Chapter 26
Paxton’s POV
I honestly thought it would be smooth sailing after Michela got to go into Black Adder. Her father was a Council Member, and I had a friend of a friend to call Michela so she could do this favor for me. She believed each and every word we told her. She felt the guys loved Brenna and Luna and were heartbroken that the girls had run away. It made me think that we were going to get the girls back.
I had told Michela to disregard what Jaxon wanted. I needed her to bring them back to us so we could get out of here. She was pitching a fit when they brought her back to the gate. I was shocked that a female was now with the Beta. We watched as Michela refused to exit the SUV. The she-wolf with the Beta literally had to pull her out of the SUV, but she did it like it was nothing. The new she-wolf was a stunner. She was very fit and had black hair like Jaxon but blue eyes like the Beta. I knew they had a big family, so I was sure this was one of their sisters. She didn’t seem to have an issue with putting her hands on Michela despite her being a Council Employee.
We watched with interest as Michela tried to struggle out of the she-wolf's grip but ended up being pushed through the slight opening of the gate. Michela managed to stay on her feet, just stumbling forward but not falling to the ground. The guys on the other side of the gate from us were having difficulty not laughing at the sight of it as the gate snapped back closed.
She glared at us for a while until two SUVs arrived about fifteen minutes later. She entered the first vehicle to return to the pack. I am sure that there was a heated discussion on their way to the hospital. The Beta and the she-wolf who came here with him led them back to the pack hospital. We were all surprised when she was back about twenty minutes later. She was furious and wasn't trying to hide the fact that she was angry with me. Michela was fuming and looked at me for a minute before stomping over and saying, “Did you lie to me?”
I managed to keep my face straight and not show my surprise. “Why would you think that I was lying?” I asked.
“Because you told me one thing, but the women all said that one of your men was the one who had hurt Cara. You three told me that Cara broke in and attempted to rob you, Clay. What items did she try to take? Because the women said that it was their parents' personal items that belonged to them and that they just got them from the safe when you returned. So which was it? It didn’t seem like they were lying to me. You three acted like you cared and wanted them back. The doctor even gave a timeline based on the contaminants entering her bone and bloodstream. The evidence points to one of you hurting her. You made me look like an idiot in there? Are you happy now?” Michela asked.
“I wasn’t trying to hurt her. I thought she had stolen my stuff, and all I was doing was trying to stop her from leaving so I could check her bag. That was it, and I would have done it if Brenna hadn’t knocked me out,” Beta Clay finally admitted.
“So you all thought that thought lying to me was a great idea? I will have to work hard to try to smooth this over. I am in real trouble because they have a video they showed my father and Council Member Floyd. I could lose my job. I have worked so hard to get a position there, and I believed what you told me, Paxton. Yet you clearly fed me a bunch of lies. Was anything you told me true?” Michela yelled at me.
“I did assign the women to be chosen mates for my ranked wolves. That is absolutely true. It is also true that their parents had been killed in an accident. I wanted them to have strong mates so they could protect them. I was trying to care for them by giving them to men I knew would cherish them. Their family was important to our pack. I omitted the fact that Cara is not a wolf, but I just wanted her returned so they could stay together. She is their half-sister, and I didn’t want them separated. But everything else we told you was the truth. I think that they were just scared at the thought of being marked and mated and ran. There was no other reason for them to take off like they did with no notice, or reason, for it.” I told Michela that to get her to calm down. We needed her on our side.
“Jaxon was the one who had told his Beta to make me leave. One of the girls from your pack was sitting on his lap in there like she fucking owns the place. I did this as a favor for you and because I wanted to see Jaxon. See if I could be his mate, but he has ignored me since he arrived. Goddess, I have screwed up. I should have just done my fucking job, and I wouldn’t be in this mess,” Michela muttered at us.
“Wait a minute. Did you say that one of the women who left our pack is sitting on Jaxon’s lap right now?” I asked her, stunned.
“Yeah, she is probably still sitting there. It is ridiculous to think that a demoted pack member is worthy to be with Jaxon. She is not; the most unbelievable part of it is that Jaxon’s mother was in the room, too. I was trying to act professionally so she would see what a qualified she-wolf I am, yet she ignored me. This is all your fault for not telling me the truth,” Michela told me. She was pissed.
