Chapter 170 The Sting Of Betrayal
Calhoun's POV
"Calhoun..." I didn't even know that I still existed because when I shut my eyes, I couldn't see, feel, or hear anything else
But then there's this familiar voice
that keeps calling out to me. Although I am trying to get out of this place which I am trapped in, buts it's just so hard.
"..ahoun." The voice rings in my head once more and at last, I wake up with a gasp.
"Thankfully you're finally awake," Relief hits the face of my beta, "we thought you were gone, man."
"Kristen..." That's the only name I can say because the last thing I saw was her tearful face before I passed out.
While Bruce just purses his lips as he stares at me with a neutral expression.
I manage to sit upright, just in time to see myself shirtless and my body is covered with mashed wet medical leaves instead of bandages.
I've had worse injuries than this, but I can't lie it hurts. Still, I am able to ground my jaw to endure it all.
"Kristen..." I rasp out for the second time.
"She's not here," Bruce makes this
known to me with a sigh.
And I freeze in my sitting spot.
"What do you mean she's not here?" I can feel a frown growing on my face.
"You need to relax, Calhoun. You're still not in the right position to move." Bruce nears my side once more but he doesn't do anything.
"Where is my wife?' I ask after taking the sheet covers off my legs, so I can let my feet touch the cold floor. It feels so hot in here, perhaps the bite bruises are adding heat to my body
temperature.
Bruce puts his hand on his face, pants, and puffs, before looking at me with regret.
"Tell me where Kristen is," I hiss out,
growing impatient.
"He took her," Bruce says at last.
"What?" The shock puts me on my feet.
"I'm so sorry, Calhoun. We couldn't
save her from Theodore," Bruce shakes his head at me in regret.
And I don't even know what to believe right now.
"Tell me this is some sick joke," I look at my beta with my glare intensified.
"I'm serious, man. We were no match for him," Bruce continues as he lowers his head down to stare at his feet in shame.
Shit!
I can't believe this is happening right
now.
I ought to be ashamed of myself, I couldn't defeat Theodore when we
fought.
And now he took my wife away from
me.
Why do bad things keep happening to
us?
Can't we just stay in peace for some time without anything trying to tear us apart? It's been one problem after another.
But there's one thing I'm sure of, I won't let Theodore Fitzgerald take what's mine away from me. Even if
he's stronger than me, I will have to fight him again until the last drop of blood.
"I need to go get her," I say more to myself than to my beta.
"No, you can't go anywhere like this except you want to die untimely, Calhoun," Bruce gives me a pleading look, something which shows how concerned he is for me.
But I don't give in.
"Don't tell me what to do," I wave this
off.
"You need to calm down and think
things through," Bruce doesn't look like he's about to stop.
"Stay out of this, Bruce. Just do your
job as a beta. This is my wife and mate we're talking about," I growl at him and still send him a warning look.
"Don't you think it's weird?" Bruce
suddenly asks this question. Leaving me confused for a second, but I'm not about to give in.
"I can't listen to anything you have to
say right now. My wife is out there with this fucking cockwomble," I am already going through my wardrobe to get a shirt to wear.
My hands pick the first shirt, and I
don't even care if it fits or not. I just throw it over my body.
"He won't hurt her," Bruce says.
"Don't fucking tell me that," I am close to yelling because hearing him say that just upsets me even more.
"You need to chill for a few seconds and listen to me, your right-hand man, "Bruce is the one who raises his voice at me.
"You, on the other hand, failed me, Bruce. You could have pursued Theodore, rescued Kristen from him," I point out through exasperation as I quickly do the buttons on my shirt.
"Then I could've been dead, Calhoun.
When you as our Alpha couldn't stand him, what would have become of me? Theodore could have plucked out my head from my body. You need to see the way he tore through the crowd while escaping with Kristen, people ran for their dear lives." Bruce concludes and clenches his jaw. Pain slams through my chest, and I
can't tell if it's the bruises I have or if
it was triggered by the response of my
beta.
Kristen is always getting kidnapped, first was Jack the psycho, her mother,
and now this Theodore," Bruce points
out.
And the firmness in his voice makes me stop to stare at him.
"What are you implying?" I ask quietly.
"That you should calm down and let's look for a way out of this situation," Bruce folds his arms across his chest. Looking seemingly serious.
But it just irks me instead. "Are you insane!?" I lash out at him. "What?" He appears confused. "Kristen needs me," I state with so much anger, as I already imagine myself hitting his jaw. I hate it when I
get upset because my temper is rotten.
"You don't even remember how she must have told lies to you?"
The words of my beta has me taken aback.
I don't want to have flashbacks, but it's hard.
When Theodore was under the disguise
with a mask, he demanded I let Kristen help him wear his number tag. The coldness on her face, it was as if
she recognized him all along. And they
spoke to themselves.
