Brenden
We made it to the location Lyles had told us about in two hours. He and a few of my other warriors were waiting for us a few miles from the site.
We met and made plans for how we would proceed before making the trek.
"Are you sure this is it?" I asked a confused Lyles.
"Positive."
"Then where are the rogues?"
We had just gotten to the sight and while there was a faint scent left by the rogues, there was nothing else. No rogues and no tracks.
"They were clearly here at one point," I addressed my warriors. "Let's sweep the area and look for any signs of where they might be."
I got a chorus of "yes Your Majesty" and everyone spread out.
I went to the southwest quadrant, but there was nothing. I growled in frustration. How could they have slipped through our fingers like this?
"Brenden!" Max called and I ran over to him.
"What did you find?"
My Beta handed me a small slip of paper.
You'd think the big, tough Alpha King would have some brains under the crown, guess not.
"Where did you find this?"
Max showed me were it had been pinned to a tree. It was left here for us. This was a trap.
But if it was, then shouldn't there be rogues attacking us from somewhere?
Emory.
Em?
I tried mindlinking her, but I couldn't get through. There was this haze keeping me from her.
Emory!
I tried again, but nothing.
I turned to Max and we both bolted back in the direction of the castle.
How could I have been so stupid? She'd better be safe. She'd better be at home, asleep in bed. Safe.
We ran the two hour trip in one and I raced through the castle up to my suite.
"Emory? Luca?"
No response.
I tore through the suite but there was no sign of my mate and pup.
No sign, but an open window and a knife.
______________________________
Emory
My head was pounding when I woke. I was in a cell, similar to my old one, but not the same.
The events of last night came back to me and I had only one thought: Luca.
I scanned the cell for my pup and sagged in relief when I found him asleep on the floor. I pulled him into my lap and cradled him.
What am I going to do? I have to get my Luca out of here. I promised I would keep him safe and I failed so miserably. He shouldn't be here. Neither of us should be here.
"Mommy?" A trembling voice said.
"Hi baby," I sighed, stroking Luca's hair.
He started crying, realizing we weren't at home. I tried my best to comfort him, but I was barely even holding myself together.
"I want Daddy," Luca cried out, throwing his arms around my neck.
"Me too baby. Me too."
"Well isn't that sweet?"
I looked up to see the male that was standing outside our cell. Alpha Dustin.
I pulled Luca even closer to me and set my face in a hard mask. He would not lay a hand on my pup.
"Let us go."
"I would, but you see I can't."
"And why the hell is that?"
I didn't like cursing, especially around Luca, but it made me sound more confident and I needed that right now.
"Maybe I'll tell you," Alpha Dustin shrugged. "After your punishment that is."
My body tensed involuntarily and Luca clung tighter to me.
"Now put the little brat down."
I growled at the words he spoke about my son.
"You don't want him to take your punishment do you?"
At that, I put Luca down and hurried to the door of the cell where Alpha Dustin was waiting for me with an outstretched hand.
"Don't leave me Mommy!" Luca yelled.
"Don't worry," Dustin said in a sickeningly sweet voice. "Mommy will be right back. She just has to learn a quick lesson."
Dustin grabbed my arm and dragged me out. Luca's cries followed me all the way down the hall. They only stopped once the thick metal door we stepped through was closed.
I surveyed the room, looking for any chance of escape. There was a big table in the middle and a cabinet. No doors other than the one we came through and no windows. I was stuck.
Alpha Dustin shoved me down onto the table and used rope to tie me down. Last time he did something like this, it hadn't gone well. I almost died. Sometimes I wished I had.
Dustin paced around the room letting the tension build until it was unbearable.
"What am I doing here Dustin?"
"Ah yes," he replied.
The cabinet door was swung open and Alpha Dustin pulled out a knife. He sauntered over to the table, twirling the blade around in his hand.
"It's a rather long story, but seeing as you are never leaving, I suppose we have the time. I'll just have to multi task."
Dustin came towards me and drew the knife down my left arm. I clenched my teeth together to avoid screaming out, but tears filled my eyes.
"It started decades ago. Before you were even born," he started his story as he brought the knife to different parts of my flesh.
"I met a female while I was traveling. Her mate had died years ago and we ended up spending the night together. She was fine I suppose, but I had a pack to run and a mate to get back to so I left her there."
"I never thought much about her until nine years later when I stumbled upon a young girl in the woods."
Was he talking about me? What did I have to do with the woman?
"I would've left her, but it was weird you see because she had my scent on her. Not on her, but part of her. That's when I realized. That lying whore from all those years ago had my pup. And hid her from me."
I was shaking by this point. If my suspicions were correct then that meant...
"You are my daughter Emory. Unfortunate, I know. Who would've thought I'd have such a weak pup?"
Dustin tsked and brought the knife to my leg.
"Too many people were around for me to just kill you off so I did the next best thing. I took you in. Gave you a reason to hold my scent. No one thought twice at my story and even if they had, what would they do? I was Alpha."
"You my dear, are my heir. The only one who can take my title. So I clearly had to get you out of the way. Without killing you."
"So I made you a weak, obedient Omega and it was all going well until that damn ball!"
Dustin stabbed the knife into my thigh and I screamed out in pain.
My flesh was burning where the knife had made contact, but it was my brain that truly was on fire.
"But fear not child," Dustin continued, "for you are never getting away from me again."
Dustin laughed maniacally before slipping out of the room leaving me tied to the table.
The last thing I thought before the darkness came back was: Im his daughter.
A shudder ran down my spine befor I slipped into a deep slumber.