Free Web NovelChapter 25: I Promise To Deliver Them.
Kane was still surprised by what had happened. Was Samantha truly harboring feelings for him?
No, he doubted it. They grew up together, and she knew all too well that he would never look at her in that way.
"She said it was all a joke," his wolf, Malaka, reminded him.
Kane nodded, laying back on the bed. He looked over to the right side where his wife had slept yesterday, wishing she were there tonight as well. He would have hugged her tightly.
"You can go to her now. It’s not too late," Malaka told him.
"No, she said she wants to be alone. It’s best to honor her request."
"Such a gentleman overnight."
Kane shut his eyes to sleep, but the images that kept popping up were all of Arianna—and he didn’t try to erase them. In fact, he loved the fact that she was in his head. It was going to help ease his worry.
He tried to get some sleep, but he couldn’t. Then, about two hours later, the atmosphere shifted, and a strange feeling built up inside him. He didn’t want to believe what it was... it felt like his chest was aching. Goosebumps broke out over his body, and Arianna was all he could think of.
He could smell her fear all the way from his tent, which was deeply surprising. Only mates could actually feel that, and usually only after the female had been claimed. So why was he feeling this for Arianna, who wasn’t even a wolf, let alone his mate?
He tried to brush it off, but the feeling only deepened. Kane got up from the bed. He dressed quickly to go out and check on what was going on. Maybe she was perfectly fine and sound asleep in her tent. Maybe he was worrying over nothing.
When he was done, Kane walked out of his tent. But the closer he walked toward his wife’s quarters, the more clearly he scented her fear.
"Almaz?" His brows furrowed when he saw one of the guards running toward him. Before Kane could even ask what happened, the guard slumped onto the floor, blood gushing out of his neck.
This must have been one of the guards Cassius had stationed at his wife’s tent.
"Cassius!" Kane shouted, his voice roaring through the tribe. He signaled to his pack, and many of the men started rushing out of their various tents.
He didn’t waste any time, using his primal speed to dash straight to his wife’s tent. The other guard was nowhere to be found. His heart skipped a beat as he quickly entered, his eyes searching frantically for what lay ahead.
The tent was a complete mess. And his wife? Kane’s eyes roamed around in fear, praying she was fine.
Then, he felt a movement close to the other side of the bed.
"Arianna?" he called out, walking over.
She was lying on the floor, shaking like a leaf. It was still dark inside, but he was able to see everything clearly because of his primal eyes.
Kane tried to hold her, but she resisted, making his heart ache even more. Whoever had done this to his wife was going to regret it.
"It’s okay. It’s me, Kane," he told her.
"Kane..." Her voice was barely audible. She broke into tears, yet he couldn’t hear her words properly. She must have lost her voice due to pure terror.
He reached out to her again, and this time, she didn’t resist. He gathered her into his arms and carried her as he walked out. By now, a crowd of people had already gathered around the tent.
"Get the medicine women immediately!" Kane commanded, directing it to no one in particular, but he knew the order would be obeyed.
"What happened?" Aunt Freya came running in his direction, but he didn’t even bother to answer her. His wife was barely holding on, and the only thing that mattered at this moment was getting her help to make her feel better.
He entered his tent and laid her gently on the bed. His anger flared violently as he knelt beside her, seeing the distinct finger marks lined across her face. She had been slapped repeatedly. The monster who did this was definitely a human, or a werewolf in human form. There were also deep bruise marks clearly visible on her neck.
Kane gritted his teeth, feeling an overwhelming urge to go back outside and rip everyone’s lungs out, but he forced himself to control his rage. Either the culprit would be caught, or the entire pack would suffer the punishment.
"Your Highness," Cassius, his aunt, and Samantha entered the room. They were completely shocked to see his wife in such a terrible state.
Arianna could barely breathe, let alone talk. She looked like she would pass out at any moment, and he couldn’t let that happen.
"Hold on just a little longer. The medicine women will be here soon, my little one," he said, kissing her knuckles tenderly.
"The medicine women are here..." his aunt began.
"What the fuck are they waiting for then?!" Kane shouted, slamming his feet onto the ground as he stood up from the bed.
He turned around to face them, and the women were immediately ushered in to start their work. They moved quickly to his wife, who lay on the bed, now too weak to even open her eyes.
"Is she going to be fine?" he asked.
"We will try our best, Your Highness," one of the women answered while the others tended to his wife.
"I don’t care how you do it. She must survive."
"They are not true healers, but medicine women, Your Highness," Cassius quietly reminded him.
He shouldn’t have spoken. Kane whipped around to face him, his hands balling into tight fists. "Where were you when this happened to my wife?"
"I-I went to check the borders, Your Highness," Cassius said. He knew he was in for it now, deeply regretting ever opening his mouth in the first place.
"The security was pathetic, and that is exactly why that fool was able to get to my wife!"
"Forgive me, Your Highness... I didn’t..."
"Why are you still standing here?" Kane asked, his eyes burning crimson. "Bring me the culprit before the sun sets. I want blood to spill before the moon comes up tonight."
"I promise to deliver them, Your Highness," Cassius bowed deeply before turning and rushing out.
"What are the rest of you looking at?" Kane turned his furious glare toward everyone else remaining in the room. "All of you, out now!" his voice thundered, shaking the very fabric of the tent.
