Soul Bonded

Ragamuffin kids

****Trigger warning. This chapter contains talk of abuse****

Mark

I stare at the four ragamuffin kids sitting around the dinner table. They’re filthy, and they stink, not that I blame them for that; they look homeless. They are also stuffing food into their faces as if they’ve never eaten.

What could have happened?

When Dad called me over, the kids were with Doc. He checked them over and said they had a few minor injuries that would heal. However, they were half-starved and needed to put some weight on. Lyric sat them down and had the kitchen staff bring in dozens of plates of food. The kids have been tucking in, but it breaks my heart to see the younger two forcing food into their mouths like they’ve never been fed.

“Where did they come from?” I ask.

Michael, my younger brother, shrugs his shoulders. “Lyric and Aurora found them running out of the forest. The girl asked for help, and the eldest boy said they were running from their mother. While they were being checked over at the infirmary, the girl said they’d escaped from some house a few miles away and kept running in this direction.

“The girl, Lycia, said she was sent out on an errand by her mother. The younger three snuck out of the house and followed her. Lycia is sixteen, then there’s Ansel, her twin brother; Morten is six, and Forrester is five. Lycia mentioned something about an older sister but passed out before she could give us more details.

“Lyric brought the four of them back here once Doc had finished with them. Lyric wants whoever did this to those kids found and strung up. Mom wanted to take the kids to a room so they could shower and change. But Thane wants to know what’s going on first.”

I tip my head in understanding.

“Lycia?” The smallest boy looks at his older sister. “Are we going to save Sophie now?”

‘Who’s Sophie?’

‘I don’t know, Archer.’ I tell my Lycan. I’m not a damn mind reader! Well, I am, but I won’t do that to these kids unless I have to.

“I don’t know,” Lycia mumbles.

Lyric sits at the table, facing the kids as they look at her. It’s not like they have a choice. You don’t avoid eye contact with the Lycan Queen.

“Can you tell me who Sophie is?”

“Our big sister,” Lycia whispers. “She’s still at the house with our mother and some of the others.”

“She didn’t come with you.” Lyric isn’t asking a question.

The younger boys stop eating and huddle against their sister, and she wraps her arms around them. It’s as though they look to her for protection. Ansel has one arm around Lycia’s waist and the other around her front, holding all three siblings, yet he doesn’t say anything; he leaves that to his sister.

“Sophie can’t leave the basement,” Lycia states.

“Why can’t she?”

“Lycia,” Ansel shakes her arm. “Don’t tell them. You know what Mama said about people finding out.”

“Young man,” He turns to look at Lyric. “Nothing bad will happen should you tell me about your sister. You want to help her, don’t you?”

Ansel looks at Lycia before turning to Lyric and nodding his head. “More than anything.”

Lycia sighs. “You won’t tell Mom that we said anything, right?” The panic in her voice echoes around the room.

“No, you have my word, Lycia. Your mother cannot harm you any longer. I promise you are all safe now.”

“But not Sophie,” Forrester sniffs.

“Why do you say that, little one?”

Forrester hides his face in his sister’s chest.

Lycia takes a deep breath. “Mom keeps Sophie locked in the basement,”

“Where they do bad things to her,” Forrester rushes to get out.

“Who, Forrester? What bad things?”

“Mama and her friends.” He sniffs again.

Lyric looks to Thane, who then takes a seat beside his mate.

“Can you tell us where this house is? Who lives there, and if anyone other than your sister needs rescuing?” Thane asks.

Lycia nods her head. “Red River Pack.” I roll my neck and try not to comment. Shi.t is going to hit the fan with that pack. “It’s just us and our mother and sister who live there. Dad died two months ago.

“Mom blamed Sophie for what happened to Dad. But it wasn’t her fault. They were ambushed by Rogues, and he told her to run. Things have been horrible since that day. It started with a slap here and there.” Lycia sniffled back her emotions.

I can’t take my eye off the kids and how scared they all look. They’re visibly shaking.

What kind of monster would do this to their own children?

‘Someone who has lost their mind.’

I nod my head but don’t answer Archer.

“Mom started yelling how she wasn’t Sophie’s real mother. Then she said Dad wasn’t Sophie’s dad and how she wished they had never taken Sophie because she isn’t like us.

“Mom did terrible things to Sophie. She beat and starved her, called her names, and lost her mind when Sophie wouldn’t cry. But I could see the damage all of that torture was doing to my sister. I tried to help, but because of that, Mom started withholding food and showers. We weren’t allowed to change clothes unless she saw fit.

“Mom also made us watch many times while she hurt Sophie. She said it would teach us not to behave as Sophie does. It was so bad sometimes that the kids started having nightmares. Ansel and I tried to protect Morten and Forrester from it, but it wasn’t easy. They’ve seen far too much of the horrors taking place in that house.

“Sophie would tell us to close our eyes so we didn’t have to see. But Mom would scream how if we did that, she would kill Sophie, so we watched. Even while being hurt, Sophie still tried to shield us from it all. It wasn’t until two weeks ago that things got really bad.”

‘Goddess, how much worse could it be?’ Michael asks me through the mind link.

‘I don’t know, Michael.’

‘This is turning my stomach.’

‘I agree,’ Sebastian adds.

Lycia lowers her head and cries silently while holding her brothers closer.

“Lycia?” The girl looks at Lyric. “Could you explain further, please? I just need a little background before I send my Warriors to help your sister.”

“What will become of us? If people go to the house, Mom will kill us. We don’t have anyone else in the world to take care of us, and we can’t be apart.”

I feel for these kids. Poor-fuc.king-things have been dealt a blow after losing their father. Their mother may not have succumbed to the mate bond, but she’s clearly lost her mind.

