looking. But just last week we saw her again and now she’s pregnant!”
“Yeah,” Leroy chimes in. “He musta got her pregnant ‘cause she was in Heat. We could both smell it!”
“And she ain’t his wife,” Kyle adds. “She’s his brother’s wife. I know, ‘cause I’m friends with him—with Dirk Hayes.”
I squeeze my hands into fists. Of course they’re friends with Dirk. Rats stick together, right? Assholes.
Townsend nods at them smugly and then turns his attention back to Logan.
“Well, well—it sounds like an open-and-shut case. How do you plead now, Hayes?”
Logan glares up at him.
“You know exactly what these two are like—how much they can be trusted around a female in Heat. Did they tell you they attacked her? Did they admit I had to Shift and fight them off to keep them from dragging her away?”
The Packmaster shifts uneasily in his seat but waves a hand.
“That’s immaterial. You still broke the Laws.”
“Immaterial?” Logan snarls. “You’re just going to take their word for it? These two were expelled from the Pack for a reason! Poppy was abandoned by my brother when she was already pregnant. I took her in and gave her shelter. You can’t prove I broke the Laws with her!”