Chapter 30

[The Mute Alpha - Chapter 30]

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*Autumn's POV*

I didn't know when I fell asleep or how I ended up back in bed, but when I woke up, my body felt somewhat normal again. My hair was still a little damp and splayed over the pillow in tangled strands. I also realized my lack of clothing. Sitting up, I ignored the lingering headache and looked over at Kian, who slept face first into his pillow, snoring softly. Did he bring me back in here?

The last thing I remembered was him sharing some of his childhood stories to me, which included the first time he learned how to fly a plane. Eventually I found myself dozing off as the burning sensations finally diminished.

Now, slightly cold, I ran my fingers through my messy hair, cringing when they got stuck on thick knots. I glanced around the room for some clothes, but found nothing. Laying back down, I stared up at the ceiling with a frown, shivering slightly.

Time passed by, whether it was seconds, minutes, or hours, I didn't know. Eventually, I heard Kian shift on the futon, waking up from his slumber. He sat up and yawned, rubbing his tired eyes. Then he glanced over in my direction and saw me staring back at him.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, his voice deeper due to just waking up. He yawned and ran a hand through his already messed up hair. During this action, I noticed he wasn't wearing a shirt, but his muscles weren't what I focused on. Instead, despite the darkness of the room, I spotted markings on his abdomen.

"What happened?" I questioned, curiosity and concern laced in my voice.

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but when I gestured towards his body, he looked down and quickly pulled the blankets up to his shoulders.

"Ah, nothing," he replied. I narrowed my eyes, but thought it was best to leave it alone. Besides, it wasn't my business anyways.

After a moment of silence, I asked a different question. "Did you bring me in here?" I noticed his cheeks tinge red as he stared down at the blanket covering him.

"Yeah. You fell asleep, and I figured you didn't need to be there any longer," he mumbled, rubbing his neck.

"Thank you, Kian," I whispered, sending him a small smile. He returned the gesture before leaning his head back against his pillow, staring up at the ceiling.

"What are we going to do? Theo's not looking too good, and we have no idea where we are..."

I thought for a moment, all of my hope and determination from the other day no longer there. "I...I don't...know..."

Kian's green, worry-filled eyes bored into mine. "What if we can't find your mate?"

I fiddled with the seam of the sheets and shrugged. "We will find him, even if it kills me."

Kian stood up from the futon and dug through his bag for a shirt. He slid it on and turned towards me. "Then what are we waiting for?"

***

"The doctor informed me that he is slowly recovering. Unfortunately, he is not in any condition to leave. They also told me that visitors aren't allowed right now,"  Janet said as she walked up to Kian and I.

"Dammit..." Kian mumbled to himself, pulling the beanie off his head and running his hand through his hair. "It's fine. He needs to rest anyway." The clinic was small, but clean and deserted. The sleek floor beneath our feet squeaked from the boots the sweet couple lent us.

"What do we do now?" I asked out loud as I slumped down in a hard chair.

Janet sent me a sympathetic look and sat down next to me. "You said you're looking for your mate?" She asked. When I nodded my head, she asked another question. "What happened to him".

He got blackmailed by a rogue. Someone who has a grudge against him. "I have the letter with me," I said, pulling the piece of paper out of my pocket. I handed it to her and her eyes scanned the paper.

"I know exactly who this is," she gritted out bitterly.

"Who is it?" Kian questioned, listening in on our conversation.

"Keanu," she responded. "His parents were hunters. One of the best actually. Very respectable people."

"Were they rogue hunters like you and your husband?" I asked, a sickening feeling developing in the pit of my stomach.

Janet opened her mouth and closed it, thinking over her response carefully. "No, not just rogue or werewolf hunters. They were supernatural hunters."

"Supernatural?" Kian spoke out loud.

Janet nodded her head. "Yeah, but they only hunted those who threatened us humans. They were the ones who maintained the peace. They didn't despise supernatural creatures like other hunters. In fact, they were friends with some. Really good friends."

"Then why the hell is their son after my mate?"

"Well, something terrible happened."

"No shit," Kian muttered. I shot him a glare and motioned him to shut up and let her explain. "Alright, proceed."

"Rogues became a bigger problem both for werewolf packs, human towns and cities, and other supernatural clans. They were extremely dangerous and terrorized many people. Keanu's parents were hired to exterminate these wild animals. However, it didn't go as planned. They teamed up with different leaders to try and work together to destroy those rogues, but the outcome wasn't good. Lives were lost, including the best hunters that ever lived.

"There are many rumors on how they died. One being that they were slaughtered by werewolves. That they were betrayed and manipulated. Keanu has teamed up with the rogues to plot revenge against the pack he believed belonged to the Alpha who killed his parents."

"Well how do we know if they actually did murder his parents?" I asked.

