The Scarred Prince (The Wolf's Pet Book One) by Aubrey Rose

completely by the hand at my throat. I could feel him listening to my body, reacting instantly.
    He couldn’t escape this way. He must know. He would have to kill me. He didn’t look like he was going to kill me. He looked—
    “Oh!” A small moan escaped my throat as his hand moved down. His palm curved over my hip. His other hand moved slightly, his thumb touching my bottom lip. Why did every touch of his feel like fire?
    “You like this, don’t you, Princess? I bet you would love being tied up by someone who knew what to do with you.”
    I was getting close to blacking out. My body twisted against his hands, but there was no hope. This was it. This was—
    “Kinaya! Damien, help!”
    Alekk’s head snapped toward the door. I looked over to see my mom. She was alone in the doorway, moving into the room, and a second later my dad and brother were at the door behind her.
    “Let her go,” my mom said, the growl in her voice.
    It must have been the three of them together that convinced Alekk he couldn’t escape. He let go of my throat and raised his hands in surrender. I bent over, coughing, the sensations draining from my body. I could breathe, yes, but more than that I felt as though I had lost something that I couldn’t even name.
    “I’ll kill you!” Blaise cried. “You son-of-a-bitch, I’ll kill you!”
    He stepped toward Alekk, and I raised my hand in protest.
    “Wait!” I cried weakly.
    My mom put her arm out , barring Blaise and at the same time reaching out to me.
    “What is this, Kinaya?” she asked. Her voice was dangerously soft, and I think it was this more than anything that stopped my brother from charging. He stood like an angry bull, his fists at his side. I could smell his need to shift, to fight.
    “We need him,” I said. “We need to send him back.”
    “So he can fight with his pack against us?” Blaise snorted. “I don’t think so.”
    “Hush,” Damien said. He stood next to Blaise, and his reprove shut my twin brother up. I felt vindicated. For once, my parents were listening to me. “Why, Kinaya?”
    “So he can propose a marriage,” I said, regaining my voice.
    “A marriage?”
    I looked up at my family. My tongue felt thick in my mouth when I spoke.
    “Between me and the Scarred Prince.”
     

Chapter Fourteen
    “A marriage? Are you insane?” Blaise blurted out.
    “It’s a possible solution,” Alekk said. It was the first he had spoken to my family. “I will bring the proposal to the Scarred Prince.” He looked at me strangely.
    “Kinaya, come here,” my mom said.
    “First, let’s talk about this.”
    “There’s nothing to talk about,” my mom said. “I will not allow it. You shouldn’t even be here talking with this prisoner.”
    “It’s the only way to stop this war!” I cried.
    “My child…” My dad moved forward and held out his hand. I took it and let him help me stand up. He pulled me away from Alekk, closer to the doorway.
    “Please,” I said. “Dad. Please. Just think about it.”
    “There’s nothing to think about,” Dad said. “The council has decided to stay and fight.”
    “That’s a bad decision,” Alekk spoke up.
    “Why should we take your opinion into consideration?” my mom asked. “Who are you to decide what is a good decision for us and our pack?”
    Alekk shrugged. After all this, he looked as calm and collected as when he had first walked in. Bloody and bruised, he was still completely sure of himself.
    “From the looks of it, you’re not a fighting people. Your wolves are not warriors. Your alpha is a blind man.”
    My dad pressed his lips together.
    “Don’t be so quick to judge. Trax tried to lead your pack against mine two decades ago, and it did not go well for him.”
    A strange look flitted over Alekk’s face. I could sense the tension between them rising. I wanted to throw myself between them and shout at them to stop. All I wanted to do was prevent a war. How could they not see that this was the only