“Get back here, Selena!” Cayden’s command went ignored. He stood there panting in anger. A giggle drew his attention, and he turned to look at Natasha, who was smiling victoriously.
“That was quite heartbreaking.” She laughed, as if mocking him.
Within seconds, Cayden grabbed her throat and pinned her to the door. Natasha spluttered and choked, but her smile didn’t falter.
“You planned this, bitch!”
“Yes, I did, and I have no regrets.”
He was not surprised by her nonchalance. She was almost a rough wolf. She was far too damaged to respect and understand authority. He tightened his grip.
“Why?”
The mask of pain she wore transformed into a glowing grin.
“Because you have lost your way. You have become a pathetic lover boy instead of the ruthless alpha you should be.”
This Cayden had not expected. He loosened his grip.
“Come on Cayden, just kill me. And then you can fuck you little mate for all I care. But as long as I am alive, I won’t let you get derailed from our goal. Our goal.”
Cayden struggled between letting her free and throttling her. Finally, his kind side won. He unceremoniously dropped her to the ground. Walking back towards his closet, he grabbed a shirt and pulled it on. He was reaching for his slacks when he realized Natasha had followed him.
“What?” He barked while turning to face her.
“You understand that mates, family, romance are not for us.” She reached out and caressed his cheeks. “We are too damaged for that.”
Cayden didn’t reply. He was frozen on the spot. “Goodbye Cayden, I reckon you will not be needing me tonight.” She winked and walked away.
Cayden sighed. What was he thinking? Selena would never forgive him.
After that night, Cayden stayed away from Selena. She didn’t mind at all. They both agreed on this. She did not need to be upset or devastated.
“Where are they all going?” Several days later, she addressed Max. Everyone was running around frantically.
Max enthusiastically said, “We’re going on a raid.”
“A raid?” In disbelief, she enquired.
“Cayden will kill me if I am late, so there is no time to explain, baby.”
Along with the other warriors, Max leaves.
She listened intently for every sound outside as she lay awake in her bed. She was afraid of Cayden since she had learned that he had left after dark once more. To invade one of the slave camps. She attempted to sleep but couldn’t relax.
She eventually got out of bed when every noise made her jump. She quietly left the room and stopped in the dim hallway, listening for the sound of claws scraping on the floor, but nothing was there. She entered Cayden’s room on tiptoe. The inside was dim. Her eyes could only pick out very faint details in the pale moonlight that was filtering through the windows. She occasionally heard distant yelling or a siren outside; these sounds seemed to be present throughout the region’s evenings. She entered Cayden’s bed covertly. His scent still permeated the sheet. It was like sleeping in his arms. She was swiftly overcome by sleep. When she opened her eyes, the light had just risen outside; she wasn’t sure what had woken her up.
When she turned to look behind her, she noticed Cayden standing in the doorframe and observing her.
“You have returned.” She whispered.
She wanted to get away from his intense gaze.
“Yeah.”
He approached her slowly and sat down on the bed. She smelled something else as his weight caused the mattress to sink. Blood.
She extended her hand and traced his collarbone, advancing it until it came to rest on his torso.
“You are hurt.” She shrieked.
“I’m alright; they will heal.” He spoke.
“No, you need to go to the hospital.” Selena stated as she attempted to stand.
“NO! I’m good, I am fine.” He said haltingly.
He protested, but she tore the buttons off his shirt, leaving him with open wounds. Her eyes widened in fear as she noticed that the gashes had stopped bleeding. As they gradually healed, they resembled dried red welts.
“Damm you Cayden!” Selena yelled at him. “What happened to you?”
“Really, those are just ordinary injuries. I have experienced worse.”
He was correct; they would heal within a few hours, but the scars bothered her. The concern for him won out over the anger.
“How did the raid go?” She at last enquired.
“Better than expected, the camp is gone now. We saved some ex-slaves as well.”
He described his role in the Starmount pack uprising. After its Alpha died, his younger son assumed control. The new Alpha had grown up seeing his mother’s suffering, thus he was not a dictator like his father.
“Is that how you are going to change things? Once pack at a time?” Selena asked.
“Kind of. It will take years, but I am fine with dedicating my whole life to this. If required.”
Instead of responding, Selena continued to touch one of his gashes until it grew pale and pink.
“Selena,” he suddenly spoke up. “What were you doing in my bedroom?”
His gaze was unsettling her.
“I couldn’t sleep, so I was looking for something to read and ended up here.”
A slight smile appeared on his lips.
“The books are in my study, but I will get them for you.”
“No, it’s fine. I should go now.” She stood up, wanting to get away quickly before she ended up doing something that she would regret.
“There’s something you should know.”
“OK,” she drawled. “What is it?” So many horrible things had happened in the last few weeks. There wasn’t much left that could devastate her.
“Natasha and I…. well ….. we are over…. she staged everything.”
Selena closed her eyes for a moment to compose herself. She didn’t want to break out into tears and humiliate herself. How could anyone orchestrate a blowjob?
“It doesn’t matter Cayden, I am not hurt. Really.”
“No?” He growled.
“Yeah, I don’t want to talk about it.”
“OK, there is one more thing. It’s about your brother, half-brother, actually.”
“David? What about him?”
“We’re invited to his mating ceremony,” Cayden said.
Her breath hitched and her eyes flew up to look at Cayden. “You can’t be serious.”
He stared. He obviously wasn’t joking.
“So you are going?”
“We are going. Your dad wants us there, so we will be there.”
She blinked. “My dad wants me to attend David’s wedding?”
“Yes, but you will be safe. I’ll be at your side,” he said in a low voice.
“I am not worried about my safety. What do you want me to do?” She was all businesslike.
“What kind of person is David?” Cayden asked.
“I didn’t interact much with my half siblings. I have 6 sisters and one brother. My dad doted on David for obvious reasons. He was his heir.” Selena said drily.
“He was an asshole. Why do they want me there?”
“Beats me,” Cayden sighed, “but I want you to do one thing. Try to find out how much David is involved in Hawk’s business. Is there any reason for discord between the father and the son?”
“You are planning to overthrow my dad?” Selena asked.
“You are sharp,” Cayden smiled. “Yeah, it’s more humane than direct war.”
Selena nodded. “Alright, I will try to find out what I can. Good night, Cayden.”