Page 20

Scarlett

The days passed slowly—torturously—and though she didn’t want to admit it, Scarlett missed her mates.

They had taken her advice and stayed away from her pack’s building for two weeks.

With someone constantly watching her, she hadn’t been able to call them either.

The only communication they’d had were two texts just to make sure she was doing well.

She felt awful for doing this to them after they’d warmed up to the idea of her being her mate.

And if they hadn’t attacked Kurt, she would’ve melted over the idea that they’d gone to buy her art supplies.

“Are you even listening?”

She looked up at Maximilian, who was sitting across from her at the dinner table. Her mother sat to her left, and her father to her right. “No,” she admitted openly. She hadn’t been hiding her bad mood lately and her family was fully aware. In all honesty, she didn’t care anymore.

“I was telling you that I won’t be going into the office tomorrow so you and I can do our session.”

With everything going on, her self-defence classes had taken a back seat. Scarlett nodded and started poking at her steak again.

“You’ve been looking pale lately. Maybe you should go see Killian instead,” her mother suggested.

Scarlett’s first instinct was to fight, but she quickly realised it would be easier to just agree. “Yes, Mother.”

“I will have him come up here in the morning.”

“Thank you, Father.”

She waited—rather impatiently—for everyone to finish their plates. Only then did she clear the table. As she was wiping down the counters and started the dishwasher, Maximilian burst out of his room and stormed to the elevator.

“What happened?”

The doors to the elevator opened and Maxmilian stepped in. “Kurt found one of them.”

The glass she’d been holding dropped to the floor. Scarlett could only stare at the closing elevator doors. Her brain refused to take in his words. It didn’t want to make it her reality, but then she felt it—one of them was nearby.

Somewhere far away, her mother urged her not to move because of the shards surrounding her.

Her reality was shattered, just like the glass at her feet.

It was one of them. Kurt was bringing one of her mates home.

And over the last few weeks she’d listened to him talk about what he wanted to do to them, had heard him say all these awful, painful things her best friend would do to her mates.

Her mother guided her to the couch but that seemed irrelevant to the approaching of her mate.

The stronger he became, the more the panic in her rose and the reality of her situation settled in.

Speaking softly, her mother tried to get through to her.

She was holding her hand, soothingly running her fingers through her hair.

Then, he was as close as she’d felt them when they waited across the road for her. He was here in the building. One of her men was here and would soon feel nothing but pain. Did the other two know? She couldn’t feel them, but they did live two hours away.

Scarlett had to know who it was. When her mother left her to fetch her favourite blanket, Scarlett’s muscles moved of their own accord.

She was out of the room and in the elevator before her mother could discover her missing. On the ground floor, she stepped out and sped down the staircase to the basement. With each step, she could feel him closer, goosebumps rising over every inch of her skin.

She didn’t have to search long. Two of the warriors guarded the door which hid her mate. They tensed as they saw her, and then Maximilian stepped out of the protected room.

“Scarlett, go back upstairs. You shouldn’t be here.”

“I want to see him.” She needed to know which one it was.

“You don’t have to.”

“I need to.”

Her brother scrubbed a hand over his face, taking a deep breath. A moment later, he stepped aside and held the door open. With her heart racing so fast that it was painful, she stepped inside. There he was, ropes tied to his wrists being the only thing to support him as he hung from the ceiling.

Vince.

His brown eyes met hers, pupils widening in horror. Blood dripped from the corner of his lips, joining the path from the side of his head and being absorbed by his shirt.

When she opened her mouth, Vince shook his head, but it was barely visible.

He found his composure within seconds, without anyone around noticing.

He stared at her, stone cold, keeping his promise to safeguard her secret.

He didn’t need words to tell her. She knew he would take it to his grave if needed, never betraying her again like he had before.

Scarlett turned on her heel and heard the heavy metal door closing behind her. She rushed back up the stairs, noticing that she still couldn’t feel Ezra and Mateo. Maybe they truly didn’t know that Vince had been taken. By the time she made it to the penthouse, her mind was made up.

