Jason shook his head and answered his own question from earlier. Yeah, that's how I ended up in this hellhole, dangling around like a piñata. He glared at the man, who stuck his muzzle into his affairs. If his father didn't prevent him from rejecting Lexi, he'd already be on the road to his new life. He'd probably have done a happy dance on the border of the pack line while flipping off every warrior as they did their patrols. He'd then ride off into the sunset.

But now he was hanging from the ceiling, in a creepy chamber that smelled of dried herbs, melted wax, and the pungent fumes of arousal. These fumes clung to the four virgins who surrounded him. They had to be. Nobody would screw a chick or dude wearing a robe they bought from a costume shop.

Jason raked his eyes over the five standing before him. "Can we get this over with so that you can tell me what the fuck I'm doing here?"

His mother flinched at his outburst, while avoiding his heated gaze. There had to be something going on here. You had to be an idiot for not reading between the lines here. The witch was planning on performing a ritual that involved him. And the grin that graced his brother's obnoxious face told him it didn't bode well for him.

His father stepped forward and adjusted his black suit. Just then, Jason realized they had dressed up for an occasion he didn't know about. His father was about to talk when Jason cut him off. "What's with the fancy getups?"

His father and brother both had suits on, while Lexi and his mother were dressed in evening gowns. Lexi wore a tight, trampy red dress that made her boobs hang on for dear life. They were like two jack-in-a-boxes, ready to pop out at any minute and scare the children. His mother, however, wore a classy white beaded dress with a matching pair of pearl earrings and a clutch bag. She was beautiful.

"The ascension ceremony is tonight," his father replied. "Your brother is taking up his mantle as Alpha."

Jason laughed. "And let me guess. You're introducing Lexi as his mate." His brother's eyes glinted with pride and a false sense of accomplishment that he had taken Lexi from him.

"We are. I and Lexi's father have a longstanding arrangement that we'd join the packs together and let Lexi and Quinton reign as Alpha and Luna."

"Then why did you interfere with me dumping this hoe on the curve where she belongs?" Jason said, smirking as Quinton and Lexi's eyes lit up in anger.

Quinton stepped forward and said, "Don't get cocky, little brother. We can't let you break the bond just yet."

"And why not? I want nothing from her."

"Because it would be a waste," their father interrupted them. "It is vital to the morality of both packs that the union between your brother and Lexi is seen as a union of two mates and not just two mateless wolves."

Jason shook his head. How could the pack not see it as such? Everybody in the pack knew his brother was mateless. And as for Lexi, she was also going to be mateless, but his father screwed him over. What did they want to accomplish? They would never be true mates. Even if they marked and chose each other as mates, they had no mate bond to speak of.

"And how are you going to make Quinton and Lexi mates? They aren't and will never be."

It was Quinton and Lexi's turn to laugh while his father turned to Amina.

"Don't do this, Richard." Jason's mother spoke for the first time since she entered the chamber. Her voice threatened to break. "He's your son! Doing such a thing is against the natural order of things and the will of the Goddess."

Amina scoffed and said," Oh hush, Luna. Jason already wants to break the bond with Lexi. So instead of letting the bond go to waste, we'll give it to another."

"What are you blabbering on about?" asked Jason. A chill raked his spine while a sense of dread washed over him.

The witch, however, ignored him and continued addressing his mother. "This will benefit both of the pack and allow Jason to do as he pleases. He'll be able to leave the pack and find a life outside of it. You see, everyone benefits from this ritu—"

Jason's mother walked up to Amina and pointed her finger at her. "Don't act as if your disturbing ritual doesn't have any consequences. You know well enough what you are about to do and it won't be to the benefit of my son!" Her harsh words ricochet off the chamber walls.

Fuck no! That bitch was going to keep her spindly fingers to herself. Jason wanted nothing to do with it.

Jason's father walked up to his wife and draped his hands over her shoulders in his attempts to sooth her. "Honey, it's for the best. We can't compare the loss of half a soul to the souls of hundreds of innocent lives that depend on us. We owe it to them to protect them to the best of our abilities.

"There comes a time when we need to look at the bigger picture. Jason will recover from this. His is our son. And I know that one day he'll be able to realize that this was for the best. His sacrifice will secure the future of both our packs."

"What the fuck are you blathering on about! What sacrifice?" Jason was slowly losing his composure. Whatever they were planning to do sounded ominous.

Quinton strode up to him and grinned. Jason wanted nothing more than to slap the shit out of his brother. "Dear brother." Glee dripped from his tongue. "Amina's about to take the mate bond you share with Lexi and she's preparing to transplant it onto me."

"That's impossible, you idiot! The bond is fated, chosen by the Goddess herself. No witch can interfere with such a bond."

Amina cackled again and said, "Says you, little boy. I'm not interfering with the mate bond, only redirecting it at the moment it snaps. Later tonight, at the ceremony, Lexi will mark Quinton as her mate. When that happens, the bond will sever from you and whip over to Quinton. Show him you mark Quinton."

