Unwanted

Teegan’s P.O.V.

We pull into the driveway of the first wolf pack near Flint, Michigan. I see wolves on either side running along with us. I’m sure they can smell the lycan royalty in the vehicle, so they stay back. When we reach the pack house, several people are standing outside looking at us nervously. Joel takes my hand as we approach the group.

“Hello everyone, we’re sorry for the surprise visit. I’m Prince Joel, and this is my mate, Teegan. My sister Kiana and Teegan’s brothers Damon and Anton are also with us. We would like a word with the alpha and luna, please.” Joel sounds official, and I understand. We don’t know this pack, and if pups were brought here, what did they do with them? I turn when I hear another car pull up and see six royal guards get out.

“I’m Alpha Tyler, and this is my mate Amber. Please follow me to my office.” The man who speaks sends a chill down my spine. I instantly don’t like him. His mate won’t meet our eyes, and it concerns me.

“Have some of the guards watch the pack. Something is going on with the alpha and luna. I don’t want him to have the pack do something while we’re occupied.” I mindlink Joel.

“Two guards come with us. The rest stay behind and keep an eye on the pack. If you see anyone doing anything that looks suspicious, restrain them.” He mindlinks before mindlinking me alone. “You’re a princess. You can give commands to the guards, too. If something makes you nervous, don’t hesitate.”

I look up at him and smile. The alpha leads us to the second floor and into his office. The two guards with us stay by the door and watch. The alpha sits behind the desk. He’s average height, with black slicked-back hair and mean dark brown eyes. Amber stands behind him, looking down at the ground. She’s petite with shoulder-length golden brown hair.

“What can I do for you?” Tyler asks. Joel sits across from him and pulls me onto his lap. I don’t like Tyler’s attitude. He seems arrogant and dangerous. The hair on the back of my neck stands up in warning. I look at Amber and try to make eye contact, but she won’t look up.

“Princess Teegan and her brothers are from the Silver Moon pack.” Joel begins. I see Tyler look worried for a split second, but he quickly tries to cover it up with a smirk.

“What does that have to do with me?” he asks, leaning back in his chair and almost knocking Amber over. She looks up briefly, and I see fear in her green eyes. I try to hold her gaze, but she glances from me to Tyler and then looks down again. What has he done to her?

“I’m not sure if you are aware, but some pups from Silver Moon have been disappearing for years. We just discovered it was the beta who was behind it all along. When we recovered his records, we found evidence that several pups were brought to this pack. We would like to know if they’re still here, and if so, we’d like to reconnect them with their families.” Joel glares at Tyler through narrowed eyes. The alpha’s face turns red, and he stands up.

“How dare you accuse me of taking pups? I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about,” he yells, leaning over the desk. I see Amber beginning to shake with fear. She’s probably seen this side of him a lot. I’m not going to let her suffer. I stand up and walk over to her, taking her hand and pulling her away from Tyler. He tries to grab her, but Joel grabs his arm.

“You touch her, and you’re dead,” Joel warns. Tyler snatches his arm away. Amber is hesitant, but she walks with me.

“Amber, look at me. You don’t have to be scared of him anymore. We’re not going to let him hurt you.” I say softly. She looks up at me with tears in her eyes.

“I...I...can’t say anything, or he’ll kill me.” She whispers. I hug her, and she flinches. I look at Joel.

“He’s been abusing her. I don’t know to what extent yet.” I mindlink him. He nods and looks at the guards, who immediately stand on either side of Tyler. Amber watches with widened eyes.

“He won’t touch you. We need to know if he’s been doing something to you, the pups that were taken, or anyone else. We’re here on order of the king. Please tell us what’s going on.” I plead with her. She looks down again, and I can feel her uncertainty.

“You say anything bitch, and it will be the last time you speak.” I look over at Tyler with rage.

“You will never touch her again. You’re not an alpha; you’re a monster who needs to be shot like a rabid dog.” I don’t yell, but my words are clear. Amber’s head shoots up, and she looks up at me in shock. I guess she’s not used to hearing someone speak to Tyler that way, but he doesn’t scare me. He’s pathetic. His face turns red with anger.

