The Midnight Foxxx

Chapter 21

MADDOX

"How the f**k did she get out?" I roar, ripping the cell door off its hinges in frustration, "I thought she couldn't use her magic with Wolfsbane in her system?"

"It must have passed through faster than we anticipated," Asher states. I growl and bound up the stairs, my Beta right on my heels. The door at the top of the stairs doesn't budge when I try to shoulder it open.

"You have to be shitting me," I seethe, "Help me get this open!" Asher squeezes in next to me on the narrow stairs. We give each other a knowing nod and throw our shoulders into the door in unison. The metal rings loudly from the impact and a large dent now decorates the center of it.

"Again!" without skipping a beat, Asher is bracing himself again in perfect sync with me. The second ram is enough to snap the dead bolt and the door flies open. We stumble into the living room, but Vixen is nowhere to be seen. Her scent still lingers in the air.

"I can smell her. She’s still here somewhere. Have anyone available patrol around the main house. You and I will turn this entire house upside down if we have to," Asher nods and takes off for the kitchen. The coyote’s scent is very subtle and faint, but it’s definitely there, just not pungent enough to follow a trail. I take in the large living room, large couches and a flat-screen TV take up most of the space. To the right is a large archway leading towards the back of the house. It’s the first escape route she would likely see. I walk through the threshold and immediately notice that every door down the hallway is closed. They were not that way earlier.

“Clever girl,” I smirk to myself as I open the first door to an empty bathroom. The next door is to the library, which is also empty. The last door is to an in-law's suite, mostly used as a guest bedroom. Unsurprisingly, it’s empty, but the en-suite bathroom door is close. I approach slowly and grip the handle tightly. I swing the door open quickly, the shower curtain billowing in the sudden gust of air. The flowing fabric is ripped to the side, exposing a large and empty tub. My nostrils flair angrily and storm out into the hallway. The end of the hall opens up into a large sunroom. Sunlight filters in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the entire space. Vixen’s scent is slightly stronger here, like she lingered in this room. French doors lead to the backyard, but I can see five pack mates right outside, and highly doubt she would take the risk to go that way. I turn around to gaze up the stairs that lead to the second floor.

The house is eerily quiet. There is faint shuffling towards the front of the house where Asher is searching, but then I hear a soft creak of a floor board. It came from upstairs. The only people inside are me and Asher. I make my way up the stairs, not even bothering to keep my steps quiet. I want her to hear me coming. I want to hear her heart pounding in her chest as I get closer.

It's dark at the top of the stairs, dimly lit by the light trickling in from the skylight. Vixen's scent tickles my nose, and there's a hint of fear mixed in with it. There are a lot more places to hide on the second floor. More bedrooms, closets, and bathrooms. Most of the doors were open. I inhale deeply, focusing in on the light floral and sweet scent of the coyote. It's still too faint to discern a specific direction, so I start with the nearest room; Asher's bedroom. It's clean and tidy, not a single thing out of place. The bed is neatly made with dark gray bedding. I poke my head into his private bathroom, which is also ridiculously pristine. As I'm checking cabinets and closets, anywhere someone her size could squeeze into, I hear a loud thump. It came from one room over. Wilder's bedroom.

My legs carry me quickly back out into the large hallway. The cool metal of the door handle grazes my fingertips.

"Get the f**k off me," a feminine voice hisses on the other side of the door, stopping me in my tracks. I hear what sounds like a struggle, grunts and groans, and rustling of clothes.

"f**k! Stop..." Vixen's voice is raspy, like she's struggling to breathe. My brows pinch in confusion. Who the f**k is she talking to? Asher is downstairs and everyone else should be outside monitoring the house.

"You fucker... I'll ki-" her voice becomes muffled and frantic. I finally turn the door handle, clutched tightly in my hand. The door swings open slowly and silently. The scene on the other side is horrifying, my brain unable to process the images my eyes are sending to it. Wilder is crouched on his bed, a wild and predatory expression on his face. The arm without a hand is currently being forced into Vixen's mouth, the pressure pulling her head back into an awkward and painful angle. He has a knee pressed into her back, pinning her down while his only hand is ripping and pulling at any piece of clothing it can get a hold of. It's when he tugs her already torn leggings down, exposing her bare bottom, that I notice his own pants are undone and hanging halfway down his thighs, his member already out and erect. Vixen has her eyes squeezed shut while she claws uselessly at the sheets, trying to get out from under him. My wolf is going nuts in my head, demanding we save the small shifter.

"Wilder," my voice is low, just above a whisper, "What are you doing?" Wilder freezes his movements. When he looks at me, his eyes are wide and panicked.

