Ugh, this damn headache. I can't even remember why my head hurts so much. What did we do last night that… What's happening?
Alexia opened her eyes after being asleep for a few hours.
Where am I? And why am I tied to the bed? I can't remember us starting a roleplay, and I don't think Ma'Heron would leave me tied while sleeping. I'm not liking this at all. Margay, do you know, or remember anything of what happened to us? My vision is blurry… What did we do, Margay?
Her wolf was silent, and she was starting to panic, when a masculine figure, dressed in a short, silky red robe, came through the door of her room… Too late, but she finally realized that she's not even in her room.
"Oh, good morning, beloved! I see that you finally woke up."
Beloved… what the hell…
The guy opened the heavy red velvet curtains of the tall French window, right beside the bed. The blinding light hit Alexia directly in her face.
Maybe her vision was blurred, but that voice she knew very well.
"Abner…"
* * *
The expression that shadowed the Gamma's smooth-shaven face right after he ended his call matched the Alpha's when he read the documents in his hands. These were the same ones Brenner handed to him a while ago.
"What is happening, you two?" Beta Aaron asked, noticing how both pack heads were both in alert status, and even looking ashen with troubled expressions on their faces.
"It was him… fuck…" was all M said, his voice so low it was almost a growl.
"When was the last time you talked to her?" V asked.
"Yesterday afternoon. She had a late-night shift, and I thought she had fallen asleep and didn't call because of that."
"It's still possible. Try to reach her on your mindlink."
Ma'Heron tried to get in contact with his wife, not knowing that at the moment she was heavily drugged, and too weak to even contact Margay, her wolf.
"I can't reach her. Oh goddess… No… NO!"
"I need you to try to be calm, M. Whatever I tell you right after this moment, please think about her before you react, understand?"
Ma'Heron is infamous for his extreme self-control and logical thinking. Upon hearing V's tone and instructions, he automatically assessed the worst-case situation and found himself putting extra effort to obey.
After all, this is his mate that's involved here…
"Yes, Alpha. Can I know what happens now?" his honey-colored eyes narrowed, his square jaw tightened.
"Here are three letters that Bren just gave me, along with the other mail he brought in,"
Vince said, handing the papers to Aaron, who had no idea of what's happening, and then to M, who was now fearing the worst. "It's all in one envelope but addressed to the three of us."
The Beta then read through his letter swiftly while M just stared at the document in his hands. Aaron's face first became pale and then got crimson red, and a low growl emanated from his chest, right before he took a deep breath to control himself.
M focused on V while their Alpha continued his explanation.
"We are being asked to fulfill a request for a challenge that was made by you, Ma'Heron, three years ago, and directed to the Alpha of the Crescent Moon Pack, Abner. It also mentions several witnesses who saw you doing so in an exclusive event back then."
V stood up to pace, looking from one of his friends to the other, trying to collect the right words to say what he had to say next. Aaron, The Beta, was now beside him, completely speechless, furious, and worried. He was waiting for M's reaction, who at the mention of the old enemy's name, rushed to check the contents of what was in his hands.
His naturally deep voice was shaking as he read aloud…
"I have Alexia. She was promised to me in marriage, and I demand that the promise be fulfilled. Since her rights as an Alpha of the Dark Forest Pack were passed to Alpha Vincent,
I also demand a challenge for the title of Alpha of the Silvercrest pack, as well as to Ma'Heron Denar, for marking a woman that was not his."
* * *
Alexia didn't need to see Abner's 5'11" height, dark green eyes, charcoal hair or pale skin to recognize him. To be honest, she never wanted to see him at all. He's the Crescent Moon Pack's Alpha, a man who she abhorred the very sight of, especially after their last encounter.
Knowing now who she faced, she knew her situation was a few inches - no, feet - further than bad.
I feel my skin touched by the wind, so no blanket, no pants, and no shirt. And dammit, Margay, where are you!? Answer me!
"I'm loving the lingerie you chose for me, my dear Alex. Black lace suits you pretty well."
"You damn… What do you want?"
"Well, I know you're not in a position to ask questions, but I'll be nice enough to answer you. You might be able to remember that you were promised to ME in marriage. Three years ago, exactly today. I thought for a while that I should come back and take what is mine by right."
"You have no right over me. I am marked by my mate, and I don't plan to leave all that or him, for you!"
"But my beautiful, sexy Alexia," he said, laying on the bed right by her side. "I don't need you to agree for me to do what I want with you."
His hand reached for her smooth, curvy thigh. The tip of his fingers rubbed her smooth tanned skin, as he saw the disgust showing on her face.
"You see?" he chuckled. "I need only to challenge and win against Alpha Vincent, and all he has, and all that belongs to his pack, will be mine. And that includes you. And I will kill your Gamma easily if I have to, as well."
"V will never accept your challenge just because you asked," Alexia hissed at him.
"Well, I'm sure he wouldn't, that's why you're here now. You're my guest of honor, of course. More than that, as you might remember, it means that you're my prisoner and leverage, who will make dear Alpha Vince agree with my conditions."
Why isn't M reaching out either? Has anything happened to him too? No, this bastard wouldn't be so comfortable having this conversation if M is… if this is about what happened three years ago, I'm sure he'll want to see us all suffer… and that means…
"But don't worry," the kidnapper continued, "I already sent the news to Silvercrest. Right now, your Alpha, and your beloved mate must be reading my formal request for the challenge that was supposed to happen back then. I have to say, your decision to merge Dark Forest with Silvercrest favored me greatly, I'll be killing all the birds with the same stone, and all that is thanks to you."
