Chapter 3

## Dane

"Tenth bride''s the charm," Jenson mocks as our driver pulls up in front of Moonshine''s packhouse.

"Shut up!" Eric snaps at him.

"Both of you shut your fucking mouths before you say something you''ll regret!"

*He''ll never learn,* my wolf Aero muses.

The driver opens the door. "Just give me a second—I need to speak to my men." The door closes, and neither of them speaks.

"She''s not like the others. Don''t talk to her, don''t look at her. And you, Jenson—keep your fucking hands to yourself, or you might just lose them this time."

I was more rattled than usual. Neah was different from the previous selected mates. I couldn''t put my finger on what it was—maybe because I was used to confident women—but there was something about her. And Aero seemed to like her too, more than any of the others. I had to have her.

"I mean it!" I snap at Jenson''s smug face. "Being my brother won''t change my mind!"

He runs his fingers over his lips like he''s zipping them shut.

They follow me from the car. Standing in front of the old packhouse, all three of us stare up at it. Because until a month ago, I knew nothing about them, and even after my visit, all I''d learned was that the Alpha''s a dick.

My knuckles hammer on the door. It''s barely open an inch when I force my way through, making his Beta stumble back.

I spot her right away, hiding behind a corner. "You ready?" I call out.

"If you just want to—" Beta Kyle starts.

"I wasn''t talking to you. I was speaking to Neah."

The look on Beta Kyle''s face is priceless. His jaw hangs open, eyes wide. He''s clearly never been told what to do, even by his own Alpha.

Neah steps out from her hiding spot, clutching a barely half-full carrier bag. She drags her teeth across her bottom lip and nods.

"Where''s the rest of your stuff? I told you everything needs to be packed."

"That''s all she has," Trey snorts as he makes his appearance.

"That''s it?" I stare at him. "That''s all her belongings? She''s what, early twenties, and that''s all she has?"

"What more does she need?" his Beta sneers.

*Kill him. Let me rip out his throat, and he''ll regret the day he crossed us.*

"What are you waiting for?" I hear a horrible, shrill voice that seems to vibrate through the floors.

Looking away from the Beta, I see a woman holding onto a statue of herself at the bottom of the stairs. Her blonde hair hangs in waves around her face as her green eyes study me, and she sways her hips as she moves to Trey.

I''d noticed Neah''s reaction yesterday when I asked Trey where his mate was. Her whole body had tensed up in fear. She was afraid of this woman, and I wanted to know why.

"Take her, Alpha Dane. I''m sure she''ll be as useful a slave to you as she is to us." Her shrill voice cuts right through me. "Look at the stupid girl—she''s about to pass out." The blonde bimbo laughs.

"You don''t get to talk about her like that anymore." I glare at the blonde. "She''s not your toy. She''s not your slave. And I suggest you, Alpha Trey, keep your wife in check. There''s only so much disobedience I''ll tolerate."

"DISOBEDIENCE!" the woman screeches just as Neah''s ass hits the floor. "How dare you! If anyone''s disobedient, it''s that rat in the corner."

*Who the fuck is she calling a rat?* Aero growls.

"You should make yourself familiar with our agreement," I snap. "Seems your mate hasn''t told you everything."

Waving Eric forward, he pulls a thick stack of papers from the folder under his arm—the contract I had drawn up.

"All that for your help?" His mate''s eyes go wide.

"I don''t do half-assed contracts." Taking the contract from Eric, I shove it against Trey''s chest. "Shall we go to the office?"

Trey leads the way with his mate clinging to him and his Beta hurrying behind. My men follow them while I stay behind to check on my new mate.

"You''re more than welcome to join us—after all, you''re involved in this deal. Or my car''s out front. You can take your stuff and wait there for me."

"Are those my only options?" she whispers, keeping her eyes down.

"For now. Personally, I think you should sit in with us. It''ll give me great pleasure pissing off that mate of your brother''s."

She keeps her blue eyes low as she continues clutching that bag. This close to her, I can really see how sick she looks. Even her heartbeat is slow, like it''s fighting to hang onto life.

"So what''ll it be?"

"I..." Her head turns between the front door and the direction of the office. "I... the office, I guess."

"Good choice." I hold out a hand, but she doesn''t take it. She pushes herself to her feet, wobbles a little, but steadies herself.

Walking a few steps behind her, I see the evil glares she gets from Trey and the other two idiots as she enters the office.

