Chapter Six

Lorenzo POV

My drive back to Hell’s Pit was faster this time.

I gripped the steering wheel tightly, my mind focused on one thing—getting her out of that damn place.

My mate. The one I had thought I’d never find.

The city blurred past as I drove through the darkened streets, my jaw clenched, as all my thoughts consumed circled back to her.

Shit.

I didn't know if I should be happy or sad or furious at myself all I knew was I had to get her out of that place. The moment I had stormed out of Hell’s Pit, I had known I’d made a mistake. I should have taken her then and there, claimed what was mine.

But my hesitation had cost me, and now, I had to fix it.

" You grind your teeth any harder and you'll be left with none " Rafe said from where he sat beside me in the passenger seat, his fingers tapping against his knee.

He had made sure he was in the car before I started driving,he said it was more for the sake of the other people on the road than for me. He also had a convoy of men following behind us, ready for whatever Hell’s Pit had in store so I didn't really care, I had backup and that was all I cared for.

"I still don’t understand why you didn’t just grab her the first time," Enzo muttered from the back seat, I scowled deeply. I had totally forgotten that Enzo, my head enforcer, was in the backseat

I gritted my teeth.

"Because I wasn’t thinking straight."

"That’s a first," Enzo said, his tone light but his eyes sharp.

I ignored him, pressing harder on the gas.

" Drop in En" Rafe called out and he sighed leaning back against the chair.

He was right though, I should have gotten her out of there first but I had left her there without any form of protection and I didn’t know why she was in Hell’s Pit, but it didn’t matter.

She wasn’t staying there.

I could feel the tension radiating from off the two of them. They knew what this meant—if someone tried to stop me from taking my mate, there would be blood.

A ton of it because I had no intention of leaving without her.

Hell’s Pit loomed in the distance, it was a good establishment for debauchery and as I was familiar with it services I knew that it was not the place for my mate to be in.

But there she was trapped inside it.

When I had first seen her, I hadn't known why she was there.

But after letting myself calm down and think about it thinking back into Hell’s Pit’s barbaric customs, I knew the truth—my mate was not just working there.

She likely couldn't leave, I wasn't in the human trafficking business myself but I knew how it worked and I knew they didn't have any thought about doing it.

I parked the car and got off it, the moment I stepped out of the car, the scent of alcohol, sweat, and dirt filled my nose. The bouncers at the entrance stiffened at the sight of us but I knew they wouldn't stop us they knew who I was so I was safe in that knowledge.

"Boss, we can do this the easy way or the fun way," Enzo said from behind me and Rafe slapped him in the gut

" You're getting way ahead of yourself" he muttered

I shot him a look.

"We’re not here to start a war."

"For now," he muttered, I shook my head in disbelief Enzo was way too trigger happy. I shoved open the doors, and the moment I stepped inside, my wolf stirred.

I didn’t stop to acknowledge them as I pushed through the heavy doors and stepped inside. The stench of the club was overpowering, but now that I knew what to look for beneath it, I could smell her.

My mate.

The pulsing lights barely cut through the heavy fog of cigar smoke, and half-dressed women slunk around the club, their laughter tinkling in the club around us, most of the girls looked the same their eyes hollow. I hadn't noticed that before but now that I had someone in there that I wanted to save it was easy to see all at once.

The crowd parted as my men and I moved through, I knew my presence, I was the Alpha king of the South

I walked to the place where I had found her first but she wasn't there, my heart started beating faster like it was about to fall out my chest.

"Where is she?" I demanded, grabbing the nearest server by the wrist.

Her eyes widened in fear.

"Who?"

"Valerie," I growled, recognition flickered across her face even as she tried to shrink into herself as much as possible

"She’s in the back. But you—"

I didn’t wait for her to finish. I pushed forward, following the scent that had haunted me all night.

My wolf was restless, clawing beneath my skin, demanding to see her. I turned around my eyes scanning around the hall, and I saw her

My mate.

She was being dragged out the corridor and they dragged her to and I barely held myself from tearing them apart.

" Alpha " Valerie huffed walking over to me

" Where is she" I asked barely keeping myself from growling.

" Alpha she's commodity here she's for sale" I pushed her away from my side and hurried after where I had seen them taking her.

