Forgotten
Chapter 6 - Mate
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I shake my head quickly, feeling my stomach ache as if something had dropped inside of it, weighting me down. The terror that gripped my insides was almost as strong as how I felt towards Richard. I barely managed to come to terms with two Alpha's in the house- not counting the woman that Aaron said were Milo's family. No, I wouldn't meet another Alpha. For all I knew this one did know Richard.
For all I knew this one would send me back.
"Cody, he only wants to-"
"No" I growl, curling my lips back in a snarl, when he tried to reach to me. They'd given me food and water and clothes, but that didn't mean I trusted them. I still wanted to leave and I still wanted to go help Will and the others. If I got sent back there I wouldn't be able to help them escape.
"He won't hurt you, Cody" Aaron begs, his hands on his knees as he sat across from me. "I've met Michael before and he's a decent man. He isn't even the Alpha of the pack. His younger brother, Jefferson, is the one that attacked you on the border. Michael only wants to apologize to you."
"He doesn't know me" I spit out, moving back on the couch as I try to get away from him. "Why would he apologize to me if I've never seen him."
"Jefferson was wrong to attack you" Aaron states, leaning back to run his fingers through his hair. "You clearly weren't attacking and you only were passing through. Not all rogues look for trouble- besides you're with this pack now. He technically attacked one of our members." I shake my head again and he sighs heavily, before looking back at Milo, who rubs his jaw.
"He's already on his way. It would look back to decline two Alphas" he mutters, his eyes moving to me. Two Alphas?! He winces at my wide look, "Michael is bringing Jefferson so he could properly apologize."
Aaron faces me again, "Look, he knows you're my brother. The whole reason he's coming to apologize is because he knows how important this is for me. He's a great friend, Cody, I promise. He's not going to hurt you and if you want him gone, he leaves."
"What if he knows him?" I stress, feeling my heart race again at the thought of him knowing Richard. What if he calls him? Brings him here? I didn't want to go back, I didn't. "What if he brings him here?"
"I trust Michael with my life" Aaron murmurs, giving a small nod my way. "I assure you I can trust him with yours, too."
"They're here" Ollie says with a lick of his lips as he straightens in his seat, sending me a small look. "Peter just saw them come into the territory. He's bringing them here."
I feel the breath rush out of me and I shake my head again as I turn to Aaron, feeling my eyes water again. I've never cried before, not after Richard lashed at my back for doing so. I still had those scars- they never truly healed either. The brand on my shoulder also didn't heal- he made them with iron.
Aaron sits up and extends his hand to me slowly, turning his bright blue eyes to mine and holding my gaze, "I promise I will always protect you, little brother" he murmurs, sending an ache through my chest. I didn't feel what he felt- I didn't know what he was feeling, but his words sent a wave of comfort towards the presence in my head. He seemed to trust Aaron and I trusted him, so I guess Aaron was trustworthy. "I'll protect you for the rest of my life if I have to. I have to make up for all these years."
"You'll keep them away?" I murmur softly, watching his shoulders slump and his fingers relax.
Suddenly, Ollie jerks up in his seat, his eyes widening while his mouth drops open with a sharp gasp. He turns to us, throat working as he shook his head in surprise, "Michael found his mate" he says.
"What?" Aaron demands, his eyes shooting to Milo with a wide look.
"Peter said Michael found his mate!"
"Who is it?" Milo demands, his jaw clenched and his brows furrowed a little. I could hear his heart racing, his shoulder tense. I could see his eyes shine a little as his throat worked quickly.
"He's looking for them" Ollie says and his breathing hitches, "He's coming up?" And I could. I could hear the faint pounds of feet on stairs, tons of them, and my heart raced even more. "He's coming... here?"
Just then the door slams open and I jump in surprise at the man that appears on the door, his eyes flashing a deep brown, almost back. His chest was heaving as his eyes search the room before landing on me and they practically glow. "Mate" he growls, suddenly heading our way.
My breath leaves me in a rush as I jerk from the couch, feeling his powerful aura thicken as he got closer. I shake my head, feeling my eyes burn as I hit the wall, moving until I'm locked in place.
"Michael, stop!" Aaron shouts as he stands in his way, putting his hands on his shoulders. Michael simply shoves him away, Aaron slamming to the side as he continues his way. "Get away from him, Michael! You don't fucking understand!"
