The Mates Pull

40

Braxton's POV

I entered the shabby old motel room and my gaze instantly fell onto the two saddened looking females, upon further inspection I recognized them as Mariah and my own cousin Elise.

The sight of Elise like this was so eerie.

Elise, ever headstrong, always confident and proud, was now sitting in this rundown establishment sobbing, a bit frail and covered in dirt and scratches. She looked so weak and tired.

"What happened?!" I growled.

Everyone quaked at the sound of my voice. Patrick rubbed the back of his neck and filled me in on what Elise had formerly told him. "...I couldn't tell you where Vance is though." He finished.

"And Ellie, didn't tell you where he was at?" I asked low, the last thing I wanted was to rouse my now sleeping cousin.

He shook his head rather sadly, "Ellie says she can't shift, or mind link...whatever they did to her fucked up her wolf, and I hate to think how Vance is, if he's even still-"

He couldn't finish his thought.

I looked at him with wonder, I always knew Patrick and Elise to hate each other and I think this is literally the first time I've heard him call her 'Ellie' or show any sort of compassion toward her.

"Vance is alive" I told him with certainty, "I don't know how I know, I just sort of do."

I looked at the men of my Elite 30 and gave them a nod, they knew it was time to go get our brother. They all exited the room and would await their next orders once I joined them. But with the room now empty I looked at Patrick once more.

"You and Mariah go get in the car, I'll carry Elise out and then I want you three to go back to my moms, Elise's parents are there waiting for her, call Doctor Pollock immediately and don't tell anyone other than the doctor anything...the last thing we need is to have more people in a panic than we need to."

Patrick nodded solemnly before he escorted Mariah out of the room, I began to wonder what Mariah was doing here but didn't even bother to question it as I had bigger fish to fry at the moment. I walked over to the bed and picked up my little cousin with ease.

As I stood carrying her I inhaled deeply trying to register the foreign scents on her. Of course Patrick's scent was there so he must've touched her (or picked her up).

But what worried me most was the fact that I could only faintly pick up her scent, even now in my arms it was only a tiny bit. This infuriated me but I had to focus because the longer I stood here the more time I was losing finding Vance and the fuckers who took them.

I focused once more and at last picked up on a scent that was barely there, so it must've been a couple of days old.

After I left the room and placed Elise in the backseat with Mariah I closed the car door and watched them leave.

"Let's Go!" I shouted before I shifted and took off, my men copying my lead and following close behind me.

_____

-Patrick's POV-

The silence in the car was thick as we drove back to our hometown.

"So you're not normal are you?" Mariah suddenly asked.

I sighed but remained silent.

"Look, I know some people think of me as an airhead or even a mindless slut, but I can assure you that I have a brain and I pickup on a lot of things."

"Now's not the time." I sighed.

"I knew you were too good to be true." She mumbled.

My heart lurched at the sound of her small voice full of sorrow, I looked up into the rear view mirror and could clearly see the moisture running down her beautiful face.

Everything in me wanted to pull the car over to the side of the road just to comfort her. But I knew better than to stop at a time like this, Braxton had given me orders and it was my duty to see them out before all else.

We made it back to town in less time than it took us to leave as this time I was speeding and I went straight to my Aunt Priscilla's house. I sighed heavily as I noticed my mother's car in the driveway. As I killed the ignition I pulled out my phone and found the doctors number.

"H-hello?" He asked a bit unsure.

I looked at the clock on my dashboard and noticed it was probably late for the elderly man.

"Doctor, this is Patrick Westbrook and I was ordered by the alpha to get you to come to the Dowager Luna's house, you are to examine Elise Ocklan, and you are not allowed to discuss anything with anyone until the Alpha says otherwise."

"I understand, but please..." He sounded much more professional now, "I'm going to need you to tell me everything you know."

I filled the doctor in with as much detail as I could and when we hung up I finally went to the back seat, I opened the door and went to help Mariah off but she refused my help, my wolf was hurt by her actions but now was neither the time or place for a new couple to be feuding.

I simply rolled my eyes and bit my tongue as I went to the other side of the car and picked up the still sleeping Elise.

"Look, since we're back and all, I-I'm just gonna go ahead and take off back to my moms place." She said.

"You'll do no such thing, now let's go."

She placed her hand on her hips defiantly "you listen here Blue Eyes, we had our fun these past few days and all but I don't know who you think you are to be bossing me around."

I stepped in closer to her, "so help me woman if you don't get inside of this house, after I put Elise down, I will find your mother's house and personally carry you back here without another thought."

I could see in her face that no one had ever spoken to her like that before, she crossed her arms and huffed like a petulant child, the action was one of attitude and hatred toward me but I couldn't help but find her down right adorable as she did it.

With a cold shoulder she turned on her heel and made her way up the driveway, she knocked on the door and my aunt opened it.

"Oh Goddess!" She sounded frantically, "Richard it's Elise!"

Elise's father ran forward and came straight over to me, he collected his daughter into his own arms, cradling her as if she were a newborn once again. Silent tears fell from his eyes as his wife joined his side. "Thank you Patrick." She cried and hugged me.

"I've called the doctor to come and examine her, he will need complete privacy though, Braxton is searching for Vance still and I have no doubt he will find him soon."

They all seemed to understand and before I could even get further into the house the doctor arrived.

"Richard please bring her up to an empty room, then I have to ask that no one else not even her parents be in the room...we do not yet know what happened to her and I will not risk anyone being exposed to anything she has also been exposed to...Patrick go and wash your arms and hands immediately."

"B-but we've touched her" Richard pointed out as he still held onto his daughter carefully.

"I will ask that you wash your hands immediately after you place her down as well, otherwise I will not be responsible for your health as well."

"I refuse to leave my daughters side!" Richard grew agitated.

"The longer we stand here arguing is more time that I am not treating her!" Doctor Pollock shouted back.

"Alpha ordered no one to be in the room and he also ordered the doctor not to say anything about what he finds until he returns." I said calmly, I could see Mariah looking at me suspiciously from the corner of my eye.

"Please, we are losing time." The doctor pleaded much more softly.

Richards nodded sadly before leading the way up to one of my aunts guest rooms.