CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 15

Cynthia

My head feels like it’s stuffed with cotton when I come to, my tongue thick and heavy in my mouth.

"…worry about it. Dad knows what he’s doing."

That’s Norman’s voice!

My entire body turns stiff at the sound of his voice, and I feel the haziness in my head vanish, pushed away by fear and shock. I keep my eyes closed and test my hands and feet. My wrists are bound, but my feet are free. I’m lying on something soft. It feels like a bed. My head is aching terribly as if someone hit me.

The sudden breeze on my legs makes my skin crawl.

Where are my clothes? Why am I naked?

Norman is still talking, unaware I have regained consciousness. He seems to be on the phone with someone.

"Dad already took care of it all. You know how those people are. Flash a little money at them and they’ll sell their own children for it. Ultimately, it’s their opinion that will be taken into account, and Dad has paid all of them. The ones that weren’t on board, well…"

More laughter from Norman.

"They’ve been taken care of. Like I said, Dad knew what he was doing. These old farts will do everything not to change their centuries-old traditions, but once the trash from the slum goes for the plan Dad has prepared, they’ll have no choicer but to accept me."

I’m naked in a room with Norman. Trying to keep it together, I assess the damage. It doesn’t feel like he’s done anything to me yet. It’s hard to keep my breathing even and slow as the gears in my brain work in overtime as I also listen in to his conversation. He’s talking about the announcement that his father made. I knew there had to be a catch! So, this whole thing is a trap. I have to tell Adam!

But first, I have to get out of these binds, find my clothes, and get away from Norman.

I’m lying on my side, my bound arms before me. Norman’s voice is coming from behind me, so there’s a chance he might not see me do anything. I take the risk and open my eyes. I recognize where I am by the design on the wall panels. This is one of the rooms in the hotel where the Gala is being held. It still must be taking place. He probably knocked me out and carried me here.

My bound wrists are against my chest, and I take out one claw and begin slicing the rope, bit by bit.

On hearing the bed creak, my blood goes cold, and I immediately close my eyes and pretend to be unconscious. Norman lifts a strand of my hair, playing with it. "Are you guys coming or what? She’s all trussed up like a Christmas turkey."

What? It’s next to impossible to keep my heartbeat steady now. What is Norman talking about?

"Consider her my gift to you," Norman snickers. "I want a go at her first, but then you lot can take turns. I’ve already set up the cameras."

I sink my teeth into my tongue, sick fear filling me. What does Norman have planned for me?

The bed creaks again as he gets up. "My brother’s taken a real fancy to her. That’s why Dad sent her to him. Adam has this thing for damsels in distress. Dad probably thought he’d be fucking her in a week. But I know Cynthia. Bitch is a prude, through and through. I can bet half my bank account that she’s never let any man touch her. Dad made sure she didn’t. He was planning to get her bred like a horse. Apparently, her kid would also be tied to us then. I hope it’s a girl. That would be fun."

I want to throw up in my mouth.

"Oh, he knew we would never acquire the company. Once I’m Alpha, I’ll make something up and seize everything from that arrogant bastard. I took his woman, didn’t I? Once he gets recordings of her being fucked by a group of men, it’ll be a sight to see. He fucking stabbed me over this bitch!"

I slash through the last bit of rope now, and my eyes dart around, looking for a weapon.

"It’s the third door to the right once you get off the elevator." Norman heads to the door. "I’ll wait for you in the hallway. Is everyone with you?"

As soon as he closes the door behind him, I jump into action.

My dress is lying on the ground, and when I hurriedly pick it up, it’s been viciously torn. I can only hold it to my bare body to cover myself. There is a hearth at the other end of the room, and next to it is a long iron rod, curled on one end, leaning against the fireplace. I grab it and my purse. I can hear Norman on the phone.

Taking a few quick breaths for courage, I yank open the door. Norman turns around, and as his eyes widen, I bring the iron rod down on his head. Using my full strength, I hit him with it a couple of times until he falls. Then, I gather the dress, which has slipped to the floor, against my chest and begin running. I hear footsteps and then shouting.

Looking over my shoulder, I see a group of men I recognize as Norman’s friends. Two of them are crouching by his side while the rest are running after me. I know exactly what they’re going to do to me when they catch up, and I run for dear life. I use the stairs and trip over the dress I’m holding to cover myself with, my mind blank with raw fear. Stumbling to the ground, I try to get up and fail, my left ankle screaming in pain. I try again, and this time an arm grabs me, lifting me up.

I know who it is before I can look up.

