NALEDI’S POV
A bucket of dirty water woke me up every morning.
“Welcome to another day in hell, bitch.” Draken said with utter and pure joy.
“Just kill me already, freak. Why the hell are you delaying the inevitable.” I gritted, arms and energy depleted as I hung on a pole, naked and battered.
A scoff, “Just like you killed my father?” He tutted, “Besides, where is the fun in that?” He used a bat and hit me straight in the face, I spat out a tooth as a searing pain tore through my body.
“Why are you keeping me alive, Draken? What do you stand to gain by keeping me alive?” I said, breathing heavily.
A man walked into my cell with a bucket of sizzling hot water.
“When you and your fucking team decided to betray me, I was made to sign some papers under duress.” He poured me the water and I was shaking like a fish out of water. “I signed off every asset I have to the Cosa Nostra, every single thing my family worked for over the generations, gone, just like that!”
I could barely function from the amount of pain I was going through. Was this what it felt like? Was I finally paying for the sins I have committed all this while? Was this the end of the road for me?
“You see, I am willing to forgive you. Make you my slave after what you have done to me, but I can’t do that until I get back what’s mine,” He stepped closer to me and held me tightly by the neck. “I need you to get back what I have lost, Attai! Or so help me god I will lead you through a life that no one, not even the devil deserves to live.”
He spat on my face before he let me go. His saliva dripping down my skin felt worse than the burn of scalding hot water. I felt belittled, trumped upon and meaningless. I wanted to die.
“How?” I gasped, breathing harshly, “How the hell am I supposed to do that?”
A smirk. “You see, dear Attai. You don’t need to do anything. You just need to stay right here, being in utmost pain while your super Alpha mate comes to save you. He gives back everything he stole, and viola! We get our happily ever after.”
“That’s not too much to ask for now is it?” I remained silent, he didn’t like it. “Is it. Attai?!” He roared into my ears.
I winced. “You forget that I am his rejected mate. If you think you can use me as bait to get him here then you have made a grave mistake. There is no way in hell he will come to me after I betrayed him.”
“Even if he came, it’ll be to end my miserable life.” A wry smile, “I’m sure he regrets not taking my life when he had the opportunity.”
“Shut up!” Draken roared, giving me a slap for greater measure. “Caellum Morello will come here, and when he does, you will give him all the motivation he needs to give back what he stole, and afterwards, die a miserable death with him.”
“Do you understand?” He said in the most soothing voice, I gave no response. “You see, whenever I talk, I expect answers, and when I don’t get answers, someone gets hurt. Get it?”
No answer.
Draken took an Iron rod by the corner and hit me on the head, my eyes rolled back and I lost consciousness, happy to give into the darkness that surrounded me and hoping this was the end.
*******
CAELLUM’S POV
Ezra, Marcel and Korah were seated before me as I read the latest letter I received in the mail. A threat from Draken Yakuza.
“I thought he was placed behind bars?! Locked up to face the repercussions of his crimes! How the hell did he get out?” I roared at the trio seated before me and flung the paper that held Draken’s threats.
“I don’t think it is the right call to take any decision until Ezra goes and finds out the state of things. If there is one thing we know about Draken, it’s the fact he is a rabid dog and the last thing we need is to get caught in his web of deceit.” Marcus said. “We need to verify that Naledi is not in on a plan to sabotage us. We can’t act until we know for sure what we have at hand.”
Korah couldn’t stand his accusations. “I think this is stupid.” She turned to Marcus. “I can understand that you are resentful of the lady because of her betrayal but can’t you see that things have changed?”
“She fucking helped us recover twice what we lost and refused to come back because she was ashamed and in pain. If that bastard somehow got out of the prison, what do you think he will do to her?!” She turned to me, “We have to do something, Alpha. We can’t just fold our arms and watch her suffer at the hands of that crook. If not for the fact that she was your mate, then do it because she helped us recover shipments.”
“Shipments that we lost because she betrayed us.” I reminded Korah in a harsh tone, “I owe her nothing.”
Ezra remained silent, he hadn’t said a word since we came into this meeting and I was beginning to lose my patience when he finally spoke. “I got into the estate this morning.”
He had our apt attention. “All of the Cosa Nostra men have been killed and Draken has raised a new army of people who are in charge of keeping the estate.” A dark glint covered his eyes. “I made a mistake. And now Naledi is paying for it.”
“What do you mean?”
“I handed Draken over to the witches his family had trafficked and placed in captivity for a very long time. I didn’t realise he was their fucking blood.” He seethed.
I was tired of his philosophical statements. “I advise you hit the nail on the head. I am not a man of patience, traveller.”
“Don Yakuza impregnated a witch that happened to give birth to Draken. He is half witch and half werewolf. A fucking hybrid. I basically left him in the hands of his family. They deceived me.”
Ezra looked like he was seconds away from combustion.
“And you know that how?”
He looked up at me, finally meeting my eyes. “I saw it myself. I saw him tell Naledi about it. If we delay any longer, she might as well be dead.”
His words evoked a part of me that I’d killed. The side of me that would do anything to protect my rejected mate still. I didn’t know if that side of me would be able to let her die.
I was learning to hate her. Learning to live without her, without the pain in my heart at the remembrance of her and everything she’s done. The good, bad and ugly.
This would no doubt throw a wrench in my plans but I couldn’t.
I was going to save her and send her away from my life, I just needed to make sure she was alive and breathing. No one got to take her life from her, not while I was alive.