Chapter 76 The Bargain
Chapter 76
Ryder's POV
“Where the fuck are you going?” I dragged her back into the room and shut the door behind us.
We had to discuss as fast as possible whatsoever we wanted to discuss, before wolves around started raising highbrows.
The room became tense. Like the walls were closing in on us. The heat increased like a clay oven designed for baking bread.
She threw my hand off like it was something foul, her losing hairs bouncing off her face as nudged aside with her finger tips.
“I hope you think well and understand what you are exposing yourself to because there is a way we can go about this without any hassle.”
I stared at her, my jaw tightened.
“What am I exposing myself to?” She quickly fired back, her slicing the air between us, “you see I am never wrong about you bloody wicked wolf ... You can't kill me, because I have some evidence at hand against you…”
My stomach dropped.
I replied, “That is not what I am trying to say madam Ravenna.” I paused, clearing my throat."If you go about it your way, you know the trouble it would expose me to…”
Madam Ravenna quickly replied, “no trouble at all,”
“There will be.” I snapped, “Those wolves would investigate everything and if they found out I am having something to do with Rosa …” My mouth suddenly felt dry again, “I don't want it to go beyond the walls of this room…”
Madam Ravenna stepped closer. Her eyes softened only a little, her lips stayed tight. “How do I know I will still stay alive after this?”
“I promise you that no evil will befall you…” I paused, placing my hand on my right chest like I was swearing to a pack oath, “… but let's do it this way. I would give you twenty thousand shekels to go start a new life far away from here.”
Madam Ravenna smirked, her eyes suddenly brightened as if a ghost had entered the room. “Are you trying to bribe me? Then that would be too small for me to start a new life somewhere else… I guess you should pay ten times that if you really mean business.”
That hit me hard.
“What do you mean by times ten? You mean two hundred thousand shekels?”
She nodded her head. Once but slowly.
“You are a selfish bastard!” I clapped back, pointing my forefinger into her face. Intense anger like never before erupted in my chest.
Like she had no soul. No empathy at all. She didn't flinch. A sign she had been doing this for long.
“Fine, then no deal then,” she replied casually, and then turned about to walk away from me towards the door.
Panic shot through me. I grabbed her arm and quickly pulled her back.
Smirk glued to the corner of her lips. It was obvious that she was really enjoying this.
“Okay, fine,” I uttered, scratching the back of my head as I accepted my fate. Then, I let out a deep exhale. My shoulder slumped in defeat.
“Fine? That is not all because you don't control things here, I do?”
“You split the money into two and dropped the money at two different places. One at the old cemetery along dusty road and the other at greenhouse warehouse both of them must be delivered at ten pm . No excuses.”
“Play smart if you wish to…” Madam Ravenna warned, raising her shoulder up, “there would be consequences. But if you feel the part of the deal, then watch me shake the dust of this pack from my boot for the last time.”
Then she turned, walked to the door, she opened it, moved out and slammed it against my face. I could hear her shoes clicking against the floor and disappearing down the corridor.
I froze for a minute. Stunned by what had happened. I couldn't bear the fact how I had brought myself so low in front of her to the point she would be dictating for me.
After a couple of hours, I got into the house. I was exhausted and tired. I couldn't imagine the mess I put myself into.
This mustn't leak out. What if I paid her the money and she went to contact Rosa? Wouldn't that turn out to be a disaster?
I breathed hard, clutching the edge of the chair, my knuckle turned white. A cold wave of air in the room washed over me.
But wait, Rosa is nothing but a devil? She was the one behind the death of Astra? She killed my heir?
She is becoming dangerous and unpredictable. How could she go ahead and kill my unborn heir?
How could she do that? How could she be so desperate? Was it my fault that she couldn't bear a child anymore? Was it my fault that her womb had been damaged?
I will only use her to claim the throne, find a way to take her out.
I breathed hard as I sat down in the living room feeling exhausted. I downed some good shots of gin into my throat. It burnt as it found its way down my throat.
I stood up to approach the alcohol stand to get some whiskey at least if not for anything, to relieve me of the unnecessary stress I put myself into.
I had laid my hands on one half filled bottle and glass cup, poured a portion into the cup and downed it. Then one of my guards entered the room.
His hand behind his back, pick two of your team members and go drop One hundred thousand shekels, one at the old cemetery, and another money in the greenhouse warehouse both at exactly ten PM tonight.”
“Boss, with due respect, danger looms” Duck squared his shoulder.
Where?How?” I answered insensitively, looking around me as if the walls had opened up and a demon had entered the room.
My forefinger pointed at him, with the others around the glass cup I held.
Dont…” I nodded my head, " Don't even try to go there Duck, it's my reputation we are talking about here.
What happens if she pushes her demand further. What happens if she had more damning evidence than the one she came out with now ?
“What do you mean?”
Or have you forgotten, easily the way he was playing his cards gently, until we took a decisive position. Wolves like this are always coming back for more. If we pay the money, she would still ask for more… like she would be seeing you as a cash cow. How much would it take her to hire a few loyalists that would be doing her dirty errands…”
I breathed out. I didn't even know how to counter him. Duck always comes true in all his assumptions, he is the kind of follower I don't play with his input… and I hate to call my father into this. Since I had made my bold decisions the last time I was in his place.
“Do you know that she had worked in a stormfang pack before and Rosa dismissed her without benefit with two other young wolves?
I moved away from the alcohol stands and walked close to Duck?
“This can't be true?”
It is, boss,” Duck nodded his head and then replied, a faint smile painted on his face, “she may decide to collect this cash from you and threaten to expose you to Rosa or she would eventually go ahead and expose everything to the king of alpha dominion pack.”
I paused a bit, down the remaining hot drink in my hand. My throat burnt.
Go do what I asked you to do first. Then if she played smart, then we will treat her with the language she understood.
Duck paid homage and left the room.
Those words had nearly left my leaps, when the front door Omega entered the room.
He knelt in my presence. I wondered for a minute what he had brought up.
“My lord a lot has been happening in this house.”
I didn't even pay attention to him. I had to refill the glass cup in front of me with more alcohol.
I can't explain it.” He paused a bit. I stepped into your room early this morning to pick up one of the keys that Freya forgot when she came here to clean up your bedroom.”
I rolled my eyes, Dextro, “Go straight to the point.”
I found a paper bag at that corner.” he turned and pointed his finger to it. “ I picked it up because I saw your Luna , I mean the one that left this morning taking her bath. I swear to the goddess I didn't do anything funny to look through.
That last part of utterance almost made me spill the gin in my mouth on his face. Humorous.
Then he continued, “I picked up the paper bag on getting outside, I saw the paper bag had been stained with something that looked like blood. I opened the bag. I found that I was right.”
“What does the color of the cloth look like?” I asked.
“It's like a maid's uniform?”
Waoh. Interesting.
Have you ever seen anyone putting it on within or outside this pack?”
“Yes my lord. In Luna Astra's mansion. I have worked there before and I have a lot of friends still working there till today.”
“Go bring it for me,”
That's why I am here
," he replied, his lips shaky, " where I kept it, I was shocked that it had disappeared where I kept it. I think that is your Luna's handiwork.”
I squeezed my brow. “You mean Rosa?”