Chapter 28: A Hostage Situation

With guns gleaming in their hands, Bron and Desmond raced towards the cabin where Vanya was held captive. The metal floor of the ship reverberated with each pounding step as Bron and Desmond charged towards the cabin where Vanya was being held captive.
But as they approached the cabin, Killian, their Alpha, stepped forward to confront them. His expression was fierce, his eyes blazing with fury.
"What are you doing?" he snarled, his voice low and dangerous. "Put down your weapons! Vanya is defenseless, she has no weapon and she's been drugged so she can't shift into her wolf form. You're overreacting. And for fuck sake, men, she's my mate!"
Bron and Desmond hesitated, exchanging a brief glance. They knew Killian was right - there was no need for guns in this situation. But their instincts had taken over, driving them to protect their packmate at all costs.
With a nod of understanding, they holstered their weapons and approached their Alpha, heads bowed in submission.
"Sorry, Alpha," Bron said, his voice low and contrite. "Our hearts got the better of us."
Killian's heart was pounding in his chest as he burst into the cabin, Bron and Desmond behind him, both wielding rifles, and Aurelius followed close behind.
His eyes narrowed as he took in the scene before him. Vanya was holding Lemon hostage with a fork. It was a ridiculous sight, and Bron and Desmond burst out laughing at the humor of it all. And despite the tension in the air, their laughter echoed through the small cabin.
Killian shot them a sharp look, but even he couldn't help but crack a smile at the absurdity of the situation.
But Aurelius was wasn't laughing. He knew that Vanya was a skilled hunter, and he couldn't let his guard down for a second. He saw the gravity of the situation and reprimanded the two for their lack of seriousness. "Stop laughing, you two," he growled. "Vanya may only have a fork, but she could still kill Lemon with it. We need to be careful."
But the more he scowled, the harder the two men laughed. Desmond doubled over, clutching his stomach, while Bron slapped his knee and wheezed with glee.
Killian rolled his eyes, but a small chuckle escaped him. He shook his head at his friends, even as he moved forward cautiously.
"Vanya, let the girl go," he said firmly.
Vanya's grip on Lemon was like a vice, and her eyes gleamed with madness as she held the fork to the young woman's throat. The room was thick with tension, the air heavy with fear and desperation.
"Back away!" Vanya snarled, her voice low and menacing. "All of you, or the girl dies."
Killian, Aurelius, Bron, and Desmond stood frozen, their eyes fixed on the scene before them. Lemon's face was pale as a ghost, her tears streaming down her cheeks as she trembled in Vanya's grasp.
"Please," she whimpered. "Let me go."
But Vanya only tightened her grip. "I'm really sorry about this, Lemon," she hissed. "You really should have just helped me with that antidote."
Her hand moved the head of the fork touching Lemon's skin. The young woman cried out, her eyes squeezed shut in agony.
Aurelius heart pounded in his chest as he watched, his mind racing with desperate thoughts.
Killian stepped closer to Vanya, his gaze piercing as he looked down at her. "Why are you doing this, Vanya? What's the point?" he asked sharply. "You have no way of escaping. Unless you plan on swimming for days on end, you're stuck here with us. So why are you holding Lemon hostage?"
Vanya's grip on Lemon tightened, and Lemon whimpered in fear. "I want the antidote to the potion you gave me," Vanya spat. "I want my wolf back."
Aurelius stepped forward, his expression grave. "Your wolf is just asleep, Vanya," he said calmly. "We can wake her up when we reach our destination."
Vanya's eyes flashed with fury. "I want her awakened now!" she snarled, pressing the fork closer to Lemon's neck.
Killian's voice grew cold as he ordered Vanya to release Lemon. "Let her go, Vanya," he said firmly. "She's scared enough as it is."
But Vanya refused to budge. "I want the antidote," she demanded again, her grip on Lemon tightening.
Aurelius stepped forward, his eyes blazing with anger. "Enough, Vanya!" he roared. "You're endangering a human life for your own selfish desires. Release her now!"
Vanya's eyes burned with fury as she fixed her gaze upon Aurelius. "My selfish reasons?" she scoffed. "Are you serious? You and your pack kidnapped me from my own pack for your own selfish reasons. I am hunter from the Black Hollows pack, do you expect me to just sit back and do nothing?."
