Chapter 102 –
Alexei's
POV
"Tell her to release us immediately," Paxton shouted.
"Not just yet, Paxton. We need to have a conversation," I said as I walked around to stand before him. I saw his eyes fly to the arm I had wrapped around Cara's waist.
"Where is Brenna?" Rex cried out in panic. Jaxon growled at him and looked like he was about to climb the gate.
"Both she and Luna are safe and out of this pack. You do not need to concern yourself with any of them anymore. All three of them are under my protection, which reminds me that we need to have a little talk," Saoirse said as she stepped in front of Rex and Clay. I was happy to see the fear they had for her shining in their eyes. I heard about what she did to them the last time, and I was sure she wouldn't hold back this time.
"She is mine," Rex snapped at her.
"You had no right to do that," Clay objected.
"I had every right. You kidnapped my daughter. You also knew they were already mated, yet you still took them. Brenna and Luna were gracious enough to protect my daughter, so I will do the same for them. You all thought it was best to end their parent's lives by killing them just to get the women you wanted. It is past time for me to step in again and stop you. I remember I warned you to leave them alone when I brought you back to Kamaria the last time. You didn't listen to me at all," she jeered as she walked around them slowly.
"What are you going on about? Lena, Jana, and Anika did that on their own," Paxton tried to defend.
Saoirse held up her hand to silence him. "I know very well what you did, and Cara overhear you. Just so your pack members here know it, I will also fill them in. I can't have you trying to worm your way out of it. Clay came up with it, and you had him pack up and come here. No, I am still talking, Paxton, don't interrupt me. Don't try to deny it. How else could your shiny new Beta show up the next morning if you hadn't planned it out? You told Rex to do it, and he did. But you are his Alpha. How could he refuse? You are equally guilty of their deaths," Saoirse snapped at them.
"My brother can read minds if anyone here doubts what is being said," I called out to everyone present. Saoirse is laying the groundwork, and Paxton is about to learn a hard lesson.
"Beta James could have prevented it. He could have just put the car in neutral and put it on the shoulder of the road until it stopped," Paxton argued.
"They were in a hilly area without knowing an emergency was about to happen. The Council knows you tampered with the vehicle. They just didn't know who had done it. You set James up to die, along with his mate. All because he refused to allow you man whores to touch his daughters. I was not happy with what he did to me. But at least he learned something from it. I am happy that he protected the three of them. I will say that since you think your actions were fair. Maybe that's how I should deal with you three for killing two innocent pack members? What do you think? Seems like a good idea to me," Saoirse asked them.
From the look of panic now covering their faces, I could see the beginning of understanding on Paxton's face. He had just realized that was exactly what the punishment would be. He struggled to escape Nadia's grip and escape. Clay and Rex did the same thing, but none could get loose. They didn't want to have such a terrible end befall them. It was fine for them to do to someone else. But now that they were faced with the option of it happening to them, it was suddenly too much.
"What's the matter, Paxton? Is something wrong?" Saoirse asked with fake concern.
"We didn't realize that they would die. How could we know where the wreck would occur? We just wanted him to back off and stop blocking us. His insisting that his daughters find their true mates is archaic. That is not how things are done anymore. I took Lisa as my chosen to protect Cara. It had always been Cara that I wanted. But because I was not her true mate, Beta James would not relent. He would still be alive today if he hadn't come to me after my announcement," Paxton snapped.
"Really?" I asked in disbelief. I couldn't see how he could say that. Everyone here knew he wanted Cara and would not leave her alone. I held her tightly to me. I wanted to rip this jackass's head off his shoulders.
"Yes, really. After I made my announcement, he knew from me glancing at Cara who I would choose. If he hadn't come to me and told me that he would fight me for the Alpha position if I tried to use Cara as a breeder. He would still be alive now. My Dad is an excellent fighter, but it was always a draw between him and Beta James. I can't beat my father in a fight, so I knew I couldn't beat Beta James. When Clay suggested it, so he could go ahead and come here and take over the Beta position. It seemed like a great idea. I could have Cara, and they could get the she-wolfs they always wanted. We only meant to hurt them, not kill them. I swear it to you," Paxton said with sincerity.
