4: Loathed creature

Kane’s POV

Without a word, we turned around and stormed back into the harem, our eyes darkened with a primal intensity. The women inside, who had adjusted their net lingerie and prepared themselves in hopes of catching our attention, shrank back the moment they saw our faces.

They could sense the shift in the atmosphere. A few moments ago, we were indifferent, disinterested. Now? We were livid, out for blood.

We ignored them, completely focused on finding the source of that scent, our mate.

My heart pounded as our eyes scanned the room, senses sharp and wide open. Then I saw it, a small figure where the scent grew sweeter. Limp, half-hidden behind an overstuffed cushion.

I moved first, pushing the cushion aside to reveal a young woman, unconscious, fragile, discarded like she meant nothing. My breath caught in my throat. It was her. She was the one our wolves had recognized as our true mate.

Without hesitation, I bent down and scooped her into my arms, cradling her gently against my chest. A wave of overwhelming protectiveness surged through me, her small, vulnerable body nestled against me. I had never felt anything like this.

Klaus and Keith flanked me, their expressions a mix of awe and fury.

Just as we were about to leave with her, Eliot appeared at our side, a smug grin plastered across his face. His eyes fell on her limp form in my arms.

“Ah, I see you’ve found her,” he said, his voice dripping with satisfaction. “That is the latest piece in my collection I was telling you about.”

Keith’s eyes darkened with rage, and before I could even react, his fist shot out, connecting with Eliot’s jaw with a sickening crack. Eliot stumbled back, clutching his face in shock and pain, his arrogance quickly replaced by fear.

“Call her that again, and you won’t be able to walk,” Keith growled, his voice low and dangerous.

With Eliot silenced, we turned and left the harem, moving swiftly through the corridors until we reached our private suite. I carefully laid her on the large, soft bed, my hands trembling slightly as I pulled the covers over her small form.

Klaus, inspecting her, spotted a lump forming at the back of her head. His expression hardened. How could they hurt her? His voice echoed in our mindlink, unable to mask the fury.

“She’s hurt,” he said, not bothering to speak aloud. “We need a physician.”

I nodded and called out to the maid outside, instructing her to fetch the best healer in the pack. The physician arrived quickly, his face serious as he examined her. His hands hovered over her head, glowing softly with healing energy as he worked to mend the injury.

We watched anxiously, our hearts aching as the reality of how much we already cared for her hit us. Losing her, or worse, her being hurt, was unbearable. We’d only just found her, but she already meant everything.

Finally, after what felt like forever, the physician looked up, relief in his expression. “She’ll be fine,” he reassured us. “The injury wasn’t severe, and I’ve healed her completely.”

We all exhaled at the same time, a heavy weight lifting from our shoulders. After the physician left, we stood around the bed, our gazes fixed on her. She had suddenly become the center of our world.

“She’s so fragile,” I muttered, feeling an unfamiliar tenderness surge through me. Something about her vulnerability called to me in a way nothing ever had.

“I wonder how she survived being in that harem,” Keith murmured, his eyes tracing her sleeping form.

“She shouldn’t have been there to begin with,” Klaus growled, his anger barely contained. “He had no fucking right.”

“She doesn’t belong there,” I said firmly. “She belongs with us. We’ll take care of her, keep her safe.”

We all nodded in agreement. Then Klaus spoke up again, his voice hard with suspicion. “We’ve been searching for her for so long, and she just shows up in a harem?”

“I don’t care why,” Keith cut in, his eyes darkening as he watched the rise and fall of her chest. “She’s ours now, and no one is taking her away.”

A heavy silence fell over the room, each of us lost in our thoughts. Then Keith’s nose twitched. He sniffed the air, catching something faint that hadn’t been there before. His eyes narrowed, a low growl rumbling in his chest.

“You smell that?” he whispered, his voice dangerous.

I froze, my senses sharpening as I picked up on the scent too. It was faint, almost hidden beneath the sweet fragrance of our mate, but it was there. Darker. More sinister.

“That’s... that’s not possible,” I whispered, my heart sinking.

Klaus stiffened, recognizing it immediately. His face twisted in disgust. “Witch,” he spat, venom dripping from his voice.

Keith’s growl deepened, his eyes glowing with anger. “She’s a witch.”

“But how?” I asked, disbelief filling me. “She doesn’t look like one... she doesn’t FEEL like one...”

“She must be hiding it,” Klaus said coldly. “Witches are good at that. Hiding what they really are.”

We exchanged a look, our hatred of witches making everything more complicated. We were bound to her, meant to protect and cherish her. But she was the very thing we loathed the most.