Chapter 395
Three hundred and ninety seven
Alexander POV
Lucas kicked a rusted oil drum as the metal door banged shut behind us.
“When the hell did you turn soft?” Lucas spat, stepping into my path in the narrow corridor. “I spent three months tracking those Alpha families and mapping their patrol schedules. Three months. Now you walk in and start playing favorites because you fucked one of them p>
“She isn’t your target,” I said, keeping my tone even. “She came looking for her cousin, which means she carries zero weight at the bargaining table p>
“That’s what you think? She’s Alpha Cameron’s niece,” he said, his face going dark. “If she’s useless, why are you hauling her out of my holding room? Since when do you care about sheltered brats p>
He didn’t know about the bond. If Lucas realized she was my fated mate, he wouldn’t just use her for leverage; he would put a blade to her neck the second he needed to force my hand. And looking at her earlier, seeing the absolute hatred in her eyes, I wasn’t even sure if she would ever accept me as her mate anyway.
“I don’t give a damn about her. I care about running a clean operation. You’ve got six captives crammed into one damp hole. If an Alpha strike team locates this camp, they recover every single hostage in ten minutes and burn our women and pups out before sunrise p>
Lucas kept glaring at me. The man didn’t possess a shred of patience, and he certainly didn’t possess a conscience.
I didn’t blame him for the latter. When, in one day, a council conspires to drag your family into the town square, accuse them of treason without a shred of proof, and execute them while the local packs clapped, one shouldn’t be surprised that whatever was human inside Lucas died with his family. He learned early that the world didn’t give a damn about innocence, so he stopped giving a damn about anyone else’s survival.
“They won’t find this place,” Lucas snapped. “And even if they do, I’ve already prepared enough silver to pump into the captives’ veins to keep them sluggish. If their fathers drag their feet on the territory contracts, I’ll burn the whole lot of them alive p>
I kept my face blank, though the thought of silver running through my mate’s blood made my hands tighten into fists behind me.
Lucas was very smart, and showing the tiniest bits of softness would raise his suspicion.
“You burn Alpha children, and every pack within fifty miles stops fighting each other to hunt you down,” I said. ” You bring the entire regional military down on our heads before the signatures are even dry. That isn’t leverage, Lucas. That’s a suicide pact p>
Lucas sucked his teeth, turning his head to spit onto the packed dirt. “There you go again. Always playing the long game. It works when you’re stealing supply runs from the eastern border, but right now we need blood in the dirt to make these bastard Alphas move p>
“We split them,” I said, cutting straight through his anger. “You keep some Alpha heirs here. I take Cameron’s niece and daughter up to the ridge house. If the search parties hit your perimeter, my location stays completely hidden. If they track me, you have time to move the heavy leverage. Keeping all your chips in one bucket makes you easy to crush p>
Lucas stared at me with a narrowed gaze, calculating the logic against his irritation. He knew I was better at tactical maneuvering than he was, even if he hated admitting it. He respected my rank as Rogue Lord, but he wanted power just as desperately as I wanted stability.
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“Fine,” Lucas grumbled, backing off. “Take them up to the ridge. But if you mess up my bargaining position over Some pussy, the rest of the captains are going to demand an accounting from you p>
I ignored his last statement.
“Double the guards on the north approach and the creekbed. I want scouts three miles out. If an Alpha patrol moves within five miles of this valley, I want to know before their boots hit our perimeter p>
Lucas turned without another word and walked toward the far side of the compound, his boots heavy against the gravel.
I didn’t care about the other captives or Lucas’s political bargaining. My only goal was getting my mate out of his hands before his rash temper got her killed.
I turned back toward the holding building. Two of my personal guards, Vance and Miller, were standing by the doorway, waiting for orders.
“Bind those two. We’re moving them to the truck p>
When I walked back into the damp room, the impact of seeing her hit me all over again. The bond pulled at my blood, a wild, sweet heat that made my skin tingle. Every instinct I possessed wanted to tear down anyone who
stood between us.
Her loud-mouthed cousin took one look at me and let out another demand.
“My girlfriend is coming with us p>
My men glared at her, waiting for my command. I made a hand gesture to Vance and Miller. They stepped forward with iron chains and zip-cuffs.
Vance grabbed my mate’s arms, yanking them behind her back to secure her wrists. She winced, her breath catching as the metal dug into her skin. A surge of protective fury surged through my veins, but I remained on the spot. If I stepped in or told my men to go easy on her, Vance and Miller would know immediately that something was wrong. In a rogue camp, showing soft feelings for a captive was an invitation for mutiny.
“Move,” Miller barked, roughing up the cousin as he bound her hands.
We marched them out into the main courtyard. Over thirty rogues were scattered around pickup trucks and oil- drum fires, smoking cheap cigarettes and shouting across the dirt.
“Hey, Vance! Save some of that pussy for us!” one yelled, laughing as he leaned against a stripped engine block.
“Check out the jacket on that one,” another called out, spitting into the fire. “I’ll take that off her before we dump them in the river p>
My men ignored the noise, pushing the bound women toward the back of an old Ford pickup idling near the gate. I didn’t bother lecturing the camp. These were men who had been cast out of their packs, stripped of law, and left to live like feral animals. This was their normal, and as long as they followed my orders when it mattered, I didn’t care about their crude mouthwork.
Vance shoved the girls into the truck bed, forcing them down onto the bare floor next to the spare tire. He bound their ankles with rope while Miller and three other armed guards climbed into the back to watch them. Vance got behind the wheel, and another guard took the front passenger seat.
I stepped up to the side of the truck, leaning over the rusted tailgate to look down at my mate. She stared up at me from the truck bed, her green eyes burning with so much pure hatred that it pressed against the bond between us.
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Three hundred and ninety seven
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“Keep your hands down and don’t try anything stupid on the road,” I said, keeping my voice emotionless.
didn’t answer, but she kept glaring at me like she wanted to tear my throat out with her teeth.
I turned away before the pull became too strong to hide. Instead of climbing into the cab with them, I walked over to my bike parked under the lean-to. Sitting three feet away from her in that truck while she looked at me like a monster would drive me out of my mind.
I kicked the starter, the engine roaring to life between my knees, and guided the bike toward the gates ahead of the pickup.
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Lucia Morh
Lucia Morh is a passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.