James did not need to have royal power to know that the Delta and Beta were trying to hide something from him. He noticed they had just kept showing him the border and training ground, then deliberately moved from going around the back of the pack house. Their actions in trying to distract him from the rear of the property were more obvious than if they had a signpost stating ‘Don’t Go Here, Because We Don’t Want To Get Caught With What We Are Hiding’.
“What is around there?” James finally asked, walking along the side of the pack house, completely ignoring the protests and ‘nothing much’ that the Delta was uttering to him.
He did not miss the audible gulp from both the men who accompanied him.
“Oh, it is nothing, just an old relic from the past that we sometimes use if we capture rogues who have tried to attack us,” The delta answered.
Another thing James noticed was that Beta Mike was not very vocal, it was the delta answering all the awkward questions, and he could not help but wonder why.
Rounding the corner, James saw a whipping pole in the centre of a courtyard. His nostrils began to burn as the overpowering stench of bleach surrounded him, making his eyes water at its intensity. The smell only confirmed his suspicions. This amount of bleach was not too merely to clean, it was to attempt to hide the scent, that much was obvious. Walking over towards it, James turned on his heel and glared at the Delta.
“Why does it stink of bleach?” James asked.
“We had to whip a rogue a few days ago, and you know how bad they smell. The Luna ordered that it be bleached to clean it and get rid of the stench,” David answered, then shifted slightly from foot to foot. James looked at the Delta, reading the body language that was almost screaming liar to him.
“I see,” James simply replied, he did not want to go too near the whipping pole, the smell of the bleach so intense, however, he knew that was the reason they had done it, to avoid anyone getting too close and picking up any residual scent of the poor person who had been strung up there and put through the barbaric torture.
Taking a step forwards, he took a deep inhale to capture every nuance of the scent around the pole. The first to hit him was the overpowering smell of bleach. Again it burnt his nostrils, but under that was the now faint smell of blood. However, James quickly deciphered that it was no rogue blood, that it was high-ranking blood, possibly even alpha blood.
“Asher, you need to get here quickly. I am around the back of the pack house. There is an old oak whipping pole. They said they used it to whip a rogue a few days ago, so they bleached it. But I took a closer look and sniffed. Beneath the smell of bleach is blood, and it is not rogue blood, and if I am not mistaken, it could very well be Alpha,” James linked with his prince and friend.
Asher sat with Daphne. He knew the lady was trying to communicate something to him without saying what she needed to say. Fear was evident in her demeanour, but he did not believe she was scared of him, it was presented as fear for someone else.
“So… are you sure no Omegas are being mistreated?” Asher gently asked.
“Yes, I can tell you that no OMEGAS are mistreated,” Daphne answered again, highlighting the word omega, hoping the prince would read between the lines.
As Alisha did not have her wolf yet, Daphne was fearful she would have to remain in the pack, and if the Alpha and Luna found out Daphne had hinted at the abuse they had suffered, then he would take it out on the girls.
As James’ mind-link came in, Asher stiffened, then looked directly at the kindly Edensor omega.
“No Omegas are mistreated, but what about Alpha girls?” Asher asked.
“Please help them,” Daphne responded, nodding her head at him.
“Where are they?” Asher asked, trying not to growl, as he knew it was not this woman’s fault.
“I don’t know, they hid them when you arrived early, so they must be in the pack house somewhere, but I cannot smell either of them up here, or down in their basement store cupboard they are forced to sleep in,” Daphne answered, worrying her hands together.
Asher nodded his head, then jumped up out of his seat, and stormed out of the kitchen, running towards James.
As he arrived, he saw the pallor of Delta and Beta visibly pale, as Max desperately tried to come forward.
“Quickly!” Max growled.
Asher took a sniff of the pole, then let out an almighty roar. The scent under the stench of bleach was of a freshly mowed meadow on a spring morning, and his mind focused on it. The smell was addictive. Max became even more enraged, as he paced around inside Asher begging to be let out.
“Tie those two up on this pole they wanted to hide… NOW!” Asher ordered James. Then he turned to the Delta and Beta and shouted in his royal tone.
“YOU WILL SUBMIT TO MY WARRIOR!” The power of it made them both whimper and bare their necks.
James stepped forward and grabbed Delta David and Beta Mike by the scruff of their necks, one in each hand, as they meekly hung their heads, shaking visibly, as he marched them forward towards the pole, then strapped them to the rings that surrounded the top of it.
