by Walsh Maggie
Evan went to bed that night with thoughts of Raphael and a future together. His heart was light and full of hope as sleep claimed him. He slept contentedly…until the nightmares started.
Chapter 3
“You kept this secret from me, your alpha? You know that keeping anything from your alpha is punishable by death. You both will pay dearly for your treachery. I will make an example out of you for the rest of the pack. Then I will take your precious son and show the pack exactly what we do to his kind.”
The alpha spat the words in his father’s face. He couldn’t do anything to help them. Evan sat in the middle of the floor, his hands tied behind his back and a rag stuffed into his mouth. The three betas stood around him, kicking and punching him whenever they felt the need. He knew his nose was broken, as well as a few ribs. He was sure there were other bruises to his face considering he was having trouble seeing out of his left eye, and he could feel the warm trickle of blood seeping down his face.
The alpha tightened the chains around his father’s throat, and he watched as his father jerked. He clawed at his neck, trying to get the chains to loosen so he could breathe, but of course, that didn’t work. His father’s eyes were rounded and filled with terror. The alpha stepped closer and began to beat on his father’s hanging body with all the strength within him. His father jerked and swung as bones cracked and the man cried out as much as he could with no air.
After a few minutes of the alpha torturing his father, the wolf released the chain slightly, allowing air to fill his father’s lungs again. He gasped and cried as he tried to draw in the lifesaving breaths. Then his father cried out again as the alpha adjusted the winch, and the chains suspending him from the floor pulled on his outstretched arms. He could hear his father’s shoulders pop out of their sockets, and the alpha laughed.
He then turned his attention to Evan’s mother. She lay strapped down on a wooden table. The chains around her wrist and ankles cut into her flesh and Evan could see the blood running out of her and dripping in puddles onto the floor. The alpha stepped over to his mother and grabbed a whip from the table beside her. He flicked his wrist, making the whip fly through the air above his mother’s face. The snap caused her to flinch and whimper.
“I want all members of the pack brought in here in the next ten minutes. They will all bear witness to what will happen to any of them should they even think about keeping secrets from me,” the alpha ordered.
Two of the betas standing next to him moved away and exited the room. Ten minutes later, the torture chamber filled with all the members of their pack. He could see the fear in their eyes as they looked at the sight before them. The betas locked the door and moved back to stand next to him.
“These two have betrayed their alpha and this pack and will be punished as I see fit. All members of a pack must put their alpha first above all others, even their own demonic offspring. That is part of the pledge each of you gave me when I allowed you into my pack. You all vowed your allegiance and loyalty to me. So now you will all witness what will happen should you decide to lie to me, or betray me,” the alpha announced and raised his arm.
The whip flew through the air and connected with his mother’s bare skin. She screamed out as a thin red line began to form over her breasts and stomach. Blood welled at the site and slowly trickled down her. The alpha raised his arm again and flicked the whip at his mother. For twenty minutes the alpha whipped his mother’s naked body. Her screams filled the air, and Evan closed his eyes, turning his head away from the onslaught. He couldn’t bear to watch his beautiful mother being tortured.
But the beta wouldn’t allow it. He grabbed Evan’s head and turned it back toward his mother. Another of the betas pulled his eyes open and placed wooden clamps on his lids to keep them open. The pain made him cry out at first, but he pulled it back. What he was experiencing was nothing compared to the torment his parents were being put through, all for him, and he had no right to cry out.
The pack watched in horror for the next hour as their alpha continued to whip both his parents until no skin was visible any longer. They were just swollen lumps of flesh covered in blood from head to toe. The alpha finally threw the whip away from him and went to the table. He turned back toward them, and Evan jerked in despair from seeing the object in the man’s hand. The alpha held a sharp filleting knife and walked to stand in front of his father. He then began cutting flesh from his father’s body and dropping the pieces to the floor. No sound came from his father’s lips, and Evan was afraid his father had already died from all the pain.
The alpha suddenly stopped and addressed the pack again, but Evan had no memory of what was said. His full attention was on his parents’ bloody bodies. Tears ran freely down his cheeks the whole time the alpha tortured them, and Evan felt exhausted. His whole body hurt, not only from the position they had him in, but also from every lash of pain the alpha gave his parents. He felt every whip, every hit, every cut.
This was all his fault. His parents were only trying to protect him, and he’d fucked up. He was twenty years old. He had known since he was twelve that he had a liking for boys. He hadn’t said anything to his parents for a whole year until he was sure of his feelings. When he’d sat them down to tell them that he thought he was different, because he desired boys, his parents had begun to cry. His own tears had blocked his vision and his chest hurt. His parents were about to throw him out. He had lost their love, and he couldn’t handle it. He backpedaled and took back his words, trying to convince them that he was only teasing, but they knew.
They knew that what he had said was true. Then what they did shocked him more than anything ever had before. His parents both stood and came to him. With one on each side of him, they knelt on the floor and wrapped their arms around him, holding him tight. The three of them stayed there for what felt like hours, as they clung to each other and cried.