"Take a seat," I whisper as I walk past her. My hand grazes her lower back, and she immediately tenses up.

She stands frozen. Only her eyes dart around when she shakes her head.

"Sit!" I say it a little louder.

"She doesn''t have that privilege here!" the blonde snaps, her lips curved in amusement.

"Sitting isn''t a privilege," I growl, wondering what else they were forcing her to do. I couldn''t see any bruises on her arms or legs—a good sign, I hoped.

*It better be!* Aero paces in my head. He wanted her out of this place as much as I did.

The blonde physically recoils in her seat. Her mouth falls open, shocked that I''d said something. "And I suggest," I look at Trey, "you tell your mate to keep her mouth shut. Or I can shut it for her."

"Alpha Dane, you''re in my home—"

"And you want my help, correct?"

All three of them are fuming. No one likes being told what to do in their own home, yet they were doing exactly that to Neah. I point to the empty chair between Jenson and Eric, and she finally sits.

"Let''s just get this done," Trey snaps. "The sooner she''s gone, the happier I''ll be."

"You should read the contract," I muse.

"I agreed you could take her as part of our deal."

"Idiot," Eric murmurs. He knew as well as I did that contracts should be read before they''re signed.

They sign without reading and practically throw the contract back at me. "Done," Trey mutters.

"Good. You can get her out of my house," Trey''s mate screeches.

If I had it my way, I''d just take Neah and wouldn''t have to put up with these assholes. But this way, they can''t have her back. Even if they begged. A contract''s a contract, and it''s impossible for them to get out of.

Getting to my feet, I hold out a hand to Neah. "Come on. We''re leaving this shithole before I lose my temper."

Her warm fingers slip into my hand as she rises. Her other hand clutches the bag to her chest as she walks with me to the front door. She doesn''t even look back to say goodbye, and that confirms everything I need to know. She hates them as much as they hate her.

She pauses at the open front door, her hand falling from mine. Her blue eyes go wide as she stares at the limo.

"Come on," I instruct.

Eric and Jenson are standing behind her, watching curiously.

*Is she okay?* Eric links me.

"Neah?" I step in front of her, but she doesn''t move. She seems to be staring right through me. "Time to go."

"Okay." Her lips barely move.

She takes a step forward, almost in slow motion. Her hands grip the door frame, knuckles turning white as her heartbeat increases. Her lips part slightly, and her hand falls from the door frame just as her eyes roll back.

"I''ve got you," I mutter, catching her before she hits the floor. Her entire body tenses as I lift and carry her to the car. She''s so weak and even lighter than I expected—probably doesn''t weigh much more than a small child.

Jenson and Eric get in first. Jenson raises an eyebrow at me with a smirk plastered on his face as I slide in with Neah on my lap.

"Keep your thoughts to yourself, Jenson!"

I hold her close, listening to her breathing and her heart as it slows. I let my fingers comb through her dark hair as she becomes a little more alert.

Suddenly, she sits up straight, moving away from me and trying to make herself as small as possible.

Deciding not to force her to do anything, I keep my attention on my Beta and my brother, talking pack business while casting glances at her every so often to make sure she''s alright.

"Come on," I mutter as the limo stops. I don''t wait for the driver and get out myself, holding out a hand.

"I''m fine," she speaks at last, glancing at the others and shuffling toward the open door.

She stares up at my house, gasping a little. It''s easily three times the size of her previous home, and I hope she''ll be happy here. That I can give her a life better than her last one.

"Let me give you a tour," I suggest as she continues clutching that carrier bag to her chest.

She follows me in without speaking. I have no idea if she''s listening to what I''m saying or not.

"The omegas rotate shifts. Good for the young ones to learn some responsibility before they get real jobs," I tell her while showing her the dining hall with a table long enough to seat twenty.

We move to the kitchen, where I point out a board on the wall. "If there''s anything you need, just add it to the board and it''ll be ordered."

Her brow furrows, and still she says nothing.

Picking up a pen, I smile. Maybe she feels intimidated by me. "So tell me, what do you need? Because there''s no way you''re living under my roof with just what''s in that bag."

Her dazzling blue eyes dart around the room.

"Well?" I ask.

"I don''t need anything," she whispers.

Sighing, I start scribbling things down. Underwear, jeans, workout clothes, dresses, shoes—anything I can think of that''ll cover her for a few days.

Holding the pen between my teeth, I grab her around the waist. My thumbs meet just above her belly button, and my fingers touch her spine. She''s so thin—how is she even alive?