An Unwanted Second Chance (JB Tirado) novel Chapter 81

Chapter 81

Maddox stared at her tent for a moment as the crowd of rogues slowly dispersed. Finally he turned back towards Riley and Jaxon, heaving a sigh. He walked over, kneeling beside Jaxon first.

“Not even worth binding you,” he muttered, digging through his bag to pull out a length of rope. “Not like you can go anywhere with that knee.”

Riley saw it then, the way his leg bent unnaturally, the swollen, distorted skin around his knee. She cringed as

Jaxon groaned, leaning slightly to the side so Maddox could tie his wrists together.

When he was done, Maddox turned towards Riley. She waited, sure he was coming to bind her wrists again.

He tilted his head, his bright blue eyes considering her for a moment.

“You will come with me,” he said quietly, standing and reaching for her arm.

She instinctively flinched away, trying to avoid his grasp. But she was too slow, her reflexes blunted by the

wolfsbane. He grabbed her under the left arm and gently pulled her to her feet. She tried to jerk her arm away

from him, but his fingers tightened in warning.

“I won’t hurt you,” he chided, pulling her away from Jaxon. She wanted to resist, but her shoulder throbbed

painfully as he pulled. She nearly toppled over her feet, pain spreading across her back. Her right knee buckled with a painful gasp.

Maddox wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her against him as he entered a nearby tent. It was

cramped inside the tent, but tidy. There was a pallet of blankets on the far side and two stools near the door,

along with a large hiking pack that had seen better days.

Maddox set her on one of the stools before sitting down on the one across from her. He assessed her for a

moment, scratching his thick beard.

“Where are you hurt?” he finally asked.

Riley debated what to tell him, not wanting to let on how sorely she felt. But he had just had to half drag her

in here when her own body refused to cooperate.

“My shoulders hurt, especially the right. My lower back and my right knee.”

He nodded. “Your clavicle was broken in the crash. I think the worst of it was healed before Cheree gave you

wolfsbane. Your right shoulder was dislocated but I did reduce it successfully. The knee and the back are

probably residual from the crash injuries. No one has hurt you since you’ve been here.”

“Wolfsbane is pretty harmful,” Riley pointed out.

Maddox rolled a shoulder. “Yeah, well, it’s also effective for captives. I’m sure your pack uses it as well when

they catch rogues.”

Riley frowned, watching him as he rooted in his canvas bag. He was right. Most packs used wolfsbane as well as the council when needed/ But it still seemed strange that a group of rogues would have some.

Maddox pulled out a container much like a tackle box and flipped open the lid. He extracted two pills and held them out to her. Riley just stared at his hand, not moving.

“It’s just pain relievers,” he said after a moment.

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< Chapter 81

Riley still didn’t move.

+ Points >

Maddox rolled his eyes, snapping his box closed and sliding it back into his bag. He pulled out a bottle of water, extending that to her.

Riley still didn’t move.

He laughed softly. “Not very trusting, are you?”

“I’m being held captive by a bunch of rogues and was just told I’m going to be killed in front of my mate.

Please excuse my skepticism.”

He smiled, his teeth surprisingly white against his red beard. “The warrior says you’re from the council. The

best warrior advisor, is how he said it. Is that true?”

“Does it matter?”

“It does.” He leaned back. “See, Cheree is not a detail person, but I am. She only wants the basics to come up

with a plan, so she overlooks quite a bit. All she heard was the alpha had a second chance mate. She didn’t

bother to inquire too much about you or your capabilities.”

“What’s your point?“.

“My point is that Cheree didn’t bother to hear that she just captured an incredible warrior. She also doesn’t

realize that you could be an important bargaining chip.”

Riley’s stomach dropped but she kept her face passive. “I’m sure you’ve told her.”

He shook his head. “See, the other thing is that I’ve been watching Cheree and I’ve had some questions. I’ve

been here for about five months and there are things that aren’t adding up.”

“Like what?”

“That child.” Maddox shook his head again, rubbing his neck. “I couldn’t figure out why she never even tried

some other way to get him back. A less violent way. I thought when that beta came out and made his offer, that she would jump at the chance to get him back. But she didn’t.”

“Because he’s not her son.”

“Well, I know that now.” He shook his head again. “She just said as much out there. She killed that kid’s

parents.”

“She hurt him too,” Riley pointed out.

He nodded. “I know. I talked to your warrior quite a bit about that child too. He said that the beta and his wife love him, that he is doted on by all the ranked members, Cheree claimed that he was severely mistreated,

abused. But he clearly wasn’t.”

“Evan is very loved,” Riley whispered.

Maddox sighed. “I realized that when I was trying to set his arm. He’s a strong little boy. Correct height and weight for his size. Other than his injuries from the crash, nothing suggests abuse.”

Riley frowned. “Are you a doctor?”

“I was.” He looked at his feet. “I was a doctor at New Sky until two years ago.”

“I was out at New Sky last year.”

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< Chapter 81

“So you know about the split between New Sky and Pine Valley?”

She nodded.

+ Points >

“I went with Alpha Landrew to Pine Valley, but it was a mistake. Most of my family was aligned with Landrew so I thought it was for the best. Alpha Brent would not trust me if I stayed and my family left, not with all the bad blood between the two alphas. But Alpha Landrew…” Maddox glanced away for a moment. “Well, he’s not the nicest guy and he has some pretty strange beliefs. I got called in to take care of someone at the pack house who had been clearly tortured. When I started asking questions, he banished me.”

Riley chewed her lip for a moment. She knew how hard banishment could be. At least she had the academy to go to. If she hadn’t, she would have been a rogue too.

“So here I am,” he sighed. “I thought I was helping someone right a wrong and now I realize that I am, yet again, on the wrong side.”

“What are you going to do then?”

He shrugged. “I’m not sure yet. I can’t do much for your warrior. That broken knee is going to keep him down. But you could get that child out of here.”

She scoffed. “How do you figure that?”

“Your scouts have been out. I spotted a couple in the trees. I haven’t told Cheree about them. I’m not sure anyone else spotted them. It’s not exactly a well–oiled machine out here. I did hear that a convoy rolled into your pack about an hour ago and I assume those are council members, coming to your aid.”

Riley felt her spirits lift immediately. Thank the Goddess for whoever was keeping Kent in line long enough to

wait for help.

“So, when the attack comes,” Maddox continued, “which should happen within the next day, you need to get out of here. And you need to take that kid.”

“I’m not exactly in fighting shape,” she grumbled. “Especially without my wolf.”

“Well, take the damn pain relievers.” Maddox extended his hand again. “I’ll get you something to eat and then

we can talk strategy.”

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