A/N: Here is another chapter. ^-^/ Enjoy.
~Rissa
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I was whimpering with a hood over my head and a rope tying my hands together. I was in pain and was so totally going to kick Sergio's ass once I saw him again. But for now, I had to wait and act upset that my group had abandoned me.
Somebody picked me up and took me somewhere. They might have tried to say something to me, but I couldn't hear with the hood over my head, so I stayed silent and whimpering.
I was roughly placed on the floor of something, and the bag was ripped from my head. I blinked past the black eye I had received from Sergio and stared at my fuming mate and noticed Joel standing behind him.
"Where were you?" he asked, causing me to whimper and look down. He grabbed my face roughly and made me look at him. "Well?" he asked.
"They kidnapped me," I whimpered, blinking back tears. "They kidnapped me and told me that I wasn't welcomed back with them."
"Who?"
"The Guardsmen," I replied. "They didn't like it that I had changed my mind about you, especially Sergio."
"Was he the one that made you look like this?" he asked, hiding back his glee.
I sniffled and tried to nod my head but couldn't. "Yes," I replied, solemnly. "You were right all along. They don't care about me. They just used me for their gain."
"And?" he asked.
"And, you were right all along," I replied, looking at him as a doting mate should and trying not to hurl. "I should have never doubted you. Forgive me?"
"Yes, my little pet," he said, stroking my cheek roughly. "I will forgive you after Joel finishes with you. Tonight, I will treat you."
I shuddered, but it wasn't one with delight. I knew what he meant by treating me and prayed that the spell would hold.
"Now, be a good girl, and do whatever Joel wants you to do." He patted my head, finally letting go of my chin. He stood and looked at Joel. "Use the whip. She needs to be punished."
"Yes, Alpha," Joel said. His voice was void of any emotion. He didn't look at me, but I could tell that he didn't want to do it.
"How did you escape?" Camen asked, looking at me.
"I was kidnapped," I whimpered. "I don't know how they were able to get me out."
Camen frowned, and I could tell that he didn't believe me. "Hit her harder," he said. "She is lying."
"Yes, Alpha," Joel said.
Camen nodded his head, scowled at me, and left without another word.
***
I watched Joel with half-closed eyes not, knowing what to think about him. I knew that he had to have some loyalty to me, or at least he had some loyalty to Parker.
Joel walked over to where the whip was and picked it up. He didn't say a word as he walked over and stood over me.
I stayed silent and lifted my head until I stared at him, making sure my face was blank. My whole body tensed automatically as if he had whipped me again, even though he hadn't.
Finally, he sighed and tossed the whip to my side. "I can't," he said. "I can't hit you again."
I shifted until my feet were underneath my body and sat up. "And why not? Didn't you pledge your loyalty to him, abandoning your own Alpha?" I asked, being salty.
Joel set his jaw. "Didn't you abandon your pack to a monster?" he asked, spitting out the word "monster" as if it was venom.
"The pack was never supposed to be mine, Joel," I said. "We both know that it wasn't."
"But, you accepted the position of Alpha as soon as your aunt and uncle died. And then you left; why?"
I set my jaw, not wanting to admit the real reason why I had left and not looked back. "I got tired of being abused and treated like shit," I replied. "And, I was marked as a traitor to the pack, but it didn't hold."
Joel scoffed and rolled his eyes. "And then you ran into a different abuser's arms," he said. "How did that work out for you?"
'Should I trust him?' I asked, studying Joel. I stayed silent, not knowing where I could go from here.
'He could give you more insight into what is happening at this base and what had happened,' Charlie said, 'more than what the paperwork can provide.'
'Hmmmm,' I replied.
'You might want to order him, get him under oath so he can't turn against you,' Charlie added. 'He is mates with Parker, and Tito likes him.'
"Well?" Joel asked, raising an eyebrow. He was tired of waiting for me to say something, and I could tell that he wanted to use the whip on me.
"Xavier never abused me," I said, making up my mind to trust him. "He never laid a hand on me unless we were training, and even then, he was hesitant."
Joel blinked and looked shocked. "Wait... what? You tol-"
"I know what I told Camen," I said. "Only parts of what I had said was true. He did threaten to kill me early this morning, but it is only if I set foot on his packlands again."
"The kids?" Joel asked.
"Are safe and thriving," I replied. "They enjoy being in a pack where they don't have to look over their shoulders. Everyone there loves them."
"Did you love being there?" he asked, causing me to nod my head. "Then, why are you over here?"
"Long story short, my uncle and I found out that Parker was hiding something, which you already know, and I found information that puts him with a group my group and I thought we had eliminated."
"So, you read his file?"
"A bit," I replied, honestly. "Enough to be mad at myself for not listening to my uncle about him." I shifted until I was sort of comfortable. "But, we can discuss that later. Right now, you need to do what Camen told you to do, and go to him."
Joel moved a hand across his face and looked frustrated. "Are you stupid?" he asked. "I do not want to do it."
"Oh, and what are you going to tell Camen?" I asked. "That you did it, and it "magically" disappeared? He's going to ask T- Antonio if you are lying to him. Antonio can only do so much to protect your ass."
Joel furrowed his brows. "Wait... how do you know about Antonio?" he asked. "And, how do you know that he is on our side if he is on our side?"
"Because... Antonio was the second Warlock I had ever met, and he swore to his king that he would look out for me," I replied. "And he swore that he would help me with anything that I need."
"Like..?"
"Being able to hide the stuff that I got from the Guardsmen, making sure that my conversations are private from Camen's ears, and shit like that." I shrugged. "Also, making sure that you are alive for Parker."
Joel hesitated but nodded his head.
"I am going to have to get you under oath so that you don't turn against me," I said. I held up a hand when he was about to say something, making him stop talking. "It's more of a protection thing. If something does go south, then... I can at least, make sure that you stay alive."
"But what about you?" Joel asked.
"It's hard to kill me. Trust me, I know." I said. I moved my hand until I felt the small knot and pulled at it, releasing me from my confines. "Hand me your arm," I said to a shocked male, holding out my hand. "Let's get this shit over with, so we can get this ball rolling."
"How the hell?"
I stared at him unimpressed. "It's a Guardsmen rope, Joel," I said. "Don't act so shocked."
Joel closed his mouth and cleared his throat. He nodded his head but didn't give me his arm.
"Do you trust me?" I asked, still holding out my hand.
Joel hesitated but nodded his head. "I do," he confirmed and gave me his arm.