Chapter 91

Helen POV

Russo held open the door to the vacant house and I fell inside immediately, unable to have any more strength to go further than the foyer. Russo made sure to lock the door, falling beside me so he could see my face, covered by my matted, bloody hair.

“Little wolf, are you okay?” he gasped, his voice a stark difference than it was at my father’s packhouse. He is so calm and concerned. I’m glad he isn’t the ruthless and callous Fae he was pretending to be at the dinner table. “Helen, I’m going to pick you up, okay?”

Before I could stop him, he lifted me off the floor. I gasped alive, my back on fire as it pressed into his forearms. My fists curled into the fabric of his shirt, begging to be cut loose.

“Here, here,” he panted, lowering me into the bathtub. I slid onto my side, trying to alleviate the pain on my back. Lifting up the back of my shirt, Russo groaned, “moon goddess… Helen, your back…”

“Whipped,” I breathed. “Nine—nineteen times.”

“Why, Helen? Did your parents do this to you?”

I only nod, my eyes falling heavy while Russo leaned forward to turn on the water. I let it kiss my skin, no matter the new scars and the heavy slashes against on my spine. The warm water fills the tub and Russo is careful to peel my bloodied shirt off my body.

I shivered, watching the water turn crimson around me.

“What do you need, how can I help?”

“Justin,” is all I managed to groan. “What happened—to Justin?”

“You don’t know?” Russo sat back on his knees. “He’s alive, Helen.”

I burst into tears, so thankful my mate made it through that attack. I can only imagine how wounded he was from the cut, and from me being the one to do it.

I didn’t want to, though. I was forced.

“We have to keep it quiet, though. Obviously.”

I nodded, reaching for the edge of the tub. “I need to go to him—” I wept, “I need to get to my mate.”

“Well, hold on,” Russo chimed in, stopping me from leaving the tub of water and ruby blood. “He’s not exactly happy with you right now, Helen. You attacked him, little wolf. He’s pissed off.”

“I couldn’t stop myself—” I panted. “Juden’s wizard, he made me do it.”

Russo looked to the floor in dismissal. “We aren’t that powerful, Helen. Wizards can’t just make someone stab their mate. It doesn’t look good in Justin’s eyes but you saved my people so I knew I had to repay the favor.”

It took a moment for me to swallow his words.

“Wh—What?” I pondered. “Justin didn’t send you to get me?”

He only shook his head in place of replying somberly, like his stature had become.

I coughed a cry, sinking deeper into the hot, holding water as I caved in on my sadness. Why wouldn’t Justin want to come after me? I am his mate still. He has to know I didn’t hurt him on purpose!

No matter what I was made to say or do to him, we have been through too much together. He should know me better than to think I would ever hurt him.

At least he’s alive. Even if he hates me, I can live with that.

I could die with that, too.

“I would never—never hurt him—”

“But you did, Helen. I am sure you have a million explanations, but that’s not for me to know or judge. I’m just here to thank you for saving my wizards. You got them all out safely and I know I should do the same for you.”

He brushes his palm down the back of my head, pushing my hair back while I laid uselessly in the hot water with blood swirling around the tub and staining my body.

“We can stay the night, you can get some rest, and I’ll take you somewhere tomorrow to release you, okay?” Russo purred. “After that, the rest is up to you. You can go to True Mates pack, but I don’t know how well that will work for you.”

“I have to get back to Justin,” I panted. “There’s nothing else that matters to me, Russo.”

He stood, but the floor boards creaked across the house. I sat up slowly, craning to see a figure in the doorway of the bathroom, peering toward the Fae and me.

I gulped down the sight of Kesler.

“Excuse me, wolf,” Russo snarled, standing to break Kesler’s gaze on my body. “I’m a little busy here. Is there a reason you have barged into my dwelling?”

Kesler promptly leaned against the door frame, lazily sticking his hands in his pockets while looking over the Fae in obvious dismissal. “I didn’t hear her screaming. You know, like you said you wanted to make her scream? I was just making sure she was being compliant to our guest.”

Russo relaxed slightly. “Oh, well, I appreciate that, wolf. But I don’t like blood staining my sheets unless I’m the one who makes the marks so I made sure she got a bath beforehand.”

“Really? Because I think you were talking about her mate, the Last Lycan, still being alive and well.”

I gulped, trying to crawl out of the tub and instead falling flat on the floor, water and blood covering the tile. Russo kept himself before me in a blocking stance but it didn’t last. I tried to push him aside, needing to cower at Kesler so he wouldn’t tell my father.

He is impartial to me when I submit to him outright.

“I can handle this,” Russo snarled. “Stay down.”

“Please,” I panted, looking to Kesler. “Please, don’t tell my father. My mate—he’s been through enough. Let my parents believe he is dead, it does nothing against them to just hold back that information. I’ll do anything, Kesler. Please.”

His brow raised and he bit his lower lip. “Anything, huh?” He turned to Russo, his arms crossed over his broad chest. “I won’t tell my Alpha and Luna about you betraying their trust and taking their daughter away, if I have a night with her first. To truly make her scream.”

Russo hissed a noise, shaking his head. “All you male wolves are the same, huh? Just want to abuse and use the weakest member of the pack, to make her your sex slave in some demented, narcissistic act of—”

“I can go tell them why you’re really here,” Kesler purred, turning to leave.

“No!” I screamed, shivering all over.

He stopped but didn’t turn around to face me. “Do we have a deal?”

“Yes, of course,” I plead. Russo cocked his head down at me in shock. I fell onto my back, exhaling softly. “I have to protect Justin, no matter what. If they know he’s alive, they will go after him again and he’s too wounded for that. I can’t let him get hurt because of me—not again.”

Russo’s eyes softened, and he nodded.

I watched the Fae leave the bathroom, Kesler knocking into his shoulder purposefully as they traded spots standing over me. I am already naked, already weak and wounded and bleeding.

What’s the worse that Kesler can do to me now?

My spirt has already been broken.