Page 19 of The Alpha's Auctioned Pregnant Mate

He pushed his chair back and stood up. Cassius followed suit, and the two of them made their way toward the back of the bar. As they approached the door, a strange sound caught their attention—a muffled noise, almost like a struggle.

Articus’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly pushed open the door, Cassius close behind.

They were just in time to see a figure being shoved into the back of a van at the end of the alley. Even in the dim light, Articus recognized that light brown hair.

Wren!

Articus was moving before he could think, a growl building in his throat. But Cassius's hand clamped down on his shoulder, holding him back with surprising strength.

"Let go," Articus snarled, his wolf rising close to the surface. "They're taking her!"

"I know," Cassius said, his voice tight. "But you can't just charge in there."

Articus whirled on him, disbelief and anger warring inside him. "What are you talking about? We have to stop them!"

Cassius shook his head, his expression grim. "It's not that simple, Art. This isn't your territory. You start a fight here, and you could trigger a war."

"A war?" Articus repeated, incredulous. "Over stopping a kidnapping?"

"You don't understand how things work here," Cassius said, his voice low and urgent. "The balance of power is delicate. One wrong move, and everything could explode."

Articus stared at him, unable to comprehend what he was hearing. How could Cassius be so calm? How could he just stand there while Wren was being taken?

The van's engine roared to life, and panic surged through Articus. "We can't just let them take her!"

Cassius's grip on his shoulder tightened. "We won't. But we need to be smart about this. Getting ourselves killed won't help her."

Articus took a deep breath, forcing himself to think past the rage and fear clouding his mind. Cassius was right. As much as he hated to admit it, charging in blindly wouldn't do Wren any good.

"Fine," Articus growled. "What do you suggest?"

"We follow them," Cassius said, already moving toward where they parked. "Find out where they're taking her. Then we can plan our next move."

Articus nodded, falling into step beside him. Every instinct in him was screaming to go back, to fight, to save her. But he pushed it down. He had to trust that Cassius knew what he was doing.

As they climbed into Cassius's car, a thought struck Articus. "Why would they take her? What's going on?"

Cassius's face was grim as he started the engine. "If I had to guess? They're taking her to be sold."

The words hit Art like a physical blow. "Sold? What do you mean, sold?"

Cassius pulled out onto the street, eyes scanning for the van. "It happens sometimes. They snatch people they think no one will miss. Rogues, mostly. Sometimes pack members who've fallen on hard times."

Art felt sick. The idea that something like this could be happening, that people could be treated like... like property. It was incomprehensible.

"How..." Articus swallowed hard, trying to find the words. "How can you let this happen?"

Cassius's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "You think we like it? We do what we can, but we're outnumbered. Outgunned. It's not as simple as just shutting them down."

Articus shook his head, unable to accept it. "There has to be something we can do."

"Right now, we focus on saving your girl," Cassius said, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. "One problem at a time, Art."

His words brought Articus up short. "She's not my girl."

Cassius snorted. "Could've fooled me. The way you reacted back there... I haven't seen a man that worked up over a woman he didn’t care about—" he cocked his head to the side, "ever."

Articus opened his mouth to argue, then closed it again. Cassius wasn't wrong. The intensity of Art's reaction surprised even him. He'd known Wren for all of an hour, and yet the thought of her in danger made his wolf howl with rage and fear.

---