The Mating Rules

Hadley’s POV

I’ve been dragged out of the courtroom, silver cuffs around my wrists that burn like a b***h, but I keep my expression stoic, not wanting to let these assholes know I’m in pain.

Beside me, that same damn guy that ushered into the courtroom hours ago, now has a hold of my elbow and is guiding me down a dark stone stairway that seems to go one hundred feet or so below the Council building.

Reaching the bottom of the stairwell, I blink slightly from the light of the torches that light the corridor in front of us, a stark difference to the almost blackness of where we just decended.

It stretches further than my eyes can make out and we both start walking forward as I peek around me, finding the walls bare as though it’s a tunnel more than a corridor. The walls a stone and rough looking as though the whole place has been carved out by machinery.

‘Where are we going?’ I ask finally, unable to hold my tongue for a second longer as the silence gets to me. Glancing toward my companion I find him studiously ignoring me, his gaze fixated ahead, an impassive look on his face.

OK then, not a conversationalist it seems.

My mind wanders as I allow the mute man to guide me, my thoughts, roving back to the court case and the last look I had of my mate, her face stained with tears as she begged me to come to her even as Caden hauled her away in his arms.

I had tried to mind link her as soon as the enchantress found me guilty, but realized that I couldn’t connect to Jamie-Lee, or Caden when I tried him seconds later when it didn’t work with my mate. Whatever that bloody woman did at the beginning of our trail, it blocked our mind link abilities. I had done the only thing I could do then, told the Alpha to take Jamie-Lee and run. I could feel the anger building, fear for me coming from both Skarla and Jamie-Lee and I was terrified that her wolf would appear giving away who my mate really is.

I don’t know who we can trust right now but I’m damn sure I don’t trust the people who just threw me in prison as a scapegoat.

We stride down the endless corridor for Goddess knows how long, there is no way to determine time down here. Reaching the far end, Chatty man next to me pulls out a key and unlocks the heavy wooden door that creaks loudly in the silence. Swinging it wide, he grabs my arm and pulls me through to a small room that has a medical chair in the middle with straps on the arm rests and legs reminding me of those chairs they have for people in straight jackets.

I’m led over to the padded chair and a few steps from it I grind to a halt, glaring down at the man who is trying to force me to sit down. I raise an eyebrow at him, no one but my Alpha has been able to force me to do anything since I was eleven, this a*****e doesn’t stand a chance.

‘Sit down’ the bailiff finally growls out after a few minutes of trying to force me.

‘No’ I reply simply, eyeballing him, ‘I’m not a danger, I have co-operated this entire time I do not need to be restrained in a chair.’

The man grumbles to himself before suddenly lunging for me, ramming his shoulder into my chest and bouncing off whilst I try not to laugh out loud. i***t, did he really think he could overpower me through the element of surprise? I’m a f*cking werewolf! I train daily for this type of thing, I knew he was going to attack before he did. The bailiff falls back against the wall of the small room, grunting as his back connects with the sharp stone.

I’m so busy smirking in amusement, I don’t notice the shadow fall over my shoulder and suddenly a sharp prick in my neck has me spinning around growling loudly.

I’m so busy smirking in amusement, I don’t notice the shadow fall over my shoulder and suddenly a sharp prick in my neck has me spinning around growling loudly.

A thin dark haired man in his fifties standing behind me backs up quickly, a syringe in his hand, his eyes wide as I advance on him, no longer in the mood to play nice. I do not like being stabbed and nor does my wolf, the lack of pain tells me it wasn’t silver or wolfsbane they hit me with but that doesn’t lessen my annoyance.

‘Rip him apart’ Hunter growls in my head, his anger surfacing as I take slow, measured steps toward the man whose eyes are widening in fear. I nod to myself, too right little man, be scared of me, I’ll rip your head from your body, these stupid silver cuffs won’t stop me.

My feet stumble as I round the chair, stalking the man who I figure is a doctor by the white lab coat and stethoscope hanging around his neck, who is avoiding me at all costs. Frowning, I glance down at my feet, blinking rapidly as my vision swims slightly.

‘Hunter?’ I call out in concern, ‘what’s going on?’

‘Feel funny’ my wolf rumbles, shaking his head, trying to clear his own mind of the fuzziness we can feel invading us.

