The Luna’s Choice by Kat Silver

Chapter 124: Ayla

My wrists and shoulders stung. My head was pounding as I tried to open my eyes. Someone had stripped me down to my undergarments. I could feel my thighs touching cold stone and something hard against my back. The smell of wolfsbane burned my nostrils, but it was almost better than the fowl smell filling the rest of the room.

I finally pried my eyes open, lifting my head as my vision focused.

I was in a dimly lit large room with a high ceiling. It was too dark to see how high it went, but there was enough light to see the body that hung from it. I gasped at the gruesome scene. Bile rose in my throat as I recognized the tattoo on the forearm.

It was Conner Elkins. What was left of him.

“Ayla,” a terrified voice called.

I turned to see Kylee and Ma. They were locked up in a cage on the other side of the room.

“Kylee. Ma,” I croaked, wincing as I moved.

I managed to look up. My arms were tied over my head by thick, tight ropes. From the smell and the sting, they must have been soaked in wolfsbane. It was seeping into my bloodstream through the raw open sores on my wrists.

“Kylee,” I said hoarsely, “how long have I been out?”

“Over two days,” she said, tears running down her face.

“Are you hurt? Ma doesn’t look too good,” I said, hearing her writhe in

the cage next to Kylee.

“I’m okay,” Kylee replied. “Ma’s struggling. We’ve been here for four or five days now.”

Shit.

“She’s going through withdrawal, Kylee,” I told her.

“I know,” she said softly. She had finally accepted Ma’s addiction.

water?” I asked.

she said. “I’ve been giving her as much I

”

I replied. “If she starts seizing, make sure to hold

metal ring fixed on it. I tried to wrap my fingers around the

familiar voice echoed through the room, making me sick.

through the dark. A wave of shock

***

Theo

took over the shift.

was. For this asshole to show up in my territory after

into this wolf before

smaller and leaner than us. Kieran almost relished how easy it would be to tear into

wouldn’t get the

wolf appeared between us, stopping our

echoed in

Kingston, he didn’t have Ayla. Kieran growled one more time before relinquishing control, allowing me to

is he doing here?” I

wants to help,” Pierce said firmly. “You need

over and handed me a pair of shorts.

he said. “Now’s not the

on and went back to the table.

told me. “On the card or the syringe. But I think I know what he’s using to mask his scent.” She pulled a labeled spray bottle out.

would he get it?” I asked.

but it may not be too hard. He’s not using this specifically. This stuff doesn’t eliminate our scent entirely. Just makes it faded enough to

but the user would risk major damage

does this help us?” Kingston inquired.

the rest of the stalker’s messages with her and she pulled a couple out of their evidence bag. “Something about these bothered me. I studied handwriting analysis in school. Whoever wrote these was trying to disguise their handwriting in these last few messages. If you consider that, plus them eliminating their scent completely, this is someone Ayla knows. But I think it’s someone

directed the last statement at me.