When the tears stopped his father pulled away and took his face between his strong hands. “I love you no matter what, my boy. I will always love you, but I am terrified for your future. I am scared what will happen to you if the alpha and the others find out. We can’t let them find out, Evan. We need to keep this between the three of us. We need to keep you safe.”
His father’s words had filled him with joy, knowing that the man who was his hero still loved him and wanted to protect him. From that moment on his parents had done everything they could to keep his secret and make sure he was safe, and they always loved him. They always showed him how much they loved him and never looked at him, or treated him any differently than they had before his confession.
But then he’d screwed up. He had just turned twenty and had gone into the neighboring village with a few friends to celebrate his birthday. They had been at a local tavern and were drinking when one of the painted ladies came over to him. That’s what they had called them then. Today they called them hookers or call girls. The painted lady straddled his lap and began to rub her pussy against him. Evan placed his hands on her hips and tried to play along. He couldn’t let anyone know he had absolutely no interest in this human woman.
His friends stood around, cheering him on, until the painted lady stood, took his hand, and pulled him up the stairs behind her. His friends whooped and hollered from below. Once he was alone with her in her bedchamber, the nerves took over. She undressed him and laid him on the bed, and then she undressed herself. She climbed on top of him, straddling his hips, and began to kiss him. He kissed her back, trying to keep up the facade, but his manroot took no interest. It lay limp against his thigh.
She tried for about a half an hour to get him hard, but nothing happened. Finally she stood and turned her anger on him, calling him a boy. The insults flew from her mouth venomously as she put her clothes back on. He climbed from the bed cautiously and began to dress. Then she yelled at him that she should have known he was a girly man. He was too damn pretty to be a real man. Her voice got louder, and Evan became terrified that the others would hear h
er. He jumped from the bed as he was adjusting his shirt and he grabbed her arm, tugging her toward him. He placed his other hand over her mouth, trying to stop her screams.
The door burst open, and his friends stood there gawking at them, but they weren’t alone. The man who owned the tavern was there along with two of his packs betas. They stared at the scene before them for a few moments and then came to Evan, grabbing the woman away from him. She told them what had happened, or what hadn’t happened, and his betas grabbed him tighter, dragged him from the place, and took him straight to their alpha.
He tried to explain to his alpha that he just wasn’t attracted to the woman and that’s why nothing happened. He tried to convince his alpha that maybe it was because she was a human or he’d had too much ale, which had kept him soft, but the man hadn’t bought it. He could smell the lies rolling off Evan.
That’s when the betas beat him and chained him to the floor. The alpha had them go and round up his parents and bring them to the chamber. He begged and pleaded with the alpha to spare his parents. He tried over and over to convince the man that he wasn’t gay, that it was all the woman’s fault, but the alpha knew.
He questioned his parents, and they denied Evan’s liking of boys. They tried desperately to convince the alpha that there had been a terrible mistake, but once again, the alpha could smell the lies. He knew Evan’s parents had known about his penchant for boys and had kept it a secret. That’s when their torture began.
Evan woke up in a cold sweat as the memories assaulted him. He dropped his head in his hands and found that his face was soaked with tears. He wiped away the moisture and threw the covers back. Evan climbed from the bed, went to the bathroom, locked the door, and climbed into the shower. He turned on the water as hot as his body could take it, needing to get the chill from his bones. He stood under the scalding water as it cascaded over him, but the chill wouldn’t go away. He wrapped his arms around his middle and slumped against the tile as the pain and tears took over.
* * * *
“Happy New Year, Evan,” Josh said happily as he walked into the kitchen. He went to the counter and poured himself a cup of coffee, then turned and brought it to the table where Evan was sitting.
“Jeez, you look like hell. Are you okay?” Josh asked in concern.
“I’m fine,” Evan mumbled as he continued to stare into his mug. “Just had a bad night’s sleep.”
“Maybe you should go back to bed. You do have the day off, right?”
Evan sighed and ran a hand down his face. “Yeah.” He stood and went to the coffeepot and poured himself another cup.
“How many of those have you had already?” Josh asked.
“About two.”
“Two cups? Or two pots?” Josh asked.
“Pots,” Evan answered and took a big swig of his coffee.
“Good morning, all,” Milo announced cheerily as he joined them. “Happy New Year, sweets.” He kissed Josh on the cheek and walked to stand next to Evan at the counter.
“Happy New Year, Milo,” Evan answered, moved back to the table, and dropped into his seat.
“Damn. Hangover?” Milo asked as he turned to face them, a steaming mug in his hand.
Josh’s worried eyes met Milo’s, and he shook his head. “So you headed back to bed, Evan?” Josh asked.
“Yeah. Maybe that’s a good idea,” he answered and stood.
“So did you all hear that explosion last night?” Shane asked as he walked in.
“What explosion?” Milo asked with unease.
“I don’t know, but it must have been pretty big to have heard it all the way over here. It sounded like it came from the pack house.”
“Yeah I heard that, too,” Tucker agreed as he joined them. “I was sitting out back and the sky lit up like the fucking Fourth of July. Then there was this rumbling sound and a massive explosion. I’m surprised things are still on the walls here.”
