“No. I’m fine with you doing this stuff, but I do not want you risking yourself. We can all see the state Del’s in,” Chris replied firmly.
“You’re right. We won’t risk shit like that... especially since he seems to be fucking careful,” I added.
Raihana nodded in defeat as she lit the candles and stood up, fanning her face for a moment before she took a deep breath.
“Okay, I’m doing this… if anything feels odd, just break the circle.”
Chris walked over to her, pulling her close and kissing her lips. She locked her arms around his neck and kissed him back. They exchanged something through the link, and she nodded slightly, smiling whilst he held her chin for a moment before moving back. Scarlett stepped forward, and I saw her pointed stiletto an inch from the edge of the circle, ready to break it if needed.
Raihana’s powers surged around us, her eyes burning bright. Her thick, dark hair defied gravity as it floated around her as she started chanting the spell. I could feel the intensity of the spell as she whispered his name. A portal would open, and then I was going to reach in and pull the pup through. I was guessing there would be guards around him. We couldn’t leave a note in case it was used in a similar manner to get back to us, so if a guard was there, I was ready to pass a fucking message if need be.
Soon a shimmery transparent wall appeared, and I readied for the moment. Chris had his eyes on Raihana, his eyes shimmering the pale gold of his wolf, ready to protect her if the need arose. My gaze snapped to the room that appeared just on the other side of that translucent veil. My frown deepened as I took in the dark room. Thick velvet curtains covered the windows, but save from that, the room was almost empty with only a rectangular wooden box in the centre of the room, which had a boy lying on top of it, without a blanket or pillow…
Was this really his son? It didn’t seem like the room for the son of an alpha. Did Kataleya get it wrong?
Raihana and Scarlett exchanged looks, and I stepped forward, knowing I had to be fast. I jumped in, but before I even reached the boy, his eyes flew open. He was about to jump up, but I was faster. Putting a hand over his mouth and lifting him up, I was back through the veil.
Raihana whispered something, and the portal slammed shut. She broke the circle at the same time as Chris and Scarlett did. Everyone knew how fucking risky that had been. Raihana stumbled, and Chris caught her, scooping her up bridal style and carrying her to the two-seater near the window. We didn’t know how far out they had been located or how much it would take out of her, and by the fucking looks of it, it had taken a lot.
All eyes turned to the pup in my arms, and I knew he was indeed an alpha pup. He looked older than he probably was. Maybe he was about ten or eleven. His dark hair fell across his forehead, but the hatred in those hazel eyes of his looked far too intense for a pup.
“Calm down, and I will let you go,” I spoke quietly, yet my Alpha aura rolled off me.
His eyes burned with anger, and he didn’t obey. It was then that I realised he only had one hand that was clawing at my arm. His other arm, which had been covered by the sleeve of his long black shirt, peeped out, and it looked like something had recently happened to it. All I could see was that it looked like his hand had been sliced off.
I released his mouth, feeling a sliver of guilt go through me when I saw the bruises that covered his neck and jaw.
“So, the Lycan decided to kidnap me. You made a mistake. There is nothing you do that can make padre bend to your will,” he spat coldly, his eyes glaring into mine. His voice was cold and accented. It confirmed we had the correct pack. I was sure this kid was from Puerto Rico.
He held my gaze. I was doing my best to fucking control my Alpha aura, but even then, he was forced to look away after a moment.
“Enrique, isn’t it?” Scarlett asked, placing a hand on my arm she tried to move me away.
We exchanged glares before I stepped back and crossed my arms, taking the time to scrutinise the boy before me. His hair was slightly wavy with a square jaw, high cheekbones, and a strong, straight nose. He had a few small, faded scars across his jaw and one on his lip that never healed properly. Another two were along his forehead and across his left eyebrow, leaving a small gap where the hair would never regrow. His arched brows were furrowed together. The only soft thing on the boy’s face was perhaps his eyes; deep hazel green rimmed with dark black and those flecks of yellow with thick lashes, but even then, there was still a hardness in them.
“We aren’t going to hurt you,” Scarlett continued, placing her hands on her thighs as she bent over to look him in the eye as he looked down. I didn’t think she fucking realised he was her damn height…Midget. I smirked at that. The boy simply turned away from her.
“Okay, look, pup, it’s your choice. We do it the easy way or the hard way,” I said coldly.
“You should speak before he follows up on that,” Chris added quietly as he crouched next to Raihana, who had her head on his shoulder, clearly drained.
“Do your worst,” came his fearless reply. Scarlett frowned at me, standing straight.
“We do apologise for-”
“Nothing. Your father took my daughter and hurt her. He attacked my mate and has a grudge against me. When I have tried to reach out to him to deal with this man-to-man, he’s refused, so I had to stoop to his level. Or almost, because unlike him, I’m not a fucking loser. Clearly, he beats you too-”
“Padre punishes me when I disobey him. Do not try to manipulate his teachings into anything more.” His face was emotionless as he stared ahead. His voice was cold and empty. I frowned; didn’t he realise he was already manipulated? I shook my head at his words.
“So, the more recent bruises on you… are these the results of disobeying him by freeing Kataleya?” I asked quietly, my Alpha command rolling off me. “Answer me.” I saw the dimples in his cheeks twitch as he tried not to answer, gritting his teeth, but his head bowed in submission within seconds.
“Yes.”
Raihana’s breath hitched, clearly shocked. Scarlett ran her hand through her hair, and Chris was frowning in concern. I wasn’t going to deny that I fucking wanted to beat the shit out of this pup’s father. I placed my hand on his shoulder and crouched down before him.
“Thank you,” I said quietly, surprising even myself. “For giving her food and for helping her.” His face didn’t change, but I saw the haunted look in his eyes as he glanced down at his right arm.
“It wasn’t worth it,” he replied blankly.