I scowl, whatever the hell they gave me, is slowing me down but I refuse to succumb.

‘What the hell’ the bailiff huffs from the corner, ‘why isn’t he going down?’

‘I don’t know!’ the doctor replies, still dodging me, ‘I gave him enough to knock out a damn vampire clan!’

‘Well hit him again’ the bailiff orders as I snarl, lunging for the doctor who screams and turns to flee me.

The slam of knuckles against my chin draws my gaze as my wolf growls loudly in my head and I turn toward the bailiff who is nursing his hand gingerly, looking at me in shock.

‘Hurt?’ I ask cockily, lifting both my hands and bringing them around to smash into his stomach, the bailiff buckling over, coughing in pain as I growl loudly.

A second prick registers, in my arm this time, and I roar as pain flows through my bloodstream, I know what this is, f*cking wolfsbane! Bastards! I’ll tear them limb from limb.

I turn toward the doctor, fury pumping through my veins, but the serum is already taking affect, my wolf whimpering as I feel my strength start to wane. He must have hit me with one hell of a dose as I stumble forward before my legs buckle underneath me and I fall to my side, curling up in a ball against the pain.

‘How much did you give him’ the Bailiff spits angrily, looking up from where he’s crouched over, looks like I made him puke, there is definitely something on the floor in front of him, good! ‘You better not have killed him! We are supposed to sedate him only not end him you i***t!’

‘I gave him a double dose’ the doctor replies, moving closer now it’s obvious I’m no longer able to fight back but still keeping a wary eye on me. ‘The guy withstood a sedative that would put down someone twice his strength, I wasn’t taking any chances.’

My head is feeling unbearably heavy, and I can no longer sense Hunter in my mind. As I lay on the ground, my head is turned and my eyelids lifted so I’m staring into the face of the doctor who shakes his head in disbelief.

‘He’s still awake’ he murmurs, ‘how the hell is he still awake with all that?’

The bailiff straightens up finally and moves slowly toward me, glaring down at me before pulling back his foot and kicking me in the stomach with everything he’s got. Smiling down at me vindictively, he crouches down to look at me closely.

I g***n unintentionally from the impact of his steel toe capped boot hitting me in my ribs and the resulting pain tells me that at least one rib is broken.

‘Hit him again’ the bailiff orders decisively, ‘he needs to be out.’

I can’t even move, my body like lead as a third needle enters my skin and fluid enters my b***d.

‘I’m going to f*cking kill you’ I growl, fighting against the haze that’s falling over my eyes.

‘Yeah, we’ll see mate’ the bailiff replies with a wink before pursing his lips and spitting on my cheek. I can feel the wetness run down my cheek but I can’t even move to wipe it away. ‘That’s for making me puke a*****e’ he snarls before standing up and stepping back from me again.

I try to keep my eyes open, fighting the darkness that is pulling at the corner of my mind, encouraging me to succumb. I can’t, I have to stay away, Jamie-Lee needs me to get back to her, I need to know where I am going.

‘This is unbelievable’ the doctor mutters, kneeling beside me and lifting my wrist to check my pulse, ‘how the hell is he not under, it’s not possible.’Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

‘I don’t care why’ the bailiff growls as he stalks back an forth in front of my face, ‘hit him again, we need him out.’

The older man in front of me hesitates, his gaze moving toward the other man, ‘he’s already had a double dose of wolfsbane and four times the amount of sedative’ he starts nervously, ‘I don’t think . . .’

‘You have not been paid to think doc’ the bailiff snaps back, cutting him off, ‘you have been paid to knock him the f*ck out, now get on with it.’

Nodding reluctantly, the doctor pushes off the floor, heading toward a small table that I didn’t notice in the shadows of the far corner, picking up a bottle and inserting a syringe into it.

Pulling it out, he turns back to me, his eyes full of apprehension as he moves toward me, his hands shaking slightly.

I growl warningly at him making his feet stumble before he rights himself again. ‘I will find you a*****e’ I promise him, my voice already weak as he pricks my neck once more and the liquid floods my system. ‘You can count on that, I’ll get out the other side of this and I’m coming for you.’

The doctor swallows thickly as he withdraws the needle, his gaze glued to mine as he says nothing. I smirk up at him dangerously, putting every part of my promise into my eyes as I stare him down until the darkness wins and I am aware no more.