Betrayed by My Pack – Wolfless Hybrids Escape
Chapter 53 –

Cara's POV

Alexei had moved in last night, but he had gone out to take a quick trip back to his coven. He had been gone for over two hours and returned to our house a little after eleven. I had stayed up waiting for him to return and heard the door open and close. My mother had added his palm print to the door so he would be allowed to enter. There were only six of us who could, in the entire pack. My mother and I, Jaxon and Brenna, and Alexei and Robert. That was it, and my mother only added Jaxon and Robert out of respect for the pack and to show trust in them. We had time together at dinner tonight, and I would be lying if I said I hadn't enjoyed it very much. As much as I love my sisters, tonight was different for me. Alexei had gone to the coven to speak to Dmitry and Ivan, but he was back by six. My mother dotes on him, as proven by the fact that she had taken the opportunity to ensure he had a raw steak at dinner. The blood on the plate didn't bother me like I thought it would. I knew he had gone back to get blood from his supply. He didn't like me seeing him drink from it yet. The conversation flowed, and I enjoyed listening to his stories. I forgot how long he has lived. He and my mother have experienced far more than me, seeing both highs and lows in our history. Alexei much more than my mother. You almost forget about their actual age, as they appear to be in their late twenties. "Attention! This chapter belongs to Jobb.. If you're seeing this elsewhere, you've found a copycat. For fresh, authentic content, come to obb. directly. We appreciate your support and know our true fans will enjoy the original content with us." Once dinner was complete, we watched two movies together in the living room before my mother excused herself for the night. I was a little anxious about being alone with Alexei, but not because he had ever pushed himself on me. He has been nothing but a gentleman to me. I just didn't know if things would get awkward with it just being us down here now.

"I will be banishing Jana and her friend out of the coven tomorrow. Anika was warned, but I was just advised that they had both left the coven, jumping over the wall. They lost the person I had on them, as they had to wait to follow them. They were both told to stay out of Black Adder. It doesn't matter why they came here. They both violated the rules. I have Dmitry noting the violation so we can ban them both from the coven. You will still need to be vigilant for the next few months. Jana will not give up," Alexei told me.

"I doubt that she would come back. She would have to know that her life would be in danger. Even if she killed me, she has no chance with you. I will be on guard after you kick her out. I always am. I am kind of used to it now. You forget I have struggled with being targeted for over five years now. I get a gut feeling before something happens. I have learned to trust my gut over the years. It hasn't failed me yet. I even knew that Jana was coming. As scary as it was, I felt her before I saw her. I won't let her get her hands on me," I replied.

We were sitting on the couch with each other as we spoke. His leg was touching mine, and I could feel his muscles pushing against my leg any time he shifted in his seat. He seemed to be anxious tonight. He didn't mention it, but he is usually very calm these days. A big difference from the anxious man who greeted me after I first arrived here. I turned my head to look at him. I wanted to remember this night as something special, other than out kiss this afternoon, we had not been this close. Especially not alone. "We have a government whose rules we follow. My grandfather still sits as the ruler of the government. He is strict but fair and still rules despite his age. I have always followed the rules to the letter. Rescuing those who I thought were victims and dealing with the feral vampires that took innocent lives. I believed Jana and Anika when they said that they had been forced to do what the leaders of their group were doing. They had been chasing a witch for a week before they cornered her. She was exhausted, and we ended up rescuing Adra (Add-ra). She was terrified but calmed after we dealt with the feral ones who had chased her. I had Polina and Nadia bring her to Black Adder for safety as we dealt with them. I failed her. I know that if I had questioned Adra before we took her to safety, I could have dealt with Jana and Anika simultaneously," Alexei told me quietly.

"I am sure that they were terrified that they would have been killed, just like the others. They would have known what to say to save their lives. I know that if you had known they were just as bad as the rest of their group, you would have punished them, too. You are a good man and a good leader, Alexei. You run your coven with honor and diligence. I see how your people respect you. You are well respected here in Black Adder as well. Their treatment of you speaks volumes about who you are as a leader," I told him. Everything that I have learned about him has shown me that he is a good man.