“How dare you, a woman, speak to me like that? I demand that you punish your mate for speaking to a man in such a manner.” Joel looks at me and smiles before turning back to Tyler. He pulls back his fist and lets it connect squarely with Tyler’s nose. Blood pours down his face, and he yells in pain.

“Women are equal to men. Teegan isn’t just any woman; she’s a princess. You’re nothing but a pile of shit that needs to be scraped off the earth.” Joel wipes the blood off his hand and comes to my side. I turn back to the stunned Amber.

“You see. He won’t hurt you anymore. Please tell us what you know.” I tell her. She glances at Tyler and then back to me and nods.

“Okay. I’m not his fated mate. He forced me to be his mate because his fated mate rejected him. He hasn’t marked me, though, because he can’t. His wolf left him, so he’s no longer a werewolf. He’s basically human, but nobody knows. I don’t know about the pups, but I know he has a large building at the back of the pack lands that no one is allowed to see except him and a few of his men. I’m not from this pack. I was a rogue, and he found me in the nearby forest. He chained me in the dungeons and beat me until I agreed to be his mate and cover up the truth about his wolf.” Amber’s voice gets stronger the more she talks. I hug her again, and she breaks down in sobs.

“Is there anyone here you can trust?” I ask her. I don’t want to punish everyone because of the alpha. Amber nods.

“Yes. His beta Mike and his mate Olivia are good people. They stay away from Tyler as much as possible. There are only a few here that follow Tyler. Mike would be able to tell you more.” Amber replies.

“Where can I find Mike?” Anton asks.

“His office is two doors down. He and Olivia should be there.” Amber answers. She looks relieved. I have her sit on the couch, and a minute later, Anton returns with a handsome young man with curly brown hair and a pretty woman with long black hair. They look around in shock, and when their eyes fall on Tyler’s bloody face, they both smile.

“Finally. I’m Mike, and this is my mate Olivia.” The man says.

“I’m Prince Joel, and this is my mate Teegan. We’re here trying to recover some of the pups that have been taken from Silver Moon over the years. Do you know anything about them?” Joel asks. I can tell he’s still unsure of the beta and his mate.

“No, but he doesn’t tell me anything. I’m beta in title only, but I do know about the building he has here. I’ve never been allowed in it, but his men should be there now. Since he no longer has his wolf, he can’t mindlink them, so they haven’t been able to get rid of the evidence. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you get rid of him. Tyler is a disgrace to wolfpacks everywhere.” Mike says. I like him. Olivia walks over to Amber and puts her arms around her.

“Please show us the building. You two stay with him.” Joel says to the two guards. We all leave and head outside except Olivia and Amber. They go into a room down the hall. I think she’s in good hands now.

The four guards we left outside join us. People look at us with interest, and when they see Mike rather than Tyler leading the way, I can’t help but notice they seem to relax. I wonder if he’ll become alpha now. When we reach the back of the pack lands, we can see a building in the distance with a tall fence around it. An armed man is standing at the gate.

“You can’t come in here.” The man says, putting his hand on his gun. Two of the guards walk forward and have the man on the ground restrained before I can blink.

“We can go where we please,” Joel says, stepping on the man’s hand as we walk through the gates. One guard stays behind while the other three run ahead. They go into the building, and we hear yelling. A minute later, one of the guards comes out.

“It’s all clear.” The guard says, holding the door open for us. When we walk in, I feel ill. The walls are lined with cages. Some of them are empty, while others have pups, women, and men of all ages in them. They all look like they’re in bad condition.

“I swear I didn’t know this is what they were doing,” Mike says. He looks like he’s going to be sick. We begin opening the cages, but the people inside are terrified, so they don’t come out right away. When we get to the pups, my heart breaks. I open one cage and reach my hands out to a pup not even a year old. He looks scared at first, but he clings to me when I hold him in my arms. I mindlink Joel as the tears run down my face.

“I want to put Tyler in one of these cages and let him rot. We need to make him suffer.”