A Shifter's Curse, Raven Steele [the top 100 crime novels of all time .TXT] 📗

I leaned against the wall and stared up at the white ceiling. I hoped I didn't have to wait too long. There were other things I needed to do today, like make sure Samira took care of the humans. Seeing that crazed guy made me realize the urgent situation we were in. Somehow, I had to find a way to get rid of that briefcase full of drugs. I had no idea how much Mateo had put in it, but even one dose was one too many.

First I had to find it.

I was thinking about the many different places it could be, when Silas opened the door and walked in. I’d probably been waiting almost an hour. I glanced over his shoulder, expecting the rest of the pack behind him, but he closed the door.

"Where's everyone else?"

Punishments were always a public affair. It was meant to shame the offending pack member and was very effective. Members rarely disobeyed twice. But it was also meant as a warning to the rest of the pack. Don’t disobey the Alpha.

In a weird way, it also bonded the pack. Afterwards, they would share in the misery of the offender. Taking them out for drinks after a long run.

Silas’ lips pressed into a firm line. “This will be a private punishment. Even camera access is limited to just your Alpha."

I shifted my body weight, my stomach tightening. Something wasn't right. "Since when does the pack do private beatings? I thought the point of punishments was to make sure others witnessed them and learned from them too. How will anyone learn from my mistake?"

His mouth parted slightly into a terrible grin. “Actually, no one will know Dominic never gave you the order to rescue Ryder. They will believe it was Dominic’s idea, and he sent you to go on a secret mission of sorts. This is the story you will tell from here on out.”

Except Luke. Luke would know. And my uncle.

“Fine. Just tell me why.”

He walked across the room to where a leather whip hung on the wall. The tip was stained red.

“Dominic suspects you planned this. You deliberately saved Ryder, going against his wishes, just so you could be punished in front of everyone and earn the pack’s favor.”

It worried me that Dominic had thought of this. He was smarter than I gave him credit for.

Silas removed the whip and slapped it to his thigh. I didn’t flinch.

"You're wrong,” I said. “The truth is, I saved Ryder because I genuinely like him. It was selfish on my part. But I was also raised to believe that pack members should protect each other."

He slapped the whip against his thigh again. The sound echoed in the small room. "Dominic is fairly certain you want to become Alpha. If you weren’t as complicated as you are, he would’ve just put you down. But the problem is, he also recognizes your talents. So what’s an Alpha to do?” He came closer. “For now, he’s decided to let you live and remain with the pack. But, you will learn your place. That’s where I come in.”

His eyes were glassy, and his hands trembled in anticipation. He drew near and spoke so quiet, that I knew his next words were meant for my ears only. “You want to know what I think?”

I didn’t answer him, and he switched the whip to his right hand.

“I don’t think you want to be Alpha. I don’t think you care about that at all.” He leaned so close, his lips grazed my ear. “I think you are just like me. You crave violence. Blood. That’s why you went after him. To see it. Touch it. Smell it.” He ran his cold, clammy finger down my neck. “Inflicting violence can be such a turn on, but have you ever willingly accepted violence against yourself? It's a whole other experience, quite euphoric if you want it to be. Let me show you, teach you. Give in to it, let the pain move over you and I promise, you’ll live like you’ve never lived before. Then it will be just you and me, doll, experiencing it together. Because, believe me, I will enjoy this.”

He paused, sniffing me, waiting for some sign that I was getting off on this, just like him.

I stared into his eyes. “I’m not your fucking doll.”

He sprung back, his eyes turning from hot to cold. “Remove your clothes and stand facing the wall."

Shit. This was really happening. And with no one here to keep him in check, he could easily go too far. I frantically looked around, finding the camera in the corner. To it, to Dominic, I said, “Don’t do this. It isn't right."

The whip unfolded from his hand and pooled at his feet. He jerked his arm forward, sending the tail toward me. It nicked my cheek, and I flinched.

“Trust me. Dominic is not going to interfere. Now do as I say.” When I didn’t move, he continued. “I am deadly serious. If you don’t, there will be severe consequences and not only to you. Ryder will receive twice your lashes."

My muscles rippled beneath my flesh. I should kill him now. Rip his head from his body. His limbs next. Stack him like a goddamn Jenga puzzle. Part of me wanted to see that kind of violence. It's nothing I hadn’t seen before. My teeth ached inside my mouth.

The only thing that stopped me was believing Dominic was watching. I'm sure he wouldn't miss it. If I killed Silas, every pack member in the mansion would be upon me within seconds. I'm not sure I could survive that. And then where would that leave my grand plan? I not only had to destroy Silas but Dominic too.

Killing Silas alone wasn’t worth it. Torturing Lynx had to have a point.

Breathing hard through my nose, I turned around and pulled off my shirt. It fell behind me as I undid my pants and slid them off too. I turned around, facing Silas in my bra and underwear.

He leered, eyeing my body. “Everything comes off.” He lifted the whip to his other hand and began to stroke it slowly, deliberately, as he watched me. Up and down. Up and down.

Forcing myself to breathe calmly, I faced away from him while I unhooked my bra and removed my underwear. A chill worked its way over my flesh, but I refused to let him see me shiver.

I didn't mind getting my punishment in a room full of men and women, but this was different. This was wrong. I hadn’t felt this violated in years.

I placed my hands against the wall and growled, "Get it over with."

There was a moment of silence, and then the whip snapped. I jumped, but it didn’t make contact with my skin.

“I will punish you when I'm good and ready. You just stand there and take it.” The whip cracked behind me again, whistling through the air. But again, it didn't touch me. I braced myself, waiting. He continued to blindly whip the weapon across the room in no particular direction, just to scare me. And every time it cracked, my body would betray me and flinch.

Waiting to be struck repeatedly was a different kind of punishment, one I hadn’t experienced before. Each