Chapter 81: Chapter Twenty-Eight
***Author's note***:
Hi, everyone!
Long time no read (or so to speak, lol). First thing's first, I hope each and every one of you is doing well. If you're reading this author's note, I'm hoping it means you haven't given up faith in this book, and for that, I can't thank you enough! I haven't either, and I'm beyond excited to let you know that, well, I'm back and at 'em, back on my grind!
My mother is home, healing from her hospitalization and surgery, and things are coming back to normal.
Yay! Thank you for the good wishes and the support on this. It has not gone unnoticed.
I've missed working on this book, missed you guys, and missed Mina (sure Benjamin and Travis too, lol)! Starting next week, I'll be back on the regular 2 to 3 chapters/week schedule that I was first keeping up with before the unforeseen drawback.
To kick things off though, here's Chapter Twenty-Eight picking up right where we left off, meaning right when the amazing Travis began to lose his damn mind!!!!
I hope you all enjoy it, and I'm looking forward to loads of interaction with you all.
DanielleM25
❤️🐺❤️
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**Travis’s POV**
*Don’t do it, Travis.Turn back. Leave! Now, for Goddess’ sake*.
I should have listened to Orin's instincts and walked away from this rogue camp, but, despite my best efforts, I couldn't. The sickening images of Mina and Benjamin’s bodies entwined, tongues clashing with one another, played on a loop in my head until they morphed into one unbearable vision of the two fucking.
The more I pictured Mina’s sweet lips moaning his name and her beautiful body coming undone under his, the more my own moored into place while an unforgiving green-eyed monster overthrew my morality and waged an all-out war against my principles.
Was there no honor in chasing after your heart’s true desires? Wasn't there something commendable about not giving up on your quest for love? But, while it may have been so, I was also neither stupid nor naive.
I knew that allying myself with the rogues was to betray my pack, my family, and everything I had ever believed in, but the thought of letting Benjamin have the only woman I’ve ever loved was almost too much to bear.
Slowly and very painfully, a mad and unbridled jealousy seized absolute control of me. Any judgment, reason, or sanity I may have possessed in the past were being crushed and forced to hightail back, head between their legs, into the darkest and most inaccessible recesses of my mind.
And just like that, the conflict raging in my head came to an abrupt end, and, indeed, as the dust settled, my heated soul eventually cooled. I had finally come to a decision.
Yes, by whatever means necessary, I had to make Mina mine, and I would readily cross my pack if only never to have to betray my love for her.
“So I take it that your pathetic, little plan failed, hasn’t it, Delta?” Gisele mockingly scoffed at me as she threw some oversized clothing my way. “I mean, of course, it did. You reek of failure.”
“I’d keep my taunting to a minimum if I were you, Gisele.” I warned the pale-skinned she-wolf as a sly smile began to creep around the corner of her narrow lips. “I’m not above killing you right now, and I’m certainly in the mood for it.”
I chose to ignore her question and boldly double down on my threats instead, for, in all reality, my mere presence in her rogue camp was answer enough to any questions any of them may have had about my boundless desperation.
“Hush, little boy.” Gisele snickered her words as she stood up from her wooden chair to approach me. “We both know you won’t ever kill me. You need me. That is if you ever want to get your girl, of course. Come on, Delta, be a dear and remind me of your idea again. Pretty please.”
“Never mind! I remember!” She laughed before I could even reply, never letting up her belittling and wicked rant. “You wanted to make the happy couple rage with so much jealousy and mistrust they’d fall apart, but they didn’t, did they, little boy? Mina’s still with her mate, isn’t she? Oh, yes, she is. How sickening! My son, too, believed he could sway her love away from Alpha Benjamin and to him, but he was wrong. Just like you are.”
I kept my mouth shut as she started to pace in front of me, staring at me like the truly worthless man she knew me to be. I had failed, and while my shortcomings have definitively not helped her cause as well, she took great, undeniable pleasure in watching me bow my head in shame.
“Mina and Benjamin cannot be turned against one another. Their love is too strong.” The newest rogue Alpha sighed, throwing her black hair over her shoulder as she finally came to a standstill in front of me.
“So what do you propose we do, Gisele?”
I turned my head as quickly as the deep voice of one of Gisele's bodyguards unexpectedly rose into the air and asked the very question that had been floating in my mind. The tall and bulky man, undoubtedly hardened by the rough and tumble of rogue life, strode in our direction with a large brown wolf beside him, and, as he prepared to say something else, Gisele swiftly cut him off.
“If we want them apart, we’ll have no choice but to tear them apart physically."
“What? What does that even imply? You've got to be joking.” I let out incredulously.
“Au contraire, my sweet little friend! I mean it, and quite literally, if I may add.”
“I won’t ever let you harm Mina.” I growled back, instinctively readying myself to attack the she-wolf Alpha while a swarm of rogue wolves lunged forward to her defense.
“Oh, don’t worry, I won’t…. Well, not a lot.” She paused, letting out a chuckle as she calculatedly petted her loyal mutts, now, all encircling me. “My son and I tried to face head-on Benjamin’s pack and lost. No matter how many more wolves I kill in his pack, yours or Crescent Moon’s, we’ll never be strong enough to defeat Blackwoods alone.”
“Let’s just focus on rallying more rogue wolves instead of the killing thing we do.” The tall bodyguard voiced.
“We could, Aki, but that’s going to take too long. Every minute we waste not attacking Blackwoods Pack is a minute my son’s memory and legacy go unavenged. No, what we need is something better, deadlier, faster.”
"I might know of something." I mumbled under my breath, the words spilling out without being able to stop them, and before I could even curse my tongue for speaking so carelessly, all eyes and ears had fallen on me.
I silently debated my next course of action as the rogues' impatience grew noticeably thinner, but I had to think about it. The potential repercussions of sharing Mina's secret were too serious to ignore; they could lead to a war none of us were ultimately ready for, be it them, Blackwoods or River Creek.
But alas, as disappointing as it was predictable, my everlasting and overpowering jealousy of Benjamin reared her ugly head once more. She broke through everything in her path, wretchedly leaving behind only one option. ’*I’m sorry, Mina. I have no other choice but don’t worry; I’ll protect you*.’ I thought as I battled against the loud echoes of Orin’s disapproving howls inside my head.
“Well, Delta? What is it? What do you suggest? ”Gisele’s voice inadvertently brought me back to reality when she began to question me, brows snapping together on her wrinkled forehead.
“Lyc- Lycans….” I tried to say indifferently in a vain attempt to downplay the immeasurable depths of my treason. “I suggest we use the Lycans.”