Chapter 25 - Riley
This had to be a bad dream, and any moment I was going to wake up still curled in Cayden's arms. I was just dreaming about this because I was worried. We hadn't found Brad, and this was logical to dream about. People had nightmares all the time. There was no way that Brad would go after April. April knew how to protect herself. She was smart.
But the longer I stared, the more I realized this wasn't a dream. This was real. Brad had April, and he was using her. How did he even get here? Wasn't he back in the pack moving on? Wasn't that what April had told me?
I couldn't breathe as I stared at April with the knife held to her throat. She looked so pale as Brad pushed her into the apartment, following himself with her. He kicked the door shut, his eyes flickering to me and then to Cayden.
"No one moves," Brad growled.
I could feel Cayden vibrating as he pulled me a step back behind him, shielding me from Brad. I was grateful knowing he would never let anything happen to me, but it wasn't myself I was worried about. I wasn't the one with a knife being held to my throat.
April blinked, looking between Cayden and me, unsure which of us to look at. I'd seen April be scared many times. Being afraid to learn to swim and turning in an essay, knowing it wasn't good. Breaking up with her first boyfriend, scared she was going to lose a friend.
But this. This was different. She looked terrified and angry mixed together.
"You are making a big mistake, buddy," Cayden growled low, a voice I'd never hear leaving his mouth. His nostrils flared, and his jaw clenched. I could see he was holding back from pouncing.
April looked at her brother, and a spark of hope twinkled in her eyes.
I looked at Brad, wanting to rip his throat out. It was one thing for him to hurt me, but he went after someone I loved. Someone who had stood in my corner for years, and I wasn't going just to stand by while he hurt her. I might not have protected myself, but I sure as hell wasn't going to let him hurt April.
"This could have all been avoided if she hadn't been such a pain in the ass," Brad growled back, his eyes flaring towards me. I could see crazy in them. Whatever calm head he had was gone. He looked like a person that had gone crazy.
I didn't know what to say to him. What did you say to a person holding a knife to your best friend's throat?
"Let go of my sister," Cayden snapped, stepping forward. "She hasn't done anything wrong."
Brad pulled the knife tighter, and April whimpered, which paused Cayden in his tracks. I watched as Cayden curled his hands into tight fists.
I cleared my throat. "What do you want, Brad? An apology? Do you want me to get down on my knees? What?" I felt my voice shake as I spoke. "What do you want?"
"I want you back at home," he snapped, his eyes flickering to me.
"She isn't going anywhere with you," Cayden snarled back.
"This is between Riley and I," Brad growled at Cayden. "And if you want a living sister, you'll stay out of the way."
"Brad, this is insane," I said, stepping closer or as close as Cayden would let me. "You and I both know that there is no good way to end this. I will not go with you. So, you might as well let her go before this goes south."
"I had to do this because you wouldn't listen to reason," he snapped back. "If you had just returned when I told you, none of this would be happening. If you had just listened, I wouldn't have had to go to such extreme measures!"
I scowled, not understanding. Why did I matter? Why did he want me so badly? Was it about having control or about losing it? It didn't matter anyway. He could have anyone he wanted in town, so why did it matter if I left?
But then I thought about April's words before. She was going to make him pay. What had she done? I looked at April, and she stared at me. That terror moments ago was gone; I could see she was proud of whatever she did. She held her head a little higher than before.
"There are plenty of women out there. Surely someone else wants to be with you." I state.
Brad gave a harsh laugh and looked at April. "I could until this one decided to tell everyone what happened. No woman will even look at me. She's ruined my reputation."
Was that what took her so long to get back? Was that why she kept pushing her return date back?
"You deserved what was coming," April stated, which made Brad snarl.
I felt like I couldn't breathe. Of course. The only way to clean this mess up was to come back and act like April had lied. Whatever she'd said, people were listening to, and from the look on his face and his appearance, it was fucking him over.
"Maybe you shouldn't choke women, and you wouldn't have a problem," Cayden said.
Brad snapped his eyes to him, furious now. "Give me Riley, or your sister is done for. I'm done asking."
"You…" Cayden was ready to jump, and I quickly grabbed him and turned to him.
"I'll go," I practically yelled.
