GIVEN TO THE TWIN ALPHA KINGS - Chapter 46: Chapter 46

Alpha Ronan
I looked at Delaney as we walked into the mansion, the thought of almost losing her to the rogues stirring a throb in my temple. Nyra was limping beside her, the bite she had sustained from the rogue as she was being drugged not healing. We could only hope that it wasn't going to get infected, because rogues were like rabid dogs.
"Be ready in 15 minutes, we are heading out for a search," I mind-linked Elias as we parted ways in the second-floor staircase landing.
"What about our mates? Will we just leave them unprotected when they were targeted tonight?" Elias replied, holding Nyra's hand.
"Kai will be there," I dismissed, rounding the corner into the hallway that led to our wing. Delaney was awfully quiet, chewing her bottom lip, eyes darting everywhere. Maybe now that the adrenaline had crashed, she was coming back to her senses. We went straight to Kai's bedroom, without any scene.
"Sit." Kai lifted his chin in the direction of his couch.
Delaney did so but not without blabbering. "If you want to lecture me, then you better get on with it. I just wanted to have my first run in my wolf form with my friends. Getting attacked was the last thing on my mind, and I swear Carter would never put us in—
"We won't lie, Delaney, we were really mad when Elias briefed us and especially when we found out that Carter was with you," I began, sitting beside her, while Kai was left standing. There was a subtle droop of his shoulders, not the previous tightness that was there as he strangled Carter. There seemed to be a permanent grimace since the minute Del asked him to let go of Carter.
"Carter did nothing but suggest we go out after you guys decided to ruin my night. He just wanted to cheer me up, like a good friend," she defended, directing her gaze at the floor.
"I am sorry for yelling at you," I apologised, meaning every word.
"You treated me like a pup, Ronan, asking who gave me permission to let Carter in," she whispered, playing with her fingers.
"All I wanted was to have a good time with you after being away from me. I missed you two," she admitted in a shaky voice, her words eliciting an ache in my chest. Kai was quiet, awfully quiet, his fist pressed on his lips.
I shifted closer to her, placing my hand on her thigh. "Our responsibility as your mates is making sure you are safe. What we did is inexcusable, but we were just looking out for you and for a good reason," I spoke.
"A good reason?" she echoed.
"Indeed. We had our suspicions about Carter and his showing up here. Then an hour later, you get targeted by rogues in the exact spot Carter stopped his car? I know he is your friend, but try and think deeply and ask yourself whether that attack was a coincidence," I explained, squeezing her.
She leaned on the sofa, swallowing loudly before she spoke. "It was a coincidence. Carter doesn't know the kingdom well enough, and he has no reason to be working with the rogues or the dark witches."
"You haven't been with him 24/7, Delaney; you don't know for sure what he has been up to. You are a red wolf now, for goodness sake; the witches will do anything to get ahold of you!" I threw my hands in the air, pressing my teeth tightly together.
"Seriously now, Ronan? You actually think he is a traitor?" She chuckled, shaking her head. "You don't know him like I do, and the rogues attacked all of us, Carter included. It's just that one attempted to drag Nyra away," she explained, scooting and putting space between us.
"You are right, we don't know him like you do. But we can tell when someone is hiding something, and your friend fits the profile," I tried convincing, even though I knew it wasn't working.
Kai cleared his throat, making us turn our faces at him. "What you said back at the forest, did you mean it?" he asked directly, tapping his foot on the floor.
Delaney blinked, then tilted her head, as if she was in deep thought. "I said a lot of things," she answered.
"Right," Kai mumbled, his lips stretching into a painful smile. "Would you have rejected us for trying to protect you? Were you really willing to choose Carter over us, your mates?" he clarified, looking at Delaney with a grimace. I could feel his pain in the air, the hurt in his eyes.
"I-I..." Delaney stuttered, hanging her head, and that was an answer enough. I felt like I had been stabbed in my heart, and the knife twisted deep inside. She couldn't even answer without thinking, and that meant to her it was a matter of choosing. That she was weighing between us and Carter, and that fucking broke my heart.
Kai didn't say a thing, he turned and walked out in uneven steps, head hanging. "I will be outside, looking around the mansion. You can leave with Elias," he mind-linked, and I could feel the bond between us shaking. It was almost snapping with the weight each of us was carrying.
"Sleep well." That is all I told Delaney, the words feeling hollow, and then followed my brother out. Elias didn't take long to come out, shirtless, ready to shift for the search.
"I thought that Alpha Kai would remain behind," he pointed out, looking at my brother, who seemed lost in his own world. Yes, I wanted to stay and wallow, but having rogues get so deep inside the kingdom was something that needed handling. If the news spread around the kingdom, then the people we swore to protect would term us incompetent alpha kings, unable to protect them and secure our borders.
"He is not going, come on." I urged, walking down the front steps.
"Wait," Elias called, looking at Kai and then at me.
"Did Delaney tell you that one rogue wolf tried dragging Nyra away? he asked, to which I answered with a nod.
"Well, Nyra just told me that the rogue attacked and began dragging her away almost immediately. What I am trying to say is that..." Elias trailed off, running his hands on his face.
"The target was Nyra, not Delaney. They are still looking for unmated females," Kai finished, his voice calm, but with something simmering in his tone.