Marked by the Alphas

Chapter 42: Chapter 42

Elara POV

Anton’s words make my ears ring and my mind race. Selena!

“What about my sister?” I ask, my first concern is Selena. “Did the spell work for her?”

“Impossible to tell,” Anton shakes his head. “Not until she comes of age.”

“That still doesn’t explain why you’ve brought me to this awful place,” I yell, yanking at the chain around my ankle.

“When a wolf hybrid turns eighteen and goes into heat, every vampire and wolf shifter within miles can smell it,” Anton sighs, scrubbing a bony hand down his wrinkled face. “It draws them in like flies to honey.”

Great. I am basically a fucking siren call for every supernatural being in the region.

“You’re safe to do as you wish with your mates inside the confines of the Constantine mansion,” he continues. “Your scent can’t escape those walls. Not to mention, there isn’t a wolf in this pack who would dare to even glance at the Alphas’ mate. That’s the only reason you’ve been safe.”

“But outside like you were with Braden,” his eyes darken. “You’re asking for your scent to be detected. Any unwanted suitor could approach, drawn in by that irresistible smell. Someone wandering by chance who doesn’t know you belong to the Alphas? It’s a recipe for disaster.”

“Is that how you found me?” I raise my eyebrows. Gag. A shiver runs down my spine just thinking about it.

He clears his throat and looks at me with a sly grin. Gross. So, that is a yes.

“You’re safer here where you can’t escape,” he changes the subject. “And where there are no ... uhm, male distractions.”

Oh, goddess, I just want this conversation to end.

“Fine,” I sigh, sitting on the uncomfortable bed. “I’m tired. I like to rest.”

He looks me up and down with narrowed eyes, like I am a piece of meat, and bile rises in my throat.

“As you wish,” he finally says, and turns around.

I exhale a huge breath of air when the door shuts behind him. I must get out of here. Anton has me chained up ... how long would it be before he takes advantage of that? And even if he does not plan to, who knows what other creatures are lurking outside this place, waiting to get a taste of me?

Anton is old and certainly not as strong as he used to be. Who is to say some particularly hungry vampire will not stumble upon this place and take him down to get to me?

I must try to call out to Kane and Axel through our bond. But a pang of paranoia shoots through me. Anton said my mating heat was like a siren call ... what if they thought they felt for me was nothing more than that? What if, now that I was far away from them, they finally had clarity? What if they realise that Alice is who they wanted all along?

I close my eyes tightly and mind-link them. I still must try.

Kane POV

I wake up early, groggy and with one hell of a hangover. Still, it does not stop me from jumping out of bed and taking the fastest shower known to man. I am not wasting one more second to find Elara. Last night was torture. And the second Elara is safe at home, I am demanding answers from Mom and Dad.

“Hey,” Axel hammers on my bedroom door. “Are you ready?”

“For fuck’s sake,” I open the door and glare at him. “Easy with the noise, geez.”

“Everyone is already waiting in the living room,” he informs me as we walk. “Including Braden.”

“What the fuck is he still doing here?” I hiss. “If Elder Gustav finds out, we’re done.”

“I don’t care,” Axel shrugs. “All I care about is ...”

I miss the rest of his sentence because I hear another voice inside my head. It sounds distant but achingly familiar ... Elara.

I lock eyes with Axel, and my own shock reflects in his face.

“Did you just hear that, or am I going crazy?” I asked silently.

“If you are, then I am, too,” he replies.

Kane POV

“Kane, Axel, can you hear me?” We hear it again, louder and unmistakable.

Axel and I close our eyes tightly, concentrating on hearing her voice again.

“Elara, it’s us,” I call to her.

“We want to know you’re safe.” Axel reaches out.

“I’m here, I’m okay,” Elara answers, and relief washes over me with an intensity that takes my breath away. “But I don’t know for how long, and I don’t know where I am.”

“We think we might,” I reassure her. “You can’t be too far if we can hear you.”

Axel shoots me a confused look, and I shrug. I do not know if it is true, the rules never seem to apply to us and Elara, but I want to believe it.

“We’re going to find you, Elara,” Axel tells her.

“Hurry, please,” she replies.

And then she was gone.

“This is so weird,” I frown. “Why couldn’t she hear us yesterday, but we can hear her today?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugs. “Maybe she was sleeping, or Anton changed the location. Either way, it doesn’t matter. We must hurry.”

**

Our cars pull away with squealing tires. Axel and Braden are in the big black SUV while Mom rides with me.

It is silent in the car, except for Mother’s directions while we drive.

“You’re really not going to tell me anything else about this mysterious place Elara’s being kept?” I ask when I cannot control my anger and frustration any longer. Why is she refusing to tell what the place is or how she knows about it? I am sick to death of all these secrets.

“I told you,” she replies curtly. “I’ve been there once a long time ago. That’s all there is to say.”

“It wasn’t a good idea to tell your father he couldn’t come,” she changes the subject.

“Really, Mother,” I look at her in disbelief. She is so strong and sure, but lately she is weak and powerless when it comes to Father. “He still won’t tell me what the fuck he was doing out with Alice all night.” freewebnovёl.ƈom

“I’m sure he has his reasons,” She looks through the window, refusing to meet my eyes.

“I don’t understand why you’re letting him get away with this shit, Ma,” I grimace sourly. “You would never give me that same grace.” freewebnσvel.cѳm

“Maybe I expect more from you,” she turns to face me. “You’re a better man than he is, Kane. So is Axel.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I frown.

“There’s a lot you don’t understand,” she sighs deeply, and I immediately pull off the road, Axel right behind us.

“And whose fault is that?!” I growl. “You and Father named us Alphas without telling us a damn thing about the Great Wars.”

“If you think we’re such good men, why keep us in the dark?” I slam my fist against the steering wheel in frustration. “We’re supposed to be prepared for anything and protect the pack. But we don’t even know what the fuck we’re protecting them from.”

“You will in time,” she replies coolly. “These things are delicate, Kane.”

“Delicate?” My voice rises, high and vicious. “A High Elder came to me about vampires, and I had to admit to him that I didn’t even know they existed! Do you know how humiliating that is? Admitting my ignorance like that doesn’t just affect my reputation, Ma. It affects you; it affects Father, it affects my mate.”

“Please,” she laughs, ugly and humourless. “Don’t pretend to care about Alice’s reputation.”

“We both know I’m not talking about Alice,” I narrow my eyes at her.

“I want things to work out with you and Elara,” she says, folding her hands in her lap and looking ahead.

I open my mouth to speak, decide against it and start the engine. Mother knows Axel and I are frustrated by Alice’s antics, but I have not even begun to tell her how complicated things have gotten with Elara and the mate bond. I guess we are all keeping secrets from each other.

Soon, an old, abandoned building comes into view, and I look at it with disgust. It is small, and all the windows are boarded up. Weeds are growing tall and tangled all around the perimeter.

We park out of sight and climb out of the cars.

“This is where Elara is?” Axel’s voice reflects his repulsion.

“Barbaric,” Braden wrinkles his nose. “Classic wolf shifter shit.”

“Everyone shut the fuck up,” I growl, glaring at Braden. I am the least interested in his opinion. “Let’s go. Quietly.”