The Failed Rejection
Chapter 42

Noah pov

Noah followed Penelope’s brother to the abandoned building. He wasn’t one hundred percent sure of what was going on, but he knew it was serious. Noah watched Brad appreciatively, to be selected for the werewolf council as a warrior was a high honor. The werewolf council served all over the world, and an elite warrior received instant rank of that of a beta once initiated. The rank would never be erased even when the warrior retired from the council.

“Noah, Holden, Nash, you patrol the perimeter,” Brad told them after Brad took out the three guards with his compact crossbow.

“I’ll take the lead,” his brother Nash offered. His brother was the beta at the pack. Nash started going around the building.

“I’ll cover our six,” Holden offered and hung back. Noah followed his brother.

The three of them circled the building and found no one patrolling the building. Holden found the location of where Brad entered the building.

“I’m following him in, you stay here.” Holden quickly disappeared from sight. The two brothers stood back to back and kept an eye out for anything.

As time passed Noah thought back on to Penelope and her interaction with that bearshifter from the club. It was obvious that she found her second chance mate. Noah wasn’t sure how he felt about that to be honest. His wolf was whining and crying in his head. Noah loved Penelope very much, but in reality they hadn’t spent much time together as a couple. They both had their defenses up so high that they couldn’t reach each other. Noah saw the way Penelope looked at that giant werebear and wished that she looked at him that way. But she didn’t cause he hurt her too much.

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Braxton pov

Things at the auction were going sickeningly smooth. The men were wearing ski masks so they couldn’t be identified.

Braxton just prayed to the Goddess that some one found something, or some one slipped up. The auctioneer sold the oldest first, apparently the youngest kids went for the most money. Braxton felt his burner phone go off in his pocket.

Brad: I think I found them.

While Braxton was excited about that he didn’t know what they were supposed to do now. Brax texted Killian.

Brax: what do we do?

Killian: act normal, we can’t be seen as conspicuous.

“Twenty thousand,” Killian bid. Killian bid on several different girls throughout the auction but never actually won anything. Brax wasn’t sure of his strategy.

The auction continued on without further contact from Brad. Braxton started to get worried about him, but then he heard it. A scuffling then the auctioneer asked.

“What is that?”

The whole screen went black and then pandemonium erupted. Everyone was demanding answers, including Killian.

“What the hell is going on?” Killian roared he let his alpha aura out and everyone except the vampires bared their necks to him.

“What do we have here?” One of the vampires asked.

“That’s what I want to know,” Killian asked. s**t they were in trouble.

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Brad pov

Brad ignores the smell of his mate and tries replaceing the scent of Leroy. Penelope has seen the bastard so he must be on sight somewhere. Leroy wasn’t at the location with the buyers. If he is mixed up in this then Leroy won’t settle for being a low level pissant, he will have to be in the thick of it.

While Brad’s wolf was weaker and refusing to shift his sense of smell in human form became much stronger. He trained for hours every day to enhance his sense of smell. Brad started to differentiate smells in the other rooms. One smell immediately jumped out at him, simply because it was wrong. It wasn’t the smell of a rogue, it had the smell of a wolf but like a perverted version.

Brad immediately knew it was the man Penelope warned him about and carefully headed off in that direction. Brad stealthily avoided the cages and managed to make it past the live auction taking place. Brad knew the biggest threat was Leroy at the moment. Leroy had the same amount of training, and the former human was military.

Brad found the two of them in a small antechamber. The room looked to be some type of makeshift lab. If he didn’t know any better Brad would say it was drugs. Shifters have started to make a form of crystal meth like the humans do, but mix liquid wolfsbane in it so they can get high. Brad shifted his attention back to the occupants of the room. He slowly approached the two of them with his gun drawn.

“Hey Brad, glad you could finally make it,” Leroy said without turning around, it took all of his training to keep his heart rate steady. If there was any spike, the two of them would pounce on him.

“Why did you do this Leroy? How many people have you killed with your experiments?” Brad asked in a calm voice. Leroy laughed just like it was any day back at headquarters,

“Believe it or not this sick f**k volunteered. You think I’m bad, he loves experimenting on the subjects.”

Brad watched and weighed his options. He was only going to be able to get one clean shot off in the tight space.

“You are sick Leroy, and to think I trusted you.” Brad decided it had to be the devil he didn’t know. Penelope said he was dangerous when he was human. Leroy laughed crazily,

“That’s your rookie mistake kid. Don’t trust anyone.” Then the psycho experiment lunged for him. Brad already had his gunned aimed at him, Brad pointed toward his head and fired. Right between the eyes. He dropped dead. Leroy looked at the man on the floor.

“That’s a shame, I’m going to have a hard time replaceing his replacement.”

“You really think you are walking out of here?” Brad lifted his gun to fire again before back up came, but before he could get a shot off Leroy pulled out silver knife and threw it at him. Brad managed to dodge but the gun went off and fell from his hands.

