Stolen and Forgiven (Branded Packs #1)(5)

Bile coated her tongue and she swallowed.

Wait. Could she swallow if she were dead? That didn’t make much sense, but she’d never been dead before so she didn’t quite know.

“What the f*ck did you do, Holden?”

The deep shout startled her and she pried open her eyes. Well, hell, it seemed she wasn’t dead. But where the f*ck was she? She almost tried to move, but froze. What if her captors heard her? It never failed to be worse when the so-called doctors found her awake after a long sleep.

A few things had changed since the last time she’d woken up after passing out. First, it felt as though she was lying on a bed with a comfortable mattress and blankets rather than a hard metal table. She held back the instinct to scream out or even let out a relieved breath. This could be a test. The doctors could want to see what she would do once she thought she was comfortable…or safe.

She’d never be safe again.

She’d known that from the first needle prick against her will.

“I did what had to be done, Soren.”

That voice. Ariel stiffened at that voice. It wasn’t familiar, at least it shouldn’t have been, but for some reason, she felt as if she’d heard it before. Or maybe someone like it. The deep timbre slid over her, increasing her heartbeat yet calming her at the same time. What the hell was going on?

“What you had to do?” the other man, Soren, she thought it was, yelled once again. “You broke our laws. You turned her, Alpha. You risked the lives of our people, our way of life because, what? She’s a pretty face? How the f*ck could you have seen that with all the blood on her?”

Turned? Alpha? Laws?

Ariel shook, this couldn’t be happening.

She had a bad feeling she wasn’t inside the SAU lab anymore.

A really bad, freaking feeling.

“If you weren’t f*cking yelling, you’d hear her heartbeat has changed, Soren. Now go. I will take care of this.”

A low growl came from one of them, and Ariel clutched the bed sheets. Shit. She needed to get out of here. If these where who she thought they were, she needed to find a weapon. Fuck. Did he say turned?

No, that couldn’t have been right.

Shifters were born, not made.

Everyone knew that.

Didn’t they?

Oh, f*ck.

How was this man, this Holden, going to take care of this? She opened her eyes and quickly closed them again. The bright light overhead made her head pound, and her stomach wanted to revolt. Her heart began to race at the sound of footsteps coming closer, and she waited for whoever it was to see her. She’d fight them off if she could, but if these were shifters, then she was screwed.

Those animals killed people.

Everyone knew it…or at least that’s what she’d been told.

“You’re awake.”

She tried to sit up at the sound of his voice and winced. She might not hurt as much now as she had before, but she still wasn’t up to a hundred percent.

“Don’t move. You’re hurting yourself.” The man barked the order, as if he were used to people following his every command. For all she knew, he was.

Knowing she needed a good look at her captor, she once again pried her eyes open. This time, it felt as though someone had knocked her in the chest.

Dear Lord, was her kidnapper supposed to be that sexy?

His dark hair spiked a little on the top of his head, but the rest had been cut short to show off the hard angles of his face. His tanned skin looked as if he worked hard outdoors and used his hands. Every inch of him was toned, muscled, and rock hard, but he didn’t look like one of those scary, body builders who couldn’t walk through a door without turning sideways. His eyes were a piercing blue, like two pools of water that went deeper and deeper. He fisted his hands at his sides, and while she wanted to think he was trying to keep himself from doing…something…she didn’t want to find out what would happen when he let go. The dark brand of a tribal wolf on his forearm looked like it still hurt, while the tattoo on one side didn’t look as bad. The metal collar around his neck stood out and confirmed what she’d already suspected.

He was a shifter.

“Who are you?” she croaked. Hell, her throat hurt.

Holden frowned and stalked over to the side table, the muscles on his thighs bunching as he moved. Why was she so fixated on his thighs? She needed to find a way out of here and get back home…wherever home was.

He poured her a glass of water from a pitcher and handed it to her. “Drink.”

“Bossy much?” she rasped. Probably not the best idea to antagonize the literal beast, but she couldn’t help herself. She was scared, and when that happened, she acted like she was a tough bitch.

He merely raised a brow and reached out with his free hand to cup the back of her head. She tried to pull away but he held her in place. Damn, the man was strong.

“Drink.”

She did not trust this man or his attitude. Instead of complying, she pressed her lips together.

Holden sighed and took a sip of the water himself. “It’s not poison.”

“If you’re a shifter, then you’re not going to die from poison.” She immediately closed her mouth again. Fuck. She hadn’t meant to say that. What if he wasn’t a shifter and just a normal kidnapper? The fact that she’d just thought the words ‘normal kidnapper’ made her want to reevaluate her life choices.