My Possessive Alpha Twins For Mate Chapter 104

"You can't, not yet," Kieran hissed, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me tightly against his torso. This was the first time I'd felt him since he was taken, and the bond between us was pulling me forward.

I stopped struggling when I noticed Kat’s flushed face. She was pressed against Zack Billford, both flattened against the house. His arm encircled her waist, fingers just above her shirtline, while his other hand covered her mouth, silencing her when the guard came out to investigate. Her heartbeat sounded like a distant helicopter, matching Zack's.

"Are you alright?" I asked when Kieran and Zack finally released us.

"I'm fine," she huffed, which sufficed for now.

"Guys, I got the window open!" Eve's sudden outburst made me jump, and I instinctively placed a hand on my chest. She approached us, oblivious to the tension. "I got it open while you guys were busy."

Zack climbed through the window first, then helped Kat and me through. Eve followed, with Kieran last. I was surprised to see Zack getting his hands dirty, but it didn’t change my opinion of him. His tailored suits and styled hair made him seem untouchable, but this side of him, the one that helped free countless white wolves, was rarely seen. Zack Billford wasn't black or white but various shades of gray.

The small bathroom barely accommodated the five of us. The cracked tile and stained toilet bore the marks of years of neglect.

"There are three in the living room," Zack murmured, wedging the door open a millimeter. "You'll have one chance before they rush you, Eve."

"I got this," Eve nodded confidently, removing a headphone and wrapping the cord around her neck. As she maneuvered to the door, Zack leaned in close, his words not meant for our ears but impossible to miss.

"Don't screw up and leave me to tell your parents they lost another kid," he said, his voice hard but not cruel. Eve gave him a long look before nodding.

She gripped the doorknob, her knuckles white, and inched the door open, sliding outside. Pressed against Kieran's torso, I peered through the slim crack in the door. The three men in the living room sat at a cheap foldout table, a deck of cards scattered among beer bottles and half-eaten, day-old pizza. A small television played an old football rerun. Despite their large build, typical of most werewolves, they weren't overly muscular.

Eve stood at the beginning of the hall, mere feet from the men. The TV's chatter covered the sound of her heartbeat. I saw the moment the men registered her scent, realizing someone had broken in. They stiffened, feigning nonchalance to keep her unaware.

Anticipating this, Eve flung her arms out. One man froze mid-stand, and three thuds followed as they slumped to the floor.

"Did she kill them?" I asked, wide-eyed. Even in this world of werewolves, violence still surprised me. I pushed thoughts of Arnold aside, focusing on Ethan.

"No, she didn't kill them," Zack said flatly, opening the door with clear confidence in Eve. "Her abilities are still growing, but they affect the mind. She can knock anyone out for at least half an hour. Resisting her isn't about physical strength but mental."

Sure enough, the three men lay face-first on the half-finished carpet.

"Easy," Eve shrugged, nudging one unconscious man with her boot. "Big muscles, small brains."

"There will be more," Zack warned, scowling at the fallen men. "Let's hope they didn't notice the noise."

"I can't prevent everything," Eve rolled her eyes, gesturing for us to step out of the cramped bathroom. "Besides, I like the sound when they fall."

We searched the house floor by floor, through the moldy kitchen and the dining room turned guard quarters. Once sure there were no more guards downstairs, we crept upstairs. Zack stayed close to Eve. Whether out of a protective instinct or reluctance to report her death to her parents, I couldn't tell.

The smell of men hit me before I saw them. An upstairs shower ran, spewing water that smelled off. The shower was a small blessing in a house with ten men and no other working facilities. With the stench of mold alone, it was a wonder they smelled anything.

"I'll stay posted at the bathroom while you guys clear the rest," Kat suggested. "I'll alert you if he gets out, but with that water flow, I'd be surprised if he's done in ten minutes."

Kieran paused, his eyes on Zack. In them, I saw a certain disappointment. Despite Kieran's abrasive nature, he liked Kat. She was impossible not to like. Seeing her best friend suffer under Zack’s care unsettled all of us.

