Third Person
“She’s just really young, Felix. She doesn’t have as much experience as we do. She’s never been in a relationship with someone who was not her mate so she doesn’t get how different that is. She thinks she actually has to worry about those random girls,” explained Alex.
“Well it didn’t help that Felix didn’t tell her the party was being thrown by his ex!” Snapped Calix.
Felix growled lowly. Calix snarled.
“ENOUGH!” Said Alex, silencing his two younger brothers.
“It also didn’t help that you winked at my ex and her little sister in front of Chasity!” Said Felix.
Calix looked guilty. “Those winks mean nothing. Chasity bears my mark. She’s my fiancee!” Said Calix defensively.
“That’s what Alex is talking about!” Said Felix. “Chasity doesn’t get it. Tonight made her worried that she’s competing with random girls.”
“You shouldn’t have forced her to go to the party,” said Calix.
“Me!” Said Felix incredulously. “We all wanted her to go!”
“Yeah, we did,” said Alex. “We wanted her to bond with the pack. It wasn’t a bad idea in theory but Chasity has too much on her plate right now. Let’s hold off on the introduction of her Luna responsibilities for now. After high school, in a couple of months, we’ll get married and honeymoon back on the island. Then when she’s more relaxed, we’ll think about her role as Luna.”
“Won’t Mom be furious having to be acting Luna for Chasity for so long?” Asked Calix.
“No,” scoffed Felix. “She’ll be thrilled. Mom loves being Luna. Chasity, on the other hand, she’s not into stuff like that.”
Calix sighed. “Let’s go get her. I’m tired,” said the youngest, flopping over on the bed.
“She’s between Felix and me tonight, right?” Added the youngest, yawning.
“Rub it in why don’t you, Calix?” Grumbled Alex.
Felix laughed. “I’ll go get her.”
Calix jumped up. “We should pamper her. She might be less pissed then. I’m gonna run a bubble bath.”
Alex smiled. He loved washing her hair for her. He went to help fix the bath. Felix bounded down the stairs, taking two at a time, feeling lighter now that they had argued it out and were done with it. It was always better to agree as triplets. Very few could understand the closeness among the three. Arguing amongst each other was literally like being at war with oneself. He nodded to the two pack warriors he had placed outside her room. They looked at him strangely when he went into her bedroom and then her bathroom. He came out again.
“Alpha Felix, Chasity went upstairs,” said one of the pack warriors.
“I said to watch her,” Felix said coldly, his blue eyes darkening.
“She said she was going to you, Alpha,” said the other warrior, trembling a little.
Felix sighed. He ran back upstairs. The triplets had been hashing things out in Alex’s room but the warrior said Chasity had gone to him. Felix smirked. She probably wanted her Felix. He checked his own room for her. It was empty.
“Baby?” He called, his voice husky. Was she playing a little game with him? She did have a tendency to be a little tease that way. He hoped he would find her in his bath tub as that was what she had been griping about: bathing in some special bath tub. He slowly tiptoed towards the curtain that gave the person in his tub some privacy. He quickly pulled the curtain hoping to startle her and then hop into the tub too. His face fell. The tub was empty, spotless and dry as a bone, not used recently at all. He ran back downstairs ignoring the two warriors. He ran his fingers on Chasity’s tub, also dry, not used recently. He checked the pack showers she used to use when she was servant. He looked in her little makeshift room. Empty. Calix’s tub. Empty. She couldn’t have snuck past them in Alex’s room to get to his bathroom.
“Chasity!” Called Felix, getting worried. Her car was in the driveway and she hardly ever used it. She really wasn’t the best driver and she had three alphas babying her so she was never without a lift.
“Chasity!” He called, following her smell this time. Alex and Calix came out of Alex’s bathroom. They forgot to turn the faucet off for the bath they were running for their Chasity.
Felix felt out of breath, a little panicked.
“What’s wrong?” Asked Alex.
“I don’t know yet,” muttered Felix, running up the stairs.
“Where’s Chasity?” Asked Calix sounding as upset as Felix felt.
Felix followed her smell. She had gone up several flights of stairs. Where the fuck had she gone? Why was she doing this to him?
