Page 55 of Dark Auctioned Mate

“I am sorry, Deva,” Alanis sighed. “I did not intend to go dark for so long. Things got complicated.”

Deva drew back, keeping Alanis in her arms, examining her. “Complicated how?” Her gaze flickered towards Rael, who stood a few feet away, and her face hardened. “And who is this?”

“This is Rael Weston. He’s—”

“The man who purchased you at the auction,” Deva said icily. “Yes, we are aware. We were following reports, trying to understand what happened to you. But we could not exactly show up at Weston’s territory when we knew nothing about your plans.”

Rael saw the anger in her brown eyes. It seemed motherly. This was a woman who loved Alanis and who had likely spent weeks fantasizing about the worst.

“I also helped free the other women in that auction,” he added evenly. “And the women whom you’re here for today.”

“You mean after forcibly subjecting Alanis to a mating bond, which she probably argued against,” one of the other Lumen operatives remarked, a young red-haired woman with a frown on her face.

“Kiara!”

“We are all aware of shifter bonds,” Kiara continued, ignoring Alanis. “We know what it is like when an Alpha bonds with someone.”

“Look, I did bond with her, and every day, I wished I had gone about it in a different way. But I am not going to apologize for saving her life or these other women.”

“Saving her?” Deva’s brows pulled together to form a frown. “That’s what you are calling it?

“That is what it was,” Alanis moved and stood between Rael and the Lumen team. “Deva, listen to me. Rael is not the enemy. He is trying to put an end to the same trafficking network we have been following. He and his pack have devoted their lives to shutting down such activities.”

“While also forcing you into a bond which leaves him in full control of you,” Kiara snapped.

“He has no control over me,” Alanis said firmly. “The bond does not work that way—not the way he has chosen to treat it. He has offered me options, respected my limits, and defended me when I needed it. Yes, he took me against my will, and yes, that is bad. But he is not a monster, and I need you to understand that.”

Deva sighed, staring at Alanis like she knew something no one else knew. “Oh, dear child.”

“The women need urgent attention,” Rael steered the discussion. “They have been drugged, traumatized, and stabilized at the Shadowridge medical facility, but require long-term care.”

“Show me.”

***

During the next couple of hours, the Lumen team examined all the women, liaised with the Shadowridge medical team, and arranged transportation to one of their safe locations. They pawed their way forward, each step measured so as to cause the least amount of further harm to the victims.

Rael observed them at work. They were skilled, concerned about the women they were saving, treated them with compassion and dignity, and had resources at hand to offer real, long-term help.

It showed him how poorly his own pack had handled it. They had given so much attention to the extraction of destabilizing the network that they never thought about anything after. Where did those women go? Did they build a new life? Were they safe?

He walked over to where Deva was treating a wound on one of the women. “How long has your organization been in operation?”

“Twelve years,” Deva said without a beat and without looking up at Rael. “Our beginning was humble. I was all alone, with two other survivors helping women out of abusive environments. We now have facilities in six states, more than fifty operatives, and law enforcement partnerships with several jurisdictions.”

“All funded how?”

“Mostly donations, a few grants. We maintain low operational costs through volunteer work and survivors who would like to give back.” Deva finally looked up after finishing her sutures. “Why do you ask?”

“Because what you are doing—it is what my pack should have been doing all along. We were too involved in the mission that we forgot what we were meant to be doing.”

“Later is better than never, and we could coordinate, exchange intelligence, and support each other. We would be stronger united than divided.”

“I would like that. However, it is not my decision to make alone; I would have to talk about it with my brothers.”

“Then discuss it.” Deva still looked guarded, but not as hostile as previously. “And in the meantime, take care of Alanis. She’s been through hell, and she doesn’t need any more trauma.”

He exhaled slowly. “I know, and I am trying. But she is not so easy to protect when she continues to run into danger.”