Chapter 88


    Chapter 88


    22 Pain


    ra POV


    As soon as Cayden breaks the link, I rush to Eli’s office. The fear I feel after my brother cut the link is


    making it hard to breathe. I don’t even knock when I reach the door. My mother rushes in behind me


    and the sight of my mate lying motionless nearly does me in. She grips my arm to steady me. “He’s


    breathing, ra” she says to reassure me. I focus on the fact I need to make sure my mate is alright


    and find out where the hell Cayden went. I can’t fall apart right now. I have to be strong. I bend down


    and ce my hands on Eli’s face. “Eli, please wake up.” I bury my head in his neck, praying that my


    scent will bring him back to me. I feel two strong arms wrap around me. I feel a momentary spark of


    relief knowing that Eli is here with me. I pull back and he smiles. As quick as the smile came it fades.


    “What happened Eli?” He starts to try to stand and my mother and I help him to his feet. We lead him to


    the couch that sits under the bay window. He takes my hand in his. “Cayden is gone” he says. My heart


    starts to beat faster and I feel sick to my stomach.


    “Where did he go?” I see the pain on his face before he finally answers me. “He went to the ck


    Mountain Collective.” My mother gasps and I fight back tears. What the hell is he thinking? Without a


    word to Eli, I link Lily. “ra, what’s wrong” she asks. “I need you toe to the office please”, I say


    and I’m sure she can hear the panic in my voice. I never thought I would see Cayden again and now he


    has gone back to the wolves’ den without a word. I’m scared and angry at the same time. Lily appears


    and I stand walking toward her. “Lily, I need you to take me to the ck Mountain Collective.” A growl


    sounds from behind me. “That will not be happening.” I turn on Eli and his eyes are ck. “I can’t let


    him deal with those evil ba**ards alone. I should be there with him. It was us that they tortured for all


    those years. He is still trying to protect me.” The tears I’m trying to hold back begin to run down my


    cheeks. Elies to stand in front of me. “ra, I know how strong you are, but our pup is growing in


    your belly. I need you both to be safe. Please let me handle this. I will do everything in my power to


    bring Cayden back safely.” I look at my mother and I can see she agrees with Eli. I know that they are


    both right, but I can’t just sit here and do nothing. He pulls me into his arms. “ra, our mate will help


    Cayden. We need to keep our pup safe” Cora says. I manage to stop the tears. “Eli, I need you to


    come back to me.” “I will alwayse back to you, ra.” He pulls back and presses a kiss to my lips


    before he bends and kisses my belly. Goddess, I love this man.


    Cayden POV


    As I cross into the territory, I mask my scent. I want to reach that ba**ard and witch before anyone can


    let them know I’m here. I had hoped I would never see this awful ce again but I need to do this for


    ra. I push those thoughts away because I need to focus on the evil in front of me. I approach the


    cottage that I was taken to before I escaped. “Be careful, Cayden. Something doesn’t feel right”, Riggs


    says. Before I can even respond, I feel a pain in my back. It feels like all the air was knocked out of me.


    I try to pull air into my lungs but it’s impossible. I hearughter and growls. “Cayden, we need to get up


    now.” “I’m trying Riggs.” I manage to get to my knees before I’m knocked onto the porch of the cottage.


    “It seems despite being a warlock, you’re still just a worthless mutt” Franklin says. I can feel the rage


    consume me just hearing his voice. Memories of the times this man hurt ra sh through my mind.


    Riggs growls and we manage to get to our feet.


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    This time I dodge the energy ball that b**ch throws. I shift and we start to make our way through


    Franklin’s men. Riggs rips through three rogues while dodging the witch’s attack. I can hear a


    commotion behind me but I can’t stop now. I have to reach them before my sacrifice is for nothing.


    Fifteen men are standing in front of Franklin and Lydia. I shift back into human form and he smiles. I


    hear growls from behind me and I know that more of his men have surrounded me. “It seems that


    Grant will get his wish after all mutt. I should have killed you and your b**ch of a sister when you were


    just pups.” I feel a calm wash over me. “Cayden, it’s time. Focus and the magic will do the rest,” I hear


    my father’s voice. I open my arms and all my thoughts are about ending this collective. When I look


    back at Franklin, I see fear in his eyes. The men start moving toward me when the cottage behind us


    burst into mes.