“You don’t think o know your secret?” Leroy said tauntingly then shifted into his light brown wolf and launched at him. Leroy was beta b***d before joining the council, so he was an already powerful wolf. Leroy went for his arm that went for his second gun, he cried out in pain as he felt the teeth tear into his muscles. Brad tried to pry the wolf’s mouth off of him, but he fails and only manages for Leroy to clamp down more viciously.

“I know you can’t shift anymore,” Leroy whispered into the mindlink. Brad reached out to his wolf in desperation as Leroy started to shatter his bone.

“Come on Damien. We have to shift. For our mate! Or she will die!” Brad screamed out the last part. Then he felt it, Damien respond to his command and his bones start to shift. Brads sharp talons came out and he immediately swiped at Leroy’s eyes.

Leroy pulled away and Brad immediately finished his shift. It was the longest and most painful shift since his first shift at eighteen. Brad felt his bones c***k and pop out of joint. He felt his fur and snout sprout out and rearrange his body. Brad felt amazing to be in his wolf form again. His enemy immediately pounced on him going for his injured paw.

Brad immediately tore into Leroy’s shoulder ripping off a massive chunk of flesh with one twist of his jaws.

“It feels great to be back Damien,” Brad told his wolf.

“Focus!” His wolf demanded. Leroy’s wolf didn’t even whimper and came back at him with full force. They locked their jaws in attempted to dominate one another. The two wolf’s were pretty evenly matched, Leroy always relied on brute strength. Brad was more of a tactician. He needed to think fast before backup comes in. Out of the corner of his eye Brad sees the discarded silver knife. If he can get Leroy to step on it then it will break the lock of their jaws and Brad can go in for the kill.

It agonizing slow work to move three steps to the left, so Leroy will go three steps to the right. But it works, and Leroy steps on the knife. The pain of the silver shocks him just enough to loosen the locks of their jaws for Brad to pull away. Brad pulls away and in one swift move rips his throat out.

“Sorry it had to end like this buddy,” Brad thought. Brad decided to shift back into his human form. Fortunately his gloves and weapons were still intact, his clothes were not. Brad was going to look like a crazy person walking around naked but with gloves on, but he had to protect his hands from the poison. Brad picked up his gun and his crossbow and went out of the room.

The antechamber led to what Brad assumed to be the main dining room. Which is where all the cages were located. There were about eight men in the room, all wearing masks. Brad walked up carefully and shot two with his crossbow. The people in the cages let out a small gasp, but he made a shushing noise and they didn’t say anything.

Brad managed to get behind one and snap his neck. However, the sound of him falling alerted the others.

“What’s that?” They all turned to him and Brad smiled and lifted his gun. There was too many for headshots so he went with the heart. Brad fired with quick and accurate succession until there was only one left. Brad left the one who had the keys, he approached the man who smelled like a pack and was clearly the auctioneer. Brad approached the man.

“Please don’t kill me! Please don’t kill me!”

“Why in Goddess’s name do you think you are going to get off that easy?” Brad said with a cruel smile and gave him a punch that knocked him out. Brad dragged him to wear the smell of his mate was coming from and he found the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Brad gave her a smile, and asked her gently as he got the keys from the vile man.

“My dear mate, do you happen to know which one of these can free you from that awful cage?” His mate who had clearly been beaten and starved started to cry. She grabbed the key ring and with shaking hangs managed to replace the right key. Brad unlocked the cage and his little mate dove for him.

“Hold on little mate, I need to get this bastard in here.” His mate understood and pulled away. Brad managed to get the bastard in the cage and locked it up.

“Can you start unlocking your friends?” She nodded. “Okay guys my name is Brad. I’m with the midnight howlers pack and I’m here to free you. I’m not sure if you are out of danger yet, so please don’t leave the room.” Brad said as his mate started to unlock the cages. Brad decided to call Holden,

“Holden how is everything outside?”

“It’s good, you clear everything in there?”

“I don’t know. I stopped the auction can you come in here?” Brad thought for a second. “Will you have Noah bring Penelope? She may be able to help.”

“Whose Penelope?” One of the women asked. Brad noticed it wasn’t his mate, though she did have jealousy in her eyes.

“Jealous little mate?” Brad laughed. “Don’t be, Penelope is my sister and she’s training to be a doctor. I thought everyone would prefer her presence instead of another males.”

“Forgive my sister, she was rejected because she couldn’t talk.” The two woman revealed and watched Brad closely. That didn’t bother him in the least.

“We can talk to each other all we want when we mark each other,” Brad said with a smile.

“Brad!” Holden called his name and he turned. “Okay little mate, I have to make sure we are safe. My sister and another man should be coming in about ten minutes. I will be back soon.” Brad told her and she gave him the most beautiful smile.

“Violet,” he heard as he was leaving. Brad turned around,

“What?”

“My sister wanted you to know her name is Violet.” Brad smiled at both the women before walking out of the room.