His Perfect Mate [Nehalem Pack 6] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) by AJ Jarrett (if you give a mouse a cookie read aloud txt) 📕

couldn’t take on five young wolves. Then your father became a problem. I was never for certain if the alpha told your father about my feelings toward you but it didn’t matter. He became suspicious of me.” Tobias swiped a finger over his throat. “So Mommy and Daddy dearest had to go.”

At Tobias’s confession Carl fought against his bindings. He wanted to rip the man apart with his bare hands. How could Tobias say he loved him then go and kill his parents like that? To leave two young boys without their parents was beyond cruel. “You’re a monster.”

“I’m your monster.” Tobias patted him on the cheek. He turned around and walked back to the fireplace. “Then that friend of your mother’s.” Tobias huffed out a breath. “Filling your head with notions that would never be for you. I knew by the time you turned eleven that we weren’t true mates but it didn’t matter. I still wanted you and when you came to live with me it became obvious you wanted me as well.”

“I was only a kid, Tobias. I just lost my parents. I was lonely.” Carl started to cry. “You were always so nice to me. I thought you loved me but this isn’t love.”

“How can you say that?” Tobias whirled around to face him. “I took care of you for five years before I ever let my true feelings be known. I even refrained from killing that annoying kid brother of yours. If anything I love you too much, Carl.”

In a way Carl pitied Tobias. The man didn’t know what loving another person meant. Because it certainly didn’t involve killing the family of the person you claim to love.

“So tell me, did he follow you here?”

“Who?” Carl didn’t bother lifting his head to look at Tobias. All because of him, Tobias murdered his parents and so many others. It was a heavy weight for him to bear. How would he ever be able to explain all this to Casper?

“The man you let bite you.” Tobias looked over his shoulder. “Because if he did, it’ll make it a lot easier for me to kill him. I do hate having to be away from you and that’s what would happen if I had to go hunt down this animal you let mark you.”

Think, Carl, think! You can’t let him kill Jake, too. Lie. Tell Tobias whatever you have to to keep Jake safe. His mind screamed. “He didn’t follow me,” he said softly, praying Tobias believed him. “I shot him so he might be dead for all I know.” What he said wasn’t a total lie.

Tobias picked the poker up out of the fire place once again and walked back to him. “But you said he was so kind to you and told you the truth. How can you expect me to believe you?”

“Because.” Carl lifted his head to meet Tobias’s steely stare. “I love him enough to know he deserves better than me.” A hot tear rolled down his cheek. It hurt to say but more so because it was the truth. Jake did deserve better than him. Carl had been used and abused and came with a shitload of issues. Jake shouldn’t have to be saddled with a man who at times feared his own shadow. He’d never be Jake’s equal.

“So very noble of you, Carl.” Tobias raised his hand to grip Carl around the throat. “I’ll take you at your word but just so you know if he ever comes looking for you, I swear I’ll rip him limb from limb and make you watch.”

He tried to nod his head but Tobias’s grip prevented that. Carl blinked his eyes in understanding because he had no doubt Tobias would kill Jake if he got the chance. Part of him hoped that Jake, Seth, and Holden had abandoned him. At least that way they’d be safe.

“Good, now it’s time to take care of that nasty mark.” Tobias ran his hand up the back of Carl’s neck and tightened his fist in Carl’s hair, yanking his head to the side.

Carl’s eyes widened as Tobias brought the poker up to his neck. The heat radiated off the piece of iron in pulsating waves. Tobias held him tight as he lowered the glowing edge to Carl’s neck. He screamed and screamed until his throat went raw. Tears spilled down his face as Tobias burned the skin where Jake’s mark had been. The smell of burning flesh filled the room and the stench made him want to vomit.

As Tobias dug the poker deeper Carl struggled to get away. The chains held steady and his shoulder popped out of place. He howled in pain but Tobias didn’t stop.

What felt like hours later Tobias pulled the poker away from his neck. Carl sighed in relief but the action just caused pain to wrench through his body. He tried to lift his head to see where Tobias had gone but quickly hissed in discomfort. The charred skin pulled tight with every little movement he made. He couldn’t decide what hurt worse, his shoulder or his neck.

“Sorry I had to do that but you shouldn’t have been so careless.” Tobias tried to defend what he had just done.

Carl blew out a breath to move his hair out of his eyes so he could see what Tobias was doing. His eyes were swollen from crying and he could only see partially out of his eyes. “What are you going to do to me now?”

“Well first off let’s fix this shoulder.” Before Carl could ask what he meant Tobias put a hand to his chest and one to his right shoulder and forced Carl back.

He opened his mouth to scream but nothing came out. The jolt had his shoulder popping back into place but it didn’t relieve all his agony. Knowing that Tobias had removed Jake’s mating mark hurt like nothing had before, even worse than the burn. If he never saw Jake again all he had