But he was already on me and when his hand gripped my arm, I felt a bolt of something shoot through me. I remember all those times men like him grabbed me and shoved me down, forcing themselves inside me. I remember how they threw me on the bed before they got behind me and forced me back on them, the painful jerk of their hips, their grips on my body. I remember their holds on my neck as they forced my legs apart, as they forced themselves between them and buried themselves so hard I bled.
And it all hurt so much.
I think I screamed, or I begged, or I pushed, I don't remember. I just remember the shouts that followed, the arm releasing me, and me crumpling down on the floor, curling into myself. Then the thick silence as sobs slipped past my lips, and the utter fear in my chest at the thought of Richard finding out I cried. That I sobbed. That I fought against someone that wanted to touch me.
He would be enraged.
He would be completely livid.
He would punish me so much and I was scared. The list continued to grow everyday that passed. First, I escaped. Second, I was having people work against him. Third, I fought a man that could give him money for touching me- and I was crying. I was sobbing. He would kill me, I was sure. He'd kill me for everything.
"Cody" a voice says, making me shudder at the thickness of it. I curl away from it, feeling tremors travel through me as I hiccup. "Cody, look at me." God, no. It'll be worse. He's going to kill me. "Cody, look at me" Aaron demands, my head shaking on its own.
"You promised" I choke out, my voice muffled as I clutched my knees against my chest as I turn away from him, my face in the jeans.
"You fucking bastard" Aaron snarls, though his voice isn't facing me anymore. I swallow at the anger in his voice and close my eyes tightly as I hear him growl at the back of his throat. "I told you not to fucking touch him!"
There's a snarl in response. That snarl sends a wave of something through me. The presence at the back of my head was agitated, scared, hurt. It was hurting and I didn't know why. I didn't understad. "You tell me what the fuck is going on" a new voice, deep and masculine, and oddly entrancing voice spits back. "What the hell is going on? Tell my why the fuck my mate is fucking terrified of me."
"Because you fucking touched him! I told you not to fucking go near him, son of a bitch!" Aaron yells. "Now all my fucking progress is gone, you idiotic asshole!"
"Both of you, calm down" a familiar voice says, Viktor. I didn't know when he entered the room, I didn't even know who was in the room. "It's not his fault, Aaron. The need to be near your mate when you find them is great. You'll understand when you find yours. Michael, you're confused, but this will all be explained with time. Revealing it to you at once will lead you to do something stupid" he adds and finally, his voice lowers. "Cody, stand up."
Hell no. Not in your wish list, asshole.
"Then lift your head. I get you don't want to come near any of us. That's completely understandable, but you will look up." The tone in his voice stirred the presence in my head and i find myself slowly raising my head, feeling a thick, warm tear travel down my cheek. The room is bright, but it's now completely full and I want to burry my face again at the amount of people in here. More people I'd never seen before. Now there were four powerful auras.
My eyes look at the new men, but they slowly travel to the man that had touched me. His eyes were already on me and they seemed a little pained. He was... beautiful. Looking at him created a warmth in my chest that left me scared. His hair was very dark, black, and it was short, short but long enough to be able to hide my fingers in it. His skin was darker than mine, almost a soft color, but it looked light, still. His jaw was strong, sharp and smooth and his lips were a light red. His eyes... his eyes were golden brown, very deep and intense.
Still, his aura was scary and I turn away from him, feeling my lips tremble. "Cody, this is Michael and his younger brother, Jefferson. I need you to answer a question. Do you know what a mate is?" My eyes turn back to the Michael and I look at his eyes- I didn't want to look away. He had called me a mate, but I didn't know what that was. I look at Viktor and shake my head. Viktor nods and uncrosses his arms as he leans on the desk, "What you're feeling must be scary, confusing. It's terrifying, isn't it?"
I think about it carefully. My chest was warm and the presence in my head was still agitated, it wanted something, begged for it. My eyes turn to Michael and I realize it wanted him. I nod again.
"You don't need to be scared of it" Viktor says, drawing my eyes to his. I take a shuddering breath and lick my lips. He continues, "You don't need to be afraid of Michael. You two are connected in a way that you'll soon find to be very good, very safe." I doubt that. "Now, Michael has to know where you came from. Is that okay?" I shrug. If he wanted to know, nothing stopped him.