Then he told me at last that she was his mate.
Theodore showed up at my premises,
and a day later, Kristen went out and didn't return. Only to be found in the arms of Theodore hours later. Soaked by the rain, and bruises together. Theodore told me I had what belonged to him. His attitude changed from the once humble man to my enemy.
I locked him up. Kristen, although was still recuperating, sneaked out of her room wearing the doctor's clothes, and went to visit Theodore in the dungeon. When I was confused and upset, I
questioned her, instead she lied to my
face.
My brain aches from having all of these thoughts.
"You see?" Bruce holds his hand up
when he realizes I've just had a quick walk down these flashbacks.
Worse, it's wildly eating me up.
"I don't want you talking to me," I don't want him to know he's making
sense because I am getting hurt. However, Bruce continues talking. "Something wasn't right from the
Kristen
beginning. Do you ever wonder how and Theodore always get caught up together? First was after the
accident, second, she went to visit him in the dungeon," he adds. If someone else was present, they
would think he's trying to cause a clash between me and my wife But I hate to admit that he's making so
much sense.
"If something isn't really going on between them, she would have come plain with you about Theodore. The mate thing and his obsession
second
for her," Bruce touches the tip of his
nose thoughtfully.
"I thought about it too," I agree at last.
And the sting of betrayal and the possibility of Kristen cheating on me gives me a brain freeze.
"You know, I'm starting to believe Theodore, although he's a cunt," Bruce nears my side with a thoughtful
look on his face.
"What is that?" I manage to ask,
although it's hard maintaining my
cool.
"He said they're mates, I think it's true," My Beta puffs out. He's putting all the pieces together as
if he's solving a puzzle. But a part of
me doesn't want to accept this.
"Just cut it out, he's obsessed with
Kristen
and wants her to himself even though he knows she's mine." I snap. "Remember the book from two weeks
ago? The one I found buried at the pack house. The one person, two mates thing," My beta gives me a sad smile.
And because it clicks I don't know if I
should hold onto my anger anymore,
or just get mad and tumble things
upside down.
"Kristen lied to me.." my voice is
rough, and shaky as if I am a vulnerable idiot.
I can feel my eyes getting red with
anger.
"I'm not saying she's right, but she
must have had her reasons," Bruce
adds up.
"What if she truly wants to be with him?" It takes everything in me to ask
this when it feels like my whole world
is crumbling with a glaring potential
heartbreak.
"I'm afraid I can't answer that for you, "Bruce puts his hands on his waist
and stares at me as if he feels bad for
me.
Facepalming, I sigh. I've been honest with her, how could
she tell lies to my face? Even smiled while she told these lies.
Does she truly want Theodore and not
me?
I was married to her mother, but I
stayed faithful to her until we officially
got together.
The whole Emilia Dante thing was to
set us apart, yet the truth came out.
The little shit, Ben Gregory was in the
picture until he figured he could never
get her.
Things were going on fine, even though we faced circumstances alone until Theodore came. And Kristen
started lying, sneaking out to meet
him in the dungeon.
I've never felt so betrayed before, it
hurts like a blade slicing through my
heart.
"What the fuck! Calhoun!" Bruce yells
when he sees me slamming my fist
into the wall.
He tries to pull me away but ends up
getting shoved aside.
Why do things keep getting so fucked
up for me?
Is it karma being a payback bitch because I hurt Natalie first?
My fists keep working into the wall, they're bleeding and cracking, but I
don't
care. The pain inside me is too much for my whole body to contain. I
need to release it, or else my head will
explode.
I keep hitting, kicking, and cursing
while wishing it isn't a wall but the
face of Theodore Fitzgerald. A feminine gasp makes me halt my fist
through half a punch.
Quickly, I snap my head to the door.
There, I see the little girl, Cynthia.
Aiden's
nanny.
But I can't find my son in her arms.
Did she come running here because
something happened to Aiden? He fell,
injured himself?
Lord knows I'll be unable to handle
another bad news at this point in time.
I am already hurting deeply enough to
go through another phase of pain
again.
The feel of something soft and warm
against my leg makes me look down.
There, I see my son holding onto my
leg and trying to stand at his full
height.
Aiden.
My heart breaks even more at the sight.
"Your son is here, Aiden. He's already
seen how much of a brute you can be,"
Bruce tells me.
Drying the blood with a towel, I scoop
him up. Trying to maintain a playful
expression but it's not working. I feel ashamed that he gets to see me
like this when he's just eight months
old.
Aiden examines my face closely before
putting his chubby hands on my
cheeks, and down to my bottom lip which he pulls really hard.
I end up bubbling with a suppressed
laugh.
My beta and the girl are a bit surprised
to see this reaction from me.
But what they don't know is the fact
that it came naturally when Aiden
touched
me.