Chapter 26
Mason
March 16, 2014
I sit at the kitchen table, running my hands through my hair. It has been two days since the battle. No word or sign of Lana or Landon. Or Jesse…
My beautiful mate, I have failed to keep you safe.
After the Cossitt Pack had retreated, we gathered all our dead and wounded. Landon, Trent, Lana, and Jesse were nowhere to be seen. The Rose Pack and Prowler Pack went back to their territories soon after.
Most of our warriors were badly wounded or dead. We only have ten good fighting men.
Jenny came to me once we got back to the pack house, telling me that Lana ran after the Cossitt Pack, that Lana believes the others are taken captive. That only drove my frustration to new heights.
I don’t understand how Landon does this. I want to punch the next person who asks what my move is to retrieve our Alphas.
“Mason, you need to do something!” Jenny yells at me, standing across the kitchen table.
I look up at her. “What do you want us to do? We don’t have the manpower to take on the Cossitt Pack,” I respond.
Jenny paces in front of me, grabbing her hair and pulling on it. I see sweat form above her eyebrows. She’s scared, nervous.
“I promised to protect her. It was my job, and I just let her go,” Jenny says, her voice in a panic.
“She ordered you—”
“It was my job, Mason!”
I let out a sigh, hanging my head as I rub a hand over the back of my neck.
“We can ask the Prowler Pack for their help,” Jenny offers.
“They won’t help us the second time.”
Jenny punches the kitchen table with such force that the table snaps in half. I lift my eyes up at her as the table crumbles on my lap. “I’ll go. Send me. If I die, I’m nobody.”
“You’re someone to Lana, to Landon and Jesse and me. I will not send you to your death.”
Jenny shakes her head, taking a step towards the back door. “You can’t stop me. You have no control over me, Mason.” Jenny runs out of the house, shifting into her wolf.
I let out a curse, pushing away the broken table. I run after her, my wolf taking form. I catch up to her in no time.
I’m doing this, Mason.
I know. And I’m coming with you. I watch as her wolf smirks, picking up speed. I keep up, running as if our tails are on fire.
Who knows what has happened to Landon and the others by now? They could all be dead. It was foolish of me not to act sooner.
We get to the Prowler Pack in seven minutes, running straight up to the door. Macklin steps out. “I’ve already risked my men’s lives. I will not aid you again.”
“Please. The Cossitt Pack is not annihilated! They will regroup, and they will strike back twice as hard!” Jenny begs, now in her human form. Macklin throws an oversized shirt at her, keeping his eyes off her.
“We will be able to stand against them.” Macklin insists.
“Stand against them now while they’re weak. The casualties will be significantly less if we do it together.”
Jenny was a good speaker. She has a skill at making people see the way she wants them to. However, Macklin is hardheaded.
“I am sorry.” He turns to walk back into the house. The door opens before Macklin reaches it and out walks a man in his mid-twenties.
He gives Macklin a soft glare before turning and running to come face to face with Jenny. I watch as Jenny stares at him, her mouth open and eyes wide. He lifts his hand and runs his fingers along her left cheekbone.
“What is your name?” he asks.
“Jenny Olsen.”
“Jenny Olsen, my name is Tyler Calhon. As the upcoming Alpha of the Prowler Pack, I inform you that we will fight with you.”
***
Lana
Landon never woke up after his beating. He slept through the whole night, and I knew it was what he needed. He needed his strength for his wolf to heal the wounds.
Around midnight, a man came in with scraps. It wasn’t much, a piece of bread and peas. But I accepted them greedily. He left Landon’s portion beside his sleeping body. I could tell by the mournful look on his face that he didn’t agree with Castor’s tactics. I wanted to ask him to free us.
Jesse messaged me in the morning, telling me Trent had woken up and that he didn’t want to talk to me. He was wounded, and he feels responsible for Jesse’s condition.
I tried contacting him multiple times, but he did well to ignore me.
