An Unwavering Promise--Completed

Chapter Nineteen

Alexander’s POV

Dropping to my knees, I reached for her and gently cradled Eleanor in my arms. In this moment, my fearsome, strong, and independent mate seemed so fragile, weak, and small. It broke my heart to see her crumpled up like this, but I was also full of pride. We had uncovered another whole in the drywall next to her. It looked like she had been shuttling people out of the building before the ceiling collapsed on them. I wondered how many people she saved and marveled at her tenacity to do good at all times. How could I have ever thought that she couldn’t handle my secrets? Every time I doubted her, Eleanor never ceased to prove her merit and resilience to appropriately deal with all things that came her way. As soon as she opened her beautiful eyes, I would tell her every single thing I had been keeping from her. Being with her and knowing that we trusted each other more than life itself was going to be a blessing. The Moon Goddess had given this woman to me, so I needed to set my pride aside and cherish her like she deserved.

After this revelation, Xavier called Hailey, and we snuck back out of the building. Well, that wasn’t quite true. We tried to sneak back out; however, with carrying three bodies and having a pregnant woman in our group, we weren’t able to blend in. The media instantly began poking microphones in our faces and asking us question after question. The police also made their appearance, wondering if we had been trapped inside. I did my best to evade most of the questions that could land us jail, and we headed back towards the hospital. Eleanor needed immediate medical attention.

Once we made it back to the hospital, I checked Eleanor in, and watched as the nurses and doctors took her behind closed doors. My nervousness and worry skyrocketed as soon as she left my arms. And although the doctor reassured me several times and Xavier mentioned her werewolf blood, I still couldn’t shake off my uneasy feeling. I knew that the only way I could clear my mind and be at ease was if I found Dominic and gave him a proper beating. His men had gotten the jump on me once, but I wouldn’t let it happen again. And if he wanted my mate as badly as Hailey had said, then I knew he’d stop at nothing to get her. I had to protect my girl.

The only problem was that I had no idea where to begin in order to find the asshole. However, I did know of one person I thought had an inkling. Brit. Everyone around me seemed to hate her, and that was telling, but she had been my former partner, and we had trusted each other at one point. I wanted to believe that she wouldn’t sell me out. I had seen her slinking around the front of the hospital as we walked in, and decided that she was my only lead.

Spotting her sitting on a bench, I walked over to her and sat heavily next to her. I felt her instinctively scoot closer to me.

“Brit, you know I’m not here for that,” I sighed.

“I–I know. I just, well, I’ve missed you,” she said softly.

“I’m happy. Happier than I’ve been. I don’t deserve Eleanor, and I don’t want to lose her.In the moment that I found out about her, I told you that I was done.”

Brit attempted to grab my hand, but I jerked it away and folded my arms.

“I get that, really, I do. But it isn’t that easy or simple for me. I love you, Alexi. I always have.”

“I don’t love you.”

She pursed her lips and pouted. “I can’t just shut it off. We were seeing each other off and on for like, what, seven years? We’ve spent countless hours together and have been in life and death situations. We survived all that, and now you’re asking me to just throw it all away and turn off my love for you. It’s a difficult task you’ve given me.”

“I was always honest about what this was, Brit. We’ve known since the beginning that I could find my mate at any time and that we’d end this,” I countered. “We promised to keep our emotions in check and not fall for one another.”

“I remember.”

“So, I need you to set aside your feelings. I’ll never return them. To be blunt, I’ve never felt for you what I feel for Eleanor. However, I do hope you find that with someone else. You deserve a good guy, and whatever Dominic is, you need to drop that s**t immediately,” I lectured.

She rolled her eyes, but then nodded. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have planned that with him. I should’ve just left–”

My hand instinctively moved to her throat, and she gasped for air. “What did you say?” I asked in a deadly voice. “You planned this stupid thing with him? You were working with him? You wanted to hurt my mate?”

Her hands clawed at mine and her eyes were filled with terror. She sputtered, “I–I didn’t re–alize it would g–go that f–ar. Let m–me bre–athe. Pl–please.”

I let her go, taking deep breaths to calm both me and Hunter down. Brit would never know how close to snapping her neck Hunter had been.

“I’m s–s–sorry,” she choked out, breathing heavily.

I watched her wearily clutch at her neck. The fear was still visible in her.

“You will tell me everything, and you will help me take Dominic down. I will not let him live, let alone plot to take Eleanor away from me. And once I do that, we’re done, Brit. I never want to talk to you or see you ever again,” I harshly stated.

Tears welled up in her eyes. “Alexi, no. Why? Please.”

I shook my head. “No. This was too far. She’s my mate. She’s the love of my life. If she had died, I would have followed. You will never mess with that, and I will not hesitate to kill you if you try.”

My voice was cold and my face matched it. I could tell that Brit was hurt and couldn’t comprehend why I was acting like this. She would never be able to understand the depths of mine and Eleanor’s mate bond. She could never have the love that I gave to my wonderful mate.

“I did it because I thought she was too much of a distraction,” Brit said suddenly. “You haven't been yourself for quite some time. You weren’t checking in with us. My father, well, he was going to send a squad to get you. I made a promise to him that I’d sort you out and bring you back to your senses. You’re treading on thin ice with the bureau, Alexi.”

I balled my hands into fists. “You were going to sell her to Dominic just to get me to cooperate with the mission? Are you out of your mind?”

“We vowed to always have each other’s back. I was doing you a solid! A favor! You know what my dad will do to you. He can’t show you favoritism! Besides, I didn’t realize you’d react like this. I didn’t know she was your mate. This has been planned since the stupid witch sent spies after me. It was already getting out of control. I saw a way to neutralize the situation, so I took it. That’s how we were trained!”

“Well,” I yelled, standing. “Ugh! This is such a mess!”

I stormed around the bench, gripping the back of the bench with both hands. Brit had a point. I knew the consequences, and yet, to stay in my happy, little bubble, I ignored my duties. Now, Eleanor was in critical condition and clinging to life, Brit had schemed with Dominic to get me out of the fire, and I still had a mission to accomplish.

“I understand how this looks and what’s at stake. Although I appreciate your feeble attempts, you’ll never put Eleanor in danger ever again. Agreed?”

“Agreed.”

“As for the mission and your father…” I trailed off.

Brit turned to face me. “Yes, it is a predicament.”

“We’re going to take care of Dominic first, and then we’ll deal with that, okay?” I said.

“Is that really how you want to go about this? Dominic could be an ally,” Brit replied.

I shook my head. “No, he’s too much of a wild card. Besides, his weird obsession with Eleanor pisses me off. According to Candy, she said she didn’t remember him, which is an interesting fact that I doubt he counted on. However, if she doesn’t remember him and their time spent together, what else is she forgetting? How much did Nicholas mess up in her brain? Our mission has become way more complicated than even your father foresaw, don’t you think?”

“Yes, I do think so. But, I don’t want to be the one to report it. He’ll only send more agents, and we can’t afford for this to get any more out of hand than it already has,” she said, sitting back against the bench.

“He probably already has,” I mused, carefully scanning the road before us.

The street was busy with activity. There were stores and businesses, and all sorts of places for other agents to hide and report on them. That’s how the agency liked to work.

Brit sighed. “Maybe. We’ll just have to cover our tracks. I’ll help you with Dominic, since I brought him into this, but I don’t… No, I can’t stay out of your life. I refuse to accept that part of the deal.”

I groaned. Brit always had to get her way.

“We’ll talk about it later after we deal with Dominic,” I conceded. “First, we need a plan.”

“Here’s what I was thinking,” Brit began with a smile.