Ch. 61..70

The Broken Warriors Daughter Chapter 61-Eli covers my head with a hood, so | can’t see where we are going. It’s enough for me to breathe and also to see bits of light here and there, but nothing specific. We walk for most of the night before we get to a group of cars. “Where are you taking me?” It's not the first time I've asked, and I’m met with the same silence | received every other time. Eli hasn’t said a word to me since we left.

We get to a large SUV, he takes the hood off, opens a bottle of water and offers it to me. Since it wasn’t open before he offered it, | open my mouth and let him pour it in. | can go a long time without water but if he’s offering, I'll take what | can get when I can get it.

When I'm done, he puts silver shackles on my ankles, puts the hood back on, then shoves me into the back of the SUV, sliding the cargo cover over me. Now, no one can see me from the outside and what little | could see out of the bag over my head is covered.

| take this opportunity to mindlink my dad. “Dad, can you hear me?” “CARA! Cara, are you alright, where are you?” “Dad. I’m okay. We've been walking all night. | think we continued west, but I’m not totally sure. My head has been covered.” “We have trackers out searching for you right now. They picked up the trail. where we found Rik.” “Is he okay?” “Yes. He has come back around. The wolfsbane is still in his system, but he ist recovering slowly. Honey, where are you?” “| don’t really know. There were some cars parked in a clearing. That is where | am now. I’m in the back of a black or dark colored SUV, it has four doors and a hatchback. | didn’t see a road and | can’t see anything now because they put at cargo cover over me.” “Do you know what they want? Rik said it’s Eli Gunner?” “Yes, it’s Eli. He told us he is an Alpha now, but when | said he didn’t smell like one, he said he had a plan. I’m not sure what that means and he hasn't said anything else about it.” “We're coming for you honey. Stay strong, do whatever you have to do to survive. You're a fighter, you’re a Guardian and you're my daughter!” Li “You've trained me well dad. I'll be putting all that training to good use now. We’ve started moving. | don’t know how much longer I'll be able to contact you, but | will when I can. | love you dad.” “| love you sweetheart. Stay strong!” The mindlink cut out. | wanted to stay awake and try to figure out where we were going, but the long night and the sound of tires on the road lulled me to sleep.

| don’t know how long | slept, but when | woke, | could hear voices up front talking about where to stop. “Hey, | need to pee.‘ It was quiet for a minute. Then an unfamiliar voice said, “You'll have to hold it.” “For how long? It’s been hours and | can only hold it for so long.” | replied, hoping we would stop and maybe | could see something to figure out where | was. It was quiet again, then that same voice replied, “We'll stop in the next 30 minutes. Hold it for now.

I'm guessing he’s mindlinking Eli, which means he’s not in this car. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. After a while, | feel the car slow down and turn right. We immediately begin bouncing around like we're on an unpaved road, or possibly just driving into a forest somewhere. The jolts are making my already aching shoulders hurt even more, but | stay quiet.

We finally stop and the back hatch opens. The cargo cover is removed and | can see light, but not much more. “Get out".

The Broken Warriors Daughter Chapter 62-“Yes sir, Mr. Gruff and Grumpy.” | move to get out of the car, trying not to stumble with my arms and legs bound. When | finally get out of the car, | stand up and….nothing.

“Hello? Did you want me to squat right here? | can’t see anything and | can barely move, idiot.” He snarls at me, grabbing my arm and yanking me close to his face. Even through the hood | can smell his rancid breath. It makes me gag. Shut the fuck up little girl or I'll shut you up.” A ferocious snarl sounds behind him and the next thing | know, he is ripped away from me. The Beta. | can smell him through the stench of rogue. “I apologize for my companion’s lack of manners.” He pulls the hood off my head. | squint at the light before my eyes adjust.

“Yeah. Kidnapping? No problem. Bad manners? Definitely worthy of a beatdown.” “Did anyone ever tell you that you have a smart mouth?” “| might have heard that once or twice.” | give him a fake smile. “So, where are these top-notch facilities that I've heard so much about?” He leans close to me. “I’m going to enjoy taming you.” He whispers. “Not gonna happen, Beta.” | stress his title again.