Landon finally awoke midday. At least, I thought it’s midday. It’s hard to keep hold of time down here. He gulped down his food in nearly three bites. I could tell that his wounds have healed quite significantly. However, I could see the scars already forming.
“Did he touch you?” Landon growls. I shake my head, feeling stupid when I remember he can’t see me.
“No. He didn’t touch me.” I let out a deep sigh, closing my eyes. “He raped Jesse.”
Landon lets out a low growl, nearly shaking the ground. “I’m gonna kill him for what he’s done to you, Jesse, and Trent.” I peel open my eyes to stare at him.
“You?” Landon shuffles to the middle of the room.
“I don’t give a crap what he does to me. He can do whatever he wants. It’s hurting you that drives me over the edge.” Always the selfless man, everyone before himself, I just hope that means he doesn’t sacrifice himself to save us.
We sit in silence, listening to each other’s heartbeats and the rattle of the chains. It was driving me insane, sitting down here with my hands tied behind my back. It is incredibly uncomfortable to try to sleep in this position.
My butt is sore from not standing, my back aching and my neck extremely stiff.
I want to walk or even shift into my wolf even for just a moment. I fear sitting like this for so long, my legs will lose their function.
“How are you doing, Landon?” I ask to break the silence.
“My back is numb. My ribs are killing me, and my hand is already healing. How’s your stomach?” I don’t know why, but for some reason, the way he answered the question was off. I know I just have it all in my head, but I don’t want to lose him. Sitting down here is frustrating to him, and I know he feels as if he has failed us, just like Trent… men and their pride.
“It’s much better, nearly fully healed now,” I whisper, looking up at the lights. They’re dim, barely giving us any light. However, my eyes are used to the darkness. I can see Landon perfectly.
He has his head hanging, and his shoulder hunched. I know he’s not telling me the truth.
“How bad is your back? Really?” I ask.
Landon lifts his head and opens his mouth to answer. He’s cut off by the door opening. My eyes flicker over to Castor who walks in with a bag slung over his shoulder, slamming the door shut. He storms over and punches Landon right in the jaw.
I let out a loud gasp, watching as my mate falls to his side at the sudden impact. “What are you doing?” I scream.
Castor pulls out keys, uncuffing his handcuffs. He then pulls out an iron collar from his bag. He clasps it around Landon’s neck, chaining it up to the bolt his hands were tied to
Landon gets to his knees, spitting out blood. Castor walks up behind him, delivering a blow to his raw back. Landon lets out a roar of pain. I watch with disgust as Castor again beats my mate. Why is he targeting him?
I just want him to have his way with me and leave us alone.
Castor kicks Landon in the face, and I see a tooth fly across the prison. I growl as Landon drops forward on his hands. Castor walks around Landon as if examining his work. He grips Landon’s hair, tilting his head back so he can look at his bruised face. Landon tried to push Castor’s hands away, but Castor was already walking towards me.
I glare up at him. I am not afraid of him. I know what is going to happen; there is no use to fight against him. Castor unbuckles his belt, pulling it through the loops.
�
��Don’t touch her. Please don’t touch her,” Landon begs from across the prison. I stare at him as Castor grabs the back of my neck, pulling me away from the wall. He shoves me to my stomach, grabbing my pants. He rips them off. I gasp, keeping my face pressed to the floor, eyes on Landon. He turns his head so he can listen to what is happening. “I’m going to kill you.”
Castor ignores Landon, shucking off his pants. I begin to cry as I know that this is it. It’s actually going to happen. He’s going to rape me.
He places his belt around my neck, pulling hard, so I am lifted off the floor and pressed against his chest as he shoves himself into me.
I scream, not in pain but in pure disgust. My heart breaks as Landon roars, thrashing against his neck collar. Tears roll down his cheeks as his eyes glow blue.
“No! Don’t watch, Landon!” I shout.
Castor chuckles behind me, leaning forward to place a kiss on my neck. “Watch me as I mark her, Landon.” I thrash against him.
