“Who are these boys?” Selena asked, curious.
On the chair across from her, Cayden took a seat. The dining room had abruptly become empty. Selena noticed everyone had left when she turned around. As if they were conscious of their alpha’s desire for solitude.
“They are rogues. But they are victims of circumstances. Their pack was destroyed by...” he stopped speaking. She could see the pain in his eyes as he struggled to continue, and Selena knew it was too difficult for him to relive those memories.
“My dad?” She finished his sentence.
He nodded.
“Is it safe?” She asked. “Can we be sure they won’t try to hurt anyone?”
“Leaving them in the holding cells would be safer, of course, but it felt wrong to me,” Cayden replied.
“After everything they’ve been through, opening our home to them seemed like the decent thing to do.”
“You’re a good man,” Selena said softly.
Cayden smiled; he liked the compliment.
“So, why won’t you let me mark you?”
Selena hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to respond. Finally, she mustered up the courage to say, “As if I can stop you.”
Cayden held her hand. “I have forced you to do many things in the past, but not anymore. I won’t mark you unless you mark me first.”
Selena looked shocked. “Why do you trust me?”
“It’s obvious, because you are my mate,” he shrugged.
“But.... we decided.....” Selena fumbled.
“I have changed my mind,” Cayden interrupted. “You are mine.”
“Aren’t you afraid that I might betray you?” She said. She was exasperated.
“No, I trust you completely. And even if you did, I would forgive you because love is about taking risks and making mistakes."
“What? What did you say?” Selena froze. He had been aggressive, passionate, and angry towards her, but this was the first time he mentioned the word love. She didn’t know how to respond, her mind racing as she tried to find the right words.
“You are crazy. You are all crazy!” She mumbled in frustration. Why was he making things so difficult for her?
Before Cayden could pacify her fluttering heart, a phone call interrupted him. It was Max.
“I must answer this call,” he said.
He took the call while whispering.
“Send more men; I’ve found her.” On the other side, Max said,
“Let me know where you are, and I’ll meet you there,” Cayden said.
Selena couldn’t believe it when her heart suddenly filled with worry and fear for Cayden. Her wolf pleaded with her to keep their mate safe.
“What happened?” she questioned.
“I’m going to save Max’s mate.”
“Max’s mate? He found his mate?” Selena blurted out in shock.
Cayden grinned. “Yes, everyone is finding their soul mate.”
************************
Cayden let out an expletive before lowering the infrared binoculars he was using. After witnessing the horrifying display of what he believed to be a girl being whipped, he realised he needed to take immediate action.
“Damn,” was all he could mutter. How was it possible for me to be so oblivious to the fact that rogues were setting up shop in my territory?
“Everyone should get ready to leave at 23:20, which is the time that the scouts are expected to return to the house.” He said it aloud.
He ordered his soldiers to move out. As he waited for the 15-minute mark, he mentally prepared himself for the bloodbath that would occur later that evening by checking his ammunition and meticulously cleaning his knives. He also checked his watch. Cayden gently put his hand on Max’s arm when he noticed that Max’s patience was wearing thin. Matt nodded. After Cayden gave the signal, everyone dashed off in the camp’s direction.
The sound of the man entering the cell next to Kylie’s roused her from sleep. The sound of rustling clothes followed this. They were holding the other girl hostage. It made her sick to her stomach that they had such a low opinion of the girls. Because the only way she could see outside her cell was through the food slot in the door, she could not determine who was outside her confinement area. The faint sound of whimpering added to Kylie’s sense of guilt. She wished there was something she could do that wouldn’t put their lives in jeopardy. She recalled how she had awoken in captivity in a slave camp as she leant back against the concrete wall and reflected on the memory. The events that she observed take place here. The terror she expected feeling when they would come for her.
“Why the hell can’t we just f*** the human?” Someone was shouting in the hallway outside her cell.
“She is much too delicate. After the Alpha has finished turning her, we will have her.” After that, there was a hearty chuckle from everyone.
An explosion caused the windows in the house to shatter, and the house shook. Even though her ears were ringing, she could hear the sounds of gunfire and the shouts of the many men who were entering the house.
Her line of sight was obstructed by a pair of imposing, muscular legs wearing cargo pants as he struggled with the lock’s keys. As soon as she realised what the man was up to, she quickly retreated to the most remote part of the room. As he opened the door, she could see the pity in his eyes.
“I am Cayden. I will not cause you any harm; rather, I’m here to help you. Those men are dead, and it is now safe for you to leave; you can exit the building.”
On the other side of the room, Kylie continued to stand motionless. She whimpered and tried to press herself further into the wall as Cayden took a step towards her, wincing as her bruised ass contacted the cold concrete. Cayden carefully withdrew her body and then exited the holding cell.
“I’m going to open the door so the others can leave. You are free to leave whenever you feel ready to do so.”
Kylie was taken aback and appeared to be a little bewildered. He was respectful of her privacy and did not coerce her into doing anything she did not want to do. Was he telling the truth? Were there really no threats to her now? With that in mind, Kylie relaxed her guard a little and approached the open cell door cautiously, fully expecting that he would quickly shut it as a practical joke at any moment. Cayden could be seen opening the doors to their cells and whispering to each of the girls as she did so to convince them to escape. She could tell that he was trying not to be intimidating, but the other girls were oblivious to his efforts because of his enormous size. She felt dizzy and her head spun, before she fainted into familiar arms.