Reclaiming Herself—Completed

Chapter Twenty-Two

Patrick.

He saw Richard run after them, which posed an interesting opportunity for him. He loathed that man more than words could express. If an accident were to happen…

No. We will have justice. Richard deserves to rot in a cell for the rest of his life.

Patrick grumbled to himself, but knew that was the right thing to do. If he killed Richard here and now, then he couldn’t be held accountable for all of his evil deeds.

The only thing that truly mattered in this moment was that he got Danielle safely away from Richard, and that his men secured the area and rescued the women inside. He also hoped to capture any of the men inside who were going to participate in such a disgusting practice.

Making an abrupt turn, Patrick held onto Danielle’s legs and swung them around through a doorway. He used his foot to slam the door shut as he took a step with his other, only to realize a second too late that there was no floor but steps instead. With gravity pulling him downwards, he slid Danielle’s body down his chest, so that she was now cradled in his arms. Tucking her head into his chest, he leaned forward into a summersault, taking the brunt of the fall on his back. As they rolled to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, Patrick groaned. But, he heard the door opening and knew he had to keep going.

Patrick sprang from the ground, continuing to hold Danielle in his arms, and sprinted to the end of the room.

“Th–there’s no exit in here,” Danielle whispered into his suit jacket. “This was where the girls were kept.”

“Well, s**t,” he replied calmly.

He heard Richard laughing behind him. “Nowhere to go, sir. Unhand my Luna. I know you’re only under the spell of her heat, but as soon as she marks me, you’ll return to normal, and we can continue as though nothing has happened. Water under the bridge. My promise.”

There was no way in hell that Patrick was going to let her go; however, Richard thought that he was only doing this because of Danielle’s heat, which he could use to his advantage. Richard hadn’t figured out who he was yet.

Letting her go, he spun around and pushed her behind him. “No can do, Richy Rich,” he replied in his bored tone.

He then flashed the alpha a smile when he saw that the nickname bothered him. He studied the other alpha for a moment. Patrick took in his grizzled appearance. His face was fatter and round, and he already had wrinkles in his face and neck, though he couldn’t have been more than 50. He had many scars on his hands and one on his forehead that disappeared into his receding hairline. He was tall and imposing with quite a bit of muscle still on him, though. His body looked seasoned yet tired. His mud-brown eyes glared at him though the rest of his face appeared ever the welcoming host. His thin lips were curved into a forced smile.

“She’s mine now. I’ll even pay for her if ya like. Outta all the girlies, I gotta say, I like this one the best,” he continued.

“Now, sir. I have many beauties upstairs. This one is spoken far. My initials are already carved into her collar. Besides, like I said, once her heat is over, I’m sure you’ll not fancy her at all. Come now, let’s be civil about this.”

“Sure,” Patrick chuckled. “Civil. Like how ya keep these gals locked up? Do ya source them ethically as well?”

Richard twitched in irritation. “My methods are my own. If you’re not pleased with how I obtain the stock, then perhaps, you should shop elsewhere. No one forced you to be here today. Please, let go of my mate.”

“And if I say no?”

“Then I’m afraid this conversation is over.”

“Even if I offered a million US dollars?”

Pausing for a moment, Richard mulled the offer over in his head. It was a rather large sum. It was probably more than he’d make in the entire auction. The average sale was $15k, with a few making it up to $30k if there was a war among clients.

Finally, Richard sighed. “As tempting as that offer is, I’m afraid I cannot part with her.”

“5 million.”

Richard raised an eyebrow at Patrick. “What is your obsession with her? You could easily have the entire collection for merely the 1 million you offered. Why her? Why offer me so much?”

“I have a very particular taste. She’s the only one I want.”

“I can’t do it. She’s far more valuable to me than money,” Richard replied, taking an aggressive step forward.

Patrick could see that he had run out of time for talking. So, he decided to let his actions speak louder than his words. Silently asking for Brenda’s forgiveness, Patrick let Aero take control and transform. He heard the suit rip into shreds, and stood on all four paws, growling at Richard, who was a second behind in his own transformation.

