Page 51 of My Girlfriend is a Werewolf
A chill swept Athena. “Don’t you hurt my mom.”
“What happens to her will depend on you.” He glanced at Athena over his shoulder. “Your choice. Choice A, you show me your wolf. Choice B, you remain stubborn and we see how loud your mom can scream.”
“Don’t you touch my mommy,” Selene shrieked, grabbing the bars.
“I won’t have to if you give me what I want.”
“Don’t listen to him, girls.” Mom rose to her feet. “He can’t be trusted. He’s going to torture me no matter what.”
“I’m hurt.” Rogers clutched his chest. “Do you think me a man who’d break his word?”
All three women shouted, “Yes.”
His lips curved. “So that’s B, then. All right. Let me get the rack and tools ready.”
Athena’s heart stopped as her mind flashed to her time in the rack. An inversion table with straps. Sturdy ones she couldn’t break. He’d had her spread eagle on it numerous times. Unable to block the punches to her body. Unable to stop the slices to her flesh. It had been horrible. But it would be worse this time because it would be her mom suffering.
Rogers walked away and headed upstairs rather than bringing the rack close. Probably grabbing reinforcements.
Mom hissed, “Be strong, girls.”
“What’s the point? It’s only a matter of time before he gets what he wants. Whether today or on the full moon,” Athena reminded.
“We just need to hold on.”
“For what?” Athena exclaimed. “He’s not going to change his mind. He will hurt you. And I don’t think I can bear to stand witness.”
“Do as mom says,” Selene replied. “He won’t kill her. He’ll lose his leverage.”
“He might not kill her, but he will maim.” Athena knew his sadistic side. A side she’d tried to forget and that might have played a part in her reneging on her plan for revenge. Fear she’d be his victim again was part of why she chose to remain hiding.
“It will be okay, baby girl. Don’t give in.” Mom was being so brave, and it killed Athena. The expression on her mom’s face was the same as the one she wore at Dad’s funeral.
Athena worried more about Selene. While Athena had great control over her wolf side, her sister had to remain calm. When she got too angry, things got hairy. From a young age, their dad had worked with Selene, teaching her to let things slide off her back. It resulted in Selene having a super-positive attitude all thetime, even in the midst of calamity. She didn’t have a choice. If she were the kind of person who flipped out all the time—wrong amount of sugar in her coffee, person cutting her off in traffic—then her secret would be revealed.
Rogers returned with two guards, or would the better term be mercenaries? They wore no official badges. Didn’t have their hair shorn short and sported scruffy jaws. The kind of men who wouldn’t bat an eye at torturing a woman.
One of them wheeled over the rack, and Athena couldn’t help but tremble. She’d hoped to never see it again.
The mercs entered Mom’s cage and grabbed her roughly, despite the fact she didn’t fight. Mom shuffled to her fate while Selene and Athena clutched at their bars.
The guards knelt to buckle in her ankles while Rogers handled her left wrist.
“At least one of you understands the futility of resistance,” he remarked.
“You’ll burn in hell for this,” Mom’s pleasant reply.
“Hell doesn’t exist.”
“Neither do werewolves,” Mom countered.
“Still sticking to the lie, I see.” Rogers went to work on her other hand.
Distant shouting drew Athena’s attention. It led to Rogers frowning. He turned to the stocky merc by his side. “Go see what’s happening upstairs.”
Selene glanced at Athena and mouthed,Do you hear that?
Indeed, Athena could hear the distinct pops of gunfire. A shootout? By who? Ares had only one rifle, and surely he wouldn’t have come alone to such a guarded place.