Chapter 42 – Kidnapped by My Mate Novel (Belle & Grayson) Online Free by Annie Whipple

Filed To Story: Kidnapped by My Mate Novel (Belle & Grayson) Online Free by Annie Whipple

Elijah didn’t look convinced by my lacking display of strength.

He thrust out his hand, palm up. “Backpack,” he said, motioning for me to give my bag to him.

My brows knit together in frustration. I wasn’t that weak. I could still carry my own damn backpack, thank you very much.

“I’ve got it. I can do it,” I said stubbornly. I started to walk in the same direction we were going before, hoping he would drop the subject.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t so lucky. Elijah stepped in front of me, blocking my path. “I know you can do it,” he said sternly, still holding his hand out. “I just don’t care. If you’re walking, I’m carrying your backpack.”

I frowned at him. His unfaltering expression told me I wasn’t going to win this battle. I sighed deeply and angrily yanked the backpack straps off my shoulders. I thrust it at him. “Fine. Here.”

The corner of his lips turned up, as he contently took the bag from my hands.

“Thank you,” he said.

I rolled my eyes, feeling my own lips form a small smile. Why he looked so happy to be carrying a bag filled to the brim with books, clothes, and other useless objects was beyond me. But I was still grateful for his help.

He put the bag on his shoulders and bent down to pick up my suitcase as well. Then he looked at me, waiting patiently for me to give the go-ahead to keep moving. I used all the willpower left in my body to walk straight without stumbling.

But it was hard. Really. Fucking. Hard.

My legs screamed at me with every step, the burning in my chest traveling throughout the rest of me the further away I became from Grayson. It was like my body knew that I was leaving the man I loved and because it had such an intense connection to him, it was determined to let my mind know that it hated it.

I had never felt like my mind and body were two separate entities before, but that was the only way to describe it now. My mind and body were fighting against each other in a rigorous battle that neither would win.

All for a man who hated me. Beat me, used me, gained my trust and then tore me down in the most painful way possible. I hadn’t even realized I was crying until my vision blurred with unshed tears. I groaned in frustration and violently wiped at the tears, mad at myself for crying yet again.

I looked down at my feet, determined to keep walking, willing them to carry me just a little longer. And then a branch, hidden deep in the snow, seemed to grab onto my foot like a twisted hand, tugging my body down with a sudden force.

I crashed into the snow with a surprised scream, landing gracelessly on my front. I couldn’t stop myself from crying out my frustration. I slammed my fists down in the snow angrily over and over again.

Somewhere deep inside of me was screaming, Get your act together, Belle!

This is why Grayson couldn’t love you!

This is why your mother left you!

You’re weak, you can’t even walk without falling!

I let out a sob, more out of anger and frustration than sadness.

I would prove the voice wrong.

I would prove everyone wrong.

I could do it.

I could be strong.

And I was going to do it on my own. Nobody would hurt me ever again.

Elijah didn’t waste a second, quickly crouching down next to me the moment I fell.

“That’s it,” he said harshly. He set my suitcase to the side. “I’m going to carry you.

We’re leaving your suitcase here and I’m carrying you the rest of the way whether you like it or not. I’ll come back for your stuff later, once we’ve gotten you somewhere you can rest that isn’t in the freezing cold.” He tried to wrap his arms around me so he could lift me into the air but I stopped him.

“No,” I said roughly. I shoved his arms away from me, letting my anger and frustration show through. “I can do it. I said I can do it and I will.”

I wiped my hair out of my face and sat up. One of my elbows was severely scraped up through my jacket and dripping blood. My knees didn’t look any better.

I tried not to care that my only jacket now had a huge hole in it.

Pushing the pain aside, I stood with great effort. I looked at Elijah who was still watching me from his crouched position.

He shook his head in amazement, bringing himself to stand as well. “I know you don’t want to hear this right now and, honestly, I’m not really sure why I’m telling you this right after you had your heart broken,” he started, “but you would have made an amazing luna. Truly. The alpha made a terrible mistake giving you up.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. “Yeah, well,” I said, shifting my weight uncomfortably. “That’s all in the past now. Let’s keep going. I’m cold.”

Elijah nodded, not hiding his sad expression. “Okay.”

We continued our trot through the woods, Elijah now walking extremely close to me, I’m sure ready to catch me if I fell again. We only got a few more steps in before Elijah suddenly stopped.

