Chapter Four
After Wade had grabbed Alex from Zeppelin’s bedroom, he walked his mate to his own. Not the guest room but Wade’s bedroom.
Alex stepped inside, glancing around, his hands fidgeting.
“Start from the beginning,” Wade said, closing the bedroom door. He wasn’t trying to push Alex, but like their alpha had said, they needed to know what they were up against.
His mate glanced at him then took a seat on the bed, hands clasped in his lap. “His name was Drew.”
Wade took a seat beside his mate, hoping his closeness eased his mate’s anxiety.
“We dated for about two months.” Alex picked at invisible lint on his sweatpants. “He was a piece of shit but his that flaw very well.” He touched his collar then yanked his hand away, settling it back on his lap.
Taking a chance, Wade slid his hand into Alex’s much smaller one, giving it a gentle squeeze.
“What I hadn’t known was the debt he’d racked up.” Alex glanced at Wade then at their joined hands. “He’d told the demon he owed that part of the debt was mine, which isn’t true. Drew was just trying to cut what he owed in half.”
“Was he human?” Wade asked.
“Yes.” His mate nodded. “Humans can be just as evil as preternatural.”
Wade knew that for a fact. He’d run across humans who would make vampires look like teething babies in comparison.
“When I found out what he’d done, I told Drew I would go to the cops, since I knew the police in this town weren’t human.”
“Wait,” Wade said. “You’re from Crimson Hollow?”
Alex ducked his head. “If I’d told you the truth, I would’ve had to explain why I couldn’t go home.” He licked his lips, tucking dark strands of hair behind his ear. “I’m sorry for lying.”
Could Wade blame his mate? Alex was clearly on the run, and even though they were mates, they were strangers. “Go on.”
Now it was Alex who squeezed Wade’s hand, like he needed the connection to continue.
“Drew didn’t react to the threat.” Alex’s laugh was bitter. “That should’ve told me something was wrong. I mean, who acts blasé when threatened with the cops?”
Not anyone with something to hide. Wade’s gut told him he wasn’t going to like what Alex was about to say next.
His mate’s posture stiffened, and a sheen of sweat dotted his brows.
“The following night, Drew asked me to meet him at some address. He said he’d straightened things out with Valcore and wanted to apologize.”
Wade groaned. “You went.”
“I went.” Alex glanced up at him, eyes pleading. “Because I was going to break up with him! I could’ve said it over the phone or simply ghosted him, but for some insane reason, I wanted to look Drew in the eyes when I did it.”
Alex pressed his free hand over his face and moaned. “I was such an idiot. While I agreed so I could kick him to the curb, Drew had his own ulterior motive.”
Wade couldn’t think of anything else the bastard could’ve done to make Alex’s life more miserable than he already had.
Scratch that. There were a lot of things the guy could’ve done. None good.
Dropping his hand, Alex looked at Wade again. “Drew lured me there to kill me.”
Wade’s hackles instantly rose, his wolf snarling to kill the son of a bitch. Alex was a petite guy, maybe weighing a hundred pounds. He was a bunny shifter for fuck’s sake. Even though he was stronger than humans, a bullet to the head equaled death.
No healing in animal form. Lights out permanently.
“He had a gun.” Alex started to tremble. Wade pulled his mate into his arms, noticing how the tremors lessened with his touch.
“It was a trap house,” Alex continued. “As soon as I walked inside, Drew slapped this collar around my neck. He said it was to stop me from shifting so I wouldn’t get away.
” Their eyes met. “I never told him I was a shifter, let alone what kind. Ultionem law forbids us from revealing our existence unless the human is our mate or can serve us in some way.”
“Barcode must’ve told him.” Wade slid his other arm around his mate, but with Alex being so short, he ended up pulling his mate onto his lap.
Alex didn’t stop him. He simply rested his head on Wade’s shoulder, sinking into him.
“Drew waved the gun at me, said I wasn’t telling anyone shit. I panicked, spotted a lead pipe, and started swinging it as hard as I could. I was only trying to knock the gun out of his hand, but he ducked, and before I could stop the swing, the pipe struck him in the head.”
Alex buried his face in Wade’s chest, sobbing. “I never meant to kill him!”
