His Lover, My Mate

Thirty-Six: True Mate

*Aletha*

She thought she would pass out. Her head spun that hard. Instead, Aletha felt her hands and feet turning cold, almost numb. There was an odd tranquility in her conscience, and when she'd looked into the eyes of her enemy, she could only feel cool disgust. There had been anger, but she'd revealed it through words, not actions. There was fear, but she didn't want Vicera to find satisfaction in knowing she harbored it. And she definitely didn't want Vicera to think her pack had once feared her too.

Aletha would never give her that satisfaction.

She took Rush's hand, never letting go of him. She felt something shift within him, shaking precariously. She couldn't put her finger to it at first. He seemed perfectly normal, easygoing, unworried. But the moment the doors of the dining hall opened, she knew why there was a problem.

Blood slaves.

She saw the blood drain from his face, and she knew he was remembering his days as a pleasure slave to vampires. He was no doubt fed on. She'd heard stories about how gruesome the vampires treated their pleasure slaves, especially because vampire pleasure slaves couldn't be killed. Their souls were immortal. And Rush...he was immortal.

She smelled blood and lust in the air. She heard frightened screams erupting from the halls, echoing through the walls. There were looks of sheer terror in the slaves' eyes, begging for help. Chains bound them to their place around the walls, and Aletha had to force herself to look away. Her heart shook at the sight, at the things she went through when the rogues had trained her for her master. She'd been shackled like that against the wall, her legs spread open and her body sore and blistering from being burned. She'd been humiliated. And all she could do was cry as they ruined her even more.

The vampires had been escorted in there by the Night warriors. She could smell the lust exuding from them. Lust for sex and blood.

Kyla walked past Rush, flashing him a look of concern. "Rush, you don't have to go in there. I'll take care of mother and her men. I brought in their food, so I'm their host. Those are my slaves, after all."

"What do you mean they're your slaves?" Aletha demanded, angered by the thought of Kyla affiliating with slavery. Aletha knew Rush never kept any slaves in his pack, so those slaves came from elsewhere. And now she discovered they were from Kyla's pack. But the Shadow Pack never had slaves...or did they?

"Relax," said Kyla. She leaned closer to her and whispered in her ear. "They're all felons. Most of them are killers and rapists. And some...some are rogues. Found to have trafficked thousands. None are innocent victims and none will die tonight, although they all deserve it."

"I'll go," Rush decided. His jaw was clenched hard and his expression was sharp. "If she doesn't see me, she'll believe I'm weak. Then she'll try to take over this pack because she'll believe she can overthrow me. I want to avoid all forms of bloodbaths with her."

"Rush," said Alpha Maddox. His voice was enough to stop everyone. "You look pale. Your bloodlust will flare if you go in there. You think you have it under control, but the minute the blood starts spilling and wafting into the air, you'll lose it. Don't risk anything."

"Don't tell me you didn't feed from your mate," Kyla began, her voice slightly incredulous. She looked over at Aletha. "Are you serious? Do you know how horrible it is to go through bloodlust? It's fucking insatiable. I know you have a grudge on us, but don't you dare hurt my brother!"

"She's not comfortable with it," Rush told Kyla before Aletha could respond. "And this isn't really anything compared to other shit I've gone through. It's like comparing a fly to a bird."