"Stay with her," Kieran told Zack, his voice even harsher than usual.

I could see the challenge in Kieran's eyes, knowing it wouldn't be long before he went after Zack. Zack seemed to sense it too but refused to back down. I’d begun to call it an Alpha's arrogance—something they all seemed to share. Zack’s seafoam eyes darkened to stormy skies, while Kieran's hardened to onyx. Even without the ability to sense emotions, Kat seemed to recognize the brewing conflict.

"You two can finish this later. Right now is the worst time for this conversation," I snapped, not bothering to tell them to let it go. Both were too stubborn to drop their absolute hatred for each other. I locked eyes with a seething Kieran, knowing he’d never harm me. "We need to find your brother, and no matter how satisfying this fight would be, it's not going to help us get Ethan back."

Kieran's anger wasn't easily extinguished. The fire simply retreated, still burning within him. For now, though, his focus was redirected.

"Let's go," Kieran grunted, placing a gentle hand on my back as we left Kat and Zack, continuing down the hall. He shadowed Eve and me, still protecting her as Zack would.

We could hear the dull murmur of voices further down the hall. At one point, we had to crouch low to avoid a gaping hole in the wall, through which I could see at least four more men. We stopped as the hallway ended in a right turn. At the end was a door, with four men sitting around it. Another fold-out plastic table was set up, littered with beer cans and fast-food wrappers. Like the others, these men were off guard.

I understood why they believed we’d never find this place. It technically existed under Arnold Fox's name, who was now rotting wherever Carlos Caddel had put him. The thought churned my stomach—a side effect I wasn’t sure would ever fade. If not for Zack’s information, could Sebastian, Williams, or the twins have found this place?

"Four?" Eve muttered under her breath. "Man, he needs to take me out for practice more. I’ll never get stronger if I can't flex my abilities a little."

At the last moment, she stepped from behind the corner, arms stretched out. The men didn’t even have time to glance her way before their eyes rolled and bodies slumped to the floor. Eve swayed but caught herself against the wall, waving Kieran away as he approached to help.

"I’ll be fine. Just haven't used my abilities on that many people before," she huffed, straightening and smoothing her skirt. "I’ll knock that last guy out and fetch Zack and Kat."

Eve stalked off down the hall, and I turned my attention to the door ahead. My heart thundered, not from adrenaline, but from the dull scent lingering in the hallway. I took deep breaths, my chest aching with memories of the night he was taken. The tether connecting us guided me forward—to the door where Ethan’s scent was strongest.

I would have stumbled if not for Kieran's reassuring arm around my waist, guiding me over the unconscious guards.

'Can you feel him?' Kieran asked, his voice unusually low.

'I can.' I nodded, without a trace of doubt. 'He might be unconscious, but he's alive.'

'I can feel him too,' Kieran admitted, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

As Kieran gripped the doorknob, I sucked in a harsh breath. The hinges creaked and groaned, rusted from disuse. The bedroom was clearly meant to be the master, free of all furniture apart from a bed. On that bed, with an IV in his arm, was Ethan.

Rage burned within me at the sight. He had lost weight, fed through a tube. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, his hair messy and greasy, but he was alive. I heard the strong thud of his heart, knowing it would echo in my ears for a long time.

I stood for a few seconds, tracing every inch of him. My fingers twitched at the sight of his dimple, a few inches from the corner of his lips. For once, I couldn’t focus on others’ emotions. All I felt was my endless guilt, smothering me like a thick quilt. We would get him out of here, and he’d never look like this again. I repeated it until the pain lessened enough for me to breathe.

"I can get these tubes out of him." Kat’s voice drifted closer, her nervous chuckle nearby. "Dad taught me something useful after all."

'Breathe, sweetheart.' Kieran's thoughts trickled in with my own, pulling me from the abyss. 'None of this is your fault. You couldn't hide from the world—it wouldn't have lasted. Eventually, Maverick would have found you. We were created for each other because one mate isn't enough to protect you. What Ethan just went through—we’d both endure it to keep you safe.'