Exclusive peek at chapter 1 The Unruly! 👀

What's next on the writing agenda? ✍️ [View this email in your browser]( A sneak peek at chapter 1 of The Unruly just for you! I thought I'd give my newsletter subscribers (YOU) a first look at The Unruly (chapter 1)! If you haven't read The Untamed yet, you can skip the next section and go to the next picture so you don't get anything spoilery. Hopefully you're as excited about this book as I am! I have lots of fun stuff and updates to cover in this email! Here's the quick highlights: 🖤 The Unruly Chapter 1 Exclusive Peek 🖤 A new The Unruly teaser! 🖤 My Writing Schedule (Let me know what YOU want me to write!) 🖤 What's coming to K-Club? 🖤 Some Freebies from Great Authors Here's chapter 1 of [The Unruly]( (If you don't want to read it, skip to the next picture!) Chapter One Raegan This can’t be real. Orange and yellow flames lick up high above the treetops, and thick smoke billows all around as I watch my home burn to the ground. Are they safe? Are there survivors? Destiny coughs until she gags but otherwise remains quiet. She’s on the other side of Sadie, who’s sobbing uncontrollably next to me in the bed of Wild’s truck. I would console her, but my hands are bound behind my back. This is a nightmare. One I can’t seem to wake from. To my left, Ronan is out cold and closest to the tailgate. Blood trickles from a blow he received to his head when he fought back. He’s missing his glasses. I’ve never seen him so wrecked. Tears, caused from the horrible situation I’ve found myself in, or the thickening smoke, blind me even further. I want to scream at our captors for doing this to my family, but something is tied around my head, holding a sock or some other material in my mouth. Is everyone dead? Mya climbs into the bed of the truck and sneers at me as she sits directly across from me. If I weren’t crudely tied up, I’d take a swing at her ugly face. Since I can’t use my fists, I level her with a glare that promises pain and lots of it. Voices can be heard from beyond the snapping and crackling of the fire that’s quickly consuming my home with my family in it on the other side of the fence. Is it Mom? Dad? The voices belong to CJ and Mya’s parents, Owen and Tee. Tee’s carrying a small child bundled in her arms and Owen has a larger one folded over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He climbs into the back and settles on Mya’s right while positioning the child in between them. When terrified eyes meet mine, I recognize them immediately. Dakota. Oh God. He’s alive. He wails at seeing me, reaching his small hand toward me, but I’m unable to help him. Mya gives him a smack on the arm, hissing something harsh and cruel that has him cowering. I hate her. I want to watch her suffer. Tee shuffles in the truck bed until she’s on Owen’s other side. Declan clings to her but keeps his eyes on his older brother who’s sobbing. Where’re Mom and Dad and Dawson? If I weren’t ripped from my bed in the middle of the night and then quickly subdued by rope, I’d just think these people were saving us from a house fire. But I’ve quickly put together that they’re the reason for the fire. Someone sobs, the sounds growing closer as they approach. Stacey, the hugely pregnant lady who wormed herself into our home, clutches her belly and holds on to her husband, Michael’s arm. Does she feel sick about what they’ve done to us? I knew she was bad news, but Mom didn’t listen. I notice the blood all over Stacey’s shirt that’s stretched over her pregnant belly, slices going every which way like she got in a fight with a bear. Satisfaction spreads through me like a toxic infection. Seeing her blood brings me pleasure. I want to see them all bleed. “I’m sorry,” Michael croons. “We tried. Now get up front and let’s see to those wounds. You’re lucky she didn’t stab you in the stomach.” She. Mom? “I hope you die,” I croak out in a raspy, smoke-choked voice around the sock, sending Stacey a blast of my hatred with my expression. I’m not even sure she can hear me. Stacey stops and glowers at me. “She should have given him to me. At least he wouldn’t have burned to death.” She covers her mouth with a bloodstained hand. “What kind of mother would rather her child die a horrible death in her arms than let another mother protect him?” Bile burns up my esophagus as her words click inside my mind. Stacey tried to take Dawson, but Mom put up a fight, refusing to give over her baby. And now, Mom and Dawson are probably dead from the fire. More tears well and spill over. Oh God. I can’t breathe! My mother. My brother. These people are monsters! As the smoke grows thicker, we all start to cough more. Michael climbs into the front of the truck and starts the engine. Is he leaving? What about the rest of their people? “Where is she?” Lisa, one of the other women from their group calls out. “Stacey, hon? Are you okay? Seth said you lost the baby.” Not her baby. Ours. My baby brother, Dawson. Good for you, Mom. “In the truck,” Tee calls out. “She’s in bad shape. You should look after her up there. Have Seth bring your kids to me and Owen.” Lisa disappears and then a few moments later shows back up with five kids all varying from around Dakota’s age to Destiny’s. The sleepy kids find places to insert themselves between tents, gear, and the rest of the