The Twin Alphas’ Fated Mate
Fate of the Forsaken Brother Chapter 17

~Maxton~

A week goes by without much happening. Kaden and Aubrey have fully mated and can't seem to leave each other alone now. It seems like every ten minutes, they're sneaking off to rip each other's clothes off. Devin and Kai are no better. And of course, I'm alone. I feel like under normal circumstances, the guys would be ripping into me about how I don't have a mate. But because of Penny and all she did, they haven't said a word. And I'm grateful. I don't need that reminder.

I'm sitting at my desk in my room, reviewing some papers my dad gave me. It's all the information they had on the rogue pack 18 years ago. Things have obviously changed now, but it's good to know how things were run back then. My dads want to send out scouts to see if they're back at the old packhouse they were at back then. If they're not there, we have no idea where their pack is.

A knock at the door breaks me from my thoughts. I place the paper I'm holding down and call for the person to come in. Devin steps in and at first, I'm confused as to why he didn't just walk in, but then Kai follows him in.

"Hey, guys." I greet them, standing up out of my chair.

"Hey, so remember how you were telling me you wanted to know more about the rogue pack?" Devin says and I nod. "Well, I mentioned to Kai we were looking into them and he told me something interesting." Devin tells me. I look to Kai. He bows slightly to me, showing his respect.

"My father was a warrior when the fight happened between the packs. He was there that day. He told me many stories. So have all the older warriors from my pack. All the stories were the same up until very recently. A group of rogues showed up at the pack. They were seeking shelter, saying they were banished from their pack. I don't know the specifics of their banishment, but Alpha Duncan allowed them to stay in our pack. I assume what they did wasn't all that serious. Anyway, the eldest boy was around 17 and he became one of our warriors. He told us they were from a pack that's not new, but it's not old either. It's a pack that was once thought dead but made a return. He told us stories of the alpha, who is only a placeholder until the true alpha prince is found. The boy called this prince 'Alpha Kaden Godfrey'. He told us they traveled from the south. I didn't think much of it until everything happened with Kaden and Devin told me all the details. Everything sort of clicked and I realized this boy is from the rogue pack now known as Black Creek." Kai explains. Devin looks from Kai to me, giving me a look that says he's just as confused by this as I am.

"A rogue pack that banishes its members? If they have rules and punishments, they're no longer rogues. They're an actual pack. And if that's the case, them coming after Kaden is a declaration of war, just like it was with Half Moon." I say out loud. Devin nods.

"Oh, there's one more thing I just remembered. I'm not sure it will help much, but it's information." Kai says. I nod for him to continue. "The boy, told us the name of someone. I only remember it because the boy told us the man is a human who works with the current alpha."

"A human? Working with Jerald?" Devin asks. Kai nods.

"Yes. The boy told us when they would raid smaller packs, they'd take the young girls and give them to this man. I suppose they have some sort of agreement."

"Give the girls to the man? What was his name?" I ask.

"His name was Ivan."

After I dismiss Kai, Devin stays behind with me. We talk about the new information Kai gave us. But one thing is really bothering us.

"Ivan. Where have I heard that name before?" I ask myself out loud.

"I think we should go ask your dads. Maybe they can help us. It might've been a story they told us when we were growing up." Devin suggests.

"Yeah, sure. They'll probably know. Let's go." I stand from my desk and we leave my room. I mind link my dads and Elliot says he's outside with my mom and brothers. We head outside behind the pack house where I see Rhett and Blake sparring. Of course they are. It's what Kaden and I did growing up as well. My dads loved to have us spar together. They said training early makes us stronger.

"Hey, boys. How are you?" My mom asks us when we make our way over. I pull her in for a side hug and kiss her on the head.

"We're good Luna Mercury. We just had a question for Alpha Elliot and Arthur." Devin says. "Arthur is out with the warriors doing training exercises, but I can probably answer for the both of us." Elliot says, not taking his eyes off my brothers.

"Well, I mentioned to Kai about how we're looking into the rogue pack and he told me something he knew about them, so I brought him to Max. While we were there, he remembered something else." Devin explains.

"A name. Someone who's working with Jerald. A human." I say.

"A human? Why would a human be working with werewolves?" My mom asks.

"He could be a hunter." Elliot says.

"He could be a hunter." Elliot says.

