Chapter 77-2
Claim
Everyone felt so damn guilty, our pack bonds were practically dragging Troy to the ground.
Having my pack bond severed has almost been a relief.”
“Your pack bond is severed? No wonder I couldn’t feel you near.” It made sense.
“But you’re still bonded to Troy,” Willa pointed out. “Morven couldn’t steal the bond. And you wouldn’t give it up.”
“Even when I was certain no one was coming for me, it was the only thing holding Morven at bay. Once I gave him my bond, he’d stop caring what I wanted. He probably would have chained me to
the wall.”
“It’s a good thing we got to you when we did,” Willa said cheerfully. “He was getting ready to kill
everyone who worked at that bar if you didn’t give him your bond by the next full moon.”
My stomach twisted. “Shit. Really?”
“Oh, yeah. That seems to be your gimmick. Sacrificing yourself for others. Would you have done it?
Would I?
I’d deliberately kept myself at a distance because I didn’t trust them. It didn’t occur to me that he
would use them against me. No wonder there was so much desperation in their smiles. I’d thought
it was just because they’d been ordered to be nice. Did they know that they were cannon fodder?
Would I have sacrificed myself for them?
There was a knock at the adjoining door. “Food,” Troy said roughly.
Amelia and Willa both gave me a look, and I nodded. They opened the door and slipped through.
Troy walked through with a large bag. “Soup and bread. I wasn’t sure what your stomach would be able to handle. If it sits okay, I’ll send Finn out for something more substantial.”
Finn. I hadn’t had a chance to hug him. Talk to him. Thank him.
“I’d like you to have a guard while you eat. Who would you like?”
With those words, tension filled the room. I gave him a soft smile. “You can stay, if you’d like.”
Relief swept over his features, and he stepped through and closed the door. Placing the bag on the
small table next to the armchair, he pulled out my bowl and handed it to me before returning to the
chair. “Morven has stationed guards all throughout the town. There’s a whole camp set up on the
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<Chapter 77-2
exit road out of town.”
Claim
I remember what he said about us leaving by boat. “As unhinged as he seems, I don’t think he’ll do
anything too stupid. Having said that, he funnels a lot of money into this town. I mean, a lot. I got a
look at his books one night. He owns real estate and companies here.”
“One night?” Troy asked sharply and then closed his eyes. “Fuck. Sorry. That’s not what I need to
focus on.”
“He touched me, Troy, but he never r***d me. I took a few blows when he lost his temper, but he
didn’t do any real damage. As fucked up as it is, he did seem to want me happy.
He took what Bridget told him and used that to base my life. I worked at a bar similar to Razor’s
Edge. He told me it was mine when I was ready, which I’m pretty sure meant when I pledged my
bond to him. My suite was lavish and beautiful if you ignored the bars on the windows and the guards at the door. The only time he forced me to be in his company was at dinner. He took a call a few times, and I snooped around. He had to have known, but he didn’t care. Wherever he kept his
secrets, it wasn’t there.”
“It’s all right. You weren’t there to uncover secrets. You shouldn’t have been there at all.”
The frustration was back and he nodded his head toward me. “Please eat your dinner.”
I took a few bites in silence. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until I started eating, but I forced
myself to eat slowly. My body was still healing. I didn’t need to vomit my calories back up.
I also couldn’t take the silence for much longer. “We need to focus on escaping, and in order to do
that, I think we need to clear the air. You’re pissed at me.”
“You were in a tight spot, Kiana. We still hadn’t built any trust, and you thought you were doing the right thing,” he said tightly. “I’m upset that you didn’t think I could protect you, but I understand.”
“I do think you would have protected me, Troy. I think you would have given up your damn pack for
me because of this stupid mating bond. I couldn’t let that happen. If Morven wasn’t bluffing, that is
exactly what would have happened. Hundreds of wolves violently evicted from the only homes they’ve ever known. Because of me.”
“Because of Morven,” he snarled and closed his eyes, “I think of that moment a hundred times a
day. I could see that something was wrong. I could tell he was communicating with you somehow. I saw the horror on your face, and then you just calmly said that you were leaving. I was so stunned
I didn’t stop you. I didn’t object. I just let him take you away. Was it a spell? Was I in shock? I still
don’t know.”
Opening his eyes, he stared at me. “I heard what you said to Amelia. You didn’t think I was coming.
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< Chapter 77-2
You really thought I would leave you there.”
Even if I couldn’t feel his pain, I could see it. “I would have left me there, Troy.”
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