people crammed in the bed of the truck. Logan then shows up carrying Kristen, who is either sleeping or knocked out. He puts her up front in the extended cab. I can’t see around the heads and stuff piled up as to how many people they have up there. I need to get free. If I could just grab my knife that’s hooked to my belt under my shirt, I could take some of these assholes out. Or, at the very least, cut me and my siblings free so we could run away. No such luck. Michael shouts something to Logan and then starts slowly moving the truck from the thick smoke that’s causing everyone to cough all around me. He stops again when he’s about fifty yards away. There are still many people from their group missing, including CJ and Jace. I hope those idiots burned to death. Maybe Ryder killed them. Thoughts of my brother have more tears falling. What if he’s dead too? And where the hell is Dad? My father would have died protecting his family. Just like Mom. It’s hard to believe that days ago, I’d been considering a life away from my overprotective parents. Now, I long for those loud dinners where everyone talks at once and there’s never a peaceful moment. I’d give anything to be grounded again so long as it meant we could all be together, safe and alive. Ronan groans from beside me but doesn’t wake. He’s hurt. It’d been a blur of men in the darkness of Ronan’s cabin earlier as they urged us to throw on clothes and to keep quiet. Ronan tried to fight back—to protect me, Sadie, and Destiny—but he was just one young man against several. The loud crack of a weapon against his skull plays on repeat inside my head. Several men come running through the dark smoke, carrying bags of food and have my father’s weapons slung over their shoulders. The first to come into view is CJ. A stupid boy I kissed. If I could cut out my own tongue right now to rid the remnants of him, I would. These people are sick and rotten to the core. Evil bastards. “Tie it there,” Logan orders, materializing next to CJ. “Make it tight. I don’t want him getting loose.” Him? Grunts can be heard nearby. Slapping of flesh like someone is getting punched over and over and over again. My heart twists violently in my chest. Tom and Jace show up, both of them launching themselves and their gear into the truck almost simultaneously as if they rehearsed it. Tom’s big foot slams down on my shin and I cry out at the sharp pain, my arms jerking reflexively. It’s then I feel it. A loosening of my bindings. I blink away the tears that won’t stop burning down my cheeks, ignoring the throb in my leg. Tom and Jace lift kids, pulling them into their laps as they settle in the bed of the truck. We’re shoved in here, packed like sardines. CJ doesn’t make eye contact as he passes by the outside of the bed and then hops up front in the cab. Logan checks the bindings on the trailer hitch and then rushes after CJ. “Let’s roll,” I hear Logan say before the truck door slams. We’re leaving? Panic swells up inside me. What about the rest of their people? Where are they? Are they just going to leave them? I manage to move my mouth enough that the material falls away and I’m able to spit out the sock. “Ryder!” I rasp out. “Ryder!” The smoke has done a number on my vocal cords because I can hardly get the words past my lips. “They can’t hear you,” Jace says with a laugh but then starts coughing. I wriggle my wrists behind me and tug until I feel my hand slip through the tight bindings. The truck begins to move slowly at first, as if the heavy load is too much for the vehicle to bear. I carefully look around to see if anyone’s noticed my near escape. Slowly, I slide my palm to where my knife remains hooked at my side. When they took us from our beds, they told us to throw on our clothes, but little did they know, my knife stays on my belt and they were too preoccupied to notice. Now I’ll use it to stab every damn one of them. I grip the hilt of my knife, wondering who to maim first. Mya is a selfish choice because I hate her stupid face, but Jace or Tom would subdue me before I had the chance, which means they have to be first. The truck begins to pick up speed, but sounds can be heard from behind us. Whatever they’re pulling on the rope is dragging and bouncing and making a racket. It’s not until we break free from the choke of the smoke that I’m able to make out what it is, barely visible in the red glow of the taillights. Beard. Dark hair. So much blood. A rope around his neck. Dad. They’re dragging my daddy behind the truck! Without considering the consequences, I lunge from my squished position, over Ronan’s body, and hang over the edge of the tailgate. Commotion ensues behind me. Strong hands grab my thighs, attempting to pull me back. I’m guessing it’s Jace since he was closest to me. I kick out, hitting him somewhere that obviously hurts because his hold loosens. My arms are just long enough I’m able to reach the rope that’s wrapped around the trailer hitch. I hack through the rope feverishly, kicking and fighting the arms trying to pull me back. I’ve lost my chance to be smart about attempting an escape. All that matters is freeing my dad. The rope isn’t completely sawed through, but I’ve made a good effort. I’ve almost succeeded when a vise-like hand grips around mine, a heavy body pinning me. I recognize Jace’s voice