Sorry for keeping you waiting. I had a very calm Sunday and a busy Monday, so I could not finish any chapters yesterday. Thank you for your patience. 💛
XANDER.I had a terrible feeling that something was off, but Maddox didn’t say anything during the whole ride home. No matter how much I insisted on knowing, inquiring through our mindlinks, I didn’t get any response. So the six hours of travel was plain torture. I held my breath the moment we stopped at the border. I expected someone to say something, but there was none. Everything was calm. “Did you allow anyone in the territory?” Maddox asked when the car stopped.“I didn’t, Alpha,” Tyrone answered.“Anything I need to know.” The warrior shook his head. “Everything was calm for the last twenty-four hours.”Maddox didn’t ask for more and simply requested that the windows be rolled up and Carter continue driving into the territory.I eased back on my seat, closed my eyes as if I were resting, and connected my head to Matthew. ‘Where are you?’ I asked him. Since we didn’t have any Gamma yet, I was the one doing the security duty, including managing the border patrols. I knew Matth
TRIGGER WARNING: Physical Abuse but not graphic. Proceed with caution. The one marked with *** is the beginning and the other set of *** for the end. MINDY.We were still with Nadine when Ron’s voice dug in my head. ‘The Alpha’s car just entered the border.’Oh, Goddess.‘Leave the cell now. I’ll go down and lock the main gate, so just go and take the corridor to the back exit. I had frozen the camera already, so leave now.’ There was urgency in his voice.‘Okay.’ I replied before my hand reached for Arlo’s wrist, sending sparks all over my body. I was worried, but in a way, having his warmth calmed me. “We need to leave. The Alpha is back.”“Is Xander with him?” Nadine asked as Arlo’s arm snaked on my back and pulled me toward him, guiding me toward the cell door. “I don’t know. I don’t have time to ask. But I can tell Ron you were looking for Xander. I have to shut off my mindlink soon.” I was still talking as we left her cell and saw her nodding her head before I couldn’t see her
XANDER. I could hear a commotion inside the Alpha’s office. I didn’t even try to turn the knob to see if the door was unlocked. My adrenaline and the anger simmering in my body made me kick the door.I broke it. I had no idea if the door was not as solidly built as it should be or if my strength had doubled.Either way, I was glad I was able to destroy it.My eyes looked for Mindy right away. She was holding a big piece of broken glass, and there was blood in her hand. It cut her, but it seemed she didn’t mind. Her eyes were dilating. Something I had never witnessed before. And Maddox was bleeding.Mindy’s expression of relief upon seeing me just confirmed my fear. “I told you not to touch her!” I growled and launched at him, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt before my coiled fist rammed into his face. We landed on the floor. He tried to deflect everything the jabs I threw at him, and I felt something kick me on the side, but I wasn’t stopping. All the hatred I felt for him j
BETA ARLO.My forehead and clenched fists rested against the wall I had repeatedly struck earlier. The pain in my chest had stopped a long time ago, but the ache in my heart kept growing. If I had a choice, I would have gone off and tried to find Mindy, but I didn’t.I promised her I wouldn’t get out of here no matter what happened. She said she would do everything to get back to me. And the fact that I didn’t even know where the packhouse was made me stay back. I wanted Mindy to trust me that I would always keep my word. But I knew if the pain continued, I would be out of here already.“Please, let her be okay.” I kept mumbling over and over again. “Please…”I had no idea how long I stayed in this position until I smelled her, and the door began rattling. In a few steps, I was already by the entrance, swinging the door open, and my eyes caught sight of Beta Xander right away.A growl was about to escape my throat, but the moment he raised his hands up made me realize he was on my s
BETA ARLO.“What if I don’t want to go there anymore?” Mindy’s words cut deep, but I didn’t let it show. “You have a choice, Mindy. I’m not going to take that away from you, but I’ll wait for you there. I choose to wait for you.” I forced a smile and slipped my hands inside my back pockets because I’d been itching to hold her. She nodded her head and gave me a weak smile before she walked past me, making my shoulders slump. I didn’t want her to leave without at least a hug or holding her hand.“I’m ready to go, Xander.” She said, and I slowly turned around to watch her walk up to him. Xander took the bag from her hand. “I already asked Matthew to drive you. Just tell him what you want to do. I already instructed him to keep it between us. As much as I want to be the one to drive you out, I can’t leave Nadine alone here. I also need Ron to help me.”“I understand. But will you see me off the border? To make sure crossing to the neutral ground won’t kill me?” “I will,” Xander replie
Trigger Warning: The whole chapter is a heavy one, with discussions of sexual assault. Please skip this chapter (and wait for the next chapter) if this will trigger you. NADINE. The sound of the main gate being opened made me stand up from the ground. My hand held the dagger tightly as I faced the entrance of my cell. I could smell Xander, but he was not alone. I smelled Maddox, too, and many others. I swallowed and let my eyes dilate. I should not let them see the fear in me. Maybe this was it. I would be taken out of the cell and paraded to the crowd. I could finally challenge Maddox. And may the Goddess help me that if I weren’t to succeed, Jace was already here. “I know you’re holding a dagger, my sweet Nadine.” Maddox’s evil voice echoed around the walls of this prison. “In your dreams...” I muttered under my breath.“Drop it, or Xander will lay dead on your feet.”“The hell I care!” I exclaimed, only to be taken aback when Xander’s body came into view. It made me step back
XANDER. “Xander… No.” Nadine begged.“It’s either me or them, Nadine.” I was doing my best not to break down. I could attempt to stop them, and Maddox could fire the gun at me, and then what would happen to Nadine next? He would still order someone to rape her. Or, he would shoot at her.“I know. Better you…” She spoke without opening her mouth.“No… No…” She cried loudly this time. “That’s it, little mouse. Cry. Let them see you beg him.” Maddox was clearly enjoying this. Nadine kept shaking her head, but the moment I took her hands and pinned them up against the wall, our eyes locked for a split second. Her eyes told me everything I needed to keep going. She trusted me. I could hear Maddox and the others laughing while I was doing my best to get her permission. It took too much of me not to ravage her. The sex pill was taking effect on my whole body, but Orion was doing his best not to add to the lust I felt. He kept telling me to stay focused and not hurt Nadine.“I love you
THEODORE. (NADINE'S FATHER, The next in line as Alpha of the Dark Forest Pack before Maximus took over the pack)The helicopter I was in roamed above the vast forest of the Dark Forest Pack.I couldn’t help the pang of pain that hit my chest as I looked at the territory below. Although I hadn’t seen it in four decades, the familiarity and the warmth it brought to me didn’t change.I was supposed to be the next Alpha of this pack until that night my father, Alpha Carlos Montrell, the then Alpha, was killed. For some reason, the power of the Alpha didn’t transfer to me automatically. It went to Maximus—the man who was ten years older than me and the man my father took under his wing.Maximus and my mother, Teresa, came from the same pack. He was the son of my mother’s personal bodyguard before she met my father. So when Dad took my mother home after finding out she was his fated mate, Maximus’ father came with them to this territory to make sure she was protected. He took his whole fa