“We'll see.” He takes my arm gently and walks me past where another guy, I’m guessing the one that threatened me, lays unconscious on the ground. He walks me into the woods and points to an area away from everyone else. “You can go over there.” He goes to turn his back to give me privacy. “How am | supposed to pee with my hands handcuffed behind my back and my feet shackled?” 1 He turns back to me and gives me an evil grin. “Very carefully.” “Asshole” | mumble under my breath, knowing he can hear me. | find a spot near a tree that | can use to leverage myself into a squat without falling into my own pee. | really do have to go.

While | pee, | look around and there is absolutely nothing but forest. ‘Artemis, can you hear anything that could give us an idea of where we are?*

| feel her perk up a bit, the silver keeping her from full strength. Most wolves would be completely out, so I’m thankful | have her even at minimal strength.” I’m weak but | can’t hear anything.’ “Damn, me either.’ “Hurry up over there.” Eli hollers at me. | do my best to shake dry before moving- back toward him. I’m looking everywhere but there is nothing. | sigh, it was a smart place to stop, I'll give him credit for that.

“How much longer?” | ask.

“It'll be a while yet. Hop back in and make yourself at home.” He states when we get back to the car. | notice the unconscious guy is still on the ground. Will they just leave him here? | don’t bother to ask, hoping they have forgotten that my hood isn’t on.

“It's getting dark. If you think you can behave, I'll leave the hood off for now.” “| can behave.” | state with the smile of a perfect little angel.

He snorts then tells me to get in. | do as requested and he pulls the cargo cover back over me.

| listen as someone asks him what to do with the guy on the ground. “Leave him. If he can’t follow orders, he can’t be part of the pack.” Interesting.

| reach out to my father again via mindlink. “Dad?” | wait but hear nothing. Dad, can you hear me?” Still nothing. “Dad, if you can hear me. We just stopped in some woods. They let me pee, so my scent is out here. But there was nothing else around, no power lines, no buildings, no lakes or streams that | could hear. Just woods.” | pause for a moment to see if I'll hear anything. “I hope you can hear me so you know that I’m ok.” | lay my head down and close my eyes, resting while | have time.

The Broken Warriors Daughter Chapter 63-| slowly open my eyes and take in my surroundings. I’m in my bedroom, with an IV in my arm. Suddenly everything comes rushing back to me and | bolt upright in bed. “CARA!” My mother rushes to my bed as | start to crawl out. “Honey, hold on. Everyone is here. They have trackers out looking for her. Let me call the doctor.” get up and rip the IV from my arm. “I don’t need a doctor mom; | need to find. her.” | shout at my mother, before pushing past her. | sniff the air and smell everyone in my father’s office. | barge in without knocking. “Where is she?” | bark at the room.

“Son. You need to calm down. We have trackers out looking for her right now.” My father stands from his chair, his hands up, arms outstretched in a ‘calm down gesture. “You don’t understand! He wanted her. He never wanted me. | was the pawn to get to her!” I’m still shouting.

Mr. Nelson speaks up. “Alpha Rik. No one wants my daughter back more than | do. But right now, we need level heads and calm minds. Take a couple deep breaths, then have a seat and tell us what you know.” He may be the only one that is able to get me to calm down right now. While | disagree that he wants her back more than | do, | believe he wants her home almost as much as | do. | take a couple deep breaths as | look around the room to see who is in on the planning.

My father and Mr. Nelson are leading the discussion. Liam is here with his Beta, Dustin. Dad’s Beta and Chase’s father, Charles, is here, as is Chase.

| sit down in front of my father’s desk and start at the beginning. | tell them how | followed the leader when | saw him on the hill and he took off. How | was ambushed and that once he had me, he wanted to wait for Cara.

“Son, do you know who he is?” Dad asks me.

“Cara called him the Banished Beta. It rang a bell to me but…” | stop abruptly and Liam jumps to his feet. “Arey sure? That's what she called him? The Banished Beta?” Liam looks half crazed as he asks.

“Yes, Eli Gunner, the Banished Beta.” “Son of a Bitch!” Liam shouts as Dustin jumps up and puts a restraining hand on his shoulder.

