Chapter 34

I linked all three of the boys. “One of you go to the hall and take him to your room when he tries to leave.”

They didn’t link me back, but I watched Ezra and Drake slip out the door.

Creed continued to stare me down, “Bella please.”

“No Creed, I’ve heard enough. You need to leave.”

I can tell by the look in his eyes and his silence that he can’t defend himself in front of everyone else. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but I’m going to find out.

It’s not like him to allow Rowen or anyone to talk to him like that. How did Rowen even find out who Creed is? Nothing is making sense.

Creed needs to get out of here. Rowen isn’t stopping. He’s doing everything he can to make Creed lose control, and he’s holding on by a thread. I can see his eyes starting to flicker.

“Leave Creed!” I yelled.

He bit his lip and slightly nodded before he turned around and walked out. Slamming the door as he exited.

I let out a deep breath and Ryker grabbed a hold of me. Pulling me into a much-needed hug.

“It’s going to be alright, Bella.”

I couldn’t talk, I just hid my face in my brother’s chest. What the hell just happened? Has Creed really been lying to me this whole time?

The images of the dream I had of my family being attacked came flooding into my mind. My sisters and even little Tate were covered in blood. I won’t let anything happen to them. I’ll protect them until my dying breath.

I don’t know what to think or what to do, but I know I need to let Rowen believe he has the upper hand. I don’t know what he’s capable of or how he found out about Creed, but I do know that he revealed it this way for a reason.

Ryker held onto me tight, and I know what he’s doing. He’s stalling to give Ezra and Drake a few minutes to get Creed to their room.

He finally let go of me and Dawson put his hand on my thigh, “Do you want me to walk you home?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Rowen put his hand on my other thigh. “What if he comes after you? He’s dangerous. Why don’t you stay here with me tonight? I can keep you safe.”

I shook my head, “right now I just need time to think, and I need my family. I’m going with Ryker.”

“OK,” Dawson nodded and stood up from the bed. Dawson is pretty good at hiding his expressions, but even he looks confused about everything. I’ll get his thoughts about it later.

Rowen went to wrap his arm around me, but Dawson was quick, and he grabbed my hand to help me up.

“Keep her safe Ryker, and Bella, don’t stress over him. Me and Dawson can protect you.”

I just nodded to Rowen. I’m completely disgusted by his actions right now. Even if everything he said about Creed is true, why did he have to call him here, and put him on the spot like that. He wanted Creed to walk in on us making out. Why didn’t he just tell me and let me decide what to believe?

I turned my back to Rowen and gave Dawson a quick hug before I left with Ryker.

When we got into the hallway, Ryker linked me, “what do you want to do, Bella. Is it true?”

“I don’t know yet, that’s why I had you guys take him to your room. I need his side of the story. For whatever reason, he couldn’t talk there.”

I looked up at Ryker and he nodded.

“I don’t want to sound like I’m defending Creed, but it’s obvious Rowen wants him gone. He probably thinks you will forgive him and choose him if Creed’s out of the picture.”

“Yah, I think you’re right about his motive, but it just goes to show that he doesn’t know me very well.” I smirked at Ryker.

“Let’s see what Creed has to say, then hopefully we can figure out what’s going on.”

When we walked into Ryker’s room, Ezra, Jacie, and Drake were sitting on the couch and Creed was standing against the wall with his arms crossed.

I stood right in front of him and crossed my arms, “is it true? Why didn’t you say anything to defend yourself?”

He stared into my eyes, “because it is true. That is the reason I was sent here. I promised you I wouldn’t lie to you or keep any more secrets.”

I scrunched my eyebrows, “you call this not keeping secrets.”

“I didn’t lie to you, I told you we were working on a plan to take down the king. I didn’t tell you about the king’s plan because it didn’t matter. It’s not what we’re doing, but if it gets back to the king that we're going against him, what do you think will happen?”

Creed shook his head, “I promise you Bella, I’m not like him and neither is Cyrus. We went along with his plan because it gave us the out we needed. I’m here, playing the part of an obedient son, making him think that I’ve been slowly building bombs, so it goes undetected. In reality, I’ve been chasing this crazy little firecracker that I want more than anything.”

Creed took a deep breath as he tried to calm down.

“Cyrus was sent to sneak into different wolf packs and bear dens to start attacks and hide bombs. Once everything is set, we’re supposed to remotely detonate everything at the same time. He doesn’t even care if we make it home. All that matters to him is that we complete his mission. Cyrus took the cover and the opportunity to meet with the Alpha’s and the Bear king to build some support. We’re also trying to build an army to take him down.”

“How do I know you’re not lying to me now?”

“Bella, I swear to you. I would never hurt you, or your family. I’ll take you to meet Cyrus if you want. You will like him, and you can see for yourself that he’s not a bad person. He doesn’t want to hurt innocent people.”

“Is he behind the attacks on the Red moon pack, and the fire that killed 20 wolves in the lunar pack?” Drake asked.

I looked at Drake and then back at Creed for an answer. I didn’t even know about those incidents.

“Yes, but check with the Alpha’s if you know them. They were staged. The Alpha’s are on our side. They started the rumors, so the king thinks my brother is doing damage. The only thing that he really did was burn down an empty building.”

“Where did the drawing come from,” Ryker asked.

“It was sent to me by one of the king’s guards, and I threw the notebook on my desk with no intentions of even looking through it. He also sent me all the money I would need to buy everything. Even a little extra to sweeten the deal, and every dime is accounted for. He tried to pay me and Cyrus off just like he paid someone to kill his own mate.”

Creed took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a minute.

“It all works out perfect for him. He hurts whoever he wants to, and his hands remain clean. He never even blinked an eye at having his mate killed. What do you think would stop him from burying his disobedient sons? If he finds out we’re going against him, we’ll be dead by the time the sun comes up the next day.”