The Unwanted Wolf
The Hunted Wolf – Chapter 49

RIE

I knocked on Mark’s door, wanting to give him an update about the status of the search party. I hadn’t seen him in a little while, which worried me. I could only imagine what he was going through at the moment. I had only just found Mason, but if I could be by his side every day because someone took him away from me, I would be a complete mess.

There was no answer at the door, so I knocked again. “Mark. We are almost ready to go. I just wanted to go over some final preparations.”

Still no answer. There was a sinking feeling in my stomach. Scythe and I had asked him to give us control because we didn’t trust him to make rational decisions for the pack. He reluctantly agreed, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t stupid enough to run off and get himself killed.

I opened the door when there was still no response. There were no signs of Mark in the room.

Mark? Where are you? I tried to link, but there was no connection there.

I forgot to have someone babysit the alpha in case he did anything stupid. My heart raced, knowing he had gone ahead without us. We didn’t know how many men Cain had or what the situation was, but this wasn’t good. I had no idea how long he had been gone either.

I was about to leave the room when I noticed a note on the bed. I snatched it off, feeling irritated. The note was labeled “Rie and Scythe,” I was instantly frustrated by my alpha.

Rie, Scythe,

I know you’re going to scold me for making this decision, but I hope you both understand the severity of the situation and how I couldn’t sit back, knowing my mate could be in danger. Just try to imagine how it would feel if your own mate had been kidnapped? You were right to take the decision-making away from me. I was only thinking about Adira’s return and not about the safety of the pack. I failed my duty as the alpha, but I’m grateful you two have been here to support me.

Reyland and I are going after Adira on our own. We couldn’t wait, knowing where she was. Please hurry. We might need your back up.

Alpha Mark.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. I wanted to smack Mark for making such a reckless decision, but I would have to get to him before that could happen. I ran downstairs, straight for Mason. He was with Scythe and Darian, making the final preparations for the attack plan.

“What’s wrong?” Mason asked the moment he saw me.

I shoved the letter into Scythe’s hand. “Mark and Reyland went to get Reyland on their own. We need to go now, so those two idiots don’t get themselves killed.”

“I’ll get the rest of the warriors ready. You three go now,” Darian said.

We didn’t hesitate to run off.

–

ADIRA

For a brief moment, I was relieved to hear Xavier mention the baby. He must’ve been able to feel it, which gave me hope that it was okay. However, once I regained my senses, I smacked his hand away and took a step back. He had no right to touch me, and my life was none of his business.

I created two energy balls in my hands, ready to fight. I had managed to get away from Cain, and I was not about to be taken away by some other man who thought he had a right to my life. “Stay away from me,” I growled. I was not going to go easy on him.

Xavier smiled, c*****g his head to the side. “Adira, my dear. There’s no need to fight. There’s a simple way to solve this issue. We can get rid of the mut’s baby, and then we can have our own.”

I threw the energy ball at him and instantly shifted behind him, hitting him with another attack. A rage built within my core that I had never felt before. I had never hated someone so much in my life before, and I was now seeing red. My b***d boiled. This man thought he was going to take my baby away. I was so sick and tired of everyone threatening my happiness. All I wanted in life was to have a happy, peaceful life with Mark. And now a happy family with him.

“How dare you threaten my baby,” I growled, a fever growing inside of me.

With a scream, I lurched forward, throwing a punch at Xavier. He wasn’t expecting my sudden attack, and I hit him in the jaw. Pain radiated throughout my fingers for a second, but then the adrenaline kicked in. I hit him with another magic attack, not giving him a moment to think.

Something snapped inside of me, and I began to hit Xavier one after another. I wasn’t even thinking about my moves. I was just switching between hitting him physically and throwing magic attacks at him. His body was flung back and forth from the barrage of attacks coming at him. He fell to his knees, and I paused, hovering over him.

Xavier looked up at me with Jori’s smile. His eyes were completely black, and he looked almost crazed. He sat on his knees and wiped the b***d off his mouth with the back of his chin.

