The Triplets' Rejected Disabled Mate Chapter 76

Colt's POV

"I have a trail," Grey's mind linked, "and it is heading east."

"I'll be down in a minute," I replied. "Wait for me before you run off."

"Roger that," he said, cutting the link.

"Aren't you coming?" I asked Kate, who was still sitting and waiting for Sam and Grey.

Her gaze shifted back to the stairs, unsure of what she wanted to do.

Gosh, some days I am angry at myself for not marking her. Things would have been much easier.

"They are not coming down that way again," I said, "they are already below."

"Wait, what?" Kate gasped, surprised. She surely didn't expect to hear that.

"You heard me," I said, considering leaving her here for now. She was now wasting precious time, and the weather was picking up.

If it started to rain, the trail might run cold, Grey wouldn't be able to pick up the scent, and Ellie might just be lost.

Jimmy told me that the border was secured. No one could get in or out without the patrol knowing.

Kate pushed her wheelchair forward.

"Do you want me to help?" I asked.

"No," she answered. "It keeps my mind off Ellie if I concentrate on something else."

I nodded, headed to the elevator, and pushed the call button.

Kate arrived just as the bell indicated the elevator's arrival.

"Ladies first," I said, and Kate rolled her eyes, pushing herself in and turning around to face the exit.

I kept my posture stiff and cold, walked in, and pushed the ground floor button.

As soon as the door closed, I bent down, breathing down her neck.

Kate immediately reacted to my closeness.

"I saw that princess," I whispered in her ear, and she shivered. "It doesn’t mean that when there is a crisis, you can be rude to me and my brothers. This will not go unpunished."

Kate's gaze snapped toward me, her eyes wide and her breathing escalating as tension built between us.

A smile followed on my lips when her sweet arousal hit my nose, and I took a deep breath, feeling how the scent burned down to my lungs.

"Mmmm," I said, holding Kate's gaze. "You sure smell delicious!"

Kate's face turned crimson, which, in response, made my cock twitch. If it were any other time, I would have stopped the elevator and f*cked her here and now.

I internally sighed.

This wasn't the time.

Kate opened her mouth to say something, yet decided not to, and swallowed hard.

Did I just take the wind right out of her sails?

"You did," Ray mused, enjoying our mate's embarrassed state.

"Now that I have your full attention," I said, smirking. "We will do everything in our power to find Ellie. Even if I have to call for resources from my pack,

"You will do that?" Kate asked, surprised.

"Yes," I said, straightening myself and taking Kate's hand. "You are our mate after all. We will do everything in our power to protect what belongs to us, even your family."

The elevator signaled our arrival, and the doors flew open.

"Come," I said. "Sam and Grey have news. They believe the kidnapper had gone east."

"East?" Kate asked, looking worried.

"Yeah," I said, pushing the wheelchair out of the elevator. "We need to know what is on the east side of your territory."

Kate's heart rate suddenly escalated, and it triggered worry inside me.

"The dark forest," she said, turning to look at me. "Do you think she took Ellie in there?"

Kate shivered at the thought.

"I am not sure. Why are you afraid of the forest?" I asked.

"You noticed my reaction, didn't you?" She asked, dropping her gaze to her hands.

"Yes," I said, pushing her further down the hallway to the exit where Sam and Grey waited.

"It's not that I am afraid of the forest," she said, and she let out a breath. "It's where he pinned me down."

I stopped in my tracks and brought the wheelchair to a stop.

Who was the 'he' she was referring to?

Was it Brian who wanted to take advantage of our mate?

Different kinds of questions and emotions rushed through my mind, and for a second, I was boiling over out of anger.

I was furious, and I wanted to rip whoever had scared and touched Kate apart.

I wanted to know who dared to be so bold as to scare my mate.

What did he want from her?

What did he do to her?

Is that the reason she gave up hope in herself?

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. I needed to know what was going on before my emotions took over and I became irrational. There was a lot at stake; we needed to find Ellie first and make sure she was safe.

My gaze moved to Kate, sitting and staring out before her.

I needed to know why she was so afraid.

"Kate," I said, trying to keep my voice even.

I was forcing myself not to show the anger that was pumping through my veins.

"Mmm?"

"What are you talking about? Who pinned you down, and what did they want?"

Kate suddenly looked tired, and her shoulders dropped. She let out a long, uneven breath.

"The night I lost my ability to walk," she said, not looking at me. "The pack was attacked by rogues."

Kate suddenly went silent.

"What happened?" I asked.

We all knew of the attack, but no one knew exactly what happened, and none of us had the guts to ask. We were scared that the incident would upset Kate.

Yet I could hear the hesitation in Kate's voice. Something must have happened before she ran into the burning packhouse.

"Brian fought four rogues," she whispered, wiping her eyes. "He ordered me to run back to the packhouse."

"One of the rogues followed you?" I asked.

"Yes," she said, turning to look at me. "One came after me, and he tackled me to the ground. He pinned me down. I thought it was the end of me, but..."

I knitted my eyebrows together, seeing Kate's eyes glaze over. For a second, it looked as if she was replaying the event in her mind.

Will she be able to process and tell me about this old memory?

"Tell me what happened when he pinned you down. Did he hurt you?" I asked.

Why did I have this bloody, nagging feeling in the back of my head that something dramatic had happened to Kate, and she never told anyone about this?

"No," she said, shaking her head. "He never hurt me, which was odd."

"Then what happened, Kate? Why are you so scared?" I asked, squatting next to the wheelchair. I wanted to shake her until she gave me answers.

"He made me look into his eyes. His horrible red eyes and all I could see were endless pools of darkness," she whispered. "They are coming for me. They want me. And they will do everything in their power to have me."

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