Riley's POV
My lungs burned as I struggled to draw breath, fighting to remain conscious while staring up at Brent. He had paused his brutal assault, giving me a momentary reprieve from the agony coursing through my battered body.
"Why?" The word scraped raw from my throat. Brent had never shown me kindness, but to ally himself with Stella for something this twisted...
His cold stare bore into me before he gave an indifferent shrug. "Doesn't matter what I tell you. You're not walking out of here alive anyway." His voice dropped to something almost possessive. "She's my mate."
The blood in my veins turned to ice.
What?
I had always been taught that mates were sacred, that the bond meant everything to those blessed enough to find their other half. Yet here he stood, watching his mate scheme to seduce another man.
