Page 15 of Snatched Up By the Cartel

Looking up and focusing on the ceiling, I still thought of him and could picture him in front of me.

With me still thinking about that, a prison guard showed up. He appeared in front of my cell. I could barely see through the small window in the door, but I still knew his eyes were looking at me through it. He held a key in his hand.

The dirty smile on his face told me everything. I had always known that everyone hated me, but the way he was looking at me… It was pretty obvious he wanted to see me hurt.

Despite everything, he wasn't really getting what he wanted. No matter how broad his smile was, I could tell he wasn't happy. He wasn't seeing what he wanted.

He would rather see me crying and being desperate, but that wasn't what I was doing. I was anything but desperate. I knew there was hope and, for me, Rylan would do anything.

Some people might have said it was telepathy, but it wasn't. I knew he was cooking up something and when it was done, he would save me. I had done the saving before and now he was going to do the same for me.

That was one of the reasons I knew he was my fated mate.

"Quite the predicament you've landed yourself in, Solstice," he said, a smirk playing at his lips. Of course he came here to mock me. Despite everything, he still wanted his little fun with me. "Your little omega won't be too happy about this, will he?"

I glared at him, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. My omega wasn't happy about this, but it wasn't about him. Don't involve him in this.

"You have no idea what you're dealing with," I growled. "Touch him, and you'll regret it." And he could tell I was being serious about it. No matter how much he wanted to think he didn't fear me, he still did.

The guard laughed, the sound echoing in my ears. "Oh, I know exactly what you are, Solstice. A pair of fated wolves, bound by some cosmic force. It's almost... romantic." His tone was laced with sarcasm, his eyes gleaming with malicious amusement.

He knew it was true. He knew it happened, but he still cared little about it. He knew he would never feel something similar.

I took a menacing step forward, my eyes narrowing. "You touch a hair on his head, and I'll rip your throat out," I snarled. Considering everything at stake, I wasn't afraid of the possible consequences resulting from that. "You have no idea what I would feel for him."

I really thought I would never say something like that about anyone, much less my cellmate.

The guard's smirk faltered, a hint of uncertainty flashing in his eyes. He didn't think I was going to feel so angry. He couldn't even start to grasp what I felt for Rylan.

"Well, well. Someone's protective," he said, recovering his composure. And yet, as much as he tried to show me he didn't care, I knew it wasn't what was really going on. "But it won't matter soon. You'll both be out of here and then what?"

My heart stuttered at his words. And then what? We would live out our lives. That was what would happen. It was that simple.

"What do you mean, 'out of here'?" I immediately asked, my voice sharp. His answer confused me. "You're not planning something, are you?"

If he was planning something, he would regret it soon.

The guard's eyes glinted with a mixture of amusement and something else — a hint of fear. As much as he tried it, he couldn't shake it off.

"Not me," he said, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "But let's just say, someone wants you both out. Seems your little omega has some powerful connections."

My mind raced, trying to make sense of his words. Wait, what happened? I knew that Rylan was important, but did he really manage to pull that off? I didn't think he would ever be able to do such a thing.

My thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of another guard, his face stern, his eyes hard. Something vital was about to ensue and I wanted to know exactly what it was.

"Solstice, you're being released," he said, his tone clipped. I could tell he didn't want to be doing this. "Get your things and come with me."

The first guard sputtered, clearly caught off guard. "What? But I thought—" And here I thought I was the one most surprised by this turn of events.

The second guard cut him off with a sharp glance. "Not your concern," he said, his voice cold. "Just do your job and let us handle this."

The first guard scowled, his eyes narrowing. He didn't want to let it go. He wanted to make sure his buddy wasn't hallucinating or something of the sort.

"Fine," he muttered. "But mark my words, this isn't over. Solstice, you haven't heard the last of me."

I ignored his threat, my mind reeling from the news of my release. For me, that was the most important thing. The guard threatening me didn't matter.

I gathered my meager possessions, my heart pounding with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation. I didn't think I was going to be released so soon. It felt like this wasn't happening at all.

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