Chapter 10 Sleep With One Eye Open
1208words
"Bring them directly into the cell, we may even give you a turn," were the last words I heard before rage completely took over me. My wolf was ready to tear apart anyone in our way. A blanket of possessiveness crept over me as I ran through my mind how things had escalated so quickly and brutally. My footsteps pounded against the concrete beneath my feet. My eyes were completely black from those words spoken by my guards, and I felt a single bead of sweat roll down my forehead as I approached the cell where my mate had been locked up, with my Beta by my side.
There was no doubt he felt the level of my exasperation. I knew he was fuming too, but he didn't speak a word. He knew better than that. I'm sure he sensed my wolf getting ready to surface. He also knew heads would surely roll if I didn't get to my mate quickly. The scent of copper filled the air—a smell my wolf immediately identified as my mate's blood. I let out a howl that made everything fall silent; you could hear a pin drop.
As I reached the cage where my mate was enclosed, I noticed her state. The flickering shadows from torches placed outside the cells danced on her face, fear crawling all over it. Her dress was hiked up, exposing her full ass, with a long cut along her torso that looked like it had been made by a knife while she was being strangled by a black leather belt that undoubtedly left her neck a dark shade of purple. My mate's bare, porcelain neck—the neck my wolf and I longed to mark, the neck made for me to mark and caress. The possessiveness that came over me was a sensation I had never experienced before.
My wolf couldn't even wait a split second to open the cage's lock and handle it, as I took both hands and pried the metal bars apart, creating an entrance just big enough for me to pass through to reach my mate. She needed me, and I hadn't been there to protect her. A pang of regret shot through my chest. I needed to get to her, pull her close, and tell her how sorry I was that she had been cursed with such a worthless mate.
Only then did I truly realize what was happening. For a moment, it felt as if I had tunnel vision, focused solely on my mate. One guard stood in front of her with his pants down. If I had arrived even a second later, he would have forced himself into her mouth. The other guard was positioned directly behind her, holding her small waist with one hand, the other about to push down her itty-bitty panties. My Beta growled slowly behind me, signaling that he knew what I was about to do and that he had my full support. Regardless of her being my mate, the Midnight Pack would never allow a she-wolf to be tormented this way. Not in my pack, not in any pack that recognized me as their Alpha. It was a form of twisted torture that repulsed me; only weak wolves behaved this way and enjoyed it.
She held so much pain in her eyes as she whimpered, "A-Alpha, please." Her eyes overflowed with tears. I could see she was internally fighting with her wolf over whether to trust me or not. I didn't blame her for second-guessing if she could truly trust me. I had done so many questionable things in my life, but one thing I was certain of was that I could never hurt her.
Once her words, crying out for help, hit me, I abruptly shifted into my wolf. There was no reasoning with my wolf; he was in full control. He was a solid black wolf, muscular and most certainly the largest wolf anyone had ever seen. He was skilled and quick with his movements, leaving his prey a bare millisecond to react. "Anyone who dares to touch mate—DIES," he howled into my head. He was determined and very pissed off.
The guard, Xavier, who was behind Adeline's small frame, instantly fell to his knees. Before he could gulp in air to beg for his life, my black wolf was already mid-air, latching on and tossing his neck like a chew toy. Asher, the other guard, made a similar move, fell to his knees, and whimpered, "Alpha, we were following orders! Our loyalty will always lie with you." I shifted back to my human form with ease, wrapping my hand around his neck and shoving him against the cold, cement wall behind him. I watched as the blood rushed to his face. This one I was going to enjoy; his blatant disrespect to even think about forcing himself on my mate was intolerable.
I was about to take this pitiful wolf's life with such ease when I heard the heartbreaking sobs of my mate breaking out behind me. My wolf was immediately distracted as I dropped the guard and turned to my hurting mate. I couldn't even begin to process the trauma she had just experienced because I wasn't there in time. How did I allow this to happen? I should never have allowed her to be taken away, taken out of my sight—and my wolf was livid at me for that.
I threw my arms around her, engulfing her in my chest. She fit so perfectly. I knew she was made for me by the Moon Goddess herself. Her sobs grew louder as her legs trembled, slowly giving way beneath her. I held her even closer, gently placing her head against my heart and letting her listen to the beat, knowing the sound would help calm her. She clenched her arms around me as if begging me never to let go. My wolf recognized she felt safe in our arms, and even during such a distressing time, it brought me a sense of warmth and peace.
"Baby, Adeline, I'm so sorry about everything. You didn't deserve any of this, baby. I'm so sorry," I profusely apologized. For a wolf who was known to be emotionless, the bridge had fallen. I meant every word, but it was almost as if the reality of what had happened had settled within her. Her eyes stared up at me with raw hatred. Suddenly, I felt a small kick to my shin, followed by arms flailing all over my chest.
"I hate you! Damn the Moon Goddess for making you my Alpha. Why couldn't you take over another pack, you greedy prick?" she screamed, truly meaning every word she said. "My life was perfect before you came along! I wish you had never come into my life. I was almost raped and beaten because of YOU AND YOUR FUCKED UP LUNA." I kept my hold on her tight against my body, shushing her, hoping to calm her down and ease some of the hurt I had caused.
As usual, Beverly always knew how to show up at the right place and the right time. She stopped at the entrance of the cell, her head cocked with profuse interest.
