10 years ago–
"I want to help you. Please come with me," Jennifer said to the young child, who was shivering.
"I... don't trust you. You are going to drag me back to that dungeon from hell." He emitted a whimper.
"No, I swear in the name of my daughter. I will never hurt you." She got down on her knees next to him.
"If you try to flee from here, you won't make it to the morning light because we are surrounded by a dense forest and steep mountains. I have plans to help you."
"Why are you putting yourself through this?" He regarded her with a suspicious gaze.
"Because I cannot continue living in this state of sin." It was a hushed voice. Then she put her hand on his head and ruffled his greasy hair gently with her palm.
Only his mother had ever touched his hair like this.
"All right, I'll come along with you. But I can't leave alone. There are also others, and I simply cannot abandon them here."
"I know." She extended her hand, and Cayden grabbed hold of it.
Jenifer arrived the following morning to accompany the six children who had survived the ordeal as they prepared to enter the mines.
"It has been decided that they will work in the 13th mine today because of the change in the roster." She told one of the security officers.
"But we have not been provided with any such details." The hefty security guard remarked.
"Are you putting my authority into question? Do not forget that I serve as the personal assistant to the alpha. It is my responsibility to bring them there as per his command."
No one else posed any additional inquiries. They were placed on a truck, and Jennifer drove it toward the woods. Cayden was completely oblivious to passaging time spent in the truck. He was shaken awake by Natasha.
"Get up. It's time for us to go!"
"What... where are we?" they asked. As he spoke, he rubbed his eyes.
Jennifer showed toward the highway, which was located some distance away, as they jumped out of the truck. "That is the boundary of the pack. You should go as quickly as you can. I could get in touch with Cromwell, who was your father's beta, and he will find you. Just be careful."
Cayden gazed at the woman who had just saved their life with a shocked expression on his face.
"Jennifer, are you sure you won't get in trouble?"
She gave him a friendly grin and tousled his hair. "Don't worry about me. Be safe, forget about these horrible memories, and have a long and happy life."
She jumped in the truck and drove off. That was the last time he saw her.
************
Current time–
Cayden was drunk, but not wasted drunk; rather, he was happy, high drunk. The harsh reality of the consequences of his deeds dawned upon him as the sun rose higher in the sky. He had channelled his resentment and his need for revenge via the pleasantly responding body of Selena. As a rush of regret and self-disgust washed over him, he doubled over, emitting an acidic bitterness as he emptied his stomach. Even after all the food had been expelled from his stomach, it continued to heave, his wickedness physically manifesting itself.
He was crying himself almost to the point of blindness when he finally admitted the obvious reality to himself. It turned out that she was Jennifer's daughter. She was Jennifer's daughter. That sweet and giving woman who had saved his life. Selena was her daughter. Only he had been too blind to see it, casting her in the same mould as her father. Not only that, but Jennifer was also dead because of him.
"Hell, what have I done?"
As soon as he heard the phone ring, he stumbled into his study. I had been ringing nonstop all morning. His meeting with Black Shadow Blood River packs had ended ten minutes ago, and despite having summoned Max to discuss the outcome of that meeting, he still hadn't turned up.
He called his tracker Peter instead.
"Hey, what's up, Alpha?" As he rushed into his office, he posed the question.
"I've been trying to get in touch with Max; can you tell me where he is?"
"I observed him moving towards the higher levels with some girls," Peter said.
"I am going to fucking kill him," Cayden mumbled.
He stormed out of his office and made his way to the highest floor of the building. He forced the door open with his fist and rushed inside the spare bedroom without knocking or even pausing.
The image that greeted him momentarily jolted him out of his composure. His Beta was completely naked and shackled to the headboard of the room while a lady stood in front of them wearing a patent leather Basque and holding a cat-o'-nine-tails whip. Squealing in fear, the young woman hurled the whip away.
"Get out!" Cayden stated. She left without even changing her clothes.
"Cover yourself up now!" Cayden commanded and hurled the keys to the handcuffs in his direction.
"Wouldn't it have been possible for you to wait?" Max groaned.
"Max, if you don't shut your mouth, I will kill you," Cayden stated.
Max let out a sigh before attempting to remove the handcuffs. He did not bother to put on a shirt before he pulled on a pair of track pants.
"Here you are getting laid while we are amid a crisis!" Cayden muttered an expression of anger.
"Getting laid helps me think clearly. Maybe you should try it. You look like you need it."
"Keep your libido in check or I will chop them off and force you to wear them around your neck as a warning to anyone else who thinks I'm not serious."
"For fuck's sake, I can't help it!"
"Come to my study in 2 minutes."
Max knew the moment he appeared in the chamber's doorway, feeling the intensity of his gaze upon him. Cayden was troubled.
"Look, I know things didn't go as per our plan, but we can still salvage the situation. We need to get more support...."
"I have hurt her," Cayden mumbled, interrupting Max.
"Sorry what? Do you mean Selena? Yeah, you have been an asshole to her. See, I told you not to be harsh on her....." Max said.
"She is Jennifer's daughter," Cayden said, interrupting him again.
"Jennifer who?" Max looked confused then as realisation dawned on him. His face contoured with worry. "You mean that Jennifer! Fuck!"
"I don't know what to do." Cayden rubbed his forehead.
" You have screwed up this one. Does she know?"
Cayden shook his head.
"Are you going to tell her?"
"I don't know. She will probably hate me."
"As if she doesn't hate you already." Max rolled his eyes.
"My Alpha," Peter appeared at the doorway, holding the office cordless phone. "There is a call for you."
Cayden nodded at him to come in.
"It's from Alpha Hawk," Peter said cautiously.
Cayden's face was hard like a stone as he took the phone from Peter.