Into The Woods (18+)

And Then It Turns Into A Shit Storm

I made my way through the intricately designed cells, doing my best to remain quiet and unseen. Leighton said the plot of land was guarded, but he never said if the actual cells were too. I wouldn't put it past Jack to get cocky and think no one would ever make it this far.

"You piece of shit! I hope you rot in fucking hell! You were a worthless excuse for a Beta! When I get my hands on the Alpha title, I'll rid this fucking world of you and every other corrupt leader!" I heard someone yell. I instantly recognized the voice as belonging to Leighton and quickly headed in that direction. I crept up before peeking around the corner. Who I assumed was Jack's Beta was standing in front of a cell that contained Leighton's beat up and bleeding form. His arms were crossed and his face held a stoic expression at Leighton yelled at him.

"That'll never happen kid and you fucking know it. Your daddy will shoot you dead before you even see that title. Filthy mutt." He spat before turning to leave. I sprang out, snapping his neck in seconds and releasing his body. It hit the ground with a loud thump. I kicked it as I stepped over it.

"Where are the keys?" I asked Leighton gruffly.

"Thank god you're here. I think they're in his pocket." He said, jutting his head out towards the Beta I just killed. Rummaging around in his pockets, I eventually found them and let him out.

"Did you find your mate?" I asked while stripping the Beta of his jeans. I didn't want to continue walking around stark naked. Especially when I had plans of being in the presence of a female who wasn't my mate.

"I think she's in quartile six, whatever that means. I heard one of the guards mumbling it while they were doing their border rounds outside." He said, looking deep in thought. We walked for a few more minutes until we met up with the group.

"Do you know where quartile six could be? The construction of this place was well thought out." I said, the compliment burning as I spoke it.

"Did you say six?" One of my men mumbled, his attention peaking.

"Yes. What do you know?" I demanded.

"I came to an entrance with the number 6 painted on the wall. It's worth a shot." He said firmly. A feeling of pride flourished in my chest. I had trained these men well.

"Lead the way." I ordered.

Ten minutes later, we came upon a dark, dingy hallway.

"Help. Help me. Somebody...please. Help." The cries for help were so faint you almost couldn't hear them. They were quiet and sounded exhausted, raspy.

"That has to be her!" Leighton yelled, rushing down the hallway. He frantically searched the cells left and right before he abruptly stopped in front of one.

"Love? Love can you hear me? Look at me! I need you to move, okay? Go to the back of the cell. C'mon, you can do it! I know you can!" Leighton began, trying to coax his mate in the cell to listen.

"There you go, good girl. Now turn your face, okay? Good." He stepped back before beginning to violently kick at the bars. There wasn't any way for him to touch them with his bare skin without receiving third degree burns from the silver. We all stayed back, knowing that we would be more of a hindrance than help with how small the hall way space was. Finally after minutes of him kicking as hard as he could, the bars began to give.

"Look baby! Come here, look. You can crawl through. Come one. You can do it!" He yelled. The body that began to crawl through the space he made looked horrible. It was nothing but skin and bones. Her hair was stringy and matted to her face and body with no only dirt, but also blood. She was a small, frail thing. Her head, unable to be supported by her weak head, lolled back and Leighton picked her up bridal style and began to carry her. My heart stopped beating for a millisecond before I abruptly turned and began walking again.

"Let's go. There's going to be an ambush waiting for us at the doors. Unless, Jack is stupid." I said over my shoulder.

I counted to three before pushing the escape door open quickly. I jumped out, crouched and ready to fight but the land was dead. There wasn't a soul in sight. I listened intently for a few minutes before concluding that there wasn't anyone within a five-mile radius.

"Lets go, there's no one here. She needs medical attention, and now."

Aceso's POV

I paced the cellar anxiously, rubbing my stomach to try and soothe it. Having severe morning sickness while being cooped up in a small room with a hoard of people wasn't exactly ideal. Not to mention, my nerves were through the roof with Xavier being gone.

"Sweetheart, you're going to make yourself sicker than you already are. Sit down." My mom said while patting the space next to her on the couch.

"I can't. Xavier could be hurt and I wouldn't even know it!" I whined.

"Hush. You know that isn't true. You would feel his pain. Relax, you need to think about your baby." My mother said, harsher than before. Suddenly, the sound of the front door slamming captured everyone's attention. I breathed deeply, Xavier's earthy smell enveloping my senses. I pushed through the crowd and dashed passed my enforcers, heading to where I could smell my mate. The sight of him nearly brought me to tears. I jumped at him the second I was close enough, engulfing him into a tight hug. I frantically ran my hands over his body, making sure there wasn't a single scratch or cut on him. I glance up at his face to see him staring ahead, blankly. I became worried instantly. His eyes were glazed over and he was breathing rapidly, letting me know that he was in some sort of state of shock.

"Xavier, baby? Talk to me. What's wrong? What happened?" I said, shooting question after question at him. He looked down, eyes widening as if noticing me standing there for the first time. His grip on me tightened as if to reassure that I was actually there and he wasn't hallucinating.

"My...my sister is alive." He rasped out before breaking down into hysterics.