Chapter 4. They’ll Pay for This

Leondre’s POV

I took my mate to the pack house hospital. I lay her on the bed, and the doctors asked me to leave the room, but I didn’t do it. I’m not leaving her ever. My Beta comes to my side, putting a hand on my shoulder. I’m sure the people who were there informed him about the situation

“Is that the Luna?” he asks, looking at the girl on the bed. The doctors who are attending to her look very wary of me because my Alpha aura is going crazy, but I can’t help it; they were torturing her.

“My Ki-king, I think you should... um, leave, you won’t want to see this,” A tall nurse speaks in a stutter.

“She’s right and already, the doctors can’t do their job well, bro, your aura is imposing,” Dan says. I shake my head. I want to see, I want to know what they did to her.

“No,”

The doctors turn her on her belly and tear her already torn shirt. My Beta gasps. I repress a growl and clutch my fist. Her back is red and bloody. They have been hitting her; some cuts are so deep that they are unable to heal themselves. I move closer to her instinctively. No one should be treated like that, no matter the crime of their sins. I see some dark scars as well, and my Lycan howls in anguish.

“No doubt she is being abused a lot; some scars are really old,” Mumbles the doctor as he begins to clean her. Even in her sleeping state, she flinches as the medicine touches her back, and I hold her hand.

“Sorry, baby, they’ll pay for this,” I promise her silently. The Alpha family will bear ten times what they did to her. I let go of her hand and left the room. My Beta is calling my name, but I don’t answer him; I just need to be alone right now.

I reach the woods in no time and shift into my fierce Lycan. With one loud howl, we take off into the forest to run. We have been running for a few hours now, the images of how I found my mate haunting my memories, questions bombarding my mind, what if I wasn’t there? What if I were a minute late? What would have happened? Would she have seen the day again? I run harder and push forward.

After hours of running, I thought my anger would have subsided, but it didn’t. I go back to the pack house. It is quiet, and everyone is still sleeping, so I go to their minibar, drinking my favorite whiskey.

Feeling fatigued, it takes over my body, I go to the room that they prepared for me to rest, but I mind linking my Beta to tell him to stay with my mate. Once I hit the bed, I think of my beautiful mate again. I don’t even know her name yet. I want to know everything about her, but mostly want to know why she was in that terrible place I found her in. The dungeons only hold the most dangerous wolves, but can she be? She looks so frail and perfect, like she wouldn’t even hurt a fly.

‘I can’t sense her wolf,’ Saga says. I did notice that. The tingles were there when our skin made contact, but they were not as strong. We will find out what happened.

Amos’s POV

My chest was burning for hours, and my breath came out in short pants. The fucking bitch accepted my rejection.

How can she? Why would she?

I thought she would wait a while longer to give me time to reconsider and take her back. I thought she would beg me to take back my rejection, but no, she accepted it. I growled at the thought of that. Anger coursed through me, but I couldn’t leave my office because I was in too much pain, and my wolf was whimpering and howling in sadness. I was feeling so many emotions, but I couldn’t pinpoint which one. I knew one thing: I needed to see her. I have to see Anaiah. I refuse to let her go. I can’t lose my mate because I’m afraid of what others will say.

After I calmed down and the painful sensations began to disappear, I mind-linked the head guard to get her out of the dungeon, but no one answered. I couldn’t even feel their wolves! What the fuck was happening to my men?

I marched towards the dungeons in anger, and once I’m there, the guards at the entrance are in deep conversation. I growled, alerting them of my presence, and they stood straight, saluting me.

I went straight to the cell where my mate was kept, but the silver bars were ripped from their hinges. I snarled when I saw two men carrying the bodies of dead men. They looked like they were torn apart by a beast.

“What happened?”

“The Lycan King was here, he- he took the girl,”

I grabbed him by the collar and growled in his face.

“What do you mean, took her?”

“Some guards were - um, sir...” He was stuttering, and I was getting frustrated. What did the guards do to my mate?

“If you don’t stop your stuttering, I’ll snap your fucking neck, speak clearly.”

I threw him against the wall, and he grunted painfully.