“I see you like to play rough.” His laughter echoed in my ears, causing a ringing in them. Something had cracked in him, and I could risk letting him touch me.

I created a mystical knife and held it against his neck, using magic to hold it. I was still several feet away from him, not wanting to risk getting too close to him. I pushed my hand forward, making sure the blade was flushed against his skin.

“Don’t test me. I’m not in the mood to play games with you,” I cautioned. I didn’t want to have to kill him. I didn’t enjoy killing others in any manner, but if it came down to it, I wouldn’t hesitate if Xavier pushed me. The only thing holding me back was Jori’s face. Somewhere in there, I hoped Jori was still alive.

“Life is a game, my dear.” Xavier went to grab the blade, and I tried to push it into his throat, but he grabbed it before I could succeed. The magic blade crumpled in his hands, and specks of magic floated to the ground.

I tried to attack Xavier again, this time with the intent of killing, but before I could throw the magic attack, black tendrils shot out of the ground and wrapped around my wrists. The dark magic immediately cut off my own magic. I tried to pull away, but the grip of the tendrils tightened, pulling my arms out to the side.

“Why are you doing this?” I screamed, too frustrated to hold my composure.

Xavier shook his head as he approached me. For a moment, I thought I saw someone who didn’t look quite like Jori. He was a little taller and paler. However, when I blinked, the image disappeared. He stopped walking when he was only a few inches in front of me. He stroked my cheek with the back of his hand.

“Please try to understand that I replace your antics to escape amusing, but I do have a limit to my patience. You also need to realize that I’m the one in control here, so you should listen to me.” Xavier grabbed my chin and forced me to look him in the eye. “I don’t need you to get what I want. I just need your powers and your womb. Once I have what I want, I can discard you like a dirty rag. Alternatively, you can join me willingly, and we can build something beautiful.”

He held out his hand to me. “The choice is yours.”

I wanted to spit in his face and tell him that he should jump off a cliff, but I needed to tread lightly in this situation. He had me trapped, and he wanted to kill Mark’s baby. I needed to say the right things and then strike when he was off guard.

I looked up to the moon, praying she would give me the strength to do what I needed to to protect my baby.

Looking back at Xavier, I smiled. “You’re right. I’ve been fighting this. I fell in love with someone, which was a mistake. He could never provide me with the kind of world you can.”

Xavier looked into my eyes, and I could feel his hesitation in the way he held onto my chin. “This seems too easy.”

I didn’t blink. “You didn’t give me much of a choice. I would rather pick the path that allows happiness.”

Xavier smiled, looking down at me. “If you really think so, if you are truly ready to give up that former mate of yours, then k**s me.”

–

MARK

Reyland and I prepared to attack the prison. It would be easy to take out the two guards. The problem would come once we were inside. There was no way to know how many more men were in there, keeping guard. We would have to make sure to use our surprise attack to our advantage. If we could take out the entire prison, if we took them out one by one.

I nodded to Reyland when a scream echoed in the distance. I instantly recognized the tone as Adira’s. It came from the opposite direction of the prison. Reyland looked in the direction of the scream as well. We made eye contact for a moment, and we knew the same thing. We weren’t going to replace Adira in that prison. She was strong and never stopped fighting. I shouldn’t have been surprised that she found a way to escape.

The scream told me she was in trouble, though. Before another second passed, I changed back into wolf form and started dashing through the forest, desperate to get to my mate. I smelled the air, and Adira’s sweet scent filled my nose. She was so close I could taste her. My adrenaline kicked, and I ran faster than I ever had before. Her scent was getting stronger, and I knew I was seconds away from being with my mate again.

The trees opened into a small clearing, and I froze when I saw the sight in front of me. Adira was standing in the middle of the field with black tendrils wrapped around her arms to restrain her, and Jori was standing in front of her. His hand was placed firmly on her chin, and a growl erupted from my chest. How dare he touch my mate?

Jori suddenly leaned forward, pressing his lips against Adira’s, and I went completely blind with rage.