cursing as we fight. His other arm wraps around my throat in a chokehold that has stars bursting across my vision. The knife is torn from my hold and then he yanks me back into the bed of the truck, shoving the tip of my own blade against the throbbing vein in my neck. “Stop. Fucking. Moving.” Jace, though breathing heavily, laughs. “Now you have to watch.” I gape in horror as Dad is continued to be dragged behind us. I didn’t do enough. I wasn’t quick enough. I couldn’t save him. I’m sorry, Daddy. Snap! The rope severs suddenly, whipping back at us like a snake. It smacks me across the chest and Jace’s arm that holds me in place. It knocks the breath out of me. He howls in pain but doesn’t release me. It’s a long few seconds before I’m able to suck in air. Dad is no longer behind us. There’s a chance. He could be alive. I could have saved him. Jace turns us around and shoves me into Tom’s waiting arms. He’s no longer holding the kids from before, having pushed them into other laps around him. Since Tom is built like redwood, he easily captures me and pins me to him, forcing me to inhale his musky body odor that somehow overpowers the scent of smoke. I’m unable to move and my heart is slamming so hard in my chest, I fear it might explode. My entire world has been upended and destroyed. These monsters hurt my family. We trusted them, welcomed them into our home, and befriended them. And how did they repay us? They took everything from us—from me. The pain of losing so much drags me into a pit of despair. Dark. Lonely. Horrible. I want to wake up tomorrow morning and it have all been a sick dream. Something touches my hand. I follow my arm until I find a small hand curled around mine. Dakota sniffles and searches my eyes like I know how to save us. I don’t. I can’t. “Rae,” he mouths, bottom lip quivering. “I’m scared.” Yesterday, I’d have gloated about him being scared about something because he and I have always annoyed one another. Tonight is different. “I know, Kota,” I croak out, unsure if he can hear me. “Me too.” Tom, upon noticing us, plucks Dakota’s hand off mine and then twists me around until my face is forced between his man boobs. I struggle but soon learn it’s futile. Tom is much bigger than me. I’m not going to ever be able to beat him physically. I’ll have to be smart. These people will pay for what they’ve done to us. And more importantly, I will find a way to save what’s left of my family. [The Unruly Ebook (Part 2 of 2) Pre-Order]( [The Unruly Ebook on Eden Books Pre-Order]( [The Unruly Paperback (Part 2 of 2) Pre-Order -US]( [The Unruly Paperback (Pt 2 of 2) Pre-Order -INTL]( [The Untamed and The Unruly Paperback Bundle Pre-Order (US)]( [Wild World on K Webster's Website]( [The Untamed Ebook (Part 1 of 2)]( [The Untamed Paperback (Part 1 of 2)]( What's K Webster working on? If you follow me on Ream, you may have seen what I'm working on, but if not, here's the scoop! ➡ Currently writing on Waves of Fury (MM post-apoc book coming 2024) ➡ Next I'll be writing on The Heart of Smoke (in the Shameful Secrets series...aka Jude's book). This one is also MM. I finished the cover and it's looking so good! I'm thinking in October I'll announce the pre-order for it (and it'll release around January-ish). ➡ Madmen of Moscow (Me and Ker Dukey are carving out some time in October to finish writing this book, so I'm excited to finally get it to you all! Definitely something to look forward to!) ➡ I sent 3 chapters to my agent for an enemies to lovers, trauma bond standalone. She's going to see if she can find a place that'll pick it up. If it doesn't get picked up, I'll self-publish that one. Send good vibes my way haha! ➡ I'll also start working on more in the Wild World later this year as I'm excited to expand that world and write more stories for other characters! Reply back and let me know which one you're most excited about! If there's something not on this list you want me to write, reach out and let me know. I'm always listening and am easily swayed hahaha. What's coming to K-Club? Each month, I do a group Zoom call with my members and it's always a blast. On Friday, I revealed something fun I'm doing in December to look forward to. In addition to the monthly book I'll be doing, I'm going to have an exclusive holiday short story to revisit Hale. I know some of you are huge lovers of that book and always ask me about those characters, so December you'll have a chance to see them again in K-Club! All the tiers will get the ebook short story (and those in Club Midnight, Club VIP, and Club Gravity will get a mini paperback of the story to add to their collection!) Who loves freebies? Check out these three free books just for you! Happy reading! Thanks for reading my email and I hope you enjoyed all the updates! Don't forget, this week is the last week to grab the [signed paperback of Cocksure Ace]( from my website before it goes into retirement. I just looked and there's one in stock haha, so first to click and grab gets it! Have a wonderful day and I'll see ya next week! Happy Monday! K (Kristi) Webster [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Website]( [Email](mailto:kristi@authorkwebster.com) [Instagram]( [Spotify]( Copyright © 2023 K Webster's Book Portal, All rights reserved. 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