The Alpha’s Rejected And Broken Mate
Chapter 92

Darius POV

It's slowly killing me inside, knowing where Amber is and that she's carrying my child. It isn't easy, to continue to pretend to be the loving husband and perfect chosen mate in regard to Sophie. All I want is to replace my way out of here and I figure, now is as good a time as any to visit the so-called monstrous Alpha at his home. My mother of course is fretting when I tell her the news, astonished at my willingness to leave Sophie at the moment. "What on earth are you doing, going there?" "I'm worried about Amber, mother, she hasn't checked in with Sophie in a while. I must make sure she's alright" I explained firmly, my tone brooking no arguments.

"She's just an undesirable" my mother countered with a shake of her head "who cares if she hasn't spoken to Sophie in a while, I'm sure she's been busy. Heck, she's probably married by now" she added, not knowing how angry that statement would make me. My father looked just as confused. "I don't get it, but if Sophie is worried about her sister, then so be it. It might even help with her ahem" he coughed looking embarrassed "recovery from the miscarriage."

I grinned. My father, was, of course, being the soft-hearted man that he usually was. My mother looked indignantly at him. "It's going to be a complete waste of time," she said with an arched brow "but if you feel you must, then go for it."

"I'll be back later tonight" I promised, grabbing hold of my wallet and keys off the study desk and pocketing them. My mother gave me a gentle hug while my father shook my hand. "Good luck" was all he said, "and let us know how Amber is."

I walked towards my car, a bright red Ferrari, marveling at its beauty as I slid into the passenger seat and started the engine. It roared to life and I peeled out, heading for the main road and towards Alpha Rowan's pack. It was a fair amount of time, before my car was stopped before the boundary, the patrol warning me to remain seated. "State your business" growled one of the men.

"I'm here to see Alpha Rowan. Tell him that Darius is here, he should know who I am" I said drily. I was fairly certain Rowan would remember my presence from last time.

It took several minutes of mind-linking before they permitted my car to go forward, toward the pack house, where Alpha Rowan was evidently waiting. He stood there, at the front door, his arms folded over his chest and a look of sourness on his face. I smirked to myself. He was making it clear how much he despised me, but that was okay because the feeling was mutual.

"Darius" he greeted me cordially, raising an eyebrow and gesturing for me to follow him inside the house. We walked through several long corridors until we came to the study, where he motioned for me to sit down. He looked at me impatiently.

"Thank you so much for your hospitality," I told Alpha Rowan politely "but may I ask where Amber is? I was hoping to visit her while I was here."

Now he looked disgruntled, a flash of annoyance crossing his face. "I haven't seen her in weeks," he said quietly "since she rejected me, she's been awol. God knows what's happened to her." He sounded slightly miserable as well to my surprise. The man must have really liked Amber and boy had he f****d up if she'd rejected him. I was quite pleased by that, even if I had to try very hard not to show it.

"You have no idea where she is or where she's gone?" I queried, unable to believe it.

"She was heading west through the boundary line. That's as far as I know, after that, she was gone" he said fidgeting with his hands slightly and avoiding my gaze. My eyes narrowed. Was he ashamed? Was that why he couldn't look me in the eyes? I felt more than a little angry towards the man for losing my precious Amber. Now I was going to have to search for her, which would be no easy feat, as there were dozens of packs nearby. She could have gone to any one of them and decided to make a home there. I sighed. At least I was soon to be Alpha, which meant that the other Alphas of the pack would willingly cooperate with me when I started to search. But it wasn't something I had anticipated, that was for sure.

"We believed she was safe with you," I told the Alpha with a bit of a hiss, "we thought you would keep her here."

He looked at me silently, looking pensive and forlorn. "I tried to keep her here" he pointed out with a grimace "even used my alpha tone on her. Somehow she managed to ignore my commands and reject me." That was an interesting tidbit of information. How had Amber managed to override an Alpha's directions? It was unheard of for a shifter, any shifter, to have the power to do that.

Suddenly his eyes glazed over and I could tell he was being mind-linked by someone. He jumped to his feet suddenly and his eyes went pitch black. "Rogue attack" he shouted, "stay here" he hissed at me and before I could so much as utter a word or sound, he was out the door and running. I c****d my head and then sighed, getting up and walking to the doorway. Outside I could hear the sounds of shifters as they changed into their wolves and the sounds of shouting and chaos as pack members ran to safety. But it was what I was hearing, very distantly, inside the house, that was enticing me. I walked, with my ears straining, through the pack house, knowing Alpha Rowan could be hours before he came back. I could hear the sounds of distant sobbing and it led to a staircase from behind a door. It of course led to the basement, which would of course also be the dungeon.

