Chapter 133

Rachel POV

"Help! Help me! Someone help me!"

I yelled as loud as I could. I used every trick my vocal coach had taught me to project my voice; I was hurting my own ears when the door to the room I was being held in burst open.

Pointing at me, the male who'd taken me snapped, "If you don't shut up, I'm gagging you! No one said I couldn't gag you."

"They said you couldn't do anything to hurt me. What if I can't breathe through a gag? What if I get sick and choke to death? Do you know CPR?" I countered.

I was prepared to argue him into a blind fury. An angry wolf was an uncontrollable force, but also a wolf who wouldn't be thinking clearly enough to notice I was planning an escape.

"I'll figure it out! Or I'll just say it was an unavoidable accident. Don't try me, woman. I can hurt you without killing you and I promise, the guy who hired me? He's always been fine with that deal in the past."

The cold stare he leveled on me shriveled up all my defiance; I realized this man would hurt me without a second thought. I knew I could handle a little pain, but what about my baby?

Bedrest was supposed to include not getting my heart rate up too high. I had been warned getting overly worked up could cause stress on my body which could lead to early delivery.

"If I agree to be quiet, will you get me some water?"

He rolled his eyes, "If you'll shut up, I'll get you some champagne."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm pregnant."

"You don't say?" the abductor sniped, leaving the room with a slam of the door which made me jerk in reaction.

All I could think about was my baby. My body wasn't in the best shape for my daughter and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. I'd never felt more helpless in my life.

I didn't recognize this man or the one who had been with him when they'd stormed into my home. Their scent was mixed with something I couldn't name, but it made me deeply uncomfortable. Every breath I took near them reminded me of death; I was terrified they'd been sent to kill me.

Lindy had screamed only for a few moments when the bigger man knocked her out with a single punch to the face.

"Hello?" I called.

I was afraid to let them forget about me. I was afraid of what would happen if I kept annoying them, too. I was just afraid, so very, very afraid.

My mate would have been able to protect me. Tyler had gone to work because his obligations went further than me and the baby in my belly, but would he get home soon enough to find me? To find evidence to lead him to me? Would Art know how to find me?

Art Windsor! I gasped for breath as I called to mind the massive Alpha Inspector. He was experienced. He was an Alpha who worked for the Alpha Council to solve crimes, investigate illegal activities within the wolfen world, and he had been sent to help me find out where I belonged.

Art would find me. He would know my scent as well as Tyler and his duty was to protect me. I had absolute faith in his ability to find me though I couldn't think, couldn't remember what sort of clues had been left behind at the house.

What had they touched?

My captors had swept into the house as a unit. The pair of big men had overpowered Lindy at the door with ease; the punch the biggest one delivered to Lindy's face was terrifying as I'd never seen a man hit a woman so hard.

In truth, I had never imagined a man choosing to hit a woman with the same power he'd need to beat another man in combat.

Wolves were violent, but wolfen society frowned on abuse of females or children much more than human society. I'd never seen even Patrick raise a hand to a woman and Patrick was---

"What did I tell you about being rough with her? If she loses this baby, who knows if Wright will even want her?"

Patrick was the one who had sent those men to take me! He was the one who'd gotten me abducted from my home! He was a whole other kind of evil for this betrayal and I swore I would get away from him at my first opportunity.

"You know Tyler will tear you apart for this?" I yelled at him, fury heating my words and my face.

"I realize Wright will be desperate," Patrick snapped back, "Desperate men do desperate things."

I couldn't breathe for a moment as I realized Patrick could hurt Tyler. Given my relationship to Patrick, Tyler wouldn't immediately suspect my so-called father for being behind my abduction or worry he would be violent.

An omega didn't have to overpower an Alpha if he had a gun. Or if he hired men with guns. Or men who were violent enough to not need guns.

A dozen terrible eventualities ran through my head as I realized how easy it would be for Patrick to kill my mate. I couldn't decide if I was losing my mind from worry or if the worry was totally justified. I'd always known Patrick was a criminal yet I'd never thought he was capable of real evil.

"What do you mean?"

I felt sick and cold all of a sudden as possibilities flashed through my mind of what could happen to Tyler because of Patrick. I had no idea what I would do if Patrick killed my mate when I had only just started to have a real mating with him.

Didn't we deserve a chance to be happy? Why wasn't the Moon Goddess sending help for me?

"Wright will want you back too badly to care about how much I ask for in ransom. He'll get the money. He'll take it anywhere I want it taken. He'll leave it. Why? Because if he doesn't? I'll start sending him pieces of you."

Patrick leveled a cold stare on me which further chilled me down to my bones. I couldn't see anything of the man who'd raised me in his expression.

Was he just that good a liar or had he always been this evil?

"You're my father. How could you just---hurt me?"

Sneering at me, he scoffed, "I'm not your father! Your mother came to me with you in tow. I accepted you because she was my fated mate. There wasn't a single day I thought of you as my child."

"Why didn't you get rid of me after Mom died?" I asked.

"You had value. I never said you were worthless. I can hate you and still admit you're too much of an asset to throw away."

Patrick was so sure of his answer. He just shrugged as if he'd told me everything I needed to know and maybe he had in his mind. I could believe Patrick felt a person was only worth their value as a commodity.

"My mother isn't dead."

I declared it with a finality in my tone I knew came from the way Patrick was reacting to my abduction.

"Was my mother ever really sick?" I asked, trying to think if it was possible to fake cancer, "Did you poison her? Was it cancer or was it some kind of plot?"

Patrick snorted, "It was cancer. I'm good, but I'm not that good. She isn't dead though. My mate is just tucked away somewhere for a rainy day."

"How did she survive the cancer? I touched her. I saw her. She was dead."

I felt absolutely certain I had seen my mother stop breathing. Art Windsor had told me potions existed to fake death; I knew that type of thing was available to some people in the world, but how had Patrick gotten ahold of it? Was it possible Patrick had those kinds of connections?

Patrick interrupted my thoughts to say, "It's not important. What's important is you have to keep yourself healthy. We both want you to go home safe and sound. Don't get too worked up or your body might try to reject the pregnancy again. I should know. Your mother didn't breed well either."

My mother was out there though. She was alive. Patrick was hiding her from me the way he was hiding me from my mate.

The difference was my mate would do anything, everything to get me back.

Tyler Wright would not be beaten by Patrick Flores. I had absolute faith my Alpha would find me before this cowardly evil omega could do anything to really hurt me or my baby.

"You're doing this for money? You think there's enough money in the world to protect you from my mate?" I snapped.

Vengeance would come for Patrick. I was certain of it.

"I think enough money can protect me from anyone. Now be a good girl or I'll let them gag you."

Patrick nodded to his goons as they returned with my ice water; he slammed the door on his way out.

"Time to play a game," Big Goon said while I tried my best not to scream.