Page 51 of Hart's Redemption

Remus shook his head. “I don't know. Few months ago? Maybe longer.”

“Makes sense.”

“Did you know that could happen?” Bewilderment shone in Remus’s blue eyes.

“Yes. It's not really something that gets talked about, though.”

“What are you two talking about? What’s not something that gets talked about?” Mack piped up. “Whathappened?”

I glanced at the exceptionally flustered Mack. “Something very rare. Josh just pulled Remus's allegiance from another pack.”

“How can he do that?”

“Because Josh is an Alpha.”

Remus sat heavily in the nearest chair and flopped his head back. “Fuck. My family is going to be pissed.”

Chapter 17

Josh

Theportalsnappedshutbehind us with a horrible sizzle of ozone that burned my sensitive nose. However, the discomfort caused by the smell was second to the very drastic change in the bond. My chest convulsed and my eyes threatened to bug out of my head as I gasped at the sudden shift from burning light to barely glowing thread in the space of a heartbeat. I attempted to hide my visceral reaction in a stumble and worked to keep my face as neutral as possible.

If anyone so much as speculated that I might be bonded, it would be the end of everything. Overnight, Elijah would become a target for all of my enemiesandthe government. Not tomention it would ruin everything I’d worked so hard for over the last three months.

“Dragging your feet won’t change your fate.” Commander Walsh signaled for the soldiers escorting me to yank me forward, causing a real stumble this time.

“And what fate would that be?” The quip came harder than it once had, but it was important to maintain appearances, to show no fear. Calm and collected. Thank fuck I’d had the foresight to hoard my remaining sedatives. Taking all of them at once was probably not my brightest idea, but it was also the only thing keeping me remotely sane right now.

Commander Walsh stomped up to me in his heavy, military-grade boots, a twisted sneer already plastered on his face. Richard Walsh had hated me with a fiery passion since I’d bested him seventeen years ago. Ten years my senior, he’d once been an ambitious soldier with a long list of respected commendations and all the promise of early success. The years had not been kind to him, and it seemed he still hadn’t made peace with “some kid” wiping the floor with someone who was supposed to be the elite of the elite. Of course, things had only gotten worse for him when he washed out of the program two months later.

He shoved a gloved finger into my chest, expertly digging the digit between my ribs. I diligently kept my face impassive, giving no trace of the effect he was having. In no world ever would I let Commander Dick intimidate me. We both knew that in a fair fight I could take him without so much as breaking a sweat, and that was before I had the full benefit of lycan enhancement.

“If there were any justice in this world, they’d skip the farce of a trial and let me put one between your eyes.”

“Now, Dick, that doesn’t sound too sporting.” I shrugged my shoulders to draw attention to my wrists, cuffed far too tightly behind my back. “But I suppose after our last encounter, you may feel you need the advantage.”

His lip curled over his teeth right as a fist slammed into my gut. I doubled over with the impact and choked down a grunt of pain. Another blow quickly landed on my back, sending me crashing to the ground. My knees collided with the stone floor with a sharp crack that echoed through the nondescript corridor, conveniently devoid of witnesses. I gritted my teeth, tasting blood, but refused to give them the satisfaction of crying out.

“Pick him up.”

Two pairs of hands slid mercilessly beneath my shoulders and hauled me upright. My legs threatened to give way, but I persevered and remained upright.

“Eyes up, soldier,” Dick ordered. Someone yanked my head back sharply so I could see the gloat shining in Walsh’s eyes.

“I’m no common soldier.”

“You’re a cocky son of a bitch, is what you are. Imagine my joy at learning you were to be brought in and that they needed a team. I fucking volunteered. About time someone put you in your place.”

I arched my brow. “And you thought that someone would be you?”

He nodded to the soldier on my right. The grip on my hair tightened as a simultaneous blow landed on my side. Walsh watched on, taking sick pleasure in the punishment he was meting out while he finished rolling his sleeves up. He plucked off his tactical gloves and tucked them into the back of his belt. “You’ve always thought you were better than me.”

“That’s because I am.”

I knew the blow was coming before he even moved his arm. His fist collided with my jaw, and the metallic tang of blood filled my mouth once more.

“Arrogant prick.”