Cayden's eyes went to me, looking at me like I was crazy. "Absolutely not! You are not going with him."
I squeezed his arms, not breaking my eye contact with him. I spoke slower. "I…will go with him. We need to save April."
Cayden's nostrils flared, and I hoped he understood. I turned back to Brad and April and looked at April for a split second.
I took a step towards Brad. "Fine, I'll go with you. But you have to let her go. I won't go until I know you are leaving her here."
I took another step and watched April lower her hands, dropping them to her side.
Another step, and I watched her fingers curl into fists. She straightened her back and took a deep breath in.
Another step, and her shoulders relaxed.
By the time I stood just a step in front, Brad was fully focused on me. April took a moment, pulling her hand up and swinging her hand down her fist, connecting with his crotch.
I was going to step back, but Brad grabbed me as he tumbled forward. I screamed, trying to break free, but his hold on me was tighter.
Before I could really even try again, I heard Cayden's growl, and suddenly, I was slammed into the ground. My head hit the ground, and a sharp pain pierced my left shoulder.
I squeezed my eyes shut as my head felt like it had been used as a basketball, and a scream erupted around me.
"Riley!" April's voice filled my head, and I forced my eyes open. She was hovering over me, shaking me. Her eyes were wild as she looked at me. I felt her hands on my shoulder, the pain not as sharp as it was. When she pulled her hand back, I could see red.
Was I bleeding? Had he stabbed me?
I looked past her towards Brad and Cayden. Cayden shoved Brad hard against the wall, landing a punch.
I squeezed my eyes shut, a wave of pain coursing over my entire brain.
"Riley, talk to me. Oh my god, your shoulder. You're bleeding. Oh my god, what do I do?"
I opened my eyes again, looking down at my shoulder, and right where my arm rotated was a stab wound. It didn't hurt as badly as I thought it would, but maybe that was adrenaline. I'm sure I would feel it in a little bit.
I heard a growl, and we both turned to see Cayden and Brad shift into wolf form. They were pouncing on each other, and the sound of snarls and biting filled the space. There was yipping and snapping that followed.
I felt my heart bounce into my throat, and I wanted to vomit. I pulled a hand up, covering my mouth, stopping myself.
"What do we do?" April asked, her hands pressed hard against my shoulder. I didn't know if she was talking about me or the fight of the guys in the living room.
My eyes were glued to the fight. The two wolves snarled at each other, biting and ripping at fur. Brad had the upper hand, and it took my breath away. The thought of losing Cayden made me sick. I had just found him, and I couldn't lose him. And if Brad won, what was I going to do?
But suddenly, Cayden pinned Brad, and the sound of his neck cracking filled the air. Brad went still, and Cayden stood breathing heavily in his wolf form. Blood coated his teeth, and it dripped onto the carpet.
I pushed myself up, practically running across the living room towards him. Tears broke free as I started to cry. "Cayden."
Cayden shifted back into his human form, catching me as I landed on him. I ran my hands over him, needing to make sure he wasn't hurt.
I sobbed as I ran my hands over him, searching for wounds. "Are you hurt? Are you okay? Is any of this blood yours?"
"I'm okay. I'm not the one bleeding. Jesus, Riley. You're hurt. Oh my god, your shoulder."
I shook my head, ignoring his comment. "I can't lose you," I said, feeling all my emotions breaking to the surface. "I can't lose you after just finding you. I can't."
His hands reached up, cupping my face. "Riley, I'm okay. I'm not hurt. You're the one hurt. We need to get you to a hospital."
I leaned forward, kissing him. Another wave of tears broke free, and Cayden pulled me close, cradling me in his arms. I tightened my hold on him, never wanting to let go.
"I told you that I would protect you and that I would never let anything happen to you. I clearly didn't do a good enough job seeing the state you're in."
"You did, though," I said, shaking my head. "You protected me and April. You risked your life for us, and you could have gotten hurt. You are amazing, and I'm so lucky to have you."
He smiled ear to ear, his fingers grazing my cheek. "I did it because I will do anything to protect my mate."
He pulled me tightly, kissing me deeply. I wrapped my arms around his shoulder, holding him tightly, knowing that he was still alive. He was still here with me, and we were okay. We were going to be OK.