“No more, daddy, no more, please,” she whimpered desperately trying to keep the tears from her voice.
“Weak, pathetic, pup. No one is ever going to want you.”
*
“WHAT!” both Wade and Marc cried in unison
“But… father… he whipped her…. He beat her,” Marc tried to reason with his father, he had never expected him to suggest sending an abused female back to the abuser. “She is not under our protection, we protect our Kingdom son.” Marc’s lips twitched in irritation
“She’s my mate,” Marc growled lowly
“You will find another mate.” Marc’s mouth dropped open
“Oh! So you accept him-” Marc jerked his head towards Wade “But when it comes to my mate. I have to sacrifice?” his voice raising to a shout
“You wanted my opinion. You’ve got it.”
“I said I wanted your help. I’m not turning my mate over. She belongs here.”
“Xander… Not to speak out of turn-” Wade started
“But you will,” the former King interrupted
“Yes, Xander… you can’t expect Marc to give up his mate… how would you have felt if Elsbeth came from an outsider pack… would you have given her up?” Xander blinked his golden eyes. His stony face appearing deep in thought. After two painful minutes of silence Xander spoke “Very well.” He let out a long breath. “I don’t trust her.” And he turned on his heel.
Marc rubbed his face “You can’t fake her trauma…” he said more to himself
“If she is twenty… she’s been starved for years.” Wade confirmed
“I better speak to this guy, did you tell him anything?”
“No, just got who it was then contacted you,” Wade replied, Marc nodded before opening the door.
“Alpha Silversmith?” Marc said picking up the phone
“Alpha Hunterson.”
“King,” Marc sneered “If you want my help you will remember my title.” Marc heard a small exhale
“Fine, King Hunterson. My daughter has been kidnaped, she’s in your Kingdom.”
“How do you know she was kidnaped?”
“Because she was unwell, weak. Somebody snatched her from her room.” Marc gritted his teeth in an attempt to not snap “Very well… how old is your daughter?”
“She just turned Twenty.”
“Description?” A pause followed Marc's quite simple request, Marc swore he heard him licking his lips “Long brown hair… blue eyes. Small, sickly.”
“Name?” he asked shortly, he needed to at least pretend to have no idea
“Klara Silversmith, look can I just come onto your land?” his tone airy as if he always came into their Kingdom “No, I will notify all packs in our Kingdom. If she is in my Kingdom I will find her.”
“She is,” he’d pushed it through his teeth.
“I want to look for her, you must understand, as a father. I heard you looked for your own daughter?” Marc chuckled, then smirked, he had no idea he wasn’t his father. “I’m sure my mate will bring me a lovely daughter. Yes my father and I did look for my sister. You prevented us from searching your lands, four months you blocked us, why should I help you now?” Marc shot
“I was concerned, allowing your Kingdom access could easily bring war, I helped when it was necessary.”
“She had to have crossed through your land, I distinctly remember… you did nothing.”
“There is a neutral road, I have no control who uses it,” Marc could hear the tension on the older male's voice “This… neutral road… the same my father had to ask permission from you to use?” he asked interestedly, although he already knew the answer. “Which I granted.”
“Why would you have to grant permission… if it is a neutral road?” Marc asked, wondering how he was going to get out of this line of questioning “My wolves will be on your land.” That answered Marc’s question, he was just going to avoid. “Then they will die, my packs will treat them as rogues.”
“Someone has my daughter!” Marc heard the distinctive sound of a fist slamming on a desk
“And I have generously told you that I will personally ring every pack and find out if they have seen your daughter, the packs talk… if someone has kidnapped her… someone will be aware.” He kept his tone pleasant, he wanted to growl at the man that had tortured his mate, he wanted to drive to their land and kill the lot of them, he could easily not help them in the slightest, after all the Silversmiths didn’t help them. “I will ring within a week,” Marc stated and disconnected the call.
Marc turned to Wade who was waiting patiently in a chair “Call the border packs, he’s threatened to just send wolves without permission.” Marc knew Wade probably heard most of the conversation “Also tell those packs his daughter is ‘missing’.” He quoted the final word with his fingers. Wade nodded, plucking a leather bound book from the shelf. He started flicking through looking for the right pack’s phone numbers, three were closest to Silversmith.
“So we’ve decided to play oblivious?” Wade asked
“Yes, for now. At least until Klara can explain everything that’s happened. Which reminds me I need to document her injuries.” Marc worked silently as Wade rang around packs, warning them of the potential trespassing. “Right-” Wade said as he put the phone down for the third time “All three have agreed to kill on sight, and they’re increasing patrols as of now.”
“Thank you.” Marc finished up his report of Klara’s injuries soon after. He was glad he was King, he could have access to memories, as well as the mind link, he was still getting used to the ability, it was strange… more strange when Adelaide showed him his own mate in the shower, making his trousers instantly tighten.
“Personal question,” Marc trained his golden eyes to Wade
“Shoot,” Wade responded flippantly
“How the fuck did you keep you’re hands off?” his voice coming out a little strained as he was referring to his own sister “Ha!” Wade smiled broadly “Cold showers mate… get used to them.” Marc let out a strangled groan “Think I like you a bit more now.”
