Trapped Between Alpha Mates

Chapter 18: Taken

-Wylder-

I looked up from the work in front of me when Helena emerged from the bathroom, wearing only small sleeping shorts and a top. I couldn’t help but enjoy the sight of all that skin.

Despite the late fall chill outside, the room was warm, allowing her to dress lightly. I appreciated seeing her bare legs and arms, as she had been rather covered up before. Not that I hadn’t caught a glimpse of what hid beneath—a beautiful body deserving of adoration from my hands and mouth. But it wasn’t easy to get close to her, yet I understood why.

Helena walked over to the couch, where she would sleep, and climbed under the blanket. I shook my head slightly, smiling. It would be so much easier if she would just crawl into my bed.

“Remember,” she said, and I glanced at her. “No touching.”

“I already touched.”

“Anymore!”

I chuckled, and she lay with her eyes closed, yet I sensed some amusement in her expression. I continued to work for a little while before my eyes again sought my little mate.

She lay all curled up on the couch, and it made me smile. It really felt good to have her there. I heard her sigh contentedly, and slowly she drifted into sleep. I couldn’t believe that, even though she might have found my uncle, she would just leave again. She would rather be the one to walk away first than see others do it to her, and I understood that feeling.

We were both broken souls, but that just meant we couldn’t be a better match. I smiled a little as I finally decided to call it a night. I walked over to her and kissed her on her temple.

I knew I had promised no touching, but this was just to show my appreciation for her. I walked to the bathroom and got myself ready before I went back to my bed.

I found it a little hard to sleep though—not that that was strange—but it just didn’t feel right that she wasn’t lying there beside me. However, I knew it would happen soon. I just had to be patient. So, I closed my eyes and finally drifted to sleep.

-Helena-

I wasn’t sure what had woken me. Something—a feeling that things weren’t right. I slowly opened my eyes and surveyed the room. It was very dark.

“Wylder?” I whispered.

Turning to the bed, I realized he wasn’t there. What on earth? Where could he have gone? The door to the bathroom was open, with no light streaming inside.

“Wylder?” I called again.

I assumed he might have stepped out to address something or gone on a night run, but I felt uneasy knowing he wasn’t there. It had been surprisingly easy to fall asleep with him in the room. But now that he wasn’t here, everything felt cold and dark. I laid back down, pulling the blanket higher.

Hey, don’t be scared. You still have me.

I smiled a little. Yes, I did have Amaya, and she was much stronger than she had been in a long time.

We don’t need him. Just go back to sleep. I have your back.

I chuckled a little and closed my eyes. There was a good chance that Wylder would return soon anyway. So, I felt a little more at ease as I tried to sleep again. Just as I had started to get comfortable, a small creak echoed in the room. I let out a breath of relief. He was back.

“Not that I care, but where did you go?” I asked with a smile on my lips.

I expected him to give me a sassy response, as usual, but he remained silent. Opening my eyes, I felt confused. He wouldn’t typically let a chance to annoy me slip by.

“Wylder?” Sitting up, I noticed a dark shadow standing above me... No, that was not Wylder.

“Who are...” I didn’t get to finish. The shadow reached out and placed a hand over my mouth, shushing me. I was so paralyzed that I didn’t even make a sound.

Soon, he pulled a syringe from his pocket and stabbed it into my neck. I tried to scream for Wylder, but the world quickly turned black, and then I was out like a light.

-Killian-

The attack was going to be swift and easy. I would end Wylder once and for all and pay him back for everything he had done to me. He wouldn’t even know what had hit him before I ripped out his heart from his chest.

Yet I knew how strong he was. I had faced him before. So, I brought some sedatives with me to weaken him, but I needed to get inside first. So the plan was that my team of fighters would create a distraction while I snuck into the house.

“Remember, just keep them distracted,” I instructed my Beta, Reese.

He nodded. “We will keep them occupied.”

“No killing all of them. I want there to be a few left, at least.”

I smiled darkly, and Reese shook his head.

“And I don’t want Wylder to be alerted. Convince them they can handle it without contacting their Alpha, you hear me?”

“We stick to the plan. How many times do I need to repeat it to you?” he asked me.

I chuckled a little, and he smiled.

“I’m just making sure you don’t mess it all up,” I told him.

“You can count on me.”

I nodded, satisfied. I knew I could, but it was crucial that everything went smoothly.

“All right then... Let’s do this.”

Reese led the group of fighters further west. Wylder’s men would quickly realize Reese had trespassed, giving me a chance to cross the border unnoticed. Reese mind-linked me when it happened, and I hurried to the large metal gate, slipping through the iron bars and then running to the mansion.

I knew the gate wasn’t meant to keep anyone out. It was merely a territorial marker and a deterrent to unwelcome guests. When I reached the front doors, I silently opened one, peeking inside. It was eerily quiet.

I smiled to myself, closing the door quietly behind me before hurrying up to the next floor. I knew where his bedroom was. It wasn’t my first time trespassing.

Racing up to the next floor and down a long hallway, I finally reached his room. As I reached for the door handle, I smiled and pushed it open. Stepping inside, I froze as the sweetest voice I had ever heard suddenly spoke.

“Not that I care, but where did you go?”

I couldn’t move. I couldn’t do anything. The voice resonated inside me like a beautiful song. What was happening to me?

Do you smell that? My wolf, Tarren, suddenly stepped forward. He had been pumped up the entire night, ready to finally avenge our dead mate, but now he was hyper-focused on the scent in the room, moving around uneasily.

Who is that?

I looked at the small form on the couch. Why was the little female sleeping there instead of on the bed? I turned my eyes to the bed and noticed it was empty. Where the hell was Wylder? Had the pack members alerted him after all?

I wanted to shout in frustration, but then my gaze returned to the little one sleeping on the couch. Who was she? Why did she smell so good? It was then that I recognized these feelings. I couldn’t believe it, though. Did the little one belong to me?

“Wylder?”

She surprised me as she suddenly sat up, only to look up at me with wide eyes, shocked to realize I wasn’t Wylder. Before I knew it, I had her pressed back into the couch, my hand over her mouth to prevent her from speaking. I couldn’t let her alert anyone. She gazed at me with frightened eyes, and I was uncertain about what to do next.

Mate! That’s our mate! We’ve found our second chance.

Who would have thought I would find my second chance mate inside my enemy’s room? Who was she to him, though? Why was she here? Was she just a late-night visitor? No, then she wouldn’t be sleeping on the couch fully clothed.

We don’t have time for this! Wylder isn’t here. Let’s take her and go!

Tarren was right. I couldn’t stay. My plan hadn’t gone as intended, and now I needed to leave. I would come back when my mate wasn’t at risk of being trapped in the crossfire.

I took the syringe, and when she saw it, her eyes widened even more. I quickly used it on her, and she fell asleep. It was easy to carry her, and I encountered no one on my way out.

However, I did pause by the door, looking back and regretting that my plan hadn’t unfolded as expected. But I wasn’t leaving empty-handed.

I had found my mate.