Chapter Five - Arrested - Valeria's POV

I stand frozen in the echoing silence of the entryway, the metallic clang of handcuffs still ringing in my ears as Barrett marches Alpha Jackson and Millie out of sight.

Kendric’s arms are my haven, a shelter from the storm raging outside. He clings to me tightly, refusing to release his grip.

I continue to peek around his arm from time to time, waiting for instructions, but everyone that passes by leaves us alone. It makes no sense and I’m surprised they aren’t asking more questions.

Why aren’t they taking me in to be questioned as well?

Kendric lets his arms slip from around me and takes one small step back. “Are you okay? You don’t seem to tremble anymore, but your eyes look fearful.”

“What is happening? Why were you holding me for so long?” I ask, my voice cracking under the pressure of the unknown.

“I held you because you needed it,” he says sweetly. “Don’t worry too much. Whatever horrors you have lived through are over. No one will harm you ever again.”

A wave of warmth spreads through me. His calloused hand extends toward me, hesitating in the air, as if he is afraid to touch me.

“Do you trust me?”

My gaze drifts up to his face, and I meet his gaze. A subtle upward curve plays at the corners of his mouth, hinting at a smirk. He wants me to trust him and part of me says I should.

What if believing in him leads to something worse?

“Are we going somewhere?” I ask, instead of taking his outstretched hand.

“Yes, we are leaving. You need to stay close to me because this could get messy as I leave with you.”

“Messy?”

I think of what is happening outside. It’s not like I can see much through the windows, so I don’t know what they are doing, especially since all I can hear are disgruntled shouts.

“If you won’t take my hand, at least stay beside me.”

He starts toward the door, his boots thumping against the wooden floor. The silence echoes in my ears, punctuated only by the sound of my hesitant breath. This is my home, and it's all I have known for years.

When Kendric stops at the front door, he turns to look at me over his shoulder, his warm gaze finding mine. “You can’t stay here. Even with them gone, I don’t know what actions they will take against you.”

“No one will hurt me,” I say, dismissing his concerns.

“They allowed you to be treated badly, so what makes you think they won’t continue to act in the same way?”

The sound of his words cuts me like a blade to my tender flesh. They stood by and watched, knowing how awful Millie treated me all these years, so he has a point.

With a slight turn, I peer back into the kitchen. The basket from the market is empty and there will be so much wasted. “Have someone come get the food. I don’t know how long Alpha Jackson and his mate will be gone.”

“If I have my way, they won’t be coming back,” Kendric says, turning around and crossing his arms over his chest. “They will see dirt.”

I only nod. He’s so brutal and speaks as if killing isn’t anything to worry about. It should bother me, but it doesn’t. It almost feels natural, like I may have done it myself at some point.

“Fine,” I whisper as I close the distance between us. “Let’s go.”

He opens the front door and steps out first with me close by his side. 

As for the pack, they are in a state of disarray. With no leader in sight, they are left in confusion and the beta is trying to sort things out near some of the other houses. 

Poor Levi looks like he wishes he could curl up in a hole and die by the way he eyes the crowd. Everyone is asking questions out of turn and shouting over the others. It’s an absolute madhouse.

“Do you think Levi will be fine? He looks a little flustered,” I ask while reaching up to yank on Kendric’s t-shirt sleeve.

“He’ll be fine. It’s not like he’s in charge. Barrett knows that not everyone is involved, but we are sure they know about what was happening in that house. No one wants to talk to him about it, so their unwillingness makes them look guilty,” Kendric admits as we reach a black four-door truck.

He opens the passenger side and lets me inside. When he slams the door behind me, I flinch. 

I know I shouldn’t, but any loud noise makes me cringe. 

Kendric slides in on the other side and once he’s settled, he glances at me with a grim smile. “You look scared.”

“I’m tired and everything is getting to me,” I say, trying to look away through the window, but it’s not much of an escape.

Kendric’s fingertips gently brush my cheek, catching me off guard. “While we are gone to the trial, do you think you’ll be okay?”

“As okay as I can be.”

He nods and looks away at another vehicle. It’s then I notice Alpha Barrett coming straight toward the truck. He stops at the driver’s side window and Kendric rolls it down.

“What do you think you are doing? You can’t take her.”

“Watch me,” Kendric remarks, sounding confident in his decision.

“She has to stay for now,” he whispers, but it’s still loud enough that I can hear him. “The council made it clear—they don’t want her present at the trial. Too many variables, too much risk. If Jackson tries to twist her testimony, it will derail the case.”

Kendric asks, clearing enraged by Alpha Barrett’s request. “I’m taking her.”

“It’s too dangerous. They won’t harm her. That much I can assure you. But for now, she has to stay.”

They both look at me and I feel the blood draining from my face. “I get to stay?”

“Yes, and you are going back to your home, where your parents lived. Now that you are an adult, it's yours. It was supposed to go back to you once you were eighteen, but Jackson messed things up. You are going to stay there until later.”

They both go silent. I look between the two of them, unsure of what is going on. 

“What do you mean until later?”

“Kendric, I think she’s talking to you,” Alpha Barrett whispers, as his eyes dart to the side.

Kendric won’t say a word. He just sits there, completely straight faced. 

“Kendric?”

His facade cracks, and his shoulders slump. “After the trial, I will come back and explain everything. Right now, you need some rest and to relax for once. I’ll take you home.”

Home. It is a strange word, and I haven’t felt at home since I moved in with the alpha. Everything changed that day. To go back to what was once my parents feels gut wrenching.

I slowly open the door and start to get out, but Kendric is there, waiting for me instantly. 

He walks me home, ensuring my safety with every step. I don’t know what to tell him. Things are going to happen no matter what. It’s just part of my life and there’s nothing anyone can do to help me.

As much as I want to leave with him, I realize it is impossible for me to do so. I heard his vague words about if I was at the trial, then Jackson might try to gaslight me or twist it to fit his narrative. Barrett even came to the door and said that the council didn’t want me there because of the potential issues.

To be honest, I suspect their fear stems from the possibility that I might try to defend them. It’s not like I have shown that I will tell them everything, even when faced with the facts. Instead, I tend to break down, because some things are just too painful to remember.

Kendric’s gaze shifts toward me and I feel his eyes on me instantly.

“I’m going to be fine. It’s not like I haven’t been on my own. They’re gone now and can’t hurt me. Most of the pack is nice to me,” I say, hoping he will let it go.

Kendric breathes out a heavy sigh. “I will be back as soon as I can. One of the girls from the market said she’s going to pack up your room in the attic, then bring it here. I just hate the thought of leaving you or letting you back in that house.”

“When you leave, can you ask the girl if she’ll bring me the trinkets from my childhood from the trunk and the quilt on the end of the bed? Everything else was just donated to me. The trunk and quilt are the only things that were mine from before.”

“Yes, I will take care of it. Is there anything else?”

I think back to what is in that small attic room, but there isn’t much there. It’s not like I got many things from my family. “No, that will be all.”

He steps toward the door but stops cold, one hand on the frame. “What happened to the pack members who took you in before the alpha?”