Her mother swarmed her, but she twisted out of her grip, muttering that she wasn’t feeling well. Once in her room, she closed the door, rushed to her closet, and dropped to her knees. Throwing caution to the wind, she dug out the hidden phone.

They have Vince.

We’re coming.

Don’t come in. I’ll bring him out.

When no one responded, Scarlett grabbed a backpack and stuffed it as full as she could.

There was no way of getting Vince out of there without being seen or anyone knowing she was involved.

And she didn’t care. Seeing him covered in blood and hanging from the ceiling at the mercy of her rage-filled brother and best friend had been eye-opening.

Scarlett didn’t check the phone again until she was out of her closet. She slung the bag onto her bed, filled with spare clothes and the money she’d been saving up.

We will wait until you call us.

Standing in the middle of the room, her dooming new reality settled in.

This would be the last time she’d see this room.

The last two hours of living under her parents’ roof, of being trapped in this tower.

A very large part of her was scared. The tower was all she’d ever known.

She’d never experienced the freedom her mates promised her.

The fear of regret was looming dangerously in the back of her mind.

But when her eyes fell on the screen in her hands, she knew this was inevitable.

Sweet Scarlett,

We’ll have your back. We know what this means for you, and we promise to always watch over you. From afar or from beside you, we are here and will always protect you.

She inhaled deeply and fell onto the bed, rereading their message, and letting the words give her courage. Scarlett waited, and soon enough she felt them nearby, exactly where they usually were.

She tossed the backpack over her shoulder and then peeked out of her room.

She couldn’t hear her mother and when she saw the living room was clear, she rushed into the elevator.

With each floor she descended and then with each step she took down to the basement, Scarlett’s heart beat a little bit faster.

She dropped her backpack at the bottom of the basement steps and walked down the dim hallway to where Vince was held.

The two warriors stepped closer to each other, blocking her path.

“Move,” she hissed, earning herself raised eyebrows in return. She wasn’t known to speak up or give orders.

Shocked, the warriors stepped aside and one of them pushed the door open. Kurt came into view, his wolf raging behind his darkened irises. Sweat beaded along his hairline and blood coated his fist—it wasn’t his own.

Scarlett stepped forward, stomach churning. “Move,” she commanded.

Without waiting for him to follow through, she shoved past him.

Like the gentleman he was trained to be, he didn’t lay a hand on her to stop her.

He didn’t want to hurt her or smear her with the blood.

Vince still dangled from the ropes. He was hardly recognisable, his nose and eyes battered and swollen.

Blood oozed from a cut in his lip, soaking into the remains of his shirt that had been torn open, exposing the slashes and bruises over his torso.

Scarlett’s first instinct was to run to him, but she stopped herself.

Movement from his left caught her attention, and she found Maximilian standing beside him.

Upon further inspection of the space, her father and Felix observed from the side of the room.

“Your mother was supposed to keep an eye on you,” her father stated.

Scarlett squared her shoulders, and stared him down. “That’s what I assumed.”

“Do you recognise him?”

“Yes.” Vince flinched and gave a small shake of his head, but Scarlett was determined. He didn’t want her giving up her family, but she’d known that this would come for weeks now. “But he wasn’t the one to take me.”

“You were barely conscious,” Kurt intervened.

For a heartbeat, her eyes rested on Kurt who’d appeared beside Maximilian. “I’m telling you, it wasn’t him.”

“Scarlett,” Maximilian started, though very softly as if he was speaking to a child. Ugh . “I know you don’t want anyone to be hurt, but Kurt told us about the incident at the ice café.”

“Ah, yes, the conclusions are thickening,” she taunted. For a split second, she could see Ezra’s proud smile before her eyes. He’d made it very clear that he enjoyed her fiercer side. He’d love every second of this. But when her eyes drifted to Vince, her heart bled for his pain. “Tell them.”

He stared at her, silent and unmoving.

