Chapter 74
This was insane. The panic and the injuries serve as a reminder of that night. I toss the gauze I soaked in alcohol into my now–empty bag. It’s red with the blood of all these innocent people. I knew Santiago would do something stupid. I’ve always known that he could be a little heartless when it came to being the alpha, but this goes beyond what I thought he was capable of.
I never expected the Alpha King to stand with a piece of shit like this. He has always been a fair king. However, I overestimated that fairness could be extended to those outside of the packlands. I should have known the moment he pardoned them.
“Would you like a Yoohoo?” I look up at Mr Polucci. He’s holding up a glass bottle, I believe it’s chocolate milk. “Aims, likes these after a crazy night like this one.”
“Oh, um. Yes, thank you,” I say, taking it.
“I’d like to thank you for helping her at the clinic. Not very many like to go anywhere near her,” he says.
“It’s a missed opportunity. I’ve been around her a couple of days, and she seems like a good teacher, I admit.
“You’re not from around here, are you?” he grins.
“Is it that obvious?” I laugh.
“Not at first. Especially with you hanging around the royal family,” he smirks. “I’m surprised they didn’t try to talk you out of it.”
“There is very little anyone can talk me out of, and Ragnar actually thought it was a good idea.”
“That was insane,” Dr Polucci drops down on his other side. He offers her the other glass bottle. She smiles big at him and takes it before giving him a kiss on his cheek. “Sophia, I don’t know what I would have done without you. How’s the Prince? I heard he got hit pretty badly.”
“He’s okay. Just needed some cleaning up. He also had some splinters from the debris that hit him.”
“I heard you started those new advanced surgery classes this term. Everyone is talking about it.”
“Yeah, once I got my resume fixed, they were encouraged. I’m not one to turn down a challenge,” I admit.
“Sophia,” we all look up at Ragnar. He waves me over.
“I’ll see you later,” I say, picking up my bag from the floor.
“Clinics closed for today. We need some rest,” she waves me off. “Be safe.”
“You too. Take care, guys. And thank you for the drink,” I hold it up. They both give me a nod as I make my way over to the King.
“What’s this?” he asks, looking down at my drink. I pop the top and take a sip.
“Chocolate milk. Want some?” I offer it to him. He takes a drink and lets out a heavy sigh. “Are you okay?”
“Let’s get you and your grandmother home. We’re going to be staying under the same roof until the castle is fully inspected.”
I glance back at the tents and cleared grounds. Most of the people we treated went home or to the available hospitals. I think about the way he said that and try not to smile because I think he means he’s going to have to be more careful with our
mating. My grandmother is waiting for us when I get to my beetle. I smile because Ivar is already in the back seat.
“I, too, find this funny,” my grandmother smiles when Ragnar squeezes into the back seat with his brother.
“Shut up.” the two of them say at the same time.
The drive back home is quiet and a little tense. I know they have something to say to me, but they’re waiting. The King’s convoy is already at the house when we arrive. However, he’s nowhere in sight, and neither is the Queen. I don’t question it. as our things are patted down and double–checked.
“I need a shower. I’m covered in blood, and for some reason, it’s making me hungry,” I admit. They all laugh, but don’t question it.
Ragnar is sitting on my bed when I’m done. His hands are clean, but I can see where the blood stains around his fingers. I can smell his anger, and I can smell the scent of fear as I get closer. He can’t look up at me. I sit down beside him and take his hand in mine. He glances over at me and lets out a heavy sigh.
‘How bad is it?” I ask.
“The Romanos have always been keeping tabs on your grandmother. In case she ever wanted to take you from them. They’ve been watching since they found out you were his mate. I thought it was just the shadow wolves stalking us. I sent them back in pieces when you shifted. I don’t want them to know. However, someone saw us training together and thought we looked like more than just friends.”
“They took her family and paid them off,” I nod.
“How do you know that?” he asks.
“That’s the way things are cleaned up,” I shrug. “He’s not going to stop.”
“This was a premeditated attack,” he growls.
“I understand,” I nod.
“And you want me to what? Do nothing?”
“I never said that,” I roll my eyes.
“Are you going to stop me?” he demands.
“Stop you from what?” I laugh. His attention completely snaps to me. “We’ve had enough time to cool off and get our heads together. Why don’t we start off quietly?”
“What?” he asks. I stand up, pulling him with me. He follows me out of my room and over to my study. Ivar is already here playing on my computer.
“Oh, shit. I’ll go-”
“Stay,” I say, and shut the three of us in. I go over to my study desk and pull out the map I’d been working on for a while. I open it up and set it on the desk.
“Is this a map of Artume?” Ragnar asks.
you
“I didn’t know he was going to try to hit you directly like this. I tried to tell you, but I feel like you didn’t believe me. Now know how serious I am. These,” I point our each green spot. “Are their weapon vaults. Ever since the attack, they’ve established armories all over the city for easy access.” I drop the stack of outlines and blueprints onto the map. “This is what each vault is made of, and the codes are my birthday.”
2/3
You tiny fucking asshole,” Ivar laughs. “How did you get this?”
“I overlooked the projects when Santiago was in training overseas. Even if they changed the codes, we can still hit each one without them knowing. Alpha Romano is a cheap bitch. He had drywall installed around the keypads even after I told him it wasn’t a good idea.”
“All of our new teams are home,” Ragnar smiles.
“So you have the perfect formation to hit every spot at once, and they wouldn’t even know it.” I agree.
“We need to do this as soon as possible,” he agrees.
“One week from now,” I say, pulling up the pack website. “Hit them when they’re all preoccupied with the mating ball of the
season.”
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
