Vindicator

Chapter 28

Quicker than lightning, Karma pulled Christina behind her and snarled at the massive wolf. Instead of reacting viciously, though, the wolf tucked his tail in and whimpered submissively, staring up at Christina.

"Shift back" Karma commanded, not willing to trust her father so easily.

Christina's breathing hitched as she realized her former mate was who Karma was shielding her from. She watched as Hunter gave way to Russell, and allowed him to shift back. Seemingly stunned to be staring at the man she once loved, she gently pressed past Karma to approach him.

Russell was having an internal conversation with Hunter as Christina approached. He didn't want to startle her, so he stood still while she moved closer.

"She looks healthier than when I last saw her" Hunter said longingly. "She's been doing well without us...Without you" he said, hissing the last part.

"She does...And of course she'd do well without us" Russell replied bitterly. Having lost his mate, the one he'd taken for granted for so long, and being left with a gaping hole in his heart and soul, Russell had legitimately regretted his actions. As was typical for him, his regret was for his own sadness at having lost his mate, and for not enjoying the bond to its fullest. He wasn't truly repentant for how he treated his mate; but for what he missed out on.

"We are lucky, Hunter" he whispered to his wolf. Now that Christina was standing before him, safe and healthy, he was thrilled. He thought this was his second chance to be happy. The mate bond was something that could withstand any test, and overcome any obstacle.

"We will treat her right" Hunter stated, giving no room for argument.

Russell internally agreed, and gave Christina a gentle smile once she stopped within arm's reach. He opened his mouth to say something, but Christina stopped him.

Her time of training with Karma, Faith and Alessia had done wonders. She was faster than Russell could have ever expected; not that he was expecting her to hit him. When she saw his mouth opening, she didn't want to hear a damn word from him, so she shut his mouth with an uppercut.

His mouth slammed shut, teeth clamping down loudly followed by his head jerking back violently. His mouth filled with the coppery tang of his own blood from chomping down on his tongue. Christina had put all of her lower body strength into the motion, leading to a solid blow and he was lucky he still had a tongue.

Christina was trembling with rage and hatred. "Don't you dare say one word to me, Russell! You disgusting bastard! How could you?! I knew you were ashamed to have fathered a daughter, and I was naive enough to blindly accept your bullshit reasons back then! At least Karma had me! But abusing me wasn't good enough? You had to go after Theo, your own heir?! What is wrong with you? You abused my poor baby, you monster!" she screamed with tears running down her cheeks.

Russell staggered back from the hit, but also from shock. He'd never been struck by a woman in such a manner before, let alone his once-docile mate. He rubbed his jaw and looked at her, his rollercoaster of emotions trying to catch up to the events. While on the precipice of his rage taking over, it was suddenly doused with the chilling guilt of making her cry. He realized that she had every right to be upset, and getting angry would only make it harder to win her back.

He looked at the ground guiltily, deciding he deserved the lashing she was giving him. To his surprise, though, she didn't continue. Instead, she just shook her head and turned around.

"He's not worth my time" she told Karma as she sniffled, walking over to grab her daughter's hand. "Come help me with your brother, please" she added sadly, tugging Karma back in the direction she'd come from through the trees.

Russell watched them go, wondering what he should do. He could make a run for it, since he was alive now...

"Our daughter is the Spectre" Hunter pointed out flatly, unimpressed at his human's idiocy. "She is blessed by the Moon Goddess, you fool. Follow them, and accept the fate you've lead us to" he growled through their link.

"You were the one who wanted to kill Theo" Russell snapped back, but followed after his family nonetheless.

"Only after you chased off our mate and daughter, and made them fake their own deaths" Hunter snarled back. "Without my mate, it's all pointless. I told you that in the beginning! You wouldn't listen though, and this is the price we pay."

"We're both at fault" Russell grumbled back.

"You've had your chance to live, Russell. I'm stronger than you now, and I'm making sure that I get what I want this time" Hunter warned. "We will show our mate that we are worthy to be with her again."

Russell nearly laughed out loud at Hunter's determination. He didn't think Hunter could win her back alone, and would have antagonized the wolf more. He knew he was drawing near where he left Theo, though, so he decided to contain himself. He came upon the sight of his wife and daughter trying to figure out the best manner to free Theo from his silver restraints. He sighed, looking around for the shredded remains of his pants so he could locate the key for them.

"What are you doing?" Karma asked suddenly, suspicious of his appearance and sudden activity. She had been sure to pick up the silver-laced whip before turning her attention to Theo, but she wasn't willing to take the risk that he may have stashed other weapons around.

"Looking for this" he replied, uncovering the key under some rags of denim. He picked it up and tossed it to Karma, keeping a safe distance for everyone.

Shock flit across Karma's face briefly, but it was easy to miss for anyone not paying attention. She schooled her features back into a look of disdain as she caught the key. "Thanks" she said, although her sincerity was in question.

After unlocking Theo and freeing him from his silver restraints, his wolf's healing ability was no longer suppressed and he was able to begin healing on his own. Regardless, Karma wanted to get him looked at by a physician.

"We should probably bring him back to the King and Queen, and ask them to have their pack doctors check him out" she suggested.

"Good idea, but what about him?" Christina asked through mindlink, clearly referring to Russell.

Karma glanced at her father, then back at her mother and gave her a big grin. She replied out loud, so Russell could hear her when she said "oh, I believe the King and Queen would be happy to host him. I bet the Prince is especially excited to get to know his future father-in-law. We should head back to the Royal pack immediately!"

As anticipated, Russell's face turned deathly pale upon hearing her words.