Chapter 042
CADE
"Oh shit," I exclaimed mildly.
The game wasn't going so well and maybe that was because my sweaty fingers kept slipping on the console. With my eyes fixed on the screen, I quickly wiped my hand on my jeans and then kept playing. Any second now, and I would beat Chase's new highscore. Then he would stop boasting about it to everyone who could listen.
"Come on. Come on," I said as the car on the big screen raced all.
All of a sudden, I was torn or pulled away from the virtual world into the real one by the simple fact that the headphones were torn off my ears. I turned quickly to face the offender which had to be one of my brothers- Chase in this instance.
"Hey! What's the big id-" The words died on my lips the moment I saw his face. He looked worried, shocked and angry all at the same time. He also looked at the verge of panic. "Wh-"
"Come with me. Now!" he said.
When I got to my feet, he was already out the door. By the time I got to him, he was sprinting down the corridor.
"Chase," I called. "Wait a minute. Slow down. What's wrong? What's happening?
He didn't slow down. He didn't say a word. He just kept running, and I ran after him, feeling that something was wrong here. Very wrong. Chase was normally calm and patient. If something could get him this agiatated, it only means that it’s quite serious.
When he pushed open the door of the meeting room, he automatically slowed down. I was about to repeat my question when my eyes fell on a woman sitting hunched in on herself. It was Hannah's mother. Jace, who wore the same expression as Chase was pacing the room agitatedly.
"What's going on here?" I demanded a little angrily.
For days now, I had been trying, and mostly failing, to get Hannah off my mind. Thinking about her weakened me and my wolf. Now Hannah's mother was here, reminding me of all I wished to forget.
"She just told us that..." Chase said, then turned to Mrs Baker. "Tell him what you told us. Tell him everything."
Hannah's mother nodded, and wiped off a tear that had slipped down her cheek. "My daughter never wanted to choose Asher. She was going to pick you three. Two days before the meeting where..."
She paused, and seemed about to burst into tears.
"The meeting where she was to choose her mate," Cade prompted.
She nodded. "Yes. Alpha Dawson's men came to my house. They held me hostage until Hannah came home from school. They threatened to hurt me if she didn't choose Asher. They made all kinds of threats and promised to kill us if we defaulted. That's why she did it. To protect me."
"I knew it." Jace slammed a fist into the wall. "I told you both, didn't I? Didn't I? I knew there was something wrong with the whole thing. I mean, who in her right senses would choose a complete asshole like Asher? Especially after the way he's been treating her. Hannah has a lot of sense. We should have given her more credit. Now it turns out I was right after all." He sighed. "And now we know the real reason why she agreed to be his mate."
I was barely listening to Jace. This new information felt almost like a physical weight. I plonked down on the sofa right beside Hannah's mother, and buried my face in my hands. I didn't want to think about all the depravities Hannah must have already endured at Asher's hands these past few days yet. What I really couldn't wrap my head around was the extent to which Alpha Dawson had gone to get Hannah for his son. He was vile. He was low and he certainly didn't deserve to be Alpha. Hell! A person without honour was lower than a beast.
Damnit! But we should have listened to Jace. He was right all along about Hannah. He had more faith in her than all of us combined. Perhaps, if we had listened to him, things wouldn’t have gotten this bad.
"I need your help," Hannah's mother said, interrupting my thoughts. "That's why I came here. I don't think Hannah is safe-"
"Yeah. No way she can be safe around that douchebag," Chase murmured, half to himself.
"No. It's not that. I think her life is in actual danger. I can't- I can't believe I even let her stay at the pack house. I don't know what I thinking. Of all people, I know how terrible and evil Alpha Dawson can be and yet my girl is at his mercy. I'll never forgive myself if she gets hurt."
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