Quinton stepped back and undid his shirt's buttons, revealing his chest. He wore a runic seal on his chest, just as Jason did, but slightly different.

"These runes will resonate with each other, allowing the mating bond to jump from you, Jason," Amina pointed to him," to your brother." She placed her hand on Quinton's shoulder, with a smirked on her face. "After tonight, Quinton and Lexi will be mates and you will leave the pack to live amongst the common rabble until you breathe your last breath."

Jason hated to ask, but he had to. Everything seemed too easy and his mother talked about a sacrifice earlier. "What aren't you telling me? What sacrifice needs to be made?"

His mother began to cry. "Please, Richard... don't." Her words finally cracked.

Jason's heart broke seeing his mother break apart like that. His father was truly a heartless man.

"We have to, I'm sorry. Rest assured, honey. We'll take good care of him. The pack will make sure that Jason has all the financial and medical help he might need. You'll even be able to visit him—"

A slap echoed out in the chamber, followed by a growl. "I'll never forgive you for this!" Jason's father rubbed his cheek. His mother then rushed out of the room. Her heels thundered down the corridor until it faded away.

"Why the fuck is my mother so pissed off?" Jason was sick of his questions not being answered. "What is this about needing financial and medical aid?"

His father sighed and then turned to him while Quinton walked up to Lexi and they began heading for the door. "Father." Quinton called out. "We're heading for the ceremony, we'll see you in a bit." Quinton's eyes then rested on Jason. "Thank you, brother and good luck." Then they disappeared through the door, not sparing him another glance.

"The truth of the matter, my son, is that I have a lot of respect for you." Jason chuckled at his joke. Yeah, right. "If things had turned out differently, you would have made an incredible Alpha. But your brother needs a mate to lead the pack and with Lexi on his side, they'll transform this pack into the second strongest, just under the Alpha King's pack."

Jason had to swallow his laughter. His brother didn't have the brawn or brains to accomplish such a feat, and Lexi was too wrapped up in herself to care for a pack as large as the one his father had dreamed about. The Broken Hills and the Blackwater Creek packs were doomed. Only his father was too stupid to realize it.

His father continued with his speech while Amina began prepping the transfer ritual.

"Just like any other spell, the ritual needs power to fuel it. A tremendous amount at that..." His father lingered for a moment, finding his shoes interesting for a moment. "It is for that reason Amina is planning to use your wolf as a power source."

"What!?" Jason screamed out, trying to fight against his restraints. If he had to break his hands to do so, he would. "Fuck you and fuck the pack! I'm not letting you use my wolf for your crazy schemes."

"Jason, calm down. There's nothing you can do about it." His father tried to tell him, but Jason became more frantic. Blood dripped from his wrist as he fought against them. "It will be alright. It will only hurt for a while and then it'll be over." The ass was lying through his teeth. He couldn't allow it. "The pack will take care of you. If you want to apply to college or want to start up your own company, we'll help—"

"I want nothing from you!" Jason shouted. Spit dripped from his mouth as he started to sob. "You're not harming Oz!"

"Harming? Who said anything about harming him?" Amina asked as she glanced up from her tome. "I have already placed your wolf in a coma. Once the ritual activates and the transfer takes place, the ritual will drain every ounce of life force from Oz. Once that happens, his death will occur in a manner of seconds, he won't feel a thing."

As the words escaped her lips, Jason fainted.

***

A stabbing pain ripped Jason out of his nightmare, only to be confronted with another. The four robed virgins and their wicked bitch up at the front were busy chanting incessantly. His ears began to buzz, becoming louder. The ritual had started.

"Oz, Wake. Up!" Jason cried out to his wolf, but nothing happened. No answer came. He tried to tap into his werewolf strength, but without Oz's help, he couldn't draw it out.

He frantically scanned the room for help but found none. "Amina! Stop this! You cannot take him away from me!" Jason begged her, even starting to cry.

Amina glanced up from her book without an ounce of regret on her face. "No can do. You may deem us cruel for doing this, but there's no other way. You'll live, but not as a werewolf. It'll take time but you'll bounce back."

"You don't have the right to do this! What will the Collective do when they find out about this?"

"They won't." Amina flicked her fingers and lit the four black candles. A tug began pulling on Jason's chest. "They would never grant humans like you an audience to see them and the Collective will never believe you either. So accept your fate and move on."

Jason yelled out and cussed as the pull began snapping apart. With each painful snap, his jaw clamped down harder onto his tongue, drawing blood. The next moment, a wooden mouth gag appeared in his mouth.

"There you go. We don't want you to bite your tongue off."

His muffled screams echoed out into the chamber until the ritual reached its climax. Jason's body spasmed, causing him to piss in his pants. Seconds later, a column of white flames washed over his skin, burning him alive. As every second ticked by, the ritual ripped his souls in two, separating his wolf's spirit from him until only a sinew remained.

At the last moment, it snapped, accompanied by the last mournful howl that echoed in his ears.

Oz died.

With no willpower to stay awake, Jason's knees gave in and his chin hit his chest. He slipped out of consciousness, wanting never to wake up again.