After what Wade had heard, Drew deserved what happened to him. “It was self-defense, honey bunny.”
Alex yanked back and stared up at Wade, tears still falling.
“Valcore. He showed up, Wade,” his mate whispered.
“He said since I killed Drew, I was now responsible for the human’s debt.
Said he had the key, which I’m not sure if he does, but how else would Drew get his hands on an enchanted necklace? ”
Wade had seen something similar a long time ago. Only the key would remove it, which he didn’t have. He ran his fingers along the razor-thin collar, wishing like hell that he could remove it.
“Drew’s debt isn’t yours, and his death was self-defense, Alex.”
“Tell that to the demon after me,” his mate said. “I saw him tonight. Floating eyes in the woods. It was his way of reminding me he hasn’t forgotten.”
“How much did Drew owe?” Wade rubbed Alex’s arm in slow, gentle movements, almost bracing himself for the answer.
“Drew never told me,” Alex confessed. “I asked him repeatedly when he said he told Valcore half the debt was mine. He refused to tell me, and I was too terrified of the demon to ask. I don’t even know what Drew owed him money for.”
Wade closed his eyes and breathed deeply, dreading the question he was about to ask. “Are you certain it was money Drew owed him?”
Maybe that’s why Drew wouldn’t tell Alex. Maybe it was something other than monetary value.
“What else could a debt be other than money?” Alex asked, seemingly genuinely perplexed.
“Servitude. A soul. Murder for hire. Do you really want me to go on?”
Alex paled.
“But it could be money.” Wade hated he’d put those thoughts inside his mate’s head.
“Too late,” Alex replied. “You just fed my worst nightmare. Thanks.”
Wade watched the color drain from Alex’s face, guilt twisting in his stomach like a rusted blade. He’d spoken without thinking, letting his own knowledge of demonic contracts spill out when his mate was already drowning in fear.
“Hey.” Wade cupped Alex’s face in his hands, thumbs brushing across sharp cheekbones. “Whatever Drew owed, whatever kind of debt it was, you’re not responsible for it. That’s not how it works.”
“Isn’t it?” Alex’s voice cracked. “Valcore seemed pretty convinced I’d inherited the whole mess.”
Wade’s jaw clenched. Demons were notorious for twisting the truth, for making their victims believe they had no choice but to comply. It was psychological warfare disguised as supernatural law.
“Demons lie,” Wade said firmly. “It’s what they do. They manipulate and intimidate to get what they want. Just because Valcore says you owe him doesn’t make it true.”
Alex searched his face, desperate hope flickering in those blue eyes. “But what if it is? What if by killing Drew, I really did—”
“You didn’t.” Wade’s voice came out rougher than he intended. The thought of his mate carrying this burden, believing he was trapped by some demonic contract, made his wolf snarl with protective fury. “Alex, listen to me. Debts don’t transfer through murder. That’s not how it works.”
“Then why is he after me?” Alex’s hands fisted in Wade’s shirt. “Why show up at the house tonight if he doesn’t think I owe him something?”
Wade considered this, his mind working through the possibilities. Demons operated on their own twisted logic, but there was always a reason behind their actions. Always an angle.
“Maybe it’s not about the debt,” Wade said slowly. “Maybe it’s about something else entirely.”
Alex frowned. “Like what?”
“Think about it. Drew lures you to that house, already knowing you’re a shifter, already having this collar ready to trap you in human form.
That takes planning. Preparation.” Wade’s fingers traced the slim band around Alex’s throat, hating the feel of the cold metal against his mate’s warm skin.
“What if Drew wasn’t planning to kill you at all?
What if he was planning to deliver you to Valcore? ”
The idea hit Alex like a physical blow. Wade felt him go rigid, saw the moment understanding dawned in his expression.
“As a slave or something?” Alex whispered.
“Maybe.” Wade’s hands tightened on his mate’s face. “Drew might’ve been trying to pay off his debt by handing you over. When you killed him instead, Valcore lost his prize.”
“But… They why did Drew try to kill me?”
Alex’s breathing quickened, panic edging into his voice. “So now he wants to collect directly.”
“I didn’t say my assumption made sense.” Wade pressed his forehead against Alex’s, trying to anchor him with touch and proximity.