"No, he's not. Kai said he takes the young girls from the packs they invaded. His name sounded familiar and we couldn't remember where we've heard it from." I say.

"He's taking these young girls? What's his name?" Elliot asks.

"Ivan." I say.

My mother goes pale the second the name leaves my lips. She grabs onto my dad as he steadies her.

"Love, it's okay. He's not here. Look at me." Elliot says softly to her. She looks up at him, her hands shaking as she grips his arms.

"Mom, are you okay? Do you need to sit down?" I move to help her as Devin grabs a chair from a nearby table. My mom sits down as she's breathing heavily.

"We know exactly who Ivan is." Elliot growls. I look at him, confused. "Go get your dad and meet us in my office. And get Kaden. If Devin can keep it in his pants, so can he."

I just nod before turning to Devin. I mind-link Kaden, telling him to meet at the office. He grumbles, but I cut the link before he can argue. Then I mind like my dad, Arthur. He'll probably have a bunch of questions if I say Elliot told him to, so I just say the only thing I can think of that will get him to come immediately.

"Dad, mom needs you now. She's in dad's office with him." I say through the link. I hear nothing back but I know he heard.

Devin, Rehett, Blake, and I walk in and just get to the stairs as Arthur comes bursting through the doors in just a pair of shorts. He shifted and ran here.

"Where the f**k is she? What happened?" Arthur asks loudly, marching past us. Kaden appears beside me with Aubrey. Her hair is a mess and Kaden's shirt is inside out. I give him a look. What the hell were they doing? His bedroom isn't on the main floor. Gross. Kaden just shrugs and smirks at me. I shake my head.

"Aubrey, do you mind staying with Rhett and Blake? Kai will meet you here. We just have an urgent meeting to go to." Devin asks her. Aubrey's guard, Dakota, appears. Kaden must have

mind-linked him.

"Of course, Gamma Devin." Aubrey nods and walks to the twins. They give Kaden a look. They know what they just did. We walk upstairs.

"What was that look from them? They don't know what we were doing. They were outside."

Kaden says.

"Kaden, they're 13, not stupid. Aubrey's hair looks like you've been yanking on it and your damn shirt is inside out for f**k sakes." I say pointing at him. Kaden looks down, his face red.

"Oh." He says before fixing it.

We get to my dad's office and walk in to Arthur pacing the room, looking really pissed off.

"Ivan? Are you sure?" He asks Elliot. He doesn't even look our way as we walk in.

"That's what Max said." Elliot says. Arthur turns to me.

"Ivan's back?" Arthur asks me?

"I guess? Who is he?" I ask. This is all so confusing.

"He's the man who kiddnapped me 19 years ago." My mom says from where she's sitting on the

couch next to Elliot. Oh s**t. I remember now. My dads told me the story of how they met my mom. It isn't a happy one where it's love at first sight. She was kidnapped by Ivan when she was walking to her car after school. Drugged and locked me in the basement of a warehouse to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. He told her how much he wanted to rape her repeatedly. She had to escape and run through the woods for days, starving and dehydrated before she stumbled into the pack grounds where Beck found her and brought her to our warrior tower and our previous pack doctor, Jane, looked after her. When Beck brought her to meet the alphas, she was bruised, battered and dirty. My dads were angry when they found out what had happened to her, but then all the crap with Half Moon and the rogues happened. Then they found out she was pregnant with me and they also had baby Kaden. My dads looked for the warehouse that my mom was kept at for weeks because my mom was so out of it and wandering around for so long, she couldn't remember which way she came from. They eventually found it. It had been seven months since my mom escaped and she made a big scene when she did escape, the chances were slim they'd still be there. But somehow, they were. Because they were human and not werewolves, my dads decided that calling the human police would be the best thing to do. All the girls would be returned to their families and the creeps who did this would be locked up for life. But they wanted to take out Ivan themselves for ever daring to touch their mate. So they scoped the place out while waiting for the police. They couldn't find him before they heard the cars pulling up, so they waited behind to watch for him. Ivan never came out of the building. He wasn't arrested that day. My dads assumed he just wasn't there. They went in after everyone had left hours later and the place was completely empty. No one was left inside. They had to go home because my mom was waiting for them to return, but they left scouts to look out for him in case he showed up. He never did.

