Chapter 170

Michael POV

"I don't expect you to understand, or anyone for that matter. But yes, if I had a human mate, I'd reject them." Cedric's hands shake just a little bit. "I have a good reason for that, and your sister may understand one day, if it ever happens to her and her mate," he states. "I had a mate, she was a human. I accepted her. We were happy, until one day she was at the store and some hunters kidnapped her. They interrogated her and tortured her until she broke. She told them how to find our pack."

"When I found her, she was broken, her body and soul. They had broken her ribs from kicking her and hitting her with a chain. They broke her beautiful face, to the point I nearly didn't recognize her. I cut her down from where they had hung her, and I tried to get her to a hospital. She died on the way. She croaked out a sorry and took her last breath." He sits rigid. "I should have protected her. I had no idea they had been watching our house for months."

"When they went for my pack, they were waiting and killed the hunters, aside from one. They saved him for me. By the time I returned, I was an angry, bitter, and feral wolf. You see," he leans forward. "I found out from the autopsy report that she had been pregnant. So when they killed my mate, they killed our child too." The waitress stops at our table and leaves the coffee that Cedric had ordered, hurrying away from the tension that is clear at the table.

Cedric takes a breath, then a sip of coffee. I haven't said a word. Shawna stares at him with her eyes wide and her mouth parted like she wants to speak, but so far she hasn't. I think we both want him to get this out, so we can understand him.

"I shredded that man, literally shredded him to bits, while he was still alive. I became the kind of wolf I never wanted to be. It did do me good in some ways, I became a ruthless and fearless fighter." He looks at Shawna with his head tilted. "Before you say anything, I want you to know that if I had it to do over, I would have rejected my mate, because that beautiful women would still be here, alive. She'd be living a life, obviously with someone else, but at least she would be alive."

"I understand," Shawna whispers. "I truly do. However," she holds up her index finger. "Don't you think if given the choice, she'd have chosen those months or years of happiness and unconditional love, over having someone who just didn't quite fit with her soul? Because I can personally say, I've been tortured, and even though I lived through a terrible horror, I would not change it, because if I did, I would not have my mate."

We are both left staring at Shawna now. "I don't expect you to understand Cedric, because the role here is reversed right? You have no idea what I went through and I have no idea what you went through, but I would not change what happened, if it meant that I would not have Michael. If it meant that I was mated to someone I should not be with, someone who wasn't perfect for me, I'd choose to die instead."

"Will you tell me where your sister is?" Cedric asks.

"What for?" Shawna says. "If you have questions for her, I don't want you imposing your ideas about rejection of her mate. Clint is an amazing man and he loves her. She gave him the choice to reject her, she told him the risk. You know what, he chose her, he chose love."

The waitress approaches with our food and we all remain quiet, just giving her smiles and thanking her as she sets our plates in front of us. "Can I get you anything else?" she asks. We decline and she's gone.

"I promise to just ask questions about what she knows regarding the investigation. We want to make sure we have all the information before the Alpha can figure out where some of it came from. I have no doubt that he is going to be looking for your sister as soon as possible. The pack is small, he wants to grow it. These are some of the excuses he gave for purchasing she-wolves." Cedric asks.

"Why do you think I would know these women?" Shawna asks.

"Well one of them is mated to someone who seems to think you shouldn't have left, a very angry young man. Do you know Malik?" he asks.

Shawna and I exchange a look and she rolls her eyes and looks up. "I do know him."

"His mate was a purchased female. As we came to understand it, Malik thought he was going to be mated to you. You disappeared, then ended up mated to an Alpha. To keep him calm, he was given a chosen mate and she happens to have been purchased. She's barely eighteen years old and I'm told she is pregnant. She hasn't answered very many questions so far, but we think we know where she was from." Cedric watches us both, searching our faces. "Does this surprise you?" he asks.

"I don't know," Shawna says. "It does and it doesn't. Did Malik know she was so young? She is not even old enough to know who her mate is."

"Exactly why it's a whole new set of problems, even beyond her being purchased. She was underage at the time, she wasn't given any choices in the matter," he replies. "Beyond that, she says she is happy. Says she won't go back to her home, and she won't answer any more questions."

"Does her lack of cooperation hinder prosecution?" I ask.

"Not entirely. She was purchased, that's punishable. She was also taken against her will, but says she won't testify to it."

"I don't understand," Shawna asks. "How then do you know she was taken if she won't testify to that? Could she have maybe agreed to it?"

"Records. I think you were there when that Alpha from Idaho was executed?" he asks

Shawna nods.

"In the records that the Beta retrieved, this young woman is listed. Although it appears that the Alpha only assisted in making the contacts, he wasn't directly involved in that particular exchange. So we are now looking at records at your Alpha's pack house," Cedric states. "Weren't you his guardian?" He asks, turning to me. "You didn't know any of this?"

I feel my face get hot with the accusation. "No. I did not know. If I did, it would not have went on as long as it did."

"Interesting," Cedric says, his expression blank as he stares at me. I now find myself wanting to punch this guy right in the face.