20. Kidnapped
Kidnapped
Kade
“W hy’s he not waking up?” a strange voice asked.
“No idea. It’s been hours and you’ve hardly been quiet.” I didn’t recognize that voice either.
“Or careful. Stop prodding him. Don’t think his dad wants him covered with bruises.” Another voice, this one more familiar. My mind groped for the name, but it was like wading through toffee trying to hold on to a thought.
As I rose to full consciousness, I figured out quickly that I wasn’t in my bed. The scents were odd. There was none of the chocolate that I associated with Blake.
Blake.
The thought of my mate had me sitting bolt upright, pulling on chains that had me tethered to the bed I’d been lying on.
My eyes settled on three men. By their scents, I guessed two alphas, and one beta.
Kaine, his wolf scent easily distinguishable, then the other alpha, something feline, likely a mountain lion.
I couldn’t get a read on the beta. It was a weird scent that made me think of prey.
My wolf surged forward with the answer: boar. Thank you, I sent to them.
Soothed by their presence, I took stock of my surroundings and situation.
The room looked like an unfinished basement, but there was a single bed that they had placed me on, a basic box spring and lumpy mattress.
Long chains ran from the concrete floor on either side of the bed to the cuffs around each wrist, one ankle also locked up.
The metal from the chains wouldn’t shift if I tried, and I’d likely break my wolf alter’s bones if I shifted.
We weren’t allergic to silver like the humans thought in their legends.
Any regular metal could keep us locked down.
There were no windows. Light came from a couple of bare light bulbs in the ceiling. The walls were rough looking, the air cold and slightly damp. Neglect tainted the air.
My lips were cracked and sore, my throat parched as I tried to voice my questions.
I knew this was my father’s doing. I just didn’t understand what he wanted.
Did he want me dead so he could get his pack back?
Did he want me to bring Papa to him? He obviously wanted me unharmed, so maybe there was another reason?
Whatever it was, I didn’t want to be under his control for anything.
The most important question was, “why?” that I asked Kaine. The word came out as a croak. I got that he didn’t like me for some unknown reason, but to betray his pack, his alpha? That was something else.
Kaine passed me a bottle of water, still sealed, with an almost sheepish look on his face. “I have my reasons.”
I struggled to open the bottle, my strength shaky. I assumed they’d used magic on us. Kaine took the bottle back from my fumbling fingers and cracked the top for me, handing it back so I could take a long drink. “Thanks.”
My captors just stared at me. I wasn’t giving them the pleasure of seeing me freak out. My dad wanted me here for a purpose, and I knew my mate would find me. I shivered. “Don’t suppose I could get a blanket?”
When I’d gone to sleep with Blake, I’d just been wearing a pair of dark gray boxer briefs and the room was chilly. Goosebumps littered my flesh and my feet were icy. The mattress I sat on was bare and there was no clothing nearby.
Silence met my question. “Look, I was in the hospital a couple of weeks ago.”
“You were the omega that collapsed at the alpha’s house?” Kaine asked incredulously.
“Yeah, that was me. I’m not supposed to use magic or have magic used on me.”
“Shit! Is that why it took you so long to wake up?” The beta hog shifter asked. He was short and stocky and looked sympathetic to me. That I could use.
“Probably,” I answered with a half shrug. “So I need a blanket before I freeze. My wolf can’t help me.”
“They can’t?” Piggy again, looking worried for me.
“Nope. I’m practically human.” That got him moving.
“Kyle, leave it!” barked the tall lanky cat.
“Fuck’s sake, Mitchell, it’s only a blanket. Do you think Rincoln wants his only son to freeze to death before he gets here?” Kaine growled at the cat shifter.
Bolstered by Kaine backing him, Kyle rushed to find me a blanket and set it around my shoulders carefully.
“Thanks, Kyle,” I whispered, gaining me a small smile in return.
The covering was thin and musty smelling, but it was better than nothing.
Mitchell pulled Kyle from the room, leaving me under guard by Kaine.
“So what now?” I asked.
“Now we wait for your dad.” Kaine looked distracted. I wondered if he would live long enough to regret betraying his alpha by stealing his mate. Letting him into my home had been a huge mistake. I should have voiced my concern when he pinged that extra sense.
“Rincoln.” I corrected.
“Whatever. He and your betrothed should be here later on.”