"I can't take the credit for that. I have an excellent team in place to help me. My coven, although small at just a few hundred, are all good vampires. Ones who strive to show that the feral ones are not all the examples of our kind. We can live peacefully with anyone. We will only attack if we have been attacked first or someone has broken our laws. We have spent centuries building our community to be where it is now. We pay for blood donations and tests to ensure that it is safe. It helps to curb our thirst for blood, making us calmer and more rational than the feral vampires. Drinking from someone who allows you to do it is a heady thing. I have done it before, and if not for extreme control, one can go too far. I did it when I was younger. I can still remember the rush and pleasure you get from doing it. I learned that it is better for me to stick to the blood bags. People are safer around us for using them. We know we can feed that way and get what we need," Alexei told me.

I couldn't contain my shiver as Alexei spoke about the pleasure he felt at drinking from someone. A second later, a flame of jealousy was ignited at the thought of him doing that. I am sure that he had been drinking from former lovers. My brain was telling me that at almost five hundred years old, he had to be very experienced. My heart was furious at the thought of anyone else having touched my mate. It jarred me to realize just how jealous I was of anyone else touching him. I knew it was all in the past. We hadn't even known each other at all, and yet my heart still felt an ache. I see him watching me, but I don't want to hurt him by telling him what I think, so I changed the subject.

"I have never seen cooperation like this in my life. At Kamaria, no other species is accepted. There are no exceptions. We were raised from childhood being told that only other wolves could be trusted. When I was in school, they thought I would be a wolf. Once they had verified that I wasn't, it all fell apart. I was bullied and abused from that moment on because we had been raised not to trust outsiders. My father's willingness to leave me unprotected had also painted a target on my back. I owe so much to Luna and Brenna. I could never repay them. I would probably be dead by now if it weren't for them," I told him.

Alexei was clearly stunned to hear what I told him. "I hadn't realized how badly you were treated at your old pack. I assumed he had protected you since Paxton insisted on getting you back. We all thought that you and your sisters had run because of Clay attempting to assault you," he remarked. He reached out to take my hand in his, which meant a lot to me that he wanted to comfort me.

"Paxton had bullied me as I grew up, but not too badly at first. Everyone was scared of Dad. He had a strong wolf. Paxton's chosen mate, Lisa, hates me. She has always wanted to be his Luna. When she got it, I thought that she would finally calm down. She didn't and went on to make my life miserable for the last five years. I do not like, nor want, Paxton. I never have. I only wanted my own mate. I had thought I would have one until I turned eighteen. Then I was scared, I thought I was just a powerless hybrid. A fluke that nobody wanted. If they did want me, it was just for me to be their guilty pleasure. One hidden away like a dirty secret. I deserve more than that," I told Alexei.

I could feel tears building up in my eyes as I felt all the frustration and pain that I felt back in Kamaria. Some of the males there wanted me, but only as a bed buddy. Not someone for them to love and value. I felt shame at being deemed less than everyone else in the pack. Someone who couldn't possibly be worthy enough as a potential mate. Even before Dad died, that was the case. Brenna and Luna had stepped up in a big way. When a guy would go too far towards me, Dad would deal with them. But he only did that as a favor to the daughters he was actually proud of.

I felt a finger on my chin, lifting my face. Alexei cupped my cheek and turned my face towards his. This kiss was different from the one we shared yesterday. It was gentle and soothing as if Alexei was putting a balm on my heart. The fact that he wanted to take my pain away did help to soothe me. The next thing I knew, I sat across his lap as the kiss deepened. Alexei nipped my lip, and I granted him access. Alexei held me with a strong arm across my back to hold me to him. His other hand was holding the back of my head as he conquered my mouth. He was very good at this, and I hated for it to end. We broke apart, and I was breathless by his kiss.

He pulled me towards him, holding me securely as he bent his head to sniff my hair. His hold tightened as if he was fighting himself. He was waiting for me to give him approval to go further. I was just about to give it when his body completely stiffened up. His low growl was strong and angry, but I felt no fear towards him. He gently placed me back on the couch and said, "I have to go, Cara. There has been an emergency." He didn't wait for my reply. He was gone a few seconds later.