"That means nothing to us." Aurelius's jaw tightened as he clenched his fists. "And we kidnapped you because you, obviously, wouldn't come with us willingly. We had no choice. It had to be done," he growled.
Vanya's lip curled in a sneer. "Bullshit," she spat. "You ripped me away from my mate. So guess what? You just started this war, pal."
Killian stepped forward. His jaws clenched at Vanya mentioning her other mate. "You're dangerously testing my patience, Vanya," he warned.
But Vanya refused to yield, her eyes flashing with unyielding defiance Lemon began to sob, her body shaking with fear.
"Look at what you're doing to her?!" Aurelius shook his head in disgust. "Release Lemon now!"
Suddenly, Killian moved with the ferocity of a wolf on the hunt. His movements were a blur as he lunged forward with incredible speed, grabbing Lemon from Vanya's grasp and snatching the fork from her hand in one fluid motion. Vanya let out a furious scream, struggling to break free from Killian's grip.
"Let me go, you bastard!" she yelled, thrashing against him with all her might.
But Killian only tightened his hold on her, slinging her roughly over his shoulder like a sack of grain. Vanya continued to struggle and kick, but it was clear that she was no match for the lycan's immense strength.
As Killian made his way out of the cabin, Lemon ran over to Aurelius, tears streaming down her face. "Is she going to be okay?" she asked, her voice trembling with fear.
Aurelius put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Lemon. Killian is her mate. She'll be fine."
Back to Vanya, she writhed and thrashed in Killian's grasp, demanding to be released. But Killian held tight, his grip unrelenting as he carried her out of the cabin and towards the ship's control room. As they entered, Helga looked up from her console, surprise etched on her face at the sight of Killian carrying a struggling Vanya.
"What the hell is this?" she asked.
Killian replied, his voice cold and resolute, "Get Lemon's file."
Vanya's confusion quickly turned to dread as she realized what Killian was after. "What are you doing?" she demanded, her eyes widening in fear.
Killian ignored her question, his attention focused on Helga as she retrieved the requested tape and inserted it into a nearby monitor. As the footage played, Killian gently placed Vanya down and held her still, allowing her to bear witness to a much younger Lemon displayed on the screen.
Vanya's lips curved into a sneer as she jeered, "Oh, so you just happened to bring some old VHS tapes with you on your little sea excursion? How convenient?"
Helga's face remained stoic as she replied coolly, "We spend a considerable amount of time on this ship. It only makes sense to keep important things within reach."
Killian's stern voice cut through the air, silencing Vanya's imminent response. "Watch."
On the monitor, Vanya watched a much younger and terrified Lemon, sitting alone in an empty room at a table with Aurelius. "This footage was taken on the day Aurelius saved Lemon from the underground guerrillas," Killian explained. "She was traumatized."
Vanya's expression betrayed her confusion. "I thought she was wandering on the streets when Aurelius found her?"
Killian's gaze hardened. "She wasn't herself after we saved her. That night, she escaped. We looked for her everywhere. And she was wandering the streets when Aurelius found her the next day."
Vanya was struck with the realization of the severity of her actions. Though a pang of remorse prickled at her, she stifled it and instead blamed Killian for her captivity.
The two of them locked eyes in a fierce argument, each unwilling to back down.
"Lemon has nothing to do with any of this," Killian said sternly.
"I was desperate! Can't you understand that?" Vanya pleaded. "I held her hostage out of desperation! And how the hell would I know that she'd been through serious shit?!"
"Why can't you just behave yourself?" He snapped. "I've already told you why you're here, haven't I?"
Her voice trembled with anger and frustration as she retorted, "Oh, so you're expecting me to just believe you? Really? I don't personally know you! You could be just saying that I'm your mate! You could be saying anything and I wouldn't have any means to fact-check your bullshit! Ares is my mate!"
Helga fixed her with a warning look and spoke in a low, dangerous voice, "Oh no, you just didn't say that."
The mere mention of Ares was enough to send Killian into a blind rage. Without a word, he hoisted her up onto his broad shoulder, ignoring her struggles and demands to be put down as he marched through the ship's halls, his grip on Vanya tightening with each step. "You and your fucking attitude," he growled.
Vanya struggled against his grip. "Let me go!"
Killian didn't answer.
"Where are you taking me?!" Vanya demanded.
"To my room where I can fucking see you all the fucking time, *mate*," Killian said through gritted teeth.