He got closer to her and hugged her, inhaling deeply as he nuzzled his face into her thick wavy ebony hair. "You are my stone, Alex and I have so much more reasons to thank you, my dear. Don't worry, I will be showing you my deep appreciation to you. Endlessly. For the Next. Few. Days."
His whisper awoke deep nausea in her, and she avoided at all costs to throw up on him.
As much as I would like to cover you in vomit, I won't give you the satisfaction to see any reaction from me.
"I don't know if you've noticed, but you and your pack are no rival to ours," she sneered at him. "They will easily use you as a rug to clean their leather Italian shoes. We have more of an Alpha than you will ever be. Not even a hundred versions of you can match V."
Her tone was calm, despite her smirk. Still in her disadvantaged state, she knew how to press his buttons and get a couple of laughs, and whatever important information that she could get.
"Maybe," he said, seemingly unaffected. "But whatever I can't do in the challenge, you will do for me, my dear. Unless I die in the challenge, you will stay here with me for the rest of your precious life. And all the blackmail, all the coaxing and dirty tricks I can play using your name and your position, I will satisfy myself repeatedly and whenever I want."
He stuck his tongue out and licked her earlobe, while his hand traveled up her body, to cup her face, and pushed his thumb into her mouth, forcing her to open her lips wide.
"Don't make this harder for both of us, just open your mouth!" Margay, we need to shift and escape! Respond, please!
But there was no reaction from her wolf. She couldn't even feel her. Soon Alex felt a small, thin tube inserted under her tongue, and a bitter liquid flowed down her throat, making her gag.
"Drink it, ok? It's good for… Nah, I'm not gonna lie. It's good for me. The few drops that I just put in your mouth are a special mixture of my creation, from a marvelous plant that grows all around OUR packhouse. If you were wondering why your wolf is not responding, those little drops are the reason."
His cynic smile grew bigger as he left the small bottle, which was in his hand earlier, on the nightstand.
"From now on, you're mine, Alexia. Nobody else's but mine, like you should have been since those many years ago."
* * *
After reading the letter, M's hands started to tremble as a deep scowl marked his face.
"This can't be true… This is not true!"
"I know you would feel that way, and that's why I need you to try and contact her. Try again," V requested worriedly.
M focused all his might, energy, belief, and thoughts on the one and only woman that had managed to ever surprise him… amaze him…
Made him feel…
And he finally connected.
Alexia! Alexia, where the hell are you!?
M felt how his link found her, how she was hearing him for a moment. He felt her disgust, her nausea, the dizziness and disorientation, and for a moment too, he felt the belladonna cocktail that was given to her.
His eyes got blurry, not only from the drug, but for the confirmation of what he feared. He felt his brawny body shaking, his anger rising and heating his chiseled chest, becoming almost an uncontrollable rage.
"Alex, I beg you, please answer me," Ma'Heron whispered, almost going insane at the worst-case scenarios going through his thoughts.
* * *
She heard the voice of her handsome ebony-haired man in her head, right when the blurry image of a hateful black-haired male covered in soft, red fabric - who was lying by her side got off the bed to remove the flimsy crimson clothing from his body.
Alexia closed her eyes for a moment, focusing on not letting her tears fall, as she cut the voice of the one, she loved the most by closing the mindlink with her husband and mate, Ma'Heron Denar.
I'm sorry, love. It doesn't make sense that we both go through this.
* * *
M internally rejoiced for a moment upon feeling her and then… Silence.
All the sensations he had from her disappeared suddenly, and he somehow knew what was happening. His mate closed the link with him only for one reason… She would do that, only to protect him.
"What happened?" Aaron asked M, as he saw the way his bro's facial expression suddenly changed.
V also spoke up, "Did she finally connect with you? What did she say?"
Unknown to them, right then and there upon realizing what she was protecting him from - the well-renowned Gamma infamous for his very collected, almost coldhearted logic - lost absolute control of himself. Ma'Heron stood in silence only for a second…
And then released a long and heartrending bellow of fury, frustration and realization.
"NOOOOOOOOO!!! ALEXIAAAAAAAA!!!"
Lyon surfaced almost immediately. M then instantaneously merged-shift to his humanoid wolf's huge, vicious and dangerous form. His enraged roar filled the room, along with his monstrous werewolf body.
"DAMN! HOLD HIM!" Vince yelled while Aaron and he shifted as well to try and control their pack's Gamma.
Bren! We need to sedate him! The Beta mindlinked, knowing that M's assistant was always preparing many special natural mixtures, especially his tranquilizers, which were usually placed inside ever-ready syringes.
Bren hurriedly moved towards the three shifted and struggling men while inserting the needle into M's muscled thigh. Good thing he always used syringes that can pierce strong werewolf skin.
As the Gamma slowly collapsed to his knees as he returned to his human form, he managed to speak his thoughts… his fears… out loud…
"He has her, V… And I think he… he has… he has… oh goddess… have mercy… no…"
Vince kneeled beside his friend, so he could reassure him properly, "We don't know that for sure, M. Let's hope not. For now, rest."
Even as the Alpha tried to calm him down, he knew that the possibilities of Ma'Heron's wife going through what he thought she was going through was very high. And M could read it on his superior's face.
"He said… in the call… for her sake… he hopes… you… res… ponds…"
The natural and very powerful mixture that Brenner, the part-time spy, and who many called M's new right hand had prepared, has now taken full effect. After V and Aaron dressed up in robes that were stored handily in V's office, they wrapped him in one of these and took him to the hospital wing.
A few more minutes later, the naked, broken man had now fallen into a deep, uneasy sleep in one of the hospital rooms. And yes, fallen, as if consumed by the darkness of a very deep hole that threatened to consume him…
And during that time, Ma'Heron dreamed of the past.