"Sam, you have to get Bre out of here." I said.

A chill ran down my spine when I heard Rider's name. I didn't want him to see Bre and I didn't want him to see Jake either. I didn't want to drag them both into this. I didn't need Jake to go crazy seeing Rider here. He would make a scene and things would turn out worse.

"What? I'm not letting her go." Sam said, frowning. "You're all still traitors to this pack."

"They didn't do anything!" I growled. "I already told you they didn't have part in this."

"I'm not letting her go."

"I know, at least move them somewhere else. Rider can't know they're here. I deserve everything I get but they've done nothing wrong. Please, please, just move them to a different cell."

"You're all traitors." Sam repeated.

"I told you what happened already. I didn't want to do it. Sam, she was going to kill me and I was going to let her do it. She didn't want to kill me just like I didn't want to kill her. Rider was there when I was backing out and he ordered me to kill her. He knew who she was and he wanted her dead. I was forced to do his dirty work."

"I can't trust you, Sage." Sam looked torn.

"Please, just do this for me. Just this once and that's it." I said.

I was desperate. I didn't want to bring down anyone more than I already had. They didn't deserve any of it.

"Sage..."

"I'm begging you." I said.

The scent hit me before the group rounded the corner. Bre was surrounded by four guards and they kept pushing her around. She kept snapping her canines at them and she continued to give them a dirty look. Sam noticed them and he looked at Bre for a long moment.

"Justin, the Beta of Imperial, is her mate." I said quietly but Sam could hear me. "Justin said something to Bre about Rider and she ran away because he was trying to kill her. She didn't do anything wrong."

Bre was pushed into her cell and the guards locked it with a key. They all nodded at Sam and started walking away.

"Wait." Sam said to them. "Take her to the cells on wing B and inform the others to throw the other traitor there as well. This one doesn't deserve the company of her companions."

I knew Sam was trying to get the guards to move Bre to a different cell but his words still stung. They cut deep but I knew he was right. The guards nodded and one of them walked back to unlock the cell. Bre backed away and shook her head.

"I'm not going anywhere." Bre said.

"Bre, just do what they say."

"No, I'm not leaving you."

Bre was struggling against them but they managed to get her out. She tried to fight them off and she even went as far as wanting to shift. I watched wide eyes as one of them hit her in the back of the head and Bre fell to the ground.

"You didn't have to hurt her!" I snapped.

The guard ignored me as they picked her up and carried her away. I realized that I wasn't going to see Jake anymore. As soon as they brought him back he was going to a different cell and I wouldn't get to say goodbye to him.

"Rider will be here in thirty minutes." Sam said.

"You can't let them back here until Rider leaves." I said.

"I have to go, Shayne wants me there."

"Sam," I called out stopping him before he could walk away. "thank you."

Sam gave me a short nod and then walked away. I sighed and sat down on the bed. Suddenly I felt sick again.

*****

I continued to paste back and forth in the cell as I waited for Sam to come back with some news. Everyone had pretty much shut me out of their mind link. Every time I tried reaching out for someone they blocked me. I figured they were orders from Shayne.

It was ten at night and I figured Shayne wasn't going to bring Rider. No one had tried to come to see me. One of the guards, Isaac I learned was his name, brought me food. I tried to ask him questions but he was quick to scurry away.

I had finally sat at the edge of the bed when Sam came into view. I quickly stood and walked to the gate. He looked really tired and irritated for some reason. It was probably because of me. Apparently Shayne wasn't the only one I was affecting.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I don't like Alpha Rider."

"Join the club." I said sourly.

"Shayne almost attacked him."

My eyes widened and I felt my heart give a painful squeeze. Worry washed over me and I gripped the cell bars.

"He's okay right? Tell me Shayne didn't get hurt."

"Shayne is fine. Rider was just trying to get under his skin. He kept asking about you and demanded you be returned to Imperial. He said you belonged to him."

I scowled and felt anger fill me. How dare he say something like that? What the hell was his problem? I was not his property and all he wanted me for is to kill me.

"He wants to be the one who gets to chose your sentence. He said that since you had betrayed his pack he had the right to be the judge. Eric and him got into a debate about it."

"What did Shayne say?"

I didn't want to ask the question but I needed to know. Was Shayne just going to hand me over to them as if I were nothing? I was his mate. His wolf had to be opposed to me getting hurt.

"He knows that you have to be punished for this."

"So he's going to let them sentence me to death? You do realize that's what they will do, right?"

"Sage, I'm really trying here. It's hard for me to even talk to you knowing what you did but something's not right about Rider. The way he looked whenever someone mentioned you. Shayne noticed too." Sam said. "They're staying here for tonight and tomorrow Shayne will bring Rider to see you. It might be late in the afternoon though."

"I don't suppose you can keep him away?"

"It's not likely to happen."

"I could only hope."

"I have to go. I'll let you know if anything happens."

I nodded and offered him a smile that he didn't return. I sighed as he walked away without looking back at me. I walked back to the bed and laid down. My stomach started to turn and I felt sick once again.

