Strip me bare, Alpha

Chapter 22

~Chapter 22:

Jade had to force herself to stay calm when she spotted the pack’s border ahead of them. They had gone by car, stopping a considerable distance from the Ravens pack territory to walk the rest of the way, apparently just like Donovan had done with Volk and Blake when they’d come for Macy. Everything had gone well then, so everything would go well now, right?

As she took a deep breath, Donovan took her hand and entwined his fingers with hers. He was tense too, observing the patrol that had stopped when they saw the four of them approaching and also getting ready to the eventual turn out. Her wolf, encouraging the Luna in her, was confident there would be no problem. At least not in a near future.

But they both noticed something was amiss when Macy frowned. Hugh was nowhere on sight, instead one of the patrol leaders appeared to welcome them into the pack –warmly, with a crossbow hanging on his back- and tell them the Alpha had accepted their meeting request. Another group walked past them and immediately shifted.

“Where is my father?” Macy asked as they watched, alert.

“He’s in his house. He requested I direct you there”

“That is unlike my father, he always comes to the border to—“

“He chose not to today, Macy” The man replied a bit forcefully and her mate instantly reacted.

“Hey,” Volk barked, stepping forward between her and the guy. “Watch your tone”

The guy, unfazed by his threat, nodded towards a small group behind them. Instantly, they were on them and had put silver binds around their wrists.

Fuck.

“Now, on Alpha’s orders, I’m to take you to his house and I expect no altercations on the way there. You’re on Ravens’ territory. We wouldn’t want you killed, would we?”

“What are the cuffs for?” Donovan asked, not fully succeeding in masking his anger. “We haven’t attacked you in any way”

“Sorry pal, boss’s orders” He shrugged, and to Don’s fury he had the courage to wink.

Walking to Hugh’s house –well, actually being herded like sheep to the slaughterhouse- wasn’t as bad as Jade would’ve thought. She was nervous and her heart felt literally on her throat, but somehow she didn’t see her life passing in front of her eyes or wondered all the could-have-beens of the future, and that calmed her a little. Maybe this wasn’t the end, not yet, not until they fought for their pack, their families and their mates. Jade looked over to Donovan in that moment, and though he looked confident and collected, she sensed he was wary of what was to come.

It isn’t over yet, Don. We have to fight.

His eyes settled on her, and after a second he smiled. Of course. There’s no way he’ll meddle with any of our lives anymore.

She smiled back at him before the patrol leader made them stop in front of a house that in other circumstances Jade would’ve found lovely, rather than ominous as it was in that moment. There was mostly silence except for the few leaves that remained on the trees swaying with the chilly breeze, and some crows cawed too, fitting the scene. Was it ominous for Hugh and Stan, or was it ominous for them?

Not long after, Alpha Hugh came out of the house followed by the man Jade wished she never saw again in her life, Alpha Stan. While the first glanced at all of them, from his daughter to her mate to Donovan and her, the second only stared at her. Years later, those eyes stared at her with the same malice as they did back when he beat her senseless… Yet instead of fear, she now felt white-hot anger for the man that made her feel inferior just because she wanted something different. And not only that, he also made her family feel inferior because of her and that wasn’t something she was going to tolerate.