hard way not to give any response to his threats. He’d go from calm to utterly insane within a matter of moments if I even looked at him wrong. My claws lengthened just a little and my skin burned under the constriction of the silver collar. I had to work hard at studying the fireplace to keep from challenging him head on, what with my wolf’s almost overwhelming need to rip his throat out for threatening our pack.
The warden rolled the glass in his fingers as he studied me thoughtfully. “Who is that beautiful creature with the red hair who you’ve shown such an interest in?”
I swallowed hard using every bit of my self-control not to launch myself at him. “Just another female to fuck.”
His obsidian gaze seared my soul. My wolf stirred in disquiet, digging his claws into my insides. Pain shot along my nerves and I ground my teeth, trying not to cry out.
The warden grinned widely, though his eyes remained dead. “Really?” Reaching out, he traced his forefinger over the bare breast of one of the human women on the fireplace. “Then I’ll have her as my companion and you can find another to empty your seed in.”
“No!” I growled, my fists clenching in the cuffs behind my back, the silver burning my skin.
“No?” His voice was deceptively quiet.
I waited for the pain of broken bones to strike.
“She’s a good fighter, not just a female for entertainment. If you want female fighters who can give a show for your guests, she would be better left with me.” I was clutching at straws, frantic to keep Ember away from this monster.
He cocked his head and smirked. “Even better. Then she fights in two weeks, and if she survives, I’ll enjoy celebrating with her.” Promise laced his words. He sipped from his glass, savouring the liquid in his mouth before he met my eyes. “And if she doesn’t survive, I will enjoy her anyway.”
Ice wound around my heart, shadows and darkness shrouding it as my emotions tumbled around inside me. What the hell did that mean? I fought back my wolf’s need to shred this creature, unsure why evil dicks like Doherty, Santa and this prick, were so drawn to Ember. Sure, she was unusually beautiful, her bright fiery red hair and green eyes catching the attention of men and women alike, but there was something else...something unusual in her aura that drew people to her, and not always in a healthy way.
The warden’s attention drifted to where Zander waited. “I visited your mother last night, Zander. Once we’d—caught up…” He smirked at his own words. “She begged to see you, to ensure you are alive and well.”
I sensed Zander tense and his breathing and heart rate increased. A slight burning smell filled the air, tinged with the sharp scent of fear.
“I told her you’d be down to see her as soon as I could spare you from your duties.”
Zander didn’t speak, but an enormous amount of heat blasted over me from behind. I tensed. Zander was always in control, except when he was near the warden, and though I hated him for his part in all of this, I couldn’t help but wonder what threat the warden held over him and his mother.
The warden smirked and looking from Zander to me, downed the rest of his drink. “You can get this filth out of here now.” His gaze honed in on me and for a moment I saw something predatory and cold in his eyes staring out at me.
With great effort, I dropped my eyes and studied his shiny black shoes. Lowering my gaze as an Alpha Prime was so damned hard, but not as hard as knowing I couldn’t protect Ember now that she’d come to the attention of the warden—and if he knew she was here, it wouldn’t be long before Doherty did.
“Don’t forget the redhead, Prime. Train her and enjoy her while you can. After the games, she’s mine. And I want your best fighters—your brothers. Mark them on the list and don’t try to fool me; Zander will confirm who they are. Out of your best, let’s see who will fall and who will rise again.”
My heart skipped into an erratic rhythm, my wolf pacing and snarling. Don't react, don't react, but the wall that held back the darkness inside me, crumbled. Hate seeped into my soul, inciting my wolf and infecting my ability to think. My fists curled and blood pounded in my