Chapter 59: Chapter Fifty Nine

This was death —every second he had to live without her.

Nikolai was willing to take whatever physical torture that would be meted out to him, he was willing to take any and every level of pain but not this, not her absence.

The pain had started small until it consumed every of his entirety and he found it hard to breathe. He hadn’t slept, he’d been up on his feet in his office, his brain actively working thinking of ways to get Natalie out of this mess. He had no one to blame but himself.

He’d brought her to this pack against her will and he hadn't been able to protect her. It was a terrible blow to him; he hadn't been able to protect his mate, his Luna, his woman.

He shot up from the seat, unable to bear it anymore. “I am invading Emerald's pack and getting her back!” he declared.

Callan swiftly moved to the door. “You can't!”

“Watch me!” he said, pulling out his weapons from the shelf and he began strapping them to himself. It was stupid for him to sit here comfortably in his manor while Natalie was stuck in the Emerald pack because she had a plan.

He was well aware that Ada’s father held a grudge against him, hated him with every fiber of his being and Nikolai didn't care about him but this was the second time he’d attempted using his power to ruin Nikolai and this time he came after the wrong person.

Sitting here and allowing him to win was stupid. The man’s hatred of him would be directed at Natalie, Nikolai knew it stemmed from the fact that he blamed him for Ada’s death but he could deal with the bitter emotions if they were simply directed at him alone but intentionally taking Natalie away was the height of it.

He was foolish to have allowed him to take her in the first place.

“Get out of my way, Callan,” he said.

“You need to be logical about this.”

“There is no logic to be applied when he arrested her for a crime she clearly didn't commit.”

Warren left the pack earlier this morning after the final rites of Gretchen had been performed. He’d left with Elena, the Alpha female of the Dark Wood pack. Their closeness plagued Nikolai but that was the last thing he would dwell on, he’d been so mad that he couldn't grab Warren by the neck and wring his neck until he dropped dead.

There was now bad blood between the Silver pack and the Night Blood pack and he’d been worried anything he did would worsen the case for Natalie but now that be damned. He should have killed Warren on the spot and done what he was doing now earlier; declared war on Emerald pack and their Alpha.

“You can't fight Emerald pack, Nikolai. Are you listening to yourself?” Callan said. “As the head of the council, the Alpha of Emerald pack can call for aid from other packs and they are obligated to provide their armies to him.”

That was true. Considering the Alpha of the Emerald pack was simply doing his job by arresting Natalie, he could call for aid from other packs and they would provide but Nikolai wasn't to be deterred by this reminder.

“I’d have gotten her back before then,” he insisted.

“No, you won't and if you insist on going ahead with this, you’d be subjecting your men to unnecessary death and causing more harm than good.”

“Then what do you suggest I do?” he barked. “Tell me, Callan! Do you think I should continue to sit around and watch as that bastard makes all of the decisions? As he continues to hold her captive just to get to me. Is that what you would do? You would do nothing if Sophia gets taken?”

Callan remained quiet for a few seconds and that was all the answer Nikolai needed. He shoved him aside and stepped out of the office, Callan was hot on his heels.

He grabbed Nikolai by the arm and both men struggled —Callan trying to hold Nikolai back, Nikolai attempting to get him off.

“Stop this!” Sophia yelled, stepping right into the corner. “What are you doing?”

“I'm saving him from ruining himself, his pack, and your sister’s life,” Callan said.

Nikolai glared at the man wondering how he managed to allow Callan into his life and gave him this much importance to think he could stop him.

“You can't stop me.”

“What is he trying to do?” Sophia asked in that quiet way of hers that Nikolai had come to notice.

“An attack on the Emerald pack. This bastard wants to single-handedly fight the werewolf council and he thinks he’d get out of it successfully.

Sophia gasped. “Nikolai…”

“No!”

“You could get her killed! This is a foolish decision, we know your pack is powerful on its own but this is a violation of the rules that guide us, and an attack on Emerald pack is an attack on all the other packs. You won't get out of this unscathed.”

He knew there was sense to their words, he knew he should listen but all he could think of was Natalie and all the things they could do to her there, all of the things they could do to her just to get to him and the Alpha of Emerald pack had sure done enough… The man had taken his son from him to where he had no idea.

He had no evidence that his son was taken by him but he was certain and that was the worst part, he couldn't do anything but continue to search but apparently, that wasn't enough, the man didn't think Nikolai was going through enough pain because now this too.

“I'll get her out,” he swore.

“At what cost?” Callan asked.

“At whatever fucking cost! She is worth the repercussions…” His voice broke. “You should - you should understand.”

Callan’s expression softened. “I do, and that's why I won't allow you to make a decision this foolish.” He shook his head. “I'm sorry but I can't.”

Nikolai found his legs could no longer hold him up and he slid to the ground. The pain was a wound, a gash that grew with every passing second, the pain was unbearable and he would give anything to have it stop.

The pain wrenched his gut, wrenched his insides, and threatened to kill him.

He knew he wouldn't survive, he wouldn't survive without her.

A tear fell and another and soon the walls of his manor were shaking from the sound of his anguish. His cry wrenched out from deep in his throat, tore out from a place of indescribable pain and suffering and it rocked him completely.

Sophia turned away, unable to bear the sight, tears fell from her eyes too.

Nikolai knew that if he attempted to go on his own, lives could be lost. Lives would be lost and it was very likely that he wouldn't get Natalie in time.

The nearest pack to Emerald was Black Hound and they were called so because of their blood-thirstiness. They thrived on chaos and violence and although the warriors of the Night Blood pack were powerful too, he wasn't foolish enough to think they would be able to beat two strong packs like Emerald and Black Hound but he could risk it… For her, he would put himself on the line of death.

Except…

Except if he had help from an equally powerful pack, the most powerful pack in the world… The Black Tide pack, Callan’s pack.

Nikolai got up slowly, his eyes on Sophia.

“I want the Black Tide pack to offer up their army,” he said.

Sophia looked confused and scared at the same time. She turned to Callan with questions in her eyes.

“Absolutely not!” Callan roared.

“It's not a request,” Nikolai said, his eyes still on Sophia. “It's a call for payment of a long-owed debt.”