Jaded Hearts
Chapter 48

Matt

I didn’t sleep last night. I just couldn’t. I was never the guy who got pleasure out of someone else’s pain, and I never thought that I would disrespect my mate. But in the span of one night, I did both, and I didn’t know who I was anymore.

The sun wasn’t up yet, so as quietly as I could, I crept downstairs and to the kitchen. I was surprised to see Tyson there, drinking coffee and sitting in the dark. Xander had a guest room set up for him on the second floor while his living situation was being figured out.

“What are you doing up? You’ve got a beautiful woman in your bed, and you’re down here?”

I walked to the coffee pot and poured myself a huge cup, then went and sat next to him. “Last night was f****d up. I never expected things to go as far as they did.”

“It’s a f****d up world we live in, but you knew that going in. So, what’s the real issue?”

“I enjoyed it.”

“Ahh. Well, that’s different.”

“Yeah.”

We sat in silence for a few minutes before he dropped some words of wisdom on me. “What you feel is natural.”

I looked at him disgusted and wondered why I was trying to seek comfort from Hades.

“Just listen. What he did to the woman you love was unforgivable, and he showed absolutely no remorse. And he was never going to stop until you stopped him. So, it’s natural to enjoy the fact that you made him pay, that you ensured her safety, and that stopped him from hurting anyone else. You’re not him. None of us are.”

“But leaving him down there to suffer? We could have just killed him and been done with it.”

“Yeah, but where’s the fun in that?”

“Really, man?”

“I’m joking. You were hurting and pissed, and so was Kade.”

“And what about you?”

“I needed to redeem myself for all my actions that caused Taylor pain. I did it through him.”

I sat for a while thinking about last night, then made the decision. “I’m going down there and putting him out of his misery. We’ve had our fun, and it’s over.”

“Alright, if that’s what you want to do. I’ll come with you.”

I shot a link to the guys, letting them know what was about to happen, and gave them a few minutes to come down if they wanted. When we made it to the cell, I could already tell that something was off. The room just felt different.

I stood there, confused. I had to be missing something.

The door was locked, and the chains were still hanging from the ceiling, but Drew was nowhere to be seen.

He was gone.

* * *

“I want every f*****g member of the patrol we have here right now!” Xander yelled.

Kade’s eyes clouded over as he sent out the links to the team. I still hadn’t moved from my spot. How had we let him slip away? We had him and could’ve killed him, but we didn’t, and now he’s gone.

“What the f**k happened here last night?” Xander said, turning to the three of us. Kade stepped forward, but it was obvious he didn’t have answers.

“Tyson and I were the last ones to leave. He was chained—we even shackled his feet. The cell was locked, and the keys never left my side.”

“So, he just disappeared like a puff of smoke? Why didn’t the patrols catch him? There was no way he could’ve snuck past them in the state he was in!”

We didn’t have an answer.

“Someone helped him. Someone in my pack is a f*****g traitor, and when I replace who it is, they won’t even have the chance to beg.” Xander stormed back up the stairs and boomed through the house.

“WHERE ARE MY f*****g PATROLS?!”

Kade opened the cell and walked in, looking for any clue to what could have happened. “I had the keys to the cell and the shackles, and none of them were unlocked just now,” he thought out loud.

“Unless someone was smart enough to lock them back once Drew was out,” Alexi added.

None of us would let him out, and none of us would betray our pack. But Tyson wasn’t a member of the pack. I turned and looked at him. Could he have done this?

“Stop looking at me like that. I hated that piece of s**t, and you know it. I’d never help him escape.”

“What if the price was right? Drew had plenty of money,” Kade said.

“I’ve got more than fifty million dollars to my name. Money no longer motivates me.”

The fact that he was so calm while he was being accused said something.

“He didn’t do it. None of us would let him go. Let’s go replace the patrols and figure out what the hell happened.” While walking back up the stairs, I remembered something else.

“I’ve got to go tell Taylor what’s going on. She needs to know.”

“She does, and so does Morgan, but for now, we need to do our jobs and replace out what happened. They’re both asleep anyway,” Kade said.

He was right, but I hated that once again, we had to look over our shoulders. We got to the conference room and found it packed with wolves. Xander was going on a rampage. He was in full Alpha mode, and even Kade and I knew not to cross him.

“Someone explain to me how he just disappeared. It’s impossible to get in or out of this house without an alarm sounding. Kade!”

“Yes, Alpha?”

“Didn’t you increase the patrols around the house when we brought Drew in?”

“Yes, Alpha. Ten-minute rotations.”

Xander then turned back to the room. “Did you complete the rotations?”

“Yes, Alpha!”

“Then, where the f**k is he? I want every one of you out there searching for him. Every single inch of this land. I don’t care how long it takes. Find him now!”

“Yes, Alpha!”

The room emptied out, and when I went to leave, Xander stopped me.

“Not you, Matt. Get back here.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

“Cut the s**t. Just help me understand what’s going on. And the rest of you, sit down.”

The five of us sat at the table, completely defeated. “Okay, let’s think. There’s only one set of keys, and I think we all agree that no one here or in this house would’ve taken them and let Drew out, right?” I asked the group.

“Right,” Kade agreed.

“So that leaves what? Witches or maybe vampires?”

“If that’s the case, then we’re screwed,” Alexi added.

Witches and vampires were impossible to replace if they wanted to stay in the shadows, and if one was helping Drew, we’d never replace him. Nothing was said for a few minutes. There was nothing we could say.

All I thought about was the things I had done and how they would just fuel Drew’s psychosis. If we thought he was a problem before, I didn’t even want to think about what he would be like now. When I heard the stampede of feet coming down the hall, I just shut my eyes. I didn’t want to see the look on her face when she realized that this was really happening. Again.

I didn’t want to watch as the hope that maybe someone was misinformed faded from her eyes.

Alaia was the first in the room, and she immediately tore into us.

“What the actual f**k is going on here? How can the five of you catch that piece of s**t, torture him for eight hours, then lose him? How?!”

“Alaia, please just stop. We’re trying to figure this out,” Xander stood and said.

“Figure what out? Why isn’t he dead? Who helped him escape? These two deserve answers,” she screamed while frantically pointing to Taylor and Morgan.

“And Taylor is pregnant! How can you expect her to have a healthy pregnancy with all the s**t going on in this house? Stress is the last thing she needs, and you guys let Drew slip away? So again, I ask: what the actual f**k is going on here?”

Xander was close to blowing a gasket, and that was the last thing any of us wanted or needed. Taylor slumped down onto the floor, staring out at nothing. She didn’t say a word and didn’t shed a single tear, but she looked broken and defeated. I ran to her side and wrapped my arms around her. I didn’t even know she was shaking until she was pressed against my body.

“I’m sorry, baby, but I promise you we will replace him. We won’t let him get away again.”

She looked up at me, begging for the answer that none of us could give. “How?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll replace out. I promise you. I’ll replace out.”

She nodded her head and wrapped her arms around me as tight as she could. She was terrified all over again, and this time, it was my fault.