Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 68699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68699 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
The purr was so loud and his fingers felt incredibly comforting tugging her hair… even if his words were disturbing. "It was worth it," she muttered.
The man was oozing patience, still in that seeming calm he'd woken with. "Explain such a statement."
This version of Shepherd was never quite what it seemed. Cautiously, Claire answered, "It is the only way I know of to communicate with you."
He seemed intrigued, eyes shining as Shepherd dissected her stratagem. "You long for more conversation?"
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. - Sun Tzu
Claire needed to know Shepherd. She could no longer afford to ignore him as she had done before. She needed to know his Followers. More so, she needed to make sure she knew herself, and did not lose sight of what she was should he hurt her again.
Thinking over how best to answer, she sighed. "It would be normal to feel that I could trust you to simply sit down and talk with me. But you seem incapable of the restraint of listening to what you might not like—and feeling unheard makes me frustrated and unhappy."
"Do you not place some of the blame on yourself, little one? Your effort to ignore my presence is apparent."
"Why would I pay any attention to a man who doesn't listen to me or respect how I feel?"
"Because I am older and wiser. I know what is best."
Claire snorted, a small twitch in her lip. "What you are is a fanatic and a despot. And I don't really think you know me at all, Mr. green is your favorite color."
He made no answer. Instead, Shepherd reached forward and the arms he slid around her felt… reassuring. Yawning, wanting to lie down, Claire did not fuss when he carried her to bed.
The Alpha sat on the edge of the mattress, played with her hair, and commanded she close her eyes. "You will sleep now. If I find you in an acceptable state when I return, we will converse."
When she woke in the dim room, it was the best Claire had felt in some weeks. It wasn't just the nap or the painkillers, it was a small sense of purpose, a deeper feeling that her progress was positive. Good feelings were dangerous and easy to lose in her prison, so she carefully cherished it alone in the dark before putting it away—burying it deep so Shepherd could not take it from her.
The male had claimed he would talk to her; that gave her an arena she could prepare.
It had been fruitful to start a dialogue with him over her painting the day prior, so she would begin simply and try what she knew. Claire mixed up her paints and began detailing the image she had seen through the security feed before she broke the Omegas out of prison. She painted little sixteen-year-old Shanice being rutted by one of Shepherd's Followers.
Everything was as she remembered; nothing embellished, nothing altered.
Shepherd ripped it out from under her brush the second he returned and saw it. Balling it up, his eyes flared in fury, as he breathed so deep it stretched his chest like a dragon about to spit flames.
Claire did not react; she just let out a sigh and set her brush aside.
Speaking inoffensively about a very offensive subject, Claire began. "Her name is Shanice. She is sixteen years old. That was her first heat and I can guarantee that she was not willing. She's cried herself to sleep each night since estrous ended."
"Had my officer been able to pair-bond, she would have been as content as all the others!" Shepherd leaned his weight on the table, aggressively irritated to find what was not the ideal he expected to return to. "You are the only one unsettled."
Claire put her hand over his, not to comfort, but to make it clear she understood the consequences. "That man could not be a day younger than forty-five. That girl is still in school."
"I am much older than you," Shepherd countered hotly.
"Maybe by a decade, perhaps a little more. Not old enough to be my father. I am also a fully grown woman, Shepherd. I am not a child."
Flexing the fist under her small hand, Shepherd growled, "I am aware of what you are doing."
"I am trying to communicate with you about things I don't understand," Claire countered. Small fingers squeezed his hand again and she let her feelings show on her face. "Considering your mother… explain to me where the line blurs and this becomes acceptable?"
Shepherd took the seat across from her, agitated but growing forcedly composed. "Arranged Alpha-Omega pairings are common throughout history, and are statistically successful."