Selena positioned herself so that she faced the showerhead and allowed the steamy water to wash over her. She wished she could set fire to everything and start over. Since her wolf had returned, she was in a good mood; in fact, it had been many years since she had felt this wonderful. However, that Cayden was also her mate caused her a great deal of mental anguish.
“I am sorry to say that I cannot accept him. He wouldn’t want us, anyway.” She whispered to her wolf.
Cayden had walked Selena back to her room after their ‘run’ through the woods, assuring her he would not hurt her... at least not yet. She was still very fearful and exhausted, but there was nothing else she could do; she had no strength, no way out, no saviour, and no guardian angel. She was so clueless that she didn’t even know where his pack was located. She ended her shower and exited the bathroom. Someone had left a fluffy towel, a pair of clean track pants, and a tee shirt on the bench in the enormous bathroom.
So she could finally put on some clothes? This was new. She felt thankful, so she dried off and changed her clothes as quickly as she could.
“Selena, please sit on the bed.” As soon as she emerged from the bathroom after her shower, he issued a command. Cayden was now wearing a tracksuit that was grey and black. He still looked good when he was wearing casual clothes.
Because Selena did not want to give him any reason to change his mind about hurting her, she immediately complied with his request.
“I know you don’t want to believe this, Selena, and I understand it will be challenging for you to accept, but you will never leave this place. You are mine and escape is impossible. Even if you run, I can find you again. Your behaviour and the choices you make here will determine the quality of life you have here.”
Cayden could see the panic rising in Selena’s expression, and he needed to reassure her as quickly as possible before the dread and fear completely consumed her thought process.
“I promise you, Selena, that I will never hit you or coerce you again like I used to. But I will discipline you in the future for any violations that you commit.” Cayden scowled and patted the spot on his forehead that had recently healed. “Even if we are mates.”
She gave him a startled look and said, “We are not mates! We will never be mates. Luna has made a mistake. Even the idea of having you as my mate is repulsive. You and your friends made sure of that. All that’s left is this mess you created, Selena Hawk.” Her tone was neither hostile nor belligerent; rather, it was sad and emotionally trampled, with just a shred of hope remaining.
“You even killed Nancy. She was beautiful, barely an adult. She had found her mate. She had a future. And you...you killed her.”
Cayden made a move to get closer so that he could convince Nancy’s family that she was still alive.
“I did not kill her. She is fine.” Cayden could feel an apology creeping along his vocal cords for her loss, but he forced himself to suppress it.
“If that’s the case, why did that woman say that you killed her?”
“I did not kill her, nor I ordered anyone to kill her. She is in no danger. That is all there is to it you need to know.” Selena looked up into his piercing green eyes, hoping to find some sign that he was being dishonest or lying to her, but all he did was stare back at her in a composed manner.
Selena couldn’t help the thoughts of somewhere people were living normal lives. And here was his captive, her mate’s captive.
“Nancy is alive?” She whispered.
He nodded. “She left for wherever she was going.”
“Why should I believe you?”
“Because you don’t have a fucking choice!” He said, exasperated.
“Selena, you had a long day. You need to rest. We’ll talk again later.” He said dismissively.
**************************
Max started walking toward the office of his alpha. Outside the office, he observed the security personnel shaking with fear. He could hear yelling and crashes coming from inside.
“How long?” He murmured to one of the security personnel.
“Since he got back, he has been tearing his office to shreds.”
“hmmm, pity!” Max muttered under his breath as he opened the door slowly and cautiously and peered inside.
Cayden buried his hands in his hair as he felt an erection forming in his pants. This repugnant but involuntary reaction was caused by the memory of taking Selena in such a violent manner. Cayden wanted to bash his head into a wall out of loathing and abhorrence for the erection. Fuck! She did not want him! His wolf was miserable and enraged. This was a fatal blow to him. His sexual appetite and desires changed because of her presence, and once he had a taste for her, he could not let her go under any circumstances. There was no turning back, and he hated himself for it; he despised the violent similarities that existed between his violence and Hawks. The monstrosity that was trapped inside him growled and fought to escape. That he could already feel himself aching to love and care for her added to his confusion even further.
Cayden pictured himself thanking her for letting him be himself and apologising, but also praising her for bearing the pain and suffering on his behalf. He was only interested in having Selena for the present and the rest of her life, and not just as a slave or a revenge fuck. He indeed desired to spend days and nights inside of her, but he also desired to rub her belly as it grew larger to accommodate his child. He planned to mate her, make her his Luna, and spend the rest of his life caring for and adoring her. Cayden attempted to block out these ideas and emotions because he knew they could not possibly be true. They could never be mates. This was complicated, but he still could not stop the natural reaction that his body had to her.
“Well, why are you trashing up your office when we just renovated it a month ago?” As soon as he walked in, Max questioned.
“It is also necessary that we pay the witch. After you went after Selena, she threw a fit of epic proportions. I handed over some cash to her and made a promise to find some pelts for her.” Max mumbled, but Cayden’s focus was elsewhere.
“How many children does Hawk have in total?” He suddenly asked.
Max came to an abrupt halt.
“I am unsure, but I would guess between 4 and 5. One son, that jerk David, and the rest are all girls.”
Cayden looked down, pondering for some time. “Why would he want to sell his daughter as a breeder?”
“Because he is a complete jackass. What’s the matter?” Max asked.
“Nothing. There has been a change of plans, so get this place cleaned up as quickly as possible. There is no need to attend the auction. Let’s just attack and kill Hawk."
Max raised an eyebrow. “Why the sudden change?”
Cayden had no answer. He couldn’t let his mate go through that humiliation. He would gouge out anyone’s eyes if they dared look at Selena. How could he display her at a slave auction? Fuck, this was messed up!
“I just want to speed up things,” Cayden answered.
“But Hawk is not alone. He has a lot of support, and he also has people in the council. We won’t be able to take them all.”
“That was our original plan before we found Selena. Using her as a pawn is just an extra step and it would waste our time,” Cayden said as he walked towards his bar.
Max didn’t reply, but just observed his alpha. “Are you in love with her?” He asked, smirking.
“No,” Cayden replied. “That will never happen.”