Word Count: 1698
~Mara
My eyes flutter open, a sudden surge of fear being what awakens me. The position I am in is familiar. On a chair. Tied up.
I roll my head around, hearing my neck click in protest. How long have I been out? It takes me a moment to get my bearings, but when I do, I notice someone sitting in front of me.
Kaden.
He sits on a chair only inches away from me. His hands are clasped together, as he stares at me pointedly. I can never tell what he is feeling, I realise. He has a switch, where he can just turn off his emotions whenever he wants.
His hair is still wet from being splashed by my water. It sticks to his forehead-some strands even hanging down over his eyes. His jaw is clenched tightly.
"Do you have any idea how mad I am at you right now?"
I swallow. No. But I'm sure he's mad to an extent that's going to mean some form of punishment.
"I don't know what you expect from me," I mutter. He sighs deeply, and runs a hand down his face. Suddenly I can see the angst on his face. It's etched between the faint lines around his eyes.
"I need to tell you the real reason why you're needed," he said deeply. A tremor of fear ran up my body. There are many things that can be considered worse than having to marry Kaden's brother. And I don't think I want to find these things out...
"Here?"
"No, somewhere else."
This makes me frown. What would he need me to do somewhere else?
"Marrying Kace is just a ploy to get your family off our backs. To stop them from finding out why you're really here," Kaden murmured. His voice seemed almost reluctant, like he wished he wasn't saying what he had to. His words though, create a restricting lump in my throat that I can't explain.
"What do I have to do?"
"Someone, not so long ago betrayed my brother," he told me solemnly. He looked into my eyes, daring me to question it.
"And..."
"Her name is Althea."
My heart sinks to my feet again. Coen's mate? Does he want me to kill Coen's mate?
"I can't hurt her...She's Coen's mate," I say instantly. Kaden runs a hand down his face.
"She will not die," he tells me.
The look on his face tells me he is completely serious. But I can't help but wonder how this Althea girl dug herself a hole so deep. She rejected Coen, but he took it pretty well. At least I think he has. And she tried to kill Kace...
"Then what do you want me to do?" I ask, although a little apprehensively. Kaden rubs his hands together, but not in a way that evil villains do in the movies. In fact, he looks drained and even reluctant.
"Althea is having Landon's child."
My eyes narrow. "And?"
"I think you can guess..." He drags off. A lump forms in my throat, so big, I almost choke. He can't seriously mean what I think he means.
"You want me to kill it?" I growl through clenched teeth. It suddenly feels as if my heart is numb. The thought of killing a child makes me want to throw up, or to cry, but I can't. I won't.
Kaden sighs deeply. "It's the only-"
"This is Kace's idea isn't it? And you don't care, because that's what Vengeance Pack members are like," I say, getting to my feet. Kaden cringes, standing also.
"It needs to be done," he tells me. I stare at him in utter disbelief.
"The cure of cancer needs to be done, not this!"
"That baby is a product of lies and hatred."
"You're a product of lies and hatred," I snap back, folding my arms over my chest. Kaden glares at me, and takes a step toward me but I match it backward. No, his proximity is not wanted here.
"I don't think your understand how important this mission will be," he murmurs. My teeth clench so hard my jaw begins to ache. How can he stand there and say these things with the most impassive look on his face?
"I don't think you understand how I'm not going to do it."
Kaden closes his eyes for a moment, taking in a deep breath. "I knew you would do this."
My head tilts in confusion.
"That's why I had to extend my measures to the further most reaches to get you to comply," he says. My heart plummets, as he digs a device out of his pocket. A phone.
When he turns the phone around for me to see, I almost pass out. My father, lying unconscious within a cell. He looks cold, his skin paler than I remember.
"You monster," I scream, launching myself at Kaden. It seems like the only way to vent my anger, to maybe make him reconsider his ways. But it's useless.
He catches me, his gloved hands wrapping around my biceps. Instead of tossing me away like a pathetic doll like last time, he holds me still.