I found them immediately, she was next to the bar, she stood near the bar, her posture tense, her long dark hair cascading down her back in wild waves. She was bruised, her lip split,her dress was torn, and still clung to her in a way that made my wolf snarl with possessiveness.  But it was her arms wrapped around herself in a way that made something inside me snap.

A man kept talking to her but she had her eyes fixed in the floor, but the moment her eyes landed on me, she froze.

Recognition flared in those striking eyes of hers, I rushed to the man pushing her behind me

"What the hell is this?" I demanded.

The man rose from his seat, he didn't seem to be a customer– a handler by the looks of him— he chuckled.

"New here, huh?"  he huffed and I turned to him slowly, barely reining in my rage.

"Explain. Now."

The handler smirked.

" Look I don't know what the hell your problem is but –" he muttered looking her over

"Hell’s Pit isn’t just a club. It’s a place where debts are paid, and freedom is won. If someone wants out, they fight for it." He gestured to the cage.

" Arielle here wants her freedom so she do as the rules go " he muttered.

My heart froze in its spot, her name was Arielle. I wanted to have heard that from her lips but still to know it myself.

I looked to the cage the man was pointing at,it held another woman who looked ruthless, and her eyes were dead. She had likely been doing this for a while and she was not likely ever getting out no matter what she was promised.

"She’s scheduled for a match tonight. If she wins, she’s free. If she loses—"

I didn’t let him finish.

I grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against the side of the bar table

My mate flinched.

" She's not fighting" I hissed as the handler gasped for air, clawing at my grip.

"Y-You can’t just—"

I squeezed harder.

" I said she’s not fighting."

"You don’t get to decide that," another voice said.

I turned to see Hell’s Pit bodyguards closing in, their hands on their weapons. The crowd had backed away, sensing a fight about to break out. I let go of the handler, letting him collapse to the floor.

I moved toward her, but before I could reach her, a wall of Hell’s Pit guards stepped between us.

One of them—a thick-necked bastard with a scar running down his cheek—crossed his arms.

"You can’t take her."

I clenched my jaw.

"She’s coming with me."

"No one takes a fighter out of here unless they win their freedom. That’s the rule."

"I don’t care about your rules," I said coldly.

"She’s coming with me."

The guards exchanged glances as one of them reached for his pocket and pulled out a radio.

"We got a problem here."  He whispered and I turned to face the man I was talking to

"Not how it works here, Alpha. She belongs to Hell’s Pit."  the guard sneered at me

The words sent a sharp rage through me. Belongs?

The hell she did.

Before I could react, Enzo lunged forward, delivering a brutal punch to the guard’s face the man staggered back, and in an instant, chaos erupted and all my men were tackling them down into the ground.

Fists flew and glass shattered everywhere  fallen o the floor as my men tore into Hell’s Pit’s bodyguards like wolves unleashed.

There was screaming, a lot of screaming happening around but her scream cut through the noise louder than anyone else, her eyes were wide with panic as she backed away, pressing herself against the bar as bodies crashed around her.  I rushed over to her and grabbed her had

" Calm down " I muttered and she swallowed

" I don't know how" she huffed, I looked over to them and snarled.

"Enough!"

The command ripped through the air, my Alpha authority rolling off me like a freight train,the fighting stopped as suddenly as it started.

Rafe looked at me like I had lost my damn mind. "What the hell are you doing?"  but he stepped back  and my men followed suit holding back, but I could feel Enzo’s irritation from where he stood, his lip curled in distaste.

"Boss, they disrespected you," he growled.

" We're not getting any where " The guards, were just as confused by my sudden ceasefire, but they did the same.

" Boss " Enzo hissed , I ignored him, turning my attention back to the scar-faced guard, who was wiping blood from his split lip.

He eyed me warily, but there was something else there, too—fear that was good for him because I was definitely not here to play.

They should be afraid.

"Take me to your boss," I said coldly.

"No one speaks to him without an invitation."

"Then tell him Lorenzo De Luca is requesting a meeting."

The name had the effect I wanted.  Scar-face hesitated, but then nodded. He pulled up his radio spoke into his it and after a moment, he turned back to me

"Follow me."

Rafe cursed under his breath.

"This is a mistake."  I knew it was, I was entering the den of a very dangerous lion and we all knew it but I looked to find Arielle hunched over herself, some man gripping her arm as she tried not to shake like a leaf and I made my choice

"Trust me," I muttered.

Rafe exchanged a glance with me but didn’t argue as we followed the guard through a back hallway.