Alpha's One Night Bride
Alpha’s One Night Bride – Chapter 79

Rock’s underground bunker was hidden underneath the Grey Howler Station of Ironclaw. The chief claims he had no idea it was there. Jonathan had yet to use his newfound abilities to see if that were true or not; his main concern was getting the women out of the bunker.

The doorway was outside hidden in the station’s yard. He wasn’t sure what to expect when he entered the bunker, but the smell of rancid body odor and dirty baby diapers hit him hard as soon as he walked inside. There were multiple rooms with large glass windows, making it easy to look inside.

Each room was occupied by a different woman; the rooms all had hospital beds and some hospital equipment. It looked like a mini-hospital underground. The women looked exhausted and terrified; some were crying and shaking, others looked stone-cold and mono-faced. He could hear the faint crying of babies in some of the rooms, but in other rooms, it looked as though the women were still pregnant.

Dr. Emily wasn’t down there at the time of Jonathan’s arrival; but from the look of his sight, it appeared that she would be there soon. She was across town, gathering some supplies from her clinic.

These women looked bruised along their jawlines and had bitemarks along their necks and shoulder blades. They also appeared to be practically nude; only a small cloth of fabric covering their private areas. By the smell, it was clear that they were unbathed.

The view sent a chill down Jonathan’s spine and made him feel sick. He couldn’t believe that Rock could have the heart to treat these women so poorly and leave them down here to rot. Then again, nothing surprised Jonathan anymore.

“Jonathan?” He heard Erick’s voice coming from the entrance of the bunker. He turned to see Erick climbing down the ladder and entering the room he was in.

He paused as he realized what was surrounding him; he frowned, and his mouth fell open as he looked through the windows and saw all the women that were trapped inside.

“Holy shit,” he breathed; he too looked sick.

“Yeah…” Jonathan agreed. “Rock’s a sick bastard.”

“Are all these doors locked?” Erick asked, trying to unsuccessfully open one.

“Looks like it,” Jonathan answered.

He walked over to the desk in the corner of the room; it looked as though it would be the reception desk, but it was unoccupied. It was most likely Dr. Emily’s desk. Searching around the desk he came across a small black button.

Pressing the button, he heard a latch; Erick moved to open a door and it swung open with ease. A pregnant woman sat on the bed with wide, worried eyes. She wasn’t sure what to expect; she had never seen Erick before, and she was terrified of what he was going to do to her.

Neither of them blamed her for being scared; they didn’t blame any of them for being scared. He didn’t stick around too long around that door; he made his way down the room and opened each door for each woman.

Some of the women poked their heads out, staring at him with dismay. Other women met Jonathan’s gaze and recognized him considering he grew up in this area. Their faces relaxed and looked almost relieved, yet still a bit skeptical.

“You are all free to go,” Jonathan announced to them.

“Go?” One of the woman’s said from the far back; that she had dark circles under her eyes and even though she was pregnant, she looked to be thinning out. “Go where?” She asked.

“Home…” Jonathan answered. “Wherever you were before this, you may return to. I’m sure your families miss you.”

“It’s been months since I saw the daylight,” another woman said; her tone was weak, and she coughed after she spoke. It sounded as though it hurt her chest. “Some of us, it’s been years.”

Jonathan frowned; he had no idea Rock kept these women prisoner for so long.

It was sickening.

“Rock is no longer in power. He’s been taken into custody by Boris Conway of Silverside. Both Rock and his wife, Melissa, are in the Silverside prison. They can no longer do you harm,” Erick announced to them. All their faces looked shocked as they looked at one another. “Anyone involved in your kidnapping situation will be prosecuted as we see fit. I am Alpha Erick; I am now in charge of Ironclaw. I hope you can find it in your heart to trust me. I wish none of you ladies any harm and only want what’s best for the pack.”

Their faces melted with relief; they all stayed silent though. One by one Erick helped each woman and infant out of the bunker. They winced at the brightness of the moonlight, but they adjusted quickly. Each of them soaked in the fresh air; smiles were placed on their faces as they looked around their surrounding areas.

