The Selected

Where Are You?

Present Day

Conrad's POV

Alexander had thrown me on my ass, and the fact that I had to focus on him and his dangerous anger now was the only reason I didn't immediately go after Addie as I saw her slip away from the room. 

Thanks a lot, Ad. 

Standing slowly, I held up my hands in surrender, "I don't want to fight you. You know the truth now. I understand she's your mate--" 

"And yet you've fucked her, and still share a bed with her," Alexander snarled before coming at me again. This time, he swung his fist at my face and I blocked. I growled in warning that I wouldn't keep taking this heat, his anger. He didn't receive the message as he sent another fist hurtling my way. 

I managed to lean back just so it clipped my jaw, but enough force was behind it that I stumbled a step. Eyes hardening on him, I lunged forward, throwing my own fists at him. We were evenly matched, that much was obvious, as we met each and every blow with a block and a speedy retaliation. 

Finally, he managed to land a solid punch on my cheek, sending me collapsing to the ground. He stood over me for a few moments, his fists clenching repeatedly at his sides, until he finally stormed out of the room. Sitting up, I sighed, knowing there would be one hell of a mark on my face for the next half hour or so. 

No matter how much I wished it, I knew Addie was a long way off from accepting Alexander, from trusting him with her truth, her past. It killed me to know what she's been through, and how that's still stopping her from happiness now. Standing slowly, I made my way back downstairs, the cold mask I always wear slipping back into place. 

Plenty of eyes darted to my face before quickly averting. Alexander outright glared at me as I took my seat, ignoring the look. 

"Where is Adelaide?" Alan Simmons asked from the other side of the empty chair beside me.

I shot him a look that had sent lesser men running before, "None of your damn business, Simmons." 

He stiffened and hissed lowly, "She's my daughter!" 

"She hasn't been for five years, Alan," I finally snapped, before giving a low and dry laugh, nothing about this situation being funny to me at all, "and she was never yours. That's why I got her, right?" 

His face reddened at the taunt, and I could feel everyone stiffening at the realization that I was speaking of the Selection, the "barbaric" ritual that my pack enacts every year. As an Alpha, I was forced to work with most of these imbeciles, but I'd never once brought up the tradition of my pack with them outright, and they never had the guts either. It was taboo, and I had just broached the topic myself. 

After more tense moments of silence, Alexander finally spoke up, his tone not nearly as polite as it had been earlier, as he instructed everyone to commence the last half of the debriefs. I was the last Alpha to report, and I stayed sitting as I spoke, "The Ravage Pack has dealt with this species of hunters for years now. I have a personal vendetta against them, and would love nothing more than to kill them all. All of our information aligns with what everyone has stated thus far." 

And that was all I would say. Never mind that my personal vendetta was on behalf of Adelaide, on what was stolen from her, on what that bastard had put her through. 

Several faces around the room looked uneasy at my announcement, and before anyone could speak again, a woman burst into the room, eyes wide and frantic as she found Alexander. She rushed over to him, bowing her head before whispering softly in his ear. 

His eyes and face hardened before he stood, "Excuse me." 

I didn't waste time in rising and following him, and I listened as the woman continued to explain in a hushed tone, "The hunter got away, he slipped in and out before any of us even realized he'd been there." 

"Thank you, Layla," Alexander said shortly, effectively dismissing her. He glared at me when he noticed my presence, "This is pack business, Rhodes, get lost." 

I shook my head, "I said this was personal, I'll be here when new developments occur." 

And before he could tell me off again, another one of his pack members burst forward of the tree line outside of the building we were in, rushing with an item in each hand. He was panting as he reached us, "The hunter... he was too far off to chase and then just vanished, but I saw his face. He had a scar on the side of his face, like claw marks, and he left this picture tacked to a tree with this knife." 

Alexander took the picture and the wicked-looking dagger in his hands. His expression dropped as he looked at it, paling completely, before turning to look at me. He thrust both in my hands, growling, "What is this?" 

The dagger was silver, but that wasn't what caught my attention. No, it was the photo, timestamped approximately 30 minutes ago, of Adelaide in the woods. There was a note on the back, one that made my blood run cold. 

Found You. 

"What does it mean?" Alexander demanded, but I didn't hear him fully as I rushed back into the building and up four flights of stairs, barging into the room to see Addie standing there, whole and healthy. 

I let out a breath of relief, even as Alexander came up behind me, growling lowly at the fact that she was wearing one of my t-shirts. 

"What?" Addie asked, worry lacing her tone, and I realized my face must be giving it all away if she sounded that concerned out loud, if she allowed any emotion to show on her face at all. 

"There was--" I started, but changed my mind, "I don't know how--" 

But I stopped when her eyes locked onto the dagger in my hand. Horror filled her face as she whispered, "Where did you get that?" 

And all I could do was hold out the picture to her, and watch as she flipped it over to the back, reading the note. She went pale, and I noticed her body began to tremble. Before I knew it, she was hurtling into the bathroom, her stomach emptying completely into the toilet. I rushed after her, Alexander right on my heels. 

I went to go to her, but was stopped by Alexander gripping my arm tightly, "What's going on?" 

I didn't answer, couldn't, as Addie sniffled next to the toilet, her body shaking, sweat forming all over, "It can't be, it can't. I killed him. I stabbed him! I plunged a knife into his chest! That knife!" 

And I saw the realization hit Alexander as he stepped forward, and pulled a sobbing and hysterical Adelaide into his arms, holding her close to him as he rocked her. I could see the anger and grief flashing over his face as what were likely to be a million different thoughts racing through his head. 

Addie squeezed her eyes shut as he held her, and I watched as she slowly relaxed into him, as her sobs slowed and receded until she was hardly sniffling, her head against Alexander's chest as he held her, soothed her. 

And I wished that she would give in fully, and let herself have this happiness, especially when everything else is so awful right now.