“Liam. What do you know?” asks Mr. Nelson.

Liam walks over and punches the wall before leaning his head against it and banging his fist against the wall repeatedly but with less force. He turns around and looks at everyone, his eyes stopping at me. “The Banished Beta killed my mother.” It feels as if the air is sucked out of the room. The man that killed Luna Estella now has my mate? Even though Kai isn’t at full strength, | can feel his anger. He is starting to wake up.

| turn to my father. “Then why are we just sitting here? We have to do something!” “We wouldn't have to do anything if you hadn’t run off half cocked like you did. And then, what? You just gave up your Guardian to save yourself?” Liam steps. towards me and | stand up to face him. He gets in my face and he’s lucky Kai isn’t fully back yet, or I’d have leveled him. As it was my hand went flying toward his face to punch him, only to be stopped with force.

| looked down to see Mr. Nelson holding my arm in one hand and Liam’s in the other.

“Stand down NOW Alphas.” His aura, while impressive, isn’t as strong as his daughters’. But, it has enough impact to make us stop, long enough for him to go 1. on.

“If you aren’t in this room to help my daughter, get out now. If you are, then | expect you to work together. Am | understood?” Liam and | continue to stare at each other.

“AM | UNDERSTOOD?” He barks at us. Both of us look at him. “Yes, sir.” in unison.

we say | sit back down, my head in my hands. | scrub my face with my hands before looking up at everyone. “Cara’s my mate. | would never have let her take my place if | could have stopped it. | tried to make her stand down. My alpha aura didn’t work, as | knew it wouldn't. I tried to convince her not to take my place. But she didn’t listen.” | look at Mr. Nelson, “She is her parents’ daughter after all and she takes her role as Guardian very seriously.”

The Broken Warriors Daughter Chapter 64-Out of the corner of my eye, | see Liam sit back down, hard. “How do you know she’s your mate?” He asks.

“Kai recognized her as our mate as soon as he saw her last night. | didn’t tell her because | wanted to give her time to turn 18 and find out on her own. But now….” “We'll find her,” my father says.

They begin to update me on the trackers’ progress. They are heading west following her scent and a strong scent of rogues. Dad and Liam are looking at a map, trying to decide our next course of action when Mr. Nelson shouts, “Cara!” The room goes silent as we wait for him to tell us what is going on. “She’s ok, they've been walking all night.” He looks over at me and speaks out loud, “Yes, He has come back around. The wolfsbane is still in his system but he is recovering slowly. Honey, where are you?” | feel sick. She has been kidnapped and is goddess only knows where, but she’s asking about me.

“They've taken her to a place where there are parked cars. She’s in the back of a dark colored 4—door hatchback SUV. She didn’t see a road and now she can’t see anything.” “Ask her if she knows what they want.” My dad says.

“Eli says he’s an Alpha now and he has some plan. Cara doesn’t know what it is.” L “They are on the move.” He tells us as he moves over to the map.

“If they were heading west, where is the best place to store a bunch of cars, out of sight?” I stand up to look at the map. There is a small clearing about 20 miles west near enough to a road that it could be the spot. Just as | see it, Alpha Liam points to it. “There. | bet that’s where they are. We need to get someone there now.” | turn to leave. “Where are you going son?” My father asks. | look back at him. “I’m going to find her.” Liam moves to follow me. “I’m going as well.” | look at him and nod. We'll have to put our differences aside if we want to find her, and | don’t care who finds her, as long as she’s found and brought back unharmed. Plus, Liam is out for blood. If this guy killed his mom, Liam won't stop until he finds him.

As we walk out of the office, | stop and turn to Liam. “A word.” Liam looks at Dustin. “I'll meet you at the car.” | wait until Dustin is out of earshot before | turn to Liam. “She’s my mate. That means you keep your hands off her.” Liam steps up into my space. He’s only an inch taller than | am, so we're basically eye to eye. “You don’t know that she'll choose you, even if you are her fated mate. You didn’t even know who she was last week. And, I’m not sure you truly appreciate the amazing woman she is, aside from being a Guardian.” | growl low and push my chest against his. “She’s my mate. That has nothing to do with her being a Guardian. You will keep your hands off of her. She’s mine!” I snarl at him.

