Page 48 of Pregnant Kidnapped Mate

“It’s me!” I pricked my ears, trying to locate where she was.

“Oh, thank god. I’m in the basement. There’s a door off the kitchen.”

They’d thrown her in the basement? I would have been furious if I weren’t so preoccupied with getting to her. Right now, I was too relieved I had found her to think much of anything else.

The door off the kitchen was locked, but all it took was a strong shove to tear it from its frame, revealing a set of wooden steps that led down into darkness. Iris’s scent was stronger here, and the sound of her breathing crept up the stairs into my ears.

She was there. She was alive.

“Is there anything I need to worry about?” I asked. “Any traps?”

“No. It’s safe.”

I raced down the stairs. Iris leaned against the wall. Dirt covered her clothes, and her hair was scraggly. But she looked absolutely gorgeous, especially when our eyes met and she smiled.

I raced over, not even giving her time to speak, and wrapped my arms around her. I needed to touch her, to make sure she was safe.

Her own hands wrapped around me. “I’m all right,” she soothed. She squeezed me tight, as if she needed the same reassurance I did. I buried my nose in her hair, needing her scent, needing that extra reassurance she and our cubs were okay. My wolf calmed, tail swishing contentedly now that he was close to his mate again.

“I was so worried something would happen to you,” she said to me breathlessly. “Dad said he had some sort of weapon that would—” She stopped, pulling away to look at her arm, currently slick with blood from the wound on my shoulder. Her eyes flew wide as she looked from my arm to my face.

“He did have some sort of weapon,” I admitted. “But it wasn’t enough. I’m fine.”

She swallowed, looking back at the wound. “Is he…” She trailed off.

“He’s dead,” I said.

“Oh…” She fell silent, processing everything.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

She shook her head, then took an uneasy breath. “No, no it’s fine. Just a bit of a shock.”

I pulled her back into my arms. “I understand,” I said into her hair. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

“Right.” She paused, then gave me an awkward smile. “Um, might need your help, though.”

I blinked, frowning. “What?”

In answer, she looked down. I followed suit, and a fresh wave of anger washed over me as I took in the band of iron wrapped around her ankle. I no longer felt even remotely sorry about killing her father.

“Those fuckers,” I snarled.

“Worry about it later,” she said, her soft hand going to my face. “Dad’s dead already. You’ve gotten your revenge. In the meantime, let’s get out of here. I’m tired of staring at the mold on the walls.”

I couldn’t decide whether to laugh or be furious. But it didn’t matter. If she was able to joke, that meant she was okay.

I broke the chain easily. The shackle was still there, but we could take it off later. I broke the link closest to her ankle so there wasn’t a trail.

“Is your brother around?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I haven’t heard him or anything. He wasn’t with Dad?”

I shook my head, trying to temper my growing unease. I’d be happier knowing exactly what had happened to him. “One of the other Silver Wolves probably got to him,” I said, knowing I’d check with them later. The only thing I cared about right now was getting Iris to safety.

“I’ll go up first,” I said, craning my neck to peer at the light streaming in from the kitchen. I didn’t see or hear anything. “Stay behind me.”

Iris nodded. We moved up the steps, each creak giving away our location. If her brother was anywhere in the house, he would know what we were doing. The instant we were in the kitchen, Iris grabbed a chef’s knife, gripping it tightly. I nodded my approval.

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