Chapter 25
Chapter 25
I parked the car on the side of the interstate and called Anne again. "Hey Anne, I'm on the interstate.
Where are you?"
"Down the hill towards the little patch of woods. Hurry Brook! I can hear them coming."
"Why don't you come up here. It'll be-"
"Please Brook," she said, sounding really desperate.
I didn't like this. I didn't like this at all. "Alright, I'm coming. Tell me where you are so I can find you
quicker."
She gave me instructions, and I found the small clearing easily. My finger hovered over the button to NôvelDrama.Org © 2024.
call Ryder's dad.
"Brook you came," Anne said stepping out from behind a tree.
I relaxed with relief. False alarm. "Of course, I did." I froze mid-step when behind her, Mike's dad
emerged from the shadows. My heart slammed in my chest in one hard thump as fear sliced through
me. I watched, horrified, as a cold, malicious grin spread on Anna's face. "Why?" I said, taking a step
back and running into someone. Hard arms wrapped around me trapping me. I looked up, and my fear
intensified. Mike!
"Hey, Missy. Miss me?"
"No, let go of me you, psychopath," I yelled and slammed the heel of my foot on his toe as I pressed
the hotkey to call Ryder's dad. Mike didn't even flinch. "Alpha Ryan, you won't get away with this," I
said shouted, feeling lame for using such a cliche line, but I was hoping Brent would be able to hear
me.
"Thank you, truly, for making this so easy future Luna of Blue Crescent," Mike's dad said, with a
mocking bow. "Let's go, no doubt Brent will be here soon enough."
"No, I'm not going anywhere with you," I took out the silver spray and sprayed Mike's hand. He
shrieked, letting me go, the skin of his hand bubbled up and gooey like all his skin was gone, leaving
just the muscle and bone.
I sprinted back to the interstate when someone grabbed my hair and flung me back. Tears filled my
eyes, and I hit the ground with a gasp.
"Nice try, but I don't think so," Mike's dad said.
I lifted the spray to give him a good dose in the face when he slapped my arm. The sickening crack of
bone followed by pain, burning up my arm. It was so intense I lost my breath. I couldn't even scream.
"Now see what you've done. You stupid, pathetic human," the alpha said with a sneer.
"Let her go," Ryder shouted with Andy beside him.
Oh no, I led them both right into a trap.
Alpha Ryan turned his sneer on Ryder. "Ah, the future Alpha of Blue Crescent. I'm honored, but I'm
afraid I am going to have to decline. You see this girl belongs to me."
"No, she doesn't. Brook and her mother are a part of my pack now," Ryder told him.
The alpha offered him a cool smile. "Then she's a prisoner of war."
"Not while I'm alive," Ryder said with a growl, his body starting to change.
"Now that is a price I'm willing to pay." The alpha's tone was light as if this was all just some game to
him.
I struggled to free myself but stopped when the alpha took my broken arm in his other hand and
squeezed. Again the breath left me.
"Alpha Brent, every guard, and soldier are on this way right now. Let Brook go, and you might get
away," Andy said. His eyes practically glowing yellow.
The alpha frowned momentarily then forced a grin on his face. "Perhaps you're right. We should go."
He took a step back, letting go of my injured arm, but his grip tightened on my other one.
I dug in my heels, looking behind me to see Mike and Ryder wrestling with each other and Andy was
racing towards us. Ryan shoved me to the ground, but thankfully I fell on my right arm instead of my
left. The fall still hurt like hell though.
The alpha jabbed Andy hard in the jaw. The punch echoed through the clearing making me cringe, but
Andy just got right back up. He tackled Ryan then used his advantage to slam his fist into his face. I
stood to my feet, holding my broken arm close to me, preparing to run when a sickening crack stopped
me. My jaw dropped as I watched Alpha Ryan let go of Andy who crumpled to the ground, his neck
twisted in an unnatural position.
No, this couldn't be happening! Not Andy! He couldn't be...Tears flooded my eyes, and my heart ached.
What have I done? This was all my fault. God, I deserved to be Missy Mistake.
"Brook run," Ryder yelled, still fighting with Mike.
I froze, unable to look away from Andy. He was...and it was my fault. I looked up to see Alpha Ryan
was walking towards Ryder. My heart seized and fear-filled every pore. I wouldn't let him kill Ryder too!
