Chapter Sixty Three
“Have you contacted Theo?” Sophia asked. They were all in the drawing room; Callan, Nikolai, Sophia, Natalie’s mother, and the rest of her sisters.
Kate shook her head. “I can’t reach him through our bond.”
Marilyn, the youngest of the girls, scoffed. “Of course you can't.”
Kate looked up at her sharply. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
Marilyn pulled away from where she had been leaning comfortably on the wall. “It means you should be happy, you brought this upon us. Remember when you sided with Theo and Augustine and tried to depose Natalie? Isn’t this what you wanted? Or are you just mad that Theo did it without consulting you first?” She rolled her eyes.
“Can’t you see how selfish you are and have always been? Accept the truth and that is you are sad about this because Theo betrayed you too, if we had been back home, I am sure you would have no problem unseating our sister yourself.”
“That is enough now,” Sophia said, but it was as though she hadn’t said anything because Marilyn wasn’t stopping.
“Don’t give me that look, Catherine, because you know what I am talking about, you know the things you did just to—”
“You have no right to talk to me like that!”
“Don’t I?” Marilyn yelled. “You are the most unsympathetic person and envious person ever and the fact that our sister wasn’t spared from your bitterness is what still baffles me. Do you think simply because I never say anything about it means I don’t notice? For the longest time, you thought you and Theo deserved to be Alpha and Luna, you thought you were better than Natalie because you had your mate and she didn’t.”
“Stop it, Marilyn!” their mother intervened.
“And you did this too, Mother. You never saw any wrong with what Catherine does, it was always obvious Sophia was your favorite child and in her absence, you poured all of that affection into Kate, you made her what she is now and maybe it is time you acknowledge that she is a horrible person and trying to depose Natalie was a horrible move.”
“She meant no malice by it!”
“Yes, she did. No one tries to unseat you without malice, can you say Augustine meant no malice with what he did too? We have no home now, Mother. Our pack has been taken away from us and we have absolutely nothing to our name anymore, we have no pack to return to and Natalie is about to go on trial for a crime she didn’t commit so maybe for the first time you should admit our family is in shambles and ask yourself how you contributed to getting us to the state we are in now!”
And with that, Marilyn stormed off plunging the room into a stinging silence that lasted a few minutes.
“Well, that was intense,” Sophia said, clearing her throat awkwardly. Quiet sobs came from Catherine but barely anyone looked in her direction, especially Nikolai. He was disgusted by her and with Marilyn shedding more light on this, he felt anger towards his mate’s mother. Not only had she told Natalie she wished she’d died instead of Sephora, but she was also still being so unfair towards the woman he loved.
Kate had tried to unseat Natalie and the woman still supported her; it was aggravating.
“We could fight to get the pack but that is impossible now considering Nikolai wants us to go to war with Emerald pack instead,” Callan said, glancing at him.
“And I won’t be changing my mind. There is no use fighting to get Natalie’s position back when she is not here. I would rather have her here without her position than a dead Alpha.”
“This is not just about Natalie!” Kate shrieked. “Didn’t you hear my sister? We have no home to return to, you must help us, your packs are powerful.”
“No!” Nikolai barked. “I have had enough of you, Catherine. If you do not have an ounce of affection for your sister then that is your business but you will not tell me to abandon my Luna just to secure your home.” He looked over at Natalie’s mother. “You are welcome to stay in my pack, it can be your new home and I assume Callan is willing to offer the same and that is all I have to say concerning this matter.”
Sophia smiled at him and Nikolai imagined it was an expression of her approval.
“We travel at dawn,” he said to Callan.
Outside the room, Nikolai leaned against the wall and let out a breath – everything was falling apart and he wished now more than ever that Natalie was here, he wished he could hold her and breathe in the smell of her hair. Nikolai was certain he was going to get his mate back soon enough, it was just time now and when he did, he was going to tell her everything he had hidden from her.
He just prayed she would remain with him after she finds out the truth.
****
Emerald pack was located at the peak of a mountain. It was dark when Nikolai and his warriors finally made it to the border; Callan had stayed back, not wanting to get any more involved in this than he was and Nikolai understood. Callan had sent Luther instead.
Nikolai didn't exchange a word with the man, the hostile air between them remained hovering and it was noticeable by both warriors that they commanded but that was the least of Nikolai’s worries. They marched in silence and stealth until they had just the fence separating them from the pack, the fence, and the men who guarded it.
The clouds were darkening, coming together, and causing a cracking sound to inform of the impending rain. Nikolai was glad for it, if anything the rain would serve as a distraction but if that was to be in their favor or the Emerald pack’s warriors, he was yet to discern.
He glanced over at the three people who kept to themselves —Abel, Micheal, and Eliana. They were not part of this, they had one job and that was simply to find Nikolai’s child and bring him back. Abel nodded his head at him and Nikolai returned hisbatterion to the warriors who waited for his command.
The plan from here was simple—a number of them were to attack the border and seize the warriors guarding it making sure that every one of them was captured, harmed only if need be. They were to make certain none escaped further into the pack to inform the main army of the invasion.
Following that, they were going to go in, Nikolai would lead a smaller sect of men toward the holding cell where Natalie would be and Luther would lead the others to the manor where the Alpha of the Emerald pack resided. The first order of duty of the Emerald pack army would be to protect their Alpha and in that cacophony, Nikolai would have sufficient chance to break Natalie out.
It all had sounded simple enough but Nikolai knew it would be harder than that, there were several ways their plan could go awry but he didn't allow that to deter him still. He was ready for whatever it was, he was here to save Natalie and he wasn't leaving without Natalie.
They stepped back and Nikolai prepared to give the commandment for their first action… This was the inception of a long, lethal war for the future, it wasn't too late to put a halt on this. He could tell them to turn back now, he could feel the hesitation of the men with him, it would all be so easy.
But then he thought of Natalie in that cell room, undergoing whatever torture the bastard Alpha has thought to mete out to her. He could imagine her confusion, the trepidation, the not-knowing why she truly was going through this. It was why he had to save her and why he had to tell her the truth after he did.
“Now!” The wind carried his voice through the army and the men made the move.
The rest of them stepped away, stood by the fence, and allowed the others to go in first.
It didn't take long before the smell of blood perforated the air, the sounds of muffled cries, and Nikolai shut his eyes. Regardless of who was losing, it wasn't meant to go like this, at least not yet.
The death of every person that would lose their life tonight would loom over him for the rest of his life, something else that would keep him awake for the remainder of the long nights he had to live.
Finally, a few men from their side came out, bloodied and messy but it had been done —they could go in now.
Nikolai let out a breath he didn't know he’d been holding in and, just as the first drop of rain descended, he and his men attacked Emerald pack.