Taze (Rise of the Pride #11) - Theresa Hissong Page 0,41

His panther clawed at his mind, knowing he should’ve been there for her. “I should’ve been there for you.”

“No, Taze,” she frowned. “I had to do that on my own.”

“I know you have your reasons why,” he sobered. “Will you tell me everything?”

“I have untreated PTSD,” she admitted and tightened the blanket around her shoulders. “We all know that.”

Taze nodded. He didn’t want to break the connection between them. She looked so fragile as she turned in on herself. Calla wasn’t the strong female he’d known her to be in that training facility, and that scared him.

“I am going to talk to Harold tomorrow and ask him to help me find someone to talk to if he can’t provide the treatment I need.” The fire crackled as the room warmed. She never removed the blanket, and he wished he was the one wrapped around her to keep her grounded.

“I think that’s a good idea,” Taze replied, hoping to urge her to keep the lines of communication open between them.

“When we were taken,” she gritted her teeth. “My pride was murdered in front of us. Thirty-seven pride members, including our parents, were lined up and shot at point blank range.”

“Fuck, sweetheart,” he growled, feeling his heart crack at the admission.

“The wolves collared and hog tied us, making my brother and I watch as they killed them. I will never forget my father trying to get to us. He looked Malaki dead in the eye and mouthed “protect her” right before they killed him. My mother kept eye contact with me, repeating her love for me as they stuck a gun to her forehead and pulled the trigger.”

“My gods, Calla,” he gasped and made a move to take her into his arms, but she held out her hand for him to stop. He couldn’t hear anymore, but he promised to be there for her no matter what. He knew she’d lost her family and pride, but he didn’t know the extent of the carnage.

“They blindfolded us and stuck us in a van. When we were taken out, we had no idea where we were. The cabin they kept us in was secluded, and even if we were able to get away, we didn’t know where to go. They blindfolded Malaki when they’d bring him here to spy on Talon and Liberty.”

“I knew he was helpless against them,” Taze said.

“He was,” she said as she nodded. “My brother uses his protection of me as a coping mechanism.”

“I would probably be in the same position as Malaki, too,” he declared, feeling the pain in his chest tighten. She wasn’t done with her story, and he had a feeling it was going to get worse.

“They started out by threatening to harm me if he didn’t do as he was told.” She breathed deeply, wiping away a tear as her eyes filled with emotions.

Taze felt utterly helpless. He knew what was coming…he knew what she had to say was going to be earth shattering for both of them, but he hung on every word.

“When he would be picked up and brought back to the cabin with no information on the pride, the wolf alpha would kick me as punishment. After the first week, things changed,” she cried.

“Tell me, Calla,” he said through his thickening canines.

“Oh, gods, it hurts,” she mumbled as she pushed her fist into her stomach. She was trying her best to ward off another panic attack, and Taze was ready to partially shift to get the alpha involved. She covered her face for several seconds while she tried to get control of herself. When she finally looked up, her panther was fully in charge. Her eyes were glowing amber and her canines were thick in her mouth.

“They would…they,” she paused to catch her breath. He saw the panic in her eyes and fell to his knees at her feet, begging her to tell him. “Taze, they raped me in front of my brother when he continued to return with little or no information. It was a few days after when I became weak and was dying from not having an alpha around. Malaki finally made contact with the pride the next time they brought him to town, and well, you know the rest.”

In that moment, his world crashed around him. The hardened front he’d built for himself after training with the Guardians was gone. Every bit of emotion regarding the female for the past few years came rushing to the surface. Tears poured