Page 55 of Denied By the Alphas

“It looks just fine,” said Teagan.

chapter 21

. . .

Tyler

My heart pounded in my chest as we gazed at Henry’s mansion, where I had worked for years. The morning sun cast an eerie glow over the white stone walls.

Carmen was inside, and guilt wracked through me at the thought of her fighting off Henry. If only I hadn’t rejected her, she wouldn’t have been taken right from under my nose.

“Alright,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “I’m going in. I’ll pretend everything's cool between me and Henry so I can check on Carmen.”

Logan raised an eyebrow, his dark eyes smoldering with distrust. “You sure that’s a good plan? What if his goons rat you out?”

“Trust me, Alpha,” I replied, quickly putting on my security badge. “I’m the last person they have on their minds after their great capture of Carmen.”

It felt strange to call him Alpha, but I knew I had to relinquish my role as alpha for Carmen’s sake because of my mistake. I deserved every bit of punishment my way.

Logan seemed to understand, nodding reluctantly with narrowed eyes.

“Text me updates,” he warned. “And don’t do anything stupid.”

“Got it,” I assured him. We had developed a mutual respect to get along and save Carmen. Axel and Jaxon joined me as we approached the mansion.

“Let’s do this,” Jaxon said, glaring into the sun. Our whole pack was on edge with this rescue mission. It could end with all of us in prison and Carmen marked by Henry.

“Act normal, guys,” I advised. “Jaxon, ease up. You look like you want to kill someone.”

“Maybe I do,” Jaxon muttered under his breath.

“Remember,” I reminded them, “if Henry suspects anything, take Carmen and leave. I’ll kill him.”

I had taken on the role of destroying Henry. It was my fault that Carmen was here, and now I was going to protect her with my life if it came to that.

As we reached the mansion’s entrance, I greeted the security guards by the white gate, doing my best to appear casual.

They let us through without a hitch, and I breathed a sigh of relief. So far, so good.

As we walked in, I wasn’t prepared to see Carmen there. She looked absolutely stunning in a beautiful white dress, being ushered by a couple of beta servants.

She looked like an angel, and it tore me apart to see her here. Carmen’s piercing green eyes met mine, and my heart stopped for a brief moment.

My instincts screamed at me to protect her, to pull her close and never let go, but I couldn’t give myself away.

“Tyler, what are you doing here?” Her voice was cold and distant, making me wince internally. She had no idea I was her alpha now, that I had joined Logan’s pack for her sake.

I turned away from her to the betas. “Henry wants Carmen kept safe. I’m taking her from here.”

The beta servants exchanged confused glances, but they knew better than to question an alpha’s orders. As I reached for Carmen’s arm, she jerked it away with a glare that could have set me on fire.

“You’re never touching me again inanyway,” she hissed, the disdain in her voice unmistakable. “You’re nothing but a monster in cahoots with Henry.”

“Let’s take the elevator,” I said, ignoring her hurtful words, but I needed to act normal around the servants.

“I knew it,” she muttered under her breath as we both stepped into the elevator along with Axel and Jaxon. She refused to look at them as well.

Once the elevator doors closed, Jaxon immediately pressed a kiss to her lips. She squealed in shock, and I sighed in exasperation.

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