Viktor nods and turn to Aaron, giving him another nod. Aaron turns to me and crosses his arms, his jaw suddenly clenching. He released a heavy breath and I force my eyes not to turn back to Michael. "Cody escaped from a group of rogues" he begins softly, turning away from me as he glared down at the floor. "He's lived with them his whole life."
My eyes flick to Michael and his eyes are completely infuriated, "When he crossed our land" he says, fingers curling. "He'd been running away?"
Aaron nods and rubs his jaw with an exhale, "He's never been outside, never learned what we have. They... they put an iron collar on him when he shifted. Cody says they also had them wear silver cuffs." I rub my hands absently and brush my hair from my face. "He and many others were kept in a room. They weren't allowed to leave and-" he stops clenching his jaw tightly.
"Why the hell was he with rogues" Michael snarls when Aaron doesn't continue talking, "and you were raised in a fucking pack with fucking parents. You basically lived in fucking royalty."
"I don't know" Aaron spits out, his eyes watering as he glared at Micael and his shoulders trembled. "I don't. I didn't know I had a fucking twin, Michael. If I had known, do you think I'd never look for him? He didn't know what a family was, what a brother was, what parents were. He never met them either, do you really think I'd known about him when I didn't know where I came from? Do you think it doesn't hurt me? Knowing I was raised how I was and Cody had been-..." he trembles as his eyes water, "that he'd been sold to random men?"
Michael's eyes snap to me as his lips part, his expression completely devastated. He was completely frozen, looking at me before his lips close and he looked so damn angry? His fists turned white and I study his expression, "Who?" he demands, jaw clenching. "Who the hell-"
"We don't know" Viktor interrupts, sitting on the desk as he rested an arm on his lap, my eyes going to him. He meets my eyes and his expression calmed me a little, "Cody is scared of the man and we haven't gotten a name or description. He obviously gave them a reason to be terrified enough not to try anything which leads me to this.." his eyes turn to me, "How exactly did you escape, Cody?"
I wince and lower my knees, moving them before hesitantly standing up and looking at Michael carefully. I sit back on the couch, as far as I can, before finally shrugging slowly. "They told me to run" I murmur and scowl down at my hands on my lap. "There was a man and he was going to get my friend Jamie- he's fourteen" I add. "Jamie was in the row in front off me and the man was being mean so I... I glared at him and he saw me and then he chose me."
God, he wouldn't have been easy either
I lick my lips, "So... he saw that I glared and his eyes... he was going to hurt me for being disobedient. He has rules" I add softly. "And I broke one and the man grabbed my arm" I rub my upper arm as I remembered where he held me. "Then Ri-" I hold my breath, my heart racing as I closed my mouth. God, I almost said his name. "He took off my cuffs and the man said he would pay more if my collar was off- it would've been over eighty: he wanted me for the whole night."
"Fucking..." I look at Michael warily as he trails off, shoulders shaking.
"Then what happened?" Viktor asks.
I rub my knees, "The man had a call- with a cellphone" I add, raising my fingers to my ear, "So he left and then he pushed me on the wall" I wince, "He choked me and then told me he was going to punish me before taking my collar off. Then one of the guards came back and he said the man had left." I lower my head while shaking my head, "He would've hurt me and Will..." I smile faintly. "Will attacked him and told me to run. I didn't have my collar so I ran. There were so many after me..." I whisper as I remember the halls. "I jumped through a window and I was outside."
Aaron looks at me and offers me a small smile, "You were very brave."
I furrow my brows and shake my head, "No" I whisper. "I ran. I left my..." I look at him, "I left my family there." I look away from his face drops and turn to Viktor. "I should've stayed and helped them all. I should've done... something."
"You would've never escaped" Aaron shakes his head, "I would've never met you. I would've never known you existed and- and I wouldn't have forgiven myself. Cody you met your mate, too. You have no idea how much that means, how special it is."
"I don't" I agree, "but they are all I have. He's gonna find me and take me back. How is me here helping them?"
"Because" Michael says, my eyes locking on him. His jaw clenches, "because now you have two packs to help you. You have two packs standing beside you and we're helping you bring the fucker down."
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