Marked by the Alphas

Chapter 44: Chapter 44

Elara POV

The ride home to the Constantine mansion is long, silent and awkward. Gabriela only smiled at me when I got in the back seat, and Kane had not even looked my way. I was expecting a Spanish Inquisition when Kane pulled away, not this eerie silence.

Anxiety has my stomach twisted. Now that they know, will this change things between us? Will they call the deal off? freewebnσvel.cøm

All I want is my freedom, dammit. No wonder the women rebelled and started a war. We are raised to be strong and independent women, just to be matched to a man, and then we must submit to their will.

By the time Kane parks the car, I am angry and no longer scared. Fuck him, fuck Axel, fuck Braden, fuck Anton and all the elders. Fuck everything with a penis! They have no idea what it is to be a woman, and therefore, they should not have a say.

Maxim and Monroe are already waiting for us, and I assume Axel called them. Once Anton steps out of the SUV, they escort him inside.

I march towards the mansion. I am in desperate need of a shower or a witch’s cleansing ritual, whichever comes first.

“No fucking way,” Axel grunts and I turn around to see what is happening.

“You’ve done enough,” Axel says to Braden, who is following me into the mansion.

“I want to make sure Elara’s okay,” Branden glances at me.

“She’s with her mates,” Kane growls, stepping between me and Braden.

“Of course, she’s safe and doesn’t need you anymore,” Axel adds, joining Kane.

“Elara,” Braden’s voice carries over the wall Kane and Axel had built around me with their bodies. “If you need me, you know where to find me.”

“Thank you,” I nod, even though he cannot see me.

“You’re not leaving this house any time soon,” Kane grunts, grabs my arm and practically drags me into the mansion.

I want to tell him to fuck off but remind myself he just risked everything to safe my ass. The least I can do is to shut up once.

“I want to shower,” I say softly as we walk up the stairs.

“First, we’re going to talk,” Kane grunts, and I follow him with a heavy sigh.

I cannot really blame him for acting this way. He just learned, under very stressful conditions, what I am. He wants answers, just like me.

I crash onto a comfortable chair in their living room, and Axel throws a warm blanket over me. I hug it around me tightly, grateful to finally be less exposed.

“If you leave this house again,” Axel repeats in a gentler voice than Kane. “Anton might sell you out to Gustav or the other Elders, and the Council will put you to death. He’s only willing to keep this between us so long as no one else finds out about your ... uhm, lineage.”

I close my eyes and exhale deeply. He cannot even say it. And judging by the way he and Kane treat Braden, I cannot say they are fans of the species.

“It’s not just that,” Kane’s voice pulls me away from my thoughts and back into the living room. “We can’t always protect you if you’re out there.”

“That’s going to be a problem, don’t you think?” My voice drips with sarcasm. “What about next time, when I must jump through the window when Alice arrives? I must go somewhere so you can do what you want with Alice.”

“Is that what you think happened?” Kane demands.

“That’s sure as hell what it looked like,” I reply calmly.

“Fuck, Elara!” Kane’s eyes flash with his wolf. “How many different fucking ways do we have to tell you we want you?”

“That’s the entire fucking point, you’re all talk,” I snap, jumping off the couch, glaring at him. I have lost all hope that there might be some truth in their words. Not after what Anton told me. I know now that my heat called to them just like it does every creature, and they only want to protect me now because my scent is luring them in. Once I am out of heat, they will crawl back to Alice.

“Oee, Elara, we want you,” I say mockingly. “But the second Alice appears, your words mean shit, and I’m the one who must deal with the humiliation and rejection. Neither of you was there to comfort or reassure me. Not when we were mated, and not now.”

“Everything we did was to help, thought it seemed we fucked up everything. ” Kane said.

“Oh, yeah,” I roll my eyes. “The same way as Anton kidnapped me for my benefit. That’s just awesome, I thank you for your compassion.”

“We made mistakes, and I’m sorry about that,” Kane sighs. “But we have been busting our balls to fix it, and running to Braden every time isn’t helping.”

“Braden has been nothing but supportive since I met him,” I argue, killing the little voice in the back of my mind telling me that I do not know if Braden is drawn to me because of my scent, or if he sees me for me. “He helped you find me, and then you kicked him out.”

“Do you even know what he wanted with you, Elara?” Axel growls. “Like really know?”

“We don’t know him, and we don’t trust him,” Kane adds. “If it wasn’t for Anton interrupting you, who’s to say what he would’ve done?”

“I don’t believe this,” I shake my head. “A moment ago, you wanted to kill Anton, and now you’re justifying his actions because you don’t like Braden. You’re both being ridiculous. I’ve been alone with him before, and nothing’s happened. I trust him more than anyone.”

“Wow,” Kane stammers backwards as if I had physically hit him. “That’s low.”

“Trust is earned, Kane,” I argue. They never cared about my feelings, so why should I care about theirs? “Neither of you said or did anything in the past to earn it. Unlike my mates, Braden has not hurt or humiliated me.”

“Enough about him,” Axel says sternly. “You’re not leaving this house, Elara. That’s the end of it.”

“I only just got free from that slimy bastard Anton,” I cry, “and I’ll be damned if I let you lock me up here like a prisoner.”

With a growl, Kane dives forward and pushes me back onto the couch. He takes my wrists in his hands and yanks them above my head, and a yelp of surprise escapes my lips.

“Watch me,” Kane growls in my ear.

Axel POV

Dammit, Elara. Why does she have to fight us every step of the way? We only want to be her mate and keep her safe like a mate does.

“You chose Alice,” she mind links. “You aren’t my mates.”

“Not this shit again, Elara,” Kane snaps as he releases her from his grip.

“Yeah,” I kneel beside them. “We’re done talking about Alice.”

“But it’s true,” she argues stubbornly. “The only reason you feel so protective of me is because I’m in heat. Anton told me it’s especially powerful since I’m a hybrid.”

I lower my gaze, scrubbing a hand down my face. Kane and I have not even had a proper chance to discuss that elephant in the room. Our mate is a fucking vampire. And yet ... I feel no different about her now than yesterday.

“We’re talking to you through mind link, Elara,” Kane says, his frustration growing by the second. I can feel it seeping in through my pores, making my fists clench at my sides.

Kane leans closer until their lips are inches apart, and I find myself moving closer. There is that invisible cord again, tightening around the three of us.

“Do you think mind linking is because of your heat, too?” Kane asks, a wicked smile curling up on his lips. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but that makes no fucking sense.”

Elara turns her head away from Kane, and her gaze locks on mine. Her lips pulled into a determined, tight line.

“For all we know, it’s some weird vampire talent I have,” she replies. “You didn’t claim me. It can’t be the mate bond.”

“Or,” I say, not tearing my gaze away from hers. “Is it because our bond is so strong, so fated, that we didn’t need to claim you like we would another she-wolf?”

Her stony expression falters, and I pray that she will understand. I badly want her to believe us, but something is still holding her back.

“We’re not stupid, Elara,” Kane says. “If we wanted to take the easy way out, we could’ve stuck with Alice. We could’ve brought her to our bed while we locked you away in your quarters, out of sight, out of mind.”

Kane and I stand up slowly, each holding a hand to Elara.

“But that’s the thing,” Kane purrs. “You never leave our minds.”