“Baby?!!!” Felix yelled. “CHASITY!!”
Alex picked up on her scent too. It led them to the attic of all places.
“Baby, are you hiding, come out?” Asked Felix.
“Chasity, we’re sorry! The party was a dumb idea. No more parties until our wedding ok,” offered Calix ripping the sheets off of every ornament and statue prompting showers of dust to rise up then fall.
Her scent went towards the circular window. Felix practically launched himself at it. He got onto the rickety balcony. She hadn’t fallen had she?
Oh Fuck! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, was all the Alpha could think.
“Felix, careful up there!” Called Alex.
“Chasity was up here!” Called Felix.
Alex quickly climbed onto the narrow balcony and peered downwards into the snow like Felix was doing.
“She didn’t fall, that snow is untouched,” said Calix stepping out onto the balcony.It creaked under the weight of three huge alphas. Felix growled suddenly.
“What?” Asked Calix.
“Do you smell that?” Felix asked, his voice deep as his wolf came forwards so he was half-way between beast and man.
“Smell what?” Breathed Calix.
“Another wolf,” growled Alex. Calix sniffed the air and snarled. The three turned around. There were unmistakable huge paw prints in the snow-topped roof and they was the smell of the wolf, a male. Felix growled. Alex sniffed again.
“Chloroform,” whispered Alex, his eyes tearing up of their own accord. He was terror-stricken now.
Chasity! He tried to mind-link with her but silence. She was probably still knocked out and by the time se came to she would be too faraway to mind-link. Alex roared. The whole night felt it. Bats squeaked, owls hooted, birds flew out from their night perches. The ice cracked and the snow topped mountains shook.
Felix was prowling around on the roof trying to find at what point they had left with Chasity so he could tail them further. Calix was sitting in the snow on the rooftop just staring out at nothing in particular. Felix got frustrated. There was no exit point. He could not decipher where they went from here. He jumped down from the highest floor to the snow below landing on his feet. Alex and Calix followed him.
“We need to put this whole place on lock down. No one leaves or enters the pack lands until we find her!” Felix said, his eyes black.
“What if she just went to Mina or Tina’s,” said Calix hopefully.
“Those girls were drunk out of their minds,” said Alex. “Why would she do that? And how would that explain the foreign wolf smell."
Felix took a deep breath. He snarled. He roared, flipping one of the cars in the driveway over with his bare hands sending it smashing on top of the next car over. The alarms all went off. Their parents and several warriors and staff members ran outside.
“Felix!” Cried his mother. “What’re you doing?”
“Where’s Chasity?” Roared Felix.
“How would I know?” Screamed Luna Ronnie.
Felix stalked up to her.
“Felix, calm down!” Said Calix, his eye turning black.
Felix lay his forehead against his mother’s, his nose brushing against hers. There were tears streaming down his cheeks. “Tell me now,” he whispered, his voice cracking. “Tell me right now if you have anything to do with this. Tell me immediately and give her back to me and I won’t be angry. This is the last chance to just admit it if you’ve done anything,” breathed the Alpha.
Luna Ronnie was crying too, shaken although Felix’s hold on her was gentle.
“How dare you insinuate anything of the sort?” She whispered fiercely back. “I’m not going to stand here and pretend to care deeply about that girl but I love you boys. You are my life and I’d never hurt you. How do you know she didn’t just leave?”
“There is a foreign scent on the roof intermingled with Chasity’s and the smell of chloroform. She did not just leave. We both know that,” said Felix softly but ferociously.
Alex was looking at his mother’s expressions carefully. He felt his father put his hands on his shoulders. His father pulled him into a hug.
“We’re gonna find her ok?” Said the former Alpha.
“Felix, stop it, Mom has nothing to do with this,” said Calix grabbing his brother. Felix sniffled. He hugged Calix. Calix could feel the alpha’s tears falling onto his shoulder.
“Let’s not blame each other, let’s just look everywhere until we find her,” whispered Calix comfortingly. He felt Felix nod his head. The eldest Alpha, Alex, came over and wrapped his arms around his two younger brothers. They stood like that, huddle together, in the snow for a few moments of relative peace before all the chaos to come.
