The Lost One

Chapter 43

Aislinn had to give the man some credit. If anything he was courageous. If not absurdly stupid. With his Alpha apparently suffering from some type of shock, it was only natural for him to want to intervene against a potential threat.

And she definitely qualified as a threat.

Rational thought would have advised him to ignore that fact, at least for the moment. However it seemed that rational thought had abandoned the Salvatori Beta and he had had enough. Her last threat against his Alpha had done the trick and officially pushed him over the edge and into action. Too bad he drastically underestimated the situation, not to mention the ramifications of that kneejerk decision.

Shifting he launched himself at her. Throwing himself forward, his clothes exploding into the air as he aimed directly for her neck. A kill shot.

Kaiden would admit later that the man although loyal and a good soldier wasn't too bright. He was used to following orders and generally was never given the opportunity to think for himself. With good reason. He was unstable and lost without the direct leadership of his Alpha. And he had taken that unfortunate moment to go completely out of commission.

Case and point for that argument: the man went after Kaiden's mate. Going after a Luna, on pack land, in front of her mate, isn't dumb. Its f*cking suicide. Hell it's smarter and healthier to attack an Alpha while his back was turned than to try to kill an Alpha's mate before his very eyes.

At the time though Kaiden didn't give a sh*t about any excuses or defenses. He didn't care who it was or why it happened. All he cared about was the sight of the love of his life, the light of his world, standing there as a wolf hurled himself at her. Canines out and heading towards her jugular. He saw that and then he saw red.

Aislinn watched as the wolf flew at her, his jaws open, canines flashing as if to rip into her neck. At the last moment she twisted dropping to her knees. Whipping her hand around with as much force as she could she buried one of her blades into the grey and brown wolfs side as he sailed through the empty air where her body had been only milliseconds before. Feeling the knife embed to the hilt she let go before throwing herself to the side and rolling away from where the shifted, angered and now injured wolf landed messily.

As soon as Kaiden saw his mate roll clear and into the safety of Richard's charge he was shifting. His body had barely landed on top of the other wolf before his canines were sunk into the offender's neck. Blood filled his mouth as the wolf under him tried in vain to buck off the much larger Alpha wolf.

He didn't budge.

Kaiden bit harder relishing in the feel of his teeth ripping and sinking through the vulnerable tissue. Kaiden pushed his consciousness forward as he kept his death grip. Shoving his thoughts into the haziness of the other wolf's mind.

He did it without even pausing to consider how he knew what he was doing. It was instinctual. His wolf's animalistic Alpha side had total control and wanted to prove his dominance on every level.

"You would dare attack my mate?" He snarled into the weaker wolf's mind. His own wolf howling in triumph at the answering whimpers.

"You would dare to harm her? To threaten her?" He continued accompanying each thought by increasing the pressure on the wound in the man's throat.

"I'm s-so-sorry Alpha Kaiden. S-She ... Your mate threatened your father. Please Kaiden I was your Beta. I trained you when you were a pup. I have a mate." Stephan pleaded desperately while still trying to fight off Kaiden's hold on him.

"You attacked my mate. You threatened my pack. You attempted to kill your Queen." As the last word was sent into the man's mind Kaiden wrenched his head. Clamping down his teeth and effectively ending his life as his snout tore away from the hold and took with him a large chunk of bloody flesh and fur gripped between his strong jaws. The wound had severed the wolf's jugular. An injury that not even a werewolf could heal from.

The last thing he sensed from the forced link he had created was shock ... and strangely a surge of happiness? Kaiden wasn't sure what to make of that. He had to be mistaken.

Lifting his head Kaiden turned to stare at his father. Who was still frozen in the same spot, his eyes glazed over as he looked out at them vacantly. Letting out a growl Kaiden bared his teeth. The sound seemed to be enough to snap him out of whatever trance Aislinn's words had pulled him into.

Which reminded Kaiden he needed to figure out what the hell had just happened between the two of them. What had she said to his father? They had acted like they knew each other. And since when the hell did she know Italian!?

Alpha Sergio's eyes looked over them in confusion. Taking in the bloody sight of his shifted son before looking at the limp and dead body of his former Beta. He stared for a few beats at the bloody mess. Then turned to look at where Aislinn now stood shielded behind the combined protective bodies of Richard, Austin and Clayton.

"You killed my Beta."

"Your Beta attacked an Alpha's mate." Austin replied without any hint of remorse or concern, as if he was speaking of nothing of more consequence then the weather. Although he did make a point to move closer to Richard, effectively completely blocking Aislinn from view.

"You can't just kill one of my wolves and get away with it! You can't just threaten me."

"You were warned. I have already told you to leave my territory do not make me repeat myself." Aislinn's voice came from behind her guards. She didn't need to see him though to know the effect her words had on him.

"This won't be the last you hear from me. What has happened today will not go unanswered and the council WILL hear about this." He growled vindictively.

When none of them so much as blinked, he huffed before whirling and making his way to the front door. He'd like them to think he was leaving on his own but they all saw the strain in his shoulders as his Third, their guards and lastly Kaiden's brother trailed out behind him. Aislinn's command was taking its toll.

They listened as his father barked orders to the rest of his family and ex-pack mates and the accompanying sounds of boots against pavement as they rushed to pile into the vehicles. And then the slamming of the doors and the roar of the engines before they were winding down the drive. The sounds growing more and more faint as the Salvatori wolves moved further out of their territory. As welcomed as the sounds were, Kaiden couldn't help thinking that they weren't even close to being rid of his father.

And Kaiden hadn't missed his brother Anthony's departing words.

'You will pay for this.'