Chapter 3 Charisma Pov

His back is littered with whip marks. So is his front. I am in a state of disbelief, unable to control my fury. He’s been hurt so severely that his entire body is covered head to toe. There’s not an inch of him that hasn’t been marked in some way, whether from whips or just bruises in general. He eyes me, a look of anxiety on his face and I fight back the tears threatening to fall and force myself to smile reassuringly at him. “Let’s get you some clothes.” He eyes me warily but let’s go of my hand and follows me. He drops the towel, and I whip my head around, my heart racing in my chest. Just to glance at him is enough to set my heart pounding wildly and I want to touch him, to reach out and hug him, but he’s skittish, almost like a horse that’s being broken in. I settle for waiting until he’s dressed and then handing him the pad of paper again. It’s the only way we can communicate, as frustrating as it is. “I know your name but nothing else about you. Where are you from? I know you can’t be originally from this pack because you are, no offense, a hybrid. This pack prides itself on being pure blood shifters,” I said with heavy sarcasm “and I can only imagine what they have put you through,” I gestured at his marks, and he flushes, almost as if he is embarrassed. He begins to write. I don’t know who my parents are. All I know is that my name is Cody Jacobson, and I am approximately 21 years old. My parents abandoned me at this pack as a baby and I’ve been raised here ever since. I was first in an orphanage but when Luna Christina discovered me, she gave me a position in her pack and made me her… “A slave. They made you a slave.” I fill in the blanks. My tone is harsh. He recoils and I soften my tone. “I’m not angry at you but at them. It’s illegal to have slaves or even women shifters as breeders now. I had to fight to get those laws implemented and I’ve personally visited packs to make sure they are in line, but your pack was one of the last and you suffered greatly as a result. I just want to help you. I want to make sure this never happens to another person, shifter, Lycan again. Do you understand?” I said, my voice shaking with emotion. He looks as though he doesn’t believe me. Maybe he’s been a slave so long that the mere thought he might be a free man is just something that he can’t grasp the concept of. I sigh, knowing that it’s going to be a long road to get my mate to trust me. He begins to scribble on the pad and then holds it up for me to read. My mouth parts in shock. Does he truly believe that I’m capable of doing such a thing? Are you going to reject me? I exhale slowly. My mate continues to eye me, his look expressionless. Is he thinking that I will automatically reject him because of what he is or gone through? Impossible. I had waited so long for my mate and now that he was here, I could not envision anybody else. The moon goddess did not make mistakes. He was my mate, and I would not allow anybody to touch him ever again. I would protect him, for the rest of his life. “Never.” I doubted the council would feel the same way when we made it back to the castle but that was something else I would deal with. He writes again. But you are a Lycan Queen. Shouldn’t you have a strong mate? Even a chosen one would be preferable to what I am. I cannot do anything; I have no wolf, and I cannot speak. “I don’t care” I told him fiercely, shaking my head again. “I don’t care that you can’t speak. I can do the talking for both of us. I can do the fighting for both of us. What matters is that I found you, nothing more. Please don’t’ talk as though I’m going to abandon you because that will never happen. As for being Lycan Queen, you have to stop comparing yourself. At the heart of it and in my soul, I am still a woman. My role does not define me.” It never would. The council seemed to forget that as they pressured me to do as they demanded but I was no puppet, and my defiance only seemed to incense them. I cleared my throat and looked at my mate properly. Now that was clean and the dirt had been washed off of him, he was more than handsome, he was downright sinfully sexy. The clothes fit him like a glove and only seemed to emphasize his beauty. He was almost ethereal. I swallowed hard, trying to avoid looking at him too intently, although it was difficult. I was mind-linked by my men. “Queen Charisma we’ve found something that you might want to check. It’s rather…” he pauses, “disturbing to say the least. The door was locked and heavily fortified. We had to break in. I think you should see this,” he added darkly. “It might explain a lot.” I look at my mate. “You should rest. Please” I gesture to the bed which is neatly made up, “get some sleep, you look as though you might need it.” You’ll come back? “I’ll be back. My men need me. Don’t fret. I’ll even place guards on the door to keep you safe. You don’t have to worry anymore. I told you that I would protect you and I meant it.” I swept out of the room, leaving him behind, his eyes filled with concern and promptly made a beeline for my men. What was this room and what could it contain in order to have my men as shocked as they were?