“It’s okay. Tell them, Vince.” She could feel the air around her thicken with tension, because they’d just figured out that she knew his name.

“Tell them how you came for me. Tell them how you killed them to save me and how you waited in the shadows for my pack to rescue me. How you only left once I was safe and sound in the arms of my brother.”

Vince stayed silent.

“Because that’s what you’ll always do. You’ll always come for me. You’ll always protect me.”

Her father stepped forward and Vince finally pulled at his restraints.

“Tie him loose,” she demanded, and it felt good to finally stand up to her father, to feel her backbone and not crumble beneath his alpha power. “Tie my mate loose.”

Her father’s chest rattled as her betrayal settled into his soul. His nails turned into claws, eyes glowing with his wolf. “Your mate, you said?”

“Yes.”

And with a dark chuckle, he stepped towards Vince and sent his fist flying into his chest. The sickening crack echoed through the room, making acid creep up Scarlett’s oesophagus.

Vince stayed silent, not making even a single whimper as he spat up a mouthful of blood.

Her father swung again and for a second, she was afraid it was a lethal blow.

But instead, her father cut the ropes with his claws.

Vince’s weak limbs unable to brace the impact, he landed facedown on the concrete.

Scarlett rushed to him and grabbed him under his arm. “Get up.” His body shaking, she pulled him to his knees.

“Leave.” The growl made her eyes snap up to her father, and she knew what his next words would cause. “You are no longer welcomed under my roof.”

With that, the bond she’d shared with her family and pack was ripped from her soul.

The pain nearly made her weep, but she couldn’t let it break her.

She had to get Vince out. Had to get him to Ezra and Mateo, praying that they would be waiting.

She tugged Vince to his feet and draped his arm over her shoulders.

He dragged alongside her, but he was moving.

They made their way into the hallway and to the stairs, blood leaving a trail in their wake.

“Scarlett,” Vince muttered, most likely the first sound he’d made in hours.

“I’m here. Just keep moving.”

“Scarlett…” It was stronger this time, as if he had a thousand more words to say.

“Shh,” she hummed. “It’s okay; one step at a time.”

Scarlett was most worried about the staircase. Though as she paused to retrieve her phone, Vince began to pull himself up. With one of his arms still around her shoulders, she quickly texted with her other hand.

Front entrance.

Scarlett hoped the text would send the moment they stepped out of the basement, which would mean Ezra and Mateo would be waiting for them out front.

They made it to the ground floor, and the walk to the exit seemed easier than the climb of the stairs.

Her soul bled like a slaughtered pig, but she didn’t allow herself to think about the agony of the broken pack bond.

She could at least be grateful that the lobby was empty, and they made their way to the glass doors without further incident. They stepped out into the pitch-black night, instantly being drenched by a downpour.

A black SUV with tinted windows was already waiting on the curb. Mateo and Ezra jumped out the moment they saw her and raced toward the door, guns attached to their hips. While Mateo took Vince’s weight off her shoulders, Ezra grabbed her jaw roughly and forced her to look up at him.

“Who’s blood is it?”

“Mine,” Vince coughed.

As if he realised the force he was using, Ezra dropped his hand and took the backpack from Scarlett. “Let’s get you home.”

She followed them to the SUV but halfway there, Maximilian’s voice stopped her. “Scarlett!”

She turned, already soaked by the rain. Tears mixing with the water dripping down her face when she saw her brother running after her. He screeched to a stop, struggling to cross an invisible barrier. One that his alpha’s command had given him.

“Please.”

Scarlett took a step towards him, towards her family and friends, towards all she’d ever known, but then she halted too. She glanced back at her mates. Mateo had shoved Vince into the back seat and was handing him a flask, while Ezra stood beside them with his black eyes fixed on her.

“Scarlett, don’t! Come back!”

It pained her to hear her brother’s heart break. Hot tears ran down her cheeks, cutting through the frigid rainwater. She turned, whispering her last words to him as she did. “I love you.”

Ezra held out his hand, kissing her knuckles before he helped her into the truck and closed the door.