Because of Them

Chapter 11

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" one of the guards sneered at Wilder. "You're the Alpha's puppy. I bet he sent you to spy on us."

"Like I give a fuck about the Alpha," he rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "I was on a run in the woods, and came across this building. Is this what I think it is?"

The guards glanced at each other. "You know what this is?"

"Do I look fucking stupid to you?" Wilder growled, baring his teeth.

The guards blinked, looking a little dumbfounded.

"Boss said this would happen. All of the Alpha's minions would stop following him and wind up here. This guy has a huge influence. This could be a major opportunity for us," one whispered to the other. Wilder pretended like he couldn't here.

"One wrong move and I'll tear you apart," one said, a curl to his lip, accentuating his hideous features.

"I'd like to see you try," Wilder huffed, unamused. He was doing this for Winnie, and whoever else was being wronged here. "I could snap your neck in a blink of an eye. No one would even hear you scream."

The pair paled, pushing open the door. He followed them inside.

The room was like a garage. There was shit everywhere and it smelt stale and musty.

"You don't have any cash on you, do you?" a man asked, snubbing his cigarette on the table in front of him.

"Why would I have cash on me in the middle of the woods?" Wilder asked.

The man frowned, "You have an attitude problem and need a bitch to correct it. But, you don't pay, you can't play." He glanced at one of the guards who was still lingering. "Mike, show him around, but don't let him touch."

Wilder followed Mike down some stairs. The ceiling was so low he had to hunch down.

"Once you pay, you can pick anyone you want. The amount you pay is how much time you get," Mike told him.

At the bottom of the stairs was a long row of cells. There had to be six or seven of them. All of them had someone in it except for one. His stomach twisted, and he was certain he was going to throw up.

"Low on stock?" he muttered. The words tasted foul in his mouth.

Mike chuckled, "Boss is trying to expand the operation, but there are always obstacles, man. Hopefully, if we can get some more customers in here, we can have some better choices. We've been keeping things in our major circle. Some of these have been here for as long as I have."

Something wasn't right with Mike, either. Wilder got the feeling that this was all a ploy for him.

"I'll keep things on the down-low until I start coming regularly. I always need good stress relief," Wilder said, trying to keep his voice even and confident even though he really didn't feel that way. "Which one is the boss' favorite? I'm sure that's the best one?"

Mike nodded, "He does have good taste, but his favorite isn't here at the moment. I'll let you know when she's back. He usually comes through on Wednesdays if you want to join him for your first time."

She's never coming back. She's safe.

Mike was really good at spilling all the information which made Wilder uneasy. Whoever the hell this boss was was the one who had been hurting his mate.

He followed Mike up the stairs and into the garage area. He shook Mike's hand.

"I'll be back with some money soon," he lied.

Wilder wanted to collapse as soon as he smelled the fresh air.

He walked far, until he reached the creek he was meeting Christian at. He felt disgusting and dirty.

"Wild," Christian called from behind him, startling him. 

Christian pulled Wilder into a hug, it was awkward, but he relished in the familiar comfort.

"You're shaking," Christian said, rubbing his back.

"It was so fucking awful," he mumbled, stuffing his face into his neck. "There's like seven girls in cells in there. You pay to use them, and-"

"Shh," Christian soothed. "I'm sorry I made you go through with it."

"It's okay," Wilder said, pulling away. "I'm glad I did it. I needed to see how it was for her."

"I know you already have a plan," Christian said. "But let's just focus on getting home now."

"Winnie and Lex are going to be so pissed at us," Wilder said, shifting into his wolf.

---

It was dark when they got back. They had been gone over a full day.

They found Lex and Winnie curled up together in her bed. They were so cute. Christian and Wilder each took a shower before piling into the bed with them.

"We need a giant bed," Christian muttered before falling asleep.