“What? Now you feel the sheer wish to fuck her sensless and think you know what I went through?” Marc grumbled “Feel the pain, then come back to me and grumble in four months.”
“You weren’t in the same vicinity as her for three… don’t be dramatic or have you spent too much time with my sister?”
“She’s not that dramatic” Wade reasoned
“She hid up a tree for five hours when you ‘forgot’ her birthday,” Marc shot back
“I didn’t forget I was setting up a surprise…” Wade’s voice trailed off with the lie he told himself again and again “Yes which you hurriedly put together to make her feel guilty for pouting.”
“Shut up,” Wade rumbled. Marc merely smirked.
She heard the door close with the grind of the key.She curled up on the floor trying to pull the scraps of t-shirt from her wounds.She whimpered, that was her worst beating so far.She was confused… he’d watched.*Klara stretched, birdsong reaching her ears as the sun streamed into the bedroom through the curtains she didn’t close. She was surprised her back only felt tight, it didn’t feel painful. She wasn’t used to being able to have a shower whenever she wanted - if ever. So she wanted to take advantage of it.Just as she stepped into the bedroom with a towel wr
“Hey sweetie, how you feeling?” she looked down from his kind blue eyes“It hurts, Derrek,”“I’ve got something that’ll help.” He sloshed a bottle at the fourteen year old.*She looked at the TV, it was blank. She hadn’t watched how he made it work, and she couldn’t remember. She looked around the sides of the TV and found some buttons, she pressed each one… nothing happened. She stuck her bottom lip out on a pout. She sighed and turned to the books, she looked at the spines, unsure what she would like. There were so many books her head was spinning with the choice.“Klara?
“That’s it sweetie,” he pushed the glass to tip into her mouth.“I don’t feel good,” she slurred.“But it won’t hurt the more you have,” he said, removing his shirt.*Over the next few days, Klara was trying to trust Marc wouldn’t hurt her, there was a niggle in the back of her mind but she was battling to ignore it. She still wouldn’t let him touch her apart from holding her hand, and even that was slightly hesitantly. She enjoyed his forehead kisses the most, he gave her one every morning after asking. She was beginning to want to ask for them but didn’t dare just in case he stopped.
“Derrek. What do do’ng?” she slurred almost incoherently“Keep your eyes on me.” He slapped her as her eyes shut.The room was spinning as she became numb all over.*Marc strode quickly from the palace down the hill, he could hear the disruption and chaos already despite still being a mile from the town. He went past the first two story houses, his feet moving from cobble stones to paving slabs. He quickened his pace, Wade was on his way too but Marc hoped he was going to be the first just to be able to see for his own eyes the wolves who were responsible for such a din. The sun was setting already and he was just about to leave his office for the day when a mind link had come throu
She woke up, feeling sick as she watched him pull on his jeans.“Derrek?” she whimperedHer mouth dry, a pain throbbing below the bloody sheets.“Hey sweetie, same again next week?” A sickly sweet smile on his lips before leaving.*Klara stretched cocooned in the scent of freshly cut grass and honey; Marc’s smell. She opened her eyes, a frown finding her face as she looked around, but Marc wasn’t there. Her fingers were gripped onto something, she looked to see a shirt. She smelt it; that was where his scent was coming from. She sighed, she felt so relaxed and well rested. She cuddled Marc’s shirt closer to her, br
She huddled in the corner of her room, desperate to be left alone for one day. Just one day. She didn’t want anyone else to come into her room. She wanted to be alone. She wanted to feel… safe.*“I’m going to stand up,” he whispered when she was quiet. She gave a little hiccup as he stood with her in his arms, she didn’t let go of his waist. He stood in the middle of the corridor, arms wrapped securely around her small figure as her breathing gradually evened again.“Put your arms around my neck, I’ll take you home.” She let go of him and backed away, her eyes going back to fearful. “Don’tsendmebackthere” she rushed out, quivers racki
“I’ll never get rid of you, dirty disgusting whore.”The wall hit her back as she backed away. “D-Daddy I don’t want the men in my room.”“Don’t walk away from me!” The sole of his boot smashed into her face “Whore,” he spat.*Marc got to work as soon as he was changed. He organised all the alcohol to be removed from the private wing and placed in one of the meeting rooms. Only then did he head to his office, trying to control the anger burning within him.“Wanted to see me?” Wade walked through the door to Marc’s office.“When was
“Please, daddy. I don’t want them in-” Her words were cut off with another kick. She curled into a ball, wishing she’d said nothing at all.*A single staircase led upstairs while there were three doors coming from the hallway. The walls were a lovely grey, which contrasted the rest of the palace’s cream or stone walls. Adelaide opened the door to the left, “Living room,” she said as she walked in, “Opposite is dining.” She gestured to the door by the stairs, “Then kitchen,” Adelaide pointed towards an archway. Klara took in the living room, a matching fabric three piece suite, TV, paintings of rivers and trees. It was comfortable and homely. Klara liked it. “Wade’s not home.” Adelaide announced as she gestured to Klara to sit.