Chapter 34: Kidnappers
Chasity’s POV
Please, this could not be real. I woke up on a hard cold metal floor. I was inside of a van. I could not scream. I had been gagged and bound. I struggled against my restraints. I tried to shift. I could not. There was a pain in my neck. I had a silver choker on, I realised. Tears welled up in my eyes. It burned! The silver! The ropes cut into me.
Felix! FELIX! I tried over mind-link since I could not get any words out with my mouth stuffed with a cloth and tape placed over it.
ALEX! CALIX! HELP ME! I screamed over mind-link. Who knows how far away they were. The marks on my neck were painful. I knew their marks hurt too. We were bonded deeply that way.
Please don’t think I ran away. Please don’t think I ran away. Please don’t think I ran away. I chanted this over mind link over and over like a mantra. They had to know that I did not run away. I loved them so much.
The van came to a sudden halt. The door to the back opened. A tall figure loomed over me. A voice. Distinctly male. So deep and gruff. He was barking orders in a different language. I spotted a tattoo on the man’s ankle, a snake curled around a full moon. Had this man been the huge wolf or the one that grabbed me?
“You sure this is her?” Said a voice.
“Yeah the triplet’s mate,” said a higher pitched voice.
“Boss will be so pleased,” said the voice.
“I want the full amount before I hand her over,” said the higher pitched voice.
“No, half now, half later,” said the deeper voice.
“Are you out of your mind? Do you know what I risked to get her?” Said the high-pitched voice. “I want my money now!”
After!” Bellowed the deeper voice.
Snarls and growls.
“The other guy before me got his neck snapped by lover boy, the crazy one, her middle alpha. Felix killed him in a matter of seconds. He died trying to bring her to you!” Said the higher pitched voice.
Hearing Felix’s name thrown around like that made my heart ache. I suddenly felt nauseated. I felt awful. I needed help. I wished I were draped over Felix’s chest with Alex and Calix on either side of me. I couldn’t stop picturing Calix’s dimples, Alex’s baby blue eyes and Felix’s devilish grin. My heart soared a little even if I was only with them in my imagination.
Heavy footsteps resounded in my ears. I was hoisted upwards. I tried to kick and scream but to no avail. I was bound too tightly. Everything was a blur. Someone slung me over his shoulder like I was a sack of potatoes. I was carried out of the van and into a building. I squirmed in the person’s arms until he barked at me, “If you don’t hold still, I’ll have to knock you out.” I went limp in the person’s arms. He swung me off his shoulder and onto a cold hard surface that was higher off the ground than I had expected. I was on a table. A wooden dining room table. I glanced around. I was in a high-ceilinged room with stone walls. I could hear the crackling of a fire nearby and felt b]us warmth. I heard the scraping of knifes and forks against ceramic. Someone was eating dinner. I could hear them gulping mouthfuls of liquid, probably wine, and eating food. I smelt steak, medium rare, tinged pink in the middle.The smell upset me. The nausea. I began to thrash about.
“What’s wrong with her?” Asked the deep voice.
“She’s suffocating!” Said the higher one.
“Do something!” Commanded the deeper voice.
The duct tape was ripped off my lips and my gag was removed. My mouth felt grainy and dry. I coughed. The cough sounded hoarse. I was surprised how little power I had in my voice.
“What do you want?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
Someone was loosening the ties on me. I was able to sit up. My wrists were still bound behind my back and my ankles were tied. I felt a small amount of relief. I looked at my kidnappers.
The higher pitched voice belonged to a skinny man with a gaunt pointy face, straggly greasy hair and beady eyes. He was human. What was he doing with werewolves? He must have been the one with the chloroform. The other was clearly a werewolf. He was tall, broad shouldered and heavily muscled. He had a sleeve of tattoos on his left arm and a few tattoos on his right. His ankle bore the snake with the full moon tattoo. He had hazel eyes from what I could tell, maybe green, tanned skin and brown cropped hair. His jaw was strong. Something about his demeanour reminded me of Felix, making me think he was tough and even violet yet good-hearted deep down. Deep deep down. He was a criminal. I fixed them with a blank stare. There was no need to antagonise them. I had seen tons of movies where the kidnapped person threatens the kidnappers. I didn’t think that was smart.