“No!” Landon yells. Castor wraps his arms around my waist, stilling my actions as he sinks his teeth into the junction of my neck. I cry out in pain. It burns. He’s not my mate, and so my body is trying to get rid of Castor’s mark.
“You sick bastard, I’m going to kill you! You sick bastard!” Landon screams. I sob as I watch my mate try and try to get to me, no matter the pain that he felt.
Castor had his way with me for a good ten minutes, effectively leaving bruises on my arms and hips. I honestly didn’t mind all the bruising. I just wanted him to get the hell away from me.
By the time he exited the room, I curl into a ball on the floor and sob. Landon doesn’t speak for the longest time, just stares at me with blue eyes that shine in the dark room. I can feel his anger, his hunger for revenge.
“I’m so sorry, Lana,” he whispers.
“I-it’s no-ot your fa-ault.” I stutter.
“I should have been able to protect you. To stop him.” I close my eyes, just wanting to go to sleep. To forget about where I am and drift off to a happy place where Castor will not hurt me.
“I just need to know that you’re with me, and you’ll never leave.”
“I’m never going to leave you, Lana. I promise.” A smile twitches on my lips at his words. It brings me comfort, just hearing him say it.
Tears flow as I lay against the cool wall, my body extremely overheated.
What kind of man does this? I knew he slept with women, but he never chained them up and forced them into it. Most of the women consented in sleeping with him. But to beat and cut open women is just masochistic.
He’s a monster. I can’t believe I ever lived in this pack and thought he was a good Alpha. It’s scary what the loss of a mate can do to someone.
I could never see Landon becoming such a disturbing man even if he does lose me. It’s horrifying to think that he ever could.
I hear a loud thud from outside the door, causing me to lift my head. Landon turns to look over his shoulder the same time the door is thrown open. I expect Castor to storm in. However, he doesn’t.
It’s Jenny. I let out a soft sob as she runs toward me, throwing her arms around me. “What did he do to you?” she whimpers, reaching over and snapping the cuffs off me. She sits me up, slowly helping me move my arms into their rightful position. My aching shoulders groan in protest, but I don’t care.
I scramble to my feet and run over to embrace Landon. He grabs onto me, sobbing into my shoulder as I cling to him. “I love you. I love you.” We both repeat over, and over again to each other.
“Sorry to break the reunion. But we need to go.” I lift my head up at the deep voice of Mason.
I let out a sigh of relief. “Blondie.”
Chapter 27
Lana
March 17, 2014
“You’re dead! You’re all going to die!” Castor screams as Landon delivers another punch to his face. His scarred back is coated in sweat for he has been beating Castor for hours on end. When Castor is knocked out, Landon waits for him to wake up to continue.
I refused to go for the first few hours, telling myself I didn’t want to see this. But lying in bed, remembering what he did to my friends and me, I knew I needed to see the rest of it. So, I met Landon down in the prison where he, Mason, and Trent were.
I walked in to see Landon’s hands clenched at his side, his breathing ragged. Castor is tied up, his arms wide open and legs spread, tied at the ankles. Landon and Trent were the ones delivering the blows, Mason just stood and watched.
I wrapped my arms around Mason’s waist for a quick hug. “They’ll never stop until he dies,” he tells me. I cross my arms over my chest, glaring at Castor who meets my eyes.
“I want our son’s name to be Kieran.” Landon looks over his shoulder at me before growling and punching Castor again. Trent and Mason look at me with wide eyes.
Tears well as I stare at my brother who’s jaw sets. I never told them what Castor did to me. I couldn’t find the words to say it.
Trent lets out a heartbroken scream before he spins and delivers punch after punch to Castor until he is knocked out again. I wipe my stubborn tears away, pleased with what Trent just did, seeing Castor all bloodied, just the way he bloodied up Landon. He deserves all the pain he has coming to him.
Landon shakes his hands, drops of blood splattering on the floor as he walks over to me. I stare at him as he wipes his hands on his shorts. He grabs onto me, pulling me into his arms. “Are you sure you want to see this?” he asks.
