Page 21 of Brutal Alpha’s Sold Mate (Starfire Hollow Alphas #4)

I want to push him to finish, but I also want to avoid hearing whatever complicated confession might come out. If he asks me to stay, I’m not sure what I’ll do. My heart lurches at the idea of leaving him behind, but I can’t ignore that East Hills is my home, and my brother is waiting there.

I clear my throat. “So, mandatory classes, watchers assisting. We’ll need a rotation schedule if we’re training all ages.”

“I was thinking daily sessions, morning and evening,” he continues without missing a beat. “Some wolves work nights, so we’ll adapt.”

We hammer out details for the next hour, scribbling on scraps of paper.

I can’t help but admire the concentration on Theo’s face, the way he’s truly listening to my suggestions.

It’s a far cry from the arrogant alpha I first encountered, the one who shoved me into this bizarre mate arrangement.

Lately, he’s been respectful. Thoughtful, even.

Eventually, we finalize a rough plan. My stomach rumbles, reminding me I skipped lunch. “I’m starving,” I state. “Is there anything to eat around here, or did you forget we need actual meals?”

He smirks. “I hunted a few rabbits earlier, but not sure how you feel about stew for dinner.”

“Sounds good if you actually know how to cook them.”

“I’m not completely incompetent in the kitchen. Want to help?”

I shrug, following him to the small cooking area. We work side by side, cleaning the meat and tossing it into a pot with some sparse vegetables. I add a pinch of salt, and he contributes a dash of pepper. The whole thing simmers, and the aroma eventually fills the cabin.

While we wait, he rummages for bread, cutting thick slices. “You taught my watchers better knife skills than they had,” he remarks. “I caught them practicing the stances you showed them in secret.”

I grin. “ Your watchers, hmm?”

He rolls his eyes. “Fine, the pack’s watchers. But they’re definitely more disciplined since you came.”

“That’s the idea.” I swirl the stew. “You realize my pack might appreciate these skills, too. I used to train plenty of novices in East Hills. Then I got dragged into all this madness.”

He flinches. “Right, madness. Sorry about that.”

His apology lands between us. It’s not the first time he’s said sorry for the circumstances, but each time, it hits differently.

“I’ve never told you the full story,” I say. “How I got caught. How I ended up being bought and sold like some useless object.

His jaw ticks. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“No. You deserve to know. Especially since I’ve dragged you into my mess just as much as you’ve dragged me into yours.”

He leans back in his chair, ready to hear whatever I have to say.

“My pack hit one of Malcolm and Wiley’s operations,” I begin.

“It wasn’t just some random strike. We had intel, and we went in with everything we had.

Our beta led the team, and we managed to free a dozen people that day.

But it wasn’t without casualties. The beta took a bad hit, and the rest of the team was barely holding together by the time it was over. ”

Theo leans forward.

“That’s when we got word of another location and a second group of prisoners being held nearby. But the team was spent, Theo. They couldn’t handle another fight, and nobody else was in any shape to lead.”

“So you went,” he says quietly, already piecing it together.

“I told myself I could handle it. I’ve taken down rogues twice my size.

I’ve fought off ambushes. I thought this was just another mission, just a few more people to save.

But it wasn’t just another mission,” I continue.

“It was a trap. They were waiting for me. Malcolm, Wiley, their lackeys—hell, they probably knew it was me before I even walked through the door. I didn’t even make it to the prisoners before they had me chained and drugged. ”

Theo’s hands curl into fists on the table. His voice is low but furious. “And your pack? They didn’t come for you?”

“They didn’t know. I didn’t tell anyone where I was going. I thought if I was quick enough, I’d be back before they even noticed I was gone. If they know where I am now, it’s probably just through word of mouth.”

His silence is heavy, weighted. I glance at him, half-expecting pity, but what I see instead is fury. And not at me, but at them.

“Malcolm and Wiley made sure I was untraceable,” I go on. “They pumped me full of that poison and sold me like I was nothing. My pack probably thought I was dead.”

I pause as the memories claw at my chest. “And honestly? Part of me wished I were. Because what they did to me… it wasn’t just about breaking my body. It was about breaking my wolf. And they came damn close.”

Theo pushes his chair back with a sharp scrape and crosses the room in two long strides. Before I can process what’s happening, his hands are on my shoulders, grounding me. “You’re not broken, Kai.”

The conviction in his words hits me harder than I expect. I blink, swallowing the lump in my throat. “I feel like I am sometimes. Like I’ll never be what I was.”

“You’re wrong. You’re still that fighter. You’ve proven it every day since you’ve been here. To me, to the pack, to yourself. What Malcolm and Wiley did to you doesn’t define you.”

For a moment, I can’t speak. The weight of his words sinks deep, filling cracks I didn’t even realize were there.

“Thanks,” I manage.

He releases me, stepping back just enough to give me space. “You didn’t deserve any of it, but you’re here now. And I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure they never touch you again.”

I look up at him and realize he means it—I can see it in his eyes. And for the first time in a long time, I feel safe. And I don’t even know what to do with that feeling.