Page 63 of Alpha Chained

I swivel my eyes to him. “You can’t really mean to keep him locked up in there, Jagger?”

“Of course I won’t. I’m going to go down to the cell block, open that door, and tell him to get his ass out of Steel Lakes and never come back.”

My heart plummets. “No!” I blurt. Jagger’s eyes narrow on me dangerously, but I go on, undeterred, “No, Jagger, you can’t throw him out. You have to let him stay here. You have to let him join us.” I try not to cringe under his steady stare. I’ve never faced off against an alpha. It’s not in my nature. But I can’t let this go.

“And why should I do that?” Jagger’s entire posture is one of coiled tension…like he’s about to launch himself across the desk at me.

I chew on my lip, wading through the flood of thoughts and emotions that seem to be coming to a crescendo after all these days. I think of the crazy sense of connection I felt the first time I saw Riot, the irresistible pull I have felt ever since then, the desperate need to be close, to touch him. The speed at which my body has healed when he’s around. And the incomprehensible horror at the thought of him betraying me. It’s all coming together in a rush of understanding that’s leaving me breathless, leaving my head spinning.

“Are you going to answer me, Raura?” Jagger presses. “Exactly why do you think I should let him stay.”

“Because he’s my mate,” I say simply.

Chapter 23

Riot

I’m a mess of emotions, swinging between rage and despair as I pace the tiny cell. The walls seem to be closing in on me, the shadows mocking my brief taste of freedom. Bitter memories of a decade spent caged like an animal claw at my mind, threatening to drag me back into that dark hole.

My fists clench as I turn, the sound of my footsteps on the concrete floor the only noise in this stifling space. I can feel the anger simmering beneath my skin, a rage yearning to be unleashed. But there’s something else, too, a strange tightening in my chest that I can’t quite identify.

It feels like…longing.

But for what?

I don’t understand it.

The harsh scrape of the door being unlocked snaps my head around. Elation washes over me as Raura steps inside, her red-gold hair tousled and her eyes shining with determination.

Thank God!

Something eases in me at the sight of her; again, I can’t figure out the feeling. But the strange emotion intensifies, throbbing through me with a force that leaves me breathless. It’s as if a part of me that had been ripped away is whole again.

“Riot!” She hurries over to me, throwing her arms around me, then pulling back to look up into my face. “Are you alright?” Her hands move up and down my arms as if she’s trying to check that I’m in one piece. “I nearly lost my mind with worry.”

“I’m fine.” I stand still, allowing her warmth to seep into me.

She’s here. Everything’s going to be okay.

“I’m so sorry that happened.” Her words are hurried, urgent. “I feel awful. After all the good things I told you about this place…” She gnaws on her lip. “God, how will you ever forgive me?”

“It’s not your fault.” I stare down at her, drinking her in. Does she really believe I could ever be angry with her?

“Jagger’s agreed to let you stay with me,” she says. “At least until we can figure things out.”

I bristle at the mention of Jagger’s name, my jaw clenching. “That arrogant prick has no right to dictate where I go.”

Raura’s hand tightens on my arm. “I know, but you have to understand, this is a difficult situation for him…all of them. They don’t know you, Riot. They’re just trying to protect their own.”

I want to argue, to lash out at the injustice of it all, but her touch calms me, the fire in my veins simmering down. She’s right, of course. I’m the outsider here, the unknown intruder.

“Once things settle, I’ll take you to see Jagger,” she continues. “We can make plans to save your sister then. I’m certain he’ll get the pack behind us so we can get to her before it’s too late.”

Her conviction is almost tangible, and a part of me wants to believe, to embrace the possibility of finally getting my sister free from Parker’s threat.

It won’t be that easy.

It’s never that easy.