'Hey man! Uh, Nat said I was good enough to leave the infirmary. I found her hiding in my room when I got here. She attacked me,' a forced smile is plastered onto his face.

'I'm only going to ask one more time. What. Are. You. Doing?' though we are communicating through a mindlink, a low growl has started rumbling in my chest.

'I caught her for you, obviously,' Wilder awkwardly tries to tuck himself back into his pants, failing at being discreet. My eyes flick to Vixen, tears now sliding down her tan cheeks as she trembles.

'What were you about to do?' my wolf is chomping at the bit, pushing for control, no longer wanting to play this game with the Gamma.

'I was just, you know, showing her who's in charge so she doesn't try to run again,' he presses more of his weight onto her back, eliciting a whimper from the half-naked woman.

'By forcing yourself on her?' the words feel heavy and disgusting in my mouth.

'Dude, gross! No, she likes this, she loves it rough,' A yelp leaves Wilder's lips when the coyote under him bites down on his arm. With a growl, he yanks the arm back, her neck bending much further back than what is natural. Vixen cries out in pain, though its muffled by the limb gagging her. I march toward the bed, looming over the two of them. The Gamma audibly gulps.

"Vixen," I crouch down to be eye level with her, but her eyes remain screwed shut, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth.

"Look at me," her eyes snap open, looking wide-eyed and terrified, "Do you like this?"

'Dude, you can't be serious. You’d take her word over mi-' I fix the red head with a glare, shutting him up. Vixen closed her eyes again when I return my gaze to her.

"Will you answer me please?" the air in the room becomes thick. Not just Vixen's heart is racing, but Wilder's is too. Her breathing starts to pick up, nostrils flaring and lets out a scream before biting down onto Wilder again with all her might.

'f*****g b***h,' Wilder snarls and lands a hard punch to the side of her face.

'See, she f*****g deserves this. I'm just reminding her of her place.' He rips his arm out of her mouth. She starts coughing uncontrollably, blood trickling from the corners of her lips. With surprising speed and strength, the woman pushes herself up, throwing her elbow back and striking Wilder in his still-healing throat. She crawls out from under him while he gasps for breath and curls in on herself at the far corner of the bed. Tan legs are hugged to her chest as she tries to cover herself.

“Was the first time not enough, asshole?” Vixen spits at him.

“First time?” I question. Red eyes glare at me untrustingly.

“He’s done this before?” I try again, but she only wipes away blood with the back of her hand and looks away.

‘f*****g w***e is a liar,’ Wilder growls, a hand grasping at his tender neck. My wolf snarls at his comment.

‘Enough Wilder,’ I scold him and reach for Vixen’s arm without thinking. The sudden movement has the coyote darting off the bed to get away, and I quickly grab her before she’s able to escape.

“Hey, relax,” I grunt, her smaller frame deceivingly strong.

“f**k you!” She screeches, struggling harder to get out of my hold. I move my hand from her arm to the back of her neck, scruffing her, but the fight still doesn’t fully leave her body.

“Submit,” my grip tightens, guilt creeping in, knowing I’ll likely leave bruises, “That’s it, relax, I don’t want to hurt you.” The jerking suddenly stops, her eyes darting around frantically before squeezing shut. Heat envelopes my hand, the sudden burn stinging skin. My hand now clenches around nothing but empty air.

“s**t, where did she-“ a loud crash and then an ear-splitting scream fills the space, and I’m darting out of the room following the noise, Wilder right behind me. The hallway is empty but can faintly hear what sounds like sobbing coming from the staircase. I approach slowly, dread pooling in my stomach when the scent of blood hits my nose. Bile rises in my throat at the sight waiting for me.

The stair railings are completely destroyed. Vixen lays at the bottom of the steps with a metal baluster protruding from her stomach. Her previously injured arm is obviously broken, bent at an unnatural angle. Blood has already started pooling under her at an alarming rate. Asher is at her side, struggling to apply pressure as she squirms under him.

“What the f**k happened?” I demand while running down the stairs two at a time.

“She f*****g… I don’t know. I was looking around in here when she fell from nowhere and landed on the railing and got impaled,” Asher recounts, his voice sounding panicked.

“She teleported trying to get away. She must of miscalculated her trajectory,” I think aloud while stroking her tear-stained cheek and wiping away the blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. A mangled chuckle from the top of the stairs grabs my attention and see Wilder grinning ear to ear. My wolf starts losing his mind and I nearly shift from the surge of rage.

“I don’t know what you're smiling at,” I growl, “but go get Natalie before you lose another limb.”