He narrows his eyes at me. “Fine, I'll keep my hands off of her on one condition.” He pauses, but | wait him out. “You don’t interfere with me seeing her and if she chooses me, you let her go.”novelbin | don't like it. | know they are much closer than she and | are, but | need him to agree to not touch her. “Fine. She decides.” | step back and put my hand out. He reaches out and we shake on it.

We both head outside and get in our cars. Time for me to see if this Porsche is as fast as they say it is.

The Broken Warriors Daughter Chapter 65-It's nearly dawn when we stop again. The hatch is opened and | stand up, stretching out my aching muscles as best as | can. This time we’re at what looks like an abandoned packhouse. | look around. Most everything here is dilapidated. It looks like the building could collapse at any moment.

“What is this place?” | ask. Eli walks up beside me, taking my arm. “It’s your new home Cara.” “The place could definitely use a womans touch. Is that why I’m here? Interior decorating? ‘Cause that’s not really my speciality.” We walk inside and | can see that at least some work has been done to make the inside more liveable. The kitchen and appliances seem to be in working order, so there’s electricity at least. He walks me through what looks to be a living room that has cushions sitting on the floor and an old, smelly couch in the corner. | can see the faded paint on the wall where there once was a television, but that’s long gone.

“This is all that remains of the Silver Dawn Pack,” he finally says.

| look at him. “Your old pack?” He nods, looking around as if seeing the place for the first time.

“Yep, with your help, we will restore this pack to its former glory, make it even stronger than it was before. Better.” “So, let me get this straight. You're old Alpha was defeated by Alpha Leander almost 20 years ago. And, because you were the Beta heir at the time, you think that his death makes you the new Alpha and you plan to restore and rebuild the pack using rogues?” He turns and looks at me. “Rogues and you.” “Me?” “Yes, how else can | create the strongest heir possible. I'll take you as my mate and you'll produce my heirs. Because | am an Alpha and you are a Guardian, our pups will be strong. Stronger than any other Alpha and no one will be able to take this pack from us.” My stomach turned at what he was saying. “You’re crazy. Why would | agree to be your mate?” “Your agreement is preferable, but not required. If you won't agree to be my +15 NONOS mate, I'll mark you anyway. Eventually the mate bond will kick in and you won't be able to resist it or me. Then, together, we will rebuild this pack and make it the largest and strongest pack in the country. Maybe even the world.” “So this is your grand plan? Take me, a Guardian, as a mate, rebuild your pack from the dilapidated ashes of the past and what, restore your name? Has anyone ever told you that you have delusions of grandeur?” “You were the key, and now you are here.” My lip curls in disgust. “I will never take you as a mate.” “We'll see about that.” He turns to me, grabs my hair, ripping my head to the side before sinking his canines into my marking spot.

The pain is overwhelming and | scream before the blackness takes over and everything goes dark.

| wake slowly feeling pain throughout my entire body. ‘Artemis, can you hear me? She doesn’t respond.

| look around and see that | am in a bedroom. My arms are handcuffed over my head to a metal headboard. | take inventory of my surroundings, seeing nothing more than a small dresser on the other side of the room. | realize that my body has been washed and I’m wearing a different shirt than the one before, this one a button down. It smells more strongly of the Beta. | don’t want to think too much about who may have stripped and washed me.

| move my legs, focusing on my pubic area. | don’t feel any pain and I’m thankful it doesn’t appear that he has tried to complete the mate bond while | was unconscious.

I'm looking around trying to find anything that will help me escape when the door opens and Eli walks in. “Hello mate.” “You're disgusting. No true Alpha would have to force a mate bond. True Alphas have she-wolves falling at their feet.” | sneer at him.

“Well, mate,” he stresses the word, “you may have noticed that we do not have any she—-wolves in our pack. The males in this pack have yet to find their mates. Or, in some instances, they have lost their mate, but are hoping for a second chance mate. It is something that | have promised them. We will search for their mates, and when they are found, we'll bring them here so they can have the families they desire.” “Even if it is against their will?” “Do you not feel the pull to me mate? The mate bond is very strong, very powerful. You cannot fight it.” “Funny, | have absolutely no desire to do anything other than kill you right now.” | spit at him. “Why don’t you remove these handcuffs and let’s see how much ‘love’ | can show you?” | taunt him. His eyes narrow at me and he cocks his head to the side anything toward me?” He seems surprised.

