Chapter 41: Chapter Forty

Delanie

Delanie

“No!” I yelled. “You said this was going to be a trial.”

“No, I’m just going to kill him,” he smirked.

“You monster, you coward.”

“Say as much as you like, mate but this will be a reminder to never cross me. They’ll talk about me for ages. Alpha Blaise who destroyed, the Warrior Alpha, Alpha Ajax the lover of pain.” Blaise barked a maniac laugh. “I’ll make sure he feels every second of torture.”

“Stop! Let him go!” I cried, tears streaming down my cheeks.

“Enough,” Blaise growled.

He fisted my hair and forced me to look at Ajax. He winced as the betas elbowed his back. His pride kept him standing but they’d hurt him. His skin was pink and swollen.

“Let her go, you pigs!” Ajax shouted.

His outburst was met with harsh punches and insults.

“What did you do to him?” My voice cracked.

“You think I’m an idiot, Delanie. I wouldn’t fight the great warrior Alpha without taking his ability to shift.”

My chest tightened and my vision blurred. They were going to kill him. I’d never felt more helpless. I couldn’t watch the man I loved die. Ajax taught me love. He opened his heart to me even after he lost someone he loved. He created space in his life for me. He fought for our relationship.

My limbs went numb with each second.

“To the fire!” Blaise ordered.

“It’s okay, baby, it’s okay,” Ajax said softly.

How could he think it was okay? I wanted to scream to rip something apart to destroy something. Suddenly my heart rate spiked and blood rushed to my ears. The cheers from the crowd felt like something crawled into my ears and whirled inside.

It was too much.

A scream began in my gut climbed up my throat and commanded the use of every muscle in my body. The ground beneath me shook as ice burst from the ground, flew into Ajax’s chest and slithered to the bonfire. I didn’t have control over myself but I witnessed the bonfire erupt and die from the ice blast that came from beneath it.

Blaise released my hair and I collapsed on my chest. My vision faded as everyone scattered and cried for help.

What just happened?

***

Ajax POV

Carrying Delanie back to her house was tougher to do with a busted shoulder. My truck was at the cemetery and my phone was in it. I had to rely on telepathy and Ross didn’t always get it on the first try.

Why was I even connected to him if he didn’t pay attention to me?

I set Delanie down on her bed. I stalked to the kitchen and grabbed the bottle of wine we abandoned yesterday. Thank goodness we didn’t finish it.

Blaise’s thugs gave me a drug that put my wolf to sleep. No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t wake him. That wasn’t all. The drug messed with my head. I could barely function when I saw Blaise with his hands on Delanie I tried to push through the mental fog but it was useless.

I’d never felt more useless before. I could take the beatings and I could handle pain.

What they inflicted on me wasn’t half what I’d taken in my life but watching her cry and suffer was worse than any physical pain. The part about being burned alive was bad too but her pain made me wish for death.

Then it ended so fast. I felt the fire on my face before I was impaled by ice. If I wasn’t there I wouldn’t believe petite and sweet Delanie did that.

She might not believe it herself but she saved me. She conjured something and that destroyed the bonfire and left several injured.

I returned to her dark bedroom. She was still asleep. What she did took a lot out of her. Blaise and everyone left running and yelling. This means we can’t be here long and I doubt Mystic Pack will be safe for us for long.

I sat on the bed and stroked her face while I cradled the wine bottle in my other hand.

“You saved me, princess,” I said.

I smoothed her hair back. There was a white stripe from her root to her tips on the side of her head. What happened was far from normal even for wolves and Delanie wasn’t a wolf.

A pounding threatened to bring the door down. It was Ross. I could smell him from a mile away. He marched in with a few other guys the second I opened the door.

“I knew something wasn’t right!” Ross said.

“No, kidding did you bring my pants?”

Ross threw me a pair of jeans. “We need to get out of here. I don’t even understand what happened. But we’re not welcome.”

“Wait, they tried to kill you. We’ve got to burn this place.”

I grimaced. “I think we should stay away from fire for a while. Blaise and his betas will be looking for us. Tell the guys to keep watch on all spots. This house has many weak spots.”

Ross nodded. He walked out while I turned to wake Delanie.

“Ajax?” her soft voice called.

I hurried to her room. She cradled her head as she tried to sit up.

“I’m here.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. She threw her arms around me and sobbed.

“It was a dream, right?” her voice cracked.

I held her tighter. “It’s over now.”

She stiffened for a second. I carried her off the bed and planted her on my lap. I kissed her forehead and ran my hand down her back but her body was still stiff.

“Baby it’s okay.”

“It’s not, okay Ajax. What I… I don’t… what was that?”

“I don’t know, princess. I know you saved me.”

She shook her head. “I could have. That wasn’t real. I was just hallucinating. I was about to lose you. That’s it I was just making things up. How did you free yourself? Were you waiting to be dramatic?”

I sucked my bottom lip. She was in denial but she knew the truth. She felt it.

“We’ll talk about this later. We’re leaving okay?”

She didn’t protest. She hurried to her Gran’s room and grabbed a few things. She met me outside near an idling SUV. It would be too soon if I ever stepped foot in this pack again. Just as we were about to leave the damn chicken cried.

“Goby!”

“No, Delanie, no we’re not taking the chicken.”

“He’s a rooster!”

“Hell if I care.”

She pouted. Her green eyes begged me to change my mind. Why did she have to look at me with those things? I couldn’t say no to them. That pink bottom lip wasn’t helping either. I sighed and hung my head.

“Get the chicken.”

“Thank you!” She hurried off.

My men snickered and tried to hide their laughter but ultimately burst into fits of hysteria.

“You think this is funny, huh?” I grumbled.

“No, we don’t think your pet chicken’s funny,” Ross grinned.

“Hey, he’s a rooster.” The things this woman made me do, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.

My wolf suddenly sensed danger. He bore his fangs and jumped to the edge of my skin. The betas felt the danger too.

“Enemies.”