Found at Midnight

Chapter 13

Vic's POV

I had become accustomed to waking up next to Kellin, so opening my eyes to find Tony's face directly above mine was a rude awakening. I jumped up, accidentally smacking our foreheads together. Tony stumbled away from the bed, his eyes wide and hand clutching where our skulls had collided. My gaze roamed the bedroom, one I recognized from the pack infirmary, and the only other person there was Jenna. I went to ask about Kellin, not remembering much other than the sea and his scream. My body was suddenly wracked with a shudder as I realized that my mate had been taken. My wolf and I felt matching mixes of anger and agony, desperately wanting our mate returned. My eyes began to water, and Jenna immediately came over to hug me. Tony was still stood a few feet away, but he backed himself into a corner and averted his eyes as if to give us privacy.

"Vic, what happened? You hadn't returned after you freaked out on us earlier, and we followed your scent to the beach. When we got there, you were soaking wet and out cold on the shore. What were you doing?" Jenna shook me as she spoke, giving me a headache to go with my heartache. I tried my best to recall what had happened, but everything was foggy.

"I-I don't exactly know. I remember tracking Kellin to the ocean, and I saw him in the water. He was taken under by something- someone and I tried to follow. The last thing I remember is two mermen swimming towards me." I explained painfully. I couldn't believe I had let them get away with Kellin. Guilt swarmed through my body, making me shudder again. My stomach twisted in on itself, and all I wanted was to race out of there and search for him. However, I knew both Tony and Jenna knew what I was thinking because Jenna tightened her grip on my shoulders, and Tony moved in front of the door.

I sighed and looked down at my lap. When I looked back up, I had tears in my eyes once more. Jenna had them too, and that was the reminder I needed that Kellin was meaningful to more people than just myself. He was more than a mate; he was a friend and beloved adoption to the pack. It was definite that everyone would pitch in one way or another to help find him, but it was important to me that I found him. Of course, I wouldn't argue against any help, but if I could find Kellin, that would lead me right to where his captors were. Not only would I rescue my little mate, but I would also ensure that no one would try to pull something like this again.

I had an idea of who had taken him, but I didn't want to share it. I knew the only people that would understand would be Jenna and Justin because they had been there when Kellin went into his rage. I would speak to them in private about my suspicions because like Justin had said, Kellin needed to be the one to discuss his past. Unfortunately, I wished that he had told me about it earlier because it was suddenly catching up to him, and I didn't have a very good plan on what to do.

Later that day when Tony figured out what had caused my sleepiness, I was released from the infirmary. He mentioned to me that he would try to run some tests on the magic used on me to create an antidote in case we needed one for a future rescue mission. I hoped that his research could go well because it would be a great asset to use underwater magic against the mermaids, especially if we have to venture directly into the heart of their territory to save Kellin.

After I left, I found Jenna and Justin and pulled them away to my house. I closed the front door behind me and turned to Justin.

"You know what's happening, so help us out. I'm already sick without my mate, I need him back and safe as soon as possible." I threw my game face on, not willing to take shit from anyone right now. I needed Justin to explain and be to the point, so I could figure out what to do next. Justin's face paled a little at my words, and I realized my wolf was using my anger as an attempt to turn. I stepped back from him a bit and swallowed my anger. Once I had calmed myself, I invited the two of them to sit down. Then I returned to the topic at hand.

"Well, I'm sure by now you've figured out it's relating to his past." Justin started nervously. I itched to pounce on him for stating something so obvious, but I stayed in control and only rolled my eyes. Jenna rolled her eyes in return and turned to Justin. She put on her sweet tone and took a far more sugarcoated approach to Justin.

"Justin, I know you love Kellin like a brother, and you want to keep his privacy, but his life could be in the balance here," Jenna explained. Justin's face blanched again, and tears began to brim in his eyes. He pushed them back with a deep breath and looked at us with a hard stare.

"Kellin has been through hell and back. Vic, I know you've seen a few of his scars, but those are nothing to his whole body. His father-" Justin choked up for a moment. swallowing back more tears, "His father was cruel. He did unspeakable things to Kellin. Kellin's brother wouldn't do much more than harsh words, but he didn't help Kellin out either. That's why Kellin's basically my adopted brother; I had to make up for what that asshole couldn't do." Jenna and I were solemn, deeply disturbed that sweet, harmless Kellin had been through God knows what. Justin hadn't even gone into detail, but I couldn't begin to imagine what had happened to Kellin to result in how he was when I first met him. My heart shrunk and shriveled, making my insides feel empty. We all stared at each other, silently hoping that Kellin was okay. After a brief, heavy silence, Justin conclude his story.

"So, yeah. His father most likely sent Kellin's brother and some guards to capture him. I'm sure the guards were the ones who got you, Vic, and I have an idea of where Kellin will take him. However, it will be a ridiculously hard to get to him. There is one way I can get you there, and it will be less than unpleasant." Justin's jaw was set with determination, and I could tell he meant it when he warned us this would be a difficult task. Regardless, being without Kellin was far more painful than any rescue mission would be, so I gave him a sharp nod to let him know I was willing. Jenna did as well, and it was then that we began to plot out our next steps.

Here's a little update from Vic's viewpoint of the Kellin situation. I couldn't quite remember what had already been said about Kellin's past, so hopefully I didn't repeat too much or reveal too much... yet. All will be revealed soon. Also, you guys should add me on Snapchat (user is maroonmarbles) because why wouldn't you want to see my very boring life in picture format? Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see ya soon!