Free Wolf's Strength by Ambrielle Kirk Page A

with her.”
    Eavesdropping had never been her thing, so Naomi entered the galley kitchen. Both her brother and father fell silent and regarded her with undeviating scrutiny. Her father was standing behind Nathan, who was sitting in a chair with his back exposed. The welts were no longer raised, but the skin was raw and red. Senior Valentine frowned and tore his gaze away from her. He began applying a thick ointment to the scars. Naomi’s stomach began to churn again as images of Nathan’s punishment came to her full force.
    “Don’t mind me,” Naomi said, heading toward the cabinets. She poured a glass of ice-cold water. She took long sips and let the coolness relax her throat. She lengthened the duration of her routine early morning sprints, knowing she had time to waste, given the fact she was forced to stay under watchful eyes. She ran until her lungs ached and her legs burned, almost hoping something or someone would confirm this was the life meant for her.
    She’d served Arnou and complied with every one of his commands, whether direct or indirect, since she turned eighteen. Anyone else would have been honored to serve; so why did she feel like her duties were in vain?
    “You know…you should return and apologize,” Senior Valentine said, snapping her out of her thoughts.
    “Apologize?” She didn’t have a clue as to what he was referring.
    “For almost a decade we’ve earned and held honorable titles within our Pack. The family name should carry on that way.”
    She set the empty glass on the counter. “If you’ve forgotten, I should remind you my title is Elite. E2.”
    “I heard all about what happened during your meeting with Arnou yesterday.”
    “Let me guess.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Did Nathan tell you?”
    Nathan turned to scowl at her but winced in pain when his skin split again. “I did not.”
    “I have ears and eyes…sources by other means. If you’ve forgotten, I should remind you my title was Enforcer. E1. Retired. I have some clout, yet, in the Compound. Your insult to our Alpha utterly embarrassed me.
    “Insult?” she scoffed. “Are you serious? Do I look like a whore to you, Father?”
    Senior Valentine turned with stone-cold annoyance on his face. “Me referring to it as an insult is a gross understatement. You’ve offended our custom. Why?”
    “I call it what it is. If I wanted to lie on my back daily at the mercy of a greedy leader, trust me, I could have long ago,” she replied.
    “Explain yourself!” Her father was so angry she detected spittle flying from his mouth.
    She swallowed. “It wasn’t the first time he asked me to become Enola.”
    Senior Valentine’s eyes widened.
    Nathan turned in his chair, and the wooden legs scraped against the old floorboards.
    “Years ago, when I talked about leaving the Pack, I almost did. I thought if I disappeared, it would be better than leaving the Pack publicly and on bad terms.” If she got this off her chest, that would be one less burden to carry. “Tristan Arnou, caught me crossing our territorial lines. You two both know Arnou plays a tough game, and everything is about numbers and territory to him. He gave me an ultimatum that involved a trade-off. The ranking ceremony was to be held the next night, and he knew Nathan wanted to serve. Nathan had failed some of the tests and didn’t place high enough to be considered for any ranking. I stayed so Tristan would rank you. I knew that’s what you both wanted. Either way, he had the power to tarnish the Valentine family name if I didn’t accept.” Her gaze shifted from a puzzled Nathan to a dumbfounded Senior Valentine. “He tried to commit me as Enola, but somehow I convinced him if I served, I wanted to do so as an Elite.”
    “You were going to him , weren’t you?” Nathan asked quietly.
    “Yes.” She’d wanted to escape with her mate, but found herself in a Catch-22.
    Nathan huffed in frustration. “So then, everything is a fluke? All of