Enslaved By The Alpha
Chapter 73

~KANE~

I'm surprised to see Gabriella here. I was planning on asking for her help, but I didn't get the chance to ask. Then how did she know that I needed help or would be here?

"I told her that you might be here," Ermanno explained before I could ask any questions.

"How do you two know each other?" I ask him.

"It's a long story," She says. "Let's not get into that right now."

Arthur walks toward us and wraps his arms around her protectively. It's almost like he's telling Ermanno and his brothers to back off and that she was his. I didn't think he needed to do that since it was clear that she was pregnant. Everyone here understood that she was off-limits.

"I heard that you needed my help," Gabriella says. "I'm here to help you."

"Why are you so kind to me?" I ask her. "Your friends still believe that I should be punished for everything I've done in the past, and I fully agree with them. I've done so many things to Maya that even I can't replace it in myself to forgive my wrongdoings. So then why are you always so willing to stand by me and even protect me?"

I knew I had asked this before, but I wanted to hear her answer. A real answer. One where she wasn't hiding anything from me. Because I knew there was something she was keeping from me. I don't know how I know this, but I do. There is plenty that Gabriella is holding back, and for some reason, it feels like she's holding back for my sake. But that doesn't make any sense to me. Why would she be concerned about her answer affecting me in any way? We had no connections with each other. Anything that she said would not affect me in the wrong way. Unless it had something to do with Maya, but again, somehow, I just knew that it didn't have anything to do with her.

"I don't think that any of that is important right now." She tells me. "I can see that there is plenty to be done. We need to free your friends, and then we need to replace Maya. I'm here to stand by your side through it all. All you need to know is that I'm not your enemy. I'm going to help you wholeheartedly without expecting anything in return from you. I want you to trust me and rely on me; as long as you do that, I will be happy."

Again, her words are so strange to me. She speaks to me like I'm family. For some reason, that word sends off alarm bells in my head. It feels like I'm missing something essential, and only she would be able to tell me about it. But just like she said, there were more important things that needed to be done. When this was all over, I would finally corner her and get the answers from her that I needed. I had a feeling that she would willingly come to me and tell me the truth then. Maybe she's waiting for me to replace Maya before she breaks any news to me. She probably understands that I'm already going through hell.

"I hope it's okay, but I've also asked Austin and his family to join the fight with us." She adds suddenly.

The mention of Maya's family catches my full attention. Anything else that was on my mind was wiped out immediately.

Why would Maya's brothers ever be willing to help me after everything I've done? They made it clear how much they hated me. It's hard for me to believe that this was true. Maybe she misunderstood them. Perhaps she thinks that they will show up, but they never will.

"I don't think Austin will ever agree to help me willingly." I point out. I would do the same if I were him and someone had treated my sister the way I treated Maya.

In my defense, he also mistreated my sister poorly when Lucy came into the picture. I didn't want to think about that now. It was in the past, as I've already said to myself multiple times.

"If I'm being honest. He isn't helping you willingly," she says with a chuckle. "Lucy is kind of forcing him to help."

"That's my sister," Marcus says with a chuckle. "Austin doesn't stand a chance. Anything that she wants, he has to give her."

"He must," Thane growls. "He promised to keep our sister happy, and he better keep that promise."

"So, where exactly is Austin?" Ermanno asks as he joins in the conversation once more.

As soon as he asks the question, multiple vehicles pull up beside us. I watch as, one by one, they all begin to exit.

The first person I see is Austin, followed by Lucy. Then James, followed by Eden. And lastly, Hunter is followed by Isabella.

I realized then that I was surrounded by some of the most powerful werewolves in the supernatural world.

"Look who's finally decided to join the party!" Marcus says as he hugs his three sisters. "Couldn't you have come sooner? It's been boring without you."

Lucy walks over to the rest of her brothers and hugs them tightly. "I never get tired of seeing your handsome faces."

"Handsome?" Austin asks her in a sarcastic tone.

"We can still bust your a*s," Thane warns him. "Lucy isn't always going to be able to protect you from us."

"Stop it, you two." Lucy scolds them.

Amongst their bickering, something catches my attention-Giselle's maid. I couldn't keep my eyes off her. When everything else mattered more, she was still the center of my attention. I notice that she doesn't look too well. I know that this isn't the best environment for her after everything she's been through. I wish there were a safer place for me to get her to. One where she wouldn't have to listen to all of this. It must be too much for her, and she barely knew anyone here.

My eyes widen when she begins to sway on her feet. I push through Ermanno and Marcus as I rush to pull her into my arms before she can hit the ground.

"What's wrong with her?" Gabriella asks as she joins me.

"Giselle trapped her in a freezing cell," I explain. "She almost died. She would have if I didn't get to her in time."

"Oh no!" Isabella exclaims. "How horrible! That woman needs to pay for her wicked ways. I'll be happy to put her in her place!"

Hunter squeezes her shoulders and kisses her hair, "you're not going to be in this fight, remember, sweetheart? You're pregnant. You have to remain with Eden and Gabriella."

"I never said that I wasn't participating in this fight." Gabriella disagrees.

"But we've discussed this already," Arthur cuts in. "Didn't we conclude that you girls would only join in if we needed your help?"

"Remember when all of you left me out because I was pregnant?" Lucy teases. "I'm happy that you can finally get a taste of it."

"I'll rather you stay behind with them also," Austin growls.

She rolls her eyes at him, "you're not stopping me this time. I miss this. I don't want to be left out again."

Austin doesn't look pleased, but he doesn't try and stop her again.

I'm happy that they're too busy arguing over who would be joining the battle to realize how worried I was over the girl still in my arms. If they took a second to study me, they would realize how much she meant to me. "Can I put her in your jeep?" I ask Hunter.

He nods, and I quickly open the door before placing her on the seat.

I know that this is the worst possible time to do what I'm about to do, but I can't seem to stop myself. Seeing her like this was causing my emotions to overreact again. I take another look around me; everyone is still bickering. I take a deep breath, lean forward, and press my lips to her forehead. I don't know what the f**k I'm doing right now, but I'll be damned if I stop. She stirs a little and quietly opens her eyes. I'm not sure if she realizes what I've just done, but she doesn't comment on it.

"Are you okay?" I ask her, concerned. I didn't like seeing her like this. This was all because of that blasted Giselle. I couldn't wait to get my hands on her. She's gotten away with too much already. She crossed the line when she shoved this innocent girl into a freezing cell without any clothes. I was too easy on Giselle. She felt like she could do whatever she wanted to the people I cared about to get her way. That would be all over tomorrow.

"Are you okay?"I repeat. She didn't answer the first time.

She nods slightly, "w-what happened?"