Saoirse smiled before turning to face Anton, still standing behind them. Her arched eyebrow asked the silent question. The moment Anton shook his head to the negative, their fate was sealed.
"That's what I thought, Anton. Paxton, you seem to have the same difficulty with telling the truth that Jana had. Don't worry. We have already dealt with her and Anika. I can see exactly who you are. You brought two untrustworthy vampires into your pack. Are your pack members not important to you at all? Do you know that they wouldn't just kill outside your pack? Their thrill was the hunt. They may not have killed anyone here yet. But they would surely have tormented and terrified many people in the pack. You truly don't care about anyone other than yourself, Paxton. It is disgusting," Saoirse told him.
I nodded in agreement with what Saoirse just said. Paxton is not worthy of Cara at all. I heard the small hitch in her breathing when Paxton mentioned that her father had confronted him over wanting to take Cara as a breeder. She didn't know that, and I knew it made her feel better. Her father had not been good to her for several years. But the fact that he went and confronted Paxton spoke volumes to her. He would take over the pack to keep her safe from Paxton. One of his very last acts showed her that he still loved her.
I kissed the top of her head and wrapped my other arm around her to pull her tightly into my chest. I don't want Paxton to be able to see her face anymore. His growl of anger at me turning her away from him wasn't lost on any of us. I couldn't wait for him to realize how he had not only incriminated himself, but his ranked wolves as well. I tipped her face up to look into her eyes. I needed to know if she was OK or not. I was concerned about her. I could tell that in just this short amount of time, she had been put through a lot. I knew I had as well. "I can finish this," she told me. Cara wasn't scared anymore; she was only angry now. I knew she wanted Paxton to see that.
I kissed her lips, and I enjoyed the slow kiss between us. Having her back in my arms, allowed me to be able to calm down too. Cara had lifted up on her toes to get closer to me. She grabbed the back of my neck to pull me closer to her. Her body was making promises to me for after we got home. Once we broke the kiss, I turned her back around so Paxton could see her swollen lips and flushed cheeks. He still refused to admit she was my mate, but he would be wrong. After our kiss, I was glad to see his anger grow into fury as he got the message we were sending him.
I messaged Nadia and told her that she could release the group. "Saoirse, I am allowing Nadia to let them go. Maybe it is time for you to unbind the rest of the group. I don't want to stay here too much longer. I want to get my mate home," I said as I looked at Paxton. I wanted him to come at me. I wanted a reason to deal with him, but I won't kill him. I will make him suffer, but he will be alive and just as terrified as his friends when Saoirse delivers their punishment.
"Babe, would you please go to Jaxon? I don't want you getting hurt," I told her before kissing her temple. She nodded at me and was gone in a flash. Paxton looked around for her, and when he finally saw that she was on the other side of the gate, he couldn't stop his roar of frustration. "No! Cara is mine! I won't allow her to leave Kamaria ever again," Paxton cried out.
"That is not your decision, Paxton. I asked her to step out. I didn't want her to get hurt in our fight. She is mine, and my job is to take care of her. Cara will bear my children, not yours. She will grow old with me. You've lost, Paxton. You tried to take something that was never yours to begin with. Now, you're going to pay the price for it. Oh, I forgot to tell you. I am going easy on you, so you are welcome to have your friends help you. Don't worry, guys. I don't plan on killing you. I will leave that for Saoirse," I smiled at the group as I stepped closer to them. I guess it was knowing that he had lost Cara forever that made Paxton willing to fight. He sprang forward, and tried to punch my face, but he is not a good fighter. He was swinging wildly, letting his anger take the lead. I looked at Kevin and Jaxon in surprise. Does Paxton even realize just how vulnerable his pack is? Or did he just not care? Anton jumped atop the wall near the gate to watch the fight. Nadia stood next to him with a smile on her face.
It has been a while since I let loose, as I usually let the team handle things on a mission. I am the killing machine that Paxton thinks I am. What better reason to fight than dealing with three pieces of crap. They earned this, and it will be my pleasure to give them the beating they deserve. I had to gone too easy on Clay before because it would have reflected badly on Jaxon. The gloves were off now, and Paxton and his men were about to learn a hard lesson.