“Not even a little.” “You really don’t feel He walks over to me, sitting on the bed beside me. He reaches for the shirt, unbuttoning the buttons. | snarl at him. “Don’t touch me!” “Let's see how resistant you are when | lick my mark.” He pulls the shirt to the side and stops. A look of shock on his face. “Where is it? Where is it?” He screams pushing the shirt farther off my shoulder. He directs his furious gaze at me. “You're not 18?” “Sorry Beta.” | make sure to stress the title again. “I guess you kidnapped me for nothing. The mate mark won't stick until I’m of age.” | shrug my shoulders. “I guess you're screwed.” He sits there, fuming for several minutes before a hideous grin spreads across his face. “Well then, little mate, | guess I’ll just have to keep marking you until it sticks.” My arrogant smile falls and | grit my teeth. He stands up looking down at me. I'll have some food sent up for you. I’d suggest you eat and keep your strength up. You were out for two days after | marked you the first time. Now I'll have to mark you every 2 to 3 days until you come of age.” He leans in close, rubbing his nose against mine. | turn my head as far away as | can. He rubs his nose across my cheek to my ear and whispers, “Let’s hope your birthday is soon my sweet little mate.”

The Broken Warriors Daughter Chapter 66-| get to the clearing in record time. The trackers are already there and there are 20 wolves swarming the place. | get out of my car and walk over to Derrick, our lead tracker. “What have you got?” “Alpha. As you can see here, there were about 15 vehicles. We have a stronger scent of our packmate here,” He points to an area that has been sectioned off.

| get down on all fours and sniff the ground. The smell is faint but it’s there. Vanilla, a lighter scent of lavender overlaid with honey.

| look up at him. “That's her.” He nods in acknowledgement. “Which way did they go?” He points to tire tracks in the grass. “It appears they headed to the road going that way, and based on the direction of their tire tracks, I'd say they headed north when they reached the road.*

| nod, walking the path of the tire tracks as my phone rings. | look at the caller ID and answer my father’s call. “Yeah?” “Son, Clint got another message from Cara.” Shit, | can’t even feel my father from here. She is even farther away and able to mindlink her father? Her strength is amazing.novelbin “What did she say?” | ask as Liam joins me and | put the phone on speaker for him to hear.

“They stopped to let her pee.” Both of our heads shoot up as Liam and | look at each other. We'll be able to find her more easily if she left that kind of scent.

“Was she able to give any indication of where she might be?” Liam asks.

Mr. Nelson answers Liam’s question. “She said there was nothing. No buildings, no flowing water, no power lines, nothing but forest.” “Based on what Derrick is saying, they think they're headed north. Any place north from our location that meets that description?” lask.

It's quiet for a few minutes. “There’s nothing directly north, but there is a forest on the western side of the Appalachian Mountains that meets these parameters.” “Send us the coordinates. We're on our way.” Liam and | start back to our cars as the text from my father pings on my phone. | look at Liam. “Got it?” He looks at me, “Yeah, got it.” 1/2 “Ok, see you there.” | push the Porsche to its limits. Five hours later, | arrive at the coordinates my father sent. ‘Kai, are you with me buddy?* ‘Yeah, let's go find our mate, or at least find where she was.

| walk into the forest and shift, letting Kai take over. He sniffs the air, turning in different directions before catching a slight whiff of vanilla and taking off. | give him control, letting his hunting instincts take over. He alternates between having his nose to the ground and having his nose in the air. We're an hour in when | hear a howl. It’s Liam. He’s finally arrived and letting me know he’s here. | howl in return, letting him know where we are.

Kai and | found the spot where she peed. We followed her scent to where she must have gotten back in the SUV. We continued pushing on, following the barest hint of vanilla in the air, having to stop periodically to catch the light scent again. Soon enough, | hear Cyran’s paws digging into the loamy earth, heading our way. | let out a bark to let him know I’m close, even though | know he can smell me. He approaches me and shifts. | do the same. Apparently, he wants to chat.

