Lycan's Prey by Jessica Hall

Chapter 160

I bite down on my lip hard enough to taste blood. The sharpness anchors me, a reminder that I’m still here, still fighting. But as I lie strapped to this metal table, helpless and alone, panic begins to edge around the corners of my mind. If Rhett marks me, there will be no escape. I’ll lose not only my freedom but my very sense of self. The mark will force me to obey, to submit to him in every way. It will strip away any chance of defiance, trapping me in a bond I never asked for.

The thought twists in my gut like a knife, and I pull desperately at the restraints, ignoring the sharp bite of metal into my skin. My wrists are raw, my fingers numb, but I don’t stop. I can’t. The image of Rhett’s smug face as he forces his claim on me, of him parading me before the council as his possession, fuels my resolve. I’d rather die than let him mark

me.

I close my eyes, struggling to hold onto that thought, to block out the fear and the rising despair. I can feel the darkness closing in, the overwhelming sense of helplessness pressing down on me. But I force myself to listen, to catch every word filtering through the vent. Knowledge is power, and if I’m going to escape, I need every scrap of information I can get.

Beyond the vent, Bianca’s voice crackles with contempt. “And you think the council is going to let this slide? The moment you mark her, they’ll see right through your scheme. You’ll have nothing but a girl who despises you.”

Rhett’s laugh is a low, chilling sound that sends a shiver down my spine. “They won’t have a choice. Once she’s marked, her

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in line.” He pauses, and I imagine his calculating eyes narrowing as if he’s seeing this all unfold in his

strain against the restraints, fury bubbling beneath my skin. He’s taken everything from me, torn apart the people

of caution now. “And if she fights back? You can’t

bond won’t let her, and if she resists… Well, I have ways

thinks he can beat me down, erase who I am, force me to become something grateful for his “protection.” Rage flares in my chest,

tension in their voices cutting through the fog of confusion that clouds my mind. Every fiber of my being screams to move, to slip free of these restraints, but my

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