I paused as well, turning to look at him a few feet behind me. “Elijah?” I asked.

His brown eyes were glazed over and glassy, appearing much darker than they usually did.

He was looking off into the distance with a strange expression on his face.

I didn’t know a lot about it, but by Grayson’s explanation and the few times I had seen him do it, I knew Elijah was midlinking someone, talking to them in his mind.

But that wasn’t what worried me. Elijah’s expression was quickly turning panicked, his breathing quickening more and more by the second. Whoever was talking to him was not delivering good news.

When his eyes finally cleared, his gaze snapped to me. His jaw clenched roughly.

“Elijah?” I asked again. “What happened?”

BELLE POV

“Elijah,” I said again, “what’s wrong?”

Elijah’s face had turned as pale as a sheet of paper.

I couldn’t tell if it was his wolf or his human side that was upset, based on the rapid change of colors in his eyes. Either way, whatever had just been told to him through mind-link—communicated to him through his brain—could not be good.

I tried approaching him when he didn’t answer.

The pain I was feeling suddenly didn’t matter; it was quickly being replaced by worry.

Elijah growled when I approached and took a step away, putting a fair number of feet between us. My brows knitted together.

“Kyle,” Elijah breathed out heavily.

My heart dropped.

“What?” I asked frantically, “is something wrong with Kyle? How do you know?”

Elijah shook his head rapidly, grabbing onto his hair in tight shifts.

It was obvious now that he was trying to rein in his wolf. Was this what it looked like to be fully mated and know that your mate was hurt?

He looked like he was in a lot of pain.

Shouldn’t he be running back to Kyle in a panic?

“Mind link. Mate bond,” he choked out, answering my question in short, pained sentences.

The way he spoke, without a hint of deception, made me believe that what he was saying was true. Something was wrong with Kyle. But if Kyle was seriously hurt, Elijah wouldn’t be taking his time getting back to the packhouse.

He wouldn’t be standing here talking to me.

I may have never known what it felt like to be fully mated, but deep inside I knew I would feel it if something life-threatening happened to Grayson. And nothing would keep me from getting to him. It was the way Elijah was looking at me right now—

wide eyes, serious expression—that told me there was something he was keeping from me, something he couldn’t tell me.

Something serious.

With cautious movements, I stepped towards him.

“There’s something else, isn’t there?” I asked in a quiet voice.

Elijah shut his eyes tightly for a second before he nodded sharply in confirmation.

I sucked in a breath.

“Grayson?” I asked. “Did Grayson do something?”

He didn’t give me any sort of confirmation, but his intense, nonstop stare gave me all the answer I needed.

I was right. Grayson had done something, and based on Elijah’s reaction, it wasn’t good.

My mouth went dry, my heart rate escalating until it was beating at the same pace as a horse’s hoofs at the Kentucky Derby.

“Has he hurt someone?”

Elijah blinked once.

There was no doubt in my mind that he was struggling with whatever he was told through mind-link. He wanted to talk to me but couldn’t for some reason.

Something, or someone, was stopping him.

He ignored my last question, instead struggling to say, “Luna. You have to—”

He choked on his words, stopped by an unseen force.

His mouth shut and his eyes snapped closed tightly.

He grabbed onto his chest in immense pain, bending over himself until he was kneeling on the ground. Panic filled my body.

I didn’t waste a second running to him and grabbing his shoulder. I tried to help him up, wrapping my arm around his waist and tugging him to his feet.

“No!” he yelled the moment I touched him.

He pushed with just enough force to send me stumbling backward. I yelled out in shock.

Elijah didn’t give me any time to process his actions.

“Please…” he continued, desperation and pain lacing his tone, “you have to tell me…”

“Tell you what, Elijah?” I asked.

I tried to keep my distance, knowing now that he didn’t want me to touch him, but it was getting harder and harder to stay away as his pain only seemed to increase.

“Tell you what?!”

And then, without warning, his back straightened. He sprang to his feet and looked at me with a bright, content expression. He smiled widely, showing all his teeth.

It sent chills down my spine.

“I must report back to the packhouse now. Goodbye,” he said through that smile of clenched teeth.

And without giving any sort of other explanation, he spun on his heel and began walking in the direction from which we had come.

---