Adam picks me up and strides into the next hallway. I don’t get a chance to say anything because he opens a door and then slams it shut behind us.

My whole body feels ice cold.

"Cynthia." Adam sets me down on the bed, taking off his jacket and covering me with it.

I don’t respond, unable to speak. My hands are trembling when he takes them in his.

"Cynthia."

I look at him, but my mouth feels dry. My heart feels like it will burst out of my chest it’s pounding so hard. The reality of what was about to happen to me is finally sinking in. The tears that fall from my eyes are useless, but I can’t stop them. They drip down one after the other, but not a sound escapes me.

Adam takes me into his arms, worry and fear written all over his face. "You’re fine. You’re okay. I’ve got you. Nothing was going to happen to you. I was coming for you."

His lips press against my forehead, his arms tight around me. Perhaps that’s what lets my body relax, or maybe it’s that Adam would have saved me.

"N-Norman," I finally manage to utter, "took off my clothes. He tied me up. His friends were going to…"

The words get stuck in my throat.

"He was going to let his friends… to me. He––"

Adam strokes the strands of hair away from my face, his voice gentle. "I’ll bring you his head."

I realize that he means it when he gets to his feet, his claws unsheathed, and begins striding towards the door.

"No!" I dart toward him, stumbling on my injured ankle and nearly crashing face-first onto the floor. He catches me before I can, though.

"Sit back down," he orders. "I’ll be back."

"You’re not going!" I raise my voice at him, fear for him pushing my own trauma aside. "He’s got at least ten people with him! He’ll kill you!"

"I’m not that easy to take in a fight," Adam says, his voice dark. "Stay here."

"No!" I dig my claws into his shirt. "Stop being an idiot and think your brain! He wants you dead. Don’t help him do it! I’ll be fine! I will." I repeat the last words, mostly for myself. "I’ll be okay." I wet my lips. "I need some clothes, something to wear, please."

Adam studies me. "Fine. I won’t leave."

He steps into the other room of the suite to make a call, and I stare down at my injured foot.

Jonathon sent me to Adam to turn me into a weakness. He intended me to give birth to a child, most likely to Adam’s child.

A slow seed of doubt forms within me. Did Jonathon know that Adam and I are fated mates? Maya told me that female shifters can only get pregnant if they’re mated. So, to get a child out of me he’d have to get me mated to someone. What if Jonathon had planned to get me mated to Adam and use the child that came from us against his son? His own grandchild would be a slave.

I pull the jacket around me even closer. I don’t know why, but the more I think about it, the more likely this is beginning to seem. Why else would he send me to Adam’s office like this? He must have known something, otherwise sending me was a very random choice. My brain hurts as I try to sort all this through my head.

But what I do know for sure is that Jonathon manipulated me. He never intended to give me my freedom. It was all a lie. His plans for me were worse than anything I could have imagined. Now, where does this leave me? My eyes are fixed on the ground. I attacked Norman. Jonathon is not going to let me off the hook for this. The terror growing within me is so vicious that it’s hard to draw in air. I can’t even think of what he’ll do to me. I’ll hyperventilate if I think about it.

There’s no place to hide.

I have to make sure Adam becomes the alpha. I have to place all my bets on him. He’ll release me from my blood debt. I’m sure he will. I have evidence of it. If I show it to him, maybe he’ll release me and then I can leave. He and Tina can be together, and I’ll just go somewhere. I’ll travel, leave this city, and breathe for the first time. I may not get Adam, but I’ll get my freedom. I can live with that.

My eyes burn.

I want to be free so badly I can taste it on my tongue.

I have to tell Adam what Jonathon has planned for him. I have to do something.

The door opens, and I look up to see Robert step in.

"Y-You?" I stammer, grabbing the jacket tighter around me. "What’re you doing here?"

Just then, Adam steps out. As soon as he sees Robert, he strides over, grabs a blanket, and wraps me in it, his lips bared in a snarl.

“Can you fucking knock?”

Robert gives him a grin. “Sorry. What’s going on here?”

Adam steps in front of me, as if to block me from Robert’s line of sight. “Did you do it?"

"I have the footage." Robert holds out a flash drive. "And there was a malfunction not a moment later within the CCTV cameras. All their hard drives were just wiped."

"What about Norman’s friends?"

"They’ve taken Norman to the healer." Robert glances at me, amused. "You did a real number on him. And don’t worry, I have ten people in the ballroom who’re ready to swear up and down that you’ve been talking to them for the last hour."

I look between Robert and Adam. "I don’t understand. You two know each other?"

