Chapter 20: Chapter Twenty

James had been in the middle of a dinner party he had held in Honor of his parents mating anniversary when he felt the first odd sensations running through his body. Little shivers of unease that after a few minutes quickly had the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. He had politely excused himself from the room full of friends and family that had come to celebrate, to go and stand in the back yard of the pack house. He stared off into the forest, unable to shake the sensation, worried there may be another attack.

“You okay?” Alaric asked as he came from the house, a beer in both hands and handing one off to James who took it and downed it in one breath.

“Yeah.” James said, wiping the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand before he sighed. “Something is wrong… I don't know what it is but I feel it.” He said and set his cup on a patio table and walked out into the grass. “The patrols are all out tonight, right?”

“Yep.” Alaric said between sips of his own beer.

“Even in town?”

“Yep.”

“The prison locked down?” James asked and it got an exasperated huff from Alaric.

“Yes man. Everything is tight right now. Even have the prison security feed on my phone. See?” Alaric said, pulling his phone out and shuffling through a few apps before he went to the cameras showing the men wheeling Cassidy inside of her kennel into a shower room on the lowest floor. Alaric didn't think anything of showing James the feed of the prison. He had not been there other than to reject the woman when she was at her weakest and he had been in a sour and dangerous mood since then. He had given up on trying to convince the alpha to reconsider especially with James being the type of man that once he had made up his mind over something it was like trying to move a mountain to get him to change his mind. He had expected James to just take a glance, maybe scowl and grumble a little before looking away but thats not what happened.

James snatched the phone from Alaric’s hands and watched the screen with his full attention. It was a view of the men coming out of the elevator with the she wolf in the kennel. He touched the screen of the phone, his heart clenching in a pain he had been struggling to ignore. That was his wolf in that silver kennel. She looked so upset, hunkered down behind the bars and as the guards wheeled her into the clean room. It didn't dawn on him that he was feeling her anxiety and fear, but the second she was out of sight on the screen, James growled lowly and tossed the phone back to Alaric before he took off in a fit of jealous rage that other males would be touching what was his.

“Fuck!” Alaric shouted when his phone came flying back at him and James took off at a full on run in the direction of the Prison. He caught his phone mid-air and took off as well, worry written all over his face for whoever was going to be in Jame’s way if he couldn't get him stopped in time.

James ran right to the prison, his mind filled with jealousy and anger that someone would be touching her. It didn't matter if it was for sanitary reasons or not, he didn't want anyone near her. His wolf especially. His wolf recognized that fear as being from his mate and it was what drove the jealousy and anger of the man and the urgent need to get to the prison. He passed by the camera room and ran right down to the second floor and when he got to the cell that was hers, he went inside and paces around, taking deep breaths of her scent and gripped his hair with his hands once he stopped, closing his eyes and trying to reason with himself. “What the fuck am I doing?” he asked himself with a growl.

Alaric was thankful James stopped at her cell and didn't go further. He didn't want to have to bury any men tonight. He stopped in the doorway and his brows came together when he seen Jett was not there, but he figured the man was at the planned meeting. “James. She is your mate. I don't know what is worse, your stubbornness or your pride that wont allow you to see it. Look at you… you see the guards taking her to be showered and you come charging half across the territory as if another man was going to lay hands on her…” he said and held his ground when his alpha turned and growled loudly at him for that suggestion. “See? That. Right there James. If she wasn't your mate, you wouldn't give two shits. You would have had her killed long ago. You wouldn't let her rot in this place stuck in her wolf because she is so messed up now from you rejecting her, she might never come back.” He said and stepped forward when James got a defeated look on his face. He gripped his friends shoulder firmly and squeezed. “James. Go home. Its too late to make any big decisions tonight. Ive got this here and I will make sure she is put back safe and sound.”

James looked over to his beta, his best friend. The one wolf he could count on to never lie to him or steer him wrong. “Do you really believe what the ex-beta says is true Alaric? About her?”

“It doesn't matter what I believe man. You know that. Its what you believe and what you trust. Listen to your damn wolf for once and stop thinking everything not pack is out to take everything from you.” Alaric said and turned James towards the door. “Now get back to that party and try not to ruin it with being an alpha. Just be the son tonight until you are asked otherwise.”

Alaric got James out of the cell and back up the stairs to the main floor, on his way back to the house. Disaster adverted and just in the nick of time too because only minutes later, a guard was helping a worn out looking Jett back to the room. “What happened to him?” he asked, motioning to a busted up lip and went to Jett's other side, helping the guard get the man back into his chains.

“He fell. Thats all that happened.” The guard said and it got a huff of disagreement from Jett but nothing more.

Once Jett was secured and the guard had left, Alaric looked over the man for a moment before he went back to the door of the cell and waited until the four guards came back with Cassidy in the kennel, soaked to the bone and looking fairly miserable. “Give them both extra rations tonight.” He instructed the guards and left when they did, keeping his promise to make sure Cassidy was back safe in her cell. Only then, once the door was locked and everyone was returned to their posts, Did Alaric head back to the entrance of the prison where he took up a position in the security room to help watch the cameras. There were two new rogues captured and in separate pens and the guards were having fun interrogating them. But Alaric’s attention was mostly on the cell with Jett and Cassidy. He listened to her howling. Jett was calling it singing and the sound was so forlorn and heartbreaking, a sound only someone truly alone could make.

“Fuck it.” He growled and stood up, startling the other guard that was there. “Keep to your post Smith. Inmate R-J is being set free a day early.” He announced before he headed out of the room.

— —

Cassidy was sure as she was breathing it was going to be the alpha that was going to come in through that opened door, her wolf and she were both sure of it. Yet when it was the Beta that came through it was like a slap in the face for her. Had she been that foolish, to hope the alpha would have changed his mind? Cassidy watched in confusion as Jett was removed from his chains and told to follow and he obeyed, following after Alaric.

“Keep singing. I will get you out.” Jett said quietly and quickly as he passed by her kennel. His words had her worried about just where the beta was taking him. Were they tired of trying to get information from them? Cassidy did not have the energy or the will to fight against the burning silver bars she would never be able to bend. She watched as her guardian was led from the room and sat in silence for several long minutes before she lifted her head and continued to call. For what or for whom, she no longer knew. The alpha coming to her was quickly becoming a fantasy in her mind she was clinging to to keep from falling into madness of her wolfs constantly shifting emotions.

She howled for hours until her voice was sore. She ignored the food that was brought to her and after awhile her depression shifted in a violent way after being ignore for so long by her mate. She was positive he had been here earlier. She was not going crazy or insane. She sat in her kennel, ears pinning back and growling low while her mood took a dive. ~You will regret this BlackStone… I will make you and every last wolf here pay for this the second I get a chance. I swear it on my parents and the moon and sun themselves.~ she snarled, swearing to herself that she was no longer going to be toyed with.