Tied up.

9

Alexakis POV

Where was she? Where could she have gone with that much of an injury that she suffered from?

My mind whirled over so many questions at the same time but I suppressed them. I knew that my first and foremost action should be to look for the girl and make sure she was alright.

That brought my mind back to her parents. Could they have followed our trails and kidnapped the girl back when they realized that I was fast asleep? If by the moon goddess that was them, I would make sure that they didn't live to see the next sunrise.

How could they have kidnapped the girl they wanted dead?

The question brought me the answer I needed. Those hunters couldn't have done it. The fact that I was alive was proof of that. If they were the ones who really stole the girl from me, then I would either be dead or in a cage by now, given how serious they were about making me lose my life.

If it wasn't them though, who else could have done such a thing?

I knew that the more time I wasted brooding over things that didn't matter, the more danger the woman who was my savior would be.

I stood up from where I sat, wincing as the injury on my calf burned a little. I ignored the pain and smelled the rock to catch her scent. It was faint but I still got what I wanted. I inhaled twice more even though it was absolutely unnecessary. To me, her scent felt like a delicious mix of strawberry and chocolate together.

I channeled the energy of my wolf and I began to follow the smell I got from her. The smell led me to a very large gathering, and then it was gone, mixed with a million more smells all over the place.

I stood upright and blinked when I realized that I just entered the den of people who were hitting each other in the ring. To my right were men waiting for their turn to contest. What the price they were fighting for was, I didn't know and had no desire to do so. My first priority was the girl I was looking for.

Somehow, I knew she would be somewhere in the crowd, lost among them. I turned to my left to leave. And that was when I saw who I was looking for.

The girl was tied up on what looked like a stake, with rope binding her to the stake securely, injuring her even more. Her clothes and the rope holding her in place were soaked to the broken either her blood, some of which looked a little dry. Her eyes were closed and she looked like she was already dead. The only thing to indicate she was breathing was how she kept wincing and squeezing her face, to hold the pain in, I presume.

She was not the only one there. There were like ten other girls too, from young to adults, and they were all tied up.

My anger rose and I rushed to where she was tied. I began to work on the rope, trying to loosen it and free her. She opened her eyes at that moment and I saw her gasp as she noticed it was me standing before her. I could see it from the look she gave me that she was curious to ask me how I found her. I shook my head at her to tell her that she shouldn't say a thing, so she could conserve her strength.

I was almost done with removing the rope when a hand gripped my shoulder forcefully. I turned around with all the anger rising in me and punched the man in the face. He stumbled backward, and I saw two of his teeth fly off. I ignored him and the multiple gasps that rose in the air and returned my attention to what I was doing earlier.

"Behind you!" The girl I was saving yelled.

Like a reflex, I dodged and I saw a fist fly from where the back of my head would have been. I turned around and saw four well-built men standing in battle stances all around me. I hissed at them to show them I had no desire to exchange blows with them but they just kept advancing.

"You want the girl, you fight for her. That's our rule." The one who seemed to be the leader of the ring said to me. I crossed my arms around my chest and continued watching them. "Why? Are you afraid you will lose?" The man snarled and everyone in the den laughed.

I refused to be flattered by what he said. Instead, I continued watching them, waiting for when they would make the mistake enough to advance toward me and throw another punch.

They got to me at that moment and the ring leader threw the punch I expected from him. I gripped the hand and twisted it until I heard the bones snapping. The yelling he gave an indication that I had indeed caused him the pain I wanted to inflict. I released him to writhe in his pain and beckoned on the rest with my hand.

I could see the fear in their eyes as they stares at each other to see who would attack first. I pointed at them one after the other and showed them to come together at once. Thinking that they had the upper hand, they obeyed my command and advanced together. I punched the first one in the stomach, kicked the second in the groin, picked up the third one, and flipped him on his back to the hard floor.

I smiled as I saw all four of them groaning in pain. I ignored them once more and turned back to the girl I was there for. I saw that she had fainted, probably from all the blood she shed. I finished untying the ropes and picked her up into my arms. As I walked away with her securely in my arms, everyone made way for me.

I was almost at the door when the voice of a man, deep and gruff and callous in a way that was unexplainable, stopped me.

"If you ever need a job, feel free to return. I promise to pay you triple what I pay these fools."

I refused to acknowledge the message and just went out of the place, feeling very worried about how to save the unconscious woman in my arms.