Alpha Nocturneâs Contracted Mate by A E Randell Chapter 118 Regrets Donât Make a Betrayal Any Better Annâs arms rippled with the vibrations as Brad sawed patiently at the bolts in the plate above her head.
Sawing through the manacles was out of the question, as they were too tight and Brad was certain that they were made of the same material as the chains. They would need the key itself to unlock those, and if it couldnât be found, then they would have to track down the locksmith that made these.
Title of the document It was an arduous process but by the time he had finished, the plate slipped over the expandable bolts and the chains hung free.
Her legs felt a little strange from being kept in that position for such a long time and as soon as the pressure was released from her arms and her weight was distributed properly, her legs gave way.
âGoddess! Ann, Iâm so sorry! I should have thought! Are you okay?â Brad fussed as he rushed over to her and carefully helped her to stand.
âIâm fine, really Brad,â Ann said quietly as she tried to push away from him, it didnât feel right for him to be touching her, not after he had touched Ada with those same hands.
A flicker of hurt crossed his face as he understood her thought process and he steadied her before stepping back.
âIâm sorry. I didnât thinkâ¦â He stammered, clearly unsure how to behave around her now.
âItâs fine, letâs just get out of here okay? Ann murmured wearily as she turned to make her way out of the cell, but her legs wobbled again and she leaned against the door for support.
âHere let me help youâ¦â Brad offered quietly as she swore at herself.
âNo really⦠Iâm⦠oh my goodnessâ¦â Ann stammered as her legs were lifted from underneath her.
Brad held her close to his chest as he strode purposely forwards. The look in his eyes and the steady beating of his heart was, for the first time in a long time, a familiar sound that rea*s*sured her.
She could feel his wolf rumble in contentment at their proximity and Ann couldnât help but quirk a smile.
âHe misses us terribly, doesnât heâ¦â Ann murmured quietly to Maeve.
âWell, he should have controlled his human betterâ¦â Maeve scoffed.
âMaeve, the magic though⦠if he was indeed under some sort of spellâ¦â
âItâs irrelevant now, Ann. Whatâs done is done. Regrets donât make a betrayal any better. Heâs lucky that I allow him any contact with us at all.â Maeve grumbled.
Brad paused as he glanced into a door to his right, the motionless form of Narcissa was dr*a*p*ed across the table and even from this distance it was easy to see that Brad had done some serious dame to her. She was still breathing⦠barely.
Suddenly a rush of footsteps could be heard from the stairwell in front of them, and Brad and Ann exchanged a worried look.
Neither of them was in any fit state to be involved in any further clashes, but it didnât look like there would be any other option if this intrusion turned out to be allies of Narcissa. To be honest, Ann wasnât even sure that Adam was on her side anymore, so she couldnât count on his appearance being a positive thing, especially after what she had just seen.
âAre you sure itâs down here? Itâs been too long⦠what if sheâs hurtâ¦â âRelax, furball, she might have a few superficial injuries when we get there but Maeve can handle it, even if Ann canât. Papa is on his way as well to help with the cleanup.â
Ann felt Brad stiffen as Adamâs voice drifted down the stairwell and Ann found her lips curling up involuntarily into a sneer, perfectly mimicking the way that Maeveâs lips were drawn back in a snarl.
The footsteps approached rapidly and as Adam and Lexi rounded the last corner in the stairwell and emerged into the corridor, they came face to face with Brad and Ann.
Lexi blinked in shock at the sight of Ann cradled against Bradâs chest as Adamâs face darkened, his thunderous aura so thick that Ann could almost taste it.
âLong time no see, f*uc*k boy⦠it looks like you got it pretty rough, huh? Did Karma finally catch up with you?â Lexi quipped quickly as she stepped forward.
Brad scowled but said nothing, he was currently far too busy being engaged in a furious staring contest with Adam.
Ann patted Bradâs chest gently, resulting in a low warning growl from Adam as she did so.
âItâs okay, Brad, you can put me down, thank you,â Ann said as calmly as she could manage.
Maeve was furious at Adamâs double standards and Ann was trying her best to reign the temper of her wolf in. The fallout from his choices with Ada could wait, all Ann wanted to do was get the issue of Narcissa and Ada wrapped up.
Adam reached out for her to try and pull her closer but she deftly sidestepped and shot him a furious glare. The hurt on his face was obvious, but at that moment neither Ann nor Maeve cared.
âAnn? Whatâs going on? I came as fast as I couldâ¦â Adam murmured, confused at her rejection.
Ann snorted.
âI bet you did you f*uc*king animal⦠are you not ashamed of yourself?â She hissed, Maeveâs eyes flashing alongside her own.
Adam froze, his eyebrows furrowing deeply as tried to figure out what she was talking about.
âAnn, I donât know what you mean..what are you talking about?!â He pleaded desperately as he reached for her hand again and Ann swatted it away angrily.
âDonât you dare touch me with the same hands that have been on her? I thought you were better than that, adam, how could you betray me like that?!â Annâs voice cracked as she berated him.
No matter how much Ann wanted to leave this until later, Maeve wouldnât let her, and the look of confusion on Adamâs face just infuriated her more.
âWhat? I didnâtâ¦â