Rejection Denied

Nixon

Anarchy

That is the best word to describe this shit.

The sounds coming from the stands were frantic. A couple of dozen men dressed in all-black tactical gear aimed their guns and fired. My pack members ran in all directions trying to escape the onslaught of darts raining down on them. I was frozen. My brain was processing the chaos.

“WHAT’S HAPPENING!” Kane shouted.

“Do you like my plot twist.” Orion watched on and smiled. “I have waited for so long to test out my new serum. Today was the perfect day to release it. Do you want to know what I created?” He pulled a dart from the railing and twisted in his finger.

“It’s a new paralytic drug. An upgrade to my previous experiment that was ripped away from me. What do you call it? Oh, that’s right, bane. My first paralytic serum. Stolen by wolves and hunters after it was used by a hunter group I allied with.” He tossed the dart over the railing. “Nixon knows the story.”

“I was there that day, you know. Assisting an ally in a revenge strike. I lent him my experiment to aid in taking down the wolves of your pack. I wanted to test out the potency of my drug. And Nixon, you helped me open the door to my success.”

He turned and faced us. “Oh, you look so displeased. Or is that anger, you know it really doesn’t—”

I rushed forward and captured Orion by his throat. “YOU BETRAYED ME!” I growled. I lifted his body into the air slamming onto the platform. CRACK! The wood splinter from the pressure.

“HOLD HIM DOWN!” Kane Shouted. “I’ll rip his head from his body.”

“JARED!” Heather cried from down below.

Orion chuckled. “Oh, no. A damsel in distress. You better hurry. Too many injections could cause some serious nerve damage.”

“You will die!” Alpha Jared growled. He charged down the stairs to rescue his champion.

“We need to take out those men,” Sam said. “Where are your damn warriors Nixon.”

“I’ll mind link them.”

“Ha, don’t bother.” Orion wriggled his brows. “While your people trained my men. My guys were learning all of your warrior’s weaknesses. Ha, It was way too easy to take them out after a few drinks.”

SLAM!

My fist connected with his jaw. Again. And again. Blood ran down the side of his mouth. But the maniac was still grinning and laughing. “Do you feel better?” He chuckled.

“You treacherous bastard,” I growled.

“We will go. Just make sure you rip his tongue out.” Xavier said as victor joined his side. They ran off the platform to fight the enemy in the stands. Just as they ran down, three men dressed in the same gear as the shooters dropped down from above. They charged first, aiming for Sam and Kane.

“Oh yeah!” Sam growled. “Time to beat some ass.” Kane and Sam lunged forward, now occupied with fighting Orion’s men. The very same men that I welcomed into my pack to train with my warriors. I accepted a venomous snake into my group, and it finally struck out. His poison is spreading through my home.

“Release me, Nixon.” My wolf growled. “Let me kill him. I’ll dismember his body, starting with arms and legs.”

“NO! I will end him!” I tightened my trembling hands around his neck. “ He had a hand in my family’s death. I want to see his life fade away.”

Orion let out a strangled laugh that sounds more like gasping. “Careful…Nixon,” He warned from underneath me. I gripped his neck even tighter. “If…if anything happens—”

“I. DON’T. CARE!” I snarled. “You betrayed me. You brought this chaos here, you son of a bitch! My people are being attacked! After what happened at my father’s pack. Why would you come here to cause so much pain to these innocent people? ”

The bastard smirked. “You invited me.”

SLAM!

I threw my fist into Orion’s left cheek. His face whipped to the side. “WHY!?”

SLAM!

Another hit to the jaw. “WHY!?”

SLAM!

I raised my fist again. “One more hit Nixon and Cay will die.” I paused, and my grip loosened.

Fuck. He has me by the balls, and he knows it. The only reason this bastard is still breathing is because of Cay. I know Orion has him somewhere. I tried to mind link him, but there was no reply.

Even now, I can feel this sharp pain all over my body. My brother is being tortured. I don’t give a damn about my life. But Cay doesn’t deserve death. I really hate that he bound our lives after that night. I wanted to die, but he wouldn’t let me go. He brought me back to life and sacrificed his. Even after I told him I caused his mother’s death.

