His tortured mate

Chapter 4

Craig

Sitting here, watching Katy walk down the aisle, looking breath taking in her gold wedding dress, makes me wonder how Caylee will look on our wedding day. Will she be wearing the traditional white dress or will she be like her sister and wear something different? Will she have her hair up in pins, or hanging down her back? Will she have light makeup on, or will it be creative and colorful? Will she have roses in her hands, or her favorite flowers? What are her favorite flowers? I know she loves to draw and paint, thanks to Katy, but does she like to wear color? Sitting here, I realize that I hardly know my mate. I don’t know what food she loves to eat, or what time of the day is her favorite. I haven’t really tried getting to know her, constantly trying to think of ways to bring her back, but is there really any way for the old her to come back? Do I want the old her back, or should I rather be focus on just who ever she chooses to be.

I am so stuck in my own thoughts that I miss the entire ceremony. I come back to the present when everyone starts clapping hands as Katy and Jackson shares their first kiss as husband and wife. They look so happy, looking at each other as if nothing else exists, as if they are alone in their own little world. I am surprised by the amount of jealousy I feel, watching my alpha pair on the happiest day.

The after party is in full swing and laughter can be heard from all over. Everyone is drinking and dancing, not only celebrating the wedding of Katy and Jackson, but our victory against Damon and his rogues. As much as I want to celebrate our victory, I just can’t get it in me to do it. The day Damon died, it caused pain to my mate. How can I celebrate something that is causing the one person I should love and protect, so much pain?

It is nearly midnight and I know that Katy and Jackson will be leaving soon to catch their flight to go to a little Island, where Jackson had rented out a private beach where they will be spending the next two weeks for their honeymoon. The closer it gets to midnight the more restless I become. I want to hold Caylee in my arms again as she sleeps and I can only hope that she is asleep by the time I can get to her. I am afraid she might be having nightmares again and just thinking about it makes my wolf push against my mind, wanting to get out and protect our mate from whatever is haunting her. Katy and Jackson takes the floor for their last dance before they leave and I am honestly relieved that this is almost over, soon I will have Caylee in my arms again. After the dance, they make their rounds in saying goodbye and when they get to me, they both give me a hug, but when Jackson leaves, Katy stays behind. She looks at me with sad eyes and I know she is just as worried about her sister as I am. She wraps her arms around me again and gives me a tight hug.

“Take her home Craig. She doesn’t deserve to stay in that cell and with me gone, she shouldn’t be a danger to anyone. Cole and Evelyn will be going on a trip around America while we are gone, so there really isn’t anyone left she would have any reason to want to hurt. Take her home and show her what it is like to have a true mate, show her what it feels like to truly be loved.” She whispers in my ear and I am too shocked to say anything, so I just nod my head in reply. I get to take, my mate home tonight. I get to have her next to me. No more worrying if she is alright in that awful place.

Right after Katy and Jackson leaves, I quickly run to my place to make sure everything is clean, not wanting her to walk into our house for the first time and getting a terrible first impression. I am excited about finally bringing her home, I can just imagine her little body curled up on the couch as she reads a book, or watching her in the art studio I made for her the moment I found out that she loves to paint. I quickly rush to clean up a few dishes and then making sure the bed is made up with new clean sheets. When I am happy with how everything looks, I change into my wolf and run as fast as I can to the pack house. I am high on excitement and can only hope Caylee will be alright about moving into our place. Will she be angry and refuse? I start to get nervous but the excitement doesn’t fade.

The pack house is quiet and I guess Katy and Jackson have already left and that the beta pair is still at the after party. I guess Tate and Chris are enjoying their night off from their little pup, it is rare that they get the time off and seeing as some of the older females in the pack volunteered to baby sit, they couldn’t resist. The second I open the door to the dungeons, I know something is wrong. The smell of blood is so strong, there is no way I could’ve mistaken it for anything else. I run down the steps, all the way, hoping and praying that it isn’t Caylee, but I know she is the only one down here. I stop dead in my tracks when I see all the blood, Caylee’s body right in the middle of the chaos. I open the cell and quickly place my fingers to her pulse. It is hardly there and if I had been a second later, she would’ve already been dead. I change my nails into claws and cut open my wrist before holding it over her mouth. The blood of an alpha would’ve worked faster, but as I am her mate, my blood will help her heal faster than what she would’ve on her own. When I see her wounds slowly start to heal, I start to realize that there is no other scent down here, apart from the few pack members that bring her food every day. I feel bile rise up when I realize that she must have done this to herself. She has claw marks all over her face and head, it looks like she tried ripping out her own heart and I feel sick knowing that we drove her to this point. I should’ve fought harder for her, gotten her out of here sooner. I should’ve told Katy that I would take her far away from here. I wanted her to come home with me, but without her there, I have no reason to call it home. I am sure Katy would’ve said yes if I asked to take Caylee away from here. I know she only wants her sister safe and happy, so why didn’t I suggest it? Why did I wait so long? I keep letting her down and that needs to stop right now.

I pick Caylee up and carry her to our house where I place her on a towel on the floor. I know I should be the better man and get one of the females to remove her clothes and wash the blood off, but I don’t think me or my wolf can handle anyone else touching her. I quickly remove her torn clothes and then slowly start wiping off the blood. With every second that I sit here, wiping away blood that should’ve never been on her body, more and more guilt starts eating me up. I keep on thinking of the what if’s, and it is driving me crazy knowing that if I found her just two minutes later, she would’ve been dead, and I would’ve had no one but myself to blame.

By the time I am done cleaning all the blood from her body, I dress her in the soft silk sleeping clothes I got for her. I lay her down on my bed and just sit there next to her, hoping and praying that she will be alright. Vowing that I will never let her get hurt again. She deserves far better than this. Far better than a mate that can’t even protect her from herself.

When the sun comes up in the morning, I am still sitting next to her, just watching her breathe as she sleeps peacefully. I know it is probably strange that I am just sitting here, staring at her, but I am too scared to even look away from her for a second, afraid that she won’t be breathing when I look at her again.