Ivan got away.

But now, he's working with Jerald. The pack raids smaller packs and gives all the young girls to Ivan. He's probably selling them like he tried to do with my mother.

"That fucker is back. After all this time." Arthur says, still pacing.

"Can someone fill me in?" Kaden says. Devin pulls him to the side and explains everything Kai told us and the connection between Ivan, Jerald, and my mom.

"We have to deal with this. And fast. Not only is Jerald threatening Kaden and our family, Ivan is now involved and is selling young girls again. This cannot go on." Elliot says. We all start to

agree before Devin drops to the ground, shouting in pain.

"Holy f**k!" Devin shouts, holding his head. "Where's Kai?!"

I look up at my parents, worried that Devin had just lost his mate, but they look worried, not

horrified. I look back at Devin. He's holding his head, not his chest. Kai's not dead. He's just hurt. He probably got hit in the head.

"Kai was with Aubrey and the twins." Kaden says quietly. My mom shoots up from where she

was sitting at the mention of her babies being in danger. Kaden moves to the door before he stumbles backwards, also holding his head.

"What the f**k?" Kaden says breathlessly. Crap, this is not good. I run out of the room and

down to the front doors. I run back to where the twins always want to go. Where they always

spar and throw balls around. I look around and don't see anyone until my eyes land on Kai, lying on the ground. I rush over to him. He's been hit on the head with something heavy. There's a pool of blood forming around his head but he's still breathing. I look behind me to see Devin rushing over to us. He falls to his knees as he takes Kai into his arms, tears

streaming down his face.

"Somebody get Suzi!" Devin screams. Some pack members have come closer to us to see what's going on. I look over at Kaden. He looks down at Kai before searching the area.

"What are you looking for?" I ask, standing up.

"If Aubrey and the twins aren't here, it's because they were taken. Dakota is Aubrey's guard. He

has to be here somewhere." Kaden says. Just then, Dakota pushes his way through the crowd, looking completely untouched. Kaden sees him and goes right over to him.

"Where is my mate?" Kaden growls through his teeth.

"Sorry. She was with that Kai guy so I thought she'd be okay if I just stayed back inside." Dakota shugs. He looks completely unfazed by what's going on right now.

"You are supposed to be with her at all times when I am not with her! Was that not clear when

you were assigned to her?!" Kaden yells in his face. Dakota rolls his eyes. Oh great. He's one of the pack members who disagree with Kaden's position here. I start to walk over to them.

"It was clear, but I don't even know why I have to guard her. Why is she so important?" Dakota

says. Wrong thing to say, buddy.

"It doesn't matter why! You were given an assignment as a warrior and you should do it, no questions asked." Kaden growls.

"I am going to ask questions because you are the one who told me to do it. I only agreed

because Alpha Maxton was there at the time. You have no authority, Kaden." Dakota says. That's crossing a line. I haven't officially stated that Kaden will be my beta, but he's still of alpha blood and should be respected. I'm about to step up and say something, but Kaden

holds his hand out for me to stop.

"That's Beta Kaden to you." Kaden says, getting right in Dakota's face. Dakota glances over at

me and when I don't say anything, he goes pale as he realizes what that means. "I gave you an order to watch over my mate. She has been kidnapped because you can't get over yourself and accept that I am a part of this pack and will not be going anywhere. Kai cannot mind-link us yet, but you can. If she dies, I'm holding you personally responsible." Kaden turns walk back

over to me, but stops. "Oh yeah. Alpha Maxton's younger brothers, Rhett and Blake were also

taken, as they were with Aubrey and Kai. If something happens to either of them, that will be on you as well."

Dakota shinks back, the weight of the situation dawning on him. He knows how badly he f****d

up. I look over to my parents. My mom is hysterical over my brothers being gone. The football they were playing with sits on the ground where it fell not far from Kai. Devin is still holding tightly to Kai as Suzi wraps his head. He's finally coming to, looking around at all of us. Kaden stands beside me, shaking in anger. I grab his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

"I told her I wouldn't let her get kiddnapped," Kaden says quietly.

"We will get her back." I say.

"Oh, I know we will. Jerald and Ivan have no idea who the hell they're dealing with. And if there's even a scratch on her or the twins, I'll burn that fuckers pack to the goddamn ground."