Page 21 of The Alpha's Auctioned Pregnant Mate

Relief washed over Articus. "Who are you calling?" he asked as Cassius put the phone to his ear.

"My second," Cassius replied. "And a few others I trust. We'll need all the help we can get."

As Cassius talked quietly into the phone, Articus turned his attention back to the warehouse. Somewhere in there, Wren was being held against her will. The thought made his blood boil.

Articus took a deep breath, trying to center himself. He needed to stay calm. For Wren's sake, if nothing else.

Articus made a silent vow. He'd get her out of there. And then, if she'd let him, he'd spend as long as it took making it up to her.

He'd learn about her world, about the struggles rogues faced. He'd challenge everything he thought he knew. And maybe, just maybe, he could start to bridge the gap between their two worlds.

But first, they had to save her.

Cassius ended his call and turned to Articus. "They'll be here in twenty minutes. Think you can sit tight that long?"

Articus nodded, even as his wolf paced restlessly inside him. "I'll manage. But the second they get here, we're going in."

Cassius studied Articus for a long moment, then nodded. "Alright. But we do this smart, you hear me? No heroics. No lone wolf bullshit. We work as a team."

"Understood," Articus said, meaning it. He might be an Alpha in his own territory, but here, he was out of his depth. He needed to trust Cassius's judgment.

As they settled in to wait, Art found himself thinking about home. About his pack, safe and secure on their side of the mountain. How naive they'd been, how sheltered.

When this was over, things were going to change. Articus would make sure of it. No more turning a blind eye to what happened on this side of the mountain. No more writing off rogues as lost causes.

It was time they started building bridges instead of walls.

The minutes ticked by slowly, each one feeling like an eternity. Articus strained his ears, hoping to catch some sound from the warehouse, some sign that Wren was okay. But there was nothing but silence.

Finally, after what felt like hours, a series of cars pulled up quietly behind them. Cassius nodded at Art. "It's time."

Chapter 8 - Articus

Two of Cassius’ aides went to scope out the warehouse and returned with valuable information. The shorter of the two began, “It appears that there is an event of some sort at the warehouse, Alpha. People in masks are freely trouping in by the numbers.”

“There was no bouncer or security man at the door. People are casually walking in. I observed that there was no need for security as only people who were invited knew about the event and its location,” the taller aide added.

“Thank you, Antonio, Raul,” Cassius said. “It appears we have no need for backup after all; we can handle this ourselves. Bring the bags of cash here and then tell everyone to pull back by about two blocks.. just in case.”

Articus looked back as Antonio put five black bags in the trunk of the car before heading away to meet Raul.

“I had guessed it would be a market to sell those they had snatched, so I instructed them to bring all the cash in the pack house. We have 50 million dollars in each bag.” Cassius spoke matter-of-factly, taking off his watch.

“Thanks, Cousin. I will pay you back once I get back to my side of the mountain.” Articus promised.

“Let’s hope we don’t spend it all,” Cassius said. “And I will be expecting you to pay it back with interest; I know how rich you are on the bright side.”

"Says the man who can conjure 250 million dollars in less than thirty minutes; money is no object for you as well,” Articus half-joked, his mind on Wren. “Are we going in now?".

"Yeah, we are, but not without a uniform." Cassius grinned at his cousin. He pulled off his hoodie and his black shirt.

Articus observed closely as Cassius ripped out two small halves from the black shirt into two. Cassius skillfully extracted his claws and made two holes in each of the halves.

"There, now you are just one of them." Cassius handed over one half to Articus.

Articus wasted no time in tying it across his face and adjusting his hoodie. Surprisingly, the holes fix perfectly over his eyes. He turned to see that Cassius had done the same. They were both incognito and ready to storm the event.

They walked confidently to the entrance. Their eyes scanned the surroundings for any funny business. With no resistance, they walked into the warehouse.

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