“What's up?” | ask as | stand.

“| think we need to regroup. | know you want to continue to follow her faint smell, but it's very likely that we'll lose her scent soon.” He’s right. | know he’s right, but | can’t stand the thought that she’s in the hands of a killer. What if he’s hurting her? Torturing her? Or worse? And what does he want with her? Why her? It must be because she’s a Guardian. But it makes no sense. Her allegiance cannot be bought or forced. The only way it can change is if she finds her mate and she’s not yet of age.

The Broken Warriors Daughter Chapter 67-| look around, hoping for a scrap of anything that may give me a clue of where they have taken her, but there is nothing. | look back at Liam. “Okay. I’ll call my father and let him know we're on our way back.” | arrive home the next day. I’m exhausted but I can’t sleep. | go to my father’s office to see what is happening. It looks like a war room. There are maps. everywhere with color coded pins indicating areas where trackers are searching, areas that have been eliminated and areas that still need to be searched.

My father and | argued about me going back to school. | told him I'd never be able to focus, so he compromised and told me he’d agree to not having me go to school if someone could bring my schoolwork home and if | would go to training. in the mornings.

| agree to training solely because Mr. Nelson had started training the warriors. I’m not sure if he was disappointed that no one was able to help his daughter or if he needed something to take his mind off her temporarily as well.

It's been a week and we're no closer to finding her than we were when Liam and | left the forest. I’m kicking myself for not following through with my plans to try and follow her faint scent.

I'm currently in training taking my frustration out on my body. Mr. Nelson drills us to the point of exhaustion and | need it every day. | can’t sleep, | can’t eat, I’m consumed with finding her.

“Get your asses moving! You call yourselves warriors? My daughter could run circles around you and then take every one of you down like a bowling ball knocking down pins.” Mr. Nelson is drilling the team this morning.

“With all due respect sir,” Trevor speaks up, bent over with his hands on his knees sucking in air like his life depends on it. And maybe it does. “Your daughter already does that.” “Yeah.” Dean pipes in. “Every day.” “Then buck up and get your sorry asses moving! When my daughter returns, she'll need a real challenge and so far, I’m not seeing anyone that can give her one.” Mr. Nelson continues to drill us until he’s decided we're done. When he releases | head up to my room for a quick shower then back to the search.

US, When | walk into my father’s office, the mood is tense. My father looks up and | freeze. “What is it?” “Have a seat.” My father gestures to a chair while Beta Charles and Mr. Nelson. continue to watch me. | look at my father for a long moment before sitting down.

“We have an idea, but it’s a long shot. All our trackers and many warriors are out searching different areas for Cara.” | nod, “What’s the idea.” Beta Charles answers. “We think it’s a possibility that Eli has taken Cara back to the Silver Dawn Pack.” My brow furrows with his answer. That pack died out 18 years ago when Liam’s father killed Alpha Jerome and any wolves that would not submit to him. The other pack members joined the Shadow Falls Pack.

“| thought that pack was decimated?” | ask the three of them.

Mr. Nelson gives me an intense look. “It was. But…… if Eli is calling himself an Alpha, he will need two things. He will need a pack…” “And a Luna” | finish for him. Kai pushes forward. “He will never have her. Sho mine!”novelbin is Mr. Nelson wheels himself over to me. “We have no intention of leaving her there. | don’t know what he is thinking but he may not realize that she’s not yet 18. That works in our favor.”

The Broken Warriors Daughter Chapter 68-Kai is going crazy in my head. If he wants her for a Luna, then he will force his mark on her and mate her against her will. That’s the only way to force the bond.

Kai snarls and it’s all | can do to keep any control over him. My body is shaking and fur begins to sprout on my body. “Tell me where this pack is and I'll go see if she’s there.” My voice is deep with Kai’s overlaying mine.

From behind me, | hear, “I'll go with you.” | turn to see Liam has walked in. He gives me a long, measured look. “Neither of us wants her to be forced into a mate bond. I'll go with you, and we'll find her if she’s there.” | fight with Kai who doesn’t want Liam near her either, but right now it’s about getting Cara away from that monster and safely home. | nod in agreement.