"Robert’s the alpha of another pack in the area," Adam says.

I look at the scarred man who’s giving me a sheepish smile. "So you knew who I was when you approached me?"

"Guilty as charged. Adam wanted me to keep an eye on you."

"I see," I murmur, feeling a pang in my chest.

Adam didn’t trust me.

It’s a slap in the face, and I lower my gaze to my hands.

I really can’t catch a break, can I?

I twist my fingers with each other, a heavy tiredness leaking into my soul.

"I was just worried about Jonathon or Norman cornering you," Adam says, as if reading my thoughts.

"I understand."

What can I even say? I can’t get mad at him. I don’t have that right. He has every right not to trust me. But I wish I could just disappear. I’m so tired of all of this, of everything. I just want to close my eyes and never wake up.

"Cynthia?" There’s a hint of alarm in Adam’s voice.

"Can I get some clothes?" I ask quietly. "I would really like to have something to cover myself with."

"My assistant is getting them," Robert replies, and I don’t meet his gaze.

It’s obvious to me that the two of them are on good terms and Robert is aware of what’s going on in the pack. This is why I don’t hesitate to say to Adam, "Jonathon is setting you up. He’s bribed the people living in the slums. Those who didn’t want to go along with his plan, he’s done something to them. I overheard Norman on the phone. He’s been working on this plan for a while. The whole thing about wanting to acquire your company was just a distraction."

Adam’s eyes narrow. "You heard Norman say all this?"

"He thought I was unconscious."

Adam frowns. "This isn’t good. If he’s already got all his cards together, we’re not going to be able to do much."

"What if you find something incriminating against Norman?" Robert suggests. "Before they even get to announcing what his plan is for the rehabilitation of the slums, you slam the pack officials with something they would find unforgivable, since clearly they were on the fence about the whole abuse accusations."

"His phone," I suddenly say. "He got a new phone, a second one, a few years back. It’s a small black thing. Looks very basic, but it’s incredibly hard to break into it if you don’t know the code. Jonathon was trying to straighten him out or something, and he began monitoring all his online activity which is when he got the phone. He’s very protective of it. If there’s any dirt on him, it will be on that phone."

"How do we get it?"

"I can get it." I look at the two of them.

"Absolutely not!" Adam says. "You’re not going anywhere near Norman! Not after what he did to you."

"Do you have another way to get your hands on that phone?" I shoot him a sharp look. "After what happened to Norman, Jonathon’s going to call me to him, and that’s when I’ll be able to––"

"No," Adam snarls. "That’s final."

"You don’t get to tell me what to do, Adam!" I get to my feet, furious. "This is the only way. And what do you care about what happens to me? You’ve got Tina, remember?"

He pales, and I smile, baring my teeth at him. "See? Not even a hint of a denial."

Robert lets out an awkward whistle. "This seems like a private conversation. I’ll wait outside for Harry to bring the clothes."

I don’t stop him from leaving, and neither does Adam.

"If it bothers you so much," Adam retorts, "why were you tripping all over yourself to book us romantic dates and buy her gifts from me? Why didn’t you say something?"

"Why should I say something?" I shoot back. "You were the one making false promises to me. If you already had someone in your life, what was the need to try and convince me to be with you? Even if you knew I was your fated mate, you clearly love Tina. Once you mate her, it will be like I never existed."

"You don’t know what you’re talking about," Adam says, looking pissed off.

"Oh, I don’t?" I scoff. "Let’s be real here, Adam. You saw me as an opportunity to use me against your father, just like he was doing. You thought that poor battered Cynthia. Nobody loves her. She’s all alone. I’ll show her a little affection and she’ll spill all of my father’s secrets."

"I have never––"

"It’s okay." The anger fades away almost as soon as it rears its head, and I look at the man standing before me. My heart feels worn out now. "It’s okay. I get it."

I run my hands over my face, sinking back onto the bed.

"You want to become Alpha. You’re ambitious."

"You’re wrong, Cynthia."

But I know I’m not.

"I may be naive in a lot of things, Adam," I look at him, my ankle throbbing and my heart aching with each beat, "but I understand ambition and greed. Things just worked out in your favor. How could you not use me? And you’re a perfectionist. You expect me to believe you would be happy with somebody like me by your side when Tina exists? And she does suit you better. I wasn’t lying about that. So, I’ll help you. I’ll get the phone. You get to become Alpha. In return, there’s only one thing I want."

Adam is silent, and I give him a bitter smile. "My freedom."

I just want to be free now.