“I was up half the night, why didn’t I hear it?” Evan asked.
“It happened around ten. You weren’t even home from the club then,” Syn answered.
“Why didn’t anyone say anything last night?” Evan asked angrily.
Tucker shrugged his shoulders. “I just thought the Alpha was having a party and they were using fireworks.”
They all looked at each other in horror. “I’ll call Bailey,” Josh yelled and ran for his phone.
“I’ll call Maddy over at the facility and see if he knows anything,” Milo said and pulled his cell phone from his back pocket.
“I’ll call the alpha and see what’s going on,” Evan announced and ran from the room.
“Shit!” Milo cursed and slammed his phone down on the counter.
“What?” Tucker asked.
“Maddy said there was an explosion over at the alpha’s house, but no one is to go anywhere near the area. It was a direct order from Micah.”
“Well at least that’s kind of a good sign. If the alpha ordered everyone to stay away, then they’re okay, right?” Shane asked.
“No. Maddy said the alpha gave the order a week ago for no one to go anywhere within ten miles of the pack house until he changed the order. Maddy and the other trainees have been guarding the perimeter, keeping everyone out of the area since the order came in.”
“That’s why he’s been gone all week? Why didn’t he tell you and Josh?”
“He wasn’t allowed to. As an enforcer trainee, he has to follow orders, and some of those orders are to remain secret.”
“Kind of like the human military, huh?” Tucker assumed.
“Exactly. He can’t always share everything, even with his mates.”
“Something’s wrong, Milo,” Josh said in a panic as he ran back into the kitchen. “I can’t reach Bailey, so I tried Lexi, but I got no answer. Then I tried Rory’s cell, then Jesse’s numbers and still nothing. No one is answering their phones.”
Evan walked back into the room, his face pale and his eyes filled with worry. “There’s no answer at the alpha house either. I can’t get anyone over there.”
“So what do you think happened? What do we do?” Syn asked, panicked.
Evan took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders. “The first thing we do is not panic. Something has gone down and we need to believe in our alpha. Obviously something big happened, and they are all probably busy with what’s going on. We need to just keep our heads about us and pray everything is okay,” Evan stated and wrapped an arm around Shane’s shoulders.
“What if they’re all gone, Evan?” Sage asked from the doorway, his terror evident in his tone.
Evan turned to look at him. “They’re not gone. They’re all okay.”
“But what if they are gone? Who’s going to lead us? Who’s going to protect us?” Mitchell asked from beside Sage.
“I want everyone to stop right now. We don’t know what’s happened so let’s not start playing the ‘What If’ game. This pack is the strongest pack in the world. We have the Alpha Prime, the Heart, and the Guardian, along with the fae king, the commander of the Legion Warriors, and a really fucking powerful omega. Now, something may have happened over there, but I refuse to think negatively. We will go about our day and have faith that they are all right and they are handling whatever it is,” Evan admonished with conviction. He grabbed his coffee cup and headed out of the kitchen.
The boys stood looking around at each other with worried eyes. Milo went to Josh and wrapped his arm around his mate’s shoulder. Josh wrapped his arms around Milo’s waist and they held each other close. They looked at the other boys’ worried faces, and both opened their arms in invitation. The others all ran to them and joined in the hug. They all needed the comfort and something to hold onto.
* * * *
Evan softly closed his bedroom door and placed the coffee mug on the nightstand. He dropped down onto the bed and stared at the wall before him. They needed to be okay. They all needed to be okay. What would happen to them, to all of them, the
paranormal world as a whole if something happened to them? Tears burned Evan’s eyes as he thought about all the people who lived at the alpha house. He didn’t know some of them that well, but they had all accepted him and his boys from the moment they came here. For the first time since his twentieth birthday, he felt safe. He felt like he was where he belonged. He felt like he was home.
But if the Alpha Prime and the Heart were gone, what would happen? They were making so many wonderful changes to the paranormal world, but what would happen now? Would everyone go back to how things were before? Would the territory wars start again, and worse?
Evan’s eyes went wide and his breath caught in his throat as a thought hit him. Raphael? His mate was in that house. Oh my Gods. What if his mate were hurt? Or worse. He needed to get to that damn house and he needed to get there now.
Evan jumped from the bed and ran to the door. He swung the door open and ran out, down the stairs, and to the front door. Grabbing his coat and keys, he flung the front door open.
“Evan? Where are you going?” Josh asked.
Evan spun around to face him. “My mate is in that house. I need to go to him,” he explained in a panic.
“Okay, Evan, but let me drive, okay?” Josh said cautiously as he stepped closer to Evan.
“We’ll all go,” Milo offered as he and the others joined them in the foyer.
Evan shook his head no. “We don’t know what happened. I don’t want any of you getting hurt.”
“If something did happen to them, Evan, then we can’t take the chance of losing you, too,” Mitchell said softly.
Evan stared at all of them for a moment, struggling with what he should do. They were right. If everyone was hurt or worse, then he couldn’t risk himself, too. His boys needed him, but his mate may be hurt. He needed to go to him.
