Sandwiched between two enforcers, Wesley was forced to keep pace with them even though he was exhausted. Hopefully, the extra time he spent tending to the Alpha had allowed Heather time to finish the dishes. Following the lead enforcer into the kitchen, his eyes located his wife sitting on a stool in the corner, eyes closed as her body slumped against the wall. Worry filled him, and he quickly glanced at the sink, relieved to see it spotless and with all the dishes put away. Moving around the giant table in the middle of the room, he approached his wife, gently lifting her up into his arms.
“Hey…you trying to get a punishment?” growled one of the enforcers.
Glancing over at him, Wesley murmured, “She can’t walk…would you like to carry her instead?”
“Let him do it,” the other enforcer muttered. “It’ll be quicker.”
The first enforcer shrugged and walked over to the door leading to the basement, unlocking it before saying to Wesley, “Move…I got other stuff to do than babysit you two.”
Wesley headed quickly to the steps leading to their cell in the basement. The faster he moved, the more time his wife would have to rest—something she desperately needed. Finally reaching the bottom step, he moved aside so the enforcer could open their cell door. Once inside, he heard the door slam shut, and he breathed a sigh of relief. It was a rare night they weren’t chained to the wall, but when it happened, it was a bright spot in an otherwise dismal life. Placing his wife gently on the small bed, he took off her shoes before massaging her bloody and swollen feet, and he felt guilty at not being able to do more to ease her pain.
“Wesley,” Heather whispered, “is Theo okay? He’s late.”
His eyes filled with tears when Wes realized his wife had drifted into the past once again. It was happening more and more frequently, but there was nothing he could do about it except pretend with her that they were there. “Yes, my love…Theodore is fine and will be home soon.”
Heather sighed, then turned over and faced the stone wall.
Within minutes, Wes heard her breathing slow down as his wife slipped into a world of darkness where she could find peace. He then carefully undressed her, leaving her bra and panties on, before covering her with the threadbare blanket. Then he joined her, wrapping himself around her cold body, hoping his heat would be enough to warm her up.
Lying in the darkness, Wes obsessed about his failure to protect his son. Theodore was gone, most likely dead, but he didn’t dare voice that thought to his wife. It would destroy her last remnantof her hope, and he knew when that was gone, it would break her will to live. And that he wouldn’t…couldn’t do.
Wes waited until it grew quiet upstairs before he slowly slid out of bed and walked over to the basement window, their only source of light. Grasping one of the bars blocking it, he twisted it, using what remained of his bear’s strength to help him. He’d already loosened three of them, and there were only three more to go. It was slow, exhausting work since the bars were three feet long and embedded in concrete, but he wouldn’t give up. It was their only chance to escape from hell. Wes grimaced at first as he applied his muscle to turn the bar, but it turned to a grim smile when he felt the bar move a fraction of an inch.
He continued for the next hour, successfully turning the bar a quarter of an inch. But with sweat running down his face and his muscles crying out for rest, Wes was forced to stop. Climbing back into bed with his wife, he dropped into a deep sleep. Morning would come all too soon.
~/~/~/~/~
It was time. Dylon and his team stood in the great room, waiting for Jackson to join them for any last words of advice. He knew his Alpha was worried about them heading into an Alpha bear’s territory, but Dylon wasn’t. His plan was good, and with the addition of Glenn’s tiger, it was better. He should have thought of it—hell, he did think of it—but the tension between him and Glenn kept him from acting on it.
Grinning inwardly, Dylon remembered the hell his mate had given him for not including Glenn in the strike force. Cody had made it very clear that the only thing Dylon should think about was making sure every team member—including himself—made it back safely. His mate was right. Thankfully, Jackson hadstepped in and ordered Glenn to join the team. Dylon vowed not to make that mistake again, and if that meant finding common ground where he and Glenn could co-exist, then that’s what he would do.
Just then, Jackson walked into the room along with Remy.
“Is your team ready?” asked Jackson.
“All set,” Dylon responded.
Jackson nodded. “Remy is gonna drop you off at the back door of the Alpha’s house.”
“Right,” Dylon replied. “Time to get the show on the road…Sawyer, you’re up first.”
Grinning, Sawyer said, “On it, boss.”
In the blink of an eye, the team disappeared as Sawyer cloaked each member, including Remy. Jackson stood there for a moment, silently wishing them godspeed, before turning to leave the room. Dylon expected the mission to take less than an hour, but Jackson knew that prediction would only be accurate if nothing went sideways.
He paused at the bottom of the steps leading upstairs, but before he could decide, he saw Steel walking down the steps. “I thought you’d be asleep,” Jackson said, smiling.
Reaching his mate, Steel wrapped his arms around Jackson, hugging him tight to his chest. “And leave you alone to fret about your pack members’ safety?” he murmured.
“I wasn’t fretting.”
Leaning back, Steel gazed down at Jackson and smirked. “I’m sorry…I meant worry.”
“Hush…I’m the Alpha…that’s my job,” Jackson said, patting Steel’s chest.
“So it is…but it’s also my job as Alpha Mate to be there for you when needed. And knowing you won’t get any rest until all your chicks are back in their coop, safe and sound, it appears this is one of those times.”
Smiling, Jackson snuggled against his mate’s broad chest, thanking the Fates for giving him the best mate in the world. Never, during the years of suffering his father’s wrath for being gay, did he ever expect to find a partner who not only loved him unconditionally but also knew him so well. “I love you, babe…so much,” he murmured.