009.

Cassie.

It didn’t take any longer for me to realize the intruders were rogues, horrible and viscous ones for that matter.

As they dragged me with Cam in my arms through the wreckage that was now our pack estate, I tried to pull back, digging in my heels—anything to slow them down, to escape from their iron grip. 

“Let go of me!” I shouted, making my words as sharp as I could, desperation clawing out of my throat.  

“You have the wrong person, I’m not the Alpha’s mate!” 

The leader, who in better lighting I found had a scar tracing his jaw, sneered and slapped me, his hand coming down hard and fast.  

My head snapped to the side, pain spreading across my cheek in hot, blinding waves. I could feel the sting right down to my bones, my skin throbbing under the weight of his hand. I clutched the side of my face with one hand, the ache forcing tears into my eyes, my strength spiraling downward with each step they forced me to take. 

"Shut your mouth," he growled, his voice low, menacing, “You say one more word, and I’ll make sure it’s the last thing you ever say.” I held my breath, teeth biting down on my tongue as I struggled not to cry out again because I knew he would kill me, just like his second killed Selena.  

I was terrified—not for myself but for Cam, whose small body was cradled in my arms, oblivious to the danger, his tiny fists clenched as he looked around. 

We moved silently through the remnants of the battle between the rogues and my pack members. Fires crackled in the distance, and the air was thick with smoke.  

My heart was pounding, each beat more painful than the last. No one seemed to notice us as we slipped through the shadows, led like prisoners down a narrow path to a waiting black SUV a small distance outside the estate gates. 

The rogues shoved me into the backseat with enough force that I barely managed to keep hold of Cam. I hugged him close, pressing my face into his soft hair to remind myself he was still here, still breathing. The vehicle rumbled to life, and before I knew it, we were speeding out of town, the only light now the faintest hint of dawn breaking on the horizon.

The drive felt endless. Every bump in the road shook my bones, my head still throbbing from the slap, and my mind spiraling with a thousand thoughts that I could barely keep up with.  

Where were they taking us? Would Axel come? Could I even get out of this alive? 

The car eventually rolled to a stop, and I forced myself to focus as they dragged me and Cam out of the SUV and into an abandoned building. It was dark and cold, the faint smell of mold thick in the air.  

The second rogue pushed me down onto a concrete floor, and I curled myself around Cam protectively, willing my body to shield him from whatever they had planned next. 

The leader crouched down in front of me, his smirk twisting his scarred face into something monstrous.  

“We’re going to make sure Axel knows exactly what’s at stake here,” he snickered, pulling a phone from his pocket, “And you’re going to help us send him a little message.” 

Before I could react, he pointed the phone at me, recording.  

“Alpha Axel,” he started, his voice full of dark amusement, “we have your precious family. If you don’t come, your wife and child will die.” He let those words sink in before turning to me, his eyes glinting with cruelty, “Tell him yourself, sweetheart.” 

Swallowing my pride, I spoke, my voice hoarse and trembling. “Axel… please,” I choked, desperation clawing at my chest, “If you don’t come, they’re going to kill us. I—I don’t know how much longer we have…” 

The leader ended the recording with a chuckle, satisfied. As he pocketed the phone,  

“You’re wasting your time,” I muttered to the leader as he pocketed his phone, “Axel doesn’t care about me. You killed the one he cares…” I barely got to finish speaking before he slapped me again, harder this time. The metallic taste of blood filling my mouth.  

“You don’t get to decide that,” he snapped his face inches from mine, “If he doesn’t show, well…” He leaned back, smiling darkly, “Let’s just say we’ll take things up a notch.” He spat, then he walked out of the building, his second behind him. 

I spent the rest of that day curled up on the cold concrete floor, holding Cam close, his small, fragile body growing cold with each passing hour. He fussed, hungry, and restless, and I tried to nurse him, but I knew in my heart it wasn’t enough. My milk was running thin from the lack of food and water, and every second that passed made him weaker. The hours bled into one another as the sun set and rose again, marking the second day without Axel. 

By then, the rogues were getting impatient. They dragged me up by the arms, their anger boiling over, and for a moment, I thought they might kill me then and there. Instead, they beat me, fists and feet raining down until I was black and blue, my body screaming in agony. When they were done I took Cam in my arms as he cried, his voice a frail, heartbreaking sound that only seemed to anger the rogues further. 

“If he doesn’t show soon, you’re done,” the leader hissed, his eyes glinting with dark intent, “Both of you.” 

The second night came and went, followed by a third day. My vision blurred with exhaustion and pain, but I held onto Cam as tightly as I could, whispering to him through cracked lips that everything would be alright, even though I could barely believe it myself. 

By the time the sun was setting again, one of the rogues had lost his patience. He grabbed me roughly by the arm, forcing me to sit up.  

“If he won’t come for you, maybe he’ll come for his son,” he sneered, pulling out his phone again. He held Cam up to the camera, his tiny face pale and weak. 

“Tell your Alpha,” the rogue said, his voice dripping with malice, “If he doesn’t get here by nightfall, his child will be the first to go.” He paused, glancing at me with a twisted smile, “And then, we’ll come for you.”

I tried to muster the strength to tell him Axel wouldn’t come once again, but my voice was nothing more than a broken whisper. I could feel Cam’s small body weakening in my arms, his breaths shallow and labored. I tried to nurse him again, with my body running on pure desperation, but I knew it wasn’t enough. My milk was tainted, my body weakened, and Cam was suffering for it. 

When night finally fell, I held Cam close, cradling him against my chest as I sang to him softly, my voice cracked and broken. 

“Hush, my little one,” I whispered, pressing my lips to his soft hair, “It’s alright. Mama’s here. Mama’s got you.” 

I fell asleep singing as did Cam. When the morning light crept through the cracks in the walls, I looked down at Cam, a small smile on my lips as I watched him sleep, but I noticed something was particularly wrong he wasn't moving, or breathing. 

“Cam?” I called out softly, but my child didn’t move.

“Camden?” I called out to him again, shaking his body. He still didn’t move, instead, his tiny hand fell loosely beside him. My son, my baby was gone. 

I screamed, the sound tearing from my throat in raw, unrestrained agony. I rocked back and forth, clutching him to my chest, sobbing until I couldn’t breathe, until my vision went dark and all I could feel was the crushing weight of loss. 

The door burst open, and I barely registered the sounds of fighting, of snarling and tearing flesh. Axel’s scent filled the room, his presence radiating fury as he tore through the rogues, his rage a deadly force. One by one, they fell under his hands, as he unleashed his wrath upon them. 

When the leader lay dead, Axel entered the room the rogues kept me in, his face softening as he saw me huddled in the corner, holding our son’s lifeless body. He fell to his knees beside me, his hands shaking as he reached out, his fingers brushing against Cam’s cold, still form.

“Cassie…” he choked, his voice thick with emotion, but I moved his hand from Cam’s body.

“You have no right to touch him! You-” my voice broke, and bit my lower lip to keep me from saying more.

“Cassie, let’s get out of here first,”

My heart was shattered, my mind numb with grief, and I didn’t want to be close to Axel, but he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close as I sobbed. The world collapsed around me in a silence more deafening than any scream.