Chapter 17 - Rael
Three cars pulled up to the Shadowridge medical clinic just as the day was breaking, and six people stepped out, carrying an air of professionalism.
An older woman who looked like she was probably in her mid-forties with threads of silver through her dark hair went directly to Alanis and gave her a fierce hug.
“You crazy, brilliant fool,” the woman said, her voice thick with emotion. “Do you know how concerned we have been?”
“I am sorry, Deva,” Alanis sighed. “I did not intend to go dark for so long. Things got complicated.”
Deva drew back, keeping Alanis in her arms, examining her. “Complicated how?” Her gaze flickered towards Rael, who stood a few feet away, and her face hardened. “And who is this?”
“This is Rael Weston. He’s—”
“The man who purchased you at the auction,” Deva said icily. “Yes, we are aware. We were following reports, trying to understand what happened to you. But we could not exactly show up at Weston’s territory when we knew nothing about your plans.”
Rael saw the anger in her brown eyes. It seemed motherly. This was a woman who loved Alanis and who had likely spent weeks fantasizing about the worst.
“I also helped free the other women in that auction,” he added evenly. “And the women whom you’re here for today.”
“You mean after forcibly subjecting Alanis to a mating bond, which she probably argued against,” one of the other Lumen operatives remarked, a young red-haired woman with a frown on her face.
“Kiara!”
“We are all aware of shifter bonds,” Kiara continued, ignoring Alanis. “We know what it is like when an Alpha bonds with someone.”
“Look, I did bond with her, and every day, I wished I had gone about it in a different way. But I am not going to apologize for saving her life or these other women.”
“Saving her?” Deva’s brows pulled together to form a frown. “That’s what you are calling it?
“That is what it was,” Alanis moved and stood between Rael and the Lumen team. “Deva, listen to me. Rael is not the enemy. He is trying to put an end to the same trafficking network we have been following. He and his pack have devoted their lives to shutting down such activities.”
“While also forcing you into a bond which leaves him in full control of you,” Kiara snapped.
“He has no control over me,” Alanis said firmly.
“The bond does not work that way—not the way he has chosen to treat it. He has offered me options, respected my limits, and defended me when I needed it. Yes, he took me against my will, and yes, that is bad. But he is not a monster, and I need you to understand that.”
Deva sighed, staring at Alanis like she knew something no one else knew. “Oh, dear child.”
“The women need urgent attention,” Rael steered the discussion. “They have been drugged, traumatized, and stabilized at the Shadowridge medical facility, but require long-term care.”
“Show me.”
***
During the next couple of hours, the Lumen team examined all the women, liaised with the Shadowridge medical team, and arranged transportation to one of their safe locations. They pawed their way forward, each step measured so as to cause the least amount of further harm to the victims.
Rael observed them at work. They were skilled, concerned about the women they were saving, treated them with compassion and dignity, and had resources at hand to offer real, long-term help.
It showed him how poorly his own pack had handled it. They had given so much attention to the extraction of destabilizing the network that they never thought about anything after. Where did those women go? Did they build a new life? Were they safe?
He walked over to where Deva was treating a wound on one of the women. “How long has your organization been in operation?”
“Twelve years,” Deva said without a beat and without looking up at Rael.
“Our beginning was humble. I was all alone, with two other survivors helping women out of abusive environments. We now have facilities in six states, more than fifty operatives, and law enforcement partnerships with several jurisdictions.”
“All funded how?”
“Mostly donations, a few grants. We maintain low operational costs through volunteer work and survivors who would like to give back.” Deva finally looked up after finishing her sutures. “Why do you ask?”
“Because what you are doing—it is what my pack should have been doing all along. We were too involved in the mission that we forgot what we were meant to be doing.”
“Later is better than never, and we could coordinate, exchange intelligence, and support each other. We would be stronger united than divided.”
“I would like that. However, it is not my decision to make alone; I would have to talk about it with my brothers.”
“Then discuss it.” Deva still looked guarded, but not as hostile as previously. “And in the meantime, take care of Alanis. She’s been through hell, and she doesn’t need any more trauma.”
He exhaled slowly. “I know, and I am trying. But she is not so easy to protect when she continues to run into danger.”
