Chapter 164

Chapter 164
Allie: 

All our problems returned full force the next day, when a package from the coven arrived. 

“Go send the boys to the gym, keep them there all day! Now!” I ordered Connor, who gave me a nod and walked away to do my bidding as Lalley and I headed off to the conference room to see green. 

“Let me see,” I demanded, entering the room. 

An ornate box sat in the middle of the table. I could smell something putrid coming from it. I put a hand over my mouth as I lifted the box. Inside a single finger, it must’ve belonged to my father because it was clearly a man’s. 

“Don’t look at that,” Green shut the lid as all the blood drained from my face. 

“We knew they had we knew this was gonna happen. I’m fine,” I sputtered, a lie. I don’t know who I was trying to convince, him or me.

“Are we sure it’s Dans?” Wes asked. I know he was trying to find something to keep us in good spirits, but it wasn’t worth the attempt. 

“It’s his,” Henley. My father’s former Beta told us. His voice was dark as he sat in the corner, glaring at the floor. 

He had taken over a lot of duties that my dad had left aside in his absence. Protecting and taking care of his people on the journey here. With Zach still too young to lead, he was acting Alpha now. Green just didn’t have the time.

“What did the note say?” I asked Green who held the paper. 

“Nothing good,” he growled, handing it over. 

Your typical cooperate or they die threat:

Alpha Green. In the best interest of your mate’s father and his wife, we suggest you surrender and accept your punishment. You and your mate will lose your lives for your indiscretions, but everybody else will be pardoned. This will be forgotten, and a new age of peace will follow. Think of the common good for everyone involved. 

“Hmm, subtle,” I scoffed, tossing the parchment onto the table alongside the rotting stench. 

“Basically, surrender now, or we kill them,” Green grimaced, rubbing his face. 

“We knew they had them. We knew they would do this, not only did we know Daniel and Felicity knew. They did this to themselves,” Henley spoke up. 

I could only shake my head at the loyalty my father inspired. We weren’t the only ones who were disgusted with his actions. Henley had been cleaning up my father's messes for years, and I don’t think he wanted to stick his neck out to try to save my dad. 

“Shouldn’t we tell them?” Blue interjected. 

I know he only wanted to do what was best for my brothers, but I couldn’t disagree with him more. 

“They’re already at each other’s throats, and you wanna add more fuel to that fire? They’re not in the right place for this. They already know that they’ve probably been captured, but we don’t need to tell them that they’re about to die,” I barked at him. 

Green came over and rubbed my back, telling me that I might’ve been a little too harsh with my brother-in-law. 

“Sorry, “ I mumbled, the very fake apology. 

I didn’t want those boys having to endure any more horrors than they already had. I might’ve only just found out that they were my brothers, but they have been abandoned by their parents. I wasn’t going to let them see their father’s dismembered finger. 

“I’m just saying they have a right to know that their parents have been captured,” Blue tried again. 

“Yeah, but do you think they should know about this?” Green challenged, holding open the box. 

I turned away, pinching my nose so the stench didn’t reach me.

“No, of course not, I just. I feel like maybe part of the problem is they don’t know, and it’s driving them crazy,” he justified. 

He might not be wrong there, but I still didn’t like the idea of having to tell them this, which might also be playing a part in my refusal to tell my brothers about the latest development. 

A pounding at the door told me that I might not get my wishes. 

“What's going on? You need to tell us!” Zach bellowed beyond the wooden panels. 

Green ushered Henley, who took the box out of the back door and into his office. We opened the door, both young boys on the other side, Kayden looking unamused to be there, Zach furiously bouncing his foot. 

“Why are you keeping stuff from us? You can just tell us,” he demanded. 

“Yeah, you’re the shining example of maturity right now,” Kayden mocked, entering the office and sitting down. “They’ve been taken, haven’t they?” 

He was far different from his brother in how he was handling this. At first, I thought maybe Zach was taking it the hardest, but instead, I now thought that Kayden’s numbness to the situation was far more alarming. I don’t think he was truly letting himself feel the full weight of what was going on for fear it might break him.

“Yes,” Green confirmed. 

Zach clenched his fists at his side and looked like he wanted to shout something at my mate. Instead, he stormed down the hall. I started to go after him, but Green pulled me back. 

“I’ve got this. You stay here,” he nodded back to Kayden, who sat at the conference table holding the note. 

I moved back into the room, motioning for Blue to leave. He nodded and closed the door behind him. 

“I didn’t want you to have to deal with this,” I told him, sitting down and taking the threat from his hand. 

“It’s fine, Allie,” he argued. “You don’t need a baby me. I’m not Zach I can handle this. This is what they signed up for. This is what they decided was important. They’ve been captured, they’re gonna die, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it,” his voice shook as he detailed his parents' fate. 

“Shhh,” I grabbed his hand, holding onto him. “I know it’s awful, but-“ 

“But nothing!” He snapped, standing up and yanking himself free. “They chose this! I don’t care!” He professed. 

I looked at him with a pitying gaze. I know he hated it, but we both knew what he was saying was a lie. 

“You can be mad at someone and still worry about them,” I pointed out. 

He wiped his eyes, backing himself into a corner of the room. “I’m not. I'm just angry, that's all. That’s all this is, a delayed reaction…this doesn’t mean a thing,” 

I nodded. I wasn’t going to push him too hard. If he wasn’t ready to admit how hard it was, he wasn’t ready to feel anything yet. He was still so young. If this is what he needed to do to get through this, then I wasn’t going to demand he admit he had issues. 

I came over and hugged him. “I know. It’s alright,” I promised him. 

I could only imagine what Green was facing off against.