“But demons can’t just grab whoever they want and claim ownership.
There are rules, even in the supernatural world.
One of them being that you can’t interfere in a mating. ”
“Rules that humans don’t know about,” Alex pointed out. “Rules I sure as hell don’t understand.”
Wade couldn’t argue with that. The supernatural legal system was complex and often contradictory, varying between species and territories. But he knew someone who would understand it better than most.
“We’ll figure this out,” Wade promised.
Alex pulled back slightly, studying Wade’s face with an intensity that made Wade’s chest tighten.
“Why are you doing this? We barely know each other. For all you know, I really am guilty of something. Maybe I did owe Drew money. Maybe I killed him for reasons that had nothing to do with self-defense.”
The questions hung between them, and Wade realized his mate was giving him an out. A chance to step back, to decide this was too complicated, too dangerous to get involved in.
The thought didn’t even tempt him.
“Because you’re mine,” Wade said simply. “Mate or no mate, bond or no bond, you’re mine to protect. That’s not negotiable.”
Something shifted in Alex’s expression, a wall crumbling that Wade hadn't even realized was there. His mate’s eyes filled with tears again, but these looked different. Less desperate, more grateful.
“I’ve never had anyone say that to me before,” Alex admitted quietly.
Wade’s heart clenched at the admission. How had someone as sweet and brave as Alex gone through life without protection? Without someone willing to stand between him and the world’s cruelties?
“Well, you do now.” Wade brushed a tear from Alex’s cheek with his thumb. “And I’m not going anywhere.”
Alex leaned into the touch, eyes closing briefly. When he opened them again, some of the fear had been replaced by determination.
“What do we do next?” he asked.
Wade smiled, proud of his mate’s resilience. “Next, we get some sleep. Tomorrow, we start making calls. I know a few demons who aren’t complete bastards. We’ll get answers.”
“And if Valcore comes back before then?”
“Then he’ll find out what happens when someone threatens a wolf's mate.” Wade’s voice dropped to a growl. “Trust me, honey bunny. He won’t like the lesson.”
Alex managed a small smile at the nickname. “Honey bunny?”
“Too much?” Wade grinned. “I can workshop it.”
“It’s perfect,” Alex said, and Wade could tell he meant it.
They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, the crisis temporarily pushed aside by the simple intimacy of being close. Wade could feel his mate’s exhaustion in the way Alex’s body gradually relaxed against him, the adrenaline finally wearing off.
“Come on,” Wade murmured, shifting to help Alex stand. “You need rest.”
“Where am I sleeping?” Alex asked, glancing toward the door.
Wade raised an eyebrow. “Where do you think?”
“The guest room?”
“Try again.”
Alex looked around Wade’s bedroom, taking in the king-sized bed, the dark furniture, the personal touches that made it clearly lived-in space.
“Here?” he asked, uncertainty creeping into his voice.
“Here,” Wade confirmed. “Unless you’d rather be alone. No pressure, Alex. But after tonight, I’d feel better having you close.”
Alex considered this, chewing his lower lip in a way that made Wade want to lean down and kiss him senseless.
“Okay,” Alex finally said. “But I should warn you, I’m told I steal covers.”
Wade laughed, some of the tension from the evening finally releasing. “I run hot. You can have all the covers you want.”
As they prepared for bed, Wade found himself marveling at how natural this felt. How right it seemed to have Alex moving around his space, borrowing his toothbrush, climbing into his bed wearing one of Wade’s T-shirts.
The mate bond hummed contentedly between them, recognizing what Wade’s conscious mind was still processing—this was home now. This was family.
When they finally settled under the covers, Alex curled against Wade’s side like he belonged there. Wade wrapped an arm around his mate, feeling the smaller man's breathing gradually slow as sleep claimed him.
But Wade stayed awake longer, staring at the ceiling and listening for any sound that might indicate Valcore had returned. His mate was safe in his arms, surrounded by pack, protected by wards and weapons and the fierce loyalty of sixteen wolves.
But Wade knew this was far from over. Tomorrow would bring new challenges, new threats to navigate. For tonight, though, Alex was safe.
And that was enough.