"Let me go! Patrick!" I screamed, but my voice was muffled by Patrick's nicotine-reeking palm pressed tightly over my mouth.
He sneered down at me with sick pleasure as my arms and legs were lifted and pinned by his four lackeys.
Moonlight dimmed weakly through the leaves above, casting distorted shadows across Patrick's face, making him look even more terrifying.
Grrr… I growled, preparing to shift.
"Hold her down so she can't shift!" Patrick barked.
His fellow immediately slammed me down to the ground, pinning all four of my limbs. My body, mid-shift, was forced back into human form again and again.
Thora howled in fury inside me, fighting to break free. The four of them were drenched in sweat, struggling to keep me restrained.
"This chick is tough!" one of them panted.
"Shut up! Hold her tighter! I'm dosing her with wolfsbane first," Patrick snapped, reaching into his pocket.
He pulled out a small metal tin and opened it.
My eyes widened in horror—it was a syringe, already filled with glowing purple liquid.
I knew exactly what that was. And it sent me into a wilder panic.
"Shhh, relax. Just a little longer and you'll be a good girl..." Patrick cooed with a wide, twisted grin.
Tears streamed down my face as I shook my head, silently begging him not to go through with his plan.
"A slut like you should've never played hard to get," he hissed, eyes gleaming with twisted amusement.
"I wanna know what it's like to touch the girl both Nyxon and Kaiden fight over. Are you that worth it?"
They all burst into disgusting laughter.
"Think of this as doing them a favor. I'll let them know if you're any good or not," Patrick chuckled, wiping drool from his chin with the back of his hand before leaning in to inject the syringe into my arm.
The thought of their filthy bodies violating me sent white-hot rage through my veins.
My body belongs to my mate—no one else!
'Nyxon! Kaiden! —Rue! I screamed in my head.
But there was nothing.
As an outsider—not part of any pack—my mind-link went nowhere. No one heard me.
'YOU DON'T CONSIDER ME?!' Thora roared in outrage.
'We tried… and we failed,' I whispered back, broken.
I felt the tip of the needle pierce my skin.
'WELL, UNLIKE YOU. I WON'T GIVE UP! Thora howled.
She let out a deafening cry inside me, summoning every last bit of strength—calling to the Moon Goddess for help.
Suddenly, a wave of scorching heat surged through my back and exploded through my limbs. My strength multiplied.
GRRRR!!
Thora took control—and shifted.
"WHAT?!" Patrick screamed in disbelief.
I yanked the syringe out of my shoulder and stomped on it, shattering it under my foot as the wolfsbane spilled across the dirt.
"DAMN IT!" Patrick shouted.
He and his four lackeys shifted, forming a tight circle around me. They growled, crouching—ready to attack.
GRRRR!
I growled back, then lunged at them without hesitation.
For the first time, I felt no fear.
What once was terror had transformed into fury—a pure, primal rage that gave me a power I didn't even know I had.
Though smaller, I was faster—my blazing red fur flashing like a streak of fire as I ripped into them one by one.
My claws slashed across their faces, and their agonized howls filled the night.
Only Patrick remained.
My attacks didn't faze him—his body was hard like stone. Every swipe of my claws felt like I was clawing a brick wall.
While his men lay beaten and groaning off to the side, Patrick remained standing—strong, focused, unshaken.
I backed off slightly, panting, circling him with caution.
'He's like a damn iron wall,' I growled in my head.
'How do we bring him down?' I asked Thora.
'I've got an idea,' she replied, a devious glint in her tone.
Now fully in Thora's control, I watched as her gaze fixed on Patrick's lip ring.
I understood immediately.
'Now, girl!' I cheered her on.
We pounced. Thora lunged straight for the piercing and ripped it clean off.
Patrick let out a scream of pain, stumbling backward as his defense shattered.
Seizing the opening, I lunged—claws tearing across the vulnerable side of his neck.
Blood spurted, soaking the ground beneath us.
Patrick's scream was so loud it echoed through the trees, alerting the entire pack.
Within moments, warriors arrived—followed by Benjamin, Nyxon… and Alpha Roman.
Everyone stood frozen, stunned at the sight of a female omega standing over five defeated, elite pack warriors.
Patrick kept screaming until Alpha Roman growled, "Enough!"
"Disgraceful! You've brought shame to this pack! If I hear one more pathetic sound, I'll tear that wound open wider!"
Patrick immediately fell silent.
Alpha Roman ordered us to shift back to human form—so he could speak directly to me.
"What the hell happened here?" he demanded, eyes locked on Patrick.
"She seduced us," Patrick started. "She offered herself to us. We said no, but she threatened to tell Nyxon if we didn't go along. Then she cast some spell, froze us, and tortured us!"
My jaw dropped.
That's a complete lie.
"That's not true! They dragged me out here to ra-pe me!" I shouted back.
"You're the one lying! There are five of us who will againt your words," Patrick shot back, nodding at his friends. They murmured in agreement.
I turned to Alpha Roman—the man who'd never liked me, not even from the start.
Of course, he would believe them over me.
"So, this is what you've become, women?" Alpha Roman said coldly.
"I thought scolding you earlier was enough. I was wrong. Should I expel you from this pack instead?"
My voice caught in my throat—but then my eyes locked on the shattered syringe.
"Look at that!" I said quickly, pointing.
"That proves I'm not lying! If I'd cast some spell, why would I need wolfsbane to weaken them? And if I had that syringe, how could I have injected it into them without any resistance? They're not even knocked out!"
Patrick stammered. "That's because… because..."
He had no answer.
A slow, triumphant smile crept onto my face.
BAM!
A loud crack split the silence—Patrick flew backward, slamming into a tree hard enough to snap it in half.
The punch had come from Benjamin.