CHAPTER 5

KEITH’S POV

My feet came to a staggering halt a few yards away from what looked like an old warehouse. My nose twitched as I analysed the distinct scents that hung thick in the air. The strongest was the musty, moist scent that was usually found around ancient structures.

Closing my eyes in concentration, I tried to focus on the other milder ones. There were about twenty completely different werewolf scents. This could mean only one thing.

The warehouse was a lair for rogues. But why did Melinda come here? Did she seek their help to stay hidden from us?

That thought flared my temper. Stupid girl! She should have known better than to trust rogues.

A fresh gust of wind brought with it the scent of freesias making my heart skip a beat. She was still here, but the scent was too mild to figure out the exactly where.

My gaze swept around the building. The structure seemed pretty elaborate, for it to be a mere warehouse. It was a two storeyed structure that sprawled over a thousand square meters and probably had rooms in the basement as well. It was nearly impossible to find out where Melinda was without being detected.

With a snort, I made my way to the meshed fence; hissing as my hair bristled in proximity to the boundary.

‘Whoah…. Since when do rogues live in such a secure place?’ I grunted and cocked my head to one side, wondering how I should enter the warehouse.

‘Don’t tell me that you are going back to get reinforcements.’ Jake’s horrified voice sounded in my head. “We can’t leave without making sure she is alright.’

‘I can’t wait that long, either. Let us just go in blind. We will deal with whatever comes our way.’

Jake grunted in approval as we bounded towards the door. Lunging straight at the man guarding the gate, I bit his throat, tearing off a chunk of flesh.

He howled in pain and dropped to the ground. Moments later, four more guards rushed outside. With a few swift moves, I made them drop to the ground, writhing in pain.

With a growl ringing with warning, I leapt over the threshold. Tring…. The piercing sound of the screeching alarm rang through the warehouse the moment I crossed the threshold, surprising me.

‘Since when could rogues afford such sophisticated systems?’

Four wolves; two brown and two white sauntered into the hall; their gaits poised and their teeth barred. The larger white one growled angrily and pounced on me. I moved to one side before jumping on him and biting his neck.

Blood spluttered out of the wolf’s mouth and he dropped to the ground, writhing in pain. A ferocious growl ripped out of my clenched jaws as my furious gaze analysed the positions of the other three wolves.

They looked at me warily and took a step back; fear flashing in their restless eyes. Jake didn’t relent. He didn’t like to move back once challenged.

Rubbing the pad of my paws against the rough floor, I barred my teeth. I was about to take a plunge when twang! Something hit me and a needle pierced through my neck.

My eyelids grew heavy and my body went limp. Despite my best efforts, I found myself shifting to my human form.

“What do you think? This potion works wonders, right?” A gruff voice sounded as a man with dead black eyes came into view. He was probably the head of this lair.

A few more men came running, and they dragged me to my feet, kicking my shin to make me kneel. A furious growl ripped through me and I glared at the man. “Where is my mate?”

His lips curved in a victorious smirk as he taunted, “So you are one of her mates.” He shook his head as he continued in a mocking tone. “I thought you would be more powerful; given that she kept going on and on about how y’all would turn me to dust.”

He clicked his tongue; his expression turning sour with disdain, “Look at you; kneeling and begging. Your mate would have been so disappointed if she could see you.”

A kind of blinding fury overcame me. I so wanted to peel this moron’s skin and throw him into a pit of mealworms, leading him a slow, tormenting end.

Jake’s boiling rage added to my blinding fury triggering the shift. My claws elongated and dug into my thighs. It took every ounce of my willpower to retract my claws again.

Being the future Alpha of the Moonmist Pack; I had undergone rigorous training right from the time I was five. Building immunity to wolfsbane and potions was a part of my early training. As such, the effect of even the strongest potion lasted barely a few minutes on me.

Clenching my teeth, I chided, ‘Jake, get a hold on yourself. We need to find where Melinda is first.’

I blocked his thoughts and took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. My objective was to make sure Melinda was safe. I could kill this prick whenever I wanted.

Zoning out the insults hurled by the man, I forced myself to focus on the scent of freesias. My mind drifted to the day I had seen Melinda for the first time.

Her sweet face and her terrified expression kept playing like a reel in my head, enabling me to ignore the humiliation.

At some point, the man got tired and commanded his men to dress me up and tie me up with silver chains. Though I was insulted, beaten and humiliated, I felt a sense of accomplishment.

A small smile tugged the corner of my lips. My brothers were going to be shocked when they find out about this incident. Kramen always claimed to be the rational one, but I don’t think even he would have been able to hold back for so long. With a deep sigh, I let them drag me to a dark and gloomy cell.

They cuffed my wrists behind my back and attached heavy chains. Letting my body go limp, I pretended to fall unconscious.

“What a joke? Some powerful wolf he is.” The man taunted, poking his finger into my cheek. “Even that girl held out for longer. She even scratched my face, but look at him; utterly useless. Melinda is better off without him.”

His comment about Melinda served as a harsh blow to my patience. Anger bubbled through me, pushing me over the edge. I was about to lash out when Jake’s voice sounded in my head.

‘Think of our mate, Keith. Think of her sweet scent. Remember what you told me? We can’t be rash. You have to hold it in for the sake of our mate.’

With great difficulty, I hardened the wall of my resolve again. The man returned with some more potions and injected me with weird stuff.

It didn’t harm me the way he claimed, but it did make me drowsy. Despite my best efforts, I found myself dozed off.

***

A piercing scream jolted me awake. My heart skipped a beat when my mind became clear enough to process the voice. It belonged to Melinda.

Resisting the urge to growl in anger, I let my claws elongate and started picking the lock. It was, however, taking too much of time.

Another scream sounded at a distance; this time feeble, but more agonised. My restraint snapped and with a ferocious growl, I ripped off the chains right from the wall.

I tried to open the door, but it was locked. With a frustrated grunt, I slammed my entire body against it. The wooden framework screeched in an attempt to stay upright. With a few more powerful shoves, the rotten wood gave way and shattered.

Taking off the chains hurriedly, I ran in the direction of the sound. As I moved along the corridor, the scent of freesias became stronger and so did the fear and grief mingled with the scent. A sense of dread gripped me in its clutches.

‘Why is there so much fear in her scent? Do you think she is hurt? What if we don’t reach on time?” Jake started rambling like crazy making it hard for me to focus.

In the end, I blocked his thoughts and hurried along. Walking down a flight of stairs, I found Melinda in a cell with bars. My heart plummeted to my throat seeing her condition.

Her face was pale, and her forehead was covered in a sheen of sweat. The chains kept clanking as she shifted feebly from one side to another.

 I swallowed hard as my gaze landed on her wrists. Large bruises had formed on her tender skin, marking them blue and black.

A sudden surge of anger blinded me and I ran out of the room, determined to find that bastard. I was so angry that I couldn’t think about anything else; not even saving Melinda. All I could think of was killing the man who had hurt her.

I had reached the end of the corridor when Melinda cried out as if in deep agony. Her scream tore through the veil of bloodlust, and I ran back to the cell where she was kept.

“Hush… It’s okay…” I tried to console her in a soothing voice as I freed her from the chains. “It’s all over now. You are safe.”

She opened her eyes momentarily, her lips parted, but then her body went limp. I pulled her into a tight embrace, filled with this intense need to wipe off all her fear and grief.

I had thought it would be difficult to leave without killing that moron. But the moment I held Melinda, everything else faded into the background. All I wanted to do was hold her and keep her safe.