Chaoter Four, Where Is She?

Alpha Jayden’s POV

Guilt was destroying me from the inside out.

The second I realized Gemma was our mate, something dark twisted inside my chest. My wolf was restless, pacing wildly beneath my skin, torn between rage, protectiveness, and guilt.

Mostly guilt.

Because we had hurt her.

Not once.

Not twice.

For years.

And now the Moon Goddess expected her to accept us?

I already knew she wouldn’t.

Not after everything we’d done.

The only reason we could feel the mate bond already was because we were Alpha heirs. Our wolves awakened earlier than normal wolves, even if we couldn’t fully shift until our eighteenth birthday.

Gemma probably felt nothing yet.

And honestly?

Part of me hoped she didn’t.

Because if she ever discovered the truth right now, she would run from us.

Or worse…

Reject us.

I looked down at her unconscious body in Asher’s arms, and my wolf whined painfully inside me.

Mine.

Our mate.

Asher held her carefully against his chest, and to my surprise, jealousy hit me hard.

It made no sense.

We shared girls all the time. We’d never fought over attention before.

But this?

This was different.

Seeing Gemma in his arms made something possessive rise inside me.

I wanted to take her from him.

Wanted to hold her myself.

Wanted to protect her.

The realization scared the hell out of me.

“Who did this to her?” I growled, my fists clenching tightly. “I swear to the Moon Goddess, when I find them, I’ll kill them.”

Emily looked shaken as she glanced down at Gemma.

“She mentioned her uncle’s mate,” she said quietly. “Khloe. She said she’s a witch… or maybe a hybrid. I’m not sure.”

A dangerous growl rumbled in my chest.

Then Gemma stirred.

The second her eyes opened and landed on us, panic flooded her expression.

She immediately scrambled out of Asher’s arms.

My chest tightened painfully as she stumbled the moment her feet touched the ground.

She could barely stand properly.

And when her oversized shirt lifted slightly, I saw bruises covering her stomach and ribs.

Scars too.

Old scars.

My stomach turned violently.

She was so skinny.

Too skinny.

And suddenly I realized the truth.

She wasn’t hiding beneath oversized clothes because she liked them.

She was hiding herself.

“Gemma,” I said carefully, holding my hands up slightly. “We’re not going to hurt you. I promise.”

The words tasted bitter.

Because they were lies.

We already had hurt her.

Over and over again.

Gemma laughed weakly, though there was no humor in it.

“You do hurt me,” she whispered. “You hate me.”

The pain in her voice hit harder than any punch ever could.

“You’ve always hated me.”

None of us knew what to say.

Because she was right.

Gemma looked between the three of us nervously before turning toward Emily.

“Bye, Emily.”

And then she ran.

“Asher—” I started.

But he was already moving.

The three of us quickly said goodbye to Emily before taking off after Gemma through the forest.

We kept our distance so she wouldn’t panic further, but I could hear everything.

Her heartbeat.

Her uneven breathing.

The painful hitch every time she inhaled.

She was struggling badly.

And still she kept running from us.

“She’s hurt,” Logan muttered through the mind-link.

“I know,” I replied grimly.

We followed her deeper into the forest until an old isolated house came into view between the trees.

The second I saw it, my wolf snarled.

Something about the place felt wrong.

Dark.

Gemma reached the porch, but before she could open the door, it swung open violently.

A woman stormed out.

Khloe.

Even from this distance, I could feel the darkness radiating off her.

She grabbed Gemma harshly by the arm and dragged her inside.

Gemma cried out.

Then the door slammed shut.

Every instinct inside me screamed to break down that door and take her away.

But we stayed hidden among the trees.

Listening.

“I don’t have time for your bullshit!” Khloe screamed inside the house.

A loud slap echoed through the air.

Logan growled beside me.

Then came Gemma’s voice.

Small.

Broken.

“Please stop… I’m sorry…”

Something inside me snapped.

I took a step forward instantly.

“We should go in,” I said darkly. “Right now.”

Logan grabbed my arm before I could move.

“We can’t.”

I turned on him furiously. “Did you not hear her?”

“I did,” he snapped back. “But if we rush in without a plan, they could kill her before we even reach her.”

I hated that he was right.

Asher stayed silent beside us, staring at the house with murder in his eyes.

Inside, the screaming continued.

Then suddenly—

A loud crash.

Silence.

My wolf whined painfully.

“They threw her downstairs,” Asher said quietly.

The certainty in his voice chilled me.

I clenched my fists so tightly my nails dug into my palms.

I wanted blood.

Hours seemed to pass while we remained hidden near the edge of the woods, watching the house carefully.

Then headlights suddenly appeared through the trees.

A car pulled into the driveway.

I immediately crouched lower behind the bushes.

The man who stepped out radiated power.

Wolf.

Strong wolf.

His eyes flashed dark gold as he slammed the car door shut.

Recognition tugged at me faintly, though I couldn’t place him.

“That’s Richard,” Logan whispered. “I remember him now. Him and Khloe came to the pack years ago with a little girl.”

Gemma.

My stomach twisted.

Inside the house, shouting erupted almost immediately.

“You need to sort your niece out!” Khloe yelled.

Then Richard’s voice answered.

Cold.

Sharp.

Dangerous.

The argument escalated quickly.

Furniture crashed.

Something shattered.

Then—

A slap.

A few moments later, the front door burst open and Khloe stormed outside crying angrily before disappearing into the woods.

Good.

One less monster to deal with.

But the relief didn’t last long.

Because minutes later, we heard heavy footsteps inside the house.

Then a door opening.

Basement stairs.

And suddenly—

Gemma screamed.

The sound shattered something inside me.

I could hear her crying.

Begging.

Then Richard spoke.

“Stay away from the Alphas.”

My entire body went rigid.

“He knows,” Asher growled softly.

Another scream echoed from the basement.

Then Richard again.

“You’ll stay tied to this chair all night.”

That was it.

Logan stepped forward instantly. “We’re getting her out now.”

“No,” I hissed, grabbing his arm. “Not yet.”

He looked ready to punch me.

“You heard him!”

“Yes, and if we storm in blindly, he could slit her throat before we reach her.”

Silence fell heavily between us.

I hated this.

Every second we waited meant more pain for Gemma.

But if we failed…

We could lose her forever.

“We wait until he leaves the basement,” I said firmly. “Then we move.”

Asher nodded slowly. “Jayden’s right.”

Logan dragged a frustrated hand through his hair before finally growling out a curse.

“Fine.”

The three of us crouched in silence near the back of the house, listening carefully.

My wolf was losing his mind inside me.

Mate.

Protect her.

Save her.

And for the first time in my life…

I agreed completely.

I stared toward the basement window hidden beneath the house.

One thing was certain now.

Richard and Khloe were going to pay for what they’d done to Gemma.

Every bruise.

Every scar.

Every tear.

We would make them suffer for all of it.

Even Mia and the others weren’t safe anymore.

Not after this.

As darkness slowly swallowed the forest around us, the three of us formed a silent plan through the mind-link.

“We wait for the perfect moment,” Asher said calmly. “The second Richard leaves her alone, we move.”

Logan nodded. “Back door. Less risk.”

I glanced toward the basement again, my chest tightening painfully as another weak cry echoed from inside.

Hold on, Gemma.

We’re coming for you.