I walked downstairs slowly, feeling the balustrade, my feet clacking on the steps as the sobbing intensified. "Hello" I called out, and I reached the ground floor, walking towards the cells, where I could see somebody lying down on a threadbare mattress. I sucked in a breath. It was a woman and she was pregnant, not heavily so, but part of her stomach was slightly swollen and I could detect the baby's heartbeat. She was beautiful, with long hair and big dark eyes that stared at me blankly, pale skin, and a petite body. She was shivering slightly from the dampness and slight breeze through the barred windows.

I eyed her thoughtfully, wondering what kind of crime this woman could have done to be punished in such a manner while pregnant. She stared at me, her eyes widening, her sobs stifled, as she gazed at me with something akin to hope in her eyes. "Please" she begged me "please let me out of here."

I frowned and stared at the cell, looking down at her shackled arms and legs. There were no keys anywhere that I could see and I still needed to know what she had done. "What are you in here for?"

She gave me a pleading look. "I used magic on Alpha Rowan to make him believe he was in love with me. I shouldn't have done it" she said sniffling "but I wanted him so bad and all he could think about was that girl Amber. I did what I had to do" she cried, beginning to break down again.

I felt nothing but pity for her. Clearly, she had enlisted the help of a witch to entrap the Alpha, which explained her confinement in these cells, It seemed cruel, to place a pregnant woman in the dungeon though, where the air was damp and smelt dank, the metallic scent of blood in the air. It was surprising she wasn't being sick from the sheer smell alone. It was enough to make me gag and I wasn't pregnant.

"What are you willing to do to be free from here," I asked her as a thought sprang to mind. She licked her lips nervously and gazed downwards, whispering "anything you desire."

It took a minute for me to comprehend what she was offering. I shook my head in repulsion. I certainly didn't want Alpha Rowan's sloppy seconds. Yuck. "That's not what I meant," I told her evenly "I may have a certain, job, I wish for you to do for me, in exchange for your freedom."

She looked hopeful now. She got up and shuffled over to the door of the cell, careful not to touch the bars, even though her flesh was burning where the restraints on her hands and ankles were.

"I will do anything you want, but please you must hurry. Alpha Rowan could come down here any minute now."

"He's busy with a rogue attack," I told her, watching her eyes light up.

"Then now would be a perfect time for me to escape" she breathed "Rowan keeps a key to the cells and restraints in his study, please, please hurry" she pleaded.

I considered her request and then sighed, turning around and making my way back upstairs. I got lost once or twice, making my way to the study and searching the desk for a key. I found it easily, in the top right-hand drawer of the desk, and holding it triumphantly, I made my way back into the dungeon, where the woman was waiting impatiently for me.

"About time" she hissed and I glowered at her. How dare she speak to me that way! I could always refuse to let her out, but I needed her for my plan.

I brandished the key at her and set to work, undoing the door to the cell with ease. It sprang open with a definitive creak and then she held out her wrists to me.

"Not so fast," I said quietly "first we discuss the job that I have for you."

"We don't have time" she hissed "best we leave first and discuss this job later."

But I wasn't about to let her go and replace out she would double-cross me. I undid the shackles only and her ankle restraints, putting the key back into my pocket as she looked at me with daggers in her eyes.

"I'll undo them once we've had our discussion," I said calmly and she glared, before shoving past me and making her way to the stairs. "I hope you have a car," she said hoarsely.

"It's right in front of the pack house," I said "but you're going to have to keep your head down until we're gone. Is that understood?' I asked.

She nodded, waiting for me to get to the front door first. The coast was clear and I led her, while her body trembled and shook, towards the Ferrari, covering her up with a blanket in the passenger seat and then climbing back into the driver's seat and starting the engine. The patrol was still busy with the rogue attack and it was almost laughable how we were able to get out undetected. I knew that Rowan would know it was me who freed her, but I didn't care. What was he going to do? Come to my pack and accuse me? So what, it's not like he had proof. Nobody had seen us leave together.

I pulled up just in front of the boundary line to my own pack and pulled the blanket off the woman who blinked at me before she took in the scenery with a small smile on her face. "I'm free," she said gleefully.

I shook my head. She wasn't going to be free until she agreed to the job I wanted her to do. She held out her wrists and this time I undid them, watching as she threw the offending pieces of metal to the forest floor and rubbed her wrists which were raw where the silver had touched them.

"What is it you want me to do then?" she asked tiredly. She looked exhausted, and haggard, with dark circles under her eyes. I was willing to bet she hadn't slept much or had much of a good meal lately. I was sure she would be more accommodating once I organized for her to get clean.

I leaned forward to murmur in her ear. "You see, I have this wife Sophie..." I began.