An Alpha King's Revenge

Chapter 7: Don't Want Help

-Madeleine-

“I’m going after her!” I shouted.

“You can’t! Maddy!” Evan seized my arm just as I reached the entrance hall. He easily halted me and drew me back. But I wasn’t someone to be restrained right now, and I began to struggle against him, trying to break free.

“You can’t stop me!” I exclaimed as I lightly struck his chest. “She’s my sister!”

“And you are my mate! Do you really think I will just let you venture out there alone?” he inquired.

“What?” I gazed up at him, and Evan offered me a sweet smile as I relaxed against him.

“We will search for her, but I am not going to permit you to go solo.”

I continued to look at him, astonished because I was convinced he would simply stop me and advise me to return home and wait or something similar, but I should have known better. Evan was always prepared to assist or defend me. He would never try to oppose me.

“You two have a pack to lead.” We turned around, spotting Lucian approaching us. I knew he tried his utmost to appear composed, but after everything that had occurred, I knew he blamed himself. He wasn’t accountable for anything.

Even though he still wouldn’t divulge what he had been up to, I knew he wouldn’t have been able to prevent Chris. Lucian would probably have been with the others at the meeting and would have arrived too late to rescue Chris anyway.

My cousin might be somewhat complicated and very troubled, but he had a good heart, and that heart was hurting him at the moment.

“You can’t just leave,” he remarked.

“It’s Kate!” I exclaimed.

He nodded.

“I understand. But if anyone is going out to search for her, it should be me. I don’t have a pack to lead,” he stated.

“Have you spoken to Valerio about it?” Evan asked.

He shook his head. “Not yet. I wanted to speak to you two about it first. You guys are needed.”

“So are you!” I insisted.

“I don’t want to depart again, knowing what occurred when I was away, but you two are needed here more than me,” he said.

“That’s not true, Lucian,” I reassured him.

He gave me a sad smile, and I could perceive how much pain he was in. What had happened to my cousin? How could I have failed to notice how badly he was struggling? I was just an awful cousin and apparently a sister too, since Kate had left without my knowledge.

“Let me search for her. I will do my utmost to bring her back,” he proposed.

Evan and I exchanged glances, but it was evident we were already in agreement.

“Talk to Valerio at least,” I suggested.

Lucian nodded.

“Yes, I won’t make the same mistake twice,” he stated. “I will bring her back, Maddy.”

I smiled at him and went to embrace him. Evan permitted it only because he was a family member. Otherwise, he would have been growling and projecting a threatening aura.

“Please bring her back safely.”

He smiled and then departed, returning to converse with Valerio about this. I turned to Evan, who drew me close.

“She will come home,” he assured me.

“And what if she doesn’t?” I inquired. “What if this is what she wants?”

“Then perhaps we need to let her go.”

I felt the tears welling in my eyes and then slowly running down my cheeks. Evan reached up and wiped away some of them.

“I know that’s difficult to accept, little wolf,” he said.

“It is, but it is exactly what I fear might happen—that we have to let her go because I know I couldn’t live without you,” I confided in him.

Evan pressed his forehead to mine, and we just stood there for a moment, feeling the bond between us come alive with so many different feelings: worry, concern, fear, and love. It was all very confusing, but I also felt centered with him so close. It helped me calm down.

“I just want to know she is okay,” I whispered.

“And Lucian will figure that out.”

I nodded, knowing my cousin would do everything he could to get Kate back.

-Phoenix-

“Okay, enough!” I heard the sound of a gun being loaded and froze, but really, I wouldn’t care if they shot me. Let them go ahead. I wouldn’t be stopped. I was going to get Hope back if it was the last thing I did. No one took my mate away from me.

“Get off him!”

I looked over my shoulder, seeing the other male we had run into. Kenzo had been knocked out by one of the biggest alphas I had pretty much encountered. He was together with a smaller one, who was pointing a gun at me, looking like he was ready to gut me open for smashing my fist into his friend’s face over and over.

“Now!”

“And why would I do that?” I taunted, my voice dark and showing how little I cared right now, even with a gun pointed at me.

I had been going crazy since Hope was taken from me. I almost killed Raiden for letting her out of his sight. It took both Kenzo and Hunter to get me off him and for Elijah to knock me out before I stopped trying to kill him.

Hope was mine, and those who hurt her or stood in my way of getting her back would die. I didn’t care if they suffered or not. They would die.

“Because I am pointing a gun at you!” he exclaimed.

“Shoot then, before I kill your friend.”

“Calm down, Phoenix!” the smaller alpha interjected.

“You know my name?”

“Yes! We were sent by the king, but clearly, you have lost your mind!” he retorted.

I looked confused at the male holding the gun before looking down at his friend, who, despite how many times I had already hit him, seemed wide awake. His grey eyes were looking right at me, practically challenging me to go on. Did this one have a death wish or something?

“Names," I demanded.

“Andrew, and the one you almost killed is Rick,” Andrew supplied, and I looked over my shoulder.

“Doesn’t really ring a bell,” I stated.

“You don’t say,” Andrew remarked. “But call the king or even Hunter if you must. They will tell you we were sent out to help you.”

“You knocked out Kenzo,” I pointed out.

“Well, he had it coming since he was trying to jump my friend,” Andrew explained.

I agreed he had a point, but that didn’t mean I trusted them any more. Kenzo and I were in this old warehouse when we spotted these two figures approaching. We suspected they might be either Connor’s men or members of The Dark Soldiers. They seemed more than qualified for either.

I imagined Seth would be eager to have them join his group, especially the one still lying on the ground, not even attempting to fight back. But something told me he could if he chose to.

“All right,” I conceded, releasing Rick and letting him fall the rest of the way to the ground. He groaned a little while I looked at where Kenzo was lying. He was slowly coming back. “Kenz! You good?”

“Perfect!” he shouted back as he slowly sat up.

“Know two males named Rick and Andrew? They work with the king.”

Kenzo groaned a little as he got to his feet. “Well, Hunter did text me that backup was on the way. I just didn’t think it would be these two, who I really don’t know that well.”

“We like privacy,” Andrew said as he put the gun away. “But we really are here to help.”

“You want to help?” I questioned, and Andrew nodded. “Then go home! I don’t need more people slowing me down!”