My Sweet, Tyrant Lycan Mate

Chapter Thirty-Four

– The Garden

Zack’s POV

I woke up early the next morning and got ready. I made sure that I had all of the identification I needed as well as my paperwork.

When I got downstairs, I saw Lily and Miles eating breakfast. There was an extra plate on the table next to where Lily sat.

Miles nodded his head at me. “Breakfast?”

I shook my head. “Not really.”

Lily gave me a concerned look. I rolled my eyes and sat next to her, letting her feed me the food I wasn’t in the mood for.

Miles chuckled. “Eat what you can. The Garden doesn’t allow for any type of contraband–even snacks. We’ll be going under some strict inspections and background checks to get into the place.”

Lily gave me a worried look.

I shrugged my shoulders. “The entire werewolf world knows of me, Lily. I can’t fly under the radar for long.”

“Which is why I took extra care into having your identification paperwork forged to work in our favor. It was a pain but I was able to get it done.” Miles smiled.

“I’m surprised that you’re helping me out as much as you are, Miles,” I spoke as Lily fed me another piece of the eggs. “What’s your end goal?”

Miles shrugged. “Alpha Leo pays us but not nearly enough to support our living conditions… Plus, I want to see for myself exactly what goes on in The Garden.”

Miles seemed too nonchalant about helping me but at the same time, he was my only lead in discovering the truth behind my people. I didn’t exactly have the means to deny his help.

Once we were finished eating breakfast, I kissed Lily goodbye, and then we went on our way with the baby girl in tow.

“Just remember what I told you about the questions… Leave them to me. As far as your medical records go, you’re unable to talk because of a recent growth that was found on your vocal cords.” Miles reminded me.

Once we got to the first set of checkpoints, we handed a guard our identification paperwork while another took the baby girl. We had to step through multiple metal detectors, x-ray machines, and even thermal energy detectors. For safe measure, they also did three extra patdowns.

“Miles Oxton–former alpha and now elder of the Star Holders Pack.” The guard didn’t phrase it as a question.

Miles nodded his head.

“And this is… Alexander Zarya. Your personal bodyguard, also of the Stars Holder Pack.”

“Ah, yes sir,” Miles answered for me.

The guard raised his eyebrow at me and Miles but when he looked over my paperwork, he relaxed his demeanor. “Apologies, I hadn’t gotten to the medical records section of the paperwork.”

The guard turned to me. “Growth on your vocal cords, huh? Must be tough. To verify the validity of your condition, I’m going to need to perform a physical. Shouldn’t take long–just going to take a look in your throat for signs of inflammation and for the growth itself.”

I looked at Miles who nodded his head at me.

Just as the guard was about to check into the back of my throat, someone on the intercom called for him.

“Sergeant Julian, please report to the Captain’s office immediately.”

“Shit…” Julian muttered. “Private Daniels, take over for me. I need to go see the Captain before he rips my head off.”

When the private approached me, he was shaking in his boots. I didn’t even have to extend my aura to appear more threatening than I already was. All I had to do was glare at him.

He knew what to do.

The private took my paperwork with shaky hands and stamped it with the seal of approval without doing the physical. Then he let us through the gates.

And because the private had approved us, the rest of the inspection gates weren’t nearly as strict as the first. Soon, Miles and I found ourselves within The Garden.

And neither of us was expecting the nightmare before us.

There were several pits scattered throughout the place and down below, we spotted a sea of people; all were bearing the same Mark of the Lycan Blood that Miles and Max had. They were being treated like livestock.

Watering stations were spread throughout the pits and their food supply mostly comprised of fruits and vegetables. However, aside from their living conditions, what enraged me was their lack of dignity.

In each of the pits, I saw nothing but rabid sex taking place. It was like they were all under some type of spell. Whoever managed this “Garden” was treating this place as a massive breeding ground.

Lycans that were sent here were supposed to be strong, which meant Alpha Leo was trying to breed the ones with desirable traits…but for what?

Was he looking to kill me by amassing an entire army of my own people?

My Fire Wolf roared in the back of my mind. “Find the fucking person who owns this place!”

I ignored Miles and his pleas for me to stay close to him as I scoured the trailers for the manager of this “Garden.” When I came across a trailer that was larger and more decorated than the others, that’s when I knew I had found them.

I barged right into the trailer and found a woman with the mark on her back on her knees in front of a well-dressed man. When the man met my eyes, fear flashed through them.

I crossed the distance quickly and wrapped my hands around his throat. “You will take me to see the rest of this Garden of yours!”

“W-who are you?” The manager struggled against my grip.

“Your angel of death–now do as I say!” I growled.

I shoved the manager out of the office as he scrambled to his feet to lead me deeper into The Garden. As we kept going and we kept coming across cages and pits of lycans fucking, I started to hear the screams and howls of my people.

Their screams of agony and despair began to beat on my head like a drum and cause ringing in my ears. My heart was starting to race as the heat in my body began to rise rapidly.

“Do you have no fucking shame in what you’re doing?!” I roared at the manager. “How the fuck can you sit there and do this?! Do you not hear their tortured screams?!”

I didn’t even give the manager time to react or answer me. I didn’t want to hear the bullshit and lies.

I grew up my whole life thinking that my people were wiped off the face of the planet. I wasn’t expecting them to be hoarded on a farm like cattle and treated like they weren’t living beings.

At that moment, all I felt was heartbreak and suffering. All I knew was the sorrow and torment they felt.

And in the blink of an eye, I wrapped my hands around the manager's throat again and snapped his neck. I threw his body to the floor and set him on fire.

“Yes!” The Fire Wolf growled in the back of my mind. “It’s about fucking time you showed that asshole who’s in charge!”

When Miles finally found me and caught up with me, he stopped in his tracks. His eyes widened at the sight of the body.

“Z-Zack…” Miles held his hands up to show he wasn’t a threat. “W-we need to leave–”

I snapped my head in his direction. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave me the fuck alone. If you value your pathetic life, you’ll go back home, now!”

Miles nodded his head and backed away slowly and out of sight. Once he was gone, I shifted into my Fire Wolf form. Anger and despair swelled in my heart like the waves of a storm crashing into a ship at sea.

“Burn this whole place to the fucking ground!” My Fire Wolf roared in the back of my head. “Leave nothing behind! No one makes it out here alive!”