~ ~ ~
Eamon stood watching in horror as his Alpha was stuck mid-shift. If he didn’t do something, anything, then she would die in extreme agony. He heard Alisha shout to her sister to ‘run’. Iesha, not moving a muscle, stood watching frozen in horror, tears falling down her little face. Honey was trying to take full advantage of the situation, punching and kicking Alisha with all her might.
“Iesha, you can help. Find the prince or one of his people, then do as Alisha said and run from this place, I will find you,” Eamon shouted at the distraught child.
Iesha let out another sob, as she watched Honey grab her sister’s hair and kick her in the half-shifted face.
“Iesha, go find the prince, he can help her and you,” Eamon shouted again as he launched forwards and grabbed hold of Honey by her own hair and yanked her away from his Alpha.
Eamon shifted into his wolf, standing guard to protect Alisha from the enraged Honey.
Iesha ran as fast as she could, but she did not know where to find the prince or the people from the royal pack. The tears would not stop falling as she ran upstairs into the pack house. Trying to search but not making much headway due to her fraught emotions.
“He went outside, Iesha!” Daphne shouted at the girl, shaking from the mind link she had just received from Eamon.
Iesha turned and ran to the door, as Daphne followed, two more members of the Edensor pack following them close behind.
Iesha ran around the pack house, bumping straight into the biggest man she had ever seen in her young life.
“Please, help!” Iesha cried out.
Asher bent down and scooped the little girl up in his arms, trying hard to control his rage at seeing just how small and thin she was, her face had a hand print on it, her skin tone slightly grey from being emaciated.
“Iesha?” Asher asked, forcing Max back, and placed a soft smile on his face so as not to frighten the already terrified girl.
“Y..y..es,” Iesha nervously answered.
“Where is your sister?”
“Help her, please. Honey hit me, Alisia started to shift but she is stuck, I am frightened,” Iesha sobbed.
“Show me where she is.” Asher quietly said to the little girl, his heart breaking for her, his rage at this moment was not required, but he knew as soon as he got his hands on the Alpha and Luna, he would use it to the fullest.
“In the safe rooms. This way.” Iesha guided him.
“Please don’t hurt her, your highness,” Iesha suddenly said.
“I won’t hurt her, I promise. Iesha, we are friends now, so please just call me Asher,” Asher smiled as he began to run as fast as he could down to the safe house.
“Andrew, get to the pack house now and bring Nana Cheryl. Hurry,” Asher linked with the old doctor.
“Here,” Iesha motioned with her hand.
As Asher entered the room, he was hit with the freshly cut meadow in spring scent. As the smell permeated his nostrils, Max awoke and began to push forward, desperate for control.
“MATE!” Max roared, as Eamon snapped his head around, looking at the prince, who still holding Iesha in his arms, ran towards his Alpha, with an unmistakable look of love in his eyes.
“Max reach out to her wolf, try and get her to stop the shift, quickly we don’t have much time,” Asher instructed his mate, as he ran over to Alisha, still holding Iesha in his arms.
“Her wolf is too weak to shift, it is skinny, so damned skinny Asher, she doesn’t have the strength to complete it or even retreat.” Max cried out in desperation.
“Hey, it is okay, you are safe. I am here now, and I am going to help you. Try to relax Alisha. I know you are so strong. Please try to calm down, I will help you.” Asher pleaded with her.
Kneeling down beside her, he placed Iesha on the floor next to him, then gently stroked Alisha’s back. He did not want to use his royal tone on his mate, and if he was honest, he doubted it would work, given she was his mate, he could only hope Max could force her wolf to retreat from her control. It was the only thing that would save their mate.
Alisha felt sparks surrounding her body, her wolf whispered “Mate” so softly in her mind. The darkness that had begun to descend was so welcoming, the temptation to give in to the eternal sleep was almost consuming. But then the manly voice that sounded like a base symphony was talking to her, the scent of Elmwood mixed with heather surrounded her, it was the best scent she had ever smelt, and it called to her to keep fighting. He told her she was strong, and she believed him, a need to show him just how strong she was beginning to take over and forming a renewed strength to fight the encroaching darkness.
“That’s it, you are doing great, I am so proud of you. Alisha,” The amazing voice encouraged, as the sparks on her back continued to make her feel empowered like she could conquer the world.
Then, with one last sigh, Alisha used every last drop of her strength and felt her wolf retreat. Relief flooded her, even though her body remained in excruciating pain, as she slumped into a pair of strong arms, tingles and sparks all over her, and she looked up at the most handsome man who looked better than in the pictures she had seen, then she slipped into the darkness once more. Chapter Fourteen - The Forgotten Mate of the Alpha Prince