Savage Moon: Wolf Shifter Romance (Wild Lake Wolves Book 4) Read Online Free Page B

his face as he reached
into the pocket of his pants. He pulled out his phone and swiped his finger
across the screen. “I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this. I thought maybe
you’d come to your senses without me having to do this. But, you can’t lie to
me. I know you’re plotting another chance to try and run. So, here’s a little
further incentive.”
    He held the phone out to me. From the edge of my vision
I could see he’d opened it to a photograph. The air hung thick between us and
some childish part of me wished I could make the image go away if I just didn’t
look at it. But, I wasn’t a child. I kept my hand remarkably steady as I
reached out and took the phone from Kane.
    I hurt. From the roots of my hair to the tips of my
toes, fire raced through my veins. My fingers did tremble then as my eyes
combed over every inch of the image he showed me.
    Jaxson.
    My strong, beautiful brother, Jax. His dark hair,
normally soft with natural waves stuck to his forehead now, pasted there with
sweat. He laid on his side, his body curled halfway into a fetal position.
Heavy metal shackles circled his wrists and neck. They were connected to a
heavy chain bolted to the center of the cement floor on which he lay.
    His bright, clear eyes had dulled as he winced in
pain. God. His eyes . I spread my fingers over the screen to zoom in on
his face. He was in pain. Yes. But there was something else. Something worse. I
squeezed my own eyes shut and Jaxson’s handsome face swam in my mind. Keen,
bright brown eyes that flashed dark when he was angry or passionate about
something. He was drugged. He had to be. No way Jax could keep his bear in
check if he were fully feeling the pain he was in, much less let somebody
shackle him like that.
    I dropped the phone.
    “He’s well. For now,” Kane said as he leaned down
and picked up the phone. The screen shattered, but Kane simply pocketed it and
reached out to run his fingers along my shoulder. I would have flinched if I
hadn’t gone numb.
    “How long he stays well depends on you.”
    Then Kane leaned forward and gave me a kiss on the
forehead that set my nerves on fire.

 
    Chapter
Four
    Kane left and I tore at the collar of my shirt. It
felt heavy and constricting, as if I could feel the phantom pain of my
brother’s shackles. I sank to my knees at the edge of the bed and prayed.
Something I hadn’t done, at least not formally like this, since I was a child.
    “Jaxson,” I whispered as I lowered my head and
pressed it against the thin sheets. “This is all my fault.”
    I wondered what would have happened if I’d made it
across the lake tonight. Would Kane have hurt Jax just to spite me? For weeks .
. . months . . . I’d lived with the fear of what had happened to my brother.
First, he’d stopped answering my texts and phone calls. Then, Kane took my
phone away. I knew in my heart what must have happened. He had probably come
looking for me. Kane set a trap. I shuddered to think what Kane had to have
done to overtake Jaxson. Had the rest of the pack gone along with it? God. Kane
was their Alpha. Just like me, he could take away their power to choose for
themselves. Which meant any hope I harbored that one of them might help me when
the time came withered.
    I stayed in the cabin alone, but I couldn’t sleep.
Hours later, when sunlight stabbed through the gap in the curtain, I finally
decided to venture out. Kane left me alone, but he wouldn’t for long. Most
days, he kept me close. I played ranger station secretary and dispatcher,
answering calls and filing paperwork while he worked out of the office.
Sometimes, he’d take me on patrol with him. The best days were when he’d let me
stay behind with another member of the pack to watch over me.
    I threw on a clean pair of white shorts and a tank
top and headed across the compound barefoot, dangling my tennis shoes in one
hand. Someone should have come for me. If not Kane, then one of the others. It
wasn’t like him to