Thaddeus places a fork in my hand. “Eat,” he says, and Ryland and Orion sit on either side of me, eating their dinner. I pick at mine, not really hungry. When I am full, I place my fork down and go to get up when Thaddeus’ voice hits me again. “All of it.”
“I’m full,” I tell him.
“I said eat all of it.” My hand shakes as I am forced to pick up the fork. There is more on my plate than Ryland’s, and he eats more than us. There is no possible way to eat all this without being sick, and I already didn’t want to eat to begin with.
“Thaddeus, she can’t possibly eat that much. I can’t even finish mine,” Ryland tells him, but Thaddeus shakes his head, ignoring him and instead, watching me.
By the time I am halfway through it, I have started feeling sick. Literally forcing myself to chew. I have been sitting at the counter for over an hour, trying to force it down. I feel heavy; even chewing is becoming harder and harder, and I have to use my arm to keep my head upright as I lean on it.
“You’re going to make her sick. This isn’t punishment; this is torture. Enough already,” Orion says, and I can feel sweat run down the back of my neck. Who would have thought eating could cause this much discomfort?
“Fuck off, Orion, or I will make her eat what’s left in the pot as well,” he says, turning his glare on him.
I look at Orion, pleading with him not to add anything else. Orion walks past me, his hand touching my face, and I lean into the coolness his skin offers. I feel hot and bloated and on the verge of throwing up.
“Go, Orion. She won’t die,” Thaddeus spits at him, and I look up.
Orion looks like he is on the verge of saying something, when he presses his lips into a line, and I sigh, relieved that he holds his tongue. If he said anything, it would have just been worse for me.
Thaddeus sits there, watching, his arms folded across his chest, glaring at me. His anger has no end. How long is he going to make me suffer? It takes another half an hour for me to finish everything on my plate. I drop my fork, resting my head on the counter. The cool surface offers relief from how hot I feel. Thaddeus grabs my plate, and I almost cry when I see him walk over to the other counter, thinking he will put more on the plate, letting out a breath when I see him place the plate in the sink.
“Do you want a drink?” he asks, and I shake my head. I am thirsty, incredibly so, but I won’t drink anything after what happened earlier. I don’t want a repeat of it. “You can go then,” he says, and I get up, walking up the stairs, when I hear him call out. “Our room, Evelyn!”
I groan but walk into the room and lay on the bed, which is a mistake; as soon as I lay on my belly, I jump up, rushing toward the bathroom and throwing up into the toilet. When I am done, I quickly brush my teeth. I feel better now; my stomach isn’t so full, but I know I will be hungry again later.
Laying on the bed, I feel the bed dip. Warm hands touch me and pull me against them, and I know it is Ryland. I fall asleep easily after the overwhelming day I just had.
Evelyn
I wake up because of the heat. Of all the times to wake up in heat when I want nothing to do with them is torture. My skin is coated in sweat, my hair damp and sticking to my face, and my stomach tightens as arousal washes over me.
Sitting upright in the bed, I toss the blanket off. My skin is burning, and my core is pulsating. Ryland pulls me against him when Orion walks in from downstairs. His eyes darken as I struggle to get out of Ryland’s hold.
Thaddeus is tossing and turning next to me. Arousal floods the bond as I hear Thaddeus growl, but hasn’t woken yet.
Desire courses through me, but I force it away. No way am I letting them touch me. I push against them, wanting their hands off me. Their touch makes me react to them, and I can’t help but moan at the feeling of their skin on mine as they reach for me in their sleep.
Orion approaches and places his hand on my head, and I have to fight the urge to lean into his touch. “You’re burning up; you’re in heat again,” he says, a concerned look on his face as his eyes dart to Thaddeus next to me. I don’t even remember them coming to bed; I only remember Ryland being in bed with me before I fell asleep.
“I know; help me get off the bed!” I snap at him.
I need to get out of this bed before they wake up, but it is too late. Ryland’s head whips to the side, his eyes open and he grabs me and pushes me on my back. “Get off me!” I scream.
His arousal makes it so much harder to fight my own. He reluctantly moves to allow me up, and I crawl over the top of him. He grips my hips as I straddle him, but I force his hands away and run to the bathroom.
Orion follows me, and I don’t even get undressed; I just turn the shower on to jump under the cold water just as pain washes over me, making me double over. Orion and Ryland walk in and open the shower screen door.
“Get away from me!” I snap at them, slamming the door shut as I try to breathe through the pain washing over me. Everything in me tells me to go to them, but my mind is clear for once. I will rather drop dead than give in to the mate bond.
No matter how cold the water is, it doesn’t ease the heat rushing through me. The pain is all I can focus on, yet the antidote sits on the other side of the shower. But I won’t give in; that’s what they want: some submissive plaything to order around. I just hope Thaddeus doesn’t wake up, but that hope is short-lived when I hear him growl, and I notice Ryland spin around, blocking the door.
Thaddeus shoves past him and he stops, opening the shower screen wider, right as I am forced to my knees when pain rolls over me again. Why is this so painful yet arousing at the same time? Longing fills me, and Thaddeus reaches down, gripping my shoulder. A moan leaves my lips at his touch.
“She is in heat; why is she here?” he asks.
“Because I don’t want you touching me,” I spit at him through gritted teeth.
Thaddeus growls, and I can feel his arousal through the bond only getting stronger as he takes a deep breath in. “You would rather be in pain than let us help you?” he asks curiously.
Is he mentally challenged? Who, in their right mind, would want anything to do with him after what he has done to me?
“Not like pain isn’t something I am not used to, Thaddeus. Now get out, all of you!” I scream as I feel stabbing pain move between my legs. It becomes worse as another scream leaves me and I force myself to breathe through it.
“Evelyn,” Thaddeus says, growing angrier, but he’s cut off by Orion.
“You can’t force her, Thaddeus.”
“I will, if I have to,” Thaddeus snaps at him. “Evelyn,” Thaddeus goes, but this time, I cut him off.
More Kickass Werewolf Reads
Dive into our collection of free werewolf romance novels—where fierce Alphas, daring heroines, and heart-stopping twists await. Every story burns with forbidden desire, loyalty, and destiny. Don’t wait—here’s a world where love bites hard and nothing is stronger than the call of the mate.
Leave a Reply