"I've done a lot of research and digging around about this whole situation, because nothing added up and I'm a sucker for mysteries and drama, and I've learnt that they were fighting a whole swarm of rogues, "they" meaning the hunters, a group of Alphas, and other supernatural leaders. There was a ton of bloodshed and a rogue killed them. Jaxton's father rushed them to the hospital but it was too late. Keanu was left an orphan and he grew up exposed to the various rumors."

"Wow that's a lot of information to take in," Kian blew out, clasping his hands together.

"So this is all revenge on someone who doesn't deserve it?" I questioned, sitting up in my chair. "Do you know where this bastard lives?"

"I know exactly where he lives." She stood up and motioned us to follow her. We exited the building and were greeted by the blistering cold air. I hugged my coat closer to my body as the snow on the ground crunched while we walked.

"I've come to the conclusion that Daniel and I will go with you two. You need all the help you can get. Plus we have the equipment that you need to take down that asswipe."

Outside of their small house were doors leading to the basement. We walked down the wooden steps to a cold, dark room. Janet flipped on the switch, revealing shelves and displays of various tools and weaponry.

"This man may seem tough, but Daniel and I know a lot about his home as well as his style of defense. He takes after his parents and we've hung out with them before. The cabin he lives in used to belong to them."

Janet walked over to a cabinet and pulled out some bags and sat them on the table in the center of the room. She snatched different guns, daggers, knives, and other objects and scattered them on the surface as well.

"These are made specifically for fighting werewolves. Without these, the only thing you two can rely on are your wolf forms. With these, you will be able to save your man more efficiently and safely."

Kian and I glanced at each other before moving towards her warily, observing the different equipment. "Is this silver?" Kian asked as he picked up a long dagger with a fancy handle.

Janet nodded her head. "It's laced with wolfsbane, too." He slowly placed it back on the table, careful not to touch the blade. The woman picked up some sheaths for the knives.

"Okay, so what's going to happen is that I'm going to show you a map of where he lives, and we're going to come up with a plan."

After we discussed a plan, Kian pulled me off to the side while Janet and Daniel went to load their snowmobiles. "Do you trust them?" Kian whispered.

"I'm not sure, but they're the best chance we've got at saving Jax. I'm willing to risk anything if it means seeing him again," I replied, my eyes tearing up just at the thought of never being able to see my mate.

"I agree," Kian offered a small smile before Janet entered the room and motioned us to come.

"We know some people who can help us. I sent them the location of the cabin and they're going to take down the guards on patrol."

She handed us each a helmet, and we slipped on our bags with different weapons in it. I got on the snowmobile with Janet while Kian went with Daniel.

"We won't be able to go all the way because they'd hear us, so we're going to have to walk the rest of the way," she shouted over the loud roaring of the engines before sliding her helmet over her head. I copied her, Kian following right after.

As the vehicles sped down the snowy road, the icy air nipped at my body, and I was thankful they allowed us to borrow some coats, long Johns, and boots. I didn't know how long we rode, but the town was long gone, snow-covered trees blurred by. I took notice of the ice cycles hanging from their branches and couldn't help but admire their beauty. It was the only way I could relax the whole ride there.

I didn't know how long it took. It felt like forever. And the closer we got, the more anxious I felt. Many things could go wrong, and I had a sickening feeling. What if these people weren't who they said they were. What if it was a whole set up. It didn't seem like they were lying, however.

By the time the snowmobiles slowed to a stop, my heart was racing at a nervous pace. We dismounted and prepared for our hike towards the mountain. I clipped my sheath on and stuck the silver dagger in each slot. Then I held one of my guns and had the other in my bag. I had it in my hand just in case.

Kian stayed close to me, holding a gun in hand as well. His emerald eyes weren't as bright as before, and I knew he was worried about his mate even though he tried to hide it. Trying to light up the mood, I spoke up.

"How about after this we go visit Theo? I'm sure he'll be very happy to see us," I offered, fixing the strap on my shoulder.

Kian glanced at me. "What makes you think I'd want to see him? It's not like a miss him," he scoffed.

I gave him a pointed look. "You're not fooling anybody, buddy." We trekked up the mountain, slipping a little bit on the packed snow. Everyone remained silent for the most part, listening to the sound of the branches of the trees rustling and the snow falling from them. Although sometimes Daniel and Janet talked amongst each other.

I kept glancing around, keeping a watch, probably because of my paranoia. We hadn't run into any guards yet, so the "help" must have done their jobs, hopefully.

"Goddess, I didn't know I was this out of shape," I breathed out with a huff. I placed a hand on Kian's arm as I bent over to catch breath. I heard a small chuckle leave his mouth, and it made me feel a little satisfied.

At the top of the mountain we continued walking through a forest, the ground thick with snow. Thankfully it was the kind of snow that was packed enough I didn't sink down in it.

"You guys remember the plan, right?" Daniel whispered to us as he cocked his gun.

"Yeah," I answered.

"Ok, well we're almost there," he said. And he was right. I could see the end of the forest up ahead.