    The wolves’ focus shifts from me to the next building that bursts into mes. I start to stalk toward


    Franklin and Lydia. I watch her reach for his hand. Before he can take it, I surround him in a purple orb.


    She looks back at me with panic. “You ba**ard” she screams before she disappears. Franklin begins to


    scream her name and I take great pleasure in his misery. Despite not being mated, she has always


    protected him, but this time she saved herself. Her day wille. I will make sure of it. I drop the orb


    and he shifts running for the trees that surround the collective. “He will not get away from us”, Riggs


    says. I shift and Riggs runs as fast as he can toward the trees. We slow down and stalk forward making


    sure he doesn’t attack us first. I have no idea if Lydia came back for this a**hole. I catch his scent and


    move forward. He is hiding like a rodent in the tall grass. I wave my hand and the grass disappears.


    “Cayden, I can help you get revenge on that ba**ard Grant for what he did to you and your sister.” I


    growl that he dare speak of ra. “This was all his doing. I can help you kill him, Cayden.”


    “Now I’m Cayden instead of a mutt.” I can feel my eyes are glowing and I know I need to calm myself


    down. “I need nothing from you. You deserve a slow torturous death, but honestly, that would make me


    a monster just like you.” I raise my hand and picture his blood moving fast in his body. His face turns


    red and he screams in pain. His body begins to swell before he explodes all over the trees. I drop to my


    knees. “That was amazing, Cayden. You did it, you ended that ba**ard” Riggs says. “I did but Lydia got


    away.” “We will find her and she will suffer the same fate.” I hear wolves growling in the distance and I


    manage to get back to my feet. “Riggs, can we shift again?” I know how exhausted I am but I’m not


    sure how my magic affects him. “Yes, I’m good. Let’s shift and finish off the rest of these wolves.” We


    run back toward the cottages and I stop when I realize that Eli and Lily are here. They have killed the


    remaining rogues. I head toward the cottage that houses the cells. When I get inside, there are two


    female wolves lying on the floor of the cell. They are in rough shape but they are both breathing.


    I rush to where the keys hang on the far wall. I start to try each key. It sounds like a stampedeing


    down the stairs. I look up to see a very pissed off Eli and a smiling Lily. He heads straight at me and


    punches me in the face. I know it isn’t as hard as he can or I would have been knocked out. “What the


    hell were you thinking? How do you think she would have felt if something happened to you?” He


    reaches out his hand to pull me to my feet. He pulls me into a hug. “Next time you let us help from the


    beginning.” I pull back and nod. I go back to trying to find the key. “Do you know these women,


    Cayden?” “Yes, they are sisters. That ba**ard had them taken from their pack when they were about


    five years old.” Thest key finally works and I push the cell door open. Eli and I scoop up the girls.


    Once we are upstairs and far away from the cottages, Lily turns them all to ashes. I don’t have time to


    enjoy the fact that this ce will never hurt another person. We need to get the girls to the pack


    hospital. Without warning, Lily ces her hand on my forearm and we reappear back in the pack.


    We rush inside the hospital and the doctor and nurses bring over two gurneys. They rush the girls to


    the back and I take a seat in the waiting area. The adrenaline that was flowing through my body is


    starting to subside. I’m suddenly exhausted. Lily sits next to me. “Though I agree with Eli that you


    shouldn’t have gone alone, I’m still proud of you.” She wraps her arm around my back and her words


    make Riggs puff out his chest. I chuckle and the hospital door flies open. My sister and mother rush


    toward me. I stand and when ra reaches me she pounds on my chest. “How could you be so


    selfish?” Her tears break me. I manage to pull her into my arms. “I’m sorry I worried you. I needed to


    protect you from them. I had to try.” She quiets and lifts her head to look at me. “No more running off


    without talking to us. Family takes care of each other and my pup needs their uncle.” “I promise” I say


    before my mother wraps us both in a hug. The doors open again and Micah and Mason walk in this


    time. They walk toward me ready to take my hand. “Mate” they both growl and I smile.