Later that day, Liam and | set out together. The Silver Dawn Pack isn’t that far. If they are there, they sent us on a wild goose chase then doubled back.

When we get close, Liam and | hide the truck in a secluded area and shift to go on foot. Liam knows where the pack lands are, so | follow him.

When we arrive, | am shocked to see what looks like an operational pack in place. While the buildings all look like they are crumbling and about to disintegrate, there are plenty of wolves taking up residence. Liam and | are careful to divert around the patrols that are monitoring the perimeter of the pack lands.

We shift back and watch as hundreds of wolves go about their lives. Liam points to a large building that looks on the verge of collapse. “That's the old packhouse. That’s where Cara and Eli will be.” Almost as if his words have put it into being, | hear Cara’s scream. It was the sound of utter pain and before | could think, | was on my feet ready to go to her.

Liam grabbed me, holding me while | thrashed against him. “Let me go.” | ordered. “Rik, think! You go in there and you blow our cover. He could take her anywhere and we may not be able to find her again.” “He’s hurting her!” “Yes.” He agrees. “But, she’s a Guardian. She can handle pain. We need a plan so we can take him down and get her back. Don’t rush into this like you did before. This won’t be an ambush. If they think they can’t get out, they’ll kill her. We have to think this through. For her.” My chest is heaving, but | know he’s right. He finally lets me go and | start to walk away. “I'll call my father and get reinforcements here. | want her out of there as soon as possible. | can’t stand by if he is torturing her. | won't and neither will Kai.” “Understood. Call your father. I'll stay here and keep watch.” | called my father and updated him on everything. | hang up and walk back to Liam. “They’ll be here tomorrow. I’m going to stay here tonight and keep watch.” He nodded. “I'll stay too. We can take turns.”

The Broken Warriors Daughter Chapter 69-| wake up, still handcuffed to the bed. This is the third time I’ve woken and each time, I’m getting weaker and weaker.

I've only heard from Artemis once. She let me know that Eli is pumping us full of his venom each time he marks us. Apparently, he’s hoping that even though I’m not 18, with enough venom, he can push the mate bond on me. So far, it hasn’t worked. But that’s mostly because Artemis is saving her strength to burn off the venom each time he tries to mark us.

| take inventory of my surroundings. I’m in yet another shirt. There is a water bottle and a plate of food on the table beside me. My stomach grumbles. | haven’t caten much but | need the water more.

My shoulders are aching from being in this position for what must be a week or more. | shift around, pushing myself toward the headboard trying to move my shoulders out of this strained position..

I'm finally able to sit up and give my shoulders a much needed release from the pull of being over my head for so long. The ache is so strong it feels like | have no strength in my presence, she all. | try to reach out to Artemis and while | can feel her silent.

The door opens and Eli comes in. He looks at his watch. “You are nothing if not prompt. Right on time. You’ve been out two days again.” “How long do you plan to keep me a prisoner, Beta?” He snarls at me. “Alpha.” | make a point of sniffing the air. “Nope. | still don’t smell Alpha on you.

He sneers as me. “Since | have no idea how long it will be until your birthday, I’ll just have to keep giving you my venom. I’ve heard that with enough venom and completing the mating process, you can make an underage wolf accept the mate bond.” “You're disgusting, you know that?” He begins walking over to me. “Am 1, mate?” He stresses the word again.

He reaches down and takes the plate of food. “Time to eat.” He picks up pieces of food and attempts to hand feed me. | turn my face away. “Not hungry.” He grabs my chin and pulls my face around to his. “Of course you are. You've barely eaten all week. Eat!” He barks it at me and attempts to put a command behind it.

I snort at his feeble attempt as the command rolls off me like water over rocks. “I will accept nothing that you to give me. Or should | say, force on me.” | glare at him as his hand squeezes my chin even tighter.

“Fine! Then we'll just keep doing it this way until you are too weak and your body final accepts my mate mark.” In one quick movement, his hand grabs my hair and yanks my head to the side. He slams his canines into my neck, milking them into my body pushing more and more venom into my system.

