Chapter 34 Scorched Earth pt 1
Alpha James
“What do you mean, you lost them? Were my instructions unclear?” I shouted.
Beta George kept his eyes down, his posture submissive. “They had already reached Crescent Moon territory before we caught up with them. I tried to get Alpha Duncan to release them back to me, but he refused. He wouldn’t even let me onto his land. I sent ten of the twenty warriors with me to infiltrate and find them while I had Alpha Duncan engaged at the gates, but they went silent. They must have been captured.”
This was a disaster. I felt two pack bonds break early this morning, but I didn’t care. I needed those omegas back. They knew too much, plus Alpha Brian was expecting one of them. Not to mention, if Duncan figures out who Seren is, Blood Moon is done for. Selling omegas seemed like easy money when I started years ago, and my bank account certainly showed the proof. I had never actually thought that I’d come close to getting caught for it.
“So you’re telling me that not only did you fail the mission that I sent you on, you got ten of our warriors captured by the enemy?” I slammed my fist on my desk. A small crack formed along the edge. “What reason did Duncan give you for stealing our pack members and my prisoner?”
George took a deep breath before answering, as if he needed the extra air for courage. “He stated they did not steal anyone. They simply took their mates, as is custom when someone meets a mate in another pack. And since Louise was Kayla’s mother, they offered a place in their pack for her so she could come with her daughter, and she accepted.”
At that, I banged both fists down onto my desk. It split down the middle and collapsed. George ducked out of the way as pieces went flying.
“MATES? You’re telling me they’re claiming them as mates? That had better not be true. If they’re mated to those two omegas, they’ll learn everything.”
I smelled Tobias outside my door. He knocked and then entered. Taking in the destruction of my office, he looked at me. “I take it things didn’t go well?”
I growled. Impertinent pup. “Gather our warriors and increase patrols. Prepare to defend the pack. Get the omegas that have been sold out of the pack as soon as possible and make arrangements to clear out any extras that we don’t need at the moment. Discount them if you have to, but get them gone.”
“Are you expecting Alpha Duncan to attack?”
“I’m preparing for the worst. He’s claiming the girls are mated to them. If that’s the case, then they’ll want retaliation. And if they figure out Seren is the missing princess, the Royal Pack will be right behind them. Get the pack cleaned up and the merchandise out now. I’ll handle the books. That damn head omega caught on to our operation, and now that she’s broken pack ties, she will not be bound by my alpha command. We need to make things look clean so that they don’t look deeper.” Rage was burning in my throat. I knew that having Alpha Duncan come here was going to bite me in the ass. I should have ignored the royal decree to expand our invitation list.
“How much did the head omega know? Haven’t you had to alpha command her like a dozen times? Should have killed her long ago,” Tobias growled.
At that, I sank back down into my chair. He’s right. That omega had a habit of being in the wrong place at the right time, always catching snippets of conversations she wasn’t supposed to. As long as I kept her here, under my command, it wasn’t an issue. She was good at her job, and people would have noticed if she had gone missing. I never thought she’d actually risk going rogue to get away. She broke her pack link, so she’s probably singing like a canary. She can tell them everything she knows. I looked at Beta George. “Well? Get the warriors moving!” He nodded and ran out of the room.
I looked over at Tobias. “Get your sister to pack a bag. Then have her and Claire come here in twenty minutes. I need to deal with Brian and send him on his way.” Tobias shot one eyebrow up in question, but I just glared at him. “Go!” Shaking his head, he turned and exited my office.
I found my phone in the mess of broken wood and computer monitors on my floor. Picking it up, I dialed Alpha Brian. “If you could, I’d like to see you in my office before you set out,” I told him when he answered.
“What about? I need to get on the road.”
“The merchandise we still owe you.”
“Fine.” He hung up, and within minutes he was at my door. He just smirked when he saw the mess. “What is it? Clearly, you’re having trouble getting them. I doubt you just felt like you wanted to redecorate.”
I seethed at his flippant tone. He is acting like he doesn’t have a care in the world, but he’s right in this mess with me. If the Royal Pack finds out about the trafficking, they’ll eventually follow the trail back to his pack. After all, he’s the one who introduced me to the head of the operation and got me involved.
“Look. I obviously don’t have Seren to give you at the moment, but I’d like to make an offer to make up for that. Given the amount you paid for her, I don’t want you to walk away unsatisfied.”
He looked intrigued. “And what could you possibly offer me that would make up for losing the beaten-down princess?”
“An Alpha’s daughter and my Luna.”
Both his eyebrows hit his hairline. “You’re selling your own family now? That’s low, even for you.”
“We’ve had a solid relationship all these years, and I owe you that respect. I wouldn’t make this offer to just anyone. Amelia turned eighteen three months ago, and rejected her mate because he was an omega, so you’ll have no trouble on that part. Claire’s of omega stock, and we haven’t had her ceremony, so she’s not fully ranked up yet, but she’s biddable and good in bed. That should be worth the $750,000 that you paid for Seren, and I’ll still actively try to get Seren back and give you first shot at her when I do.”