Page 11 of Accepted Bonds

My heart sank because this version of my father was obviously difficult to reason with.

“Dad, I love her.She’s my true mate.I don’t know if I can live if she’s dead.”I said in the softest voice I could use.

He stopped for a moment and I saw a wisp of the internal struggle in his eyes before he lowered his head.After all, he and Mom had also been a rare true mate match.

However, when he lifted his head moments later, a shiver ran down my spine, sending a chill through my heart.“Don’t worry, I’ll give her a quick death.She’s your weakness, anyway.You two aren’t officially mated like your mother and I.If I kill her now, you won’t go crazy like I did when your mother died.”

I knew then that there was nothing I could do to get him to stop, other than using force.I was calling on Reuben for help when he pulled a dart out of his pocket and flung it at me.

The dart hit me on the neck and a few seconds later, the drowsiness hit me hard.When I tried to move toward my father, the world spun around me.I couldn’t shake my head because that would make the world feel like a roller coaster, so I closed my eyes to make the world settle.When I tried to open them again, I could only see a blurry world as my father helped me lay on the floor.

I watched his blurry figure step over me toward the bed that Aurora was lying on, defenseless.I was so out of it that I couldn’t even call for my other personalities.

Reuben ...

I closed my eyes to try to focus, and then everything went dark.

8

Mateo

“Okay, so the enforcers are on their way.Dad finally convinced Mac Tire City’s Council to grant Aurora’s family access, so they’re on their way here, too.Levi said they’re going to teleport in with a destination orb since they can’t do a regular teleportation without knowing where they’re teleporting to.We ...”

I remained silent as I drove closer and closer to the address Nyra had sent to us, absentmindedly listening to Aiden’s nervous rambling.

I knew he was nervous.We were all nervous that something would happen to Aurora.That was why Alpha Owen had even granted Aurora’s family and the Supernatural Council access into Mac Tire City and the ability to use teleportation orbs even though doing so would bring him some heat from the turbulent Mac Tire City Council and the power-hungry Alphas on the council who wanted to replace him and claim the position of the head of the City Council.

I parked the car two blocks away from the house Nyra had sent us an address for and interrupted Aiden’s rambling.“We’re here.Text Caden and follow me.I’m making the moves and you’re shadowing me as backup ...”

“I also want to fight and—”

I was too strung up to argue with him.“This is not about fighting, Aiden.It’s about having someone to take Aurora away while I deal with ...whatever I need to deal with.Are you with me?”

“I’m with you.”Aiden’s voice was firm, and he was looking in front of him with clenched jaws when I glanced at him.

“Okay.”A small smile curled my lips as seeing him like this reminded me of his younger self.

The sunshine, happy-go-lucky side of himself that had disappeared after he lost his mother.

It was only when Aurora got back to town that he gradually returned to his former cheerful self.Two weeks ago, before Aurora went missing, he’d even had dinner with all of us.I knew that as long as Aurora was around, he would be able to heal the hole in his heart which he’d been holding onto since he lost his mother.And he’d finally be able to forgive Alpha Owen for doing what needed to be done by taking a Luna when the pack desperately needed one.

I raised a fist in Aiden’s direction and smiled when he bumped my fist with his.

Then we got out of the car, armed ourselves, and sneaked up to the sixth house on the block, going around the house, looking into each window we could find.Close to the backyard, I found a window through which I could see people.

Unfortunately, what I saw was Nyra’s middle-aged father, whom I had seen once or twice at the grocery store with Nyra, standing over Aurora’s sleeping body with an expressionless face and a dagger in his trembling hand.

Something told me that if that dagger got anywhere near Aurora, we would lose her, so I didn’t think I just did.

Without looking back at Aiden, I whispered as succinctly as I could.“Aiden, stay here.Don’t do anything until I call your name.I don’t want him to know there are two of us until we know where Nyra is.”

Once I received a nod from Aiden, I pushed my fist right through the window glass to enhance the shock factor that would help interrupt Nyra’s father’s actions and then pulled open the window as fast as I could before throwing myself into the room.

I held my gun in front of me and pointed it at Nyra’s father.“Don’t move or I’ll shoot you in the heart with the silver bullets in this gun.”

I walked around the bed Aurora was lying on, unable to resist taking a peek back at her to make sure she was okay.

I was startled to see that she was awake, and she was staring at me with frightened, wide eyes and that was when a dagger pushed into my abdomen.In response to the sharp pain in my abdomen, I squeezed the trigger of my gun, releasing a silver bullet that found its mark in Nyra’s father’s chest before he could draw out the dagger he’d buried in my abdomen.

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