“That’s right, Nixon. You won’t risk the lives of your pack members. And you definitely won’t throw away your blood guards life. You really need to keep a tighter leash on that dog. It was way too easy to catch him off guard. Now get the fuck off me. I’m sure we can work this out like alphas.”

I pushed myself up and growled as I slammed my fist in the wood beam in front of me repeatedly. I could feel my skin breaking from the hits. But the pain didn’t register. Cay’s suffering was drowning out my own. It’s happening again. I put everyone in danger.

Orion stood up and wiped off his suit. “Now we can—”

“ORION, YOU BITCH!” Aviry shouted, running toward the fiend in front of me.

He held his hand out. “Right now, my men have a six-inch silver dagger pressed against Cay’s chest.” Aviry skidded to a stop and growled. “One more wrong move from either one of you, and he will die. And please, do not test my words.”

I looked at a snarling Aviry. If anger were a heat, she would be the sun. She was burning the oxygen around me. Her eyes cut over to me, and I could’ve sworn a tear sizzled away as it rolled down her face.

“Now that we understand what’s at stake. Let’s negotiate.”

“Call off your men, and give us Cay.” I snarled. “Then leave my home with your pathetic life.”

“That will come with a price. And I’m not talking about money.” Orion waved his finger. “And I can assure you that my life is full of excitement at the moment. I’ve received some great news recently. And a project that I pushed to the side can finally come to fruition. I just need two more elements.”

“If you want Cay back alive.” He nodded toward Aviry. “You will come with me.”

“No—”

“FINE!”

Aviry and I both said simultaneously.

“I’m going, Nixon.” She firmly stated.

I looked over at her and shook my head. “I will not let you go, Aviry. Cay needs you, hell I need you. We are mates. If anything happens to you, neither one of us will survive that pain.”

Orion scratched his head. “Last I checked, Kasey was your chosen mate. I know she’s a mousy little bitch, and I can give you a discount on her price if that makes you happy. But Honestly, Nixon, I made my choice, unlike you. Aviry comes with me, or I continue to destroy this pack, and I will kill Cay.”

“Nixon focus on the pack. And take care of Cay.” Aviry stepped forward. “You know damn well that there’s no stopping me. I’ll be back in a few hours after I kill his bitch ass.”

She pointed at Orion. “Cay will be released alive before we leave this territory.” She’s so goddamn stubborn. But what are our options? Orion will kill Cay if Aviry doesn’t go.

“Vey smart choice. I promise to release Cay alive, but I need one more thing.” He looked past Aviry. “Why settle for one dire wolf. When I can have two. Denver comes too, or Cay dies.”

I growled, “She can’t be a factor in Cay’s release—”

Denver stepped beside Aviry. “I’ll go. But this counts as a favor Nixon.” She rolled up the sleeves of her leather jacket and pulled out a marker from her pocket. She marked a line across her forearm, crossing out another line inked on her arm.

“Excellent. See, cooperation goes a long way.” He reached into his pocket and pulling out two objects. “Here, inject yourselves with this. It doesn’t matter where. We need to get moving.”

“Wait…wait, is that the—”

Aviry snatched a vile from Orion, “It doesn’t matter what it is.” She stabbed her forearm and tossed the dart to the side. “Take care of Cay, Nix bitch.” My mate’s eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she began convulsing.

“Fuck.” Denver mumbled. “Nixon, this counts as favor number two.” She took her dart and stabbed her leg. “What is this—” Denver fell on the floor, seizing.

CLAP!

“Alright.” He looked over the two women until they both stilled. “Ok, Nixon, let’s get them to my car.”

“They agreed to come with you. They injected themselves with that fucking drug. Now Release Cay!” I snapped.

Orion sighed. “Get them in the car first. And then I will release your precious blood guard.”

Boom!

I slammed the door of the car and took three steps back. Two guards on my left and right held pistols up to my head. “You are a dead man Orion.”