“Hey, I just want to know what you want?” I asked again, still a whisper but clearer. “Money?”
The Felix-like one smirked. He was less cute. I frowned. My heart hurt. Maybe my mind had made up their resemblance as a coping mechanism.
“What’s your name?” I asked the Felix-like one. I looked at the human.
“Maurice,” said the human. I smiled. “Shut the fuck up. Shut the is my first name and fuck-up is my last name,” said the Felix-like one.
Fuck-up was the perfect name for him but I couldn’t insult him. I laughed very feebly. He gave me the weirdest of looks. I looked around at the place. It was a castle based on the design, stone walls, high-ceilings, huge brick fireplaces. The kidnappers already had money. Or at least their boss did. I had to ask.
“Are you going to kill me?” I asked nonchalantly. I had to be prepared. The Felix-like one widened his eyes and looked at me like I was crazy. Maurice just stared.
“No, we just have to keep…” began Maurice but the Felix-like one nudged him in the stomach.
Maurice grimaced. “Dante,” he groaned. Dante. I smiled, a bit smug.
“Dante,” I said.
Dante fixed me with a sneer.
“Listen, you little brat, no one is going to coddle you here like your love-sick alphas do so enough chit chat unless you want the gag back in,” Dante growled.
I blinked at him. I did not think they were hired to kill me. They would not have hastily removed the gag when I was spluttering on it if the end goal was my death anyway. They had to keep me alive for some reason. I nodded to show Dante I understood. He seemed even more upset that I was behaving.
“Should we feed her?” Asked Maurice.
“She’ll be fine. One day won’t kill her,” Dante grumbled.
“May I have some water?” I asked.
There was an empty wine glass on the table. Dante picked it up and dipped it into a murky fish tank nearby that seemed devoid of fish. He offered me the greenish brown water. I did not react to it. I had been through much worse. Dante seemed to think I had spent my whole life being coddled by my Alphas and would crack over some grimy water. He was sadly mistaken. I was convinced he was the huge white wolf. I had gone hungry and been dehydrated before. Dante swung me over his shoulder. We were heading up a walled flight of steps. There was a small room at the top with a cot and a simple bathroom attached. He threw me down on the cot. He took a dagger and cut the ties on my wrists and ankles.
“I’m doing this so I don’t have to help you use the bathroom. There are no windows in the bathroom or here in the bedroom. You will be fed periodically. If you rush the door when I open it, the restraints go back on!” Threatened Dante.
I nodded emphatically.
“My name is Chasity,” I said.
Dante snorted with laughter. “I would hope so.”
“Do you know my parents?” I asked eagerly. I had to ask. I knew it was a long shot but…
Dante’s sneer faltered a little but quickly recovered. I caught it though.
“When was the last time you saw them?” I whispered intensely.
“Shut up!” Growled Dante, his eyes turning black. I stiffened.
I sighed. I felt drained but unable to sleep. It was cold. I needed my alphas’ body heat. I sighed. As soon as Dante left, I scoured the room for any weak point. No windows. Only door was the exit. The door between the bathroom and bedroom had actually been ripped off its hinges. I wondered if we were still in my alphas’ pack lands. If the Luna was behind this, would she actually want me dead? Who would her boys marry if she got rid of me? I tried to mind-link again, calling Alex first a few times, then Calix and then Felix. Silence. I was far away or perhaps I had been injected with wolfsbane or something that prevented my lupine abilities from working well. I etched a notch into the bed frame. I sighed. I fell into a fitful sleep. I tossed and turned all night. I woke up to wave after wave of nausea. I vomited and vomited in the bathroom.
“What’s wrong with her?” Snarled Dante outside my door. “Is it contagious.”
I retched again. I had never felt this way. I groaned.
They went away for a while. The door opened. Dante threw a box at me.
“Pee on it,” he said offhandedly.
I glanced at the box. It was a pregnancy test!