"He will be set free, along with you, if you do this," he bargains. Looking up at him, I realise how close we are. The brief but if contact through him holding my arms makes me shiver. But still, he does not touch my skin with his own.
"And me?" I ask in disbelief. He nods slowly, watching a tear fall down my cheek.
"When do I start?"
💓••💓
A feeling of guilt has wrapped itself around my heart, and settled there. It seems that at night, I think about the mistakes I made the most.
I sit up, swinging my leg out of bed. The air is much cooler tonight-it caresses my bare legs and arms as I leave my room.
Last time I did this, it resulted in a punishment. But I can't stay in that box and think about how I agreed to murder an unborn child. So an adventure of sorts it is. And by adventure, I mean wandering around the estate avoiding trouble if I can.
My feet pad across the lush carpet, my fingers brushing against the wall as I walk. Everything around here is so bare, like furnishings are for Moon Goddess preachers only. My thoughts make me roll my eyes.
Suddenly I emerge into a large foyer. A set of stairs leads up to the floor above, covering in maroon and gold carpet. But a soft rope is clipped to either side of the banisters, like a subtle way of saying keep out.
I eye it curiously. Okay, maybe I do find trouble.
Slipping under the rope brings a surge of excitement throughout my body. I run up the stairs, two steps at a time.
It looks as if the top floor is spilt into three hallways, or at least that's what the fork in my path suggests. Each way is lit appropriately, and it makes me bite my lip. Temptation leads me down the middle corridor.
As I walk, I wonder where Kaden's sleeping quarters are. The thought only pops into my head, because this area seems to have that same soft scent that he does.
"I know."
A voice from further down the hallway makes me jump. It's familiar, but it's not Kaden's. Placing on hand on the wall to brace myself cause the other goes over my chest to feel the erratic beat of my heart.
"Do you though? This is important."
I freeze. That's the sound of Kaden; the huskiness is something I could spot a mile away.
"I still can't seem to grasp why I have to though."
My feet move without my permission, as I find myself wandering down the hall more. The sound of hands slamming against a hard surface raises my heartbeat again, but I keep going.
"Because I'm still your Alpha, Kace. And you have to listen to me."
It's Kace that's there as well. Hmm. What are they talking about?
"You may be my Alpha, but she will be my wife very soon."
My eyes widen. I'm much closer. Keeping back against the wall, I slid closer. The door to the room they are in is partially open, light spilling into the hallway. I stay lingering outside.
"Do you know what she is to me?"
I bite my lip.
"You always told me that it's business before lovers," Kace said. I wish I could see the right now-curiosity burns in my chest.
Staying as low as possible, I slowly peek my head around. I can see only a sliver. They are in an office, Kaden standing behind a desk. Kace is not in my sight though.
Kaden looks glorious, I hate to admit. The only shirt he wears is a white button up, but it's loose, showing his torso. I try not to stare too long at the hard muscle and tattoos that cover him. I notice he looks stressed, his dark hair messy from running his hands through it.
"Do you know how hard it is?" He asks. His voice is strained. This is the first time I've witnessed emotions that I'm sure are real. I can see in his eyes his desperate he looks. It tugs at my heart a little.
"You killed my real mate," Kace snaps. If only I could see his face too. He sounds so angry, so hurt and torn.
His words make me stop. Kaden killed his mate? I thought they didn't believe in mates...
"You wouldn't know what hurt feels like Kaden."
💚••💚
Welp. I love it when the comment section predict everything so nothing I write will be a surprise to anyone :D
I also did something I never do!
I wrote this whole chapter in one sitting. It's because I'm home sick with pneumonia which I caught from standing in a bikini when wet (and it's winter here)
Oh well, it means I have time for more writing! Vote and comment if you enjoyed the chapter (:
Snapchat: midikacrane
Radish : Midika
YouTube: Midika Crane
~Midika 💜🐼