Finally, I managed a screaming picking up a rock from the ground. Enough was enough. I threw the
rock, using every ounce of strength I had. "You jerks, I hope you all die!" A morbid thrill ran through me
as it hit him right in his nose.
His head jerked back as blood burst from his nose and he took a few steps back. I grinned and
grabbed another one. Amber eyes trained on me, the alpha's expression was murderous. Good. I
threw another rock, hitting his left eye. Again he stumbled back and let out several curses. I picked up
another rock, but when I stood, he was in front of me. I gasped and tried to take a step back, but he
grabbed me.
Despite knowing it was useless, I tried to free myself anyway. Alpha Ryan swung me hard, slamming
my back into a tree. Black spots filled my vision as once again I found the rushing out of my lungs. I
started to slide down to the ground, but Ryan pulled me back up. He started to say something when he
paused, his head cocked to the side as if he was listening to something. "Lucky for you, I've run out of
time."
Letting me go Mike's dad ran to Ryder. He shoved Mike aside and slammed his fist into Ryder's temple.
Ryder fell, clearly dazed by the attack. "Take the bitch. I'll deal with him."
I struggled to my feet and raced to the alpha. I needed to stop him. I couldn't let Mike's dad hurt him,
but before I even got halfway, Mike grabbed me.
"Let me go, you bastard!"
Mike, of course, didn't listen. Instead, he carried me away from the clearing and shoved me into a red
van. There were a couple of men waiting and Anna. I screamed again and threw myself at her. I clawed
her face with my good hand. "You..." I yelled, but there wasn't a word that could come close to how
horrible she was.
Mike pulled me back and forced me on a seat which ran along the length of the van's sides, but not
before I'd pulled out a good chunk of Anna's hair. "Enough," he said, plopping down next to me.
"You took long enough. See what she did to me," Anna whimpered.
"Not my fault you can defend yourself from a human," Mike told her. He and the others laughed, and
Anna's face bloomed bright red.
"You got off lucky! Next time I'll rip out all of your hair!"
Again the others and Mike laughed as if this was the funniest thing they'd ever seen. It only made me
angrier.
"Shut up," Anna snapped at me then after a pause added, "Bitch."
"How about you shut up," A bulky man told her. "So where's the alpha?"
"Dealing with the alpha's pup," Mike told him.
"Should we go help him?" By the sound of his voice, the man would rather stay right where he was.
"My dad can deal with one pup on his own," Mike snapped then smile at me with that cold, cruel smile
of his. "Don't worry Missy. He won't kill your precious mate." he took my hands, and I gasped at the
sharp pain lancing up my left arm. Zip tying my wrists together, he said to the others, "Be ready to
leave as soon as he gets back. Blue Crescent is on our tail."
A moment later the doors opened, and Mike's Dad climbed inside, sadly without a scratch on him. He
hit the side of the van, and it jerked to a start. I sucked in a breath as I bumped into Mike. I expected
some kind of sneer about staying off him, but he didn't even look at me.
"I have to say this went very well," Mike's dad, looking enormously pleased with himself. Mike nodded,
but his expression was blank. If the alpha noticed, he didn't care. Instead, he reached over and tugged
on the zip tie. I bit my tongue, tasting the metallic tang of blood, as more pain raced up my arm.
"I did my job," Mike told him, scowling.
Without a word or hesitation, his dad punched Mike in the face. "Your tone, boy, watch it!"
Mike shook his head. "Yes, Sir." The words slurred some, and his jaw didn't look right.
It took me a minute to realize it was because the punch had at least dislocated it. My eyes widened as I
watched it heal before my eyes, sliding back into place with a wet, slurping sound. When I shuddered,
Mike smirked at me for a very brief second before going blank again. Silently, I breathe in and out, slow
and deep. The differences between Ryder and his dad and Mike and his was like living on Earth
compared to Mars. How had I not seen this before?
After what felt like forever, yet not long enough the van jolted to a stop. "We're here alpha," the driver
announced.
"Good job, men. Get rid of the van and then go have a drink on me," Alpha Ryan said, grabbing the zip
tie again and got out, dragging me behind him. The pain was so intense I lost my breath and my vision
blurred. It was only until I was almost inside before I realized this was the alpha's house.
A beautiful woman walked into the room as the door close. "Everything going as planned, my alpha?"