The chief of the police stood at the entrance of the station; he looked dumbfounded, but Jonathan couldn’t tell if he was faking it or not. Either way, he was annoyed by his stupidity.

“I swear; I had no idea…” he tried to say. “Rock used that area as storage and told me I wasn’t allowed near it. I didn’t know he was storing actual women.”

“We’ll discuss it later,” Erick muttered to him as he brushed past him. The women scattered throughout the town and found their homes.

Jonathan felt happy knowing that he helped make a difference that day.

“We should get back,” Erick told him. “Arina found her mother’s box under Rock’s bed. She’s having a tough time processing it.”

Jonathan’s frowned.

Arina found Emlin’s box? He could only imagine how hard it must have been for her to open it and see what was inside. He felt guilty for not being there with her during that. That must have been why Erick came here in the first place.

…

Back at Erick’s new house, Jonathan found Arina in the living room with a big maroon treasure chest type box. She was sitting on the ground with papers and books scattered around her. Ronnie was sitting on the couch, watching her with concern in her eyes.

Arina’s face was unreadable, which worried Jonathan because usually, she was so full of emotions and life. But at that moment, he was getting nothing from her.

“She hasn’t said a word…” Ronnie explained as the two walked into the house.

Erick went to join Ronnie on the couch and Jonathan knelt beside Arina. She looked as though she was in a complete daze. He placed the palm of his hand on her forearm and noticed how cold she was.

“Arina?” He said softly.

“Boris lied to me…” She whispered; her voice sounded hollow.

Jonathan tilted his head at her, confused at what she was talking about.

“It wasn’t Boris that my mother was in love with…”

He frowned.

“It was Nikini…”

Jonathan breathed out in shock, his eyes wide and alert.

“What?” He asked; he couldn’t have heard that correctly.

“It’s in her journal,” she said handing him the journal she was holding. “Boris knew about it and it infuriated him because my mother rejected him.”

Looking in her journal, he realized Arina was right. One of the entries made that very clear.

Dear journal,

I thought I knew what love was, but I was wrong. Is it so wrong to have a love for another woman as I would for a man? I knew Rock wasn’t my mate, but Ironclaw needed an Alpha once my father dies. A woman couldn’t be an Alpha and Rock was one of the strongest men I knew. I didn’t love him as a luna would love her husband, but I loved him enough.

It wasn’t until I met her that my views on love changed. Nikini. Her vibrant and elegant appearance was breathtaking, and it nearly stopped my heart. I agreed to help her husband, Boris, the country’s best detective, be a photographer for their upcoming wedding. I had to admit that I was jealous of their wedding and wished it could be me with her. But I was to marry Rock and I couldn’t do that to my pack.

It was obvious, as I resided in the Conway manor, that their marriage wasn’t strong. She was unhappy; I could see it in her eyes. I comforted her and, in a way, she comforted me. I didn’t mean for the relations to expand as they did; I felt guilty for not only Rock but for Boris as well. I didn’t want to disrupt a marriage, but my love for her only grew stronger.

Boris, however, was a typical flirt and made it known that he wanted me. I rejected him of course because my heart belonged to Nikini. That infuriated him. He had his way with me anyways…

He was too strong for me to stop him. I feel so dirty and deceived. Nikini found us and got the wrong idea. She was so heartbroken and angry. I was kicked from the manor and sent home without another word… as I write this, I have tears in my eyes.

Her link to me has been disconnected permanently and she won’t take my calls.

Is it possible to miss someone so much that it physically hurts?

Jonathan stopped reading.

“That’s…” he started slowly. “Wow…”

Arina had tears in her eyes that were just about ready to spill out and down her reddened features.

“I trusted him because I thought my mother trusted him… but it was a lie. He lied to me. That must be why Nikini seemed so uppity to me; because I reminded her of my mother and my mother broke her heart…”

This was a lot of information, and something told Jonathan that it was only the beginning.

“Amongst other things,” A voice came from the doorway.

They all looked up and saw Nikini standing alone at the door.