“Mmm, maybe. But not today.” He nodded towards his men. “Release the peacekeeper.”

He opened the passenger side door. “And Nixon, before I go, keep this in mind. I have your mate, and I am not above torturing. I specialize in both mental and physical pain. I can turn Aviry into a mindless killing machine and set her loose on every single pack that allies with you.” He stepped into the car. “Pass that on to Cay. Oh, and tell Kasey I said goodbye.”

He shut the car door, and the ignition rumbled to life. The tires spun and sped off away from the packhouse. The men guarding me sidestepped in front of me with their guns raised. A Cadillac pulled up, and the back passenger door opened.

“Ugh!” Cay groaned as he was pushed out. The two men quickly climbed in, and the car sped off.

I rushed forward and fell to the ground. “CAY!” I cried.

His hands were crushed. His fingers bent in odd angles. And his legs were tied together, and deep gashes ran down exposed skin. His lips were swollen and busted. His left eye was black, and his jaws were bruised. His white T-shirt was ripped, and a red blood mark stained the front.

“Cay!” I gently rolled him to me. “HELP!” I shouted out. I pulled him into my arms and ran toward the packhouse.

“Nixon.” He whispered. “I can’t…feel my body.”

“Hey, man.” Fuck, the tears were blurring my vision. “I’m taking you to the hospital. We’ll get you fixed up.”

And then I’m going to kill Orion and rescue our mate.

Aviry

“Mmm,” I moaned. I tried to open my eyes, but they were so fucking heavy. I managed to open one, but my vision was still blurry. I continue to focus until could make out where I was.

I need to fight my way out of this mess. But my arms and legs wouldn't move. Ok plan B, I'll shift, and break free of this numbing spell.

I closed my eyes and focused on my mind space. Mia was curled up in a ball fast asleep. “Mia…” I said. But my wolf didn’t respond. She continued to sleep soundly.

A car honk pulled me back into reality. Ok, so Mia is unavailable. What next Aviry. I’m in a really shitty situation. The last thing I remember is Orion demanding that Denver and I accompany him. Now, ask me why I let this shit happen. Because usually, I would’ve just snapped Orion’s neck.

But I had to be selfless because Cay was in danger. I did this for my mate, and I would do it all over again. His life is far more important than mine, so when I was offered the chance to save him, Mia and I took it.

“Aviry,” Denver whispered. I tried to move my head over. But my body was completely paralyzed. My eyes and mouth are the only parts moving. “We are in a car, and we are paralyzed. But we can still talk.” No shit, Denver. “I think whatever Orion gave us did this.”

“YOU THINK!” I tried to throw my arms up. But it aggravated me that they stayed in place.

The privacy window rolled down. “Finally, you’re both up.”

“Bitch roll the window back up.” I rolled my eyes to show my anger. “I agreed to come with you, not talk to you.”

Orion frowned, “But this is going to be a long drive home.”

“Home?” Denver questioned. “Why are we heading to your pack? We deserve some answers.”

Orion smirked. “Yes, and I will tell you anything and everything.” He turned back in his seat for a moment and twisted back around. “But first, let me read something out loud. It will be quick, so no interruptions.”

He cleared his throat and unfolded a white paper. “Based on the samples provided. We have concluded that Sample A to B is positive. And sample D to C is positive. In conclusion, the result is true, and there are no discrepancies.” Orion finishes and folded the paper back up, smiling.

“Well?” he asked us.

Denver spoke, “Ummm. I’m not sure—”

“I failed in math,” I admitted. “So you’re going to need to break that shit down.”

Orion huffed and turned in his seat. “While I was still on good terms with Nixon. I sent your hair samples to get tested by Nate. I took a chance and included my own.” He looked at both of us.

“For twenty-one years. I have searched and searched for my abducted offspring. And I am relieved that the moon goddess has finally placed them back in my life.” He reached his arms through the window and held on to me and Denver’s limp hands.

“Aviry, and Denver, I am the father to you both.”