Rejecting The Alpha Twins - Chapter 83: Chapter 83

Xavier POV
“Shit” I yelled, kicking aimlessly at the bars of the cell, ignoring the sharp burning pain that began to spread through my foot.
They had taken her. They had taken Regan; our mate and we had been helpless to stop it. Isabelle that bitch, what was she planning on doing with Regan? It didn’t bode well. Not at all. For once, even Xander didn’t look like his usual, calm, rational self, flinging his body at the bars in some vain attempt to get them to break or even part. The guards simply stood back, watching, their arms across their chest, expressionless. I gestured at them wildly.
“Can’t you see that you’re being manipulated?” I shouted out. “Do you honestly think that my father is in charge of all of his mental faculties right now?”
Were they blind or stupid? Anybody could see that my father was not himself. Were we the only ones who seemed to have any common sense in this pack?
The guards shot each other a glance, their lips flattening in denial. Xander’s voice rose from behind me, also sounding panicked. “Our father is not himself. His mate and Isabelle have him under a spell. Surely you should be able to tell the difference?” he demanded hoarsely.
Another glance between the two guards at our comments. Their eyes went cloudy. They were mind-linking with each other and silently communicating. We stared at them, willing them to believe us. But their eyes returned to normal and the first guard, a man called Sampson if I recall correctly, raised a brow and scoffed at us.
“Oh please, you’ll try anything in order to gain your freedom. You both should be ashamed of yourselves, for trying to kill your own flesh and blood. I never took you for the bloodthirsty type” he snarled, curling his lip back.
I blanched even though it wasn't true. I would never betray my father like that. Nor would Xander. These men didn't know us as well as they thought they did. They had misjudged us without hearing our side of the story.
The other man, Jerome, nudged Sampson with his elbow, his eyes glittering with mirth. “You have to hand it to them though,” he said with laughter in his voice. “The story they just came up with about the Alpha being under a spell? What lunacy” he mocked as I glared at him. “Everybody knows the witches wouldn’t just help anybody. The price they demand is too high for most shifters to even contemplate such a thing. You’re merely lying to try and gain sympathy” he said darkly “and it’s not going to work. We are and always will be loyal to Alpha Jackson and therefore his mate.”
His tone was filled with resolve. At any other time, a man like this would be highly valued as a warrior and appreciated. Now, however, I felt nothing but exasperation and annoyance towards the man and his colleague.
“I admire your loyalty” I protested thickly, feeling a lump in my throat, knowing I didn’t even have to turn to know that my twin Xander was nodding his head in agreement, “but surely, you’ve noticed the change in my father’s behavior the last few days? The strange look in his eyes? The suddenness with which Heather has taken over while my father remains in the background?” I pressed.
A host of small things that when put together should have raised alarms and produced red flags.
Sampson pressed his lips together. “So what?” he asked nonchalantly. “Stuff like this tends to happen when you have a new mate like the Alpha. He’s merely showing his mate how much trust he has in her. You can’t deny that he found proof in your room. You had vials of poison" he said darkly.
“They weren’t ours” Xander roared back irritably, “and who happened to coincidentally find them in our room?” he snarled. “Heather or was it, Isabelle? Doesn’t that seem just a tiny bit suspicious to you or convenient?"
The guards looked mutinous. No amount of protesting, pleading, or begging was about to make these two men change their minds. They had already condemned us to our fate. They only trusted our father and nothing we said would change their views or make them inclined to help us. We were screwed unless we were able to come up with a plan. I gritted my teeth, glancing back towards the staircase where Regan had vanished along with Isabelle and her men. We had only a small amount of time. I didn’t know what Isabelle wanted Regan for, but the crazed look in her eyes as she had Regan dragged behind her spoke volumes. She was going to harm our mate, and we weren’t there to stop her. We had to get out of this blasted cell. I slammed my hand against the door, cursing under my breath as I pulled it away, my skin blistered and burned. It was nothing in comparison to the pain I was feeling on the inside for failing to protect my mate like I had promised to do.
I tried once more to reach my wolf, but my mind was like a blank canvas that was missing the most important aspect of it. I was so used to having my wolf with me, to guide me and advise me on what to do, that the loss of him was overwhelming. I ran a hand through my hair frustrated, watching the guards out of the corner of my eyes as they stepped back into the shadows, silently murmuring to one another, so quiet that we were unable to hear what was being discussed.
“One of them has a key” Xander muttered with a tinge of hope in his voice. “Maybe if they get close enough…” he trailed off, glancing at me as I thought it over and then realized the folly of such a plan.
