Three Fated Hearts
Chapter 72

~Tia~

The three of us dress and head out of the room. We are met with curious glances as we make our way downstairs. I’m sure that glances are due to the fact that we are sporting marks on our necks. I know I’m still looked at warily by most of the pack, but the twins are loved.

We make our way out of the building and out to the cells. I’ve never been out here myself, and I’m not really looking forward to what I will encounter. There is a cellar door behind what looks like a barn. It isn’t since we don’t do farm activities here, but that’s what it looks like. The steep steps lead from the cellar door to the area below. We have guards, but you can’t see them. Rather than have them posted at the cellar door, alerting people that there is something there, they are in the woods across the way. They can see any movement around the barn-like structure this way.

We quickly head down the stairs, Landon in front and Lincoln behind me. It’s pretty dark and dank smelling. The outer room is nothing but dirt and roots, making it seem as if there is nothing there worth noticing. We head down a long hallway before reaching huge steel doors. Landon puts in a code along with his fingerprints, causing a clicking sound and the door to open. Only a few members have their fingerprints in the system. If anything were to happen, it would be easy to trace the cause.

Once we step through the doorway, the stench is potent. It smells of old b***d, burnt skin, urine, and feces. I almost gag once the smell hits me. Lincoln hands me a small jar and tells me to put it under my nose. The best I can describe it would be that Vicks stuff that humans tend to use. It’s a strong smell that is intended to keep out all of these other odors. There are many empty cells; we tend not to keep too many prisoners. Some will get their sentence quickly, and we move on. Some have to stay much longer, but it isn’t the norm.

The inner room is stainless steel from top to bottom. The bars of the cells are filled with silver, with the outer shell being stainless steel. We like to make sure that prisoners can’t mindlink or shift. There are cells on both sides of the wall and a few rooms in the back. Two interrogation rooms are on the left, and two rooms used for torture are on the right. Thankfully, I’ve never had to be involved in any torture.

We head down the hall until we get to the last few cells. To the left, in the second to last cell, there is a huddled mass in the corner. The lights are dim, so you have to really focus on making out the person in the cell. Neal looks up as we near his cell. He looks so broken and scared. It’s crazy to me that he woke up this morning like it was any other day, and now he’s sitting in our cells.

Neal, luckily, looks the same as he did when we were at the store. He hasn’t been tortured or beaten up, and I’m glad about that. Neal hangs his head, not able to meet any of our eyes. “Get the f**k over here.” I hit Landon in his chest. I get he is still upset, but there is no reason to be flat-out hostile. Neal didn’t do anything, and, at this point, he can do nothing.

“Let’s talk, Neal.”

“Talk about what, Tia?” I sigh.

“We need to talk about why you did what you did. I don’t understand what you were thinking.”

“Obviously, I wasn’t thinking at all.” I reach out to touch the bars, but Lincoln pulls my arm back. I almost forgot there is silver in there. I won’t die or anything, but it would be a bit uncomfortable. I sit down in front of the bars.

“Please, Neal. Please talk to me.” Neal sighs and pulls his head up. We briefly meet eyes before he closes his eyes and leans his head back on the wall.

“I messed up, Tia. I thought there was something between us, and I was wrong. Truth be told, I would be a lucky wolf if you felt anything for me.” Growls erupt around me, and I know the twins are getting upset. They will just have to deal with it. “She told me you were into me, you know.”

“Who told you that?”

“Your sister, Adela. She told me that you told her that you were interested in me, and you weren’t sure about the ceremony or accepting the bond with the twins.” Another growl goes through the room; this time, everything shakes under its weight. I reach out and touch each twin’s leg, trying to calm them.

We head down the hall until we get to the last few cells. To the left, in the second to last cell, there is a huddled mass in the corner. The lights are dim, so you have to really focus on making out the person in the cell. Neal looks up as we near his cell. He looks so broken and scared. It’s crazy to me that he woke up this morning like it was any other day, and now he’s sitting in our cells.

“I….I never said that. I don’t even talk to my sisters like that and I definitely never confided in Adela. She lied to you, Neal. I….you are a friend to me. I enjoyed talking to you, but that’s as far as it went. I never considered denying the mate bond. I’m sorry she lied to you.”

“Even if she did lie to you,” Lincoln starts. “What made you think it was a good idea to go after your future Alpha’s mate?”

“I don’t know why I was so stupid. I wasn’t thinking. I….I…..” Neal says nothing else, but the pain can be felt throughout the room.

“Just how close are you with Adela?” I’m surprised at how calmly Landon asks that question. I know he would love nothing more than to rip Neal’s throat out.

“We….well, we have been intimate,” Neal whispers, but we hear him.

“Intimate, as in s*x?? She told me that she was saving herself for after the ceremony.” I’m actually not surprised to hear that my sister lied about that, but it makes me wonder why. “How long have you been sleeping with her?”

“On and off since high school.” Landon lets out a huff, and I see him shake his head.

“She isn’t at all who I thought she was.”

“Is there anything else we should know?” Lincoln’s tone tells the story that he is through with this conversation.

“I….um…..” Oh no, I think there’s more. I almost don’t want Neal to say anything else, or the twins may just lose their s**t. “She had me make the call to bring you back to the territory.” The call…what call? I stand up and look at my mates. I can see their minds hard at work, and so many emotions pass through their eyes. They look at each other simultaneously, and I swear they would shift right here and now if they could. Landon turns to head down the hall, grabbing my wrist and pulling me with him. Lincoln is right behind me, basically pushing me back the way we came. It seems like they couldn’t make it back to the surface fast enough. We finally make it above ground, and the twins immediately shift into their wolves and take off running. I don’t know what’s going on, but whatever it is doesn’t bode well for Neal.