Chapter 21

chapter 21

. . .

Tyler

M y 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 in any way,” 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.

“Jaxon!” I exclaimed.

“I’m with Logan, what the fuck?” she screamed, wiping her lips.

Jaxon was about ready to spill the beans on everything until I stopped him with a look. Telling her that we were her mates at that moment would be a mistake, as we reached our floor.

My heart raced with each passing second, knowing that any slip-up could jeopardize not only our safety but also her trust in me. We stepped out of the elevator, and I unlocked my office door, guiding her inside without a word.

Jaxon followed us in, his eyes locked on Carmen with an intensity that suggested he wanted to rut her right away. He shut the door behind us and locked it, securing our temporary refuge.

“This is my office,” I told Carmen, keeping my voice low and steady. “You're safe here. For now. ”

“Safe?” she asked, glaring at me as she took a seat in the chair behind my desk. “I don’t really feel safe being in Henry’s home and getting pampered for his omega rutting ceremony like a piece of meat.”

“Carmen,” I started, but she cut me off with a glare.

“Are you going to help me get out of this hellhole and back to my pack, or are you just going to hand me over to Henry?”

“Yes,” I said firmly, meeting her glare head-on. “Yes, I'm going to help you. But there's something I need to tell you first.”

“What?” she snapped.

I hesitated for a second, trying to find the right words. “First of all, you can trust me, Carmen.”

“No,” she said, looking down, but I caught the look of hurt in her eyes. “You haven’t given me a reason to believe anything you say anymore.”

My heart broke at her words. I had failed her .

Taking a deep breath, I knelt before her, feeling the weight of her distrust bearing down on me. My heart thumped hard in my chest, being so close to her again.

“This may be difficult for you to understand,” I began gently, hoping not to scare her.

“Go ahead,” she said, her voice void of any care left in the world for me.

I had disappointed her.

“Logan and I... we joined packs. For you,” I said slowly as she lifted her face to look at me. “I’m…we’re your alphas now, too, Carmen.”

Disbelief was etched onto her beautiful face.

“You’re lying,” she whispered, her eyes searching mine for any hint of deception. She looked confused and fearful as she backed away from me in the rolling chair.

“I swear on my life, it’s the truth,” I said, tentatively placing a hand on her knee. “I did this to protect you, Carmen. To keep you safe. Will you give me another chance?”