Chapter 23: Chapter 23

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, that’s all that goes through Millan's mind as two extremely muscular and tall alpha guards forcibly lead him down the hallway.

Axel Brook can’t seem to shut up, going on and on about how easy it was to capture him.

In only five minutes, Millan's rolled his eyes more times than he can count. He doesn’t think he’s ever met such an insufferable Alpha.

“I thought I’d have some fun killing that beta friend of yours. I really didn’t think Weston would be dumb enough to send you!”

Tuning out the Alpha’s ramblings, Millan eyes a key dangling from one of the guard’s belt and smirks. Struggling against the bulky guards is stupid. Dumb. Suicidal. Moronic.

Their hands are almost bigger than Millan's arms for fuck’s sake. But Millan has never been the smartest and always liked a good fight. Even as unequal as this one.

Digging his heels in, he jerks his body back, trying to get out of the guards tight grip. He fights dirty, biting, clawing and kicking.

A punch in the stomach leaves him breathless but gives him an excuse to fall on the ground and grip one of the guards belts as he does so.

Punching one of the guards in the balls and elbowing the other behind him gives him just enough time to detach the key and swiftly hide it in his right shoe.

Hands and knees on the floor, he tries to catch his breath back. Not leaving him time to do so, one of the guards grab him by the collar, effectively pulling Millan up on his feet.

He should have predicted the blow to his face but it still catches him by surprise, almost knocking him unconscious.

The fight doesn’t even last ten seconds.

“You’re a feisty one, aren’t you?” Axel Brook's eyes are sparkling with glee, obviously amused.

Millan tries not to smirk in satisfaction as the guards pick him up from the floor, exaggerating the state of his condition by supporting almost all of his weight on the guards as they continue their descent to the basement.

His right cheek, jaw and eye feel like they’ve been hit by a bus and he has trouble seeing as he’s pushed into the cell Jace was in just minutes ago.

It was worth it though.

To Millan's annoyance, Axel Brook doesn’t leave. The jerk apparently has even more irritating and dumb things to say. He stifles a groan.

“You know I hadn’t made the connection immediately when we first met, but the name Caelan rang a bell. Your father is Alpha Travis Caelan, isn’t he?”

Axel Brook smiles as if he discovered some deep unknown secret.

Millan only blinks, unimpressed and shrugs.

How is this relevant?

“I know him well… he’s a… fierce negotiator.”

What the hell is he on about now?

“He’s holding on to quite a big territory for such a small pack. I’ve wanted to help him out and unload him of his responsibility a little, but he’s a very proud werewolf and never accepts my generous help.”

That’s one way of saying you want to invade the Caelan’s Territory, Millan deduces.

Millan arches an eyebrow and stifle a wince at the sharp pain. That jab really must have done some damage.

“Cry me a fucking river.” Millan mumbles.

He is done with the conversation already. If they want to kill him, they should do it and stop talking.

Axel Brook's eyes darken and his fists tighten. Apparently, he’s done with small talk too.

“I bet your father will be willing to hear me out if I threaten to kill his only son.”

The Alpha smirks and Millan's eyebrows shoot up in surprise right before he bursts into laughter. His face hurts but he doesn’t care.

Alpha Brook wants to threaten his father with Millan's life!

Someone he hasn’t seen in nine years, who has banned him.

It’s absolutely hilarious.

Axel Brook's smile disappears, clearly unhappy with Millan's reaction.

“What’s so funny?”

“What’s so…? I’m a Rogue! He BANNED me. He doesn’t give a fuck if I live or die!”

“Maybe he banned you, but he didn’t kill you, did he?”

“You’re insane.” And Millan can’t stop laughing again.

*****

“He’s tough. Tougher than most of my soldiers.” Grant’s tap on his shoulder might be the biggest gesture of affection Grant has ever shown Weston in all the years they’ve known each other.

Weston nods and tries to relax his features, not wanting to alarm the contingent behind him. They’re a couple of miles away from the border, ready to deploy if Millan takes too long.

He’d agreed to let Millan try and get Jace back but had gotten a rescue plan in action right away.