Aero immediately attacked, not even giving Richard’s wolf a second more to secure his footing. Though the other wolf was nimble, it couldn’t avoid Aero’s large jaws, which clamped powerfully onto its flank. The wolf howled, shaking Aero off of it, and snarling at him. Richard’s wolf then launched its own attack at Aero, aiming for his neck. He swiftly ducked out of the way, and used the opportunity to rake his claws against its side. This wolf was no match for Aero. It was obvious that Richard’s wolf had once been a skilled warrior, but it was not too slow in both attacks and reactionary moves. The wolf was bleeding in mere minutes and retreating back to the stairs. A moment later, the wolf transformed back into Richard’s naked, bloody, and sweaty body. His eyes were daggers as he stared at Aero, but climbed up the stairs, leaving them alone.

Aero gave Patrick back control, and he shifted. He grinned as Danielle looked away, her cheeks pinking up. She seemed embarrassed at his nakedness.

“Uhh… here,” she said with uncertainty, thrusting a yellow shawl at him.

One of the girls had been using it as a blanket earlier before she was forced to leave it behind. Patrick wrapped it around his waist, covering himself. An awkward silence descended between them.

“A–aren’t you going to go after him?” she then timidly asked.

“My men are here. I’ve already mind-linked them his description. I’m not worried. The clients, too, are being rounded up as we speak. Those women will be well taken care of until they decide where they’d like to go–either back to their packs or to join mine. They’re free now.”

She looked up at him suddenly, awe in her eyes. “R–really?”

“Really.”

“And, uh, and me?”

Patrick felt a pang in his heart at her small voice. Her simple question was wrapped up in so much hurt and sorrow, and it killed him to see her in such a state. He walked a few steps in her direction, slowly, and when she didn’t retreat from him, he then took off the collar around her neck.

“You’re free too,” he said gently.

She gazed up at him, searching his eyes. “You’ll let me go?”

Patrick struggled not to feel hurt by her words. She didn’t want him. She looked hopeful that he would say that she could walk out of his life forever. How could his mate so readily leave him behind? He wanted anything besides letting her go. He wanted her badly, and with her being in heat added into the mix, he absolutely did not want to ever watch her walk away. It took everything within him to restrain himself from taking her right then and there.

As he opened his mouth to answer, Matthew stomped down the steps. Danielle flinched with each step, cowering. He also saw her sway slightly, using the wall to catch herself. She still looked unwell.

“Alpha!” he shouted, clearly upset.

“What is it?”

“All bad news. Not only did that prick escape, somehow the New Council was tipped off. Our scout saw them headed this way. We need to get out of here before they think we’re part of this corrupt bullshit.”

“Are the women all safe?” Patrick asked.

“Yes. All 50 are accounted for.”

Nodding, Patrick turned to steal a glance at Danielle, who seemed relieved to hear that the enslaved women would all make it out of this place.

“Beta Matthew, Luna Danielle,” Matthew said, bowing his head. “It’s an honor to formally meet you. I look forward to officially meeting you once we’re out of this hell hole. I know our pack is eager to have you as our Luna and serve you.”

“Oh,” Danielle said, her eyes flitting down to her feet.

Patrick cleared his throat. “Let’s get out of here, Danielle, if that’s okay with you,” he said as he offered her his hand.

Danielle briefly met his eyes, though she still seemed hesitant.

“I know that Caleb is dying to see you again. I promised to bring you back safe and sound, and I never break a promise.”

At the mention of his name, her facial expression immediately brightened. Patrick did his best not to take it personally. She then grabbed onto his hand, tingles shooting up his arm and making his entire body warm.

The small group then exited the room, and made their way out of the building. They quickly ran through the forest, following Matthew’s lead. Since he hadn’t come through the portals, they had taken different avenues to the auction after receiving the location.

It wasn’t until they were safely inside the plane, on their way back home, that Patrick finally felt the tension of the day start leaving his body. It had been a long day for all of them. He felt a new sense of calm and relief flood his body as he sat next to his mate for the first time, and when her head fell onto his shoulder as she slept, he had never known a greater feeling.