58|A Trap

58|A Trap
~Declan~

‘Serena was pregnant when I exiled her. Then Alister Kaine found her the day after her sentence. She lost our pup, and I didn’t even know I was supposed to become a father.’

These thoughts rang in my head as I fell deeper into the darkness. This place was similar to the oblivion—an endless emptiness, except I’m not in control. My wolf was asleep, but my subconscious and my imagination were hyperactive.

Sporting the same light blue wrap-around dress she wore when we entered Dream Plaza, Serena strutted inside the dark room with her chin tipped up. Her presence bathed the room with glowing light, allowing me to see further than this darkness.

The room was empty apart from the huge windows on the second level. The walls were made of galvanized steel, rust eating away most of its parts, and Serena’s footstep filled the eerie silence I was hearing.

She paused when the door shut close behind her, then she looked up at me as if this wasn’t a figment of my imagination. Her blue eyes narrowed, scanning me from head to toe. She hasn’t stared at me like that in a long time, as if she was worried something bad might happen to me.

Someone clearing their throat pulled Serena’s attention from me. I could see who it was, but I could only guess from the frown on Serena’s face that she didn’t like whoever that was.

“I knew you’d come,” a man’s voice permeated the air. It sounded familiar. Where have I heard that voice?

“How are you still alive?” Serena’s tone was glacial, and her posture became stiff, taking on a defensive position.

“You hurt me, Darling. Didn’t you miss me?” the man replied. His approaching footsteps became louder, and soon Alister Kaine’s face appeared in my peripheral.

Dressed in the same dark clothing he wore when he introduced himself to me, he approached Serena, with five men walking behind him.

The number of people before her didn’t faze Serena. She flattened her stance, her spine rigid, and her eyes were laser-focused.

“You should be burning in hell by now,” Serena spat.

Alister Kain stretched his arms wide open, his pale brown eyes staring straight at Serena. “Why do you think I have been studying werewolves? This resulted from all those experiments. I am indestructible.”

Serena studied him from his silver hair down to his loafers, then she smirked at him. “Indestructible? Then why do you still have bodyguards if you’re so indestructible?”

“They are here to make sure you and I will have a peaceful transaction.”

This doesn’t feel like a dream. The more I watched them, it became clear that I was looking through my point of view. But why do I feel nothing? Why does it feel like I’m not in my own body?

“You’re still hung up on my blood,” Serena grimly murmured. “What is it with my blood that you want?”

“You are one of a kind, Serena darling,” Alister grinned. “My only successful vessel and your blood in exchange for the Alpha… or I’ll have the Alpha and start my experiments all over again. Either way, I would come out of this building with an alpha as a prisoner.”

‘Vessel?’ What does that even mean? And why won’t Serena hand me over to Alister? Isn’t this her purpose? To hurt me? I won’t detest her if she chooses to save herself. I made sure she already knows that.

“It was all a trap, wasn’t it?” Serena asked. “The girls, the job here at Brille?”

“Of course,” Alister grinned. “You were a hard woman to find, darling. I only caught your scent when you solved that case in The North, and I immediately knew that you would take this case willingly.”

“What about the bite marks?” Serena pried. “Are you experimenting with rogues now?”

“They are easier to catch… you were a rogue when I found you. No pack to look for them, the safer my experiments would be.”

A bitter lightning struck my chest. They took Serena because no one would look for her five years ago. Every time I go back into that time, I circle back to Lia’s lies. If she didn’t hand me Serena’s wedding ring, I would have searched for her. Even if Serena told her to lie, she should have honored our friendship and told me the truth. I would toss Embercrest’s Alpha position just to find my wife.

Lia. I want her found. She needs to answer for the lies she blabbered and for the pain she caused me and Serena.

“I wanted them to drink the shifter’s blood straight from the source,” Alister added. “You were the one who taught me that a shifter’s blood, when they haven’t gotten their wolf yet, was more effective.”

“You’re sick. You killed all those girls just to get to me?” Serena snapped. “You’re a monster.”

“We are both monsters. You werewolves taught me what being a monster is. You have fast healing abilities, you live for centuries, and you could kill anyone you want without feeling remorse.”

“Your ambitions brought us here, Alister. Did you even realize who I am today? What am I?”

“I know what you are inside,” Alister muttered. “I know what you are made of.”

“I am not a rogue anymore,” Serena grinned.

A loud crash rang in my head. What followed was a wake-up call. I flowed with the water and fragments of glass. Spade was helping me to stand as Serena wept a warrior’s cry and attacked Alister.

“I’ll make sure to rip your head off from your body this time!” Serena wailed.

“You good?” Spade pulled me up, and my entire body was soaked in a goo-like liquid. 

My throat was tight. “I’m good. Tell me what to do.”

“You’re still weak. Stay here and don’t die,” Spade jumped from the metal platform where I was standing and ran to help Serena. I watched helplessly, barely feeling my body as Serena and Spade moved in tandem, beheading Alister’s men simultaneously.

They are not shifters, but they have fast healing abilities, and beheading them was the only solution. It was two against thirty, but Serena and Spade moved in unison; their connection was palpable and precise.

I was so caught up in watching the fight, admiring Serena’s graceful movement, that I realized that Alister was already gone. A shadow of his back was the last I saw scurrying out of the building.

I summoned my wolf’s strength and forced my legs to pump and chase Alister. I caught up with him in an SUV parked outside as he fumbled with the keys. Clasping a hand on the back of his neck, I lifted him and slammed his face into the car.

He groaned in pain, but like what he said earlier, he had our healing abilities.

“Alpha Declan,” Alister spat out blood as I slammed his face on the car again. “I know where your daughter is!”

That stopped me from smashing his face on the car. I twirled him around and gripped his throat, pushing him until his feet didn’t touch the ground. My eyes glowed gold. Does he know I am the father of Serena’s child? And what nonsense is he talking about?

“I… you… your daughter is alive!”

“Don’t believe a word that he says,” Serena approached us with elephant stride, anger belching from her nose and ears. “He would say anything to stay alive.”

Alister sneered, whimpering as I tightened my hold on his neck. “You don’t believe me? You knew Kaya was alive… You let her live, and she took your daughter before I could kill the child.”

“No!” Serena cried, pushing me aside and taking my spot, gripping Alister’s throat. “You’re lying.”

“Kill me and you won’t find-”

Serena removed Alister’s head from his body without thinking twice, tossing each piece on each side of the abandoned parking lot.

“Serena. He could be-”

“Stop!” Serena hissed. “If our daughter is alive, it means I failed, Declan. I failed to protect her. I can’t accept that!”