Deva’s lips twitched. “No, she’s not. That’s what makes her good at this work. But it’s also what keeps me up at night worrying.”
“Yeah, me too,” Rael thought.
***
When the Lumen team was finally ready to take the women, Deva dragged Alanis aside, talking to her. This went on for almost twenty minutes. Rael watched quietly, trying to read their lips and figure out what they were saying.
Was Alanis telling Deva that she wanted to return? That she was done with Weston Pack and now wanted to go back to her true life?
The thought made Rael’s heart constrict painfully, bordering on panic.
When Alanis eventually came back, her face was unreadable. “Deva wants me to report in. Every day, preferably, she wants me to give a complete report on the trafficking network we have discovered.”
“Yes, that’s a good idea. Are you…Are you going back with them?”
She shook her head. “I will be staying with you for now. We still aren’t done getting this network destroyed.”
It didn’t go past Rael that she didn’t answer the question. “Okay.”
“But the Lumen is my home. My family. And sooner or later, I will have to make a decision about where I belong.”
Rael swallowed harshly. The words hit him like a blow, even though he’d been expecting them.
Naturally, she would go back at some point.
The Lumen trained her; they took her in when she had no one.
Why would she give that up for a pack that still hadn’t fully accepted her?
And for a bond she never wanted in the first place?
Even though it killed him, Rael said, “I’ll support whatever you want to do, Alanis.”
***
An hour after the Lumen team left, August informed them that the Shadowridge Alpha had been more than helpful, even promising to supply more resources should they be necessary.
“We must go back,” August leaned against the wall, looking as tired as Rael felt. “Check in with Silas, report to him about what happened.”
“It takes four hours to drive there,” Alanis pointed. “And we’ve barely slept. Driving exhausted is asking to get into an accident.”
“There are rooms available here,” Rael mentioned. “We can each pick one for the night.”
August nodded. “That does make sense. I will tell Silas that we will go back tomorrow.”
The rooms were not large, but well-maintained, each having a single bed and simple facilities.
Rael’s room was right next to Alanis's, and as he unloaded the few things that he had packed, he tried not to think about the thin wall between them. He refused to think about how he desperately wanted to go to her room, grab her, and make her understand that she belonged to him and not to Lumen.
But that wouldn’t be fair. It was her decision to make. He would not pressure her.
Half an hour later, Rael was seated on the bed, trying to decide whether to go to bed or look at intelligence reports. Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door. The door slowly creaked open, revealing Alanis. “May I come in?”
“Of course.”
She slowly stepped in, shutting the door behind her.
“I can’t stop thinking about what you said. About finding the people who hurt me and making them pay.”
“I meant every word.”
“I know you did, and that’s the problem.
” She started walking toward him. Rael’s heart picked up.
“No one has ever volunteered to do that on my behalf, to fight my battles, to take revenge for me. Lumen taught me to fight on my own behalf, to never rely on anyone to protect me.” She crossed her eyes briefly and sighed.
“But it is lonely.” Alanis leaned forward and caressed his cheek.
“You make me feel less lonely, Rael. You make me feel like I don’t need to be alone and carry it all myself. ”
Rael grabbed her hand and nuzzled into it. “You don’t. Not anymore. Whatever you are carrying or going through, we will get through it together “
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
And she kissed him. Rael felt his restraint break. His hands cradled her face, turning her head to make the kiss more intense. She gently rubbed her body against his, and all rational thoughts faded away.
He stood and led her backward until she laid on the bed. His hands were all over her—under her shirt, on bare skin, tracing the contours of her body.
“Rael,” she gasped when he broke off the kiss and started on her neck, no doubt leaving a hickey. “We must—we must—”
“What must we do?” He asked, nipping at her neck.
“Talk.”
“Or…” he pulled back, looking at her. “We could just…feel.”
He saw the war in her eyes, and for a moment, he thought she was going to say no. Though he would not have had any problem with that.
Instead, she repeated softly, “just feel,” then she pulled him down into another kiss.
This time, there was no hesitation. Rael unbuttoned her shirt, then her pants, and he saw the body he had coveted the first time at that bar. It never got old seeing her like this. Her nipples were hard, her breath quick and shallow, already aroused.