Held For Ransom

Chapter 28

"Cole, stop!" I shriek, frantically lunging forward to stop him.

"Alpha!" Jared shouts, coming forward as well. I step back, knowing fully well he'll have much more luck with pulling Cole off Stacey than I will.

Grabbing hold of Cole by the shoulders, he yanks him back forcefully, and Cole stumbles back, nearly knocking into me. "I want her executed," Cole growls murderously.

"No, not yet. We still don't have all the information we need," I tell him, pleading him with my eyes not to kill her yet. "I need to know if my mother is still alive, and where she is." I whisper, tears leaking into my eyes.

His angry expression immediately softens, and he wraps his arms around me, pulling me into his strong embrace. "Shh, it's gonna be alright. We'll find your mother if she's still out there somewhere. I promise you."

I sniffle and nod. "I'm not staying any longer. I'll go take a bath or something; you guys can stay here if you want to keep questioning her."

"Okay, I'll be up in a bit," Cole replies, placing a small kiss on my forehead.

Nodding, I leave the dungeons to head up to Cole's and my bedroom.

Reaching my destination, I step inside and close the door, contemplating whether to lock it or not. Giving into my thoughts, I lock the door to be safe, figuring Cole can mind-link me when he wants in.

With a feeling of security, I head to the master bathroom and grab a pristine white bathrobe, and hang it next to the large corner bathtub.

As I sit on the edge and turn the water on to warm, my thoughts wander over to what Cole and them are talking about, or asking Lacey.

Hopefully they're getting along, I think, with an exasperated sigh. I get he's protective of me, but really? Did he have to go and do that? A reaction is exactly probably what she wanted out of him.

Stripping out of my clothes and stepping into the warm water, I lie down as the long-forgotton flashbacks start to return.

~

"Hi honey, how was school?" My mother greets as I stepp into our large mansion, known as home.

"It was alright," I reply, "lots of homework to do though. Not to mention all the girls and their drama." I despise girls and their drama. They are almost always whining about their hair or makeup, or some other lousy thing like that. I'd like to see them go through what I do every single day behind closed doors.

Breaking me out of my thoughts, the voice of my nightmares interrupts, "Instead of whining about everything, why aren't you getting your homework done?" My father booms from behind me.

Trembling, I apologize, "I'm sorry. I was just getting to it. I just got home."

"Did I ask to hear any of your pathetic excuses?" He demands, as he steps closer to me. He is only a foot away from me now, and he can easily reach out and slap me if he wants to. I flinch at the mere thought of another beating.

"What're you flinching for, you wretched little brat?" He reaches out and slaps me, sending me stumbling back. I hear my mother gasp behind me, as she rushes over to catch me. It's too late though, and I'm already on the cold tile.

"Go, Lacey. And don't come back downstairs until I tell you," my father orders. My mother is about to protest, but obliges when she sees the angry look on my father's face.

I watch hopelessly as she scurries up the stairs, while my father advances toward me slowly, like a predator on it's prey.

"P-Please do-don't do th-this," I beg, scrambling to my feet, my cheek still stinging painfully.