“What?” Alec asks, almost stammering the words.
“I’m sure you don’t have a hearing problem, Alec,” I drawl, rolling my eyes at him.
They all looked at me like I’d lost my mind. Like I was an alien from out of space. Honestly, they are the ones who’ve lost their minds. Did they think i would easily accept Alec? Tuck my tail between my legs and bow to him as if I should count myself lucky for having him as my mate. They were dead wrong, if that’s what they really thought. I don’t bow down to anyone anymore.
“You can’t do that,” Jason yells once he’s gotten over his initial shock.
Once again, I lean back, relaxing in my seat. “Says who, exactly? I can do whatever the fuck I want, Jason. The survival of your pack is in my hands.”
“Great call,” Nyx gives me a wolfish grin. “This will ensure that we all get what we want.”
I simply acknowledge her words with a nod, then focus on Alec.
“You’re an Alpha and a businessman. You know how negotiations go,” I link my hands on my desk and smirk. “We both want something from each other, so let’s reach an agreement.”
Something akin to desperation passes through his eyes, but he masks it before I can get a reading of it. His normal mask of indifference slips back on, hiding anything he may have been thinking.
“Can you reconsider?” His voice is gruff when he finally asks.
“No, that is my term.” My reply is immediate. “Let’s be honest, you never really wanted me as a mate to begin with. You’re interested in what I can do for your pack. I’ve agreed to help you, and in return, I want you to accept my rejection. After that, I can go on with my life, and you can continue your search
for Lola.”
I ignore the pain that slashes through my heart. What I said was true. Alec doesn’t want me; he needs me. I remember how he looked at Lola, with so much love and adoration. Even if he hadn’t done me wrong, I don’t think I can handle being in the shadow of the love he had for his first love.
I would always wonder if he loved her more. It would forever haunt me and probably slowly kill me. That’s not the kind of mating I want. I want a man who has eyes only for me. A man whose heart beats for me. A man who is with me for me and not because of what I can do for him.
Even if I push and ignore our history, I doubt Alec will ever be that kind of mate to me. His heart was already claimed by Lola. His reaction when he first saw me when he came to my pack is proof enough.
“Given the shit you and your pack have put me through, I don’t have to help. In fact, I would gladly watch all of you burn,” Minus the children, of course. “But I am willing to help if you accept my rejection.”
“Please, Sadie. He’s your mate. You might not get a second chance,” Micah begs me.
“No,” I tell him firmly, then stand up. “Even the moon goddess will understand why I can’t accept this mating. If she doesn’t give me a second chance mate, then well and good. I’ll take a chosen. It’s never that serious anyway.”
My eyes move back to Alec. He had his jaw clenched,, but that was the only indication of what he was feeling. Maybe he was feeling anger. Or maybe it was frustration. I didn’t get why he would feel that way, though; we both know that I was right.
“Do we have an agreement?” I ask after a couple of minutes of silence.
He stares back at me with that same mask of indifference. His hands were fists at his sides. At first, I thought he would decline my of reason why he should. It was a damn good deal, and we would both get what we wanted.
“Deal,” he finally says, gritting the word through clenched teeth.
ough I saw no
We don’t shake on it. There was no need and the last thing I wanted was to strengthen the bond. It was better to keep my distance and avoid contact.
Chapter 63
“Now that that’s done, it’s time to question Calvin.”
I don’t wait for any of them. I just round my desk and cross the room before opening the door. Leaving, I don’t bother checking whether any of them followed me. I needed answers and that’s exactly what I was going to get.
I walk towards the dungeon. That’s right, Calvin was still locked up. I wanted him to suffer as much as I did. I didn’t give a shit if his pain was causing Piper pain. That was my revenge on her.
Pack members greet me along the way. My answers were short because I was on a mission. My focus was getting to Calvin.
When I get there, I slam the door open and walk in. He was still hanging in chains. I wanted to keep him that way, so he could feel what I felt all those months in the dungeon.
Most people would say that revenge doesn’t help with anything. That it just makes you feel worse. I say that they’re fucking wrong. Getting my revenge on Calvin and Piper made me feel a tad bit better. I don’t care what it says about me; it’s my truth.
Calvin looks up; his eyes were still swollen.
“I’m here because I need more answers,” I get straight to the point.
Taking the single chair, I sit on it backwards and face him, just a
as
s Alec, Jason and Micah arrive.
“The woman who paid, you said she was powerful and that you could sense her powers. Can you describe it? Can you tell me something deeper than just her being powerful? Something that can hint at just how powerful she is.”
He takes a deep breath. It looks painful to just breathe. I’ve been there so I know how it feels when your ribs are broken, and you can barely breathe because of the pain.
“Her aura was strong,” he whispers, trying to breathe, through his pain.
“That doesn’t really tell me anything, Calvin. A lot of Alphas have strong and powerful auras. Take Alpha Brian, for example.”
I smirk when I hear Alec’s growl behind me.. Alpha Brian was Alec’s biggest rival. Alphas are egoistic, so I knew that Alec would react to me mentioning his rival. Antagonizing him is my new favorite thing to do.
“Alpha Brian doesn’t even come close to what I felt from her. The power that radiated from her was on another level.” he says, pulling my focus back on
him.
“What do you mean?” Micah is the one who asks.
“Comparing their aura is like comparing a mouse to a big bad wolf. Alpha Brian has nothing on her.”
That comes as a surprise. Though I’ve never met the man, rumors have it that he’s right under Alec when it comes to strength and power. The two are considered to be the most powerful Alphas in the state.
“If she’s that powerful, and she’s somehow connected to the other issue, then we are fucked.” Jason says, but avoids directly talking about the hybrids.
“And if she’s as powerful as he claims, then she could be the mastermind. After all, Sadie, you did say that it would take someone really powerful to turn those werewolves,” Micah adds.
“I’m not claiming anything; it’s the truth,” Calvin grits out. “And she isn’t the only powerful one.”
“Sadie,” Alec says my name in a whisper.
“Yes,” Calvin affirms. “Her aura is just as strong as that of the mysterious woman. The only difference is that while Sadie’s aura is light, the mysterious woman’s is dark. They are polar opposites.”
So, if we are right and the woman who paid him to drug us is the same person behind the hybrids, then Raven was right. I might be the only one capable of stopping her.
15:08 Sun, 27 Jul
Chapter 63
Meaning whoever this woman is, she’s the other Alpha Female Nyx was talking about. That would explain why she was powerful
Fuck it! Can my life get any more complicated?
“I think that’s all for now,” Alec says after a while.
We had all been quiet for a couple of minutes, everyone just trying to internalize what we had just learned.
Since there was nothing else to talk about, I stand up and leave without a word. I was just about to get out of the dungeon when Alec’s call stops me
“What?”
“You need to start packing,” he folds his hands across his broad chest.
“Why?”
“Have you forgotten we made a deal?” he asks. “You agreed to help, so we will leave as soon as my jet gets here.”
Fuck, with the discoveries that were made a few minutes ago, I’d forgotten that I had made a deal with the devil.
“Fine,” I mumble, feeling tired all of a sudden. “Anything else?”
When he shakes his head, I turn around and leave, still having a hard time accepting that I’m going back to the pack I’d sworn never to step foot on again.
round..
A