“Then what?”
“Who knows? Who cares? Not me, for one. You omegas should know your place, and that’s doing what your alpha tells you to do.”
“You mean Rincoln don’t you?”
He fixed me with a stare. “Yeah.”
“Except he isn’t my alpha.”
“You’re unmated.”
“True, but I don’t belong to my father’s pack anymore. Not that it technically exists. I’ve joined another pack. Took the oath. Can’t you smell it on me?”
“Fucking magic.” Kaine rubbed at his nose. His tattooed fingers were grimy and his nails bitten to the quick. He had the air of a man that was barely keeping it together.
“Tickles the nose doesn’t it? What did you use, by the way? Need to know in case I need medical attention.” I was laying it on thick. It was likely that whatever they’d done had no lasting effect, other than keeping me down longer than intended.
My wolf was fully present with me, closer than they had been in months. I felt good despite my situation and I trusted in the bond that I had with my alpha, my mate. Blake would figure shit out and I’d help him take these guys and Rincoln down.
“Just a sleeping draught turned into vapor. You were only supposed to stay asleep for an hour.”
So, I wasn’t too far away from Sweetwater then if they had gotten me to where they were holding me and had time to be concerned that I wasn’t waking up.
I tried to think of places that they could hold me that were maybe forty-five minutes from my house.
I was estimating and giving time, to be sure.
They would have wanted me secure by the time I woke up in case I shifted.
The more information that I could gather, the better.
“So, why are you helping Rincoln?” Hardly the smoothest segue, but I needed the reasoning. I had to know if there was a way to save Kaine from his alpha. The council might be another issue entirely, but maybe Blake would put a good word in for Kaine if the reason was decent.
“None of your business!” he snapped, and I flinched. Kaine turned and fled the room, leaving me alone to figure things out.
I must have fallen asleep again because I woke to the smell of bacon and eggs along with hot, bitter coffee.
Struggling to get into a sitting position with the chains, I gave Kyle a grateful smile as he set the plate and cup down in easy reach.
He helped me move the chains without knocking my meal and I thanked him softly.
He blushed and muttered a “you’re welcome,” before scuttling out of the room.
Though my stomach was uneasy, my nerves over being kidnapped affecting my appetite, I knew I had to eat to maintain my strength. Especially since I didn’t know what I was in for. The eggs were light and fluffy, the bacon crisp, just how I liked it, so I ignored my worries and cleared my plate.
Once finished, I looked for somewhere to empty my aching bladder.
There was a plumbed in toilet a short distance away from the bed and I hoped the chains would allow me to move that far.
Carefully, I maneuvered over and relieved myself, annoyed that I couldn’t quite reach the sink to wash my hands.
Back on the bed, I wrapped the blanket around myself and waited for what was next.
My thoughts roamed, and my senses told me that Kyle would be easy enough to convince to give me freedom, but the others knew that and would test me with him. I just had to sit tight and wait for help to come, as much as I hated the idea.
It felt like late morning, the dim light of the basement never changing, before Rincoln appeared.
He stood at the bottom of the staircase, just observing me.
I didn’t speak to him, but I could feel the fury emanating from him at the way I’d been treated.
Stupid as it sounded, I understood. He wanted me taken from my home, but not harmed.
As his son, I was his property, after all.
I had several bruises that had no explanation.
Coupled with the fact that I was practically naked and shivering under a smelly blanket, I was hardly being treated as the prince I was to him.
I heard his grumble, “fucking chains!” and he turned, storming up the stairs and slamming the door.
I easily heard the roars from above. There were more voices this time.
My wolf hearing picked out the voices of Kaine, Kyle, and Mitchell easily.
Then there were at least two others and the man that called himself my father.
He was pissed. Absolutely furious at them for the marks on my body and the chains that kept me in place.
Rincoln despised that they left me on display and vulnerable and demanded that I be given clothing and something warmer to lie under.
Surprisingly, he left me chained even though he’d argued about it. Maybe he sensed I would try to escape or hurt someone if I got free.
They sent Kyle to tend to me. Mitchell watched as, arm by arm, Kyle removed my cuffs to get the sweater and jeans they allowed me to have. They left me barefoot and given another, thicker blanket.
Once dressed, they left again, and Rincoln returned. He found a chair and sat a safe distance away from me.