“Listen to me, sweetheart.” Lyric smiles kindly. “You will never go back to that house. You are safe here, I promise. There’s a place we can take you, and you won’t be apart, so I don’t want you to worry. You want to help your sister, don’t you?”

“I want us to be safe.” Lycia gulps back a sob. “I think Sophie died,” All three boys whimper. “Mom and her friends beat Sophie so badly the past few days, worse than ever before. They cut and burned her while she was chained in silver like a slave. She can’t heal because of the silver. I don’t want to say this because it’s sickening. But you’re our Queen. Who can I trust if not you?”

“You can trust me, Lycia. I promise.”

Lycia nods. “Mom and her friends took turns in raping Sophie last night. They made us watch as they tortured and raped her repeatedly.”

What the ever-loving fuc.k?

Their mother raped their sister?

I think I'm going to throw up!

‘The woman isn’t their sister’s birth mother. Though that doesn’t make much of a difference when the woman raised the girl, I suppose.’ My Lycan sighs.

‘It makes no difference, Archer!’

“Sophie was begging them to stop,” Lycia continues. “But they wouldn’t. The torture had been so bad the past few days that Sophie couldn’t fight back, and she was struggling to speak. She hasn’t been able to move for almost a week unaided, and now she just lies there on a filthy mattress on the basement floor.

“She’s weak from lack of food and water, which she hasn't had any of in over a week. The beatings, burnings, rapes, and the wolfsbane and silver poisoning were too much.

“There were a couple of times over the past two months that Sophie tried to escape. She wanted to find help and rescue us. If there is anyone in this world who truly loves us, it’s Sophie, and we love her, and we hate that we couldn’t help her.

“Mom caught Sophie every time she tried to run away, and as punishment, she choked Sophie and carved vile words into her body with a silver dagger.”

“Goddess,” Thane hisses.

I look down at Aurora as she wraps her arms around my waist. She hasn’t forgiven me for keeping Levi’s secret. But right now, she needs comfort because this is beyond upsetting. I wrap my arms around her and kiss her head.

“Mom sent me to the basement last night. She followed me with a bucket of boiling water and forced me,” Lycia closes her eyes and shudders.

“It’s okay, Lycia.” Ansel soothes while stroking the back of his twin sister’s head.

When she opens them again, her eyes are red and swollen.

“What did she force you to do, sweetheart?” Lyric asks.

“To open Sophie’s dress and pour the boiling water over her stomach.”

“Oh, Lycia,” Lyric’s face says it all; she’s heartbroken for these kids.

Mom turns in Dad’s arms, and I can tell she’s trying not to cry. My mother is a compassionate soul, and child abuse is something she hates. Having gone through hell herself as a kid, this is too much for her.

I close my eyes while pressing a hard kiss to Aurora’s head. I can’t even begin to imagine what these kids have been through, never mind their sister.

“Sophie was screaming in agony,” Lycia sobs again. “Goddess, she screamed so loud, and I have never heard anything like it! Those screams will never leave my mind. The skin of her stomach was peeling off, the smell was horrendous, and Sophie suddenly couldn’t breathe. Then she vomited, even though there was nothing in her stomach to really throw up. What little did come out? Mom got angry and force-fed it back to Sophie. Sophie was choking, and Mom got angrier and angrier. Oh Goddess, I’m sorry!”

I close my eyes again to ward off the nauseous feeling.

What in the fuc.king world?

“Sophie was in so much pain. She kept mumbling that she was dying. She could feel it, she said. Sophie mumbled that she was sorry and she wished she could save us. Then she stopped crying and, with her eyes closed, said she wanted her mommy. I knew she meant her birth mother. In that moment, I believed Sophie’s words about her dying.”

I need to get out of here; I feel sick. All I can see inside my head is my sisters and someone hurting them. My parents love every one of their sixteen children, and neither has raised their voice, never mind a hand to the kids.

“Mom sent me out today because she wanted to really punish Sophie. How much worse could it get?! Mom told me to collect sewing needles from town. I didn't ask what for; she would have broken my neck.

“But I didn’t need to ask because I heard her talking with Tommy, the guy from next door. They were going to use the sewing needles to harm my sister.

“They were going to put them in the fire until they were burning hot. Then they would use them to sew Sophie’s mouth and eyes shut.”

I close my eyes again and shake my head. I heard Mom gasp, and I can tell Dad is trying not to growl in anger. He doesn’t wish to scare the kids. But fuc.k, if it isn’t hard to hold it in.

“Even though they are the ones who assaulted Sophie like that, Mom believes Sophie to be a whor.e because of it. Mom said only a whor.e would sleep with seven people at one time. Like Sophie had a choice!

“I didn’t know my brothers had followed me today, but I knew we had to find help or die trying. If we didn’t do it today, we might not have made it until tomorrow. I don’t know if my sister is still alive, but please, please, help her. I am begging you, please!”

‘Blaze?’ Lyric’s voice fills our mind-link. ‘Take the boys and some Warriors to the house. Leave as soon as I get the address. I want that woman and every bastar.d who helped her hurt these kids punished!’

‘Calm down, Lyric.’ Thane hushes his mate. ‘No one will get away with this,’

‘Thank you. I’ll stay here and settle the kids. I don’t know what state you’ll find Sophie in if she’s even alive, but please,’ Lyric looks from Dad to my brother, Sebastian, and me, then back again. ‘Be extra careful with her. If she is alive, she might not make the journey here.’

‘We’ll do everything we can, Lyric, I promise.’ And I mean it.

AN: So, the next chapter will also be from Mark's POV. I will prewarn that the following chapter will contain talk of abuse that might be triggering for some. I will totally understand if you don't wish to read such a chapter. But I thank you all for continuing this journey with me!