2. Vaughn
Chapter 2
Vaughn
W alking around the back curve of the estate, every fiber of my being is telling me not to leave Creed without backup, but I have to trust that he can take care of himself. We can't afford to waste any more time.
Kay needs me right now, and too much time has passed since we last saw her at Sully's diner. The sun has already disappeared over the horizon and I have no clue where she could be. This property is twenty acres.
She could be anywhere.
I continue along the winding path, my senses heightened, alert to any sign or clue of where she could be. Kaylani's safety is my number one priority. With my anxiety high, the noises of the night all seem amplified, the rustle of leaves in the gentle breeze, the distant hooting of an owl—all adding to the eerie atmosphere.
Then, a soft sound breaks the silence—a faint cry that sends a chill across my skin, making goosebumps break out down my arms. My heart quickens, and without hesitation I'm sprinting towards the source, my footsteps muffled on the thick, wet grass.
I have to force myself not to panic.
The darkness seems to close in around me as I race through the shadowy landscape. Fear and determination fuel my movements. My mind is going to the darkest places, imagining worst case scenarios. Each one is worse than the last and I can’t shake the feeling that this was my fault. I shouldn't have let her go with Adam to begin with.
I'll do anything to protect her.
I hear another faint cry, and my brain cuts off completely as I run in that direction.
"Kaylani!"
I come to a slow stop, my chest heaving from exertion as I listen for her response. When I don't hear anything, I become frantic. She's with Adam, and I don't trust that slimy fucker as far as I can throw him.
Something could be seriously wrong.
"Fuck. Fuck. FUCK!"
Whatever went down in the meeting room with Michelle can't bode well for a stray .
God, I loathed that fucking word. But if she thought that Kay was in her way…
Who knows what she might have had done to her?
"Kaylani!" I scream again at the top of my lungs.
A soft cry comes from near the gardens, and I take off at a sprint towards the sound. Rounding the corner, I see them. A dark figure looming over my doll, thrusting her into the dirt to stifle her screams.
I see red.
Through the haze of fury, I seize Adam by the back of his shirt and fling him to the ground like he weighs nothing. He crashes into the rose bushes with a heavy thud; the air forced from his lungs.
"What the fuck did you do, Adam?" I growl, meeting his eyes, and the darkness in his gaze sends shivers down my spine.
Adam scrambles to his feet, the crunching of dry leaves under his boots putting me even more on edge. His gaze darts between us, a flicker of realization crossing his face. With shaky hands, he fumbles for his pants, hastily pulling them up and zipping them shut.
Pure, white-hot rage surges through my veins. It wasn't enough that he had forced his bite on her. It wasn't enough that he had brought her here to plead with his mother for something that didn't rightfully belong to him. Now he dared to try to take what little remained of her soul.
No.
Creed was right. Enough is enough. We should never have let her come in here alone. I'm seething, hands clenched into tight fists, nails digging into the flesh of my palms as I struggle to restrain myself.
"How could you do this to her?" My voice growls with restrained fury, each word dripping with venom. Any semblance of remorse on Adam's face vanishes as his eyes lock onto mine, a sinister hardness enveloping him in darkness. A low, menacing chuckle escapes his lips, a satisfied gleam dancing in his eyes.
"I can do whatever I want to my omega," he sneers, a cruel curve twisting his lips into a smirk.
Before I can stop myself, my fist connects with his jaw, the impact sending him sprawling to the ground with a sickening thud. He doesn’t even have a chance to defend himself, I’m relentless. With each blow, flashes of those I love cross my mind: Creed, Hux, my doll—all victims of Adam Sterling's cruelty. Each punch is a release of pent-up fury for all he has taken from my family, from my pack.
Pain shoots through my knuckles with every strike, the metallic taste of his blood coating my tongue. Adam lies there, broken and battered, no longer trying to shield himself from my relentless assault.
But even as I pummel him, it's not enough. Nothing will ever be enough to atone for what he has done to her.
A soft sound behind me breaks through the haze of my rage. "Vaughn," Kay whispers, her voice barely audible over the blood pulsing in my ears.
Finally, I push myself off his broken form. My gaze remains fixed on the bloody mess I’ve created as Adam coughs, blood bubbling in his throat. I brace myself to turn back to Kay, and she whimpers again.
"This isn't over," I say, my voice low and dark.
Finally I tear my gaze from Adam and force myself to look at the damage he’s inflicted on Kaylani. She lies sprawled on the ground, her face pressed into the dirt. Her once vibrant purple sweater is torn and soiled. Pants and panties pulled down to her ankles, and her hair tangled and matted.
My stomach rolls.
I drop to my knees beside her, wishing desperately for something to shield her with, but there's nothing. Gently, I pull her sweater down and her pants up. She looks up at me with swollen, bruised eyes, mascara streaking down her beautiful cheeks.
How could an alpha do this?
They're supposed to protect their omega.
"It's okay, I'm here doll. He won't touch you again," I murmur softly as I tenderly brush her dirt-caked hair from her sweaty forehead, lifting her gently into my arms. She weighs practically nothing and feels so small and vulnerable in my arms. A hiss of pain expels from her lips, her teeth clashing harshly, and her rose scent masked by clove and tobacco.
"Get me out of here," she begs, arms snaking around my neck as she tries to hold on to me. Tucking her nose under my chin as her body trembles in my arms.
"I got you doll," I murmur softly, carrying her away from this nightmare.
My mind swims with uncertainty about how to care for her. I don't know how bad the damage truly is, and I fear that if she doesn't get help something worse could happen. She's practically dipping in and out of consciousness.
"I'll take you to Sabrina."
"No," she says weakly. "Don't take me to Sterling Hospital. Brina can't see me like this."
A low growl of frustration rumbles in my chest as I try to respect her wishes. I'm not taking her home.
Fuck that.
That's the first place Adam will look when he untucks his tail from between his legs. I don’t have the first idea of what to do, I’m not equipped to handle this myself.
"God damn it, doll," the words hiss from my teeth. "What am I supposed to do?"
"Please don't leave me," she sobs. She sounds so broken, and it shatters something inside me.
"Never," I say with conviction. "Just hold on, baby girl. I've got you."