Page 44 of Pregnant Kidnapped Mate

I dropped the body immediately, panting as my mind raced with fury and concern. Iris was in trouble, but so was the rest of the pack. Both needed me.

I wanted to run straight for Iris, and I nearly did. But common sense prevailed, and I raced toward the mansion. I couldn’t be impulsive this time. If Dan had been telling the truth, there were a bunch of humans with dangerous weapons ready to ambush us. Jameson and the others had to be warned. And if the humans had that kind of firepower, I couldn’t just dash in to help Iris, no matter how badly I wanted to. I needed the Silver Wolves’ help, both to protect the town and to protect Iris.

***

I burst into the mansion without knocking, marching straight to the living room. “They took Iris,” I panted.

Rand, Mark, Tannen, Jameson, and Malcolm were all there. Tannen looked better. Whatever had been on the bullets seemed to have moved out of his system. All heads snapped toward me.

“We know. Tannen told us.” Jameson growled, hands flexing into claws, anger in his eyes.

“There’s more.”

I gave them the briefest of rundowns, just enough to give them the essentials. But even that delay grated at me. I wanted to be gone already.

“So we’ve got people coming our way unless we stop them?” Rand asked.

“Sounds like it,” Jameson answered.

“You guys can stay here and guard,” I said. “I’m going after Iris.”

“I’m coming, too,” Malcolm said, and I nodded my appreciation.

Jameson nodded. “We’ll split the crew into two groups,” he said. “Rand, Mark, Tannen, and Malcolm, you guys go with Alek since you’re already here. The rest of us will stay here and shore up our defenses, all right?”

The guys nodded, all moving to the door simultaneously. As he passed, Malcolm clapped me on the shoulder, turning me to look at him.

“We’re going to get her back, Alek,” he promised.

I nodded, still fuming, still only focused on getting Iris back. My wolf snarled internally, ready to tear into everyone who had even thought about harming Iris. But I couldn’t let my emotions get in the way here. The more I let my emotions take over, the more likely it was that we wouldn’t get to Iris in time. I had to control them.

Still fuming, I spun on my heels and followed the rest of the group, ready to shift and charge into the woods. Ready to find and save Iris.

Chapter 19 - Iris

The boards to the basement creaked beneath our feet as they started dragging me down into the dank, dark interior of the house. I struggled and writhed, trying to fight as much as I could even though my hands were bound behind my back and my dad was in front of me, pulling me down, while my brother was behind me, pushing and shoving.

Water dripped from a pipe onto a puddle on the cement floor. The puddle was the only feature in the room except for the iron manacle snaking out from the wall. That was new.

My blood turned to ice as my mind zeroed in on that singular item, then snapped back to the situation. My shriek of protest was muffled by the cloth still stuffed in my mouth. I tried to tug away, to wrench myself out of their grip and back toward the stairs. But it was no use. Years of hunting and training while keeping me locked in my room meant my brother and father were far too strong for me to fight back. I could do nothing as they hauled me over, my back slamming against the cold cement blocks that made up the wall.

Something cold and heavy snapped around my ankle. I didn’t have to look down to recognize the feel of rough iron or know that they had just chained their daughter and sister to the wall.

They undid the ropes on my wrists once I was chained to the wall. A small mercy. I winced as blood rushed back to my hands. I yanked the cloth from my mouth, spitting and trying to get rid of the flecks of fabric I could feel clinging to my tongue and the roof of my mouth.

“You assholes,” I spat, my voice trembling with barely contained rage mixed with fear. “You fucking assholes. Let me go now, or I’ll—”

“You’ll what?” Jason asked, a faint smirk on his face as he studied me, clearly amused.

I just glared at him. I couldn’t tell if I was furious or terrified. The emotions were too closely entwined at the moment.

I took a deep, shaking breath. I needed to get out of here. And quickly.

“Dad, Jason,” I began, licking my lips as I tried to figure out the right words. “You don’t want to do this.”

The words were feeble in the damp basement air. What evidence did I have to back them up with, anyway? I was chained to a wall. All they had to do was walk out of reach, and there was nothing I would be able to do. The damp chill washed over my legs and arms, the cold intensifying as the severity of my predicament skyrocketed.

“Or what?” Jason asked, laughing.

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