It was impossible for such a plan to work. Too many things could go wrong. The odds of it working were laughable. I hated to crush Xander's hopes but I had to be realistic. It wasn't going to work.
I shook my head. “How? They aren’t stupid. There is nothing that is going to lure them close enough to the cell in order to surprise them with a sneak attack or get the upper hand. Even if we did, they would only call more men” I pointed out wearily.
If only I had my strength back or my wolf. This blasted silver, I thought, staring at the cuffs and wishing I could simply yank them off myself.
Xander frowned. “We have to do something, Regan’s out there," he said, his voice rising.
“Don’t you think I know that?” I shouted, staring at him in disbelief. “How could I forget about our mate? It’s my own stupidity and recklessness that has caused her to become a target and put us in this stupid position" I added, daring him to contradict me.
All of this, it was my fault. Regan deserved better mates than us. We should never have forced her to accept us as her mates. We should have accepted her rejection the first time. I was thinking irrationally but my guilt was practically crushing me by now.
“Stop feeling sorry for yourself” Xander sneered, staring at me and looking like he'd like to throttle me with his bare hands. “Our mate is trusting in us to help her and you’re busy wallowing in self-pity,” he said in disgust, curling his lip and raking his gaze over me.
I opened my mouth to answer him when both of our faces contorted into an expression of pain. We bent over doubled, panting and grasping at the ground, startled as what felt like a fire swept through our bodies. Our bodies shook and shuddered. I flinched. Xander let out a small moan. Our eyes rose and met each other's. Comprehension began to dawn. Neither of us had been injured just now. We hadn’t touched the bars; we hadn’t swung our fists at each other. That meant the pain had come from another source. That meant that somebody else was experiencing the pain alongside us. I could feel my body beginning to shake but it wasn’t with fear but rage. Regan. She was being hurt. This was her pain that we could feel. Somebody was hurting her. Isabelle, I thought, letting out a ferocious growl, my eyes darkening. That bitch was laying her hands on our mate and we were stuck here unable to do a damn thing to stop her. I could feel myself becoming almost berserk with the urge to become vicious, seeing another but red as my thoughts began to whirl inside my mind. I had to save my mate. I had to get to her. I had to.
“Regan” Xander rasped, horrified, as the pain faded and then started again, a burning, heating pain that caused us to wince and grit our teeth.
The pain we were feeling was all hers. Xander looked as though he was on the verge of losing control. I saw his eyes darken as he glanced towards the guards who had stepped towards us, eyeing us with interest.
“They are hurting our mate” Xander snarled, while the guards remained still.“Do you think that you will be spared if we get out of here? Do you think we will grant you leeway for what you have done?” he roared.
Both of us were staring at the guards with bloodlust. Reason had gone out the window now. Our hands were itching to land a hit on one or both of the guards.
“You don’t scare us,” Jerome said with a laugh but Sampson was quiet, tilting his head and studying us closely, an indecipherable expression on his face.
“If she dies, I don’t care what it takes, I will personally rip you limb from limb” Xander threatened, while I stood there thinking hard.
It was time to act. We couldn't stand here forever throwing threats towards the guards. Regan needed us. The pain continued to come in waves, fading and then hitting hard, my stomach clenching as the worst of it hit. I could almost picture Regan screaming in my mind and it almost caused me to become undone. My mate. My mate could be dying for all I knew.
There had to be a way to get the guards to come closer. A way to make them take notice and let down their guard or cause them to make a mistake. Something that would make them take action without considering the ramifications. I had the inkling of an idea, but I needed Xander to go along with me. He had to understand my motives. Would he be able to read my mind? I couldn’t risk mind-linking him. The guards would instantly get suspicious. No, he would have to interpret and adjust to my plan. We were twins and this wasn't the first time he'd had to follow my lead. I had complete faith that he would instantly recognize what I needed him to do. Otherwise, we were toast.
I took a deep breath and then turned towards Xander, narrowing my eyes and spitting at his feet, causing him to jolt back in shock.
“This is your fucking fault” I growled, hatred simmering in my eyes. "If it wasn’t for you and your damn incompetence none of this would have happened. You call yourself an Alpha?” I mocked, my tone becoming dark, “You are nothing but a weakling. No wonder Regan prefers me to you” I added arrogantly as Xander began to tense, his eyes beginning to blaze with anger.
It was time to dance. I threw the first punch. Xander didn't see it coming.