True Wolf (Bennett Pack #3)

6. Nessah

CHAPTER SIX

NESSAH

I pressed my back against the cold, damp concrete wall of the basement, every instinct screaming at me to shift and run. But I couldn’t. Not while he was here. Not while he held the power. The faint smell of bleach mixed with the unmistakable potency of Lazar’s anger permeated the air, making my throat tighten.

Since he unkindly dragged me from my car and escorted me to the basement, Lazar had been grilling me about his brother. I could have kicked myself for not completely blocking my thoughts as I originally planned, but Mina’s demand to know that I was okay left me vulnerable and now had me in some deep shit I had no clue how to escape.

“Why won’t you just tell me?” His voice echoed off the walls, a low growl that sent shivers down my spine. I could see him pacing in my peripheral. I refused to take him in head on. His silhouette mirrored a predator stalking its prey.

I’m his prey.

The echo of his angry stride amplified the tension tightening in my neck and shoulders. I swallowed hard, forcing myself to meet his gaze. Lazar Bennett was formidable, his presence demanding, powerful…and scary. But I could see the cracks in his facade. The way his hands clenched into fists, the way his jaw tensed with each unanswered question.

“I’m not keeping anything from you,” I pleaded. My voice trembled despite my best efforts to sound steady. “I swear.”

“Liar!” he spat, his eyes glinting with an intensity that made my heart race. “I heard your thoughts. If you stay, he’ll hate you and you’ll hate yourself for ruining his life. Are you insinuating that I’m stupid, wolf ?”

I flinched at the mention of Zion. Those were my thoughts but they were far from what Lazar believed.

“It’s not what you think!” I managed to say, my voice barely above a whisper. “I would never betray you, your brother, or the pack. You have to believe me!”

Never intentionally betray either of you…

He stepped closer, invading my space, and I could feel the heat radiating off him. His anger was palpable and I could see the conflict in his eyes. Somewhere beneath the rage, I sensed fear. Fear of losing his brother, fear of losing control, and fear I would be the reason for all three.

“Then tell me the truth. You’re hiding something.”

My mind raced, trying to find the right words to explain my dilemma and convince him I wasn’t a problem. “Lazar, please...”

“Alpha…” he corrected in a venom-laced tone.

“Alpha, I’m loyal to you. To this pack.” I took a shaky breath, forcing myself to stand a little taller. “I am no threat to you or your brothers. If you just let me leave...”

His expression shifted, just for a moment, as if my words struck a chord. But then the anger returned. A storm brewed in his eyes seconds before he turned his back to me. When I had his threatening stare again, he grabbed my arm and shoved me forward.

“Inside.”

Panic pushed through my veins when he motioned to the small steel cage that extended from the wall. It mirrored a jail cell but the bars were thicker and closer together. Not a chance in hell of getting through them. When my eyes shot up to his again, I could see the conflict behind the anger and desperation clawing at him.

“How…how long are you going to keep me here?” My voice softened, almost pleading.

He paused and for a flicker of a second, I thought I saw a glimpse of the man I had grown to admire over the past three months, the Alpha who protected his pack fiercely, who cared for his family. It vanished as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by the raw edge of suspicion. “You’re hiding something and I don’t know you well enough to trust your word. I’m not Jo, she has a soft spot for wolves like you. I don’t.”

I closed my eyes, feeling the weight of the world pressing down on me. “I’m not hiding anything, Alpha, nor am I a threat. But if you keep me here you’ll be a threat to your brother. Just let me go, look at me. What could I possibly do to either of you or anyone in this pack?”

His eyes narrowed, the tension between us was thick and suffocating. “You’re staying.”

I shivered as he turned away, just before he left the room, the lights were flicked off and the shadows swallowed him whole, leaving me alone in the darkness.

I should have left months ago and now it’s too late…