That’s when I notice the small bruises around her wrist, hips, thighs, and ankles. I stare at them waiting for the purplish blue to slowly fade. They aren’t bad, but she’s pulling against the rope and it’s going to rub her skin raw or give her welts, or both. She needs to knock that shit off and let them heal as wolves do.
“Stop struggling.” I give her the command with ease but worry filters in as the bruises appear to darken. “You’re going to hurt yourself, baby.” She yells something incoherent through the shirt stuffed in her mouth and I have to suppress a grin. The happiness sneaking up on me at seeing our mate spread out for us vanishes when I look back at her bruises. They look even darker. What the fuck? I hear Dom thinking the same; she should be healing by now. Concern for our mate rapidly kills any desire I had.
“We hurt her.” I shake my head in disgust. Yeah I want to fuck her and bring her to the edge of pain while I pleasure her delectable body, but I don’t want her injured in any other way. She’s a wolf. I heard it. Dom heard it. She isn’t supposed to be bruised. I don’t want to mark her unless she can look at them and remember the pleasure that came with it. This isn’t what I want. A deep regret settles in my chest. “Why isn’t she healing?”
“She’s not a werewolf.” My neck whips around at Dom’s blunt statement.
“The hell she’s not; you heard her wolf!” My breathing becomes erratic and adrenaline starts pumping through my blood, making my fists tremble with the need to thrash against something. And right now, Dom’s face is looking like the best option.
“Calm down, Caleb. She’s going to be fine. Her wolf is in there, but she’s something else.”
“She needs to heal. Why isn’t her wolf healing her?” I don’t understand what’s happening.
He ignores me, which only intensifies my alarm, speaking his next words aloud so Liz can hear. “Little one, you okay?” I’m pretty sure the two syllables she shouts into his shirt are “Fuck you!” A grin threatens to pull at my lips, but I stop that shit; she’s not okay. And I don’t know how to handle her if she can’t heal herself. How can I be rough with her then? How can I be who I am with my mate if she’s unable to take something as simple as this?
“Baby girl, bring your wolf back so she can heal you.” I focus on the one thing all of us need. “I don’t like seeing these marks on your body.” I’m surprised by the absolute truth in that statement. I never thought I’d want her marks to go away but then again, these weren’t given to her in the way my wolf demands. She shakes her head violently at my command. My brows knit together in anger at her insolence and Dom’s hand comes down on my shoulder in an attempt to placate me.
“Calm the fuck down.”
Dom crawls on the bed, making it dip and groan, and straddles her tiny frame while he talks. “I want to talk to you. Are you going to be good so I can take your gag away?” Her eyes travel over his body and I scent the air; there’s nothing but fear and anger. My wolf snarls in my chest. I want her arousal. Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, I rub soothing circles on her calf. She flinches at first, but soon resigns herself to my touch. It’s not like she’s in any position to stop me. Dom looks back at me and his eyes light up as he watches me caress her tender skin.
“Maybe we should keep your gag in until you’re more relaxed.” He stares into her piercing blue eyes and she stares defiantly right back.
“Baby girl, we have something important to tell you.” I trail my fingers teasingly up and down her calf before taking her knee in my hand. I want to kiss her leg, but she’ll probably just knee me in the face and break my nose. The motion would take all the slack these ropes have for her to do it, but there’s not a doubt in my mind she would, so I hold back.
I share a glance with Dom before continuing to talk to Liz and he nods his head in agreement. Now that she can’t ignore us and can’t run from us, it’s the perfect time to tell her we’re her mates. Even if she is spitting mad. Beggars can’t be choosers. “Baby, when you were with your pack, did you learn about mates?” I’m reaching here. She may have wolf in her, but I don’t have a clue whether or not she was ever in a pack. Her body tenses at my question. I press my lips in a hard line. Damn it. I want her to relax.
“You shouldn’t have brought up her pack.” Dom silently scolds me.
“Then you fucking do it.” I answer him in my head so that she doesn’t hear my irritation.
“Lizzie, we’re your mates.” Dom makes the matter-of-fact statement while he bends down to pick up more rope. I scrunch up my face and hang my head at his nonchalance.
“What the fuck, Dom?”
“What?” He looks at me like he’s confused as to why I would be aggravated.
“Women want romance, you dumb fuck.” I hiss the words in my head.
“Does she look like she wants romance right now?” I take a look at my doe-eyed mate. She’s still scared to death and furious, looking at Dom like he just smacked her across her pretty little face. “She’s not even listening. Look at her.”
“Do you know what that means, Liz? That we’re your mates?” I ask her evenly, making my voice as soft as I possibly can even though the words choke me. I expect her to shake or nod her head, but she does nothing. I school my expression to keep my anger under wraps.
“She really likes being difficult, doesn’t she?”
“It’ll take time, but we’ll break her habit of ignoring us.”
Dom’s words ring clear in my head. I don’t respond because truthfully I want her to be difficult so we can let our beasts out to play. But not right now. Not when I’m telling her that she’s my one and only for as long as I live. That she is my everything and every choice I make will involve her and prioritize her. My heart clenches and my hand stills on her calf. Fuck. Maybe fate knew how fucked up I’d end up being so they gave me a mate who can’t love me back. I have to clear my throat and stop those thoughts. I’ll make her love me.
“Nod if you understand.” She stares back defiantly although some of her fight has waned.
“We’re your mates. You belong to us and we belong to you.” Dom’s statement means more to me than anything else I’ve ever heard.
She hears, she knows. I know she does from the way her breathing picks up and her chest rises and falls heavily. It’s sinking in and I pray she can feel the pull and how much stronger it’s gotten in only seconds.
“Do you understand what that means? That we’re both your mates and you are our only?”
“Little one, answer Caleb.” Dom’s voice is level, but full of authority. Our stubborn mate continues to ignore the two of us, refusing to nod or attempt to speak. But I know she heard; I know it’s dawning on her. Dom sighs as though he’s not looking forward to what he’s about to do and I watch as he crawls on the bed to wind rope around her knee that’s farthest from me. After he knots it, he pulls it to the edge of the bed, forcing her legs to spread apart. He secures the rope to something under the bed and I can’t help but wonder where he came up with this idea. My dick pulses in agony at the sight of her legs being forced open. She’s completely exposed with no way to hide and I fucking love it.