I feel real fear rising up inside of me. That fucking jerk Jaxon had told me that the girls had all met their true mates. What if he wasn’t lying? What if he was being absolutely serious? Another Alpha had shown up today. The fucking bloodsucker seemed intent on wanting Clay dead. Did they honestly find mates in there? No. No, that isn’t possible. The Goddess wouldn't do that to me. No way happened. I will not give Cara up for anything. Especially not to a fucking leech.
I looked over at the group standing near the Beta’s SUV. They were talking in low tones but laughing and acting normally. Like they weren't concerned about me and my men at all. I wondered if I asked them if the women had found their mates and if they would actually tell me the truth or not. That Robert guy caught me looking at him with a frown on my face and gave me a smirk before continuing to speak to the others. He had no respect for me at all. Goddess, I wanted to beat that jerk up.
“You said one of them was sitting on Jaxon’s lap. Which one was it?” I heard Rex ask.
“It was Brenna,” Michela replied. I can hear Rex groan as if in pain.
“Was she marked?” Rex asked a short time later. I could hear the emotions he had in his voice. He was really upset.
“I don’t know. She had a shirt on, so I didn’t see a mark. I wasn't really looking for one on her, as again, she doesn't;t deserve him. I didn’t see a mark on him either, but he also has a shirt that covers up his marking spot, too,” Michela replied.
“What about Luna,” Clay asked.
“The one with brown hair?” Michela asked.
“Yes, that is her,” Clay replied anxiously.
“I think she met her mate while I was there. Some guy came running into the room and looked around until he saw her. I tried to stop her from leaving, but Jaxon blocked me and let them leave to go talk to each other,” Michela replied.
“Is she marked?” Clay asked. I could tell that he was bracing for the answer.
“They were still gone when I was brought back out here the second time. I don’t know if she is marked or not, but as excited as he was at seeing her. I would have to assume she probably is by now,” Michela replied.
Rex and Clay looked as if they were crushed. I could understand why. If they both found their mates, we couldn't force them to come back. Which means Cara will not be coming back to me. How could this have happened? I wanted to scream out in fury, but I managed to hold it in. I had to know, so I asked, “What about the one in the hospital bed? The one who is not a wolf. What about her?”
“That vampire went straight to her once he returned from the gate. He has got it bad for her, but I didn’t see her really fawning over him. But she is a witch, not a wolf, so we have no legal right to interfere with her or him. It didn't seem as if her being a witch bothered the vampire at all,” Michela replied.
I wanted to punch something, and I wished the gates would open so I could run up and punch that smug jerk. That would make me feel better. How could the Goddess do that to us? We had gone so far to get them to be ours, only to lose them like this? It was not fair at all. I wanted Cara, not Lisa, and I am stuck with Lisa until the end of my days. I was dreaming of my children with Cara. I had been praying that our daughters would look just like their beautiful mother with her large blue eyes, which reminded me of a crystal blue lake. I have gotten lost in the depths of her eyes so many times.
Everything is all shot to hell. I will never be able to get Cara back. My only hope was to force her sisters to return. I knew she would end up following them despite not wanting to be my surrogate to carry my pups. I could hear vehicles pulling up, but I was frozen in place. My heart is broken. I looked up to see Michela entering the first SUV to leave with the Council Members. I ran up and told her, “Please, help me get my pack members back.”
She stared at me like I had grown another head as I prevented her door from closing on the SUV. I can only pray for a miracle because it seems as if I have lost Cara forever.
"These she-wolves have found their true mates. I suggest you return to your pack and allow your ranked wolves to take other she-wolves as their chosen. Your former pack members are no longer available at this time," One of the Council members gruffly told me. He yanked the door I was holding shut and the SUVs drove off. I couldn't hold it back anymore. I screamed out in sheer frustration. I have never been so insulted and disrespected in all my life. I didn't know what to do next, but I knew that I would never give up trying to get Cara back to the Kamaria Pack.