Free Half Truths (A Helheim Wolf Pack Tale) by Lauren Dawes Page B

breakfast bench with a terrified-looking human female sitting
next to him. Her hands and feet were bound with black satin ties, and in her
mouth was a ball gag. When the girl saw Leona, her cornflower blue eyes bulged,
pleading. Leona spun around to face the wall, so she didn’t have to witness Marcus’s
penchant for torture and under-aged girls. She was probably just some runaway
that needed something to eat and a place to shower.
    Marcus was an
attractive guy. Leona understood why they would go with him. It was only until
he brought them back to the house did they realise just how sadistic he was.
Leona knew firsthand just how he operated and just how sadistic he could be.
    ‘Leona, don’t be
rude. Introduce yourself to my young friend here.’ Marcus’s voice was thick
with his Alpha Influence. She had no choice but to turn around and look into
the human’s eyes.
    ‘I’m Leona,’ she
said in a flat voice. The human screamed around the ball-gag, tears streaming
down her filthy gaunt cheeks. Marcus laughed.
    ‘Do you remember
how you used to do that Leona?’ he asked in an amused voice, his eyes sparkling
before turning back to the girl and frowning. The human screamed a little
louder, pulling against her bonds. Marcus’s mouth thinned before raising his
hand and cuffing the girl to shut her up. She slumped forward onto the bench,
her dirty silver-blonde hair shielding her from view. Marcus pushed her back
gently like he didn’t want to hurt her more than he already had. ‘But I broke
you of that habit, didn’t I, dear?’ Marcus added, looking up at Leona as if
they were having a private conversation.
    ‘Are you going
to Change her?’ Connall asked, circling the girl and smelling her hair.
    Marcus turned to
him, his eyes shifting from green to orange. His wolf’s eyes remained as
Connall touched his girl. A growl broke out from between Marcus’s clenched
teeth, stopping Connall. He smiled lazily at his alpha and backed off.
    ‘You wanted to
see me, Marcus?’ Leona asked, busying herself by pouring a cup of coffee from
the pot and trying to pretend that her alpha wasn’t going to be torturing that
poor human soon.
    ‘Yes, I did. Did
everything go to plan last night?’ he asked, distracted. She turned around,
putting the black granite bench top at her back. Marcus was running his fingers
through the runaway’s silvery hair now, rubbing it between his fingers,
seemingly oblivious to who was in the room with him. She could smell his lust
building every time he raked his fingers along her scalp.
    Leona brought
the cup to her lips, taking a careful sip of the hot coffee and averting her
eyes. ‘Yes.’ Her stomach twisted again at her admission.
    ‘Good,’ Marcus
purred. ‘Did you do exactly as I asked of you?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘Perfect!’
Marcus beamed, trailing his hands over the human girl’s head now like he was
patting a dog. The girl exhaled sharply as she came around, blinking fast and
looking at the kitchen like she was just seeing it for the first time. Leona
could see the realisation that she hadn’t just dreamed all of that settle onto
her face—boldfaced panic replacing it. ‘Ah, you’ve woken up,’ he said gently to
the girl, stroking her cheek with one long fingernail.
    The girl was
making soft whimpering sounds now, fresh tears streaming from her eyes. Marcus
looked up at Connall and Leona, smiling malevolently. ‘I’ll be downstairs if
anybody needs me,’ he said in a cool, silky voice. Marcus slid from the stool,
potato-sacking the girl over his shoulder. When the door slid shut, a shudder
rolled down Leona’s spine.
    Connall sidled
up next to her and sighed. ‘I know. It’d be great to be able to join in,
wouldn’t it?’ He was looking longingly at the door when he spoke.
    Leona dumped her
coffee cup into the sink. ‘No,’ she snarled, marching out of the house.
    *
    After Rhett dropped Indi off at
work, he’d gone back to the farmhouse to check in with his uncle. It