Ch. 3

ASTRA

I came to archive territory to find answers about my Gamma bloodline and why Remus wanted me so bad he sent a bounty hunter after me. I was able to sneak in and find the files that I wanted. Every sold marriage in the tribute system was always recorded, we'd give to court and signed on papers whose duplicates will be here. Attached to those papers would be a detailed demographic of each partner. The archiveguard's hand clamps over my mouth As I photograph the tributary records , I don't know when an archive's guard sneaks on me - I usually have sharp hearing -- and clamps his hand on my mouth. His other hand twists my arm behind my back, and pain shoots through my shoulder.

"You little thief," he growls in my ear.

I have the evidence right here in my hands, this is proof that this sold marriages are actual kidnapping of females with rare or Alphabloodlines, to reduce the threat of those powerful bloodlines to mere breeding stations. I just needed to present it to the right people and I would be free from Remus and his plot, forever. I just need to survive the next five minutes.

I slam my head back, catching him in the nose. He curses, his grip loosening just enough for me to twist free. The phone with the photos clatters to the stone floor and I dive for it, but another guard appears,blocking my path.

"Sound the alarm," the first guard says, blood streaming from hisbroken nose. "We have an intruder."

No, no, no.

I grab the phone and run, my bare feet slapping against cold stone as alarm bells start ringing throughout the archive territory. I shouldn't have come here, but I needed to know and understand why Remus wanted me so badly.

The records showed everything. Fifty three females with rare bloodlines captured in the last decade. Gamma, Beta, even a fewAlphas. All marked as "secured" or "fugitive." My photo was there,my bloodline traced back five generations. FUGITIVE. HIGHVALUE. PRIORITY CAPTURE.

I'm not special. I'm just the latest product in a breeding program.

I round a corner and slam into another guard. He's massive, easily twice my size, and when his fist connects with my jaw, stars explode across my vision. I hit the ground hard, tasting blood.

"I've got her," he calls out.

I don't have time to recover as he hits me across my cheeks again. I slump and when I roll over, I see three guards beading down on me. Ilose all the fight in me completely because I'm exhausted, injured, and completely outnumbered. My wolf snarls, still wanting to fight, but we both know how this ends.

They're going to catch me and mag me back to Remus and claim the huge bounty for themselves. At least the last time I got a bonding ceremony, this time he'll have me bound in chains.

The first guard reaches for me and I use the last of my strength to kick him on his knee. He shouts as he falls down at my feet but the other two catch up to me as I struggle to stand up. One grabs my arm to haul me up and I flinch at his ruthless grip.

"Feisty little thing, aren't you?" He grins, showing yellow teeth."Alpha Remus is going to have fun breaking you."

I spit blood in his face.

His expression darkens. "You're going to regret that."

He raises his fist and I brace for the impact, but it never comes because suddenly he's not holding me anymore. He's flying backwards and crashing into the stone wall. The third guard barely has time to react before a blur of movement takes him down too.

I scramble back, my heart hammering, trying to understand what just happened .

Before I could blink, Thalor suddenly was in front of me.

THALOR

I find them in an alley, three guards surrounding her like she's prey. One has his hand raised to strike her, and something in me just snaps.

I don't think. Don't plan. Just move.

The first guard goes down before he knows I'm there, my elbow connecting with his temple hard enough to crack bone. The second tries to shift, but I'm faster, catching him mid transformation and snapping his neck with a quick twist. The third actually manages to land a hit, his claws raking across my ribs, but I barely feel it.

All I can see is her blood on the ground. Her split lip. The bruise forming on her jaw.

Someone touched my mate.

I drive my fist into his gut, then his face, then his gut again. He’s begging , pleading, but I don't stop until he's not moving anymore.

The alley goes quiet except for my ragged breathing and her heartbeat,too fast, panicked.

I turn to face her.

She's pressed against the wall, looking at me like I'm the monster and I feel kind of hurt. I look down at myself and maybe I am a mobster. My hands are covered in blood, and my wolf is snarling under my skin, bristling for more violence, itching that more guards appear so that I can tear them apart. 

But how do I explain to her that anytime I catch a scent of her blood, my wolf goes absolutely feral, wanting to make whoever hurt her, bleed. 

"You're injured," I say, my hands itching to wipe off the blood from the corner of her mouth. 

"You killed them." Her voice is shaky. "You just killed three guardswithout even shifting."

"They hurt you." They had to die.

"I broke into the archives and they were just doing their jobs of protecting it."

"I don't care." I take a step toward her and she flinches. The movement stops me cold. "You're bleeding. Let me see."

"Don't touch me." 

I watch as she struggles to stand, my wolf whining to help my mate but I stall, knowing she won't let me.

Seeing her move, I know something is very wrong with her. Her arm is dislocated, her knee is turned wrong.

My wolf wants to help heal her so badly, and it takes everything I have to stay still instead of closing the distance between us.

"You're going to get yourself killed," I growl. "What were you thinking , breaking into archive territory alone?"

"I was thinking I needed answers." She's shaking. "I needed to know why Remus wants me so badly. Why any of this is happening."

"And did you find your answers?" I fail to keep the sarcasm out of my voice.

"Yes." Her laugh is bitter. "I'm breeding stock material, just like I thought. There are dozens of us, all with rare bloodlines, all being hunted and sold like cattle."

I can feel the pain in her voice and  I want to tell her she's more than that , that she's my mate, but unfortunately I'm only here because I have to deliver her to Lyanna. 

"Come on," I say instead. "We need to move before more guards showup.

"Why did you help me?" She's studying me now, suspicious. "You're supposed to capture me, not rescue me."

I sigh, turning away. "I can't collect payment if you're dead."

The steel in my voice keeps her shut and I'm grateful for that.  She stares at me for a long moment, then slowly pushes off the wall, and when she takes a step, she nearly falls. I catch her before she hits the ground , catching her, and the moment I touch her the mate bonds electrify between us.

She feels it too. I see it in her popped out eyes, she's struggling tobreath.

She limps as she tries to catch up with my long strides.

"Don't touch me," she whispers, disgust in her voice.

I nearly release her but just feeling her against me like this makes my wolf purr in contentment.

"Your arm is dislocated," I say, changing the subject. "I need to set it."

"No." She snaps at me, trying to shake me out of her hold 

"It's not a request."

"Everything with you is a demand." But she's not pulling away. "Whycan't you just ask?"

Fine. "May I set your dislocated arm so you don't lose function in it permanently?"

She almost smiles. "When you put it that way, I agree."