Chapter 87

**Arsen's POV**

I grab the witch by the arm and I quickly put her in a choke hold. She taps and fights my hold. No luck. She wasn't going anywhere and the more she moved, the quicker she'd go.

Ascian grabs my mate with force and presses her against his body. His hand around her small neck, his nails, sharp as blades, digging into her skin, resisting her every move. His mouth was open wide, his long protracted fangs grazing her skin. Right underneath, her jugular. One wrong movement and he could either kill her or turn her into a Vampire.

Aelin's eyes stared back at me. Her eyes were damped and frightened, a silent scream for help. I couldn't bare witness to my mate like that.

"Not one step closer, you hear me?" Ascian threatens.

The witch went limp in my arms but I knew I had to wait longer. I had no mercy for either him or her.

"*You hear me?*" I mindlinked to her.

Her head moved up and down ever so slightly, enough for me to catch.

"I can hear you too, Arsen," Ascian informs me.

Dumb move if you were to ask him. If he would've shutten up, he would've been able to hear all my conversation with Aelin, gain insight. Now, he's had a power trip and won't know what is coming his way.

"Listen here, Ascian, both you and your colleague are not ready for what it's coming your way, so I suggest you let my mate go and I return you to your parents with no harm done to you," I offer and I let go of the limp body of the witch. Ascian's eyes shoot to me with daggers. "You told me not to move, she was already in a chokehold." I said unapologetic.

My Beta was also in the small apartment. Everyone else was still outside. I knew I could get Ascian, I just needed Aelin to get enough out of the way for me to lunge to his jugular and end him for good.

"You think I've come all this way to just give her to you, werewolf? Your race is even dumber than I thought."

"Why are you so mean, Ascian?" Aelin cried out.

"You're not like them, Aelin." Ascian replies.

"You made me out to be exactly like one of them."

My Beta turned to me a bit with surprise and mostly confused.

"*Trust.*" I answered, while still facing Ascian.

Ascian knew exactly what she was referring to, shame written all over his face.

"I was young, Aelin, I didn't know better."

"Don't play victim, Ascian. You turned me to them as a slave, you gave me to the men that stole what was rightfully yours."

I growled. She was playing this part a bit too convincingly.

"And I killed him for it," Ascian replied fiercely. Trying to sound as Aelin's knight in shinning armor, when he was far from it.

"With those soft hands of yours? I bet he didn't even suffer," she mocked him, her claw like fingers digging into her skin.

"He suffered, I can promise you that," he promised.

I turned to Cassius, and I signal him to slowly move towards them, very lightly, so that he wouldn't notice as Aelin distracted him.

"A bit late, don't you think?"

"Aelin, don't make me get angry," he threatened.

I halted.

"You don't even have the balls to turn into ashes this fucking pack. The werewolf that took me, fucked me and marked me and your only plan is to steal me away. I want fucking vengeance and you give me what? This? I could've left on my own with a bit of planning. You're nothing without daddy's help and it shows by you taking back the rejected werewolf that has already been mated and marked. I'd go back to you if you weren't such a poor excuse of a leader."

"You don't mean that," Ascian stated.

"Make me not mean that," she signalled to me.

Ascian looked at me, knowing exactly what Aelin meant.

"I can't get you safely out if I kill the Alpha," Ascian excused.

"Ah, please," Aelin rolled her eyes. "They're fucking animals, they won't know what to do without an Alpha. It'll be an easy fight. Am I not worth killing an Alpha for?"

Cassius growled.

"Shush, dog." Aelin told Cassius off.

"Aelin," I warn her.

"Oh, you dogs really think you've got something on me?" She claps back at me.

I try to calm my wolf down, but he's not used to this level of disrespect and despite Aelin being our mate, his Alpha blood is working against him. Against me.

I can see by looking at Ascian how proud he is. How the ends of his open mouth curl up into a diabolic grin.

"Use it," Aelin dares me, toying me. We both know what she's talking about.

I refuse to do so. I shake my head no very slightly, barely visible.

"Aelin, you should shut the fuck up and let us deal with the situation," Beta Cassius tells off Aelin.

"Or what?" She escalates the situation. "What are you going to do then? Have a fucked up excuse for a vampire and a Moon lover, and the subordinate of my mate try to kill me? I'll take my fucking chances," she answers.

That's when I hear in the back of my brain as Ascian mindlinks or whatever vampires do to Aelin, "*I won't kill you, Aelin, I promise you that. I just want to escape safe with you.*" I hear in the exact same way that I guess Ascian hears Aelin's and I's conversation.

Unlike him, I don't give away my situation.

"*I know, let me toy with them. If the Beta jumps for my jugular, Arsen will lunge for him to protect me and we can leave.*"

"*Are you sure, Aelin?*" He asks softly.

"* I know how to toss a bone to a dog.*" She speaks.

She makes direct eye contact with me and then winks.

Oh, Aelin. You beautiful genius.