I felt nervous. I didn't know what Shayne wanted to do. I didn't know if he actually hated me or he was just doing this as a punishment. I was his mate. No way was his wolf going to allow us to get hurt.

After a while of laying down I started to feel worse than I felt already. My body felt too warm and I was getting chills. I had the blanket wrapped around me and I knew that I shouldn't but I was too cold.

It was probably midnight when I had started drifting off. I say started because I had been able to finally calm down the small fever I had. I felt my heartbeat keep a steady rhythm and my breathing was coming out evenly.

And that's when I heard him.

The low dark laugh that echoed throughout the cell made my whole body freeze. I kept my eyes closed but he knew I wasn't sleeping. Slowly I opened my eyes and there he was.

Rider had a wide smile on his face when I looked at him. His dark hair seemed jet black in the darkness and his eyes sparkled with amusement. It had been a while since I had seen him but he looked the same. He was older now but the sick feeling was still there when I looked at him.

I sat up in the small bed I was in and kept my eyes on him. He reached his arms thought the bars and rested them on there. He leaned in and continued to smile widely at me.

"I had to admit that I expected us to be reunited in a much different way. Time has done you good, Sage." He said, his voice coming out smooth and confident.

"Well, I can't say the same about you." I retorted.

I didn't think it was possible but his smile grew wider. His whole body shook as he laughed.

"Such a spit fire. Tell me, Sage, is this what you thought warming your way to an Alpha's bed would get you to? If it is I could have given you better if you would have stayed."

I threw the covers off of me and stood up. Slowly I walked toward him but not too close.

"You're such a sick bastard." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Watch yourself. That smart mouth of yours will get you killed."

I raised a brow and crossed my arms over my chest. He was trying to get a rise out of me.

"What do you want? How did you get past the guards? You shouldn't be here."

"Is that what you're worried about? Here I thought you were going to beg me not to kill you. Believe me when I say I'd take anything you're willing to offer."

I felt disgusted by him. He was so sick and a low life bastard. He didn't deserve the title of an Alpha.

"I'd rather die." I said. "If that's all you want then you can leave. Death is much better than being anywhere near you."

"Even the life of your family?" He asked.

That certainly got my attention. My family was still part of his pack but I didn't think he would say anything about them. Honestly they had completely slipped my mind. Even though they turned their backs in me they were still family.

"Your mother had another pup. Leo is his name."

I had a brother? My mother had another child after I left?

"It would be a shame if anything happened to them."

"You kicked me out of the pack and now you want me back?" I asked incredulously. "Why?"

"I think I'll take you off of Shayne's hands and let's face it, you aren't that bad." He said with a smirk. "You've grown up and I have to say you look good enough for me to want you around."

"You can piss off if you think that's what you're going to get from me." I growled out.

"Relax, darling. I'm simply laying out any offers if you want me to spare your life. Shayne will end up agreeing to leave me and Eric with the verdict. Eric wants to kill you but I'm sure we can come to an agreement if you're willing to come with me. Let me remind you that your family is also at stake here."

"I will never agree to such bullshit. You can't have me and if you try going against my family, that will be their fault. They were stupid enough to stay with an idiot for their Alpha."

Rider growled and tried reaching out for me. His fingers brushed my shoulder and I took a step back.

I hated that I had to play with my family's life. Yeah they did a horrible thing to me but it was Rider's fault. My family had become strangers now and I bet they probably thought I was dead.

"You'll die knowing everyone you loved doesn't care about you. I'll make sure that Shayne ends up hating you. I'll make sure your family goes down with you too." He said in a deadly tone. "And you'll die knowing the truth while everyone else will believe you say nothing but lies."

Now he had me confused and I was sure that it was showing on my face. He nodded with a sly smile.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"You think you killed that girl?" He laughed. "I personally had the pleasure kill that worthless trash. You think you were strong enough to kill her? You couldn't finish the job so I had to do it."

"You-you killed her?"

My voice came out in a whisper but he heard me.

"Of course I did. Don't send anyone to do your dirty work."

I thought back to that day that it happened. I heard her neck snap. I was positive I had killed her. She had gone limp in my hands. But then I turned my back when Rider checked on her. That bastard lied!

"It wasn't me. I didn't kill her."

I felt a huge weight lift off of my shoulders. This thing that had been haunting me for years had finally left me. I felt a small bit of happiness begin to fill be as it hit me that I didn't kill Shayne's sister.

"Don't look too happy." Rider said bursting in on my happiness. "You're still behind these bars and I doubt anything you say will make a difference."

He was right. No one would believe anything I say. They all thought I was a traitor and a liar. For all they knew this could be something I was making up to get me out of this.

"It was nice seeing you again, Sage." Rider said. "I wish you the sweetest of dreams for tonight."

His laughter boomed throughout the cell as he walked away. He left me with a little hope that quickly faded away as I realized there wouldn't be a way that I would be able to show them the truth. I was locked in here and the only way out would be escaping.

Maybe escaping wouldn't be such a bad idea...