I scream as the pain becomes overwhelming. He pulls his canines out, only to sink them in again and continues to milk the punctures like humans do to snakes to collect their venom. | feel Artemis push forward to try to combat the venom in our system as the world goes dark again.

In my dazed state, | hear what sounds like a battle. Screams, crashing, things breaking. | can’t tell if it’s real or if I’m dreaming. | fade in and out until the sounds become so loud that | realize there really is a battle going on outside my room.

| try to say something, anything, but my body will not work. My head feels full of cotton, and | can’t think clearly. My body feels paralyzed, or maybe | just can’t feel that it’s moving. I’m not sure.

| hear a loud crash that sounds close. Snarling and fighting. It sounds like wolves. tearing each other apart. | should be in this fight. I'm a Guardian, that’s my job, my life. But | still can’t make myself get up. | can’t even open my eyes.

The Broken Warriors Daughter Chapter 70-Suddenly, the door bursts open and everything goes quiet. Then | hear heavy breathing.novelbin “I'm getting her out of here.” | know that voice, but | can’t place it. It sounds familiar, soothing. | hope he means he’s getting me out of here.

| feel the restraints on my wrists cut off, the person hissing as the silver touches their skin. Then I’m being lifted, cradled in strong arms that make me feel safe. Weird, | don’t even know who it is, but | feel safe. The smell of a freshly cooked brownies floods my senses. Instinctively, | lean into the smell, trying to curl into it, but my body still will not respond.

“I've got you. You're safe now Cara.” | want to reply that we're not safe. Eli is here somewhere, and we need to go. But the words do not come. | feel myself being carried. | begin to hear more sounds of fighting, the smell of blood and death heavy in the air.

He stops walking. “Call my father. Tell him | have her and I’m bringing her home. Liam is staying, he’s going after Eli. You're in charge.” Liam is here. Liam will make sure th I'm safe. | hear another voice that sounds familiar, but | can’t place it. “How is she?” There’s a long pause. “Time will tell.” My rescuer is moving again. | feel the cool air of the late winter weather as I’m carried outside. | hear more sounds of fighting, but we are going in the opposite direction. | don’t know how long we walk before I’m gently set down. It smells like a new car. I've rarely had the opportunity to smell a new car, but once you have, you never forget that smell.

“Hang on love, I'll be right back.” My brownie—smelling man says, before he steps away and | immediately feel cold and lost again. Thankfully, it isn’t long before he returns. “Ok love. Kai and | can’t stand the scent of that disgusting Beta on you another minute, so I’m going to put one of my shirts on you instead. If you’re mad at me about it my little guardian, I'd be happy to have you get up and fight me.” | feel him unbuttoning the shirt | have on, before removing it. Then he pulls a soft shirt over my head and pushes my arms through the arm holes. I’m surrounded by the scent of brownies fresh out of the oven. It’s the most comforting smell | can imagine. It feels like home. It makes the rhythm of my heart slow, and | feel safe again. Once he pulls the shirt down and covers me the best he can, he leans the seat back, straps me in and closes the door.

| fall back into unconsciousness. | don’t know how long we drive. | periodically come to some level of consciousness and hear my rescuer talking quietly to someone on the phone. Sometimes, it seems like he’s talking to me, telling me where we are or that everything will be ok, holding my hand. His thumb rubbing over the back of my hand sends soothing tingles into my body which relaxes me and lulls me back to sleep.

The next time | wake, my brownie—-smelling man has me in his arms again. | smell the scent of antiseptic and cleanser. “Where do you want her?” My rescuer asks.

“You can put her on the stretcher, we'll take it from here Alpha.” “No, I'll carry her. Where is she going?” “This way, follow me.” Before long, I’m being laid on a bed. There are several people surrounding me, attaching things to me, putting needles into my arms.

“Alpha, what can you tell us?” “Not much. When | found her she was unconscious.” | hear a snarl before he continues, “Her neck is bruised and has multiple puncture wounds, but it doesn’t appear that the attempt to mark her worked.” “Where is she? Where is my daughter?” | hear my father bellow before the darkness takes me again.