Mine to Protect Chapter 99: RESCUED

*Hazel*

“I will suck the poison out, I am of Beta blood, my body is stronger.”

I want to argue with her, but she is giving me that big sister look, and I know there is no way I can talk her out of it.

“Ok, but if you feel any effect of the poison, stop immediately. Your body is still weak for the torture.”

“I will, don’t worry!” she replies readily, but I am not sure if she’s just agreeing to make me feel better.

Cindy makes another incision, the wound I made already closed, and Derek screams again in pain, making guilt eat at me. Then Cindy places her lips on the wound and starts sucking the poison out, she spits in on the ground and sucks again, she does it for a number of times, and then sits back on the ground, her breath heavy, her arms trembling.

“Cindy, are you alright?” I asked her worried.

She doesn’t reply, she collapses on the ground unconscious, making my heart sink in my stomach. Please, Goddess, let her be ok, I beg you!

I check her pulse and her breathing, she seems stable, but she is still unconscious; I guess, I can only wait and see.

I check on Derek too, he is unconscious as well, but the veins on his back look much feinter, so hopefully he’ll feel a little better when he wakes up.

Times goes by incredibly slowly, I am left alone with my thoughts, and all kinds of bleak and stupid thoughts come to me, stuff like, why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle? And are Cindy and Derek going to die, and our warriors will let me here to starve, so that I’ll be forced to eat one of them, and then I’ll die from the poison too. I really hope it won’t come to that.

The minutes stretch by in total boredom; now and then I check on Derek and Cindy, they are still stable, nothing has changed; I hope they can wake up soon, it’s starting to get lonely down here, and I am afraid some mice will come out of nowhere. They live underground, don’t they? What if we are right on top of one of their mouse caves?

Eventually Cindy wakes up, she throws up a few times, and is pretty shaken and weak, but other than that she looks kind of ok, I hope there are no aftereffects of the poison, I must have her checked by a doctor as soon as we get out of here.

With Cindy awake, time flies by faster, we catch up on what happened after she was abducted, she tells me how she and her packmates were forced to provide sexual favors to the high calibers of the facility, to pay for the debts created by her father and his Alpha. They have placed some silver in their body, to keep them weak, and to prevent them from mind-linking with people on the outside.

I am so angry for what she had to go through; I wish I could put my hands on his sorry excuse of a father and show him what I truly think of him.

After some time, Derek wakes too, he’s very weak, but still tries to pretend that he’s fine, this man and his pride!

I feel like hours have passed, maybe an entire day, until finally one rope appears like a mirage, a figure slides down on it at top speed, and a back in shape Alice grins at me, while taking her gear off.

I am so happy to see that she is ok, that I jump up and tackle her to the ground, hugging her tightly.

“Alice, I am so sorry, I walked you into a trap and couldn’t get us out. How are you feeling? Tell me you are ok. I am so happy to see you!”

“I am happy to see you too, Hazzy, and I am fine, but I would really like to get up, I am completely covered in dust,” Alice says amused.

“Sure, sorry, I shouldn’t have jumped you. I guess hours of loneliness are messing with my brain,” I reply apologetically.

“I am so sorry we had you wait so long down here; it took forever to find a long enough rope. It’s a hell of a deep hole you have put yourself into!”

“It was his idea,” I say pointing at Derek, who gives me a not-very-happy side glace.

“Yes, and I am proud to say that we are alive thanks to my idea,” he points out sternly.

Alice shakes her head at our bickering, and hands out some clothes for me and Derek to put on, then she slides the harnesses of the rope.

We’ll go up in teams of two, I’ll go with Macy, while you two can go together, so you can keep arguing on the way up,” Alice says with a smirk, gaining a glare both from me and Derek.

Alice and Macy secure their harnesses to the rope, and the pulley starts pulling them up; we wait until Alice gives us the ok signal via mind-link, and then we anchor our harnesses too, and the rope starts pulling us up slowly.

We are face to face, and Derek is looking straight at me, his gaze never faltering.

“Why are you looking at me?” I asked him curiously, and also a little annoyed.

“You are the only beautiful thing I can look at around here,” he replies with that sexy smirk of him in place.

I huff at his cheesiness, but then a grimace of pain appears on his face, it is gone quickly, replaced by his well-practiced expression of stoic calmness, but I know he is just putting up a front for me, he doesn’t want me to see his pain.

“Come here,” I tell him, while opening my arms to envelop him in a hug.

“What’s with you and hugs today? You give them for free to any person you encounter. I am your mate; I think I need something more than the others.”

He leans in, grabs me by my waist, and starts kissing me hungrily; I don’t need to think twice, I place my hands on his shoulders and respond to his kiss with the same passion.

We are still kissing, lost in each other and the sweet feelings that dance through the bond, when someone clears his throat, and we know we have arrived at our destination.

We break apart hastily, seeing all the warriors gathered to look at the scene, we have given quite the show. Great!

Alice hoots, and someone follows her lead, while others applaud and cheer. Derek laughs his carefree laugh, the one that makes him look like a boy without a worry in the world. I love this laugh, it’s just a pity that it is so rare these days.

We get free of the harness, and then join Alice and Cindy, who are talking to Ryder.

“Did you find the Beta and Alpha?” Derek asks Ryder right away.

“Yes, they have boarded themselves up in the packhouse, with some of their warriors.”

“Good, any news of Alpha Jackson?”

“He sent out a contingent of Committee’s police to arrest you for trespassing, but Alpha Walker and his warriors stopped them halfway. They haven’t started a fight yet, but I am afraid the police won’t accept this obstruction for much longer.”