Mike's dad placed his hand on the back of her neck, pulling her in for a rather embarrassing to witness
kiss. "It did, Helena. I'd like you to meet the future Luna of Blue Crescent Pack," He pulled me forward
with a cold laugh. "I mean would've been the future Luna."
"Pretty girl," she said but cringed as the alpha growled at her.
"She's a pathetic human is what she is."
"Of course. You're absolutely right my alpha. I-I apologize. Stupidly, I forgot again."
"You're not stupid, Mom," Mike said, a hint of anger in his voice. "She is a worthless human, but she is
pretty too." Despite the anger, his voice was soft and kind in a way I didn't think Mike was capable of.
"What she looks like doesn't fucking matter. I have more important things to do than bicker with you two
idiots. Mike, take the girl downstairs and make sure she receives a proper welcome, or I'll make your
mother regret ever giving birth to you." He shoved me to Mike then slapped his mom across the face.
"Remember, forgetfulness is laziness."
"Yes, my alpha," she said and nodded several times, getting up and heading into the kitchen.
Mike glared at his father, but grabbed the zip tie and pulled me along with quick, jerky movements that
brought tears to my eyes. God, my arm hurt so much. He pulled into the kitchen and through a door. I
gasped stumbling a step in the narrow stairwell. If he hadn't grabbed my shoulder, I would've gone
headfirst down the stairs and into a cement basement, lit by a single bare bulb. On one side was a cot,
on the wall next to it, nearly the floor, was a thick chain and metal cuff. It all looked liked it had been
used before. Oh God, they were all psychos!
"Welcome home, Missy," Mike said, pushing me across the basement. With a hand on my shoulder, he
forced me to sit on the cot. Mike kneeled, taking my right foot and closing the metal cuff around it,
locking it in place with a small, but a heavy-looking padlock. He stood and rolled his shoulders. "This
isn't the way I like to do things, but orders are orders." Before I could ask what he meant he slapped
me hard, a lot like his dad did to his mom.
I started to sit back up when his hands wrapped around my throat and squeezed. My eyes shot wide,
and I clawed at his hands, trying to breathe. I wasn't sure how many times he'd hit me as my head
became fuzzy. New pain blended in with old. Just when I thought I was going to pass out, Mike let me
go. I coughed and gasped for air through my raw throat which only brought more pain. Fear trickled
through me at the realization I might not live through this.
I sat up, shaking and cold, and glanced up at Mike. His face was blank, but his eyes were golden. "You
shouldn't have run, you know," he said so quietly I almost couldn't hear him.
"Of course, I should have. My mistake was stopping. I am not worthless." My voice hoarse and brittle,
which was bad enough, but then I felt tears stinging my eyes.
"I know, but you would've lived longer if you stayed."
I scoffed and sneered at him. Derision dripping from my voice as I said, "Of course, I would." What did I
have to lose? My life? I wasn't sure how much longer I was going to hold on to that.
"Yes, you would, and you know what? I would've hit you, yes, but you'd be alive, and Ryder would be
alive. His family and yours would be alive."
Ice slide down my spine and through my veins. "What?"
He gave me a look which almost seemed like pity. "Yeah, Brook. Why else do you think Dad took you?
He's going to use you to slowly break down my cousin. My dad is going to show Ryder your bruises
and cuts. He's going to spin a tale of half-truths, so Ryder thinks you're being tortured and raped by
me. Ryder starts to lose it and control over his wolf. That will start breaking Uncle Brent.
Once my uncle submits, he'll kill you, destroying Ryder completely and in turn destroying Uncle Brent.
Aunt Emily will probably kill herself or become a catatonic shell at the loss of her mate. Dean is
completely useless. He'll never be able to rally the pack behind him, so my father will be free to walk in
and take the pack from him. He'll kill Dean anyways, just to be on the safe side. Next, comes your
Mom, Harry..."
How could so many people be so insane? "But they're your family too. How can you do this to them?"
"If I don't I'm dead right along with them. Once I'm gone who will protect Mom from him then, hm
Missy?" He said, his face turning red with anger. He straightened and sniffed. "That's something I'm
sure even you can understand." Mike turned and went upstairs, not once looking back at me. A
shudder ran through me, and I hugged myself, doing my best not to think about Andy or who else might
die soon.