He also had to fight with Amir for him to stay at the main house since he’d wanted to come to the border with the troops.

Weston had to remind him he couldn’t fight for shit and he’d end up being a liability.

Andy was the one who made him see reason in the end. Promising he’d get their brother back no matter what.

Weston understood the feeling pretty well. Growing up with the three of them, Jace also felt like a brother to him. If it were up to Weston alone, they’d be barging in already, but he has to think of the pack first.

An open war with their neighbor wouldn’t be good for anyone. He’ll do almost anything to avoid that.

Almost.

He wouldn’t say it out loud but the safety of Millan easily trumps the safety of each and every one of his pack members.

It’s scary to think, it’s selfish and wrong, but he can’t help it.

They could cut the tension with a knife, silence laying heavy on the alert werewolves.

When a distinctive howl breaks abruptly through it, every head snaps to the sound in unison.

Jace.

Andy is breaking from the formation instantly.

“Stay here, keep the formation.”

Grant grunts his agreement and Weston is on Andy’s heels in a second, both running towards Jace’s howl and echoing it, letting him know help is on the way.

Jace has crossed the border once they get to him, two alphas are growling threateningly on the other side.

To Weston’s satisfaction, once they recognize Alpha Blayne’s presence, they cower away and retreat hastily, scared.

As Andy hugs his brother, Weston looks around, hoping Millan is near.

His heart tightens when he doesn’t see anyone following Jace and can’t smell Millan’s scent.

“Where’s Millan?”

Andy still supporting Jace, the beta looks wide eyed at Weston and shakes his head. Weston swallows.

“Jace, where is he?”

“Brook's Headquarters. I thought he was behind me but, he most have gotten caught.”

Weston closes his eyes trying to right the sudden dizziness that’s taking over him.

It’s then that he feels it.

Pain.

His jaw, his cheek, his eye, one side of his face entirely. He is breathless.

Millan's in pain. He has been hurt.

Weston sees red.

Leaving Andy and Jace behind, he runs back to his troops.

“If I’m not back in an hour...” As soon as Grant nods his understanding, Weston turn back and run towards the direction where Jace came from- the Brook Pack.

As he pass by Andy and Jace, Andy stops him by grabbing his elbow.

“I’m going with you.” Andy said with determination.

Other time, Weston would appreciate the gesture, but right now, he didn’t. He knows how Andy looks at Millan, knows that he somehow admires the omega and feels something towards him. He can’t blame him. Millan is amazing, and he should at least be thankful to Andy for bringing Millan to the Blayne Pack.

But Millan is his mate. His omega. HIS.

Weston shake Andy’s hold and looked at him with fiery gold eyes. “Stay here with the others and with your brother. I’ll bring my mate back.”

Weston doesn’t need to lace his words with an Alpha Command. His eyes conveys how serious the instruction is. Seeing Jace and Andy’s shocked expressions, he deduced that Amir hasn’t told his brothers about Millan being his Fated Mate yet.

He ignores Jace and Andy’s stupefied face as he morphs into his wolf form and runs towards Brook's Headquarters.

He’s never been there and shouldn’t know the way. But his wolf knows where Millan is.

And now, that is enough.

As soon as he crosses the border, it feels like his head is about to explode. The pain is excruciating. Growling loudly, he pushes through, knowing the pain is going to subside as he goes deeper into the territory.

This defense mechanism has been put into place by a Witch in the twentieth century in hopes of preventing wars between packs.

She’d put a spell on every border of the country. Any werewolf crossing a territory without the permission of the Alpha’s Pack would suffer great pain.

She hadn’t taken into account the Rogues, which made the banished wolves dangerous and unpredictable.

Since the curse was mainly applied to borders, once a wolf has crossed, the spell dissipates and the pain subsides almost totally.

Weston is grateful for that as he already feels the pressure in his head lessen a bit.

He’s so anxious to get to Millan, it doesn’t take him more than fifteen minutes to run the fifty miles path into the forest to Brook's Headquarters.

He stays in wolf form as he approaches the main house from the back.

He can feel Millan in there. He can hear him.

He can hear him? That’s new.

Sounds like his omega is laughing…