CHAPTER 78

Collins could tell his comment had not fazed her one bit. If her lips weren't so set in a thin, unfriendly and resolute line, he could almost swear she was laughing at him with her eyes.
"You fucking bitch! Let's see who's laughing when I'm done with you," he said to himself.
He had to give it to her. She was formidable and the freaking bastard, Asher had been smart to take her for himself. If she wasn't already tainted and nursing his rival's seed in her body, he wouldn't hesitate to make her his.
He was going to find out just how formidable she could be in a moment.
He smiled to himself when he thought about his plans with Elise.
The woman had become incensed the moment she saw the Crier roaming around free and Collins was shameless enough to savour the quick plan her extreme hatred had made her come up with. It had been just the right plan to complement his Beta's plan.
He was feeling more at ease than he felt that morning.
"Misunderstanding?," Shana asked in a calm voice that belied all her turbulent thoughts. Even now, she could not get past the crippling feeling she had in her stomach just by looking into his eyes.
But look she did.
She did not want him to see how scared and vulnerable she felt.
He smiled his sickly smile and slowly picked up one of the tarts a server placed in front of him. Shana noticed the visible shaking of the woman as she served him and hurried out of there, her knees almost knocking against each other in fear.
If what she had witnessed earlier in the garage was not enough to confirm her lowly opinion of the man before her, the server's reaction was evidence of what he truly was.
"Yes darling, misunderstandings," he answered with his mouth full of pastry.
Shana hated him calling her 'darling'.
She hated him the more she got to see him.
She knew he was messing with her by not answering her question. He was toying with her like a cat toyed with a mouse.
She wanted to tell him she understood perfectly, everything that was happening and why they were happening but instead, she kept mute and continued to stare into his empty soul.
"I know you think I'm a villain and that I kidnapped you out of your home," he said slowly, with a smile still in place.
Shana wondered how he managed to keep the smile plastered on but decided it was none of her business.
"Do I have a reason to think differently?" She asked sharply.
Collins bristled at her tone of voice but he forged on. She was going to get rattled soon enough.
"Not yet, you don't. But I'm about to give you a reason to."
She wanted him to spit out what's got him smiling like a fool already.
"Asher didn't want you anymore. He wanted you gone and he was already taking steps to see that happen. You know all about his hate for your kind. But Elise got to know about what he was plotting with that bodyguard of his," he said then tossed another pastry into his mouth and he took his sweet time chewing.
Shana held back her tongue and refrained from asking him what Asher was plotting. She guessed that was what he wanted. Instead, she took a bite out of one of the pastries and chewed without tasting.
When Collins realized she was not going to prompt him to continue, he pushed back his chair and stood.
"As you would have already guessed, Elise had a thing for the old Alpha. She got angry when she knew about the way he was going to do away with you and continue with his life like nothing happened," he continued as he moved around the large table to stand behind her.
Shana felt the cold fingers of fear clawing it's way all over her body but she sat rigidly in her chair and refused to turn back to look at him.
If anything, she was not conceding this round to the bastard.
"So she decided to enlist my aid and get you out of there with the believe that Asher would be stricken and weakened when he finds out that you are carrying his cub and not under his protection. She does not want to ever see him happy," he said then scoffed. "She believed he would never turn his blood despite the differences between you two."
Shana felt him bend and she could feel his breath fanning her ear, crippling her in her seat. But still, refused to turn to look at him and make him see how scared she was. "But guess what?," She felt him whisper in her ear. "He not only turned his back on his unborn cub, he spat in it's face and said you could go to hell with the child."
"You liar!," Shana screamed as she sprung out of her chair. The furniture toppled backward and fell to the floor as Collins stepped out of the way.
She wished the chair had fallen over his legs.
She was bristling and she watched the satisfaction in his eyes that he finally got a reaction out of her.
Collins moved closer to her and stood in her face. He had to give it to the woman, she didn't even take a step back in fear like everyone else. It was the first time since forever that a woman stood her ground in front of him. When he got close enough to stare into her eyes and see the myriad of emotions playing across her feature, he laughed in her face.
"Lair? Why should I lie to you?," he asked quietly.
"You've a lot of reasons to lie to me and you must think I'm foolish. Because why else would you think I'll fall for anything that comes out of your mouth when I know exactly how you feel about my mate?," She replied angrily.
"If that's what you choose to believe, then who am I to convince you otherwise?," He said then capped it with another devilish laughter. "But ask yourself why he isn't coming for you. It's been over seventy two hours since I got you out of there...."
"You mean kidnapped me from my home," she cut in.
"....but no one is rushing in here to save you, even after getting a message about the child you carry and knowing where to find you" he continued like she had not said anything. "If I was in your mate's shoes and what belongs to me was stolen, I would have turned the world upside down to find it. But if it was something I don't care about, I wouldn't give a thought to whatever happened to it. Just like he doesn't care what happens to you," he finished with a satisfied, innocent grin that transformed his already handsome face into something almost angelic.
The eyes ruined the angelic effect.
It was just too cold and vacant.
"I don't believe you," Shana said and shook her head vigorously to underscore her point. But she had to admit, she was only trying to shake off the doubt taking root in her head.
And why shouldn't she have doubts?
Everything Collins was spurting made some sense but she still could not trust him. And she could not bring herself to believe Asher really hated her to want her dead.
That would hurt and break her.
Collins smiled evilly. "You are going to believe soon enough, maybe after staying here long enough to birth your baby and no one is coming to claim the child," he said with a shrug and turned to leave but not before he registered the wild look that entered Shana's eyes.
"Did you threaten him?," She shouted at his departing back. She had moved back to support her shaking legs by holding into the edge of the table. She clutched harder on the smooth oak surface when Collins stiffened and turned back to pin her with a cold look.
"Yes, I did. I threatened to end your life if he doesn't renounce himself as Alpha and he told me to do whatever I please with you. I guess being the pack leader is more important to being a mate and father."
"Why should I believe all you are saying?"
Collins did a little dance inside him. It was no longer 'I don't believe you' but 'Why should I believe you?'
Despite the brave front she was trying to put up,Shana Anderson was scared and beginning to doubt the saintly image she has of her mate.
That delighted him to no end and he took his time delivering his epic reply to her question.
"You don't need to. But you'll see the truth soon enough."
Then he was gone.
Shana released her deathly grip on the table and lowered herself into the chair, the doubts crippling her.
No matter how hard she tried to call Collins' bluff, she just could not shake off the niggling feeling that he could be feeling the truth.
After all, she and Asher had not parted on the best of term.
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The commotion drew him out of the nightmares.
He initially thought by some miracle, his mate was back.
Asher had hurriedly struggled to free himself from the sheets that were twisted around him due to his restless night rest.
He had been unable to sleep but he had dragged himself into bed and laid on the sheets that still smelled like his mate. He had tormented himself with memories of her, sniffing the sheets until he felt the tears slip from his eyes.
He felt helpless and useless.
Then his tired brain had been lulled into sleep plagued with nightmares about different ways Collins had tortured his woman.
He jerked on a pant and raced for the door, words like 'conscious' 'bruised' getting to him as he skipped down the stairs.
"I was coming to get you," Armando said to him as he reached the landing. His bodyguard turned around and marched out, with Asher coming close behind him.
First, he saw the body crumbled far away from the entrance. It looked like she had been rolled in mud or the like. The face was hidden and a few of his men surrounded her.
"Shana?," he called to her in his mind but there was no response and he could not smell her familiar scent.
"God please, I want her alive," he prayed as he got to her.
He bent and turned her face gently, careful not to cause her anymore discomfort.
But alas, it was not his mate.