“The men assaulted her, and the King killed him, sir,” he said with difficulty. My anger rose, and I clenched my teeth, growling furiously.

“Where is she?”

“I... I don’t know, sir,” He trembled. I left the cells after mind-linking with some guards. They informed me that she had been taken to the hospital. I rushed there and saw that she was peacefully lying on the bed, her eyes closed, and the sight of her like that made me shudder. She looked underweight and pale, her hair was disheveled, and her features were soft as ever. I caressed her soft cheek, and I felt faint tingles under my fingers.

I bent down and kissed her forehead, but stopped when I sensed someone’s presence behind me and turned around to face the intruder.

“What happened to her?”

The doctor snickers and glares at me. I almost growl at her insolence, but took deep gulps of air to calm myself. I don’t feel like killing anyone today, especially Doctor Baross. She was a sweet and gentle woman.

Leondre’s POV

I woke up at 10 am, showered, got ready for the day, and I went to Amos’s office. I didn’t wait to hear a come-in before I entered. I find him sitting in his chair, the former Alpha and Luna are on the couch, along with two other men. They all get to their feet at my arrival and bow.

We exchange pleasantries, and I take a chair in front of the new Alpha.

“I found my mate in your pack,” I inform him. From the looks on their faces, it seems they already knew.

Amos knit his eyebrows in interest while the other people in the room cheered forcibly as if they were wary.

“I found her in the dungeon, being molested by your guards,” I say, repulsed. Amos’s face shows anger and fury as I continue to tell them. A growl rips from his chest, and he hits his desk, breaking it in half.

“I’ll kill them,” he declares.

“Already did,” I grin sarcastically.

“What happened? Why was she locked up?” I asked, looking into his eyes, and he fidgeted uncomfortably. I believe it has something to do with him. He swallows thickly.

“Which one?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, you’re already starting to irritate me.”

He looks offended but doesn’t say a word. He inhales and puts his arms on the broken table, looking at me.

“Anaiah,” he starts, and I repeat her name silently. Anaiah. It’s a beautiful name for a lovely girl. A smile makes its way to my lips.

‘It suits her,’ adds Saga.

“There is a mistake. Anaiah is not yours, she’s my mate.”

I growl and get to my feet. In a flash, I’m in front of him, holding him by his neck. I lift him off the ground and squeeze his neck. His face starts to turn purple, but I don’t release him. How dare you claim my mate, the former Alpha, and Luna, are pleading, but I turn a deaf ear.

“Anaiah is my mate, and I’ll kill anyone who tries to touch her.” My words are slow and calm. I throw the little Alpha to the ground, and he gulps for air greedily. His parents are going to help him up, but he growls and pushes away, stupid prick.

“With all due respect, my King, she was mine first.”

“If the Moon Goddess gave her another, it can only mean you rejected her, especially considering the condition I found her in. Alpha Amos, do you lock your mate in a dungeon?” I know for sure that if the goddess blessed me with her, the moron must have rejected her.

“I was wrong, I’ll take back my rejection!” He challenges. I see red, but I refrain from wasting any energy on him.

“You won’t!” His father growled. I raise my eyebrows and find them staring at each other challengingly.

“That woman won’t be a Luna, she’s a murderer!”

“Father, enough. Anaiah is my mate, and everyone will accept her. I’ve made my decision,” Amos declares.

I don’t wait to find out what is going on before leaving the room. I go straight to the hospital to see my mate. I find Dan in the hallway, and I give him a tiny smile.

“How is she?”

“She’s better; they have applied some ointment to her wounds, but I haven’t been there to see her yet.”

“Is she awake?”

He nods and points at me to walk in. I eye him, suddenly feeling nervous. What if she rejects me or compares me to that asshole who rejected her? I hesitantly push the door open and enter the room.

There is a female doctor performing tests and asking her questions. She nods her head.

“Looks better,” the doctor says cheerfully. The doctor notices me and bows.

“My King! I’m happy to say your mate is healing well. Quite impressive, actually,” She muses.

I nod, and she explains a few things before leaving the room.

I’m left alone with my mate.