Chapter 16
1278 Words
Cain
I was already on edge when Jordan found me behind the training gym, the late afternoon wind cold as it cut through the collar of my jacket. She didn’t say a word at first, just leaned against the opposite wall and crossed her arms, watching me like I was one of her targets.
“Something you want to say?” I muttered, voice sharper than I meant.
“Yeah,” she said evenly. “What the hell is going on with Gwen?”
I flinched, then covered it by looking away. “She’s under a command. She can’t say anything. You know that.”
Jordan pushed off the wall and stepped closer. “Don’t play games with me. You know her pain better than any of us. I see the way you look at her, Cain. Don’t lie to me.”
I opened my mouth, but my tongue was too heavy. I turned away again.
“Cain,” she pressed, eyes narrowing, “you know something. More than you’re saying. More than just her being under command.”
The words slipped before I could stop them.
“She’s my mate.”
The silence that followed was total. No wind. No birds. Just Jordan staring at me like I’d grown a second head.
“What?” she hissed.
I cursed under my breath. “I didn’t mean to say that.”
“She doesn’t know?”
“No. And she can’t. Not yet.”
“You son of a b***h,” she snapped. “You let her think she’s going crazy. You let her suffer.”
“You think I don’t feel it?” I growled. “Every day I have to keep this buried, it’s like tearing my own soul apart. If I claim her now, Karl will kill her.”
Jordan glared at me, her voice cracking. “Then find a way to protect her. Before you lose her for good.”
I stared after her retreating back for a minute before realizing the phone in my pocket was buzzing. The secure line crackled, but Cole’s voice came through clear, crisp with tension.
"The evidence is damning," he said. "There are at least two more Omega brothels that link back to Middle Moon territory. Different names, same structure, same encryption."
Cash’s voice followed, lower, laced with disgust. "I’ve been posing as an Alpha in some of the darker forums. They talk about the trade like it’s some elite club. They’re not just trafficking Omegas. They’re grooming them. Packs are using heat suppression drugs to keep them compliant."
I gritted my teeth, jaw aching from the force of it. "We need more proof before we move. And we need to get Gwen out before the Ball. She’s not safe."
"Speaking of Gwen," Cash added with a huff of amusement, "any progress?"
"No," I said tightly. "She’s pulling away. Whatever Karl’s doing… it’s crushing her. I can feel it. She barely looks at me anymore."
"Then get her out," Cole snapped. "Before they break her."
"I’m trying."
I ended the call just as the sleek black SUV pulled up the drive. Derrick stepped out, casual in a tailored black jacket and dark jeans — the picture-perfect Beta from a visiting allied pack.
He stretched, looking around the compound with narrowed eyes. "Nice place. Cold as hell, though."
"You’re late," I said.
"Yeah, yeah. You try getting through rogue territory with a low profile."
I raised a brow.
Derrick glanced sideways at me. "How’s Gwen?"
"Still under Alpha orders. Still pretending she doesn’t feel what’s between us. It’s killing her. I can smell it."
He clapped a hand on my shoulder. "Then let’s crack this wide open and give her a way out."
I nodded and turned toward the path leading to Jordan’s apartment. "Come on. You need to meet Olivia. She got out of one of the brothels, and she’s starting to talk. Not everything, but enough."
We walked in silence for a few minutes. The closer we got, the tenser Derrick became. His stride shortened. His eyes kept scanning the treeline. His wolf was alert — pacing inside him.
"You good?" I asked.
He didn’t answer. His nostrils flared.
Then we reached the door. I knocked.
It opened — and time stopped.
Derrick
The scent hit me first — like crushed flowers and storm-charged air, warm and wild and hers. My wolf lunged inside me, howling, claws raking against the walls of my chest.
Then the door opened fully, and I saw her.
Golden skin. Bright, curious eyes. Disheveled curls and a defensive stance.
My mate.
The bond snapped tight like a wire pulled taut between us. My breath caught. I couldn’t move. Could barely think past the instinctual need to go to her.
Her hand clutched the edge of the door like she might slam it shut — or like she needed to hold onto something to stop from falling.
"You're—" she breathed.
"Yeah," I rasped, stepping closer. "It’s you."
Her jaw clenched. "Seriously?"
Jordan
This couldn’t be happening.
I hadn’t showered. I hadn’t slept. Olivia was pacing in the back bedroom, and Gwen was unreachable, and now this walking tank of a wolf was standing at my door — smelling like home and looking at me like I was the moon in his sky.
I couldn’t move. My wolf purred with recognition, leaning into the pull. I wanted to curse. To scream. To kiss him.
"Of all the days…" I muttered.
Cain was backing away already, hands up. "I didn’t know it’d happen like this. I swear."
He stepped into the apartment, eyes locked on me. "You feel it too."
I nodded slowly. "Yeah."
"Then I’m not leaving."
Cain awkwardly stood there with his hands in his pockets "Uh. Jordan this is my uh...my Beta, Derrick."
I took a moment to fully take in my mate. He was tall — towering, even — broad-shouldered, with piercing hazel eyes that flickered gold at the edges. His dark hair was tousled like he’d run a hand through it one too many times, and his presence filled the space like a thunderstorm rolling in. He moved like a predator, confident and unhurried, but with the raw edge of someone barely holding back.
Derrick moved toward me, slow, reverent. His hand brushed mine — sparks flew.
I sucked in a breath. "You’re the Beta from Emerald Crest?"
He grinned. "Guilty. But I'm nice."
I arched an eyebrow. "That remains to be seen."
He chuckled, voice low. "Guess you’ll have to spend some time with me to find out."
I glared at him… and didn’t pull my hand away.
Cain
I left them in the house, while they figured out what to do with the bond now humming between them like a live wire.
I stepped outside, giving them space. Derrick followed a few moments later, eyes still wide with the shock of the bond.
"That wasn’t how I pictured meeting her," he muttered.
I chuckled under my breath. "That’s how it always goes."
He sobered. "If you need me to keep things professional — I will. Duty comes first."
I shook my head. "You don’t have to choose, Derrick. You’ve got a mate now. Get to know her. I can hold down the fort for a few hours. We’ll talk later."
He nodded slowly, gaze drifting back toward Jordan’s door. "Thanks, Cain."
As I turned to walk away, I felt the ache in my chest twist deeper.
The bond had snapped fast and hard for them — clean and clear. No secrets. No distance.
Goddess help me. I wanted that with Gwen. So badly, it hurt.
- Writer