I nod, reaching up to trace my fingers along the scars on his face, down to his jaw. “I never want to be away from your side,” I whisper.
Landon places a kiss on my forehead, hugging me close to him. I never want to be out of his arms either. Being just out of reach from him is frustrating.
I look at Trent over Landon’s shoulder. He can barely look at me, avoiding eye contact and hanging his head low. None of this is his fault… He must know that.
I glance at Mason, frown deeply on my lips. I feel bad for him. Jesse hasn’t told him what Castor did to her yet. I think she’s ashamed, disgusted. I just hope that when she does tell him, he will be calm and comforting.
However, I wish he knew now, so he could throw in some punches. It would really help him. Because if she waits after Castor is dead, he won’t have any way to get vengeance.
“Are you just going to beat him until he’s dead?” I ask Landon, pulling back to look at Castor. He shakes his head, wrapping an arm around my waist and resting his hand on my hip. He holds onto me as if scared I’d vanish if he lets me go.
“No. I’m going to execute him.” I feel my stomach churn at the thought. My food wanted to exit my belly immediately.
“In front of everyone?” I ask.
“All who want to be present can be. But no one will be forced to watch his execution,” he answers. I nod my head, leaning against Landon and resting my head on his shoulder.
I will be in the first row, watching every second of it. I will be damned if I miss this man’s death.
Trent and Mason exit the prison, and I look after my brother. I step back from Landon and place my hand on his cheek. “I need to speak with him.” Landon reaches down, giving me a quick kiss.
“Of course. Come back when you’re finished, though.” I nod and run after Trent, catching up to him just outside the prison.
Mason and he look back at me, but Mason continues walking when I grab hold of Trent’s arm. He tenses under my contact, cringing away from me and avoiding eye contact.
“Trent, we need to talk about what happened—”
“No, Lana, we really don’t,” Trent says, his tone is annoyed and distant.
“Yes, we do. Jesse told me what happened. And she told me that you blame yourself. Trent, there was nothing you could have done!” I growl.
Trent takes a step away from, running a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated. “But it’s my job to protect you… and Jesse and Jenny and every other girl—�
��
“No! It’s not! You need to stop thinking that we’re your responsibility because we’re not. You’re not the hero here, so stop trying to be one.” I snap, regretting the words instantly.
Trent glares at me, his eyes flickering dark. “Yeah? I’m not responsible for you?” Trent grabs my arms, giving me a good shake. “If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t even be here! If it weren’t for me, you’d still be Castor’s whore!”
I let out a whimper at his words and the pain in my arms. He doesn’t mean that. He can’t possibly mean that!
I rip myself from his grasp and give him a shove. “I hate you. I don’t know what Castor did to make you so cruel, but this is not the brother I know and love.” I turn to walk back to Landon, only to be stopped by him grabbing onto me.
“What did Castor do that made you so weak? You can barely stand without leaning on Landon. What did he do to make you so submissive?” I cringe away from him, trying to pry myself out of his grasp.
Landon, I call. I struggle with my brother.
“Nothing! Now, let me go!” I growl. He tightens his grip only to release it, looking behind me.
Landon snarls, wrapping his arm around my waist when I start to fall backward. He supports me, glaring at my brother. “What is wrong with you? How dare you talk to your sister that way?” Landon swoops down and knocks my legs from under me, holding me bridal style. I wrap my arms around his neck, burying my face into his shoulder. “She’s been through much more than you could ever imagine. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
Landon walks us to the house, leaving Trent behind who makes no effort to apologize. I know he is just overwhelmed and traumatized by everything that has happened. He doesn’t really mean it.
We pass Jenny and Jesse who are sitting at the kitchen table. They look up at me, eyebrows furrowed with confusion. “You okay, Lana?” Jenny asks, getting to her feet.
Jenny should be with her mate right now. It’s only right for her to move into the Prowler Pack, but she refuses to do so until she knows everything is in order here.
“She’s just tired,” Landon says, taking me up to the bedroom.
Blind Alpha: A Dark Fantasy Page 13
