Because of Them

Chapter 15

"We're not here to hurt anybody," Christian said, his voice loud and clear to his small group of warriors. They were still a few miles from the compound, and he wanted to run through the plan one last time. "Use the chains I gave you. They will prevent them from shifting and allow us to subdue them enough for transportation."

Christian's gaze found Wilder who nodded.

"Do not go near the females unless absolutely necessary. They are most likely injured and emaciated, and we don't want to cause them any unnecessary harm. That's why we have medical following behind us that will go in when we have it all cleared. Even if one of them is your mate, stay back and let the nurses do their job. You will only be in their way."

The warriors voices echoed through the field, "Yes, Alpha."

"We have a truck for transportation. I have already assigned you all positions. One of you will call the truck in when we have made our presence known. This is where we will split up. You've seen the map. This building is huge and we don't want a single person getting out. Be safe, stay alert."

Everyone dispersed leaving Wilder and Christian. Wilder's hand grazed his shoulder.

"Please be careful," Christian told him, placing his hand on top of his.

"You, too."

They went in separate directions. Wilder was going to the front entrance and Christian to the back.

Christian's heart thudded violently in his chest. He couldn't wait to put this behind him. It shouldn't have grown this much. A part of him knew this was his fault. He should've known this was going on.

Everything happened quickly. Once they made entry, there was guns and growls and so much going on. It made his head spin.

He chose not to shift. He was in charge of finding the boss, whoever the hell that was. He found some stairs that went down, and he followed them.

It was eerily quiet down there. It smelled musty, and he felt like his heartbeat was echoing against the cinderblock walls.

He paused at the sight of the cells, his stomach twisting. These poor girls. They were so weak, or so broken that they didn't even bother to move. If he didn't hear their faint heartbeat, he'd assume they were dead.

Focus. He shook his head, glancing around. There was no sign of the supposed Tom.

He paused at the empty cell. He knew whose it was, and a surprising surge of anger rushed through him. He clenched his fists, digging his nails into his palm.

A loud growl behind him broke him from his thoughts. He spun around just in time to see a wolf lunging for him.

He fell back, hitting the ground hard. He vision darkened on impact, and he felt claws go into his thigh. He cried out, shoving the wolf off of him and shifting into his own wolf.

They struggled for a minute, but whoever this was was no match for Christian. Christian clamped his jaws around his neck.

"Shit, Christian," Wilder said, racing down the stairs with another warrior following behind him.

"Shift," Wilder commanded the wolf with a deep, pissed rumble. "Shift or so help me, I'll snap your neck myself."

They had no choice but to shift back. Christian and Wilder didn't recognize the man. They assumed it was Tom as he gave an annoyed snarl, but struggled no further. There would be no point. He was surrounded by the two strongest wolves of the pack.

Wilder snapped the cuffs around his wrist, roughly pulling him onto his feet and offering him to the other warrior whose gaze was locked on one of the cells.

"Keep it together," Wilder said to the warrior, recognizing the look. "There will be time for that later."

Christian shifted back, collapsing onto his back. Wilder moved quickly, catching his head just before it could hit the ground again.

"Ah, fuck," Christian groaned, feeling the intense pain run along his shredded skin.

"What the hell were you thinking? Coming down here all alone," Wilder scolded, ripping Christian's pants.

"It wasn't that. I saw her cell and got distracted," Christian said, squeezing his eyes shut. He let out a strangled gasp as Wilder tightening the fabric along his injury. The pain forced him upright and he hunched over.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" Wilder asked, rubbing his back.

"No, I'm okay. It'll heal. It just hurt like a bitch," he said, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his t-shirt.

"Stop it. You're starting to sound like me," Wilder said, unable to control a smile. Christian smiled too, watching the group of female medical staff work their way into each cell. "This is fucking awful, isn't it?"

"Yes, but we took them by surprise thanks to you. Each one of them is alive and will be safe now."

Wilder took his hand, forcing him up. Christian grunted, trying to bare weight on his good leg.

"We need to get up there and regroup," Christian said, slowly going up the stairs.

"I want to talk to Mike. Do you care?" Wilder asked, walking behind him and watching his every step.

"Go ahead," Christian said, going towards the gathering group of warriors.

Mike was just about to be loaded into the truck when Wilder stopped the warrior who was guiding him. He dismissed him, pulling Mike aside.

"What do you want?" Mike sneered.

"Cut the bullshit," Wilder scoffed. "I know you set Winnie free. Why?"

He looked surprised, and he looked around.

"Tom is my dad," he whispered, eyes fleeting every direction looking for prying eyes. "I knew this wasn't right. I just couldn't do anything about it. She was going to die, and I couldn't let that happen to her. I just prayed that she would get somewhere safe before her strength ran out."

Wilder was shocked by the confession, not expecting him to tell so easily. He believed him.

"Did you know what I was doing here?" he asked.

"Not at first, not until you saw her cell, then I knew."

Wilder nodded. "Alpha can take this into consideration for your trial if you would like, but that would mean your father would know."

"That's okay. Please tell Alpha," he mumbled.

Wilder let the warrior load him up, and he went to find Christian. He couldn't wait to get home to Lex and Winnie.